Woman Praised by Martha Stewart After Creating Boot Camp for DIY Projects (Exclusive)

Klea Turner turned to a tried-and-true source for DIY design inspiration after moving into her new home: Martha Stewart.

After getting the keys to her new digs, Turner, 26, wanted to find ways to make it her own without breaking the bank. One of the first things she did was sew curtains for her kitchen and front door. 

She decided to film the process and create voiceovers on TikTok, dubbing the series the “Martha Stewart Boot Camp.” Turner posts snippets from her daily projects around the house as she works to make the space feel like a home. Turner talked to PEOPLE exclusively about the renovations and where her inspiration comes from.   

“Martha Stewart has always inspired me, and I’ve always watched her since I was little, and my mom and I always did decor projects around the house,” she says. “This is the first house I’ve ever owned, and having my own place to live opened up this whole new world and brought out this new creativity I didn’t know I had.”

Once Turner and her husband bought their house in Layton, Utah, the reality set in that they would need to furnish and decorate it. For Turner, it’s been a “fun” challenge trying to figure out how to do everything she wants on a budget, which includes lots of thrifting and sourcing second-hand furniture from Facebook Marketplace.

She says taking it piece by piece and learning “the small things you do every day make a huge difference” has helped her stay on track.

“Sometimes you’ll look at your house and think, ‘I want my whole kitchen to be different, and I want a whole new living room set up, and I want all new decor.’ Then you start researching things and think, ‘That’s overwhelming, that’s expensive, that’s a lot,'” she explains. “I went and bought a pot and some faux florals to set it on my table, and it changed the entire vibe of my house.”

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the little things you do can make a big difference. You don’t have to completely renovate your entire kitchen, but you can just add little touches of yourself along the way.”

Turner says that one of the most surprising things about the series is the feeling of “giddiness” after she completes each project.

“I’m a mom, so I’ve told myself that I don’t have a lot of time to do the things that I always loved, like home decor, hosting, DIYs, and gardening,” she explains. “But I’m realizing how much I love it, and how much it brings me joy outside of motherhood.”

“I feel like the biggest thing that surprised me is it brings a ton of intention into my home, like everything that I’ve done, like if I’ve made a craft for my home, or I’ve done something in my garden, or anything like that it all feels like a piece of me in my house, and it feels very thought out,” she adds.

Turner has been sharing her boot camp online, and her first video went viral, amassing over 1 million views. Stewart herself commented, “We will be here all summer😍.”

Turner says the response has been “fun” but “surprising.” She loves that everyone has “a lot of opinions when it comes to home decor things” and “their own unique individual style.” She also appreciates how much her audience has taught her when it comes to design.

“There’s this whole community that’s been out there the whole time that I didn’t even know about,” she says. “I don’t know much about gardening, and that’s half the reason I started this series was because I wanted to learn the things myself, and I’ll ask for advice, and people will give great advice, and I’ve learned so much.”

While Stewart inspired the series, Turner says a lot of her creativity comes from her mom. As fans of the TV show Surprise by Design, when she was younger, Turner and her mom would go to Home Depot, pick out paint and decor, and surprise Turner’s dad by redoing a room. 

“I have always wanted to do that. Now that I have my own house, I can do that, and it’s been so freeing and so much fun. Every day, I’ll call my mom and ask, ‘What do you think of this pink color?’ ” she says.

“We’re very close, and she always has such great ideas. She is my biggest inspiration. She’s my actual Martha in real life.”

As for the future of her “Martha Stewart Boot Camp” series, Turner says that “the possibilities are endless.”

“I think we’re gonna do it throughout the summer and just kind of see where it takes us, and how the house changes over the summer.” She would also like to involve her very handy husband in the process. 

For those looking to get more involved in house projects, Turner emphasizes that “you don’t really have to spend a lot of money or be this revolutionary person” to create a beautiful space.

“I’m doing normal, regular projects around my house,” the homeowner shares. “If you just spend a little bit of time and intention, putting that into your home makes it such an enjoyable space, and it adds a lot of fun to your life.”