We were absolutely thrilled when we were contacted by the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown- the team that plans the amazing Bucks County Designer House & Gardens. My mom and I have been huge fans for a long time, and {before kids} made a point to visit the home every year. I mean, what's better than being told that you're allowed to snoop in someone else's house?! The BCDHG is a fundraiser to support the Doylestown Hospital that combines gorgeous, old homes in Bucks County and fabulous designers from the area. Designers submit ideas for the rooms they'd like to design in a specially chosen Bucks County home, and the best ones are chosen by the committee. This year's home is unbelieveably gorgeous, with loads of character and charm.
Isn't it beautiful? And this doesn't even showcase the grounds! Love it. Anyway, the lovely ladies on the committee asked Monica and me to run two seminars, and of course, we agreed! We're so excited to be doing one seminar on Upcycling (duh! What else?) and the other on Accessorizing like a Pro. The seminars are included in the price of admission, so there's no excuse for all you design enthusiasts!We'd LOVE to flood the Designer House with as many RHBC fans as possible, so be sure to check out the calendar of events for more information and details. Plus, there's nothing more fun than meetingour readers in real life, so you'd be making us really happy.; ) Will YOU be coming out to support us?
We all love Pinterest… there are so many ideas and cool people to be inspired by. I wish I took the time to do more of the projects I see, but honestly this lil' old blog takes a lot of time, so I don't do as many as I'd like to (sounds weird that a DIY blog would take time away from DIYing, but it's true!)
Today I'm excited to introduce you to two people I adore. Meet my adorable sister-in-law Kelly and my awesome brother-in-law Bryan. This cute couple lives in Ohio, so we miss them 24-7, but we have a blast when we're together.
I also have to introduce you to their little stud Jax. He's our one and only nephew and we think he's the best!
Okay, so why are we having this Mangin Family blog reunion?? Well, Kelly is not just a Pinterest addict, she actually does what she pins! {Gasp!} On our recent visit to Ohio, I felt like I was walking through a Pinterest Museum. It was too awesome not to share. Kelly has some creative friends and family, and between them all they have done so many fun projects for her home. So without further ado… Welcome to Kelly's Pinteresting Home!State Artwork Kel is from OH and Bry is from PA.
Aqua Painted Pedestal Table Kel got her table and chairs at goodwill for $75 total. Add aqua and white paint and you have an awesome statement piece!
Funky Pendant Light This was one of the first changes Kelly made to her kitchen when she moved in!
Crossword Names Takes 2 seconds, but is so cute as an accessory. It's just a frame turned chalkboard.
Kitchen Office Space She removed the wall cabinets, added open shelving, and did some adorable accessorizing. Kelly claims she can't decorate, but I'm pretty sure you'd all beg to differ!
Spray Painted Faux Antlers Kel is super lucky to have a Hobby Lobby right around the corner. These beauties came from there and got a coral spraypaint treatment.
Simple Printables She doesn't just PIN free printables, she actually uses them… imagine that! A simple piece of twine, some clothespins, and voila!
Modern Painted Chandelier Bye Bye Brass, hello funky green. The circle bulbs are just right and add a cute modern flare.
Window Frame Kel found this awesome salvage shop in Springfield, OH. They have windows galore!
Family Rules and More Printables Kelly and Jess both have the Be Happy print. You can get it at Sprik Space.
Magazine Paper Frame & Vase These two were purchases, but I liked them too much not to include them. If you're patient enough you can make your own!
House Numbers and Hooks There are so many things you can do with frames, and digital paper. Our favorite site is Moo & Puppy!
Yarn Wreath You know I'm the"anti-wreath," but this one is really cute! I love the homemade pompoms
Paper Flowers Kelly's friend Amy made these for her and they match her aqua table so well. Jones Design Company has tons of paper flower tutorials!
Clip Hooks Are you seeing a clothes pin trend? They're affordable, easy to use, and cute!
Fabric Lined Shelves Kel took plain bookshelves from drab to fab with this blue fabric. Her shelves always look so cute! Her sister gave her the frame with the subway art and has it loaded up with a print for every season/holiday.
Unique Gallery Wall These cool rounded frames are from Ikea and the doorknob is from Hobby Lobby.
Growth Chart I love this growth chart that Kelly's sister made for her. It's exactly like this one from Miss Natalie. No time to make one? You can buy one on Etsy for $56.00.
Last but not least, check out this fabulous fabric choice for a DIY headboard!
What do you think? Are you inspired to go look at your pin boards and actually do a project? I know I have a list a mile long that I want to do now! I also have to tell you that Kel had no idea I was snooping around her house taking pictures, so none of this was staged or cleaned… this is real-deal, everyday life and I think it's great! Have you turned a pin into a project? Share the link, we'd love to see!
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We're still in Europe for a few more days (you can follow along through my pics on Instagram @EastCoastCreative), but I'll be honest that I'm itching to transform my house for Christmas!
Usually, we're a Saturday-after-Thanksgiving kind of family, but this year we'll decorate as soon as we're back from our trip. Last month I started perusing Pinterest for holiday inspiration and tons of bright ideas kept jumping out at me. I thought I'd share a collection of awesomely merry & bright Christmas inspiration for you… so all the way from Paris- Enjoy!
Merry & Bright #1- I've done the present thing before. Just wrap some picture frames in bright colored paper, add some ribbon and voila! I also love the super cheery and bright ornaments on this mantle.
Merry & Bright # 2- These felt trees would be really fun to make with the kiddos. They're simply felt, wrapped around a cone shape, and blinged out with some sequins.
Merry & Bright #3- Jess and I LOVE pine cone placeholders, but add a little paint dip in hot pink and man, it doesn't get much cooler than this!
Merry & Bright # 4- Umm, Hello Whoville…this sock vase and painted branches is insanely awesome! How fun would this be to make and then put in my kids' playroom? I think it's officially on the TO DO list (when we're back from vacation of course!)
Merry & Bright # 5- You all know I'm an anti-wreath kind of gal, and this is a super fun, non-traditional wreath. It's a ceiling medallion (which are really inexpensive at Lowe's or HD) and some holiday ribbon.
Merry & Bright #6- Moo & Puppy has come out with an awesome Christmas line of digital papers. I love using these papers because I can print out as many as I need. I'm loving up these patterns and am planning to use these as part of my Christmas Countdown Calendar (tutorial coming soon!) Check out all of Moo's awesome holiday papers!
Merry & Bright # 7- We've all seen some felt garlands, but this one takes the cake! Check out her post and you'll see that she used a combo of store bought felt poms and she also MADE some of them too! I'm not sure I'm going that far, but it definitely turned out amazingly!
Merry & Bright # 8- I could almost turn from my wreath-hating ways because of this wreath. I love the combo of shiny, matte, and glitter balls.
You've got to see the whole room…
Yup, that's pure Merry & Bright Awesomeness people! Who knows, this year I just might decorate my kids's playroom for Christmas! Usually, they just get a little faux greenery, but after all this Merry & Bright Inspiration, I might go the extra mile and use some of these ideas! How about you? Are what do you think of Bright, non-traditional colors at Christmas?
When being at The Man's house, taking a shower is a quick manoeuvre. He hasn't gotten around to change the water tank yet, and so I have the pleasure of enjoying warm water for about. three minutes. And I hate it! So when I get back to Gothenburg I take loong showers! There's unlimited hot water here since I have a rental apartment.
In a few minutes a friend is coming over for lunch, bringing with her a big cup of Soy Latte. It'll be an update on what has happened since we last met, which is too long. But that's what happens when you find a Man who lives in the country, many miles away.
I'm a member of the book club Skapargl'dje and in all these months I haven't found a single book I wanted to buy. This month though, the main book is Julboken (The Christmas book) by Kristina Strand and I'm definitely going to get that one. I know Christmas is still a long time away but here are some pictures to tempt you with, in case you'll want to buy it for yourself.
Foggy day here, extremely depressive. I'm considering lighting a fire just to make up for the weather outside. And as that wasn't enough I have to clean the house. Usually I take one room at a time but this is a big house and a bit overwhelming, I'm not used to living big, my apartment is nearly 60 km2. So far, I've cleaned the stairs, haha.
(Oh, by the way, I've bought a laser pointer for my cats. I don't think I've laughed so hard for. well, a long time. They're going nuts!)
Wallas Verden is a Norwegian interior shop, unfortunately. This means I can't order anything without it being extremely expensive. Not only because the Norwegian kroner is more worth than the Swedish, but also because Norway isn't an EU country and therefore demands toll for shipping. Stupid!
Oh well, here are some of their tempting products, anyway.
It's one of those twilight days. Still summer but fall is catching in. The green couldn't be greener from the sunshine but when you stick your head out the door it's cold as h***. I'm not sure I'm amused.
Here life goes on, whether it's summer or fall. We're happy and enjoying life and each other. My Black Panther (cat) is running around calling for attention, wanting to go out all the time, which is making me a bit suspicious so today I'm booking her for a vet. 'Snip snap'
A happy day to you all. Enjoy fall, soon the winter is here.
We''re bying a new dining table and chairs. The table is painted by the last owners in a kind of egg white and then handpainted flowers around the edge, in fuschia with some green and blue wrapped in. It's simply beautiful! Pictures will come later.
Though, it has made me rethink the kitchen. From the beginning I looked at white ones but now I'm considering something more colory. Like this one.
