My Creative Blog:
MegaCreative

  • How to Paint Cabinets White

    How to Paint Cabinets White

    Ok, let's be real here. You know how when we write a tutorial and most of the time we say something like,"It couldn't be easier!" or, "Anyone can do it"? You won't hear that from me today. Painting kitchen cabinets really isn't hard, but it's time-consuming, monotonous and boring. It took us a full 10 days (working on weekday evenings- it could take less time if you have a big chunk of time to devote to it!) from start to finish. That being said, for the amount of money you put into it- really only the cost of paint- you won't find anything that makes as big of a difference. So, if you think you're ready to tackle this project- go for it! You won't regret the time spent in agony. Ha! Just kidding. But seriously, you will absolutely love the results.

    1. Take off all of the doors and pull out all drawers. Take off all hardware and store in a safe place! We had a bag labeled with what went where. And if you're anything like me, clean out your cabinets because that's just gross.

    2. Sand away! A lot of people will tell you that sanding is unnecessary. However, if you want a really seamless, smooth look, or if you have very glossy cabinets, I recommend a light sanding. I used my palm sander with 80 grit sandpaper (the higher the number, the finer the grit. For heavy duty sanding, use a lower grit sandpaper!)

    3. Wipe down the cabinets to remove all dust and choose your supplies. We used a 2-inch high density foam roller that is meant to be used on cabinets. We found that they didn't hold paint well, which meant we needed to do lots of coats, but the paint went on so smoothly! We also used a 2 1/2 inch angled paint brush (Purdy is the best!) to get the corners and hard to reach places.

    4. Prime and Paint. We started off priming everything, but quickly realized that to get good coverage we'd have to do way too many coats of paint. So we used Olympic ONE Paint + Primer in pure white that coordinates with our moulding in the kitchen and entryway. We didn't feel the need to use an oil-based paint as long as we used an enamel paint (enamel = paint that dries hard, is usually glossy, and is easily washable). Also, the higher the gloss of the paint, the harder it dries. I wanted a glossy look, so this works for me.

    Because our cabinets were previously stained (by us!) a dark walnut, it took several coats of paint. I would say that each door got 4 coats of paint. You could sand the cabinets in between each coat for an even smoother finish, but honestly, that would have taken us 4 extra years, so we decided to skip that step. They still look amazing.

    We did both the outside and inside of the cabinets, so that no dark wood peeks out when you open the doors. Here's a super great tip that I wish I had heard of before we started: use push pins in the back of the cabinets to lift them off the ground. No more sticking to the dropcloth!

    5. Seal with a water-based polyurethane (we used Sherwin Williams Wood Classics) for extra protection and even more washability (is that even a word?) Again, we went with water-based because oil-based polyurethane can yellow over time and that's not the look we're going for!

    Wood Classics® Waterborne Polyurethane Varnish

    6. Wait and wait and wait some more for the paint to cure. You don't want to nick up your beautiful white cabinets, so make sure you wait the appropriate amount of time written on your paint can before putting them back together.
    7. Put all the hardware back on the cabinets and drawers.

    8. Time to put the kitchen back together! This step couldn't have come sooner in my book, and I was literally, dancing for joy. We hung the upper cabinets first, and made sure to caulk along the side of the cabinet to make sure it look seamless.

    9. Step back and admire your beautiful cabinets! All that hard work was worth it, for sure!

    I hope I answered all of your questions about how to paint cabinets. If not, be sure to leave a comment with your question!
    I LOVE my new cabinets! What do you think? Worth the effort, or just way too much work?

    jess
  • Kitchen Renovation {Putting it Back Together}

    Kitchen Renovation {Putting it Back Together}

    New here? You can check out our kitchen demolition here.

    Imagine with me for a minute…See this soffit?

    Imagine with me that that soffit is no longer there. There would be no interruption from the countertops to the ceiling, and as a result, the ceiling would seem so much higher. Nice, right? It would be so open and clean.

    I could hang the cabinets from the ceiling, which would increase the space between them and the countertop. You with me? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Ok, good. Because here goes:

    First we removed all the upper cabinets (and by"we", I most definitely mean my hubs). We were amazed at what we found behind those cabinets- apparently the homeowners before us did their own DIY with painted tiles, framed by a sharpie marker! Plus, there's a vent that was hooked up to the microwave that we realized we need to take care of, as well.

    I did loads of research on removing soffits, since this is our first big demo/remodel, and everyone said the same thing: make a small hole in the drywall and check to see if there is any wiring or pipes behind the soffit. In a lot of cases, soffits have no real structural function, but are there so you could hang cabinets from them. If you notice, new construction homes almost never have soffits in the kitchen. Luckily for us, there is a recessed light in our soffit, so we were able to remove it and get a good view into the interior of the soffit.

    Since it's a pretty small hole, we stuck our small digital camera up in the soffit and took a few pictures in each direction to make sure all was clear. It worked like a charm and I was thrilled to see that there wasn't anything there but insulation!

    Also, a bunch of people said that soffits aren't always made of drywall, but could also be plywood, which is why we weren't afraid when we saw this:

    So, we kept on ripping things out (while trying hard to ignore the mouse droppings- Eew!) Then, when we were all done, my hubs said he thought that maybe this big beam in the front might be load-bearing beam that runs along the entire length of the back of the house. Ahhhhh!!! Noooooo!!!!

    This is when we called in the experts, ie: my father-in-law and my parent's genius handyman, Robert. While we waited for them to come, I spent a few days trying to decide how I felt about have no upper cabinets.

    I decided that I really liked it, but after stewing over it, I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't really practical for us since I removed the upper cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. My new plan for this side of the kitchen is a combination of cabinets and open shelving that I'll share with you as we get closer to it. (Believe me, LOTS has to happen before that).My hubs also spackled the wall, and painted it the new gray/tan in anticipation of the next step.

    Well, you guessed it, we did find out that the beam was load-bearing like my hubs suspected and needed to stay in place. So, (and this is so sad, and yes, I know my hubs is a saint!) my hubs went to work drywalling the soffit back in, with the help of Mo's husband, Eric. Poor guy. But, we were able to remove the recessed lighting kit and install a pendant light kit. Woohoo! I can't wait to pick that baby out!

    Even though we had a really big I'll be trying to make it up to my hubs for a long time minor setback, we did make some progress elsewhere. When we moved the oven to the other side of the kitchen and slid the fridge in it's place, we were left with this small cabinet space to the left. It was not functional at all, and it really made that side look disjointed.

    We removed the counter from the wall, and then moved the whole thing over to the other side of the refridgerator, giving us more counter space to the right.

    There is, of course, a crack between the two countertops, that, we're told can easiliy be masked with some paint that matches the counter brushed on the crack and then wiped away. You'll still notice it, but it won't scream out at you, and we don't plan on keeping this countertop forever (hopefully not past this year!). Here's where we are right now:

    I have to admit that my 3 year old took this picture, but what can I say? She has a good eye!
    Ok, take a deep breath. That's all for now.: )

  • Family Room Art & How To Add Grommets!

    Family Room Art & How To Add Grommets!

    {If you didn't hear, The Real Housewives of Bucks County are now East Coast Creative (Get the story here). You'll still be getting all the DIY, Design, and Monica & Jess that you love, but change your favorites to www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com Thanks!}

    You might remember that one of my 2012 goals was to make our family room reflect my style more this year. I still am convinced I don't really have a style… I more or less, just take lots of things I like and smush them all together, hoping it works out okay. Recently, I took one more step in the right direction for the room.

    I was browsing on Etsy a few weeks back and came across a shop I loved! Project Type has so many graphic art prints that I immediately fell in love with. This one in particular caught my eye.

    I had been toying around with the idea of vintage cameras in our family room and this picture was too cool to pass up. I contacted the artist to see if I could have a few custom tweaks made (it was vertical and I needed horizontal) and she said YES! I was so stinkin' excited when she agreed!
    I ordered two prints and honestly even the packaging they came in was super cool! Now, you might remember what was on the wall already. My ginormous family picture with the smaller frame…

    Ginormous

    Well this time, I was going for the reverse. Tricky aren't I? Bigger frame smaller picture.
    Once again I used my prized possession, AKA grommeter from Nate. I'll admit I was a tad nervous putting holes in fabulous artwork, but I wanted it to have the same feel as the large print.
    Want to know how to use a Grommeter??

    Add Grommets

    I keep my grommet tools in the little bin Nate gave me. Who knew one could love Tupperware?

    IMG_0545

    Take one of the female grommets and determine your placement. I traced it with a pencil (a very fancy pencil I might add!)

    IMG_0548

    Next place the cutting tool (might have an official name, but I don't know it) on your traced circle, and put the mini block of wood under it. The wood comes with your kit.

    IMG_0553

    Give it a solid pounding with a hammer and you have a nice little circle cut-out

    IMG_0554

    Pop the male piece through the opening. Make sure the pointy end is on the back of your artwork.

    IMG_0555

    Now start stacking. Add the female part to the back…

    IMG_0559

    Here' the order…The large metal ring goes on the bottom (part of the tool kit), then the male grommet, then paper, then female grommet, then the big mama tool (that's the really official term). Now Hammer, Hammer, Hammer. (Don't do it on your granite counter. I took mine outside in the garage)

    Ta-da! Perfectly adorable grommet!

    IMG_0560

    I took my art to the wall and hung it with plain nails. I'll use decorative ones to cover 'em up.

    IMG_0565

    I added my chain, which again only cost me about $1.45 at Lowes

    IMG_0566

    And vioila! I'm also going to add a fun door nob to the peak of the chain. I didn't quite get to Architectural Antiques this weekend as I planned to. Now, here's the question of the day… What should I put in the open gold frames??

    Here's the room to give you the full picture…

    Side note: Does anyone else have a weird husband that flips the cushions backwards? He does it when we don't have company over because the kids make a mess of the cushions. Sometimes I forget and then it's an awkward, mad rush as people are walking in the door. Weird. I know.
    So let me know what you think of my retro camera art, and what I should do to finish off this wall!

    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • What's in a Name? {Introducing East Coast Creative}

    Well lookie here… a new blog name and a whole new look! {Eeek!} Let us tell you that this has been one crazy journey. If you’re new around here or missed the drama he’s the low down…
    We’re a DIY and home décor blog. We’re Housewives. We’re Real. But, now we’re East Coast Creative… the bloggers formerly known as “The Real Housewives of Bucks County.” Hey, if Prince can do it, so can we! Change stinks, but we love our new name! So, our name is different, but everything else is the same. We’ll still be bringing you awesome DIY projects, cool design trends, and plenty of goofy Monica and Jess tossed in. Here’s where you come in… 1. We need help letting people know that East Coast Creative is still us! Facebook it, Tweet it, give us a shout out on your blog, whatever it takes. We want the world to know we’re still here!
    2. For now, the old address will work, but (as soon as it's functional, hopefully sometime today) try to get in the habit of using
    www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com
    *will be working soon!
    3. Let’s all just put RHBC behind us and move on. {Excuse us while we weep in the corner}
    On another note… none of this would be possible without the amazing talent of Kim at 733 Designs. She put up with a lot of our crazy ideas, slight breakdowns, and was super helpful and fast in making this all happen.
    Finally, we are so thankful for all of YOU! The positive feedback we get from you (especially in response to yesterday’s post) is so encouraging. We love this blog no matter what the name,(wait… what’s the name again??) and we’re so glad you do too.

    Soooo…what do you think?!
    With love, The Bloggers Formerly Known as The Real Housewives of Bucks County
    ** Other blog post titles that were considered:-How not to get sued-East Coast What???-The Housewives are Dead to us-Crap we need a blog name-A Case of Mistaken Identity

  • The Part-Time Blogger's Dilemma {Let's Be Honest}

    The Part-Time Blogger's Dilemma {Let's Be Honest}

    Ok, it's time to get really real with you. About us and our blog. It involves a little something we like to call:

    We recently received a very nice comment from a regular follower that prompted us to write this post. Before you read it, I have to say that we were very grateful for this reader's honesty, and the sweet way she voiced her concerns. There's nothing we love more than good, honest feedback from the lovely people who visit our blog every day!

    Ack! She nailed our current dilemma right on the head! Let me give you a little back story…when we started this blog a little over a year ago, we did not anticipate it interrupting our lives at all. It was just a place to throw all our ideas and projects. We literally thought that only our moms would read it. Then came Nate (not once, but four times!),

    Crafting with the Stars…

    local TV coverage, newspaper articles (you get the point) which equalled rapid blog growth. AND WE LOVED IT. All of these amazing opportunities meant that we were doing loads of projects, pouring hours of our time into the blog, and spending a lot of money to keep it all together. The blog is the most important, most rewarding and most fun thing we do (yes, even more than the Nate Show! It's our first love.), so we make every effort to put 5 great posts out per week. We LOVE this blog and it has become bigger and better than we ever expected.

    But here's where our dilemma comes in: In addition to the blog, we both work other jobs, raise a bunch of kids and try to be good wives, friends, daughters, sisters etc. Realistically we could not possibly keep up the pace we had been going for the first year, even though we would like to. Not only did this little blog take a lot of time away from our families, but we also spent a lot of our own money to do all those projects! We need to find a better way. We are trying to adjust our own expectations (which, believe me, are sky-high!) and are experimenting a bit with our posts.

    So what does all this mean for the blog you love to read?
    1 You'll probably see only a few DIY projects a week from us. Instead of scrambling to come up with a DIY project just for the sake of having one to post about, we're being more intentional about our projects so that they're well done, and have a purpose in our homes.

    2. We'll be highlighting our wonderful sponsors every once in a while to expose you to their awesomeness and also, to express our gratitude for their support of our blog that allows us to keep doing our projects. Don't worry we won't be throwing them in your faces at every turn, and we promise to only accept sponsor whose products we absolutely love!

    3. We might host a guest poster, or highlight other blogs we feel like are worthy of notice! The design blog world is like a family, and we want to promote other people, like others have promoted us!

    4. We'll keep bringing you our thoughts on all those fun, crazy and fabulous design trends out there, and how we're incorporating them in our homes!

    So, in conclusion (are you still there?), we are crazy about this blog and all of you, and hope to continue doing this for a long time, and even (crossing our fingers) turn it into a full-time job. We hope you'll stick around for the long haul, and be understanding as we try to find balance and a system that works for us.
    And now, a question for all you bloggers/mothers/wives etc. out there: How do YOU find balance?

    jess
    Monica

    P.S. We'll be doing a follow-up post on our top tips for Part-Time Bloggers, so get excited!; )

  • How to Add {Awesome} House Numbers

    How to Add {Awesome} House Numbers

    Thanks for all your great comments about my new front door color. Valspar's Spritz of Lime paint might be a new obsession for me! I gave you a little sneak peek of the door numbers yesterday, but today I'll give you the full low down. Adding numbers to a metal door can be tricky, but don't worry, I made all the mistakes for you and can save you some time!

    Add numbers

    My front door is heavy, and metal or something like it… bottom line, it's not wood. I didn't want to make any holes in it. I found these clean lined, modern house numbers at Lowes. I had big plans to DIY numbers out of MDF, but for $4.99 each, I decided these would work just fine. I'm all about the DIY, but not when it makes more sense to just buy em!

    DSC_0228

    So… metal numbers on a metal door… hmm… I'm smart (or so I think…) so I decided heavy-duty, double sided magnet was a perfect non-permanent solution. This way, depending on what wreath (or not) I have on my door, I can move the numbers around! Pure Genius!

    DSC_0231

    The magnet has adhesive on one side, so just cut little strips and stick it to the back.

    DSC_0236

    Like this!

    DSC_0242

    Umm… Guess what?? I guess my door isn't really metal and doesn't work with a magnet. DARN! Would have been nice to check that out first. Oops!

    IMG_0573

    They work great on my fridge! So if you even need house numbers on a fridge, now you know how!

    DSC_0245

    Okay, plan B… off I went to Lowe's with plans to get double sided adhesive. I asked the nice man where the industrial strength tape would be found. Of course he asked about my project and had a better idea. He suggested industrial velcro.

    DSC_0246

    It's nice and heavy duty, so I was swayed from my plan and gave it a try.

    DSC_0251

    Apply it the same as the magnet…

    DSC_0253

    Because this stuff is sticky, I wanted to be sure I had it straight. Look how muddy my level is… not really sure why…

    DSC_0256

    Peel the plastic off the adhesive and firmly press on…

    DSC_0259

    Wait 30 seconds and…
    watch them fall to the ground. ARRRGGG! This is the point where I started to get a wee bit annoyed. Then I started to laugh… why would I think velcro was a better idea than just double sided adhesive? I must have had temporary brain loss.

    IMG_0573

    Here's the winner and what I should have used from the start. So, if you want to add house numbers, just begin here and skip the other methods I tried!

    tape

    Finally! There they are. Nice and permanent (well sorta, if I want to remove them I can pull them off, and I'd just need to touch up paint)

    door close up

    I love the way they look against the green/yellow!

    DSC_0270

    And just as a reminder, here's what else I have planned for my porch!

    To do list

    There ya have it… 2 ways NOT to add numbers, and 1 way that works like a charm! Aren't you glad you have me to do all the trial and error for you? Do you have numbers on your door? Do Tell!

    Monica
    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • How to Paint a Front Door {and my color reveal!}

    How to Paint a Front Door {and my color reveal!}

    About a month ago, I asked for your help deciding what color to paint my front door. I was really stumped! Thanks to all of you for your input! We collected over 400 responses! Best.Readers.Ever!

    Door Collage

    Here's what you all suggested…

    Red was clearly the winner with 52% of the vote and I agree that red would look fabulous on this house… if someone else owned it. For me, it's just too typical. I'm not the type that has to be different just for the sake of being different, but I do want my house to reflect me inside and out, and I just wasn't feeling the red.

    IMG_0786

    So after staring at my house and this picture for what seemed like an eternity, I made my decision…

    IMG_0329

    Tips for How to Paint Your Front Door 1. Clean the door well and let it dry (clearly this picture was pre-cleaning). Doors get really dingy and you want your paint on the door, not the dirt! 2. Tape your hardware Some people might suggest that taping is for a bad painter, but for me, I paid a pretty penny for this hardware and I don't want to be scraping paint off. Put your painter's pride aside and tape that baby nice and tightly!

    IMG_0332

    3. Use Steel wool on any imperfections. Have any old drips or sticky spots? Steel wool will take care of that and make it nice and smooth. I had used some Zots on my door and had some sticky residue… not anymore!

    IMG_0333

    4. Choose an Exterior Paint that you LOVE! Drumroll please… Introducing… Valspar's Allen & Roth: Spritz of Lime!

    IMG_0334

    I love it because it keeps me wondering… Yellow or Green? Depends on the light and that's perfect with me. Gives me two colors to love!

    Yellow or Green

    I really am happy. I was a tad nervous… well, after the ombre door fiasco, who wouldn't be! But, it in the end she's a real beauty!

    IMG_0362

    I'm not showing you the whole front of the house because there's some major landscaping DIY going on and you'll have to wait and see! I will show you my To Do list… -House Numbers (finished and tutorial for adding numbers to a metal door coming this week) -Must find the perfect rug -Make planters

    To do list

    So, be honest… what do you think? Would you have gone with Red or is Spritz of Lime workin' for ya? What color is your front door?

    Monica
    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • How to Spray Paint a Chandelier

    How to Spray Paint a Chandelier

    Spraypainting a chandelier is REALLY easy and it's a super cost-effective way to change things up in your home. Back in January we shared our home goals with you, and one of mine was to start redecorating our dining room space. ALL of the furniture pieces in this room were bought on clearance (hooray for a $60 dining table!), through Craig's List (the hutch was $100) or from a family member (the red chairs were my grandmas!). Even the art was upcycled! Anyway, it's just not fitting in with that lighter, brighter, coastal-cottage look I'm going for, so I figured it was time to get moving.

    I have had a light fixture in mind for this room for months, and I guess I've gotten stuck on that idea. Because it's not in the budget right now, I had just resigned myself to wait until the time was right. Then, inspiration struck after seeing Kelly's pinteresting home, and I realized that taking stuff I already own and making it better is what I DO! Duh. So, you guessed it, I took that baby down (by myself!) and spraypainted it. Here are my go-to tips:

    1. Take your chandelier outside and find a tree with a low-hanging branch. Throw a dropcloth down under the area you'll be painting.
    

    2. Using rope or wire, tie the chandelier firmly to the branch. Hanging your chandelier allows you to spraypaint the entire thing at one time. No spraying the top, waiting for it to dry, doing a second coat, waiting for it to dry, turning it over, painting etc etc etc. (I'm such an idiot and forgot to take before pictures of the process, so you'll notice my chandy had already been attacked by spraypaint!)
    

    3. Stuff cottonballs down into the stems (where the lightbulb screws in), so you don't damage it with paint.
    

    4. Pick your poison favorite paint and start spraying! I am embarrassingly in love with this color I found from Valspar called Hacienda Tile. It's a mix between pink, red and orange that is absolutely perfect, and satisfies my longing for an infusion of coral in my home. Also, this spraypaint is awesome for this project because it can spray at all angles, so you can easily get down under the chandelier to spray the undersides. Spray 3 light coats, with some drying time in between, for the most even coverage without drips.

    5. Hope that your neighbors don't turn you in to the association for being white trash. (Yes, that is my FRONT yard!).

    I'm thankful I have such nice neighbors. Anyway, I can NOT wait to show you how this has one little change has inspired a major makeover of our dining room. Yay for more projects!
    How many of you spray painted something this weekend?
    

    jess
  • Industrial Faux Canvas Collage

    Industrial Faux Canvas Collage

    Happy Friday to our favorite readers ever! I've been really excited to share this tutorial with you! I wanted to hang canvas prints of my kiddos in a unique way. Add some wire, screws, and clamps, and I think I came up with something pretty cool!

    Industrial Faux Canvas Collage

    Everyone loves gallery-wrapped canvases these days, and why wouldn't you? They're fabulous! Although, we don't know about you, but sometimes $60.00+ for one print is a wee bit hard for us to swallow. We were super excited to hear that WalMart came out with a faux canvas:

    Now what, you ask, is a faux canvas? Well, we were wondering the same thing, so of course we tried it out. What they do is print your photo on heavy, dimpled paper (canvas look-alike) and then wrap it around a cardboard box. Sounds glamorous, huh? Let me tell you that for the price, we were thrilled!

    And, of course, we didn't pay full price… and neither should you! We used a coupon that brought the total down to $9.96 each but… it's expired. BOO! Have no fear, we've got your back! Canvas People will give you a FREE 8x10 canvas and it's not even cardboard! lol. Just use this link to get the deal.

    So, you should know by now that I have 4 kids, yup FOUR, and so we got prints of each of the kiddos. We thought it would be fun to add a little boys vs. girls flare, so, inspired by Mandi's Epic Room Makeover we made two graphic canvases as well. We just used some images we found online and Picnik to create them. Sadly, Picnik is actually closing (today in fact!) but PicMonkey is the perfect replacement!

    The first step was to add the screw eyes to each canvas. Just measure to the center and screw them in. Since they're made of cardboard it was crazy simple to do. (Umm, please ignore my creepy monster looking hands)

    Add screw eyes to the top and bottom of each canvas except for the one which will be at the bottom of your display. The bottom canvas will only get top screw eyes.

    Next, add screw eyes to the ceiling. This will require a little measuring, but you'll want them to be even. My vaulted ceiling required some additional math, but we made it work.

    Here's where it got a bit tricky. The nice man at Lowe's gave us these clamps to lock the wire in place. Have you ever felt like your hands were made of stone? It's very clear that we're not surgeons. It took about 30 minutes to clamp the first side. Ugh! The hubs finally got home and it took him 30 seconds. We were just happy to have it done!

    Now for the fun part! Weave the wire through the screw eyes on the top, behind the back and out the bottom. Repeat for the remaining canvases. Ok, we're all about keeping it Real on our blog, so we'll be honest here too… This is a two person job and preferably with a person you really like, because it's a tad frustrating. The canvases tend to slip down a bit and did we mention our stone hands? We promise it's all worth it in the end.

    Once your canvases are threaded through, you'll want to secure the bottom one first. We used a staple gun to hold the wire in place and then added some hot glue (because they were slipping and because Jess is slightly obsessed with the stuff!)

    Determine how far apart you want your canvases and adjust them accordingly. The tension of the taut wire should keep the upper canvases in place, but if you want extra support you can add some glue to each one.

    The end result is a unique, industrial-looking display that we love!

    I couldn't be happier with this project and the unique way to share pictures of my kids! I have to give a shout out to our photographer and friend at Salvatori Photography. These pictures are SO my kids!
    This was just the first project in my breakfast room makeover, we have lots more planned. I've switched out the light fixture (thankfully!) and this weekend I'm adding avocado chairs, stenciling my table top, and more! I hope to have more to reveal next week!

    So, what do you think? Is the wire style workin' for you?

    Monica
    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • Bucks County Designer House & Gardens

    Bucks County Designer House & Gardens

    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?

    jess

    >

  • Free Printable Invasion

    Free Printable Invasion

    I'm serious when I say that I think one of the best things about blogging and the internet is free printables! They add so much character to your home without having to spend lots of money. Thank you to all you who provide little ol' me with free stuff for my home! I've talked about a few different places you can find free printables here, but I decided that for my open shelves in the kitchen I wanted something specific and custom-matched to my color scheme. What's a DIYer to do? Why, make one herself!

    I wanted to create something that was meaningful to me, but that also had some connection to eating and the kitchen. While searching around, I came across 1 Corinthians 10:31 and knew that it was perfect for this!

    I found a pattern that I loved by Moo & Puppy (it's the morrocan trellis pattern that comes in a bajillion colors), uploaded it to Picnik and went to town. Why doesn't everyone buy digital paper? Seriously, there are SO many uses for it and it's so darn cheap! Plus, you can get 15% off if you use the code RHBC15. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Anyway, back to the printables. I have three identical frames in the kitchen that I spray-painted turquoise, and needed to fill them with something. I made this one using a great Julia Child saying…

    …and printed this beautiful peacock from The Graphics Fairy!

    Three cheap thrift store frames + free printables = one happy girl! And since I'm so happy, I decided to share the love. Free Eat, Drink, Glory of God Printable

    It's a 5 x 7 print and you can choose from three different colors: mustard yellow, turquoise and lime green.

    Click here to Download Printables I'm excited to finish accessorizing my open shelves, but you got a little glimpse today of how they're shaping up. What do you think?
    Have you ever made your own printable? Do share! 

    jess
  1. Embroidery Art Holiday in Kutch, India
  2. Lutradur inspirations with Ineke Berlyn
  3. Contemporary Elephant Wall Art
  4. Make a book cover on our textile holiday
  5. Textile Art ideas with Decolourant
  6. Sifr: a Shoe Zoo of Faux Animals [men's fashion]
  7. Quentin Véron Autumn/Winter 2016 [men's fashion]
  8. Holloh, Escaping the Hustle This Winter [men's fashion]
  9. Beau Homme 2016 Autumn/Winter Collection [men's fashion]
  10. Timoteo New Resort Collection [men's fashion]