My Creative Blog:
Pinterest

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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Time for Our Big Announcement!
Here's the deal, plain and simple. We've been contacted by NBC Universal, which owns Bravo and all of The Real Housewives Shows… Guess what?? The want to do a show about us! KIDDING! Nope, they actually contacted us because they want us to cease and desist… that means stop using Real Housewives in our name. Major Bummer. Although in 2012 Jess and I did make a goal of talking behind each others' backs, wearing tighter, low cut clothing, and making millions of dollars, we're sort of lost as to the"possible confusion" that NBC was worried about with this little old DIY blog.
Well, we've talked about it, prayed about it, sought legal advice, and in the end we decided it's not worth the huge costs we'd incur to keep our beloved"Real Housewives of Bucks County" name. (We technically could try and fight this one under fair use law, but we're not looking for a battle)
Of course we're"Look on the Brightside Girls" so we're going to make the most of this re-branding! We're looking for a new name that totally reflects our personality and style. Who knows us better than YOU, our readers? So we need your help!

Pin It So, start thinking! We want our Facebook, comments, and email flooded with amazing ideas from you. Honestly, Jess and I just keep saying RHBC in our heads because it's been our baby for the past 12 months. We totally need your creative help in this process.
Here's How we Need Your Help: #1- Tell us you'll still love us even as"the bloggers formally known as The Real Housewives!" #2- Share ANY and all name ideas with us through comments, Facebook, or email (don't worry about us not liking it, we want to hear any ideas!) #3- Consider sharing our dilemma on your blog, or Facebook… the more help the merrier!
**Update: We love the ideas we're getting so far. Some of them are cracking us up! We just wanted to let you know that we plan to move away from"housewives" at all… just to be on the safe side. So keep the fab. ideas coming!**
Just keeping it real, of course we're nervous about this change over. We've worked really hard this past year, and a little piece of us is worried about losing readers, people not being able to find us etc… BUT, we're trusting that this will work out for good and who knows, maybe even catapult us towards awesome new opportunities!
Thanks so much and sorry we didn't have some awesome announcement like our own show! Ha! We're still workin' on that one!

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We hope you get lots of inspiration here on our blog, but did you know you can get CRAZY amounts of ideas from US through Pinterest? (Haven't joined Pinterest? Shame on you! lol. You can check out a video we made a while back letting you know what it's all about. Basically a virtual pinboard of awesomeness!) We use our Pinterest board to share all kinds of DIY ideas, crazy delicious recipes, and oodles of amazing rooms to drool over! It's time to start following us! (Just click below!)

But wait! We don't want the fun to end there. We want to follow you and see what things you LOVE. Leave us a comment letting us know your Pinterest page and we'd love to follow you back!
Here's how to share your Pinterest Page link:

We have some HUGE news to share with you, so keep checking Facebook and the blog for our monster of an announcement. We just have to wait a little longer to tell you. The suspense is killing us! Ahhh! Only following on the blog? You're missing out. Use the buttons below to join in on all the fun!

Have an awesome weekend, but before you do, go grab your Pinterest Link so we can start being inspired by YOU!

It's been a while since we showed you what's been gracing the walls of our Pinterest boards (if you don't follow us, you should!) these days. Well, that's about to change! There are so many incredibly talented, creative people out there who do some amazing projects, so prepare to be wowed!

DIY Acorn Wreath
This one's a little bit traditional since it's a wreath form, but a whole lot modern with it's repeating pattern and funky green color. Monica is wreath-hater, but I think we might be able agree that it's super fab!

Baker's Twine Apple Art I think this apple art is so stinkin' cute. Wouldn't it be fun to make an apple with red twine, a pear with green twine and a plum with blue twine? So sweet!

This Jute Table Runner is made with floral jute webbing and I think it's simple and pretty. With Thanksgiving coming, this is th perfect way to dress up your table and wow your guests,

Halloween Styrofoam Eyes Monica's kids love Halloween, and I can see them totally falling in love with these cute pairs of eyes.

Birch Bark Candles Kim figured out a way to recreate the expensive birch barch candles from Pottery Barn.,,,but for a whole lot cheaper using real birch bark.! The finished product is rustic and beautiful. If you want to see more of what we're loving on Pinterest, click the button below. Have a great weekend, everyone, and while you're at it, do a Fall craft!: ) 

Our lives have been so crazy lately. I've picked up a couple extra shifts at work in the evenings, my hubs has been playing 2-3 softball games per week, and we're trying to cram in as many summer activities as we can into each day. That leaves very little time for planning and eating good meals. Remember one of my very first posts on this blog about being intentional with meal planning? Well, that idea has gone right out the window this summer. And that's ok. We'll get back on track when life settles down (hooray- softball ends this week!). All that to say, I miss good food.

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I totally agree. I just love food. Anyway, every recipe that catches my eye on Pinterest makes my mouth water. Here are three recipes that I can't wait to try, and I thought you might be interested in them too. We'll start with an appetizer/snack, then a dinner item, and then, of course, dessert.

Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

Source: thewannabechef.net via Jessica on Pinterest
Ingredients(Makes 6-8 servings):

• 1/2 cup fruit-flavored yogurt*
• 1/2 cup natural runny peanut butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)
• Fruit/veggies for dipping

Source: styleathome.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Ingredients

• 4 pitas
• Extra yogurt for garnish

For chicken marinade:

• 1/2 cup yogurt

• 2 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice + 2 tsp lemon zest

• 2 tsp hot sauce

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

• Pinch salt

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup seeded, finely diced tomato

• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

• 6 tbsp coarsely chopped and pitted black olives

• 4 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber relish. Lay cucumber slices in a sieve placed over a bowl and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Leave for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until cucumbers soften and their liquid begins to drain into the bowl. Stir occasionally.

3 Combine the tomato, onion, olives, parsley, dill, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir in drained cucumbers, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

4 Grease grill and preheat to medium-high. Remove chicken from zip-lock bag and discard marinade. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from grill, let rest for a few minutes and slice thinly on the diagonal. Lay chicken slices on top of each pita round and divide relish evenly among them. Garnish with a little extra yogurt and serve.
Gooey S'Mores Dip

Source: tastebook.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Ingredients:

• 1½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
• ½ cup marshmallow creme
• 1 box (13 oz) graham cracker honey sticks

I am pretty sure if Pinterest was around a few decades ago, that Julie Andrews would have changed her lyrics! I'm in full-blown summer mode. My days are filled with sunscreen, swimming, walks at the park, and BBQs, no major house projects are going on… Even in the midst of crazy summer activities, I still LOVE sitting down and perusing Pinterest each night, so I thought I'd just share a few random, cool things I found last night… These Are a Few of My Favorite Pins 7.11.11

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Teresa on Pinterest
Outdoor living spaces are one of my favorite things. The hubs and I were just planning out our dream patio and pool layout last night. (Keyword: dream)

Source: skinnyfit-thebestyou.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest
Honestly, one of my favorite things on Pinterest, are all the funny posters and sayings. This one makes me laugh, because it's so true!

Source: papercakesfinds.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest
I love this SO much I can't even tell you! The color, the objects, the patterns…

Source: etsy.com via Martha on Pinterest
I love Scrabble pillows- this is a little cheesy to me, but love the pillows.

Source: marthastewart.com via Sandra on Pinterest
I'm ready to try DIY chalkboard paint… stay tuned for a tutorial!

Source: etsy.com via Marszu on Pinterest
I love getting ideas and then tweaking them to fit me… I wouldn't hang this, but I'd love to make one, scan it, and create Thank You notecards to have on hand for the grandparents and family.

Source: houzz.com via Megan on Pinterest This space is sooo me. I love the b & w pics, the grey walls, the clean lines… Sigh… I think my kids will be all moved out before I can ever have white couches. So how's that for a random sampling of Favorite Pins? What are you liking on Pinterest? Leave us a comment with a link to your favorite Pin from today!

Earlier this year, we shared goals for our homes, and one of mine was creating a big boy room for my baby, Charlie. I guess he's not really a baby anymore, he'll be 3 in July, but you know what I mean. And now that there will actually be a baby in our lives, we need to move Charlie's crib into the nursery. Rather than kick him out of the crib right before the baby arrives, we decided to make the transition far in advance so that he doesn't feel like he's being replaced. Last week we moved a twin bed into his room and he's been sleeping in it like a champ ever since!

Now that the hard part is out of the way, I'm ready to begin decorating the room! Of course, I've been gathering lots of inspiration on Pinterest and have a pretty good idea of what I want the room to look like. Want to see?; ) Here are a few of the elements I'm planning on incorporating:
1. I'm so in love with the way the designers layered the headboards in this room. I'm not going to do two upholstered headboards, but am hoping to achieve the same affect with something a little different. Also, man, do I love stripes! That exact striped fabric is defintiely going to make an appearance.

Source
2. Navy! Enough said.

Source
3. Planked walls. I've done enough entire wall planking for a while, but we are going to be dressing a small area of the room with some planks. I just can't get enough of this style of walls!

Source
4. I know this has been done millions of times, but I'm still digging the monograms on the wall. I love the graphic statement these big letters make without costing a fortune!

Source
5. Sadly, there won't be any nautical elements like I had originally hoped for. When given several choices, Charlie chose rocket ship sheets (I didn't even know he knew what they were!), and even though I'm not going full on space theme, I know nautical stuff would be much more for me than him. Boooo.

Anybody know the source??
I can't wait to get started but we start filming another episode this weekend, so it might just have to wait. I hope to give you an update as soon as I can!

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Psssst. Did you hear our BIG NEWS?

Click here for our announcement post with all the fun details!!
We can't wait for July 7th!!