My Creative Blog:
spring

I'm not a huge fan of spring, mainly because I LOVE summer and get a tad impatient for the hot pool-weather days. However, I do love seeing all the new spring trends, products, and ideas. Today we're sharing a few Spring Must Haves from our fabulous sponsors. We so appreciate our sponsors. They make this blog possible and we're so grateful for that! Make sure you check them out and tell them RHBC sent you! ********************************************************************************** Remember the awesome artwork we made for Jess' house? Well, it wouldn't have looked half as amazing without the mad-photo-skills of Stacy Salvatori. She's local to Bucks County and would be a great choice for your family pictures or next big event. Visit Stacy's Website

I'm love with the Just for Girls Collection from Red Letter Words. How fun and springy are these prints? I plan to order a few for Kenzie's room in the next few weeks. I love art that looks cool and will also daily encourage my tween (holy cow that is the first time I've written that. I can't believe I have a ten year old!) Visit Red Letter Words

#1- Make 5 Dinners in One Hour… that's NO JOKE! These crazy affordable meal plans with shopping lists and directions will rock your world. Head over to their Facebook page to try one week for FREE!

#2- We're so glad that 31 Gifts jumped on the Grey & Yellow bandwagon and came out with this adorable line! I'd love an organizing utility tote in this pattern! Contact Mandy to get yours (you can get me one too!)

#3- Have you visited My Best Friend's Hair yet? You definitely need to. If you have a stylist you love, go let the world know by leaving a review or if you have yet to find the right stylist for you, head to their site to read other users reviews and find yourself a rockin' stylist today!

#4- I require a perfect spring candle in my kitchen this time of year. CJ's EcoChic Candles smell amazing, and because they're soy they last forever! (ok, not literally, but figuratively). They best part… you're not going to pay $25 like you would at the big chain stores and you're supporting a great small business.

#5-This is a spoiler alert! Remember the SuperFab room makeover we're currently working on? Well, we have Royal Design Studios to thank for one of the amazing design elements in the room. They have the best stencil selection around! Check out their new and improved website and they have an idea blog with all kinds of inspiration. Guess who was featured there for our Nate Show stencil project? Visit their new website!

#6- Kotton Pickin' Kute is more than just hats! For Spring you need to check out the fun headbands she offers. Seriously, that baby is adorable!

#7- Guess what?? Liberty Thrift listened to its shoppers and extended their hours! Woohoo! It's now open M-Sat 9-7pm. We have a fun outing in the works with Liberty and can't wait to share the details with you!

#8- Moo & Puppy is our favorite digital scrapbook company out there! We love the preppy look of this madras paper pack. (I'll confess that in the 90s I loved and wore lots of Abercrombie before they went all half-naked. But man, I do love me some preppy styles!) Moo & Puppy is giving you 15% off with the code RHBC15.

#9- Jet Upholstery is more than just chairs and cushions! Look at that amazing bed! Even for these DIYers some projects are better left to the pros! Visit Jet's Website for more info!

Those links should keep you busy for a while! I actually have about 15 tabs open on my computer right now, because I want to place a ton of orders! Thanks again to our sponsors! You're the best!

With the return of Spring comes the dreaded Spring Cleaning (at least, it's dreaded for me)! One of the most satisfying cleaning habits for me is window cleaning! There is nothing like a window that's smeared with dog drool, kids fingerprints, snow residue and all sorts of other things being cleaned to reveal the sunshine and the beautiful outdoors. Today, I'm sharing three tips from a professional window cleaner that will make cleaning windows so much easier and a whole lot more satisfying!

Most of you don't know this, but my hubs owns a company called Jackson Home Services that specializes in residential and commercial window cleaning. He cleaned windows professionally for 4 years before taking another job (darn that the economy tanked!), and now runs his window cleaning business on the weekends. He has generously offered to share his"insider" secrets with all of you, just so you don't dread the process any more.: )
Tip #1: Invest in a Squeegee.

Honestly, this one makes all the difference in a window with streaks and without streaks. You can find these at Lowes or Home Depot for cheap, and you won't regret it. My hubs does a tricky"S" move with his squeegee, but for your purposes, after getting the window wet, running the squeegee across the window from one side to the next will work.

Tip #2: Don't use Windex!

It's silly to spend all that money on window cleaning solutions when the pros just use an ounce of Joy Dish Soap (or any other dish soap, but my hubs prefers Joy) in a bucket half-full of warm water. Dip a towel/cloth in the water and wipe it all over the window and then use the squeegee to clean it off.
Tip #3: Use a Lint-free Cloth & Steel Wool to finish it off!

After using the squeegee, take the lint-free or microfiber cloth, and wipe around the corners and base of the windows to dry any remaining water. If you encounter a stubborn spot on the glass, like a paint splatter, screen residue etc, rub it with a piece of steel wool to remove. Make sure your window is wet when you do this! Don't worry, this won't damage or scratch your glass, but will easily remove the spot. Then, start over with the squeegee.
Tip #4: Hire a Professional to make your life REALLY easy! (Bonus tip from ME!: )) If you're in the Bucks, Montgomery or Chester county areas, consider hiring Jackson Home Services to completely eliminate the windown cleaning hassle. My hubs is super resposible, courteous, honest and polite. (And I'm not biased at all!) He does a great job, can give you references, and is offering 20% off for all RHBC readers. To schedule a cleaning, email Kevin Jackson at jacksonhomeservices@gmail.com with RHBC20 in the title.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Well, Spring is in full-force here in Bucks County, with trees and flowers beginning to bloom like crazy (although this weekend we experienced a bit of a set-back with 50 degree-gasp!-rainy weather!) A great way to enjoy Spring, especially when the days are still a bit too cool to be outside, is by bringing the outdoors in. A nature walk with your kids, husband or on your own will provide you with loads of opportunities for adding some spring color to your homes. For me, it's not enough to just look at Spring through a window, I've got to get that stuff inside my house!

Probably my most favorite sight in spring are the millions of forsythias that bloom in all their mustardy-yellow glory. As soon as I saw buds on our forsythia, I cut a few branches, plunked them down in a vase and they immediately brought sunshine to my new white kitchen. {Sigh}

Remember my Garden Wall? I felt that my house was in dire need of greens last spring, and guess what? These little fellas are still going strong. Hooray for me!

Centsational Girl

Don't even get me started on all the things I dig in this picture. Let's just focus on those beautiful pink (don't quote me on this) peonies. Am I right on the flower, anyone? Whatever they are, they're lovely.

Source: brittanyanddylan.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest Ever thought about making your own terrarium? Not sure why, but these things are mega-popular right now. It could be that it's almost impossible to kill succulents, which is awesome for plant-killers like me.

I am in love with growing your own wheat grass. It sounds super easy to do, and is a really versatile spring decoration. I'm thinking I might give this a try this week! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blog Name Update We're making progress very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it's been a torturous process for us. Thank you all for your support and suggestions for names. We so appreciate you taking the time to give us your thoughts! Since we are two extremely decisive girls, not being able to decide on a name has thrown us for a loop! All day long we call each other with new name ideas. We think we've narrowed it down to a few that we like, and now we need your help! Please vote on your favorite name (FYI- they're very similar to each other!), and if you're so inclined, leave us a note with why you voted for that one!

We've toyed around with a million variations, like: BC Design (for Bucks County), Designing Reality, East Coast Creative, just to name a few. Do any of them jump out at you? Argh! It's driving us crazy. Help a few girls out, will you?; )

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Again, thanks for all your help! Now, go outside and bring some of that glorious Spring inside!; )

It's officially spring! Although, it has been feeling like summer with the weather we're having in Bucks County lately! I'm loving it! We thought we'd take a few posts to get you all ready for the season. We're talking spring cleaning (gag), Spring decor, Spring mantles (mine is so NOT springy yet), Spring landscaping, and more ("more" means whatever we feel like on a given day!) So, whip out your flip-flops, pull on some cute crop jeans, and let's get moving with Spring Things! (and I by no means am trying to suggest that you only wear flip-flops and jeans… a shirt is highly recommended too!)

Spring Thing # 1: Outdoor Plans

As most of you know, we finished building our house 16 months ago. As with lots of BIG projects, when you're finally finished you're kind of ready to be done spending money for a while. So, we decided to wait until the fall to do landscaping. I'm not really sure what happened to that plan, I think it had something to do with the craziness of a certain show that rhymes with"Late Smirkus"… but the landscaping didn't get done. Now it's spring and we're ready to attack the front of the house with all things green and planty. (I'll talk more about landscaping for a serial plant killer next week)
Before the hubs breaks ground, I wanted to tackle the porch. Here's the sad looking state of my porch… (and no, my grass isn't that green yet, it's an old pic)

I have plans to add some fun furniture, but first there's a BIG question at hand…

Forgive my terrible sample pics, but I wanted to try and get an idea of how different colors would look. I think a pop of color on the door will look awesome and make me happy every time I come home! Here are some awesome inspiration pics that got me motivated to start with the door!

Source: centsationalgirl.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

I'm loving this color blue, but I'm not sure it would work with our sand/grey/blech siding. (FYI We couldn't pick our siding because we bought a partially started home from the bank and finished it. Siding was already on. Boo!))

Source: maisonsblanches.tumblr.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: google.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: number-2-pencil.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
So, what do you think? I need some input on this one. I asked my hubs and he sarcastically said,"How about we paint, the door, then all the shutters, Oh, and add some chevron!" Grrr… I gave him the stink eye for sure! Since he's NO HELP, I'm leaning on all of you. Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Thanks for your help! I'm excited to get working on the door and the porch furniture this weekend. Here's a sneak peek at some bistro sets that are in the running. (I scoured craigslist and thrift stores for one I could DIY and people are just insane with their pricing. Most were more expensive than what I could buy new and they were hideous!) Now, don't be swayed by the yellow, these just happened to catch my eye!

Source: target.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: target.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Thanks for your help! I can't wait to share my NEW porch with you!

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The weather is finally warming up and I feel like summer is right around the corner! I thought I'd invite you over to my awesome yard and beautiful patio furniture! Doesn't it look welcoming and just scream, let's drink some lemonade?

Oh, and how rude of me, I need to offer you a comfy seat!

No… you don't want to come? You don't want to get rust all over your clothes? Hmm…
Okay, so clearly I had two choices… buy a new set or figure out an update on a budget. You may or may not know that I have a BIG project up my sleeve (a new paver patio coming soon!) so I didn't want to spend much $$$ on the table and chairs. I turned to my go-to solution… Spray Paint! Looking a wee bit more inviting wouldn't you say?

Here's how the transformation happened… First, I removed the legs of the table. Not sure it was ever meant to come off, but after removing some screws and jiggling it a bit we had it off. This would allow me to paint the base and not the underside of the glass.

Next, I needed to cover the glass top, so it didn't turn red. I turned to Scotch Blue painter's tape. If I have a job where I need the tape to really stick well, but NOT pull off paint, I use Scotch Blue. I had to use little pieces to get around the curves, but it was worth it to get a nice, crisp edge.

Then, I needed to cover up the glass in the middle, so I took trash bags, cut them along the seams so I could flatten them out.

Then, I tape it down on the table. I had some weird open areas, so I patched holes with scrap paper. It looks pretty fancy doesn't it?

I painted it on a sheet, so I didn't make my grass red (not that I haven't done that 100 times before)

Since I knew this furniture was going to take a beating, I opted for Valspar's Outdoor spray paint.

The improvement was instant! I was so excited as soon as the base was started!

Next, came the chairs, and again it was instant improvement! I used a little steel wool on really rusty spots, but other than that didn't do any other prep. It was really quick and simple!

I originally thought I'd go with solid grey cushions, but these striped ones from Target's spring line caught my eye ($12 each). They're a perfect match!

This Before and After makes me happy (and apparently my chairs too!)

All ready for a fun get together! Now let's play I SPY… what's missing in this picture? Yup, 5 more cushions. They're still"In Transit" from Target.

The total cost for this project was $30. I used 2 cans of red and 5 cans of blue. I know it won't last for five years or anything, but I'll definitely get another year or two out of them.
I've learned something from this experience… if you own nice outdoor furniture, cover it up in really bad weather. So that you don't have to learn the hard way, like I did, we're giving away a $75 Gift Certificate to Empire Patio Covers They sell covers to fit everything from tables and chairs, to grills, fire pits, etc. My fire pit always got rusty without a cover.

To Enter: Comment on this post with the words"Empire Patio" Bonus Entry: Like us on Facebook leave a comment letting us know Bonus Entry: Visit Empire Patio and tell us in another comment what product you need the most on their site Giveaway Closes: Friday, May 18th at 11:59pm. Winner will be announced on Saturday. Details: One winner. Prize ships to the US and Canada. One entry per email address. Winner is selected through random.org

So there you have it. A patio update on a tiny budget. For $30, I couldn't be happier with the results.
So, now do you want to come over?