My Creative Blog [Search results for Ana White] 

Outdoor furniture can cost an arm and a leg. Since I'm not interested in selling my firstborn to afford nice furniture, we often build it ourselves- and we do the same thing with homeowners on Knock It Off. We wanted to build Barb and Derek a sectional for their sunroom that would have a high end feel and not the price tag.

Doesn't it look great in their finished sunroom?

We are huge fans of giving credit where credit is due- Ana White is the queen extraordinaire of all things DIY furniture! Her blog is full of FREE furniture plans and one of her projects inspired our outdoor sectional.

We didn't use Ana's plans exactly, because we wanted it a certain size for Derek and Barb's room, so we came up with our own version, but if you want to make one, you should follow her step by step directions with awesome pictures!

Ana's plans for an outdoor sectional can be found HERE and you can download a PDF with everything you'll need.
A few tips for making one of your own…
# 1- Have the right tools! You don't need anything extravagant to build this sectional, but a strong drill, a Kreg Jig, and a Chop Saw are essential.

A Kreg Jig is a great, inexpensive tool for building furniture. We used one when we built our farmhouse table, outdoor table, garage lockers and so much more.

It creates a pocket hole to hide your screws.

You can check out Kreg's website here (and no, this isn't sponsored, I just really love this tool!!)
# 2- Have a friend to help! this is a two person job. There are lots of times where you'll need one person to hold and the other to attach something.

# 3- Use Exterior paint or Stain with a Sealant For our sectional, we used exterior paint, but watered it down a bit, so we could still see some of the wood grain. It's a little trick if you're in a time crunch. It spreads easily, like a stain, but you don't have to do an extra coat of sealant. We've learned lots of quick trips doing rooms for Knock It Off.

This project looks amazing and expensive, but it's really simple and a good first project if you're wanting to try your hand at building. All the cuts are straight and the plans are simple (you can thank Ana White for that!)

If you want to see how this sectional looks in the room, click HERE to watch the full episode online.

Hopefully this project encourages you to take that first step and give building your own furniture a try! It will save you a ton of money (maybe even your firstborn!!)

The most important part of my Garage Mudroom Makeover was definitely the DIY Lockers. Honestly, even when our home was being built, and all we had were studs, I was envisioning a mudroom with lockers. My hubs thought I was certifiably insane!

I was pretty patient (especially for me!) and waited almost two years after moving in to create my garage mudroom.

Just as a reminder here's the before and after…

I surfed Pinterest for some inspiration, and then turned to the guru of all things woodworking… Ana White. We had the awesome opportunity to meet Ana at Haven and she was so down to earth and man can she rock out a pair of heels and a power tool like no one else!

The plans on her site are called Smiling Mudroom and they were really simple to follow.

I definitely made some changes to fit our garage and our needs. 1- I'm never a fan of anything scrolly, so I made the dividers straight. 2- I knew I wanted to add the foot artwork above the lockers, so I didn't add the top cubbies because I thought it would get a little busy. 3- I made four lockers, because well, I have four kiddos. 4- I added lots of extra wooden supports to the backside because my kids are crazy and because even I doubt the quality of my own woodworking skills. Since Ana has all the step-by-step directions, I'm just going to fill you in on a few things I learned along the way.
The very first steps were the trickiest for me. I was working alone, so it was hard to get the pieces lined up and nailed in with only two hands. A nail gun would have been SO helpful. I'd highly recommend using one if you tackle this project.

Thankfully Jess came over to lend a hand and one of my husband's buddies came by to see the progress and we totally put him to work as well!

I had this wood leftover and used it as additional support on the backside. It made the piece so much sturdier.

Have you used a Kreg Jig yet? I used the Kreg Jig Junior for this project and it worked so well. You use it to make pocket holes and it's a piece of cake. If you're planning any DIY woodworking projects, I'd recommend a Kreg Jig as one of your first purchases.

One thing I learned to love during this project was trim. It makes a rookie's work look all fancy-pants professional.
Before trim…

After trim…Booyah!

Here's a little tip that I figured out after making a few bad cuts when I was just trying to use a tape measure to get the length right.

If you're planning a garage mudroom, make sure you check out the edge of your walls. I overlooked the concrete lip and had to go back and notch out each base piece.

I gave it a quick sanding… AKA I sanded for about 30 seconds before thinking, This is for the birds! Let's get painting! Since I used a VERY cheap plywood it sucked the paint up and actually gave it more of a stained look, which I fell in love with.

I added some hooks to the back wall for backpacks, coats etc. I didn't have studs centered for each one, so I had to use mollys (wall anchors). I picked up the grey bins at Walmart for $3.00 each (they still have them- I checked this weekend)

The locker project was so simple and if my husband and I had worked on it together, we could have whipped it together in about an hour. I was honestly surprised at how easy it was because of Ana's plans.

To check out the Before and After post click HEREFor the Painted Rugs post click HEREFor the Foot Artwork post click HERE Tell me, do you have a mudroom type place in your home? If so, do you feel like it's functional? If not, would you want to build one somewhere?
And don't forget that we're in the running to be the New Face of Proctor & Gamble Home! Please head over and vote for Monica. You can vote once a day, now through October 3rd. We SO APPRECIATE you taking the time to vote each day!

My daughter turned four a few weeks ago, and as her gift, we promised that Daddy would build her a new playhouse loft bed, and then Mommy would decorate it. We love our girl and were more than thrilled with how excited she was about her new bed. Every day of the week we built it, she would ask us if it was done and could she sleep in the loft? My hubs could not be more proud of the work he did (he did a seriously amazing job!), and I'm so excited to share it with you today! Playhouse Loft Bed

This is not a tutorial, because we basically followed Ana White's plans word for word, although we did make some minor adjustments to the bars at the top of the bed. Check out her plans here for more information.

We cleared the bed out of Campbell's room in preparation for the building process. Because of the size of this bed, my hubs had to build it in pieces and assemble it right in the room because it wouldn't fit through the door.

Poor girl slept in a sleeping bag the entire week! (Find out more about the family tree mural here).

I can honestly say that I have the best in-laws ever. They willingly help out whenver they can and we so appreciate them! My hubs called in my father-in-law for reinforcements, and we were thankful for his expertise!

The biggest expense is obviously all the wood you need to build it. Since my hubs has such a limited amount of free time (he works 6 days a week!), we decided to have Home Depot make all the cuts for us to save some time. It worked perfectly- in about an hour, the really helpful Home Depot guy had all the cuts done, whereas we would have had to set up a work area, do all the measurements, make the cuts and clean-up which would have taken loads more time. They didn't charge us for any cuts since we bought so much wood (about $250 worth), so it was totally worth it.

Ana's plans are pretty extensive, but my hubs and father-in-law quickly threw them around on the floor in a haphazard manner. I'm not really sure how much they actually followed the directions, now that I think of it…

But after a few nights of building, a few more of painting and decorating, we had this:

Pretty adorable, right? One of my favorite parts of the house is the faux"siding" (which is pretty hard to see in pictures). We saved a bit of money on a couple sheets of plywood since we already had them on hand, so I splurged on two sheets of faux wood panelling ($24 each) that we hung horizontally on the outside walls. The guys used wood glue and clamps to hold it in place until it was secure. It adds such a cute touch and I'm so happy we decided to go for it.

The inside walls are painted an in-your-face pink that made it ridiculously hard to get a good picture. Note to self: 1) Turn off Christmas lights before taking pictures next time, 2) Straighten picture frames after the kids attack that area, 3) Don't try and take pictures with the kids around because they immediately mess things up. Ah well…life with kids!
I wanted a place for Campbell to play dress-up and also a spot to corral all her jewelry and makeup, so I created a little vanity area with a simple mirror from Walmart ($4) that I spray-painted and a shelf that was already in her room that I spray-painted white. The two little patterened boxes are from Walmart, as well, and were only $.99 cents each. Score!

I found the super-cute flower hook at Joann's on clearance for $2.00 and used two Ikea hooks I had on hand to create a place to hang her princess dresses. The flower hook was already blue, but I spraypainted the other guys a similar blue for a cohesive look.

My wonderful mom bought fabric from Joann's and whipped up some curtains for the windows and door. I still need to make some tiebacks, but I love the polka dots and sweet flower prints!

Our original plan was to build stairs, but we didn't have enough space, so Kevin built a ladder, which she actually loves. She did fall all the way down once, on her very first try, but she's gotten used to them, by now!

All in all, this playhouse loft bed made one little girl very happy, and that's just what we wanted. Woohoo!

Did you have an awesome play area when you were little? What was it like?

Kid-size furniture is often really pricey and hard to find. We solved these problems by building our own for under $100!

There are some crazy, talented people out there in blogland, and so when we saw the homeowner's inspiration picture of this table built by Shaunna and her husband of Perfectly Imperfect blog, we were sold.

Here's how to build your own: 1. Decide on your furniture plans. You can find loads of free plans on the internet, but our go-to source for awesome, inexpensive plans is Ana White. For this table, we started with this basic tutorial, but altered it to fit our room and style preference. Visit your hardware store and purchase your materials. You really could use any type of wood you want, but we decided to use inexpensive pine to keep cost down and because it distresses nicely- which let’s be honest, is pretty key if four crazy kids are using it on a regular basis!!

2. Assemble the legs of the table. This step is really important- you want to get them as square as possible so that the table is nice and sturdy! We decided to do A-frame legs to resemble a true picnic table, but just like our inspiration photo, added a shelf for lots of extra storage!

3. After attaching the lower shelf, trim it out for a nice, finished look. Achieving the high-end custom look means taking the time to add some polished details, like trim! This is the stuff you just can’t skimp on! 4. Create an apron and attach it to the legs. This gave us a strong base to attach our table top to. Your table should definitely look like a table now!

5. Build the top of your table and attach it to the apron, screwing in from the under side, which ensures a seamless look for the top. For our table top, we used two pieces of pine that we sanded really well and attached tightly together.

6. Time to put on the finishing touches! Make sure that all surfaces are nice and smooth before painting or staining. We chose to do a combination of stains, Walnut and Grey, for a custom stain on the top of our table. Don’t be afraid to mix stains to create the perfect finish! Then we painted the legs white, and sealed the top with two coats of polyurethane and we were done!

7. This table is fabulous and ready to be used over and over again by Shannon and Anthony's four busy kids!

A custom table can really make the entire room. We've actually made a few other tables that were super simple and saved us tons of money!
Farmhouse Table Remix

Barnwood Coffee Table

Building furniture might seem intimidating, but trust us, if we can do it, so can you! Just be sure to follow the directions closely and take your time. You'll be so happy you did…and so will your wallet!

Well, I'd like to introduce you to our good friend, Steph E. Steph and I go way back- we went to elementary, middle and highschool together, studied in college and travelled to Greece together, got married a year apart, and are now raising our families together. She is one of my very best friends. She has always, as long as I've known her, been extremely frugal, and never settles for anything less than getting exactly what she wants, for the price she wants to pay. I'm so glad that I have her to do all the researching for me.: ) I hope you'll enjoy her today! Jess
Six months ago we added a beautiful daughter to our family. She joined my husband and I, and our then 3 ½ year old son. I had kept everything from Danny. We had a car seat, crib, and every type of exer-bouncer-sitter-sizer ever made. The only big ticket item that I needed to purchase was a double stroller. This was very exciting for me because I am passionately obsessed with “buggies”, as they are fondly referred to in our home. I started the slightly neurotic and endless research long before she was due, and finally purchased the buggie of my dreams when Ana was 2 months old.

Choosing the perfect stroller for your family’s needs can be a daunting task. There are thousands of options, and even more opinions. To help me focus, I needed to put things in black and white. I made a list of the features that I MUST HAVE in a stroller. Being a bargain hunter by nature I sometime succumb to a great deal, while compromising my needs and wants. My husband made it very clear that we would only be adding 1 more buggie to our already full garage, so I needed to get this right the first time. My personal MUST HAVE list… 1. Double side-by-side ( I had pushed way too many of my friends front and back strollers to know that my back wasn’t up to that challenge) 2. Very lightweight ( I may be tall, but my arms are like toothpicks) 3. Car seat compatible (Ana was born the end of September which meant that we would just start to be out and about as the bad weather hit. I wanted her to stay warm and sleeping in her car seat while we ran errands) 4. Tall handlebars (as previously mentioned, I am tall and have a bad back. Pushing a heavy object while walking in a hunched position was not an option for me) 5. Excellent return policy ( I was going to make my purchase online, because the prices are considerably better, and most likely it would be the first time I ever saw the option that I chose) 6. Individually removable front trays ( Danny gets in and out by himself, while Ana would need her tray to hold the car seat in) These were the 6 options that I would not allow myself to waver on. Even if there was a great sale, or a super cute limited edition color, I would not consider it if all 6 of my must have criteria were not met. This list really narrowed down my options.

Next I made a list of the features I would like to have: — Good storage compartment — Cup holders — Individual reclining seats — Large yet foldable sun shades — Easy to steer — Manufacture or retailer warranty So, of the strollers I had narrowed my options down to, I compared to see which had the most of my “likes” and which “likes” were most important to me. Next, I started reading reviews. Reading reviews is tricky, you’ll read a 1 star “this stroller is worse than a wheelbarrow” followed by a 5 star “I would trade my first born for this stroller” and you can’t understand how they can be talking about the same buggie. I found the best method was reading many reviews, and seeing if there were any reoccurring themes. 90% of the reviews that I read about the stroller that I finally chose said that the wheels squeaked. I accepted that my wheels would most likely squeak,(and sure enough they did) and that I would be OK with squeaking (which I actually wasn’t, but thankfully my amazing husband was able to remedy that problem).

Finally, do not let price be the largest factor in making your decision. People who know me well would probably be shocked to hear that. I am very cost conscious, but there is more to the cost of a stroller than the number you see posted on Amazon. If you have found the perfect stroller for your family, but it seems out of your price range, don’t give up! There are so many options. Can you buy it used, or in a discontinued color? I got my buggie for a good deal because it was a customer returned open box. It had never been used, and all of the pieces were there but the box had be opened and returned. I made sure to ask what the return policy was for a discounted item. The open box was not advertised online, but I called a company that I found online with excellent reviews, a great return policy, and good pricing. I told the salesman the stroller I wanted but that I needed a good deal. Did they have any returns, discontinued colors, floor models, or last year’s model? The salesperson found the box in the warehouse and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I had decided before calling on the price that I would be willing to spend. If offered a special deal, you need to be ready to say yes on the spot. Don’t let yourself be caught off guard. In regards to cost, I also took into consideration the resale value. A quality stroller that is kept in good condition will hold its value. I hope to sell mine in several years and make back 1/3 of what I bought it for. So, what baby buggie did I finally decide on? The Peg Perego Aria twin 40/60 split. I am confident that I made the right decision. My friends must have been impressed also, because 2 of them bought the exact same stroller after me, and I believe they are equally pleased with the purchase.

Things to Consider before your purchase: -Height and Strength of all caregivers that will be using the buggie on a regular basis. Do you need an adjustable handlebar? -Terrain you will most frequently be pushing on. Grass field or the mall? — Vehicle size: what will fit in your car when it is also full of groceries and diapers? — Storage compartment: do you travel light, or is your diaper bag the size of a suitcase? — What your kids need: are they going to be napping in the stroller? Do you need seats that fully recline?

Happy Shopping!
Steph, Jess & Monica

I've mentioned it before… we love to have people over. One thing we loved about our new house from the start, was the large dining room. However, we soon realized that to buy a BIG table you need a BIG budget. We shopped and shopped and eventually settled on a table with all the style we wanted, a decent price tag, but we compromised on the size.

About a week after getting the table I had buyer's regret and tried to return it. No, soup… 7 day return policy. We kept it another month or so and finally I decided to call it a loss and sell it on Craig's list. Today we sold it to an awesome family and I'm left with this… back to square one…

Here are a few tables that I love, sans the pricetags…

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware Although, these tables still aren't long enough for me. I think I need to give the Duggars a call, because I want something like this… (okay, maybe not that long!)

The next idea was to purchase a conference table. Yup, you read it correctly. A super modern approach with an awesome price.

While is option is still"on the table" (sorry,couldn't resist!) I'm not totally sold. So, here's my most recent plan… I'm making a Dining Room Table!
Thanks to Ana White's blog post I really think I might be able to pull this off! This is a table that another reader made herself and it was her first woodworking project as well. She blogged about it here, and the best part is that the total cost was under $200! Amazing!

These plans look simple enough right???

Thankfully, I have some talented people in my life that I will definitely be talking to for advice and instruction along the way. I am so excited to get started and plan on starting it this weekend! I also think I might go with these chairs from Better Homes and Gardens because they're only $39.99 each and I want about 14 of them!

So, am I crazy? Have you ever attempted something totally outside of your comfort zone?

Early in the summer we started what will go down as our biggest DIY project of the year … We decided to build our own brick paver patio! (Check out the process posts 1,2,3,4) With my creative ideas and my amazing husband that has an un-human work ethic we knew would could handle it! We teamed up with two amazing companies to make it happen, and we loved working with Stone Depot and EP Henry throughout the process.

Drum-roll Please…
Presenting My DIY Patio…

Let's take a closer look at this bad boy
Here's a quick peek back to where we started…

And now, for where we are now!

I couldn't be happier with the results and none of it would have happened without this fella. I won't get all sappy, but he's the hardest worker I've ever met. Our friends have affectionately coined the phrase"Mangin to the Max" when he's in his crazy hardworking mode. So, thanks for all your tireless hours, love- you're the best! View from the door before…

And After…

I love the sitting area and have spent tons of hours working from there the last few months. I can't get enough of all the fall foliage this year- almost makes me feel like I'm back in New England.

We made a last minute decision to add this little area off of the main patio. We wanted a place to be able to grill and where we could put a kids' table when we have a crowd, although I think the fire pit looks pretty cute there too!

Eric and I built a huge farmhouse table using Ana White plans after we were inspired by the Shanty 2 Chic sisters (Full table post coming soon!) For now we're using the chairs I painted back in the spring, but we plan to build long benches this weekend!

I know it sounds cheesy, but I sort of think the patio reminds me of the big family dinners they always have on Parenthood. Do you see it too? (Man, I love that show!)

Here's a peek at some of the fun details I love… Remember this upcycle?

We have fun cattails in our pond (it's more of a swamp, but come on, pond sounds so much nicer!) and they look so cool!

Eric was pretty proud of the stairs… the EP Henry stone was too nice to just do plain, basic steps. I love the tiered look he built!

I plan on having tons and tons of awesome meals out here with family and friends!

It's the perfect place to sit down and browse through one of my favorite magazines… I suggest checking out page 92… Did you know we were featured this month? It pretty much rocked our world!

We got all of our EP Henry stone from Stone Depot in Perkaise, PA and it's top quality for sure. I love the look of the pillars with the huge caps (which are crazy heavy btw- I spent so many hours just carrying brick from the driveway to the backyard.)

The guys at Stone Depot recommended slate for the sitting wall and I'm so glad they knew what would look best- the slate is one of my favorite parts of the whole project.

I had to share this picture with you because you've got to check out the pumpkin on the left… doesn't it look like he's eating the green goose gourd? We grew tons of gourds this year and my kids love the goose ones!

Pennlyn loves that she can go out the sliding door now- it's so nice to be able to easily let her in and out.

We only have two things left on the Patio-To-Do-List… 1- Finish the landscaping (we need mulch and plants)

2- We need outdoor pillar lighting. I ordered 4 lights that I really liked, but they ended up being discontinued. Boo! Our blog sponsor Brad from Lucent Lampworks is going to help me come up with some cool ideas, so I'm excited to get that final detail taken care of!

So, there you have it! Our Big Old DIY project is done!

What do you think of my new outdoor oasis? Do you have any awesome lighting suggestions or just any ideas to make the space even better?

Hey y'all… How funny does that sound coming from me? Well, today we're taking some time to show you some amazing projects that some of our blogger buddies have been working on and one of them happens to have the sweetest southern accent, so I though I'd give the old y'all a try. I'm thinking it should never come out of the mouth of a Boston raised, Philly transplant (and yes, I had to Google it to even see how y'all was spelled! Ha!)
Anyhow, onto business. We want to introduce you to some crazy talented ladies that we're lucky enough to have met through blogging. If you don't already follow their blogs, you're missing out, but here are some of our favorite projects we've seen recently.
Kim @ Sand and Sisal Kim's posts are so dang pretty. Her pictures are amazing and this project is no exception. These glass vases can be made from paint and nail polish remover?!? I know right? I was amazed at the tutorial and will be going to the dollar store for vases STAT! Check out her tutorial! Painted Glass Vases

Shaunna @ Perfectly Imperfect This is the lady that says y'all and it sounds just lovely! Shaunna (in my opinion) knows her style and how to achieve it better than anyone in blogland (and yes, I know that's a BIG statement). If her rooms don't make you a tad jealous, than you're a better woman than I am! It might not even be my style, but the ability to take a room and pull it together so well is something to strive for. You have to check out all of her home before and afters. And funny side note… we were both on Nate the same day and didn't even know it! Jess and I were working like crazy on the 24hr backstage challenge! Home Tour Before and Afters

And I had to include this picture, because it's Jess' personal favorite of Shaunna's.

Brook @ Being Brook I think Brook is the next Ana White! Seriously, she has built so many awesome projects and this picnic table was just one of her recent masterpieces. Doesn't this whole set-up make you want to be invited over for a picnic? She also just made super cool wooden planters that would have cost big bucks from a store. Check out her blog for other DIY projects and to see all the details of this amazing table!

DIY Picnik Table

Allison @ House of Hepworths I've been following Allison's blog for ages now. It's awesome that I've actually gotten to know her! This project is really simple, but looks like something she bought at a high end store. I love Allison's ability to take something average and make it awesome. Check out how she added the awesome pop of color to these bowls and then turned them into art! (Allison also has a great link party each week it you're looking for a good one to join!)Color Backed Decor Bowls

Janena @ SAS Interiors Do any of you have"real designer" friends? Janena is my"real designer" friend and when she says a room I've done looks good, it's like a compliment x10! If you want to learn about styling bookshelves, or arranging a room, she is your girl, but she also does some great DIYs and this one spread like wildfire in blogland. Shower curtains are crazy expensive for cool ones, so Janena figured out how to use any curtain as one! Her steps are simple and will make it last, so check it out! Turn Any Curtain into a Shower Curtain

Now why do I want you to meet our blog pals?? I thought I'd introduce you to them # 1 because I think they're awesome and #2 because we've started a combined Pinterest Board called"Creative Minds" where you can keep up with some awesome DIY and decor projects. The 6 of us will all be pinning to it, to bring you one very awesome inspiration board! Make sure you're following on Pinterest and get ready to see some awesome projects coming your way over the next few days!

You want to know what we learned this year at the first ever Haven conference? There are so many talented people in the world. It's true. Every single blogger we met has unbelievable talent, was super cute (I'm not lying when I say that Monica and I left feeling old and frumpy!), and could not have been nicer. It totally felt like a huge family reunion (except that we had never met before!) Seriously, though, we attended some inspiring sessions, chatted with some of our favorite bloggers and enjoyed really fun BFF time, too! It started out with a smooth flight, a pricey cab to the hotel (60 bucks, one way!) and the discovery that the hotel had overbooked and that our confirmation was actually a pending notification. Booo. But the guys at the Crowne Plaza worked it out and we got a room (a nice one, I might add!)

Upon arrival, we met some of the Haven crew and received our swag bags. There were some pretty sweet finds in the bag, but our favs were definitely the Annie Sloan Chalk paint, Purdy paint brush, Kreg Jig Jr. and a stencil from our go-to stencil girls at Royal Design Studio. Score!

We attended six sessions total, each of them were taught by some blogging bigwigs- do you see that list below? Southern Rhoda, Tracie at Beneath my Heart, Beth from Home Stories A to Z, Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick, and Myra from My Blessed Life We were SO thrilled to meet these ladies in real life and hear all the stuff they've learned through their blogging experience. We also spent time talking with vendors (Monica won 3 awesome paint brushes at the Annie Sloan chalk paint booth), and with business cards in hand, checked out all the blogs we hadn't read before,.

Rashon Carraway, aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting, rocked the Thrifting 101 session! Remember him from The Nate Show? We had fun sharing stories about our times on the show and how great the staff was to us. Good times, I tell you.

Sherry and John from Young House Love were the keynote speakers, and not only were they adorable, they were so down to earth, full of good tips and witty, to boot. Not fair. We loved their mindset about writing their blog, and their honesty about sort of stumbling into blogging fame.
We could have talked with Sherry the entire night. She's totally like the other best friend we wish we had.

We LOVED meeting so many people with similar passions as ours, and discovering awesome blogs we had never heard about. No one truly understands blogging except other bloggers, that's for sure.

Beth from Free Stylin' and Jamie from C.R.A.F.T

The highlight of our trip was meeting our blog mentor, Beckie. We've been chatting with her on the phone every week for the past few months. We knew she was insanely talented and driven, but we were so not prepared for how awesome she is in person! And drop-dead gorgeous. Her session about advertising had everyone buzzing about her. And for good reason! Love.that.girl.

Monica was really excited to meet her, and I was scared, I guess. Awkward, Jess, awkward.
And I'm sure you've all heard of Allison from House of Hepworths, but we were psyched to meet her since we were in the Blogging 2 Better collaboration with her the past 6 weeks.

Layla from The Lettered Cottage, taught a killer session on photo styling that rocked our picture-taking world. How she preps rooms for photos is genius, and even though we learned a lot, we're pretty sure that she has a creative eye that can't be duplicated. I am a HUGE fan of hers, so was pretty excited that she sort of knew who we were (or pretended to, anyway!)

We also had the priviledge of hanging out a bit with Ashley and Whitney from Shanty 2 Chic. These girls make DIYing look amazing. A gorgeous, creative blogging duo.

And speaking of gorgeous-ness…take a look at Ana White building a rolling storage caddy in sky-high heels and tight cropped pants. Fabulous, isn't it? Makes us feel like we should maybe reconsider our t-shirt and sweatpants attire for DIYing. Or maybe not.

And finally, here's a shot of us fooling around at the Homes.com photo booth. Our new bloggy best friend, Karah from The Space Between, took this picture and we love it. And you'll love her. First of all, she lives in Curacao, and secondly she does great projects (just check out her rooftop pallet bed) and thirdly, she's a lot of fun to hang out with.

So that's our crazy recap! All in all we had as really fun time, and I can't say enough how much fun I have with Monica. It may actually be possible that two people share the same brain. Just sayin'.; )
If you could meet one blog crush, who would you choose?

We love a good DIY project so, of course, it comes as no big surprise that we automatically think DIY when it comes to gift-giving, as well. It's so fun to see a resurgence of all things handmade, and trust me, your friends and family won't miss that scarf and mitten set from one of those big box stores. I've rounded up 11 fun gift ideas for everyone on your list- most of them are easy to do and under $20. Let's get started!



1. DIY Color Pop Cord Lamp from Vintage Revivals. Leave it to Mandi to come up with something totally awesome. And get this, she made the lamp base out of a vase!

2. Marbled Paper Box from Centsational Girl. This project is what inspired me to hang marbled paper art in my dining room. The possibilities are endless with these boxes and could be customized for every recipient.

3. Sharpie Art Gift Mugs from Whipperberry. Super cute and easy. Love. Enough said.

4. DIY Washer Necklace from By Wilma. I'll be honest, I know nothing about making jewelry, but this tutorial makes me think I could tackle this one! I might just have to make one for myself… as a sample, of course. Ahem.

5. DIY Recipe book from 36th Avenue. This is a really simple upcycle of a cheap notebook using paint, paper clips and cute scrapbook paper. Totally doable, and cheap, to boot!

6. Double Wine Gift Bag from Infarrantly Creative. We always pick up a few bottles of wine for hostess gifts and this bag would be a perfect addition!

7. DIY Rope-Wrapped Hurricane Vase from us! (hehe.) I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to make one of these for all my friends. The cost for all of the materials is around $10, and that will make several of these vases!

8. Chalkboard Art Ornaments from Clean & Scentsible. We've been seeing chalkboards are all over the place, (for good reason- they're awesome!), and I love this version as ornaments! Aren't they cute?

9. Christmas Potpourri Neighbor Gift from Landee See, Landee Do. Nothing makes me happier than a house filled with Christmasy smells, so this gift is right up my alley. Comes with cute printable tags, too.

10. DIY Farmhouse Doll Bed by Ana White. My daughter is getting an American Girl doll from my mom this year, and you better believe I'm having my hubs make this adorable bed to go with it.

11. DIY Wooden Matchbox Car Race Track from Pretty Handy Girl. I can't forget all the little boys out there, and so this gift is for them! I love that this race track can be completely customized with their favorite colors and name.

I hope this round-up of awesome gift ideas gets you inspired to give something handmade this year! What's your favorite, easy DIY Christmas gift? Please share!

Confession: We have crushes. Yup, goofy, girl crushes. Now, we're not crushing on boys like we may or may not have in high school and college, but we're totally crushing on a few things we think you might want to crush on too!

1- Bicycle decor. This crush started a few month ago by seeing a bicycle pillow. Then, Mandy put some crazy cool bicycle art in her foyer, and I knew it was love. How great is this fabric? It's going to be making an appearance in my family room very soon!

A friend's family owns Bicycle Gift Hub and it's an online store of all things bikes! Now, it's a bit more for the seriously-in-love-with-the-sport type, but I did find these adorable book ends!

Want to know the funniest thing about this crush? I stink at riding a bike! Like seriously am awful. The phrase,"It's like riding a bicycle" has a very different connotation to me. My husband played college baseball and one time, when we were dating, I rode my bike across campus to meet him at the gym. The whole team had just finished up BP and I came riding up, looking all cool, didn't stop soon enough, hit the curb and went flying. Seriously, I was wishing the little accident had taken my life so I didn't have to face all those guys! Oh well, they must have found it endearing because most of them still came to our wedding the next year! 2- Industrial Eclectic courtesy of The Vow. First things first, I'm pretty sure"industrial eclectic" isn't real, but I sure love it as a style. I might have been one of the only women in America more smitten by the apartment in The Vow, than the likes of Channing Tatum (although, don't get me wrong, their chemistry was really sweet.) If you haven't seen the movie, I actually liked it and the hubs said it was really good for a"chick flick"
Now, onto the apartment. It was a little too urban loft for me, but soooo much of it I loved. These island light fixtures are calling my name. One of my favorite things was the sliding metal doors on the bookshelves. I need that in my world somehow!

I love all the color in the kitchen. I love the mismatched light fixtures. I love the clock. I love the island. Sensing a trend here?

Now this picture is a wee bit cluttered for me, but look at those metal doors in the back!

So the point of this rant is that I'm determined to find a way to make my so-far-from-a-New-York-loft house have an"industrial eclectic" feel.
3- Ladies Home Journal I'm crushing on LHJ for two reasons… #1- they've completely launched a new and improved magazine that's awesome. It's totally focused on the reader and what stories they want to see in the mag. #2- We're going to be collaborating with LHJ for DIY and design stories! We were in NYC on Monday meeting with the editor in chief and her whole staff. It was pretty amazing.
Lots more to come about LHJ, but for now, how about you go get or renew a subscription so you're sure not to miss any of our contributions. Just for a short time it's only $5.99/year! That's insanely cheap, so there's no excuses for not joining in on the fun! Head here to subscribe.

I'm most definitely crushing on brownies right now, but that's besides the point. I know you'd rather hear about my design crushes than my brownie addiction, so here goes:

1. Coral & Blue. Goodness, I'm in love. When I first saw that Ikea-hack buffet on the right, I was immediately mesmerized. Until then, the color coral never entered my mind for my dining/living room (I was going for more of a rust color), but now it's there in full-force. After an impulsive coral search on Pinterest, I found that amazing room from Southern Living on the left, and the Waverly Sea Scallop Coral Reef fabric that just sealed the deal. Expect a coral invasion into my home and onto this blog in the very near future.

2. DIY Furniture. In case you haven't heard, Ana White is the source for free furniture plans and I get sucked in just thinking of all the possibilities. I might have said to my husband tonight after seeing the apothecary console table,"Why would we ever buy anything ever again when we can just build it?", to which he replied,"You are an absolute madwoman." Ok, he didn't say that exactly, but I know he was thinking it. Anyway, my hubs and I have been scheming for months to build this playhouse loft bed for my daughter's 4th birthday coming up in a few weeks. One time I showed her this picture:

…and she hasn't stopped talking about it since! I can't wait to surprise her with it, and I'm also strangely excited about painting and decorating the little house. I'm hoping she doesn't have any ideas of what she wants it to look like (wishful thinking, I'm sure, because there is very little that my girl doesn't have an opinion about), because I've got the whole thing planned out in my mind already!
What things are YOU crushing on?