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!
Only following on the blog? You're missing out. Use the buttons below to join in on all the fun!
If you missed the announcement about which nine contestants made it through to Round 2 of Creating with the Stars, click here! We're dying to see what those ladies come up with for this week's Knockoff theme!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are some nice end tables out there, but this one ranks way up there on the coolness scale (is there such a thing? If not, we just made one.) We love how Sarah, from While They Snooze, used something free to create something totally fabulous for her home. Booyah to pricey furniture everywhere. Let's take a look at how she made this bad boy…
On a run a week or so back, I passed a house in my neighborhood with 6, count 'em 6, old tires on the curb (Where you at HOA??). My slightly hoarderish brain immediately tried to think of projects I could use them for. Alas, as Beyonce blasted in my ears, I thought of nothing and ran past. Fast forward a few days to when the Creating with the Stars announcement was made and I learned theme one was Upcycle. In the midst of picking my jaw back up off the floor, I remember those grimy tires. Early Saturday morning, still bra-less and in my PJs, I drove to that house and hurled the one tire that was left into the back of my car. Let's hope the morning fog prevented most from seeing that. Don't be fooled, though the kids look excited, they are confused as to why mommy threw garbage in the car.
As the tire lay in my garage, it dawned on me that it was the perfect size/shape for a side table. 24" round. Just needed some legs and some (a boat load of) prettying up. Here's what I did. Supplies:
Old tire — Mine still had the rim… it will still work if it doesn't.
Plywood — One circle for the base and one for the top. My plywood is 1/2" thick.
Legs — Get creative! I used wood but you could use an upside down flower pot, metal, or buy pre-made legs from Ikea. This tutorial will show you how to make wood legs.
Rope — to disguise the tire. I used 350 feet (yikes!) of 1/4" sisal and manila rope sold in little bags at Home Depot.
Glue/Screws/hardware to attach the legs — This will vary depending on what legs you get.
Construction Adhesive — To glue the tire to the base and the rope to the tire. I used Liquid Nails.
Basic tools - This will vary depending on what your base is made from. I used a jig saw to cut the circles. A chop saw, table saw, and jig saw the cut the legs. Drill to attach the legs.
Step 1:Scrub your tire. Chances are it's going to be really grimy. Give it a scrub with some dish soap to cut the grease. This will also help your adhesive stick better. Let it dry.
Step 2:Cut out two plywood circles. First circle should fit in the center of your tire to make a flat surface to form the table top. I measured, then nailed a piece of string into the center of my plywood, attached a pencil, and drew the circle. I had to sand the edges of the circle here and there to make it fit in the tire. The second circle is the base that the tire will sit on. Trace your tire and cut the circle one or two inches smaller than that.
I bribed the hubs with lunch so he would cut them out for me.: )
Step 3:Cut out some legs. Since this table will be replacing another (ugly) table in my living room, I measured the height of that existing table. It was 20". The tire is 9" high, so I needed 11" legs. Side tables vary in height though. They should work well with the seating they will be next to. So measure your tire and then figure out how high you need your legs. I must confess, my husband came up with the idea of using the rocker slats from our rocking octopus, cut in half, for the legs.
Since I didn't want to destroy the octopus (poor Ollie!), we took them off, traced them onto some scrap pine from the garage, and cut them out. If you don't have rocking octopus legs to trace: ) rectangles would be fine! Trace.
Cut out.
Cut in half and sand smooth.
Step 4:Assemble the legs. Take your larger base circle and arrange the legs equally spaced around the perimeter. To make the table a little more sturdy, I cut some small blocks from the scrap pine to use as supports for the legs. I glued the blocks to the legs with wood glue and clamped overnight. Once they were dry, I glued them to the wood circle, attached L brackets, and put a screw in through the top of the wood.
At this point I stained the legs and the rim of the base circle. However, they didn't turn out that great. I'll fix that in a minute.
Step 5:Glue tire to base. Once the legs are secure and dry, flip the base over, apply generous blobs of construction adhesive, and set your tire in the center.
Step 6.:Glue smaller circle to top of tire. The smaller circle should fit slightly inside the inner curve of the tire so when it's in place, the whole surface is flat… or close to flat. Since my tire has the rim, I just glued to that.
Step 7:Glue rope to tire. Attention: hot glue does not stick to tires just incase you were considering it.: ) I tried… no go. Stick with the liquid nails. Bonus: Liquid nails is the same color as rope. Some of it bled through. You can't even tell. Turn the table over, start around the base, and work your way to the top of the table.
Keep going! Once you get around the lip it's e asier if you flip it back over. I used a combination of sisal rope (the lighter color) and natural manila rope (the dark color). Both are sold in 50' sections at Home Depot.
Once you get to the top rim it gets tricky. The rope kept wanting to pop off so I had to keep it taped down with painter's tape as I went until the adhesive dried.
Then, when I hit the plywood, I switched to hot glue. Much easier! (Does anyone else have toys mixed in with their projects?)
Step 8:Paint the legs. Remember how the stain on the legs came out kind of meh? Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick had the great idea to"dip" them. Basically, I painted the bottom half of the legs bright citrus yellow. Not meh anymore!
And that's it. You can put the rope down. You're done. I can't wait to have people over and see if anyone knows it's an upcycled tire!
My staging assistant.; )
And so you know last week was one CRAZY week… here's a lovely shot I took of myself, gluing rope to a tire at midnight while the rest of the family snoozed. Enjoy.
Ahhh, so fun! You guys have to see the behind the scenes look at Sarah's round 1 project. You know we love it when people keep it real! Sarah is super talented with a sewing machine, but we totally dig these fun DIY Chevron Curtains she made from Ikea curtains.
Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how Sarah created that who-would-have-ever-thought-you-could-do-that-with-egg-crate-insulation light fixture. Omw. Soooo creative. Also, do you want to be a part of Creating with the Stars yourself? You can link up your favorite upcycle project right here until tonight at 10 PM EST for a chance to win a great prize package and be featured on EC2! Happy Friday, friends!
Happy December, everyone! If you've been following us then you know that our 3rd appearance on The Nate Berkus Show airs today! If you're new here as a result of the Nate Show, welcome! We're so glad you're here. We honestly still get a little giddy when we think about Nate calling us his best DIYer's, and are hoping all of this is not some crazy dream. No matter how often we get called back to the show (fingers crossed they ask us again!), it is still so surreal. But, we can't.get.enough. We're going to give a little glimpse of the two day room transformations, and our time in NYC for the live taping. Plus, we have a fun announcement, so read on! Behind the Scenes The first part of the process is getting miked, which was stinkin' hilarious to me this time. Monica's outfit created all sorts of problems for our sound guy, Matt.
Case in point. Hehe. Tell me that doesn't make you giggle. Then the filming started with an interview with Jesse, the big shot producer (which did not make it onto the show, but we thought we were really funny. Obviously, they did not.: )
Love this picture! And this cutie is Jesse:
Adorable, right? (Sidenote: he is our age and so successful! Kinda made us feel like underachievers.)
Dean, cameraman #1, was on our very first shoot with the show, and is phenomenal. Just sayin'. Eventually, we got to do our ridiculously silly and goofy smooth and athletic run out to take a peek at Nate's Crate.
The rest is history, as they say. Anyway, we're so excited to show you the rooms we decorated for Christmas for the show. Of course, Nate pulled another switcheroo on us (see our first house swap here), and I had to decorate Monica's family room, and she had to Christmas-ify my basement den. Switching houses totally puts us out of our element because we have to find all their DIY supplies to use without their guidance. Plus, it's a lot more pressure to decorate someone else's house! We couldn't use any of our existing Christmas decorations and could pretty much use only what was in the crate, although we could shop the house. But the end results turned out pretty good, if we do say so ourselves.: ) Ready for some before and afters? Monica's Family Room
Jessica's Basement Den
Wheeeeeee! Don't they look amazing? There are soooooo many projects we want to share from these two makeovers- way too many for one post- so we'd like to invite you to:
Beginning tomorrow we'll be breaking down each of the projects from our room makeovers. We'll be sharing loads of ideas for Christmas decor that are easy and cheap- anyone can do them! You don't want to miss it, so come back with pens and paper in hand.: ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, so back to Nate…we headed into NYC in mid-November for another live taping. This is super fun for us, especially watching all fun, crazy stuff that goes on behind the scenes. When we arrived, we headed up to our green room to get settled in and make ourselves look presentable.
Yes, this is another pose-in-the-mirror shot. We're sorry. We won't do it again.
Thank goodness for the wonderful makeup ladies. Each time they do our makeup differently, but every time it's great!
We kind of coordinated without planning it. Great minds…
Our green room didn't stand a chance against us make-a-mess-of-everything girls.
I was so hungry that I needed two plates full of food. (Sadly, this is not abnormal.)
Oh, wait, here's another mirror shot.
And another. Oops! She's cute, though, so that kind of makes up for it, doesn't it?
Once the show was over, we met up with Ed: the sweetest, most personable, down-to-earth, extremely successful producer on earth. I can't say enough nice things about him, so I won't even try. But, we love him. Then it was off to see the sights!
I can't believe we toted some of our projects around Times Square. We are such dorks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, that's it in a nutshell! We're seriously hoping to be asked on the show again, and if we are, we will be pulling out all the stops to get a picture with Mr. Nate himself. (We're coming for you, Nate!; ) Please don't forget to stop by tomorrow for Monica's easy handwritten lamp shade transformation. Thanks so much for all of your support! Have a great day!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome, Moo & Puppy, our newest sponsor! Moo & Puppy is a modern digital paper shop, and their stuff is seriously amazing. We created our 12 Days of Nate Show DIYs header with paper from her shop (Brewster Red & Teal). You should totally go check it out, and use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for a 20% discount on your order.
The day is finally here! Submissions for Creating with the Stars are Open! We are so excited to see all of your submission projects!
This group of blog stars is pretty epic! One of them could be your new partner in crime! 1- Sherry from Young House Love 2- Whitney & Ashley from Shanty 2 Chic 3- Brooke from All Things Thrifty 4- Jane from Tatertots and Jello 5- Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick 6- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative 7- Mandi from Vintage Revivials 8- Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime 9- Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect 10- Beth from Home Stories A to Z 11- Kari from U Create 12- Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's just recap CWTS a bit and then we'll get onto the How To details!If you missed the announcement post with ALL the details, click hereYou can submit one project that shows everyone your best stuff into the linky party below. Projects must have been made October 1, 2011 or laterand must be your own work. You have until February 21st to enter your submission. From those entries, 11 will be chosen by the blog stars and us as contestants and will be randomly paired up to work one-on-one with a Blog Star, to duke it out in a four-week competition to see who's the most creative. The Star will give suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and help so you can come up with the best project possible. Each round will have a theme and the bottom three will be eliminated based on reader votes. Once the contest is started, weekly projects are anonymous, so big blogger or rookie, everyone's on the same, even playing field! Find your favorite project to link up and be prepared to put your best foot forward if you want to survive!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Enter CWTS:1.Link Up your Project. Use the Linky below to submit your project entry *Reminder: Be sure to link to the actual project page, and not just your homepage. 2. Grab a Button. You need to add a link back to EC2 in your submission post. Even if it's an old post, just grab the button code below and paste it into the post.
3. Follow EC2 on Facebook. Make sure you LIKE East Coast Creative so you get all the updates and info we'll be sharing there as well. (This step is a requirement to your entry- sorry to be big, bad, rule enforcers- We promise we aren't mean!)
4. Start Spreading the Word! The first 11 contestants will be chosen by the Blog Stars and East Coast Creative, but #12 will be chosen by popularity in the link party. Get your readers to come over and give your thumbnail a click- yours could be the most viewed!! (Just don't act like some weird robot and click on your own entry a million times, that's lame-o!)
And, as if you need any more motivation to enter, we have the BEST.SPONSORS.EVER!! The 2013 CWTS Prize packages Total over $4100!! A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, HomeTalk, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS.nWe're so honored to have them! The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive: $500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods Project featured by HomeTalk
All contestants that make it to Week 4 will be given a $100 Giftcard to HomeGoods to use during the week 4 home decor challenge! The Semi-Finals Winner will receive: $500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star) $100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts $125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 2 Winner will receive: $100 Gift Card to Royal Design Studio A pair of $120 Robert Allen pillows from Chic Decor Pillows Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 1 Winner will receive: $50 worth of 31 Gifts products $60 worth of Twtsted Yarn products $70 of Henle Headbands products $100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design Project featured by HomeTalk
Okay, enough talking, let's get submitting! We're so excited to have each and every one of you!! Good Luck and May the Oddsbeever in your Favor (sorry, two Hunger Games lovers here!)
We just found out it's THIS WEEKEND!! If you're even remotely local you'll want to make time to check it out. We got SO MANY awesome things last year. My dining room buffet, my Chalkboard Mirror… Check out this post to see it all. BEST BARN SALE EVER! Sat, Sun, Mon 8-5 3045 York Road, Furlong PA
The back part of the barn is crazy, but HOLY COW amazing furniture finds!!
And now I'm re-posting our reminders from yesterday! Well, we're a bit behind the eight ball on this one, but we finally got around to choosing a winner for our Empire Patio Giveaway. (just so you know we use random.org to make our pick!) Empire Patio Covers Giveaway Winner
And the winner is:
Congratulations! Email us at eastcoastcreativeblog@gmail.com to claim your prize! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YARD SALE We're having a BIG yard sale Saturday (5/26) from 8:00-1:00 PM. Please come on by and say hi…and then buy something.; ) It's at my house, so send me an email if you need the address. Monica will stop by in the morning also and we'd love to meet all of you local readers. There will be lots of kids items, home decor, appliances, furniture, lighting and more! Here's just a small sampling of what's for sale:
We interrupt this regularly schedule DIY program for an important announcement (I've always wanted to use that phrase somewhere!): We have some incredible sponsors who provide loads of amazing products just waiting to be purchased for one-of-a-kind Christmas presents! I've broken them down into categories for you… Gift-Giving
Ok, you may remember me talking about the amazing art prints from Red Letter Words, but did you know Dee also offers adorable greeting cards and candles? Not only that, but messages printed on the greeting cards are so meaningful and thoughtful- perfect as a stocking stuffer, a gift for a friend, a teacher and the list goes on and on. Get 15% off until December 15th with the code MERRY15. Order by December 19th for Christmas delivery. (Excludes custom prints and the print of the month)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every year I try to give my neighbors a little gift, and this 1-2-3 Dip! Gift set from Pampered Chef is perfect! I am such a sucker for chips and dip. I pretty much could live on it. And if you don't have neighbors, buy a few as hostess gifts (they'll be sure to get you an invitation to next year's party!: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, Jane sent us a few of her 100% soy candles to try, and I can.not.get.enough. of the Christmas pine scent. I've been burning it around the clock since I got it, and the beautiful thing is, that because it's soy, it's long-lasting! Order a few of these as gifts, or just go ahead and buy a stash for yourself! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How about this adorable Littles Carry-All Caddy in the Winter Wonderland pattern from Thirty-One Gifts for teachers in your (or your kid's) lives? Fill it with a mug, some good chocolate and a gift card to Starbucks and you're set! It comes in 10 different patterns, so you'll be sure to find something for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entertaining
Planning a holiday party? Spread some Festive Cheer with this cocktail idea from Garnish. Goodness, could their stuff be any more darling? I could literally spend all my party budget on the goodies from Garnish- who needs food anyway? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came across this super-cute idea to use scrapbook paper as a charger on a holiday table, and I'm in love! You could totally use this fabulous paper from Moo & Puppy and alternate the patterns underneath the plates for coordinated, but not identical place settings! {Swoon}
Use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for 20% off of your order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I love Dream Dinners. I really do. And they are total life-savers if you are hosting a holiday party or dinner. So many of the meals can be easily turned into appetizers, like this Coconut Shrimp with Sweet & Sour dipping sauce. Make your holidays stress-free with ready-to-cook meals. Use the codeDDNC201110 for 10% off your first order. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Home
Well, looky what I found on Craigslist. A $15 chair that would be absolutely stunning if reupholstered in some new fabric! Jet Upholstery could do that in heartbeat, and guess what? You can save 25% off any fabric order when you mention RHBC. Now go! That chair won't last long (especially because I can't keep my eyes off of it!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In our winnings from Crafting with the Stars, we both got to choose stencils from Royal Design Studio. They are the best place to get designer decorative stencils and tools. Monica chose this Morrocan Stencil- Chez Sheik:
And I'm getting this lovely Large Fabric Damask stencil:
We both have big plans for our stencils and come on, you know you have an area in your house that's just dying to be stenciled. Am I right? Head over to Royal Design Studio to be totally inspired. Use the coupon code RHBC10 for 10% off your order! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Giving Back
We are often so focused on buying gifts at this time of year, but really, it's also a great time to give back. Head on over to Scout & Nimble to see how you can be a part of her awesome iniative to do just that. Also, did you see this ah-ma-zing rug she just got?
So jealous. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, that's it! No excuses for lame gifts this year, people!; )
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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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!!
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!
Good ole Valentine's Day… Love it or hate it it's coming! Well, you can thank me later, but I have the perfect gift for your hubs! This gift started over ten years ago on our very first anniversary… we were broke, still in school, and oh so in love. Let me tell you it was a hit! So much so, that I just gave the same gift for our 10 year anniversary back in November. **Disclaimer- This post is written totally from the perspective of a married woman that adores her husband. I'm being honest here ladies, so you've been warned. Also, if you are my mother, STOP reading right now. Thanks!** The Perfect Valentine's Gift- The Game of Love Imagine with me for a moment… It's been a long day, you and the hubs are headed to bed. You've put on your favorite comfy, frumpy sweats and a tee for bed. Once your hubs sees your bedtime wardrobe choice he knows there's no shot of romance for the night. He pulls back the covers to hop in bed and… what's this??
You've just pulled off the best Valentine's Day surprise ever. It's time to play The Game of Love! It's a game your hubs will love even more than the Superbowl! All you'll need for this DIY is some time without your hubby around, some markers, some kind of shape template, and a fitted bed sheet…Seriously mom, if you're reading- Stop!
Ok, you can kind of see where this is going, and I must make a public confession… yes, I used one of my bff's birth announcement as my template! It was an adorable shape- Sorry Mandi!
I spent a lot of time ironing my sheet and then had an idea… I could have just washed and dried it. That would be easier.
Pop on your still wrinkly ironed sheet and you're ready to start making your game board.
If you want nice, straight lines, you can use some masking tape and your template to help with your spacing.
It doesn't have to be perfect (trust me he won't be too focused on your straight lines!) Start tracing your template. Trace it over and over again. Darn that I couldn't really have a friend come and help me with this DIY… awkward: )
Before removing the masking tape, I added some cute little dashes along the top.
You can add your game's title across the top. Don't you love my cheesy name? The Game of Love… still makes me laugh! Feel free to use it or come up with a less cheesy one!
Now it's time to get creative. I included a few presents, snacks, wardrobe changes, and lots more!
Here are a few of my squares… (if you really want to know what else I added, you can try and read the teeny writing! Ha!) I had a few gifts wrapped and ready to go and a few yummy romantic snacks as well.
Put your mattress back and it's ready to go! (Okay, I have some limits, so I pulled a little censored for your protection action!)
In case you're wondering, here are The Official Game of Love Rules: 1. The player will roll a die, but the highest number can be 3 (so divide by 2 or the game goes too fast!) 2. Each square has a 1 1/2 minute time limit 3. No getting carried away- you have to stop at 90 seconds and roll again (the hubs might fight you on that one) 4. Only one person"plays" your role is just the game"facilitator" 5. The Final square is"Score" and you can't skip ahead (if ya know what I mean) Okay, now my rationale for posting this. No, it's not my life's aspiration for my personal life to be all over Pinterest (don't worry, I am cool with you pinning it though). I just know that marriage is tough. It takes effort each and every day, not just Valentine's Day. I don't know your situation, but I know that 4 kids takes a toll on the love life. As a woman, I have to be intentional about connecting with my husband and making him a priority (FYI"connecting" is a code word! lol). I wanted to encourage woman to have FUN with their husbands… it's really okay- you're married! I call this the"Perfect Valentine's Gift" because for me, it meant so much to Eric that I took the time to think through this, plan out the surprise, and then have an unexpected evening dedicated to us.
So, will you be using The Game of Love to attempt to"Connect" with your husband this Valentine's Day?
Psssst! We came up with a new version of this game this year. Click here for the Game of Love: Travel Edition! Linking to: TT&J, Stories of A to Z i heart naptime
Looking for the top 12 contestant announcement for Creating with the Stars? You can find them, the awesome projects that earned them a spot and their amazing blog star partners here. Don't forget to like us on facebook and follow us on Twitter @EC2blog for all the up-to-date info and juicy details!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm so excited to show you guys the first step I took in making our living room jive with the attached dining room. This project is super simple, easy on the wallet and totally customizable! Love that.
We're both huge fans of Ikea. I mean, really, who doesn't love cheap, Swedish, hard-to-pronounce and even-harder-to-put-together furniture? I purchased this chair for the my living room, but the scale of it just wasn't right. It really needed something to help fill the space, and I thought an ottoman would do the trick nicely. While at IKEA, I came across this LACK side table which is only 10 bucks (depending on the finish you choose), and knew it would work as an ottoman that could fill the void in my living room. Round up the following supplies and let's get started! Lack side table 1 1/2 yards of fabric 1 1/2 yards of quilt batting- Look for a coupon or a sale on this! Foam (mine is 2 inches thick)- Don't buy without a coupon! Staple Gun Spray adhesive Paint (optional) Chop saw (optional)
1. Lay the table top upside down on the foam and trace it using a Sharpie.
2. Cut the foam with an electric carving knife. I saw the girls at JoAnn's doing this, and let me tell you, the foam cuts like butter when you do it this way! If you don't have one, use an X-acto knife or razor.
3. Spray one side of the foam with adhesive and press it firmly onto the table top.
4. Grab your helper and lay the foam-covered table top onto the quilt batting and trim the excess. Make sure you leave enough batting around the edges to cover the sides of the table. (Adorable little helper is optional.)
5. Using your staple gun, fold one corner in towards the middle of the table and staple into place. Work your way around the table pulling tight on the batting and stapling as you go. Use a hammer to wack any stubborn staples into place. I've always wanted to use"wack" in a sentence. Check that off the bucket list.
6. Iron your fabric so you don't have to deal with any annoying wrinkles. Or ignore this step if wrinkles don't drive you nuts. If they don't, I envy you. Please tell me your secret.
7. Determine the placement of your fabric and trim the excess, but be generous with your cuts so that you have enough to go all the way around. Working the same way as with the batting, start with the corner and fold towards the middle. Staple in place. Work your way around, pulling the fabric tight. Every once in a while, flip the top over so you can make adjustments to the placement of the fabric if necessary (and it will be necessary, trust me!)
8. This step is completely optional, as well. I wanted the ottoman to be a bit lower than the height of the seat of the chair, so I used a chop saw to cut about 3 inches off of all four legs. Surprise! Ikea table legs are hollow! I guess that's how they keep the price at $10. *Wink*
9. To achieve a similar finish to the chair, I used two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk paint in French Linen, then lightly spray painted them with Valspar Satin in La Fonda.
That's it! For under $25, I have an adorable ottoman that helps ground the chair in my living room, adds additional seating (yes! You can sit on it!), and a comfy place to put your feet up at the end of the day. I call that a win-win.
I'm super happy with the finished product, and love that I can easily change the fabric when I get tired of this one. I mean, let's be honest, that WILL happen at some point, knowing me, and when it does, it won't break the bank to recover it! Woohoo! To see these other projects in the living room, click below:
Planked Wall with Exposed Studs Stenciled Faux-Tile Fireplace Have a happy Tuesday!
If you didn't hear our BIG announcement, stop reading right now and take a look here. We are excited beyond words and are so grateful for your support and encouragement! And to think…it all started right here!: ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember that little contest we were a part of a couple weeks ago? It was a great contest run by Homes.com for an awesome cause- creating projects for a chance to win $5000 for your favorite charity. Well, sadly, we didn't win, but, we're pretty thrilled with our entry and wanted to share this super happy space with you guys.Let's get on with the project shall we? I (Monica) have had this project in my mind for a few months now. It was inspired by a printed pattern I had seen in the window of a shop. I couldn't remember exactly where I saw it, but I was pretty sure it was a cool shop we had passed when we were in London in November. Great story right? Crafty DIY project inspired by a European city… Then, two weeks ago it hit me… It was JCrew at our local mall! I just about died laughing when I put it all together! Well, JCrew or London, I sure am glad it inspired me… For under $20 we created DIY Wood Shim Wall Art
I wanted something with BOLD color, and a modern feel, that married well with a bit of industrial flare!
How's that for a Before and After? Who knew our dumpy oak piano could be such a show stopper? (You can read all about that little makeover right here. )
Here's a peek at the details- the DIY light isn't my entry, but man I love how it works with the Wood Shim Art!
Even though it looks pretty complex, the process was super simple and the longest part of the process was waiting for the paint to dry. Here's how we did it:#1- Purchase Long Wood Shims
We bought 5 packs of these from Lowes for $3.84 each. They sell two sizes, so make sure you go with the longer of the two 11 7/8" (yellow package). #2- Cut the ends at a 45 degree angle. I used my miter saw and cut each piece- I started with one at a time, then did a little math in my head, noticed it would take an eternity, and then started cutting five at a time. Worked like a charm!
#3- Paint Your Shims I created a little spray paint zone in my basement and used all my leftover spray paint colors. When you're painting, just make sure that you put half with the angle to the left and half with the angle to the right or you'll be stuck with one sided arrows!
After they had dried I was left with this awesome assortment of color!! I used about 13 different colors, but I also think doing the whole project in various shades of one color could look pretty epic too!
#4- Make (or use) a Plumb Line Once we decided where we wanted our center point, we needed to get a straight vertical line to follow.
We took a nail, some bakers twine, and a socket to DIY a little old plumbline. Nail it in and voila!
#5- String Line your Vertical I love my string line… seriously, I use it all the time! We put it at our top and bottom marks (created using our plumb line) and then snapped that baby to give us a guide line.
#6 Determine your Pattern This step saved us major time. Use the floor to get your layout right and then installing it on the wall is a breeze. We wanted our pattern random and we wanted varying lengths and heights.
#7- Glue it on the Wall Rather than using 300 tiny nails (that could very easily splinter the shims) we opted for Gorilla Wood Glue. It was simple to use, will hold securely, and won't damage my walls completely (the way liquid nails would).
Following our pattern, Jess glued and I placed the arrows. Shims are very imperfect, so I had to be okay with tiny gaps and just kept using the center line to keep things straight.
Even before it was finished, we knew we were obsessed with it!
We finished it off with some fun accessories and the coolest light fixture ever, and called it a day.
There were a lot of DIY elements around our Crafting for Charity project, so to find out details about other projects, you can check 'em out below., We'll be posting more about them in the next few weeks, so just hold tight.: )
Even though we didn't win, we hope you'll still check out Worthwhile Wear, which was founded by our close friends Dan & Steph. They've committed their time and talents to make it their life's work.
Jess and I both have daughters and we couldn't imagine any of them having to endure human trafficking. We love Worthwhile Wear's mission… Worthwhile Wear exists to rescue and restore girls from forced prostitution, and more importantly help prevent girls from ever entering it. We target highly trafficked areas both internationally and domestically, and offer women the opportunity to overcome two primary factors which are at the root of sex trafficking; poverty and lack of education. This solution is offered through vocational training centers which teach women how to make wears, such as jewelry, handbags, and clothing, which are sold to provide them employment. Additionally, the women are offered free education, a safe place to stay, and restorative programs geared toward encouraging personal growth and re-establishing self-worth.
That beautiful face is not a stock image. They're from Dan's last trip to India a few months back. The work Worthwhile wear is doing is critical and we hope you'll check out their site and follow along with them on Facebook. What do you thinkj? Could you paint a piano green? Or glue shims to your wall?
If you missed the announcement about which nine contestants made it through to Round 2 of Creating with the Stars, click here! We're dying to see what those ladies come up with for this week's Knockoff theme!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We fell in love with Karianne's clock the moment we laid eyes on it. It's so orignal and creative, not to mention perfectly placed on that chalkboard wall. *Swoon* I'm already brainstorming how I can use this idea somewhere-anywhere- in my house. Because Karianne took the number one spot, this project is going to be featured on Hometalk and Homes.com. Woohoo! Take it away, Karianne!
There are clocks. And then…there areclocks. There are clocks that tick and tock and ring and jingle and tell time underwater and sound an alarm. And then there are clocks made from a bicycle wheel with yardstick ruler hands perched on a chalkboard surrounded by roman numerals above a table strategically styled with a bicycle seat. That is one fine clock.And the best part?
I got the bicycle wheel for free. Can you even believe it? I walked into a bicycle shop and randomly explained to the resident bike expert that I wanted to make a clock and I needed a cute bike wheel that had preferably been around the block a time or two. Wordlessly he stared at me. I don't really know why. I'm sure they get that request all the time. And then he went to the back where they keep all the spare wheels for people who come in with clock requests and he handed me this bicycle wheel. I totally wish he could see his wheel now. He'd probably charge me for it.: )
Bicycle Wheel Clock with Yardstick Hands
Supplies:Bicycle wheelPaint stickCan lidWeightsClock kit specifically designed for large handsYardstick
Step 1: Purchase a kit from any craft store specifically designed to power big hands. Remove torque, insert a AA battery and attach to center of bicycle wheel using wire or adhesive tape.
Step 2: Drill a hole in the center of a paint can lid. The hole should be large enough to fit over the center mechanism of the torque. Place over center spoke of torque.
When you are done it should look something like this.
Step 3: Cut out yardstick hands I used a vintage yardstick. Cut longer hand 16" and shorter hand 8" long. You may need to adjust length depending on size of bike wheel. Notch out the end of each hand to resemble and arrow and cut small triangles of yardstick and attach to the other end of the yardstick hand to form an arrow.
Step 4: Drill holes in yardstick and attach parts of clock hands Drill a hole 5 1/2 inches from the notched end of the longer hand. Drill a hole 1 inch from the notched end of the shorter hand. Cut circles from the hands of the clock kit and hot glue around the holes that you just drilled.
Step 5: Attach yardstick hands to the center spoke of torque The center spoke on the torque is designed to have a space between the two hands. This is critical to make sure the hands turn properly. Make sure there is a space as shown in the picture. Attach the washer from the kit to the very top of the center spoke of the torque. Tighten the washer until hands are fastened securely. Depending on the thickness of your yardstick, you may have to countersink the washer to ensure everything fits properly on the center spoke.
Step 6: Attach weights to the back of the longer hand Hot glue washers to the back of the longer hand until the hand is balanced properly on the center spoke. We attached four washers, but you may need more or less depending on the weight of your clock hands.
Step 7: Adjust your hands to the right time using the tiny dial on the torque. Hang on a chalkboard and chalk in some roman numerals. Telling time has never been so fun! PS Monica and Jess…thank you so much for hosting such a fun contest and a big shout out to the amazing creativity of all the contestants! If you have any questions about this project be sure and e-mail me at thistlewoodfarms@yahoo.com! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isn't that awesome?! And that bike tire was FREE! That makes this project even better, in our humble opinions. Have you seen Karianne's blog? If not, you definitely should. It's chock full of awesome projects like this Herringbone Paint Stick Table…
And this Butler's Pantry. We're sorry, but we can't stop drooling over it. We are embarassed about the drool, but we just can't stop.
Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Karianne! Don't forget to check back tomorrow to see how Sarah made that awesome trendy tire table. Also, do you want to be a part of Creating with the Stars yourself? You can link up your favorite upcycle project right here until Friday evening for a chance to win a great prize package and be featured on EC2!
Ok, so in my imaginary world, I'm an amateur, never-been-trained, but still somewhat decent designer. Then I come across someone who is a REAL designer, and man, I am totally put in my place. I'm like the little girl decorating her doll house when you put me up against real designers. Ha! (And I'm not looking for reinforcement here- I'm ok with it! I figure there's always going to be someone who is better than you at everything in life.) Anyhow, remember this antique table turned vanity we made for my hallway bathroom last year?
Well, it was sort of inspired by this picture:
Totally love it. Today, I was doing some research for something else and came across the designer of this gorgeous space above. It was created by M.Elle Design and let me tell you, once I was on their site, I got totally sucked in and couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen. I just had to share with you guys the beautiful spaces they create.
Ahhhh…this bedroom!
I know, right? There are no words. Now you can feel bad about your designs too.: ) You're welcome. If you want to see more, check out M.Elle Designs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also, did you guys see our big announcement about Creating with the Stars yesterday? Read all about this amazing contest packed with great prizes and incredible blog stars here.
Have you ever noticed how incredibly expensive planters are? For about $40 I could get one itty bitty planter, that's not even cute. No thanks. I decided I would DIY planters that would work perfectly with my new painted door and rockin' house numbers. I didn't want anything to frilly, or girly. I wanted my style inside my house, reflected on the outside too! This project cost me $20 each, was incredibly simple, and totally fits my style.
Here's What you'll need to DIY your own color block, tiered planters: Plastic planters (mine were from Target) 2 colors of spray paint 1 color of latex paint Dirt, Mulch, Plants, Etc. I started with these plain Jane planters from Target (find them here). You can't really tell how big they are, but they're pretty big (I can't wrap my arms around the top of the large one- I tried, so that gives you an idea and a weird mental picture. Sorry about that!) They cost $7 for the medium and $13 for the extra large.
The first step was to spray paint the middle color. I used Valspar's grey primer because I love the color.
You don't need to worry about the top or bottom at all. Just get a nice, even coat on the middle. I did two light coats on mine.
I painted the top color block with the same color I recently used on my front door. I'm a bit obsessed with it. I didn't need to tape for a clean line, because the planter had a lip that I was able to use as a guide. Also, make sure you paint down pretty far on the inside. I'm assuming your house guests will be taller than the planters, so they'll get a peek down inside.
The next step, made this DIYer do the dance of joy (remember Perfect Strangers?) because it saved me so much time! I used a paint can opener to pop the bottom of the planters. I'll warn you, it will sound like you're breaking them, but you're not! They'll pop right back on when you're done painting them.
Taking the bottom off, meant no need for tape or cutting in. Just spray paint the bottom whatever color you'd like. This was my little work station (aka messy garage).
Put the pieces all together and you're left with cool, color block planters.
They're nice like that, but I wanted to take it up a notch! I wanted some height, so I stacked them up. I didn't do any permanent attaching or anything, just fill the bottom with dirt, plant your flowers, add the next planter, and repeat. Again, remember the angle people will see them from when they walk in… mulch is a must. No one wants to see this…
I used white wave petunias on the bottom and a boxwood on top.
Here was my porch a few weeks ago. It was a sad situation… trust me, I know!
Take a look now! I think it's just a tad more welcoming don't you?
For a grand total of $40 and less than an hour, I got two color block, tiered planters that perfectly match my style and house colors. (You can see the door and house numbers Here) Now… if only I can keep the plants alive… What do you think of my DIY Planter Upcycle?
**Since my mom loved my planters, she kind of hinted around to wanting one of her own. Here's what she got for Mother's Day! Black and Red to match her house!
This day seems like a long time coming. It's the first time I've completed a nursery AFTER the baby was born. Ha! (If you missed my baby announcement, you can see it here) Doing this reveal today- October 1st- is sort of ironic, since this is the day I was due! I'm so happy I took my time to finish it because I'm really happy with it! It's not perfect- is any room ever really perfect??-, but it makes me smile and will be a great space for Bennett… when I can part from him.; ) I hope you're ready for a whole slew of pictures. Sit back and enjoy!
Come on in!
This room is nothing like I originally envisioned, but one thing that stuck is the color scheme: orange, mint and gray. It's so fresh, bright and a little quirky.
Isn't that little Bennett burp cloth adorable? My friend Karen from Thread Blossoms made it and I never want to actually use it- it's too cute!
Free printables are a great way to dress the walls in a nursery- (you can see my round up of fun printables here.) I added the printable on the far left from The Handmade Home, and I love it! The rocking chair has been in my family for years, but I just recently decided to make it work in the space by painting it in Annie Sloan's Graphite chalk paint. The abstract art was custom-made by my cute kids (more on that later!)
These cube shelves are from Ikea- Monica actually hung them during our first Nate's Crate challenge on The Nate Berkus Show. They totally look like built-ins and fit that little nook perfectly.
This room doesn't have a closet that we can use, so we purchased an armoire from Ikea to hang some of Bennett's clothes. When you sit in the rocking chair, you kind of stare right at the side of the armoire, so I hung an old print that was in my nursery as a baby, after painting the wood frame in the same graphite as the chair.
I've had the coffee sign for several years, but I moved it in the nursery because I thought it was kind of funny…if you've ever had a newborn, you know how much caffeine you need!: )
Oh, the dresser. This dresser is fabulous, isn't it? It was my grandparents and I totally wasn't sold on it at first, but we were trying to do this room on a budget and it was free. Done deal, folks. Now, I am in love with it! I'll share the details in another post, but with some paint and wax and a pop of orange paint on the legs, it was turned into the best part of the room!
I thought the"Oh Boy" was so appropriate for two reasons: 1) we were having a boy (duh!) and 2) we were taken so by surprise with this pregnancy. It makes such a statement and adds a whole lot of personality to the room!
I added some washi tape to the plain black lamp shade to add a little interest. Man, I love washi- is there no end to it's many uses?
Bennett isn't spending too much time in this room yet, but I'm pretty sure he's excited about it!
I hope you love it as much as I do! Tell me…what's your favorite part?
Sources Sheets: Target Rug: Ikea Changing Pad Cover: Babys R Us Dresser Paint: Annie Sloan Graphite & Paris Gray, Dark Wax Giant Letters: Hobby Lobby Dresser light: Target Color-blocked baskets: Target Copper Light on bookshelf: Local antique shop Armoire: Ikea Bookshelf cubes: Ikea Rocking Chair: Hand-me-down Mirror: Walmart Coffee sign: Vintage sign store in OCNJ
This is a sponsored post brought to you by The Home Depot! We love them for sponsoring CWTS and challenging us with this awesome project! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few weeks ago, I introduced you to the vertical garden project I'm working on (if you missed it, check it out here). I'm super excited about the challenge of pulling off such a cool look with a pretty simple DIY! Today it's all about the shopping!! Woot woot!
I wear a lot of hats… mom, teacher, blogger, wife, and now TV host (still sounds crazy!!), but that means that sometimes project shopping trips look like this… 4 kiddos ready to shop till we drop at Home Depot!
Yes, we get a lot of strange looks from people- I wish I took an after pic of the full cart with all the kids on it! Crazy town I tell ya! Thankfully, my kids are pretty awesome and were excited to be" on a special project for The Home Depot!"
Here's a funny story… while we were shopping, we were approached about five times by helpful Home Depot employees offering to help us. One thing I love about Home Depot is that they'll make cuts for you! This plywood never would have fit in my car and cutting it down to the exact size I need, will save me a step at home! Sweet!
Okay, so back to the story… after the nice fella helped us cut the wood the kids decided that The Home Depot must know we're here on a special project for them, because they're being so helpful and nice! Ha! I promised them they had no idea who we are and they're always just nice. The kids totally didn't buy it, and they walked with a little extra spring in their step thinking they were kinda famous at HD! (Even Kira's very dirty Teddy was proud to be Home Depot famous!)
If you're planning on building your own vertical garden along with me, here are the exact directions and material list I'm following. The Home Depot's huge library of how-to-videos and project planning tools are super helpful for actually getting you to do the projects you've been thinking of! It's updated often, so there's never a lack of awesome ideas!
Now let's talk flowers… I'll be 100% honest- I picked my flowers almost completely based on looks! I wanted a mainly orange-yellow combo, but then the purple-ish blue petunias added such a fun pop in the mix! But, I didn't want all my work to result in a bunch of dead-as-a-doornail flowers in a few weeks! So, of course I visited The Home Depot Garden Club website and checked to make sure they were all okay for my zone. So I knew I was good there, but here on the East Coast there's always a"you can't plant until after Mother's Day" rumor… Rather than risk it, I checked out the Home Depot Garden Forums and posted a question… Boom! Got my answer- the green light to #Digin and start planting!
Aren't the colors awesome? I still have some work to do on my garden, so stay tuned next week and I'll walk you through my build. So far it's been pretty simple- can't wait until it's finished and hung!
It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too. Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Did you hear our BIG NEWS?
Click here for our announcement post with all the fun details!! We can't wait for July 7th!!
Sharpie projects have been trending all year, but we hadn't gotten to give 'em a try until recently! We shared this post as part of the P&G Have You Tried This Yet program, but it's perfect for a last minute Mother's Day or Teacher Appreciation Week gift!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's a DIYer to do when it comes to getting her Mom something for Mother's Day? Well, DIY a gift, of course! We love a gift that is thoughtful and handmade, and this easy project is both! Plus, no special artistic skills are needed!
These mugs are super easy to make and can be customized in a million different ways. Fill with your mom's favorite tea, candy or even fresh flowers for a sweet Mother's Day gift she won't forget.
Here's what you'll need to make your own:
White, ceramic mugs (found at any discount store)
Permanent marker in your color choice
Stencil (optional)
Painter's tape (optional)
Baking sheet
Step 1: Wash and clean the mugs with soap and water and let dry. Step 2: For the first mug, I used a fun arrow stencil. Line it up and hold in place with the painter's tape.,
Step 3: Fill in the cutouts with the permanent marker, being careful not to smudge the ink. Let the ink dry for a few minutes and then remove the stencil and begin again.
For the second mug, I free-handed"I Love my Mom". This was actually a little easier than the stencil. I drew on paper what I wanted it to look like before I began on the mug. Then it took a steady hand and in a few minutes it was done!
Step 4: Place the mugs on a baking sheet and heat at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in the oven to set the ink. Remove from oven and let cool.
Now, that you're done, these mugs can be washed, put through the dishwasher and used every day and the marker will not smudge or fade. Love that!
So, for only a couple bucks you can have a custom gift that your mom or teacher will love!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Did you hear our BIG NEWS?
Click here for our announcement post with all the fun details!! We can't wait for July 7th!!
If you missed the announcement about which nine contestants made it through to Round 2 of Creating with the Stars,click here! We're dying to see what those ladies come up with for this week's Knockoff theme!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We didn't think it could get much cooler than Sarah's 80's Chandelier to Glass Mirror project, but man, were we wrong! This light fixture is a show-stopper and we were both completely in awe of Sarah's creative vision for old fluorescent light covers. I'm not sure I would have ever thought of this project, but I wish I did, because it's stinkin' awesome. Kudos to you, Sarah!
Walking through Habitat ReStore I spotted a few egg crate diffusers — you know those grates that cover fluorescent lights in basements across the country. It's the last lighting fixture I would consider for a project, but once I got around my thoughts of drop ceilings, I began thinking how neat it would be to use the grid to create any square geometric shape that I wanted. At $2 each, what could I lose?
Browsing Pinterest I found this amazing light, Lolita — Shine by SHO and fell in love with the arms. It's lines are simple, but make a big impact! Perfect for a statement piece!
Once we decided on the shape, we measured and marked the edges with a permanent marker. The egg crate diffuser was cut into the shape of the arms with small clippers (clipping as close to the edge as possible).
Next we taped the bottom with painters tape and filled with plaster of paris (mixing it on the thinner side so that it would level itself at the top). You want it as level as possible to reduce sanding. Any excess was leveled off with a spackle knife.
Once firm, they were placed in the sun to fully cure (I ended up letting it sit overnight) Then excess was sanded off. Some of the squares fell out during sanding, so I used a little craft glue to get them back in place. Then I patched the imperfections with drywall spackle and sanded again once dry. This part was pretty messy — so I was definitely glad to be done with sanding! We wanted a simple fixture so that it wouldn't compete with the arms. Looking through thrift shops, all we could find were ones with curves (very '80s) we needed something more mid-century modern. So we ended up building our own electrical housing out of old chandelier parts, PVC, and brass tubing. Here's how we did it:
Honestly, this wasn't the easiest task, but definitely doable. It required modifying (mostly cutting holes in the PVC) so that all the parts would fit snugly. To assemble all of the pieces we used Gorilla Glue Epoxy
We followed the directions by mixing equal parts of the resin and the hardener (in small batches so it wouldn't harden too fast). This stuff worked SO well! It set up fairly quickly and was SUPER strong!
All parts were lightly sanded to remove any gloss, and dust was removed with a microfiber cloth. Then it was primed, and painted with Sherwin William Rivulet (2 coats).
We finished it off with 2 coats of Krylon Lacquer to give it a super glossy finish. Turning off the electricity first, we installed the light and held our breath as we flipped the switch. Success! It works!
We also installed trim and painted 8" stripes on the ceiling to frame the fixture.
and a gallery wall with a few fun prints, paintings, and some fabric mixed in!
I love this fun addition to our office area!
Here's the price breakdown: (2) Fluorescent diffusers: $4 (Habitat ReStore) Plaster of Paris: $5 (with coupon at Michaels) Gorilla Glue Epoxy: $5 Chandelier: $5 (Habitat ReStore) PVC parts: ~$3 (Home Depot) Brass parts: ~$10 (Ace Hardware) Total = $32 Not bad for a statement piece! So next time you see a plastic diffuser don't just pass it by, think about what you can create with it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You guys, Sarah has unbelievably good taste and mad DIY skills. I was browsing her blog and this Fabric-wrapped parsons table just jumped out at me! Would you believe that she made that with hollow-core doors??
and take a look at this tufted headboard with nailhead trim. She had to have bought that, right? Nope! she made the entire thing. Gorgeous!
Don't forget to check back tomorrow because one of YOU might be featured here on EC2! We've picked our favorite upcycle project from the link party and will share the tutorial for that project! Get excited, peeps! Also, start thinking about which project you want to link up for Round 2's link party theme: Knock Off! Beginning Tuesday, you can link up any knock-off project you've done in the last year for the chance to win more prizes and a feature here on our little ol' blog!
From time to time we talk here on the blog about how we try to make sure that we don't become self-absorbed or too focused on our own homes and stuff etc… It's a fine line when you're a home blogger. One way that we try to do this is by using our skills to help others! You might remember our first"Design it Forward Project" I've decided that I'm a DIYer, but I like to DIY-FO too… Do-It-Yourself-For-Others And just because I'm a little gangsta, I've now coined it…
Wouldn't it be so cool if we all became more than just DIYers, if we also loved to DIY-FO-SHO!! (If you're really, really not gangsta it's a play on words"fo sho"= For Sure) I don't know about you, but I LOVE doing what I love to make someone else's day awesome! Here's the story behind the bench pictured above! So my Kenzie girl is obsessed with animals- I mean she really likes them more than people!
She has been taking horseback riding lessons from an awesome trainer (Katrina) at All Seasons Stables for the last year. If you're local we totally recommend them for lessons (tell them we sent you!) Anyhow, near the riding ring, there was this oh-so-sad looking bench that I sat on or near for about 9 months before it occurred to me that I needed to give it a little love (okay maybe a lot of love!)
I told Katrina I was going to borrow her bench and I'd have it back the next day… she kind of looked at me like I had 3 heads as I dragged it over to my car and loaded it into the trunk. I promised her it would be worth it! The hubs was 100% on board and we got right to work.
The screws were crazy rusted, so we had to use our jigsaw to cut the boards in half…
Once they were split down the center, we took a hammer and literally banged them off!
See! I wasn't kidding. I sent Katrina a picture of the bench like this just to mess with her head a little! lol
I worked on spray painting the metal frame with outdoor paint, and while it dried, we worked on the new seat and backrest.
We replaced the old, rotten wood with new 1x3s.
Instantly it was looking better!
We painted all the wood a classic barn red to match the stables, and I decided it needed a little personalization. Using my Silhouette I added their name.
I taped around the edges to avoid bleeding and then got to work with my favorite Royal Design Studio stencil brush (I swear by this thing!)
After letting it dry, Kira and I headed back to the farm to make our special delivery. She hung out with a pony named Peaches, while I set up the bench.
I think it looks a WHOLE lot better and Katrina and her family were really surprised and appreciated it so much.
It's awesome to do a simple, little project that really makes someone else's day! It doesn't have to be a huge project, but it could still make a huge impact on someone else!
So, what do you think of my new phrase? Are you ready to DIY-FO-SHO???
Do you ever get the feeling that DIY and Design bloggers have the perfect life? We keep it pretty real here at EC2, but I'd guess it's still easy to assume that every room in our homes look perfect, are always clean and beautifully staged and that our kids are perfect cherubs that don't make messes. Well, I'm here to promise you that's NOT the case! And since they say a picture is worth 1000 words, today I'm going to expose the ugly, un-styled, downright messy over on Instagram! Throughout the day I will be giving you boosts to your self-confidence and your style as I expose the unfinished rooms in my house, the half-way finished projects, and just a healthy dose of reality. (If this doesn't make you want more, I don't know what will! Ha! #canyouspareasquare)
If you're not following me on Instagram, you can at: @eastcoastcreative (Jess is on Instagram too! Follow her at @Jess_ec2blog) And if you're not into reality, and would prefer to see a pretty project, today is our first day contributing over at Tatertots and Jello!! WooHoo! We still are sort of shocked that we're getting such an awesome opportunity. So, head over to TT&J to see this fun project and tutorial!
And, last but not least… If you missed the announcement about Creating with the Stars, you have to head HERE to get all the details!! It's going to be so much fun and submissions start on Tuesday 2/5!
Okay, now go head over to Instagram and get ready to for a behind the scenes look at my world! Have an awesome day!
.jpg)
