We thought we'd start the week off with the results of our 2013 Blog Reader Survey! You guys get to learn about us daily here on the blog and by watching Knock It Off, but we rarely get the inside scoop on you, so reader surveys really excite us!
Alrighty then… let's get started shall we?
We were thrilled to see that so many of you have stuck around for a while!! So, if you're new here, you totally should keep visiting, all the cool kids are doing it!
Okay, so maybe we added the flirty part, but… we think it's true! It's actually still kinda weird to me that we're in the 30-45 range too! 31 is like really grown up!
So, not the Al Bundy, Married with Children demographic, but the cute little family with kids kind.
We definitely still want to appeal to the masses, but it's good to know that kid-friendly decor ideas, kid crafts, and family stuff works with you guys! To be completely honest, I read a lot of blogs and there are a few I LOVE and sometimes I want to emulate some of their style, but then I remember I have 4 kids and my house needs to be livable. So, we think it's a good thing that you guys are cool with kid-friendly!
Okay, so this made us laugh! We know that we have about 98% girl power readers, but I know at least 10 guys that read and comment. So, we're just going to assume men aren't fans of surveys (on a somewhat girly blog) Trust us, we gave our husbands a hard time for not completing the survey! The Nerve!!
Now for the MOST important part… What you want more of from EC2. 1- We had lots of requests for videos- we're cool with that! We think they're fun to make, usually they involve a lot of laughing and ridiculous jokes that only we think are funny! Sidenote: Anytime you want to watch us, go and watch some episodes of our TV show Knock It Off by clicking HERE- lol! We know that's not completely the same, but if you need an MJ (Monica/Jess) fix, it'll do. We're going to try to do some home tour videos too! The only tricky part is getting our homes clean enough to show you! 2- DIY Home Projects- well, the good news is that we're a home DIY blog, so yup, we've got that one covered! We plan to deliver a solid amount of our home projects, and sometimes we'll just put KIO tutorials on our DIY page, so we don't have constant show tutorials. Some upcoming rooms we'll be sharing are Baby Bennett's Room, My"new" Living Room, My Playroom Makeover, and Jess' porch! 3- LOTS of Posting! Did you notice we posted like 6 times last week?? It was semi- accidental, but still awesome! Our goal will be no less than 4x a week- sometimes 5, but that will just be a surprise! We're glad you like regular posting, because we like having regular readers! 4- Letting you into our Brains! This was an interesting request that came through many times… You guys want to know what the process looks like as we plan and work through a room. We love that idea!! Although, this weekend my planning process involved me walking around my house, going to the pantry for a snack and staring because I didn't know what I wanted, walking more around the house, and then back to the pantry. Repeat 10x. But seriously, we're excited to share inspiration boards and ideas with you- thanks for the suggestion!! We gathered lots more info, but this post might actually put you to sleep if I keep going. The bottom line is that, knowing more about YOU guys helps us to make this blog the best it can be! So thank you, thank you, thank you, for helping us out!! Here's a peek at what we have coming up for ya this week… Bennett's Room Update A Perfect for Fall Chicken Chili Recipe and More!!
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!
T his past summer, I got the nicest note from the beautiful and talented Heather Bullard. She was writing to say that she would like to mention my blog in Flea Market Style. Needless to say, I felt quite honored. Today I received a copy of the their newest issue with the piece that highlighted a selection of design blogs.
The other blog categories ranged from "Best for gals who love power tools" ( Funky Junk Interiors ) and 'Best before- and-after posts" ( Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog ), to "Best home decor inspiration" ( My Sweet Savannah ), and "Best if you swoon over white" ( Home and Harmony ). Thank you Flea Market Style!
Big HUGE Happy Father’s Day to you, your daddy, your husband, grandpa, brother… ETC! These men deserve to be celebrated!! And that brings us to the fact that today is THE BIG DAY that we announce the winner of our Massive RYOBI Power Tool Giveaway! Luckily, our little Rafflecopter form did the dirty work for us and pulled up our winner in the most random of fashion! Congrats to (drumroll please!)… Hilarie Sullivan!
Check your inbox asap! We were so honored that so many of you participated in the ‘Blog Hop’, and were surprised by how quickly we had our winner (Congrats Stephanie Richardson for winning the matching contest!). We got tons of positive feedback and are so glad that everyone enjoyed surfing around each blog! We just might make it harder next time!!! In case you missed it, the premise of the contest was to match each blogger with a popular project of theirs. Here are the correct answers!
Interiors by Kenz ~ Pa inted Faux Moulding & Headboard Twist Me Pretty ~ Pink Room RevealVintage Revivals ~ Swig Sugar Cookies East Coast Creative ~ Large Photo Frame Whatever Blog ~ Melted Crayon ArtworkDomestic Imperfection ~ Paisley Stencil TableHome Stories A to Z ~ Tiered Garden PlanterSarah Dorsey Designs ~ Painted RugPretty Handy Girl ~ Backlight BookshelfSawdust and Embryos ~ Shading with Stain TechniqueThe Idea Room ~ Lemon Sugar ScrubKara Paslay Designs ~Mason Jar ChandelierAll Things Thrifty ~ Everything I know about Spray PaintDIY Village ~ Dog Bowl ChairsOne Good Thing By Jillee ~ Yogurt DotsNine Red ~ Striped Painted Table There’s an overwhelming amount of creativity and talent in this group, and you should definitely hop on board and keep up with each one! You’re sure to be inspired to the fullest. And HUMONGOUS thank you to RYOBI Nation for supplying our giveaway prize! For even more inspiration, check out these great projects!
Just curious- what gifts did you guys give for Father's Day? We're doing our celebrating next weekend for my hubs, so I'm still looking for good ideas! Do share!
Today we're excited to be a part of Layla's summer mantle link party!
Our new home has two wood burning fireplaces. One in the main family room, and one in what was intended to be a library, but we use a playroom. (It took me a while to finally convince the builder that we were not in the"library" stage of life and that it would be a playroom for 4 messy kiddos!) My children adore the beach. They ask me all the time,"When are we going to the beach,"… even in the dead of winter! So, we thought it would only be fitting to have a beachy playroom. Since it is a playroom, I resisted my urge for lots of white, and cool faded blues, and instead took color inspiration from these bright pictures of my kiddos.
Remember the black-turned-yellow mirror project? Well, it makes a big impact on the brown wall and I love it so much more than the boring, old black. So here's the mantle, photo collage, and fun curtains…
First, I thought I'd stand on a stool and take some pics straight on… Oops! There I am! The one fun thing about this picture is that you can see my family room mantle in the mirror on the left! See, my lack of photography ability actually got a 2 for 1 mantle picture! Score!
Here's my boat conundrum… love the boats, but wasn't feelin' the boats on this mantle…
What do you think? In the end, I went with no boats… partially because everything in this room has a very high potential of being destroyed by a small child!
The cool blue bottle, and jar were scored at the same flea market we've been posting about, and I got them for under $5.00!
I had bought the white starfish, and was on the hunt for coral, but man it's way overpriced! Thanks to the awesomeness of blogland, I got the suggestion to just buy some cheap fishtank coral and spray paint it! That's totally up my alley! Who knew Pets Plus could be a crafting resource?
It definitely needed some paint… the pink was blech!
Much better!
I also ordered two more of my favorite beach pics from Canvas People but as much as I love them, I can't seem to find a home for them in the room. They definitely don't work on the mantle… hmmm
This will give you a peek of the room… (I did not clean, as proved by the train table, because it's the kids' job and I was sticking to my guns… blog or no blog!)
I just bought a fairly bright green sofa for the room, but need to go and pick it up. It will go on this side with my favorite little people recliners!
So, there you have it… my summer playroom mantle! I think it works and the kids don't even notice like it a lot! One final picture… I realized the blue jars looked awful on the right side of the life preserver, so I moved them back to the left. Much better now!
Thanks for letting me share my mantle and let me know what you think and also if you know where to buy a really inexpensive oar! I think that's all that I'm missing!
**One sidenote… I don't know what's up with the color in these pictures… some are really faded out and for some reason only look that way on the blog. Sorry, if the drab colors are depressing you!: ) **
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 probably noticed that we post 4-5 times a week here on the blog. That means most days you can come here for a daily dose of creativity. But what if I want more??? So you want more than just one dose a day? Sounds like it's time to follow us on Facebook! We love Facebook because it let's us interact with so many of our readers and lets us share far more than we can here in only one daily blog post.
Click HERE to Like Us on Facebook! Still not completely convinced? Let's see what you've been missing…
Project Sneak Peeks. I did a major 48 hour garage renovation as a surprise for my hubs. I'll be blogging it soon, but if you were following along on FB you'd have gotten some major sneak peeks and you'd have known that my husband came home 8 HOURS earlier than he was supposed to!: )
Jess gave this project sneak peek for an AMAZING project she just finished. This one will be posted on Infarrantly Creative next week. I know I'm biased as a BFF, but it's freaking awesome!
Bits of Monica Humor. If it makes me laugh, I share it. Sometimes I get eye rolls from Jess. Ha!
Real Life. We're totally normal (well kinda) gals with lots going on in our crazy lives. Sometimes we share things (like Jess' Anniversary last month) that let you get to know a bit more about the girls behind EC2.
My baby girl turned 5 this week. Don't be fooled by me sweetly calling her"baby girl"… she's in a supper annoying, naughty phase right now. Actually, I told Jess the other night that KJ was so naughty that I didn't even want to mention her bday on Facebook- GASP! Don't worry, I got over it and below is the post.
Awesome Finds. We use Facebook to share awesome inspiration for projects, products, and FOOD! Anytime we find a great deal or an amazing recipe, we'll let you know. I shared this project last week and I'm still swooning over it!
So there you have it. Plenty of reasons YOU should be following us on Facebook. Oh and wouldn't it be cool if you told your friends to do the same? We think it would be pretty darn fabulous! Like us HERE In other news…
If you're not super familiar with blogs, I'll fill you in on a secret… people are too busy in the summer to regularly read all their favorite blogs. That's kind of okay with us because we love to relax and play in the summer too! Here's another secret… Fall through Christmas is a stinkin' amazing time in the blog world. We're talking insane creativity people. So mark your calendars because September 3rd EC2 is ready to rock your world! (slight exaggeration, but we do have some cool projects!) Have a great weekend! Do you already follow us on Facebook? If not, did I convince you to?
Did you ever have one of those"Ah-ha!" moments? I tend to have them in two places… the shower (one of the only places a mom of 4 is ever alone) and church. About a month ago during an"Ah-ha" moment, I came up with an idea that has turned into what we're calling Real Housewives: Design it Forward. We're pretty excited about it and we have a feeling you will be too! So daily we blog about cool finds, amazing projects, and what we're doing on our homes… sometimes we find ourselves pausing and wanting to look and do something outside of ourselves. We thank God each day for our families and that our needs are provided for. So what do we do from here? We design it forward…
We're committing to using our time, talents, and treasures to help someone else. We want to make someone feel extra special, cared-about, valued, and loved. Here's our vision… quarterly, we want to find a family, a single mom or dad, or just someone who could use a little TLC and do some surprise design for them. We're hoping you'll want to join in and help us and then we're going to challenge you to find someone in your area to Design it Forward for as well (think link party). We love this little old blog, but you know what?? We're called to love people even more, so here goes… Real Housewives: Design it Forward! Porch Perk Up Through the help of Calvary Church of Souderton, we found a single mom that could use a little extra TLC. Since we adore all things fall, we thought we should do a little porch perk up. How cool would it be to come home and have a porch all prettied up for Halloween and Thanksgiving?
http://www.bhg.com/
Shhh… don't tell, but here's our master plan…
So, how do I help? We'd love to have some hands-on help on the 25th as we perk up the porch, but we know our readers are from all over. So here's our Plan B… Since this is a single mom, we thought it would be cool to accept donations related to # of children. Either the ones you have or how many were in your family growing up. For example, I could donate $4.00 because I have four kids (still shocks me to type that) or $2.00 because I was one of two kids growing up. Your money will go directly towards perking up the porch, we promise not to go get pedicures or anything shady like that! If we collect enough money, we have a second and third family lined up and we'll just do more porch perking! Wouldn't that be awesome! And BTW… if anyone knows the Duggars, have them read this post, because that would be like a Twenty-something donation!: ) Just click the little donate button to donate… Thanks!
One of the most fun parts of the CWTS contest is getting to see the fun projects linked up in our weekly link party! The girls in this contest are seriously talented, but guess what?! So are YOU! If you want to get a burst of inspiration, check out the fab upcycle projects that were linked up right here.
We were immediately drawn to this end table when we saw it in the party since we're both HUGE fans of rustic industrial style furniture. Allison from The Golden Sycamore put some serious effort and time into this piece and it tells! It's absolutely gorgeous! Well done, girl.; )
As I mentioned a few weeks ago on my blog, I'm really into the industrial look right now. I seriously can't get enough of it! While I was playing around online one day, showing my husband all these cool industrial tables, he got an idea in his head: Why not build one ourselves? One thing led to another and now we have our own custom industrial end table for our living room! (You can see the reveal post {here}). This was our inspiration for the table …
My husband and I are really happy with how our table turned out and I'm excited to share this project with you, but I want to warn you, this particular DIY project is not for the faint of heart. This project is a bit of a process and can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing and aren't careful. PLEASE do not attempt this unless you feel very confident in your abilities. Please be sure you take all safety precautions when using a power tool or dangerous chemicals or objects and read the instruction manuals before using them. I am not a trained professional. If you are uncertain, please consult an expert before attempting this or any projects on this blog. I will not be responsible for any injuries or damages caused by any attempts to recreate this or any projects posted on this blog.
Alright, now that that's out of the way, onto the tutorial. Aging Galvanized Metal
SUPPLIES: 8 — 3/4" x 10" galvanized pipe ($29.60) 16 — galvanized floor flanges ($116.16) 48 — 1/4" x 1" galvanized lag screws ($22.08) HCl / toilet bowl cleaner Plastic container Small map gas torch ($41.97) Heat safe gloves ($4.46) Vegetable oil Beeswax Metal pan Metal pliers PROCEDURE: Start by putting your galvanized metal plumbing supplies in a plastic container. Add enough HCl / toilet bowl cleaner to cover all the metal and let sit for 2-3 hours. This process will remove the zinc coating off the galvanized metal. **DO THIS PART OUTSIDE OR IN A VERY WELL VENTILATED AREA — YOU DON'T WANT TO BE BREATHING THESE CHEMICALS IN!! (This is a picture of the screws in toilet bowl cleaner. We did them separately, but you can just put everything together.)
After a few hours, rinse all your metal pieces off. Pour some vegetable oil in a metal container. Wearing heat safe gloves and holding your piece of metal with a pliers, heat metal with torch until it is hot enough that it turns orange. Once it is thoroughly heated, dip in vegetable oil. Then reheat the piece of metal to orange hot. Once it is hot enough, set in oil to cool for about 30 seconds. **AGAIN — USE CAUTION. DO THIS PART IN A SAFE AREA AND HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER NEAR BY IN CASE OF FIRE!!
The metal will still be very hot, so take the piece of metal out of the oil with a pliers.
Cool the metal with water.
Once it's cool to the touch, scrub off burned oil residue with water and a wire brush.
Lightly heat metal again with torch (about 30 seconds) and coat with beeswax. Once coated, rub with cotton rag while still warm.
Let cool before handling. Metal will still be hot for a while.
And that's it! Haha! I know the process is intense, but if you really want the aged look, it's worth it! Here is what your finished product should look like. Repeat process for all your pieces of metal.
Now onto the wood shelves.
SUPPLIES: 1 — IKEA Numerar oak butcher block countertop ($129.00) — we used a little over half the length, so the cost of what was used was roughly $70 Tape measure and pencil Circular saw Straight edge clamp Router Orbital sander and sand paper Stain Silhouette Cameo and stencil Paint and paint brush Mineral oil PROCEDURE: Start by measuring your Numerar butcher block to the size you want your shelves and mark where to cut. Our shelves measure 19.5" wide x 24" deep.
Set up your straight edge clamp so that your saw will cut on your measured line. You'll probably have to set it to about a half inch over to allow for the width of the saw.
Cut butcher block with circular saw. Repeat this process for second shelf.
Run orbital sander along the edges to ensure a smooth finish. Then router the edges of each shelf — remember to do the top and bottom sides to keep the look cohesive.
With your orbital sander, sand the finish off the top and bottom of both shelves.
Using Minwax Dark Walnut stain, wipe on stain and immediately wipe off to get a slightly darker color, but not too much penetration. If you desire a darker stain color, either leave the stain on longer before wiping off or apply more layers of stain to darken it.
I don't have pictures of this part, but if you wish to add numbers to your top shelf, here's how to do it. Choose the style and size of numbers you want and cut them out using your Silhouette Cameo. If you don't have a Cameo, you can always print numbers out on your printer and then cut them out by hand. Once you have your numbers, arrange them on the shelf the way you want them and then trace around them using a white or black colored pencil. Once your numbers are traced, use craft paint and a small paint brush to paint inside the lines. Let paint dry and sand lightly with sand paper to desired distressed look.
Once you are done with your numbers (or if you skipped that step) wipe both shelves with mineral oil (or some other sealant like wax or polyurethane) to seal the shelves.
Now to put it all together. SUPPLIES: Drill Wrench or impact driver All your metal pieces Both shelves Level PROCEDURE: Drill pilot holes in each shelf. You'll drill four holes per flange. Drill holes in the bottom of the top shelf. The bottom shelf will get holes drilled in both sides — top and bottom. Make sure to stagger your holes on the bottom shelf so that they don't meet up with each other through the wood. Using your wrench or impact driver, on the bottom shelf, attach 4 flanges with your lag screws on the top side of the shelf. Screw pipe into the four flanges. Attach flanges to the bottom of the top shelf with lag screws. Screw those flanges to the pipe that is already attached to the bottom shelf. Attach flanges to the bottom side of the bottom shelf. Screw pipe into flanges and screw final flanges to the bottom of the pipe — these are the table's"feet". Check to make sure the table is level. If it isn't, screw or unscrew pipes until the table is level.
Alright, if you've made it to the end of this post, I applaud you! I told you it was intense! I definitely can see why our inspiration piece was almost $700! Not only are the materials relatively expensive, but it is also quite labor intensive! In the reveal post, I said that the table cost us about $300 to make. We had a lot of the tools on hand, but we had to purchase most of the supplies. In this post I've added up the supplies we bought and calculated our total cost (using about half the countertop cost since we can use the remainder of the countertop for another project). The total came to $284.27. If you add MI tax, it comes to $301 and some change. That's a pretty good estimate on our part, if you ask me!: ) If I didn't explain something well enough or you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to ask! I'll do my best to help you out! Thanks so much for reading my loooong tutorial!: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isn't that incredible?! Seriously, so good. Thanks for linking up, Allison! Don't forget to check back at midnight tonight to see the Contestants Round 3 projects!
What's the one room that every single person that comes to my house will go in at least once? The powder room. Guess what? It's ugly. ugly. ugly. Like really awful. You seriously would think I need to go to Design 101 if you ever saw this room. People might actually send me a bill for the damage the paint color has done to their eyes. It's pathetic. Wait? Is she just whining and complaining on a public blog? Yup I am. The worst part is that I honestly have NO INSPIRATION for this room. Okay, okay, I'll just show you how bad it is…
I do adore these pics… but the scale of this frame is all wrong. Also, the paint is a weird color, but not the color in these pics… I think it was called Pear something… (and yes, my amazing hubs was willing to be a pumpkin for halloween at the request of the kids!)
Grrr for cracked pedestal sinks that aren't even a year old!
We definitely need some kind of magazine and t.p. storage…
See… told ya it was gross… Ok, here's the problem… I need some inspiration… From you… from your Great Aunt… from someone… I don't care who! Powder rooms are weird, let's admit it… Mine is like an octagon, or is it a pentagon? Well, one of those weird shapes. The only thing it has going for it are floors and a high ceiling. After that it's all downhill. I was going to Pin some rooms, but I didn't even like the ones I saw. Geesh. Ok, so enough blog complaining. I'm going to end this post with a simple PLEA… help! @ mention us on Pinterest if you find anything cool and get me out of this potty funk.
P.S. Have you read our Design it Forward post? How about sharing the link? We've gotten some volunteers and donations and we want to keep it going! P.S.S. Sorry for no post yesterday! We were doing some work in NYC… more to come on that in a few weeks!: )
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!
I'm so excited to share this project today! It was by far my favorite project in the room! Lots of fabulous Nate Show viewers have contacted us over the last week asking when this tutorial was coming… well, the wait is over, here is is!
DIY Reindeer Artwork
First off, I want to give a shout out to a few bloggers that inspired this project. During a Nate Show Challenge we can't be browsing Pinterest or anything, but we do rely on remembering some cool ideas we've seen in the past and are ready to try. Check out Amber's project that she hand painted or this cool canvas on sale on Etsy for more inspiration.
Ok, now get ready, because this project is so simple that you might miss it if you blink! I didn't take any process pictures, and I really wanted to steal the artwork from Jess, so I made a new one for myself last night!
Start with a plain canvas. For Jess' I used an 11x17 and for mine I accidently bought 18x24. During the show, I quickly looked on Google images for a reindeer that I liked and found this picture.
I printed out the picture as an 8x11 and took it to Staples to blow it up for me. It cost all of $1.04! Score!
Have I mentioned that I seriously can't cut well with scissors? I actually had a"Needs Improvement" on my elementary report card for cutting…I still Need Improvement! So… instead, I cut it out using my handy, dandy, Xacto knife.
I used spray adhesive and spray paint.
First, flip your reindeer over and spray a thin layer of spray adhesive.
Position it onto your canvas and then pose for a cheesy picture. Okay, the posing is optional, but will make your hubs really happy, especially if you ask him to do it at 10:30pm!
Did I mention it was getting late? Perhaps all the fumes went to my head! Ugh! After making sure that the template is pretty well sealed down, all you need to do is make a creepy face and spray!
Try to spray from directly above the artwork. Less paint will sneak through under the template. A little bleeding is okay and gives it a pretty cool look though.
I wanted to get the template off right away, so simply peel off to reveal your masterpiece!
Ta-Da! I'm totally in love!
Because I'm a blog slacker, my new artwork is still drying and not ready to be hung on the wall. I'll put some pictures on Facebook later.: ) Darn my procrastination!
So there you have it. Insanely simple artwork that makes a BIG impact! Ta-Da!
We know lots of you plan to try this project. When you do, be sure to tag RHBC on Facebook so we can see your handiwork!
P.S. Confession Time: I may or may not have gotten totally sucked into my guilty pleasure (Gossip Girl) while writing this post. Feel free to email if you have any other questions. Bad blogger watching embarrassing shows! P.S.S. How much do you love this awesome project I just found? Check out her blog and give her some RHBC love!
Hey Everyone! We're super excited to share this simple, yet majorly cool project with you today! Two weeks ago I got back from my 8 day trip to London and Paris with my hubs (Recap post coming after Christmas). It was an amazing, kid-free trip that allowed us to do adult things like visit museums, eat at fun restaurants, see a musical, and do some shopping.
Let's be completely honest… Europeans have mad-style! I loved all of their clothes and when Eric and I were shopping at a store called Next, he pointed out a really cool deer silhouette art and said,"You could totally knock that off!"
Let me tell you, I was so thrilled that A.) my hubs is always on the lookout for blog projects and B.) he knew to call it a"knock-off" I took a cell pic (above) and knew I'd make it as soon as I got home. Here's what Jess and I came up with…
How to Make Your Own Illuminated Silhouette Art: We had a few 1x1s leftover from Jess' planked dining room wall, so we started by cutting them down to size. We made ours a little larger than the inspiration piece, we did a 18x24 rectangle.
We painted all four pieces with some leftover grey paint.
While Jess was in the garage painting, I got to work on creating my deer silhouette. I found an image on Google and then used my Silhouette to cut it on black cardstock. If I'm being 100% honest, first I watched about 5 YouTube videos teaching me how to do it! Ha!
I then measured the light linen-ish fabric down to 18x24
We laid out our wood in a simple box and measured 1 1/2 inches in for each intersection.
We started by using simple nails to secure the box, but it wasn't the most sturdy…
So, we went to a plan B and used a drill. Sorry about the lawn mower in the background- a little evidence that I live on 4 acres.
Once we had our box secure, we placed the fabric on the back and attached it with a staple gun.
We had some excess fabric, so we trimmed the edges down a bit.
One of my favorite things about the inspiration piece was the cording at the intersections. I picked up red and tan at JoAnn Fabrics.
We put the paper silhouette on the linen using spray adhesive. To light it, I just stood it up near a light, but you could also use a small reading lamp or Christmas lights to illuminate it.
It looks awesome in my Kaden's room with his Pallet Wall!
Even though it's perfect in Kade's room, for now it's part of my Christmas decor!
One of the coolest parts of this DIY, is that you can easily swap out the silhouette. I already have something fun planned for Valentine's Day! If you want to see the rest of Jess and my Christmas home tours, you can check them out here. My Christmas Home Tour
Jess' Christmas Home Tour
We hope you and your family are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas.
They are always good for a laugh, strange health-food items and a helping hand. Not only that, they have really big hearts. Recently, they decided to start a non-profit organization to help rescue young women from human trafficking. It's called Worthwhile Wear. Here's what Dan and Steph have to say about it:
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.
A big part of their mission is to provide items that these women produce, to us, here in the States. The women are given a fair wage (30-40% higher than the average paid person in their area) so that they can protect themselves from ever having to go back to their old lives. And the stuff is gorgeous!
But here's where we come in: Dan and Steph and the board of Worthwhile Wear are hosting a huge kick-off party for their new organization on November 17th at Calvary Church in Souderton at 7 PM and they've asked us to decorate. Yee-haw! Using our talents and what we love to do to help others is our idea of a good time (we like to call it a"Helping Hobby"). The theme of the night is"Celebrating the Richness of India", and we can't wait to try out some fun ideas.
We're planning on incorporating this Indian Paisley Damask Stencil from Royal Design Studio in some fabric wall treatments, and possibly some art.
We, of course, want to include the rich, vibrant colors of India like you see in this Inspiration Mood Board from Limn & Lovely. Don't those colors knock your socks off?!
Did you know marigolds are one of India's national flowers? Were going to try and get our hands on some for a splash of color on the tables and around the room. This Inspiration Mood Board from Marigold Events inspired us to add in some fun yellow and orange tones!
Here's where YOU come in: We are hosting a table of 10 at the event and want YOU to join us! Wouldn't it be so fun to hang out with fellow blog junkies, while supporting an amazing cause and experiencing the culture of India? Tickets and more information can be found here. Make sure you let us know that you'll be there, so that we can be sure to save a spot for you. Hurry to buy your tickets!
If you can't make the event, then go ahead and start your Christmas shopping on their website! Don't want to come to the event or shop, but still want to help? Donate here to help save young girls and give them the hope for a future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are so excited about Worthwhile Wear, and so proud of our friends, Steph and Dan! We hope to see you at A Worthwhile Evening in a few weeks!
This giveaway has now ended... Thanks to everyone who entered! Happy Monday, everyone! I am so excited to announce that my friend Monika of Splendid Willow and I have teamed up to offer you a Perfect & Splendid Giveaway! This is my very first giveaway here, and I am so thrilled... You all know Monika,
for her creativity, originality, and for her beautiful home.
As a native Swede now living in Seattle, Washington, Monika draws from her Scandinavian roots for inspiration and design ideas. Not only is Monika a talented decor enthusiast; her eye for style extends to fashion as well. If you haven't already, take a look at Monika's newest venture...
Splendid Willow Avenue, an on-line boutique, carries the high quality and fashionable rain and lifestyle gear of Danish designer Ilse Jacobsen.
And from this fashionable line, Monika has very generously offered a pair of Ilse Jacobsen rubber boots, considered design icons in Scandinavia! These high-end boots are handmade in Europe and are just starting to get into the U.S. market in a serious way. They are stylish, warm (lined with cotton fleece) and designed for long hours of walking in rain and cold weather.
the 'perfect gray' boot? This Perfect & Splendid Giveaway is for a pair of Ilse Jacobsen's stylish rubber boots, any model, size and color! (The tall boots retail for $179 + tax.)
three different models to choose from tall, mid, and short The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. To enter: 1) Become a follower of A Perfect Gray 2) Go to Splendid Willow Avenue and have fun looking at the boots (and the rest of the gear)! 3) Leave a comment to this post telling us which color you pick. (You can get all models in all colors.) Please make sure you leave your name and e-mail address, especially if your comment does not link to a blog. For additional entries (please, make sure to comment for each entry): a) Tweet about the Perfect & Splendid Giveaway (1 additional entry). b) 'Like' Splendid Willow's Facebook page. (1 additional entry). c) Mention it on your blog (2 additional entries). There is a maximum of five entries per person. This Perfect & Splendid Giveaway ends on Monday, March 14th at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Our winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be announced on Tuesday, March 15th.
Well, looky here....we caught the lovely Paula of Two Ellie sporting her camel Ilse Jacobsen boots! Please join me in thanking Monika for...
I'm not a huge fan of spring, mainly because I LOVE summer and get a tad impatient for the hot pool-weather days. However, I do love seeing all the new spring trends, products, and ideas. Today we're sharing a few Spring Must Haves from our fabulous sponsors. We so appreciate our sponsors. They make this blog possible and we're so grateful for that! Make sure you check them out and tell them RHBC sent you! ********************************************************************************** Remember the awesome artwork we made for Jess' house? Well, it wouldn't have looked half as amazing without the mad-photo-skills of Stacy Salvatori. She's local to Bucks County and would be a great choice for your family pictures or next big event. Visit Stacy's Website
I'm love with the Just for Girls Collection from Red Letter Words. How fun and springy are these prints? I plan to order a few for Kenzie's room in the next few weeks. I love art that looks cool and will also daily encourage my tween (holy cow that is the first time I've written that. I can't believe I have a ten year old!) Visit Red Letter Words
#1- Make 5 Dinners in One Hour… that's NO JOKE! These crazy affordable meal plans with shopping lists and directions will rock your world. Head over to their Facebook page to try one week for FREE!
#2- We're so glad that 31 Gifts jumped on the Grey & Yellow bandwagon and came out with this adorable line! I'd love an organizing utility tote in this pattern! Contact Mandy to get yours (you can get me one too!)
#3- Have you visited My Best Friend's Hair yet? You definitely need to. If you have a stylist you love, go let the world know by leaving a review or if you have yet to find the right stylist for you, head to their site to read other users reviews and find yourself a rockin' stylist today!
#4- I require a perfect spring candle in my kitchen this time of year. CJ's EcoChic Candles smell amazing, and because they're soy they last forever! (ok, not literally, but figuratively). They best part… you're not going to pay $25 like you would at the big chain stores and you're supporting a great small business.
#5-This is a spoiler alert! Remember the SuperFab room makeover we're currently working on? Well, we have Royal Design Studios to thank for one of the amazing design elements in the room. They have the best stencil selection around! Check out their new and improved website and they have an idea blog with all kinds of inspiration. Guess who was featured there for our Nate Show stencil project? Visit their new website!
#6- Kotton Pickin' Kute is more than just hats! For Spring you need to check out the fun headbands she offers. Seriously, that baby is adorable!
#7- Guess what?? Liberty Thrift listened to its shoppers and extended their hours! Woohoo! It's now open M-Sat 9-7pm. We have a fun outing in the works with Liberty and can't wait to share the details with you!
#8- Moo & Puppy is our favorite digital scrapbook company out there! We love the preppy look of this madras paper pack. (I'll confess that in the 90s I loved and wore lots of Abercrombie before they went all half-naked. But man, I do love me some preppy styles!) Moo & Puppy is giving you 15% off with the code RHBC15.
#9- Jet Upholstery is more than just chairs and cushions! Look at that amazing bed! Even for these DIYers some projects are better left to the pros! Visit Jet's Website for more info!
Those links should keep you busy for a while! I actually have about 15 tabs open on my computer right now, because I want to place a ton of orders! Thanks again to our sponsors! You're the best!
We have another treat for you today! Meet Beth, fromFree Stylin'. She is a girl after our own hearts, since she LOVES decorating with style on a budget, and is pretty darn good at it, too.: ) We had the priviledge of meeting her at Haven, and she is so sweet and bubbly! We're sure you'll love her-after reading her post today, and then head on over toher blog to check out the fun stuff she does in her neck of the woods! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey East Coast Creative Fans!! My name is Beth, and I blog over at Free Stylin'. You can find all kinds of posts about"living a stylish life without the expensive pricetag!" I've been big fans of Jess and Monica's since seeing them on The Nate Berkus Show. Those girls have some talent! It was such a blessing to meet them in person last month at Haven. (And yes, they are as sweet and friendly and beautiful in person!!)
Me, Jess, Monica, and our cute friend Jamie
I was so excited when they asked me to visit with y'all about something I love to talk about…Decorating for FREE!! I am all about using what you've already got to make your space beautiful. I'm also way into projects that I can do right now. (I love instant gratification.) So today I want to show you…
5 FREE Home Decor Projects You Can Make TODAY!
Would you like a little more glamour in your bedroom? New sheet sets and pillow cases can get expensive, and if you try to save a little in price, it could cost you in comfort. BUT!! You CAN make pretty bedding pieces out of the"underutilized"; ) lingerie in the back of your closet. Choose the items that have the most material and add the satin fabric to a pillow case you already own. Or make a throw pillow using pillow fill you aren't currently using. Learn how to make your own HERE.
Trays are a decorating must-have, and they are as functional as they are decorative. A pretty tray can help complete a look, and you can make one for your home in about 15 minutes using an old cookie sheet and a piece of fabric. My tray, above, was made from a shirt I was about to give to the Goodwill. Instead I cut it up and glued it to the cookie sheet. Find out more about it HERE.
Sometimes you just need to see something in a new way. Take a piece of artwork for example. I could no longer even look at the Monet painting on our mantel. So, I sprayed the frame another color and painted my own abstract art instead. You can paint directly to the back of your artwork or buy a poster board for just pennies. See how HERE.
If you don't have paint, or can't because you rent, but you want a change today, try"wallpapering" a wall with maps or book pages or sheets of music. All you need is a stapler and some Mod Podge (or watered down glue) to seal the edges. The paper isn't permanent, but it makes a huge statement in your home. Check out how I papered my boys' bedroom HERE.
Decorating with plates is such a fun and interesting way to bring in color and shapes into a room. And don't feel like you have to limit the plates to just a dining room! Hanging plates on any wall in your house is quick and free…just raid your own kitchen cabinets! You can hang your plates with hot glue and paperclips, too. No fancy plate hangers needed. Go HERE to see how I used plates in my own living room. I hope I've inspired you to try something new and FREE in your home today, using the items you've already got around you. It really does feel great to have a new look for nada lotta. Come stop by Free Stylin' for more tips and tricks like these.: ) Thanks SO much, Jess and Monica, for having me! Hope you're having a fun vacation! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So much amazing inspiration in one place! I don't know about you, but I'm totally loving that abstract art she DIYed. Add that to my ever-growing list of projects! Thanks for being here, Beth!
mikkel adsbol The coffee color of these lovely textiles reminds me that I owe my friend Charlotta of Space for Inspiration a thank you. I won a CSN gift certificate in a give-away on her beautiful blog. Charlotta, I went the practical route, choosing this for my kitchen. I love it and use it everyday. Now you all are in luck. Charlotta is currently hosting another CSN give-away. Visit Space for Inspiration today to enter!
As you know, we're chatting about Spring Things on the blog. One thing that bloggers and DIYers seem to get all jazzed up about is mantles. Decorating a seasonal mantle is a must, or so it seems. Well, I have a confession… I really struggle with the whole seasonal mantle thing. My darn TV gets in the way and stunts my creativity. So… rather than focusing on my mantle, I've scoured the web for the BEST Spring Mantles Around! If you want to see oodles more, check out the always fabulous Layla, who's hosting a link up right now!
Actually, let's get started with The Lettered Cottage's Spring 2012 Mantle:What I love:-It looks effortless, like"Oh my mantle just sort of did this fabulous arrangement on it's own, and it was so pretty that these butterflies came through the window and joined without me knowing." -I love the pop of green in the basket. It's really cool and you know I love me some kelly green! What I wish:-I wish that when I put things on my mantle with the desire for it to look natural and organically arranged, it didn't look like I let my kids help decorate.
Source: theletteredcottage.net via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Two Thirty-Five Designs Spring 2012 Mantle:What I love:-I love, love, love (notice 3 loves means I REALLY love it) that it's non-traditional, but still has some tradtional elements. Notice, there are little robins egg-type vase filler, but it's not all"in your face over-the-top Easter Eggy" -I love that the colors and bright and make me feel like spring, but aren't pastel. What I Wish: I wish I could paint an awesome canvas like that. Yup, she actually painted it herself!
Source: twothirtyfivedesigns.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest Remodelando la Casa's Spring 2012 MantleWhat I love:-Again, loving that it's non-traditional… are you seeing a pattern here? _-Love that the simple, stark look of it totally reminds me of spring. I'm getting all English teacher-y on you here, but the empty frames and lots of negative space make me think about how during spring, I feel like my yard is empty and just waiting to be filled with all kinds of cool growing things. Then she was genius and put the branches again reminding me of what's to come. I have no clue what the G is for, but I'm going to go with Grow. Okay, enough lessons in symbolism. What I wish: -I wish my darn TV wasn't on the wall so I could do something just like this!
Source: remodelandolacasa.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Four Generations One Roof's Spring 2012 MantleWhat I love:-I love the canvas panels! They are fabulous and want to know something awesome?? There are kids dump-truck artwork behind them! Yup! Talk about a good upcycle! -I also love the rope lamp bases. I know Jess would be diggin' them to! What I wish:I wish that I didn't have plans tonight so that I could do a quick, fabric wrap DIY project STAT! (Okay, I only semi-wish that, because I'm going on a big ole' group date out for dinner and to see The Hunger Games! I will have to DIY later!)
Source: fourgenerationsoneroof.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Last, but so not least… Christina's Adventures' Spring 2012 MantleWhat I love:-I am so in love with the glazed, layered frames. If you want to glaze a frame, we wrote a great tutorial a while back. -I love that she just wrapped two books with fabric -Even though I'm not usually a tulip girl, or a fan of pink, the color combo here is just perfect. What I wish:-I really wish Christina would come here and do my mantle for me! -Oh and one more thing I love… look at that pitcher. The metal finish is so cool!
Source: christinasadventures.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
There's my wrap up… It almost makes me want to go decorate the dreaded TV mantle… hmm. And, we don't really do linky parties here at RHBC, but we'd love to see what your mantle or decorated shelf looks like. Leave us a link in the comments to your Spring Mantle!
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