My Creative Blog [Search results for Cleaning] 

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

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

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

Tip #2: Don't use Windex!

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

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

Happy Spring Cleaning!

I was turned on to Mrs Meyer's Clean Day household cleaners by The Nester, and am I ever grateful! These products are not only earth-friendly, but they have the most delicious scents. Mrs. Thelma Meyer's was tired of those harsh-smelling chemicals she always used for cleaning, so she developed her own line of products that provide an aromatherapeutic experience while you clean! Amazing!

My absolute favorite scent is Basil. I could honestly stand next to the candle and sniff it all day long. One sniff takes me to a happy place. I'm not kidding- I adore this scent. It actually edged out my old favorite candle: Sage & Citrus by Yankee Candle (This is a wonderful smell, as well, but does NOT do for me what Mrs.Meyer's Basil does for me.) I bought Monica a bunch of Mrs. Meyer's products for Christmas (I know, wierd gift, but I knew she'd love it!) and now she's hooked too!

The products come in a variety of garden scents like Lemon Verbena, Lavender, Geranium, Baby Blossom, Apple, Honeysuckle, and even includes a scent-free version for all you scent-haters out there. And their products will change your view of cleaning: from laundry, general household cleaning, and air fresheners to hand and body products and baby care.

Click here for a $1 OFF coupon!
I found these products at Target, but I also recently saw them at Walmart. Or, order directly from Mrs. Meyer's herself!

Now for the Giveaway!
The Real Housewives of BC are giving away a Basil Liquid Hand soap to one lucky reader!

Here's how you enter:
1. Become a follower.
2. Leave us a comment letting us know you follow us and why you want to win.

We will randomly select a winner and announce it on Monday, March 7th. Good luck!
Go ahead, you can thank us later.

This is one thing that we made that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Really, it couldn't be much easier to make, and it's a really unique attention-grabbing piece of art. I've mentioned before that I am so fortunate because my father-in-law has a barn FULL of great old planks of barnwood, doors and old windows that he generously allows me to use. Wait, let me back up and start at the beginning. Stay with me here. My hairdresser, Kate, (who, by the way, is awesome at doing hair and is equally awesome at decorating. Oh, the colors in her house! I'm thinking of house crashing her just to show you her fabulous decorating style! Note to self: stop rambling.) has a small bathroom window that she put a faux stained glass decal on. I immediately loved it, and when I saw this old window from my dad-in-law, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Old, beat up and…PERFECT!

Step 1. Sand down any rough edges or peeling paint. The trick here is to sand enough to make it safe, but not enough to lose the character. I love the aged look, but also didn't want paint peeling off that my 1 year old son would, without a doubt, pick up and eat.

Step 2: Pick out your Light Effects stained glass film. I found mine at Home Depot and they had a pretty large selection. I chose the clematis pattern because I loved the colors and the not in-your-face-flowery look. One 24x36 in window film was around twenty bucks.

Here it is, close up. Gorgeous! This stuff is amazing. It's actually texturized so it totally looks like REAL stained glass. No lying.

The window I chose was actually a pretty close fit, size-wise. (Is size-wise even a word? Well, now it is.)

Step 3: Measure, measure, measure! As with anything, measuring here was really important. The film was a little bit bigger than the window, so we had some wiggle room, but not much. We wanted to make sure we were making the right cuts, the first time. We measured the length and width and, as per the instructions, left about an 1/16th of an inch between the window frame and the film.

First of all, stop thinking those are my arms and legs. Eew, I'm not that hairy. (Love you hubs!) Ok, Step 4: All you have to do here is follow the very simple instructions, but basically, the film has an adhesive on the back that is activated by water, so we sprayed the glass generously with water.

Step 5: Squeegee the excess water out from the center to the edges to prevent bubbles. The kit comes with a squeegee, so don't worry about that! My hubs owns a window-cleaning business on the side, so I let the man work his magic with the squeegee, and didn't interupt.: )

And that's it! It really is beautiful and I'm so excited to show you how Monica incorporated it into our new basement space. Trust me, it's worth the wait for the big Nate reveal. Ahhh! So exciting.
Ok, people, show me some love. What would you do with an old window?

Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday

MOSAIC
I will bring my hammer down on you hard
And for that brief second close my eyes
(believe me, this hurts me more than you')
All of your beauty '
Shattered with one swift swing
And cleaning up the pieces '
A messy job.
But I must admit ' I thought of you,
In that particular, sentimental way
before I did you in
Oh, the beautiful company you've held,
The admiring eyes,
The groping hands once all over you,
Fingertips touching and feeling
Your every sleek curve and smooth'
Patience is the key now
To give the mastic time to dry before
Mixing just the perfect hue of grout
to complement your new assemblage
Oh wedding vase, anniversary plate,
Knick-knack cat, teapot lid.
-Laura Beth Love
1999

Mosaic bird's nest bowl made from broken china

Wedding Vase

Anniversary Plate

Knick-knack cat

Royal Winton Chintz teapot and lid
Below: Necklace I made from same chintz pattern shown above

poem copyright 1999 Laura Beth Love

Thank you all for your awesome response to our SuperFab Room Redesign! We were thrilled with how it all turned out, (and thankfully, so were the homeowners!), but we realize that the houndstooth stencil from Royal Design Studio totally steals the show! Our favorite thing about this wall is the modern color scheme paired with the very classic houndstooth pattern. However, it's one thing to tackle an entire accent wall with a stencil, but it's another whole thing to do it with multiple colors! There's quite a saga behind this wall, and we learned some really helpful things about how to stencil well that we thought we'd pass along to you. When you DIY, it's all about learning as you go, right?

But first, let's talk about these gorgeous colors. When Monica and I met up at Home Depot, these paint colors literally jumped out at us and we picked them within five minutes of getting there. Gotta love when that happens. Of course, no one does it better than Martha Stewart, and these colors are all from her paint line. So without further ado, here are the beauties by name:

Now, back to the saga. We planned this stenciling project like any other; chose the order of the colors, picked our starting point, leveled the stencil and got to work. The only problem is that we did NOT have the right supplies. We started with only two brushes (for 4 paint colors!) and four jars of paint samples, which, unbeknownst to us, contain no binding agents so they don't work for stenciling. Each individual"tooth" took three coats of paint! And after four hours (no joke!) this is how much we had finished:

(Sorry, bad phone photo!)
Ugh! So frustrating! We took a break to kick ourselves for starting this project, and then reevaluated our situation. We estimated at least another 8 hours of work, which scared us silly. We are all about DIYing as much as possible, but we can also recognize when we are in over our heads, so we called in the big guns to help us out.

We had the good fortune of meeting Bernadette of The Faux Pro, Inc. through this blog, and boy, were we happy we did! Bernie specializes in stenciling (she's friends with Melanie from RDS), faux finishes of every kind and is truly a talent! Her work has been featured on HGTV and has an amazing portfolio of work on her site. She was generous enough to come help us out, and brought her assistant, Mary along, too. They let me tag along and watch what they do, and gave us loads of tips for making the process go smoother. And today we get to share those with you. Woohoo!
1. Gather the Right Supplies:

1- Five in One Tool: Comes in handy for all sorts of jobs like opening paint cans, cleaning rollers etc. 2- Frog Tape: Bernie swears by Frog Tape because it doesn't pull the paint off the walls. 3- Paint brushes, angled brushes, stenciling brushes: 4- Razor: 5- Detail brushes: Mary's entire job was to follow Bernie and touch up any bleeding. The result is an unbelieveably crisp finish! 6- Scissors: Bernie uses these to cut the stencil as needed along the ceiling and corners, instead of trying to bend the stencil. 7- Foam Rollers: Most of the time, Bernie uses a roller to stencil, especially because Mary can touch up any bleeds. 8- Spray Adhesive (not pictured): this is a must! We learned this the hard way.

9- Simple Green: This cleaner is the best for keeping your stencil like new so that you can use it over and over again, but she uses it for absolutely everything!

10- The Quality Masker: I have never seen anything like this, but it works magic! You attach the tape, along with brown paper to the masker and run it along the baseboard or ceiling. As you roll it out, the tape adheres to the brown paper creating a barrier. It takes literally half the time as taping out the edges by hand. You can find them at any paint store.

2. Set-up a Stenciling Station Before ever starting, Bernie finds a place to set up her work station. She lays out a drop cloth, covers it with a trash bag, then a towel and then the stencil. In between every set, she wipes the stencil clean and dries it with the towel. This ensures that you don't get paint on the carpet, but also that no paint remains on the stencil and gets on the wall. She keeps a hair dryer close by, if she wants to hurry the process along.

3. Use the Right Method If you're using a stenciling brush, make sure to blot it on something very absorbant, like paper towels or cardboard. Here's the most important tip I learned that day: Brush from the outside of the stencil in towards the center. Basically, brushing away from the edge lessens the likelihood of bleeding, which saves you tons of time!

Hopefully, this helps you out a bit, like it did for us. A big thank you to Bernie and Mary for pitching in with our project. If you have a project in mind, we totally recommend that you contact them! The end result of this saga is an amazing focal wall that makes us so proud! Have you ever gotten in too deep with a project? Do share!

I can be honest… I want an awesome mudroom. I can also be honest that I don't need an awesome mudroom right now, but I did need to do something about the organizational mess that was our coat closet. Life has a lot of wants vs. needs, and sometimes I can get the two confused, but luckily my hubs is very good at reminding me of the difference.: ) Since the awesome mudroom is low on the budget totem pole, I had finally had enough and did an impulsive closet redo… Here's the Mess — In the kids' defense they had a hard time reaching the to hang their coats, but really they were just MESSY!

Library books, cleaning supplies, camera accessories, beach towels (for snowy boots)- seriously in need of some organization!

I pulled out all the junk… it was a whole lot of junk…

I had bought these hooks for the kids bathroom, but since I had them on hand, I just decided to use them… did I mention this was impulsive? The cute, pantsless toddler is optional, but makes the project more exciting if you're up for a challenge.

And lest you think that these DIY projects are all cute and blog-pretty… look at my hallway mid project! Cal enjoyed the umbrella for a while and it kept him from being under my feet!

Added coats and backpacks. Yes, I have 4 kids, but only 3 are in school, so we went with those for now.

Library books in basket up top, toddler jackets and extra jackets hung, baskets for hats and gloves etc. Impulsive project done, and one super-happy husband on hand (he's a big fan of organization!)

You might notice that there aren't any shoes in the closet. We have another, non-glamorous system for that…

These are just over-the-door shoe holders that we nailed onto the studs. Not pretty, not amazing, but really works for us and all of our shoes!
Time for a little more honesty… I did have all these great, creative ideas for how this closet could be super-cute. Painted walls. Vinyl kids' names. Coordinated hangers. Matching Baskets. BUT, again it came down to Want vs. Need . I might be learning something here… So, I'm being patient on my pretty little mudroom, but a girl can dream… This is just a sneak peek of the Mudroom Tour we'll be going on tomorrow…

Better Homes and Gardens

Source: strictlysimplestyle.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
No, I really don't have anything to sell, but I have sold two houses really quickly and helped hundreds of other people sell theirs. Okay, now before you tune out and think,"I'm not moving anytime soon… no need to read this post." give me a second! There's two reasons to keep reading… # 1- You probably know someone that's struggling to sell a home in this market #2- People love their homes right before they sell because it's in the best shape ever. You could follow a few of these tips and love your house even more! Ready? Here are my first 5 tips!
Get it Sold… The Mangin Way! (Part 1) (these aren't new ideas…but done right, they really work)

1.Declutter. Pack half of your stuff. Seriously, I actually mean half of everything. It's a pain, but you'll have to pack it anyway. This will make your house seem like it has sufficient storage and room to grow. It's tough to want to move into someone's home that seems jam packed! (FYI- don't do this if you're not selling… that would just be crazy!)

2. Depersonalize. Your kids are adorable… I get it, but now get rid of their pics. We don't want potential buyers looking at your vacation pics and thinking they really need to get back to the Outer Banks and totally not noticing your recessed lighting. Now, don't get too crazy… we didn't get rid of 100% of our pics, but honestly we replaced a lot with generic art from Homegoods and Marshalls. The second part of depersonalization is STYLE. If you're reading a DIY and design blog you either have great style or are style challenged! LOL… make sure the style of your house would appeal to the masses. Not too modern, too country, too plain, too bold. Purple.Tone it down a bit.

Source: yakal.net via Hannah on Pinterest
3. Declutter. Wait, she already said that!! Lame post! Nope, I don't have short term memory loss… now we're talking Pantries, Closets, Garages, Storage areas. You need to keep feeding your family, but you also need to show off the space you have. Donate, eat, or toss HALF of what you have stored. You don't need six cans of cream of chicken soup. Keep two. (House of Smiths weren't selling, but man they have a rockin' pantry before and after)

Same applies to closets… anything you won't wear in the next month should be packed up. If you're near a change of season, just box and store at your BFF's house. That's what friends are for! (We have about 20 boxes of friend's stuff in our basement right now because they're selling). Any place that you would usually hide your junk needs to be super neat and spacious. 4. Give it a Purpose. This is a simple stager's rule. Every room should have a purpose. You want a buyer to see a value in each space. If you have a toy/craft/tv/junk room but already have a playroom, and family room with tv… well what are they paying for the random room for? Choose a purpose. Make it a specific craft/sewing room etc. 5. Clean. I'm not talking lived in clean… I'm talking Martha Stewart clean. A clean house gives the impression of a well cared for, well maintained house. You don't want anything creeping out buyers. Maybe dirty baseboards are just a part of life, but they're not a part of a buyer's dream home. Seriously, who dreams of a kinda dirty, lived in dream house? Does Pottery Barn have gross toilet rings in the Bed & Bath issue? We've done it two ways… once we did an insane deep clean and for our second house we hired someone to do it. Either way is fine, just get it done and then maintain it. Make a little pre-showing, last minute cleaning list. It was a huge help to me!

Source: marthastewart.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Ok, so 5 simple, totally FREE steps so far… Nothing too revolutionary, but things that really make a difference. Last spring we sold our home in less than 3 weeks… the market was struggling, we didn't know what to expect, but we believed it was the right time for our family and so we busted our tails to get the house ready. Now, you're armed with part one… either share the post with a friend that might find it helpful, or take a look at your own home. Part two is a little more design friendly and exciting, but first you've gotta get through the dirty work of steps 1-5.
I'll be back Wednesday with more!

P.S. I bought paint tonight for a super-fun family room project. I can't wait to share it with you!
P.P.S. Did you know that we're only 3 people away from 100 followers? We know way more of you read the blog… let's make it official! Let's take our relationship to the next step? And if you're really into us, you could like us on Facebook too! Imagine that! It's like going steady!

I had lots of these books when I was little, I loved the characters, especially Mr. Tickle.

The books celebrate 40 years this year and are just as popular today as back when.

Charles Roger Hargreaves was born today, 76 years ago (9 May 1935 ' 11 September 1988). He was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. The books' simple and silly stories, with bright-coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have been part of popular culture for over 25 years, with sales over 85 million worldwide in 20 languages.

Hargreaves grew up in Cleckheaton. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative director at a London firm, he wrote the first Mr. Men book, Mr. Tickle . He initially had difficulty finding a publisher; but, once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years. In 1975 it spawned a BBC animated television series called Mr. Men Show, Mr Tickle being voiced by Arthur Lowe.

By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books.

With his wife, Christine, Hargreaves had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters is reported to have been created when Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like: Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms, which became Mr. Tickle.

After Hargreaves died of a sudden stroke in 1988, Adam continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. However, in April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for '28 million.

Here are an overview of the books.

I love antique picture frames. I love their intricate detail and their nicely aged patina. I love that each frame has its own unique character and I love that feeling when you can bring life back to a piece that has been so sadly forgotten.
I bought all of these frames on an antique field trip I took this past summer. The above gold antique frame is one of my favorites. It's in wonderful condition and I plan on having it cut down an inch or so to fit a beautiful landscape oil painting I have. I paid $60 for it.

This gold frame is in fairly rough shape but at $20, it was a steal. I have a 7 x 7 rose oil painting that will go beautifully with the floral detail in the frame. Cutting it down will remove the bad spots you can see on the left. It will also get a good cleaning.

I love the feel of these old rustic frames. It's sometimes hard to find these frames with all of their leaves in tact but when you do, they compliment nature prints beautifully. They can be surprisingly expensive so it's worth being patient. I paid $28 for this one.

I just love this little hand carved round wood frame. It's very old and in very good shape. It's a 3 x 3 so it too will also go on the family photo wall. This sweet little frame was just $12.
Having antique frames cut down requires a special skill. I happened to find a professional restorationist who will cut down a frame for $100. This is a very fair price because even with the cost of what I pay for the frame, it's still much less expensive than having something custom framed, and most importantly, the frame is one of a kind.

The above is an example of recycling beautiful antique frames. I found these identical Victorian frames in pristine condition. I was thrilled when an artist friend of mine (whose work I passionately collect), offered some pieces of hers that would fit the unique dimensions of the frames. I think the gold hues go brilliantly with the blues and greens of the sky and pasture.

Well, it's time for another fabulous sponsor round up. We are so blessed to be able to work with these awesome companies- they really make this blog possible! If you haven't taken some time to take a look at these shops, do it now! You will be amazed at the craftsmanship and ohmygoodness, the talent in these people will blow you away!

1. This Merriam Pink paper pack from Moo & Puppy is super sweet. Use EC215 for 15% off your order! 2. I love this Vintage Metal Cup Pendant from Lucent Lampworks. It would add so much personality to a kitchen, don't you think? Use code ECTenOff for 10% of your order! 3. I can't get enough of this gorgeous Raspberry Suzani Pillow Cover from Chic Decor Pillows. Whatever your style is, you'll be able to find a pillow to fit right in, in their shop.

4. I'm in love with this Flying bird necklace from Belmonili. They're one of our NEWEST sponsors and we love the vintage feel of their products. Know anyone that's depressed that Downton is over this season… Belmonili has Grantham approved gifts for sure! Use the code BelmoniliECC for 10% off your order! 5 and 6. You can totally customize your look with this Henle headband and flower accessory. Plus, these headbands promise not to give you a headache! And, speaking from experience, it's true!

7. Remember Monica's"Shut the Front Door" letters? Well, now 163 Design Company offers Canvas-covered letters which are so fabulous. 8. If you're in need of some help organizing, look no further! Clean Mama's Printable Starter Kit includes the busy mama kit, the budget and bill pay kit, the cleaning kit, menu planning kit and the dockets and calendar kit. You'll be super mom in no time! 9. Isnt' this Get Ziggy with It Wall Stencil super fun? LOVE. Use the code ECC10 for 10% off your order.

10. Wood Wick candles from CJS Ecochic are made from soy and are extremely long-lasting. Plus, they smell amazing!
11. We've gone nuts over these inexpensive FoxGram prints. Print any instagram photo for just 25 cents!
12. We've recently found the DIYers solution to dirty, nasty nails. Gel manicures at Oasis Salon. Monica has been telling the entire world that her polish is lasting a full 4 weeks! I have to admit, they do look awesome even with all our DIYing. If you're local you HAVE to try out their amazing pedicures and gel manicures. We can't get enough.
Visit Oasis, tell them EC2 sent you and get 10% OFF one visit! 13. This adorable"Love You" typewriter key bracelet from Junxtaposition is perfect for this month, but would look great all year long!

14. These One Word prints from Red Letter Words are so sweet and I think they would look adorable in a nursery or little girl's room.

15. Liberty Thrift Store is having a President's Day Sale all week long- get 25% of all furniture through February 23rd. What would you do to this piece? Can anyone say color blocking?!?

16. For every $31 you spend at Thirty-One Gifts, you can get a Keep-It Caddy for just $5. The perfect bag for while you're on the go, gift bag, cosmetic case, and so much more! But you KNOW we'd use it to store all those little craft odds and ends.: )

Also, our pal, Mandy, has found the job of a lifetime with Thirty-One Gifts and you can too! If you join now through April 1st and sell $1000 in your first 30 days, you'll get your $99 back! There is nothing to lose and so much to gain!! Last year one of our EC2 readers joined Mandy's team and was so glad she did! Check out Mandy's guest post HERE to hear more about her story and how she was able to leave her full-time job when she joined 31! Go ahead and contact Mandy at hajelfamily@yahoo.com or check out her website for more info.
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Now, the fun part…GO SHOP!; )

Because we're always slightly afraid you'll get bored of our crazy antics, we have a treat for you today in the form of a guest blogger! If you don't already know her, Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House is stinkin' hilarious and super talented. We love the design of her blog (which she did herself), the adorable pics of her splattered with paint, and her magical touch with liquid gilding. Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there! I'm Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House, and I'm thrilled to be guest posting today on East Coast Creative! I met Monica and Jess at the Haven conference earlier this year, and I think they come up with some of the most amazing projects!

A little more about me: I'm awkward. I can't cook. I hate cleaning. But I love tearing my house apart and putting it back together again. I've been working on my"Ugg-Duck" for nearly three years now, and I'm determined — hissy fits and all — to turn my 1980s eyesore into a home I can be proud of. DIY-ing on my own isn't easy (especially with a full-time job and grad school on my plate), and I have had my fair share of weird stories with my house — like finding fingernails in my fridge. Or 4 A.M. catfights. Or freaking out that I had a water leak in my brand new powder room… and realizing it was (possibly) a guest missing my toilet. Yes, that happened.
Right now, I'm working on remodeling my bathroom. But at any given moment, I have at least five other unfinished projects around the house. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of finishing up a full renovation, I use that momentum to give myself an extra push and do something smaller that I might otherwise put off — like my master bedroom jewelry organizer.

I've been spotting a lot of creative jewelry organization ideas on Pinterest, and even though I've been storing my jewelry neatly in a drawer in my closet, I realized I forget to throw on accessories when rushing off to work. These Rationell inserts from Ikea are meant to add storage space to pantries and other cabinets, but I saw the decorative pattern on top and thought it could really look snazzy (& functional, too!) as a jewelry holder.

It was so easy, I could even (sort of) hold my camera steady while putting the project together with one hand. Ha. I just measured…

Marked (simply pushing the tip of the screw into the wall will save you extra pencil marks)…

… and sunk the first screw into place.

And this is where I realized I'd forgotten my level in the bathroom! Ugh. Thankfully, I had a nifty iPhone app with a level that I could use to make sure I kept things straight and even.

By placing the organizer in between my remodeled master bedroom closet and the master bath, I have a great new spot for my jewelry — and less of an excuse to bypass the accessories in the morning!

There you have it — a simple and inexpensive way to get your jewelry in a prime notice me and wear me spot.
Thank you so much to Jess and Monica for letting me stop by, and I hope you visit me (and whatever current mess I'm making) over at The Ugly Duckling House soon! Sarah Psst: Want more? I love to post sneak peeks on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find me on Hometalk and Twitter at uglyducklingDIY.
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Thanks so much for visiting, Sarah! You're welcome back in our houses anytime.: )

I have Design and Decorating ADD. Never heard of it? It's when you start one DIY project, and before finishing it, you move on to something else that catches your interest. I'm pretty sure my BFF suffers from it, too. (Just ask her husband!) Just to prove it to you, let's take a look at the projects that are going on simultaneously right now at my home: Cleaning out and reorganizing my collection of barnwood, old doors and cabinets in the shed:

Recovering lamp shades for the chandy in my dining room. (No joke- this has been this way for at least a month)

Refinishing the buffet with Annie Sloan chalk paint- one coat done, two more to go.

I just finished a mini-makeover of this side table.

I'm sealing this project and letting it cure. I can't wait to reveal what it is to you soon!

Repurposing an old cabinet door into something cute for my son using some awesome paints.

Sanding, stripping, and more sanding of the dining table top. This thing is not going down without a fight, I tell you!

At least my mantel is already decorated for early Fall. Thank goodness.

I'm pretty sure Monica and I are not the only ones who struggle with this, am I right? Please say yes. Do you hop around from project to project, or stay with one until it's completed?

I've already confessed to you that yard work is not really my thing. I pay way more attention to the inside of my house, and tend to neglect the outside. Unfortunately, my hubs isn't really into working outside either. But, I started to feel really bad for our neighbors because the front of our house was sooooo not welcoming. A few years ago, right before my daughter was born, I had Kevin paint the shutters and front door of our home a nice neutral brown. It was a major improvement over the faded blue that was there when we bought it, and for awhile, I liked the look. But not anymore. Now that I know what style I'm going for in my house, it wasn't fitting the bill. Not unique enough, not coastal/cottagey enough and not"me" anymore.

Oh did I forget to mention that we also have a jungle of a flower bed right outside our front door? Ugh. This flower bed is the bane of my existance. It's very large and overgrown with weeds. I figured that if we were going to add some curb appeal, the weeds had to go. We'd really like to put some low ground cover (suggestions, anyone?) in the entire bed so that we don't have to worry about it too much, but for now, we did some much needed cleaning out.

Our house is only about 15 years old, but the paint was peeling badly on the columns, so we added that to the facelift list.

It really just didn't scream,"Hi! Come on in!", did it?

I had slowly been accumulating paint chips to find the best front door color, and finally narrowed it down to Deepest Aqua by Glidden. Since I got my paint at Home Depot, I had them color match it for me in Behr Ultra Exterior Paint + Primer (you can see the code below, if you're interested!). I chose Behr Ultra Exterior Paint +Primer in Dark Granite for the shutters. No joke, this paint was amazing! It went on soooo smooth and covered really well on the first coat. I highly recommend it! We ended up only doing two coats, and they look perfect.

All of the trim on the porch and both columns got a fresh coat of white paint, as well.

I'm so impatient that I had to snap a picture of the house after the door was painted but before the shutters were painted. Loved it immediately. That blue is spot on and the perfect color for my front door.

I had Kevin take the door knob off because it had seen better days, and sprayed it with a dark bronze hammered metal spray paint. What? You don't spray paint on an old tree stump? Why ever not?!: )

That simple step made a world of a difference, and was free, since I had the spray paint already. Score!

After weeding, painting, spray painting and a lot of sweating, here's how the house looks now:

The house feels more calm to me, if that makes any sense at all. And the colors make our house look more white, when actually it's an off-white, pale yellow. I'm a big fan of that, as it was completely unplanned!

We didn't take down our shutters, because they're a bear to do so. My hubs just used a step ladder and his mad painting skills to get them done.

To dress up the porch a bit, I brought my DIY floor mat from the kitchen out. I was never really a huge fan of it in the kitchen, and with the addition of my new rug, I liked it even less. It matches perfectly out front, so there it sits! Much better.

This chair was one of my grandma's (I have two of them) and a while ago I spraypainted them in Krylon Pimento Red. I thought it would be fun to paint our house number on the back of the chair, but before I commited I wrote it on with chalk. One of these days I'll get around to painting it for real…or maybe not.

I'm really digging the non-traditional mix of these colors.

I'm planning a few more little touches to the front door and then I can't wait to get my Fall on in the next few weeks!

And just for posterity's sake, let's take one last look at the before and after:

Can I get woot-woot?!: )
Are you guys into working outside? What can you recommend for the giant weed-fest going on in my front bed? P.S. Do you follow us on Facebook? If not, you totally should because we're always posting in-process pics and teasers about the projects we have going on. Plus, you'll get an inside look at our craziness!: )

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

Spring Thing # 1: Outdoor Plans

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

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

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

Source: centsationalgirl.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

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

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

Source: google.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

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

Source: target.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

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

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I almost never watch TV mainly because it bores me right to sleep in under five minutes'LITERALLY! One show I discovered last year that bowls me over on Bravo on Tuesday nights is 'Flipping Out' with house flipper turned back to interior designer Jeff Lewis. He's an obsessive-compulsive neat freak/control freak who would be absolutely impossible to live with but watching him is fun.

Kitchen at Valley Oak One House, Jeff's personal home until it sold
I got a little curious about his finished designs since you almost never get to see them on his show. The houses are usually under construction and the show seems to be more about Jeff's bizarre behavior rather than his finished work. I could never have a glass refrigerator like the one pictured I would be trying to arrange the contents all the time.

Kitchen at Valley Oak 2 House, Jeff's personal home now but for sale
I have to admit his obsessive behavior shows right down to the smallest detail. He designs are clean and open, well laid out and very contemporary, he says his designs are "California Modern" and I'll agree. I know from watching the show Jeff prefers open shelves in place of upper cabinets.

Commonwealth Kitchen by Jeff Lewis
While those open shelves look nice they show Jeff doesn't cook. Those shelves don't hold much and people who cook need their stuff. Plus what happens to all that stuff out in the open from cooking grease, the dust? I know I don't want to be cleaning something when I don't need too.

House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year 2010 by Jeff Lewis

House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year 2010, the other half of the kitchen
I love this kitchen! Tons of gourmet cook conveniences, nice clean lines with an eating area and sitting area all combined. The only thing I would change is the dining table since I prefer something lower and more intimate when having guests. Love the shot of red in the dining area, every room needs one little surprise.

House at Edgemont, LOVE the gray paint color and how warm this room looks!

Edgemont Living room by Jeff Lewis
Perhaps it's just me but what is up with everyone placing the flat screen TV above the fireplace? I thought the fireplace WAS the focal point of the room and the TV with its size takes away from it. Love this room otherwise!

While this living room is masculine looking it's stunning and so clean. While I think this guy is an absolute riot he's also a wonderful designer, shame Bravo doesn't show a little more of his finished designs. What do you think?

About a month ago, I asked for your help deciding what color to paint my front door. I was really stumped! Thanks to all of you for your input! We collected over 400 responses! Best.Readers.Ever!

Here's what you all suggested…

Red was clearly the winner with 52% of the vote and I agree that red would look fabulous on this house… if someone else owned it. For me, it's just too typical. I'm not the type that has to be different just for the sake of being different, but I do want my house to reflect me inside and out, and I just wasn't feeling the red.

So after staring at my house and this picture for what seemed like an eternity, I made my decision…

Tips for How to Paint Your Front Door 1. Clean the door well and let it dry (clearly this picture was pre-cleaning). Doors get really dingy and you want your paint on the door, not the dirt! 2. Tape your hardware Some people might suggest that taping is for a bad painter, but for me, I paid a pretty penny for this hardware and I don't want to be scraping paint off. Put your painter's pride aside and tape that baby nice and tightly!

3. Use Steel wool on any imperfections. Have any old drips or sticky spots? Steel wool will take care of that and make it nice and smooth. I had used some Zots on my door and had some sticky residue… not anymore!

4. Choose an Exterior Paint that you LOVE! Drumroll please… Introducing… Valspar's Allen & Roth: Spritz of Lime!

I love it because it keeps me wondering… Yellow or Green? Depends on the light and that's perfect with me. Gives me two colors to love!

I really am happy. I was a tad nervous… well, after the ombre door fiasco, who wouldn't be! But, it in the end she's a real beauty!

I'm not showing you the whole front of the house because there's some major landscaping DIY going on and you'll have to wait and see! I will show you my To Do list… -House Numbers (finished and tutorial for adding numbers to a metal door coming this week) -Must find the perfect rug -Make planters

So, be honest… what do you think? Would you have gone with Red or is Spritz of Lime workin' for ya? What color is your front door?

Well, I was moving the cat food sack and accidentally lost it. Cat food all over and all three cats thought they'd died and gone to heaven. After that; vacuum cleaning. Cat food decoration isn't really my thing.

Adorable Gingerbread tree:

I'm typically a traditional Fall colors girl, as you might remember from my fancy mantle (seen here), but this year my autumn color-loving self has been tempted by the hues of a different kind of pumpkin: heirlooms! These gorgeous, antique-looking pumpkins have seeds that have been around for hundreds of years, but are making a big comeback in Fall decor! They come in a variety of colors, but are mainly in muted grays, blues, greens and white. These babies are not cheap, but apparently, are absolutely delicious to use in cooking/baking, so you can decorate with them and then eat them. Big bang for your buck.: ) (That's what I tell my hubs, anyway)

Heirloom Pumpkins

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thenester.com via Jessica on Pinterest
The Nester used them on her mantle and, of course, they look amazing. Can I just say that I love the Nester and her design motto: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful? Just sayin'.

Source: hollymathisinteriors.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Gorgeous eye candy for the heirloom pumpkin-lover that I am.

Source: poetichome.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: twentysomethingtransue.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: susieharrisblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest
If you're too cheap frugal to buy heirloom pumpkins, you can make your own that will last forever using this tutorial. Pretty convincing and super cute.
I was so inspired by these photos, that I went out and bought my own to use in my entryway. Would you believe it if I told you that I bought mine at Home Depot? Well, I did. They were $8.00 a pop, but honestly, my life wouldn't have been complete without them (ok, I'll admit that that's a bit of an overstatement, but my hubs will tell you that once I get something in my head, I'm pretty darn annoying about it until I have it/do something about it.)

I only sprung for two heirloom pumpkins, but I love the character and colors they add to the little workbench I found this past summer.

And if you're really, really perceptive, you might have noticed two things that are different here: 1) I added a number 4 to my white pitcher (four is a favorite number around here because it's how many people are in our family and '04 was the year we were married). I created a stencil and then dry-brushed it on the pitcher. So easy! It's not perfect, as you can see, but I'll be cleaning up the lines as soon as I get the chance. (I just couldn't wait that long to post pictures!)

And 2) I finally convinced my hubs to paint the hallway that was covered in paint that I loathed. It went from swine-colored to a cool gray/tan neutral that I am in love with (you can see the new paint color here in my newly redesigned bathroom). So.much.better.

As you can see, it's still a work in progress, but the difference is truly amazing. {Love} So, what are your thoughts about heirloom pumpkins? Do you think they're cool like me, or just plain wierd? Have you used them in your home yet? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The projects for the final round of Crafting with the Stars are now up and ready to be voted on. We would be ever so grateful if you'd head on over to Sew Dang Cute and vote (for us)! We're crossing our fingers that this project wins us the whole contest!: ) Thanks for your help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happy Monday!

So your kids are heading back to school sometime in the next two weeks, and they're probably pretty excited about seeing their friends and wearing their new threads. But I'm guessing that the thought of doing homework leaves them feeling a little something like this:

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Well, that's about to change! I've rounded up some pretty eye candy in the desk/homework station department that might just make them beg to do their homework. (Ok, that's a stretch, but it sure will make you happy to see them doing homework in those spaces…)
Just click on the link below each pictures to be taken to the source or instructions.

Desk/Work Station Inspiration

Source: thecsiproject.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I'll be honest with you. I want this desk space for my own. However, it's a perfect spot for two older kids to do their work. Plenty of storage and functionality but in such a pretty package. I say, well done!

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Ok, I kind of think this one is a genius idea- a workspace in the kitchen nook. If you have another place to eat, that is. I love the idea of having a space that is central in the house, where you can see the kids working while drooling over your favorite blogs making dinner, cleaning up,washing dishes etc. All that light from the windows makes this spot a pretty inspiring place to do your work. Love it!

Source: perrylakes.com via Jessica on Pinterest
How adorable and fun is this one? Every preschooler or kindergartner I know would be drawn to this spot. Lots of color, chairs just their size, storage for art supplies and a place to hang their latest masterpiece.

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Low on space? This window seat/storage bench/desk is the perfect solution! Just slide the bench under the desk and out of the way when it's not in use.

Source: google.pt via Jessica on Pinterest
Those kids have no idea how good they have it.

Source: housetohome.co.uk via Jessica on Pinterest
This is another great space-saver desk area. My kid's bedrooms have wierd nooks from the dormer windows on our house, so this design is a good starting point for someone like me. Those shelves hanging bar with canisters for supplies and the chair are from Ikea

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Is anyone else in love with work stations inside of closets? It's just so smart, plus you can do a bold color and fun graphic designs that inspire you, and then close it away and no one would ever know!

Source: marthastewart.com via Jessica on Pinterest
If you have absolutely no extra room for a work area, this is the ultimate space saving solution, the homework helper! It puts everything your kids might need while doing their homework right at their fingertips and helps to keep them on task. Monica actually made one of these for her oldest daughter, Kenzie, a few years ago, and it was so cute!

And just in case you need a little help keeping track of everyone's extracurricular activties and school schedules, I picked a few of my favorite home command centers to share.
Home Command Centers

Source: magzmagz.com via Jessica on Pinterest
This is perfect in my opinion. I'm fairly certain that all of those helpful and stylish boards are from Pottery Barn, but you could pretty easily make something similar at a much lesser price.

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest
This is definitely clever- a hanging file bin for each member of the household. Put important papers, permission slips, schedules, mail, (whatever!) and stay ahead of the game. Plus the chalkboard above is great for writing notes that the whole family can see.

Source: theyellowcapecod.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Sorry this one is blurry, but hopefully you get the point. This features a hook and bag for each person in the family. You can put things that need to be taken to school in the bag, and all your kid has to do is pick it up and take it with him. The chalkboard below is used for reminders and to-do lists for each child.

Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest
I love the baskets with the monograms on it. Same principle as the last few- personalize and you're good to go!
And finally, because I love me some DIY projects, here are a few easy and inexpensive message boards!
DIY Message Boards

Source: makeandtakes.com via Jessica on Pinterest
You need just three things to make this pretty dry erase board: a frame with glass, scrapbook paper or fabric and a dry erase marker. I'm pretty sure you can figure it out from there.; )

Source: heythingschange.com via Jessica on Pinterest
This is a dry-erase calendar made from a frame and paint chips. The best part of this is your can customize the colors to match your decor!

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Isn't this magnetic board super sweet? A cookie sheet, scrapbook paper and magnets make the magic happen.
Feeling inspired? We'd love to see where your kids do homework- Feel free to post a picture on our facebook page. Let's share the creativity!

PS. Don't forget to vote for us as CBS Philly's Most Valuable Blogger! Click here to cast your vote. We sooooo appreciate all the people who have voted so far. Thanks!

Well, this isn't really a project we had planned on doing right now. Especially since we're still trying to finish the baby's nursery, put the finishing touches on Charlie's room and mentally prepare ourselves for another baby. But, sometimes (ok, lots of times, in my case) we get distracted and something else begs for our attention. Back in May, I posted this picture on instagram saying I didn't know what to do with our deck…

It was a hot mess. Then the arbor thingy you see above broke in a storm, which led us to begin our deck transformation. I'm not kidding when I say I really wanted to tear this deck down because I didn't think it could be redeemed. I mean, we had done some cute projects to spruce it up, like these DIY shutters and window box, but even that couldn't hide the fact that this deck was ugly.

We decided to go ahead and try power-washing it before burning it down (haha-kidding…sort of) to see if that would help at all. It was really beat up, graying, splintery and just plain ugly. Oh wait, I mentioned that already, didn't I? Just take a look:

In the picture below, you can see that the top of the arbor had been removed, but the posts were still there. Plus, there was that one giant bush that was all up in the deck's business too. The first thing we did was cut the posts down and cut back the bush. You wouldn't believe how much that opened things up on the deck.

We borrowed a power-washer from Kevin's grandpop (who owns a painting business) and went to town. Immediately we began to see a major difference!

Ewwww…that gray grime is just disgusting. But the wood underneath was in beautiful shape- I seriously was beyond shocked. Who knew that was under there?

Again I went to instagram to post the progress. Why did we wait six stinkin' years to do this?? And if you don't follow us on Instagram, you totally should. I mean, two posts about a deck should have you banging down our IG doors, we're just that exciting. Follow us at Jess_ec2blog and eastcoastcreative for lots of fun, juicy stuff like deck cleaning.

Anyhow, look at our gorgeous deck now! It's like she was just built yesterday!

Without that big bush and the trellis/arbor thingy (what WAS that thing?) the other side of the deck is wide open…just one big open slate!

(Pssst…did you notice how well my flowers fared in my window box? Ha. They didn't stand a chance.)

Ahhh…I'm in love. With a deck. It's just not right. But it's the truth. The next step is decided what to do with the deck now that it's so fresh and so clean, clean. I'm leaning towards staining the deck a nice gray to go with our gray shutters and painting the railings white. Sort of like this:

Source

Source
Pretty, right? Kevin's grandpa swears by Sherwin Williams Deckscapes, so we'll probably go that route just because we know it's good stuff. I really like the idea of a semi-transparent stain so that some of the wood grain shows through.

What color would you choose? Have you ever used Deckscapes? Has a power-washer ever changed your life?
I'm hoping to finish this bad boy up this week…that is, unless I get distracted by something else.; )