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!
Last week we completed our very first Design it Forward project. It was a wonderful experience and we're excited about future projects! Not sure what Design it Forward is?? Well, check out this post. To respect the privacy of the family that we helped, we aren't going to go into personal details, but we will share some of the fun projects that we did! There was a slight twist to our day when the media got wind of our project. PhillyBurbs.com sent a crew to interview us and tape us working on preparing for our surprise. We were a little torn because we weren't doing Design it Forward for recognition, but at the same time, we were excited that it might encourage others to use their talents to help someone else. Here's the clip…
Ok, so onto the projects we did… You can't have a fall porch without mums, pumpkins, and hay, so I loaded up my van…
The first project that we tackled was a cute pennant banner. Jess picked out 3 fun fabrics from JoAnn Fabrics and some brown ribbon. There are a million tutorials on how to do this, but we do it pretty simply… 1. Use cardboard to make a triangle template 2. Trace a million triangles on your fabrics 3. Cut the triangles 4. Iron with heavy starch to give it some stiffness 5. Hot glue each triangle onto ribbon. Voila! Adorable banner!
Haha, don't you love our cheesy"hand on hips" pose? Nerdballs!
Next we made a little fall sign. Remember my Scrap Sign post? Well, we did a quick version of it… 1. Find scrap wood 2. Paint it 3. Add fun words Ta-da! Obviously, I love the bold yellow!
(Of course I didn't plan ahead, so the Give is stenciled, but the Thanks wouldn't fit, so we free-handed it.)
Have you ever made or bought something for someone else and then sorta wanted to keep it?? Nah, me neither… I totally didn't consider keeping this wreath because of it's awesomeness… We got the wreath and then a plain wooden letter that we painted in yellow to match the sign. We were trying it out on my front door before we attached it.
One of my favorite little touches was the wooden crate we decorated. It had been sitting in my basement for a year with just a coat of tan paint. Here's what we did… 1. Use painters tape to block off two stripes 2. Give the whole thing a quick coat of brown spray paint. 3. Remove the tape 4. Hot glue a fabric strip in the middle 5. Add a coat of modpodge over the fabric It made the most adorable holder for one of the mums.
So here's what it looked like when we put it all together… Before
After
Because we couldn't open the front door, we just hung the wreath on the light (we were laughing wondering if the homeowners will know we didn't really intend for it to stay on the light!)
Overall, we think it turned out really cute and we're so thankful for those of you that partnered with us to make it happen. It was a very special afternoon and we can't wait to Design it Forward again!
P.S. We're double posting today… yup, we just have so much that we want to share that we need to post Twice!! So, check back later for more!
From time to time we talk here on the blog about how we try to make sure that we don't become self-absorbed or too focused on our own homes and stuff etc… It's a fine line when you're a home blogger. One way that we try to do this is by using our skills to help others! You might remember our first"Design it Forward Project" I've decided that I'm a DIYer, but I like to DIY-FO too… Do-It-Yourself-For-Others And just because I'm a little gangsta, I've now coined it…
Wouldn't it be so cool if we all became more than just DIYers, if we also loved to DIY-FO-SHO!! (If you're really, really not gangsta it's a play on words"fo sho"= For Sure) I don't know about you, but I LOVE doing what I love to make someone else's day awesome! Here's the story behind the bench pictured above! So my Kenzie girl is obsessed with animals- I mean she really likes them more than people!
She has been taking horseback riding lessons from an awesome trainer (Katrina) at All Seasons Stables for the last year. If you're local we totally recommend them for lessons (tell them we sent you!) Anyhow, near the riding ring, there was this oh-so-sad looking bench that I sat on or near for about 9 months before it occurred to me that I needed to give it a little love (okay maybe a lot of love!)
I told Katrina I was going to borrow her bench and I'd have it back the next day… she kind of looked at me like I had 3 heads as I dragged it over to my car and loaded it into the trunk. I promised her it would be worth it! The hubs was 100% on board and we got right to work.
The screws were crazy rusted, so we had to use our jigsaw to cut the boards in half…
Once they were split down the center, we took a hammer and literally banged them off!
See! I wasn't kidding. I sent Katrina a picture of the bench like this just to mess with her head a little! lol
I worked on spray painting the metal frame with outdoor paint, and while it dried, we worked on the new seat and backrest.
We replaced the old, rotten wood with new 1x3s.
Instantly it was looking better!
We painted all the wood a classic barn red to match the stables, and I decided it needed a little personalization. Using my Silhouette I added their name.
I taped around the edges to avoid bleeding and then got to work with my favorite Royal Design Studio stencil brush (I swear by this thing!)
After letting it dry, Kira and I headed back to the farm to make our special delivery. She hung out with a pony named Peaches, while I set up the bench.
I think it looks a WHOLE lot better and Katrina and her family were really surprised and appreciated it so much.
It's awesome to do a simple, little project that really makes someone else's day! It doesn't have to be a huge project, but it could still make a huge impact on someone else!
So, what do you think of my new phrase? Are you ready to DIY-FO-SHO???
Welcome Nate Show Lovers! Well, Monica and I are just over the moon today for several reasons (which I'll share in a moment), but we first want to say how flattered, humbled and thankful we are for all of your support, good wishes and super-nice comments over the past several months. We never dreamed our little blog would take off like it has, and we have YOU to thank for that. So, thanks!: ) So, here goes: 1. Remember that contest we entered called Crafting with the Stars? Well, we won. This contest was one of those things we were dying to do, but we didn't fully realize how much time and effort it would take from us. It was seriously like Design/DIY bootcamp! We are so excited to have won, since we were competing against some pretty fierce competition. In case you were wondering, here's the project that sealed the deal for us:
Check back tomorrow for all the details on how we made that amazing pallet wall, and how the room came together.
You can see how we did that fabulous fabric wallpaper here, how we transformed an old dresser into an amazing Anthropologie Dresser knockoff here, and how we took an antique table and turned into a gorgeous bathroom vanity here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. We were on the front page of The Intelligencer (our local Philly paper) today! We were happy to read such a nice article about us, and also share a little bit about our Design it Forward initiative!
You can read the whole article here, and see the video we shot with them here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And 3) Of course, our 2nd appearance on The Nate Show aired today! We know you want to hear all about the behind-the-scenes stuff, so let's get right to it! It all started with a crazy hectic arrival into NYC on Tuesday night around 10 PM. Monica and I got to stay at the very nice Lucerne Hotel a few blocks away from the studio. Well, not really stay there… we stopped in for about 2 hours after we redesigned the room.
We had a million ideas so we jumped right in and worked from 11-3 AM on our room design and then headed back to the hotel for a measly 2 hours of sleep. I must love you guys a lot to let you have a sneak peek at me getting ready that early in the morning!
Can you say tired eyes? Thankfully, after the magic of hair and makeup we looked somewhat presentable…
I honestly had no idea that Monica and I matched so exactly. We were literally just running on adrenaline at this point, and I guess we're just lucky we remembered to put ANYTHING on under those aprons. Speaking of the aprons…could anything be less attractive? But we were thrilled to have our blog initials thrown in there for all to see. (We're so not afraid of the shameless plug!: )
So, this is the room in process. This was our first time doing a redesign on the actual set of the show. It was pure madness! There were a million people adjusting the lighting, checking our mikes (mics??!) and moving things around.
Tada! This is the room after we finished the show. We LOVED the way it turned out. I had the idea to use the foam core they gave us to do a board & batten treatment on the back wall, and Monica made that idea come to life! It added such a nice architectural detail for the focal wall. We also used the newspaper to create wallpaper- this is SO easy to do. Just spray the wall with spray adhesive and then give it a coat of matte mod podge to seal it all in. But forget all the good stuff, let's chat about the elephant in the room; the mason jar disaster in the corner of the room:
Our goal was to create somthing like this:
Source: etsy.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest Unfortunately, with the limited materials we had on hand, our project didn't even come close to looking like that. Even Nate asked us what it was and if it was a place to store macaroni. Ugh. So embarassing. Moving on… (please)
Using our perfect stripe painting method, we added navy blue stripes to our chair and whipped up two little pillows to throw on there. The stencil was a last-minute addition, which we LOVED.
And yes, the most exciting part of the whole ordeal was that WE WON and are already planning our trip to Mexico to celebrate our 30th birthdays in February. Woohoo!
Ignore the fact that we sort of look plastic (tv make up is simultaneously pretty and wierd, isn't it?) and that we look extremely sleep-deprived, and take a look at the gold hard hats and yellow roses we were awarded for our hard work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, if you're new to our blog, thanks so much for stopping by! We hope you'll come and visit us again (and again, and again, and again…:) Have a great day!
Friday night we had the awesome privilege of being the special guests at Calvary Church of Souderton's Ladies Night Out. We were asked to come up with something involving DIYing and be super entertaining while 450 women looked on… yikers, no small task right?
We chatted about it a bit and then decided we were up for another White Box Challenge!! If you missed our first one with Nate Berkus, you can check it out HERE. We set up a Plain Jane, Ho-Hum room, talked through each project, starting it on stage in front of everyone, and then had 30 minutes during intermission to actually transform the room. Yes, we know we're completely insane!!
We wish all of you across the country could have come to the event- it was SUPER fun, but since you couldn't- we thought we'd share some of the fun with you!! One of the first things we talked about was using what you've got. We've all got"mad skillz" but my skillz are probably pretty different than yours. Rather than feeling like you've got to fit into a perfect mold, instead, find a way to use what you're good at- and what you most likely love- to help others. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need to serve in the traditional ways i.e. church nursery, ushering at church, helping at a food bank- and while all of those are awesome and perfect for some people, God might have gifted you in a different way, to do different things. For some weird reason, I can make rooms look pretty… not your typical serving"gift", but Jess and I have been able to use it in awesome ways- decorating the women's recovery center, Jess did the children's room at her house, our Design It Forward projects etc… Bottom line: Use what you've got, don't try and fit into someone else's mold- God wants to use YOU with the cool talents he's given you.
Then, we talked about using what you've got in your home!! We all have rooms in our houses that we'd like to change, but odds are we don't need to go out and start from scratch- so we explored ideas for making generic items awesome!! The biggest things to remember hear are #1- Don't be afraid to try something!! Working on Knock It Off, we're now 100% convinced that fear is what holds peeps back from making their home exactly how they want it! #2- Your home should reflect YOU! It doesn't need to look like a Pottery Barn catalog (although those are pretty)- it should be a place that YOU love. If that means a green piano, then go for it. If it means neutral, planked walls, then have at it! Whatever you do, just make sure it feels right for you and your family.
So, here's where our room started off… (We actually struggled to make it look"bad" Jess kept staging things nicely and I would go through and mess them up on purpose!)
The space was fine, but kind of blah- no real personality at all… Now, please forgive me… this is a blogger foul, but the after pic is from a different spot- you don't get the full room. There were 450 ladies in the room at the end and I couldn't get off stage to get a good pic. My bad! BUT…Here's the room after our 30 minute makeover!
Just a wee bit better eh? Here's a bit of a before and after all you can eat buffet, and we'll be back later this week with more project how-to info! Ikea RAST dressers are under $40 and you can do so many things with them! Here it is BEFORE…
And AFTER… We combined two to make a fun, color blocked buffet.
And in case you didn't notice… we found the biggest shade this side of the border!! We picked up this baby at a thrift shop…
We knew it had potential, it was just being hidden by a 10 foot shade… it was like a"shade-nado" Ok, bad, lame joke sorry! With some fun orange spray paint and a new shade trimmed with ribbon, it looked much better!
My official survey showed that 8/10 households has at some point owned an Ikea LACK side table. I mean at $7.99 it's almost impossible not to buy one. The problem is that it SCREAMS Ikea more than any other piece.
The good news… it's one of the easiest Ikea pieces to hack! We turned ours into a tufted ottoman with this gorgeous Ikat fabric (we got it at Joann- use a coupon to get the great price we paid!)
Another common Ikea piece is this chair… Again, so cheap, but sadly, looks it.
We added nail head detailing and paint dipped the legs in the same orange as the lamp. Added a fun pillow and suddenly this Ikea chair isn't so generic anymore!
Art can be expensive and unless to want to unload tons of cash, it's usually pretty generic. This is just blah artwork you could find at Target, Kohls, etc…
We used letters cut on paper, some spray adhesive, and spray paint to make our own custom art. The options are endless with this project.
How 'bout that for some fun before and afters?!? And honestly, every project was started live on-stage and then we finished all of them, painted the top of the wall, and added chair rail in 30 minutes! It was insanity and oh, so awesome all at once. We couldn't have done it without the help of some awesome volunteers!! Our blog readers rock and 3 awesome ladies worked behind the scenes to have all the projects ready to go for intermission. Dana, Beth, and Donna were great to work with and plus, we love meeting readers in real life!! Thanks again ladies!! Also, our carpenter and friend Matt made our entire white box before the event and then installed a chair rail and painted the teal walls during intermission in about 5 minutes flat! Matt's in the Philly area and does amazing contracting work! If you need a project done- he's our #1 recommendation! You can reach him at mattvapps@hotmail.com Tell him we sent you!!
So, all-in-all we felt like the event was a success. We loved the challenge and thrill of doing a room live, but more importantly- we LOVED being able to challenge so many women to use what they've got in their homes and also in their lives. We're honored and feel pretty darn blessed to have been given this opportunity. Check back later this week for project how-to's and other inspiration ideas for these pieces! If you were at the event… what'd you think? Are you ready to try some DIY in your own home?
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!: )
Voting is closed! To see the winners of Round 1,click here. Check back next Monday, March 18th for Round 2 projects and voting! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to Creating with the Stars 2013! Let the contest officially begin! This season of CWTS is going to be Epic and these Round 1 projects are a clear indication of the insane talent of these contestants! Just a few reminders before we get to the voting… Round 1 Challenge:
Round 1 Prize Package: We have the Best Sponsors for CWTS2013 and here's a reminder of what our Contestants are playing for this week… $50 worth of 31 Gifts products $60 worth of Twysted Yarn products $70 of Henle Headbands products $100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design (who designed all the CWTS logos!) Project featured by HomeTalk We also want to thank Homes.com for being the Official Grand Sponsor of Creating with the Stars!
Without Further Ado… In No Particular Order, Here are the Round 1 Projects…#1- Dresser Turned Modern Sandbox This dresser had no hope. It was in extremely poor shape. I mostly bought it for the legs, but after learning I was in CWTS, I thought I could do something with it. I decided to turn it into a sandbox filled with sand and dirt. What kid does not like sand or dirt?! The issue I have with sand tables is how much of an eye sore they can be. After cutting off an entire level of drawers that brought it down to kid/side table height, I placed sand and dirt inside the top two drawers. When guests come over, I simply place the dresser's top back on covering up the dirt and sand. It is an easy solution that is modern and stylish. Using a friendly exterior paint protects the furniture from the elements. Placing the dresser top on when not in use protects the sand and dirt. The two bottom drawers are functional and can be used for outdoor storage like small plant pots, garden tools, and kid toys. I used a couple of rabbit knobs for fun and green paint for a punch of color.
#2- Little League Lounger I love taking old, crappy stuff and turning it into something that I will actually use! I found an ugly outdoor folding chair at my local thrift store, and knew it would be perfect for my upcycle project. Now, I have a completely re-done"little league lounger" to use at all my boys' baseball games this summer!
Here's what the chair looked like before I worked my magic:
I added all new cream-colored webbing {with a navy pin stripe}, updated the arm rests by re-purposing an old wooden baseball bat, and made a baseball stitch pillow from an old table runner. I love how it all came together!
I can't wait for baseball season to get started so I can use my new chair!
#3- Floor Board Kitchen Island
I love our kitchen, but I've always wanted a big kitchen island where we could hang out. I wanted to take this unused space in our family room and add a table or counter. I had no idea what to use, but all of a sudden, a light bulb went off in my head. I remembered some old floor boards hidden in the basement rafters. They were dusty and worn and perfect. BAM — perfect for an old rustic island! We washed and sanded the boards, and got to work building our new favorite spot.
Add in some painted stools and we now have a space just off the kitchen that is perfect for parties, eating, hanging out, or working on crafts.
#4- Man Chairs Often the"dreaming up" of a new project can be done in my sleep, literally. But execution can feel like a trip to the dentist, one in which I go in for a routine cleaning and find I need a double root canal. The trick to any DIY project is COMMITMENT. Commit to your goal and don't let up no matter how many coats of paint are applied in vain. These previously drab, brown, faux-leather club chairs were purchased on sale for $12 each at a local thrift shop.
A bit of auto upholstery paint, steal tacks, metal coating paint, a couple patinas for good measure and some tough new casters and this thrift store find is ready for"the man".
#5- Tin Tile Mirror So, I'm still totally in shock that I was chosen to be a part of Creating with the Stars. With the first theme being"Upcycle", I wanted to do something a little different. I hit up a local flea market, hoping to find something that screamed my name, and when I saw these vintage tin ceiling tiles, I knew these were it. The fun color that looks so much like patina, the rust, the texture, the scuffed parts revealing the silvery color underneath. LOVE! They were marked $6 a piece, but I offered her $5, and she accepted. So $40 for all 8. Score!
The next stop was Home Depot for wood, and I built a simple frame. Each tile was approx 12x12, so the finished size is 36x36. Not all of the tile sides matched up when I nailed them in, so I'm going to blame the tiles and say that they're wonky, rather than my measuring (which is probably more true). A little paint matching, painting in the gaps, building a frame for a mirror that I picked up at Michaels, attaching the mirror and frame with some glue, and we're almost done.
I had the perfect spot in my hallway that was just begging for some oomph. For under $60, it's a huge statement piece that fits perfectly. I'm thrilled with how it turned out.
#6- Television Stand Upcycled to a Bar When I saw this ugly, 80’s style television stand at our local Goodwill for a whopping $30, my mind immediately started churning with ideas. I’ve been wanting to set up a bar area in our house, and I knew this would be the perfect piece to turn into a bar. It just needed a little (or, um, a LOT) of love!
I added legs and a little stand at the bottom to make it a bit taller, and gave it a few coats of navy paint (and, of course, a stencil to add some fun). I turned the drawers on either side that used to be used for VHS storage into the perfect place to stash a few bottles. And, since most alcohol bottles are all different sizes and shapes, I poured our frequently used ones into uniform glass bottles that I etched with the name – that way I can be sure the bottles fit and they look pretty to boot!
Finally, for a last little touch, I dipped some of our glasses in gold paint to make things a little more sparkly and fun. I’m so happy with how it turned out and I’m loving the extra storage! I can’t wait to put this thing to good use!
#7- Trash Pile Tire Made Trendy Table Early Saturday morning, still bra-less and in my PJs, I drove to a neighbor's house and hurled an old tire from their curb-side trash pile into the back of my car. My plan for the filthy tire was still foggy… as was my pre-coffee brain, but I was determined to turn it into something cool. After a day of deliberation, trial, and error, I determined side table was to be its fate. Let's get upcycling.
I started by giving the tire a scrub with some dish soap. Next, I tried to figure out what to use for legs. Since this tire still has the (very!) heavy rim attached, I needed something sturdy. After contemplating many possibilities, I decided to cut them out of a piece of pine left in my garage from another project. The legs were stained and attached to a plywood circle I cut for the base. Then, I glued the tire on top of that with construction adhesive, and added a smaller circle to the top of the tire to act as the table top.
I covered the entire tire in rope using Liquid Nails and"dipped" the legs in a bright citrus-ey yellow paint. I'm pretty jazzed with how it came out and can't wait to tell people I have an old tire in my living room. Ha!
#8- Vertical Blinds Headboard Why is it that bedrooms are always the last rooms to get decorated? This room had no artwork, no matching furniture, and a mattress sadly sitting on a cheap bed frame. The only good thing about it was that it was prime for a makeover!
When my parents upgraded their patio doors from vertical blinds to curtains, my mom saved the blinds for me thinking I could “make something with them.” Does this happen to all creative types? But Mom was right, those old vertical blinds were the perfect material to make an over sized woven headboard for the bedroom.
A sleek wooden frame hangs so that the headboard almost reaches our 8 foot ceilings, and two spray painted clamp lights provide adjustable lighting for bedtime reading.
Similar, but smaller, woven headboards can cost over $700, but since I re-purposed my materials, this statement-making headboard cost less than 1/10th that much. No more sad, bland bedroom for us! #9- Bicycle Wheel Clock
There are clocks. And then…there areclocks. There are clocks that tick and tock and ring and jingle and tell time underwater and sound an alarm. And then there are clocks made from a bicycle wheel with yardstick ruler hands perched on a chalkboard surrounded by roman numerals above a table strategically styled with a bicycle seat. That is one fine clock.
And the best part? I got the bicycle wheel for free. Can you even believe it? I walked into a bicycle shop and randomly explained to the resident bike expert that I wanted to make a clock and I needed a cute bike wheel that had preferably been around the block a time or two. Wordlessly he stared at me. I don't really know why. I'm sure they get that request all the time.
And then he went to the back where they keep all the spare wheels for people who come in with clock requests and he handed me this bicycle wheel. I totally wish he could see his wheel now. He'd probably charge me for it.: )
#10 Statement Piece Light Fixture
Walking through Habitat ReStore, I spotted a few egg crate diffusers — you know those grates that cover fluorescent lights in basements across the country. It's the last lighting fixture I would consider for a project but once I got around my thoughts of drop ceilings, I began thinking how neat it would be to use the grid to create any square cornered geometric shape that I wanted. At $2 each, what could I lose?
Browsing Pinterest I found this amazing light and fell in love with the arms. It's lines are simple, but make a big impact! Perfect for a statement piece! The egg crate diffuser was cut into the shape of the arms, filled with plaster of paris, sanded and painted. So that the wiring and housing wouldn't compete with the outer arms, I made a simple fixture out of metal tubing, PVC plumbing parts, and a few parts from an existing chandelier. After wiring it (and being elated that it worked!) I installed trim on the ceiling to frame the chandelier, and added a little more interest by painting alternating stripes in ivory and a light gray. Finally, I installed a gallery wall with a few fun pieces!
From a designer's nightmare to an energetic statement piece, this diffuser has come a long way! #11- Lab Station Turned Dining Room Buffet
servin' it up old school… The story of how a lonely old science lab station gained new life as an industrial-style dining room buffet. Once upon a time…on an unusually warm and sunny spring day, I was leisurely browsing a flea market when I spotted this piece and was immediately drawn to it…the color, the rust & patina, it's industrial style, and the fact that it was old and had great visual evidence of it's previous life--lots of it. As I looked closely at the butcher-block top complete with bunsen burner stains, student-carvings (i.e."jennie-loves-alex") and distress-marks galore, I knew that I had to have it--for something, but what that something was, wasn't clear to me at the time. We just had"chemistry"--I could feel it.; ) Luckily, the kind gentleman who I was buying this (very heavy) treasure from was willing to help me get it into my truck…and let me tell you: it. weighs. a. ton. Chapter Two: Fast forward to Project One CWTS: Upcycle. I knew instantly that this sad science lab station was about to have a major career change. I tossed around a few ideas, but pretty quickly decided it would be a fabulous, industrial-style dining room buffet. The hardest part was this: while I love the"vintage-industrial-rusty-patina" look and eagerly welcome it into my house, this was looking a bit too"raw" for my dining room. Well, try googling"how to tone down rust on metal, yet keep just the right amount of color and patina". If there is a tutorial for this…I didn't find it!
Chapter Three: So, I did a little DIY-science-experimenting and discovered a technique to get just the look I was hoping for. After this process I added the casters, the door knobs, stenciled on the quote and stained the butcher-block top. Add some wine, grapes, cheese…and this"new" buffet is all ready to help you eat, drink and be merry.; )
…and she lived happily ever after in my dining room.
#12-From Frumpy to On Fire, Fireplace! When I was told that the first week of Creating With the Stars theme was upcycle I was over the moon excited. Upcycling is my thing. It’s where I get my groove on. And so, it wasn’t a matter of finding something to upcycle; it was a matter of deciding which thing to upcycle. So, I took a tour of my house and gazed at all of the items that needed some good loving. And then, I sat and thought about what I wanted in my home. And, it came to me. Hmm… could I? Would it be possible? Yes… yes, it could!!
I’ve wanted a fireplace forever and ever. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But, you get the gist. And, while this fireplace/bookcase might not be the real thing it fits the bill quite nicely. I was able to create my “fireplace” from an old bookcase that was sitting in my laundry room, a mirror frame that was on it’s way to the trash, and an antique footboard that had lost it’s headboard (poor thing). The bookcase is the most important element; the mirror and footboard helped create awesome and turn the bookcase/fireplace into something spectacular.
I cut the footboard down to size and used it as the “mantel” as well as give the fireplace/bookcase a skirt at the bottom. Scrapbooking chipboard embellishments gilded, painted, and antiqued look like beautiful wood cutouts on the mantel. The trim on the sides of the fireplace/bookcase are pieces of the mirror cut down to size. A chimney that runs the length of my 12 foot wall was created with a simple frame covered in tin. The back of the bookcase was covered in that same tin for added charm. I must say this project exceeded my expectations and far surpassed the image of awesome I had for this project when I started out. I love walking into my home and seeing this and am so pleased waiting forever and ever is over!
Can You Believe That Talent? It's Time to Vote!You can only vote one time, but you can vote for your favorite 3 projects.Before voting, please LIKE EC2 on Facebook. Thanks! If you're having trouble viewing the voting box, click HERE to vote. Don't forget that tomorrow it's your turn to link up your own upcycle project!Thanks for playing along!!
I'm a mom of 4 kids… do you know what that means?? Lots and Lots and Lots of kids' artwork and school papers!
I love seeing all of their cute drawings and journal entries. I especially love seeing how much they grow and change within a school year. What I don't love… piles. I have piles of school papers everywhere! A few years ago I considered starting a little business… in my head I called it"Pint Sized Picasso" I never pursued it as a business, but I did start making books for my family. Rather than having a million boxes of papers, I make artwork photobooks!
At first it was hard to part with the piles of papers, but honestly, we adore these books! The kids love looking through their books and showing their Grandparents when they come over. Here's my method: 1. Create a massive pile for the month. As homework and papers come home they all just go into one massive mess of a pile. (My hubs loves this part!) 2. At the end of each month (approximately) I sort through the pile and toss the generic work sheets. I hide them in the garage trash can because my middle son takes personal affront to my throwing away any of his papers. 3. At the end of school year I have a massive sort party! I make a pile for each kid and then determine which items to scan and which to take pictures of (the big, bulky ones) 4. Scan and Photograph (pretty self-explanatory) I don't have a fancy scanner, but it does the trick. It's pretty time consuming, but so worth it in the end. 5. I use Blurb to make my books. They make the best books and are so reasonably priced! Remember when my handsome hubs guest posted about Blurb in this post? (There's a link on our sidebar for 20% off of a Blurb book!) Ok, so now take a look at how adorable these are… I add an"About the Artist" page with the school pic from the year and a little about what was"cool" that year.
Goodness, I could look at these over and over. They make me smile so much!
Scanning the pics preserves all the details! I love that these pictures won't be getting all crumbled and old. I have them forever!
I even put a few non-school papers in… the note on the left was one my daughter wrote when she was grounded one afternoon.
The note is too funny not to share…
One other thing I add is journal entries. I scanned lots of pages from her daily journal once it was sent home and I love reading all the cute entries. Since it's almost Halloween, I'll share a fall entry…
If you want to preview my whole book, you can check it out here. So, what do you think? Can you part from the papers and create a photo book?
**Don't forget to use the coupon on the sidebar if you make a book! ************************************************************************* Did you hear about our Design it Forward challenge? We still need donations and helpers! Check out our post HERE and be a part of this awesome project! ************************************************************************** Also, don't forget to VOTE for Crafting with the Stars! Today's the last day for Round 3! Vote HERE
**Update:Submissions are NOW open! Click here to enter! You'd better be sitting down ladies and gents, because we're thrilled to announce that we are hosting the BEST, MOST AWESOME contest in all of blogland!! Remember that contest we won last year? Crafting with the Stars? Well, not only did we win it, but we also bought it! Tam, from Sew Dang Cute, took a leave from blogging and we jumped at the chance to run the contest that helped jump-start our blogging careers. We're hoping that we can help one of YOU jump start or boost your blogging career, too! Welcome to the new home of Creating with the Stars! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're super excited because it's bigger, badder and better than it has ever been. In case you didn't notice, we've renamed it Creating with the Stars, which means no limits to the incredible stuff you can create. It's not just crafts anymore, people.
What the heck is Creating with the Stars, you ask? CWTS is the ultimate creative DIY competition that pairs 12 contestants with 12 of blogland's biggest stars to duke it out over 4 weeks. Only one team will make it to the end to claim the Grand Prize. The best part? You, the readers, choose the winners! Here's a peek into our projects from the 2012 season…
One of our favorite parts of this competition is that contestants are paired with a super famous, awesome Blog Star! We've rounded up the best of the best and we know you all would LOVE a chance to work 1:1 with any of these bloggers!
Introducing the 2013 Creating with the Stars Blog Stars!
1- Sherry from Young House Love 2- Whitney & Ashley from Shanty 2 Chic 3- Brooke from All Things Thrifty 4- Jane from Tatertots and Jello 5- Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick 6- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative 7- Mandi from Vintage Revivials 8- Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime 9- Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect 10- Beth from Home Stories A to Z 11- Kari from U Create 12- Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl That's some serious talent all in one place! And let me tell you, some of these bloggers are in it to win it-they're all about the competition!! Wouldn't it be so awesome to be paired up with one of them?!?
We also have some ridiculously awesome sponsors, who are chomping at the bit to give you some great prizes! The 2013 CWTS Prize packages Total over $4100!! A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS! We're so honored to have them! The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive: $500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods Project featured by HomeTalk
All contestants that make it to Week 4 will be given a $100 Giftcard to HomeGoods to use during the week 4 home decor challenge! The Semi-Finals Winner will receive: $500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star) $100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts $125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 2 Winner will receive: $100 Gift Card to Royal Design Studio A pair of $120 Robert Allen pillows from Chic Decor Pillows Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 1 Winner will receive: $50 worth of 31 Gifts products $60 worth of Twtsted Yarn products $70 of Henle Headbands products $100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design Project featured by HomeTalk
Here's how it all works: Submit one project that shows everyone your best stuff into the linky party here on East Coast Creative that will begin on February 5th. Projects must have been made October 1, 2011 or laterand must be your own work. You have until February 21st to enter. From those entries, 12 of you will be chosen by the blog stars and us as contestants and will be randomly paired up to work one-on-one with a Blog Star, to duke it out in a four-week competition to see who's the most creative. The Star will give suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and help so you can come up with the best project possible. Each round will have a theme and the bottom three will be eliminated based on reader votes. Once the contest is started, weekly projects are anonymous, so big blogger or rookie, everyone's on the same, even playing field! Find your favorite project to link up and be prepared to put your best foot forward if you want to survive!
What to do Now! Submissions are NOW open! Click here to enter! Be sure to Like East Coast Creative on Facebook. We're going to be messaging reminders, sneak peeks, and lots of contest info via Facebook, so you don't want to miss out! Also, start deciding what one project you want to submit for your chance to be a contestant! The sky is the limit and we're so excited to see all the amazing project submissions! Anytime you tweet about the contest, make sure you use #cwts2013 to stay in the loop and see what everyone else is saying about the contest!
If you have any questions about the contest, please email us at CWTScontest{at}gmail.com
We're so excited about our 1st season hosting CWTS and we hope you are too!! Spread the word, because it's going to be one awesome ride!
We absolutely could not do what we do without the support of some amazing people and businesses! As we head into Fall, we wanted to share a few of our Fall favs from some of our favorite people, Be sure to take notice of the coupon codes and special deals going on right now!
You know I've got baby boys on the brain, so I'm totally loving htis Joshua 1:9 Boys Print from Red Letter Words.
This adorable Dearborn Orange paper pack includes the perfect colors for Fall and with all those amazing patterns, you can create some really cute stuff! Use the discount code EC2blog20 for 20% off your order. Also, for a limited time, pay only $50 for 50 different paper packs - that's amazing! You can see what we do with our printable scrapbook paper here. Seriously…endless possibilities!
If you're local and need some professional design advice or just help getting started, Bare Root Designs is the place to go! Great design classes and rekindling the art and love to sewing are just a few of the things offered1 Make sure you check for upcoming events and classes on their website.
I actually almost squealed when I saw this Wall lighting with Opal Glass Shade from Lucent Lampworks. We can testify first-hand that Brad's lights are legit- gorgeous AND well-made (we've even used a couple custom lights on Knock It Off!) Save 10% off your order with the code EC2tenoff.
We are all about stenciling walls, but have you thought of stenciling furniture? This trendy-cool Small Step Up Triangle Stencil from Royal Design Studio is the perfect size for that boring piece of furniture you have sitting around that you just didn't know what to do with! Use the code ECC10 to get 10% off your order.
Window films from Artscape are such a great way to gain privacy or to add style to a plain window. They're easy to adhere and are non-permanent, plus there are some really cool designes like thisNew Leaf Design.
Again with the orange, but this time it's on something you can wear! This Tangerine Braided Headband from Henle Headbands is sweet and simple, but a little punchy with that orange color. I'm digging this color for Fall, for sure! And be on the lookout- I wore a Henle headband in one of our episodes and it was so cute and really comfortable!
Of course, along with a baby comes the need for a diaper bag! I've never been disappointed with Thirty-One gift bags and kind of think this Casual Cargo Purse is just the diaper bag for me! And if you hurry, you can choose any purse for 50% off when you spend $35 dollars in August! Done and done.: )
Welcome to our newest sponsor, Misty with Stella & Dot! Stella & Dot sells gorgeous jewelry, bags, scarves and more. And f or every $50 spent on Stella and Dot website before tax and shipping between NOW and September 9th, you will receive AN ENTRY TO WIN the gorgeous Frida Necklace Hello, color and more color. A fashion forward statement piece that brightens up any look and outlook. Wear it with a t-shirt and jeans or wear it out for an evening on the town. The Frida is 17" long with 2" extender, hematite plating, and lead and nickel safe.
Have you read Smart, Blonde & Crafty, yet? The completely FREE August & September edition has a great question & answer article with Karianne from Thistlewood Farms, lots of creative kids snacks for back-to-school and fun game ideas for your little ones. You're sure to find loads of inspiration on every page.
Fall is my favorite time of year to burn candles! We cant get enough of CJS Eco Chic's Heirloom Candles in scents like Brown Sugar & Fig, Apple Cider, Amaretto Spice and Cranberry Apple Marmalade. And get this: A large 16 oz candle is only $13!! Plus, because these candles are soy, they last a really long time!
12. Our favorite thrift store, Liberty Thrift is having their 15th Anniversary Sales through the month of August at all five locations! Check out the specials page. to see what they have going on this week!
13. And finally, we have to give a shout out to our favorite photographer, Stacy from Salvatori Photography. If you're in need of amazing photos and are in the area, you need to call her! She took family photos of us as we revealed the gender of baby #3 and this one of my son is a total gem that I will love forever. She's totally booked for Fall, but it's never too early to schedule your session for Spring! This girl is busy, so get on it, people! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now is the time to think Christmas presents, people! It will be here before you know it, and trust me, you can't go wrong with ANY of these incredible items. And remember- this is just a sampling of what they offer. Head over to their sites and give them all some EC2 love!: )
Recently, I was asked by the amazing woman who runs our children's ministry at our church if I would be willing to help make over the kid's church room. It is sadly void of all color, and let's face it, is a little prison-like! Carolyn has a great vision for the program and wants the room to represent that and be a place where kids are excited to come and learn. Monica and I are committed to using our gifts and talents to bless other people as much as possible, which is why we started Design it Forward, and helped makeover a few rooms at the women's recovery center. Of course, I told her, I would be more than happy to help! So here's the situation:
It doesn't scream"Welcome Kids!", does it? And here's my plan of attack:
My first step was to figure out my color scheme, so I headed to Joann's Fabric for some inspiration.
I decided to go with classic colors instead of something really trendy so that the room/colors would always be in style and appropriate for kids. I was kind of wishing I could keep the fabric on the right, because it's adorable! I actually switched out the yellow fabric for one that is a little bit more goldenrod-looking because it matches better, and because the yellow polka-dot fabric was out of stock!
I pulled the paint colors straight out of my favorite fabric,
bought a few fun accessories,
and it's off we go! (I don't know why my crazy self thought painting stripes on a cinderblock wall would be a good idea. Crisp, clean lines are almost impossible! Bah!) We're hoping to finish this room by Sunday and I can't wait to show you the big reveal.: )
A few weeks ago, we headed to New York to work with the Nate Show again. We were super excited when they invited us back! We weren't 100% sure what we'd be doing on the show (and we can't tell you… you'll have to watch next Wednesday, the 26th.) However, we did know we'd be doing something on the set and it involved DIY. That got us thinking about DIYers Must-Have Supplies… what things we couldn't do a project without. DIYers Must-Have Supplies We started making a list, and checking it twice (no, I'm not bustin' out the Christmas music this early… the day after Halloween is the acceptable date in the Mangin family!) and then we got a rolling suitcase to transport all of our DIY must-haves to NYC. Here's Jess packing up after our time with Nate!
We thought we'd share a list of our must-haves with you! You know how sometimes husbands aren't 100% sure what stocking stuffers to buy? Well, slap this list on the fridge and tell him anything on there would be a great stocking stuffer and make a DIYer very happy on xmas morn!
Of course this list is not all-inclusive, and we most likely forgot a few essentials, but it's a working document. These are all things that I have in my house right now. Well, lots of these items used to be stored in Eric's tool dresser, but we all know what happened to that!
I figured I could give you a peek into my supplies and how I keep them all semi-organized. Welcome to my basement…
Ok, I know it seems a tad overwhelming, but let me break it down a bit!
1-Caulk, spray paint, mini paint samples 2- Spackle tools, Roller heads, chalkline 3- Paint… lots and lots of paint 4- Oodles of picture frames (and dust!) 5- Extra lamp bases (from my staging days) 6- More paint… I have about 4 shelves dedicated to paint 7- Rollers, paint trays, brushes 8- Artwork, frames There's a whole lot more, but that's the main gist. The more projects we do, the more supplies we gather! How about you? What items are your DIY Must-Haves?
************************************************************************* Did you hear about our Design it Forward challenge? We still need donations and helpers! Check out our post HERE and be a part of this awesome project!
This will be quite a memorable halloween on the east coast. My kids will be out trick or treating with this backdrop…
Yup, those are really pics from my cell phone of our yard! Insanity! Before I get into a little halloween fun, let me just tell you what a crazy weekend Jess and I had. You might have heard that a certain Mr. Berkus gave us another challenge that we taped this weekend. I can't say much, but let me just tell you that snow and power outtages were just the beginning of the craziness! I can't wait until we can tell you all about it! Now, get ready for some randomness…
Every year Jess hosts a halloween party for trick or treating and then dessert. It's always a fun time and the last few years the adults have gotten into the costume fun too! Last year, I wore Kenzie's old batgirl outfit and Jess whipped up a Sherlock Holmes costume. This year we're actually going as Nate Berkus DIYers complete with the Gold hard hats from the show. Slightly cheesy, but really fun, and we didn't need to buy anything for it! Score!! (We'll post some embarassing, goofy pictures on Facebook)
I warned you that this was a random post… here's one of our favorite fall mantles from Pottery Barn. I love the sticks just wrapped up without even needing a vase. How simple!!
Source: theinspiredroom.net via Shara on Pinterest
Okay, and just to really finish this off randomly… Tomorrow is the beginning of theThanksgiving season (not sure that's even a real thing, but let's pretend it is okay?) and I think this coat is a perfect Thanksgiving Season must-have. If anyone sews and would like to knock this off, well I'd really love that!
Source: anthropologie.com via Janenifer on Pinterest
Happy Halloween!
P.S. We have some fun posts in store for you this week… Design it Forward recap, Jess' final bathroom reveal, and an awesome giveaway on Friday!
T he nursery is finally complete and ready for the arrival of our sweet babies.
At first we thought we'd wallpaper the nursery but we never did find a pattern we absolutely loved, nor a pattern that was in our price range. We also considered stenciling the walls but couldn't find a pattern worth the effort or cost. I have been wanting to do panel wainscoting ever since I tore out a 'how to' article on it from This Old House magazine years ago. It turned out that the nursery was the perfect room to do this. It added a wonderful detail and even better, was very affordable ($200 for materials). The walls are painted with Benjamin Moore's Simply White in flat. The trim, doors, windows and wainscot are painted with semi-gloss Simply White. You can go here to see what we started with when planning the nursery.
From the very beginning, I knew I wanted the nursery to have a natural earthy warmth. I find rich wood hues provide that warmth, especially with abundant natural light. I used white and gold colors to provide additional lightness to the room. I also thought that this color scheme would offer a nice neutrality for our baby boy and girl.
From the opposite end of the room, you can see the paneling detail and the antique French armoire. Draped over the chair is my old baby blanket.
Update: we added a changing table a few weeks after I took these photos. The talented Patricia Banner from Cottage by Design made this for me!
I wanted an armoire for easy access to baby clothes and linens. I also liked the idea of having a beautiful antique in the room and the rich warmth of the wood.
Baby girl clothes are on the left and baby boy clothes are on the right.
I chose a Da Vinci Jenny Lind crib in cherry to match the armoire and brightened it with white bedding.
I went with basic cotton bumpers to save on cost, but did dress them up by sewing white satin ribbons to secure them to the spindle railings. The second crib is upstairs in our bedroom where the babies will sleep at night.
I love the ornate detail of this antique frame and its beautiful gold glow. To go in it, I ordered a print of The Screech Owl by Albrecht Durer. In addition to the picture rail, we secured it to the wall as an extra precaution.
The art next to the nursing chair is a beautiful watercolor landscape my Grandmother used to have in her bedroom. I've always loved it and knew that one day it would go in our nursery. To freshen it up, I added a new mat.
The armoire mirror reflects the natural light from the windows.
After a considerable search, we finally settled on a 100% jute braided oval rug, which offers a nice softness to the room. We also like that the oval shape leaves more of the original wood floors exposed.
I bought this beautiful antique crocheted baby blanket years ago.
I absolutely love these curtains! They're a very lovely brown and white old-fashioned rose floral pattern. Putting together the nursery was a unique experience for me. Besides finding the armoire, (which I purchased early on in my pregnancy when I was much more mobile), I wasn't really able to get into Portland to shop for things. All of the items in the room are ones we already had on hand, or were able to purchase online. I hope that you enjoyed visiting our nursery. We know it will evolve over time and we'll be adding things and making adjustments as the babies grow. We're looking forward to welcoming our babies home very soon. xo Here is a resource list of some of the items we used: DaVinci Jenny Lind crib $199. (from Target) Oval 5 x 8 jute rug $130. (from here ) Jenny Lund slipcover chair $199. (from IKEA ) Floral curtains $24.99 per panel (from here ) Antique brass curtain rod and drapery rings $110. (Home Depot) Owl print $40. (from here ) Go here to read posts on the green nursery.
We've been so fortunate to have been featured on some pretty great blogs and websites, but there are a few totally awesome blogs/bloggers who have been major players in our continuing growth.
We've shared our love of Pinterest on more than one occasion and Monica even created a how-to video about it, but now we love it even more. U-Create, Vintage Revivals and Home Stories of A to Z were so good to us rookie bloggers. We hope we can pass the blog love forward to other small blogs just trying to grow in the same way they've helped us. And you already know how we feel about The Nate Show. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thanks blogging friends! We appreciate you.: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, to cap off our Giveaways Galore Week, we have an unbelieveable giveaway for you!
We both have been thrilled with our stencils from Royal Design Studio (you can see my kitchen here, and Monica's wall panels here), but there are endless possibilities and choices for you at Royal Design Studio. Just check out these beauties:
{Swoon} Ok, time for the details on how to win: The Prize is a $75 Shopping Spree on Royal Design Studio. (Includes free shipping within the continental U.S.) All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm on February 26, 2012. Winner will be announced on February 27, 2012. 1. To enter, go to the Royal Design Studio website, pick your favorite stencil and comment with your pick. 2. Extra chances to enter by"liking" the RDS Facebook fan page and/or following them on Twitter and/or following them on Pinterest and commenting so on this post. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, the winners from yesterday's giveaways: Scentsy
My Best Friend's Hair
Kotton Pickin' Kute
Congratulations! Email us to claim your prizes, girls! Thanks for celebrating our one year blogiversary with us this week. It's been fun.: )
I.Turn.30.Today. Happy Labor Day Mom! You did all the work thirty years ago, so it's sorta weird that I get all the presents, but hey, I'll take it. I'm not really one to make a big deal out of birthdays…21 was no big, crazy ordeal, although come to think of it I was pretty darn excited to turn 16 because it was my official age to start dating (and yes, I had my first"official" date on my sweet 16th) So, as 30 approached I didn't plan on it being a big deal, but honestly I found my self doing a good bit of thinking. Looking back on what I've done so far and thinking about what I want my focus to be going forward. I got to thinking… I did a WHOLE LOT in my twenties… I married my best friend. I was married for every day of that decade. I graduated college. Bought three houses, sold two. Was pregnant eight times-yes eight. I gave birth 5 times. I grew as a person. I grew as a mom. I brought four amazing babies home. I let my twin boys go to heaven. I taught high school. I owned a home staging business. I became a cyber teacher. I started a blog. I thought primitive decor was cool. I changed my mind on that one. I found my design style. Here's my thoughts in a mini, little nutshell… even though I did a whole lot in my 20s, I don't know that I've been all that intentional. I kind of go with the flow, and try and do things well. I want to be intentional. I want to do things for a reason, not just because. See these kids? They're insanely amazing.
They're the best thing I've done in my 30 years. I want to make sure that every day they feel that way. I get pretty passionate about stuff I'm doing, house projects, blog posts, Nate Show, even my work… I guess going into 30, I want to be sure that my kids feel like I'm even more passionate about them, their spelling lists, their coloring, even their ENDLESS knock, knock jokes (please make it stop!!) So that's all. Here's to 30 (it's the new 20 duh!) and here's to being intentional for the next 30 years!
And this picture made me laugh oh so hard!
Source: someecards.com via missy on Pinterest
****************************** And today, you have to go check out Red Letter Word's prints that are just perfect for Valentine's Day. How awesome is this truth?
The day is finally here! Submissions for Creating with the Stars are Open! We are so excited to see all of your submission projects!
This group of blog stars is pretty epic! One of them could be your new partner in crime! 1- Sherry from Young House Love 2- Whitney & Ashley from Shanty 2 Chic 3- Brooke from All Things Thrifty 4- Jane from Tatertots and Jello 5- Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick 6- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative 7- Mandi from Vintage Revivials 8- Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime 9- Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect 10- Beth from Home Stories A to Z 11- Kari from U Create 12- Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's just recap CWTS a bit and then we'll get onto the How To details!If you missed the announcement post with ALL the details, click hereYou can submit one project that shows everyone your best stuff into the linky party below. Projects must have been made October 1, 2011 or laterand must be your own work. You have until February 21st to enter your submission. From those entries, 11 will be chosen by the blog stars and us as contestants and will be randomly paired up to work one-on-one with a Blog Star, to duke it out in a four-week competition to see who's the most creative. The Star will give suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and help so you can come up with the best project possible. Each round will have a theme and the bottom three will be eliminated based on reader votes. Once the contest is started, weekly projects are anonymous, so big blogger or rookie, everyone's on the same, even playing field! Find your favorite project to link up and be prepared to put your best foot forward if you want to survive!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Enter CWTS:1.Link Up your Project. Use the Linky below to submit your project entry *Reminder: Be sure to link to the actual project page, and not just your homepage. 2. Grab a Button. You need to add a link back to EC2 in your submission post. Even if it's an old post, just grab the button code below and paste it into the post.
3. Follow EC2 on Facebook. Make sure you LIKE East Coast Creative so you get all the updates and info we'll be sharing there as well. (This step is a requirement to your entry- sorry to be big, bad, rule enforcers- We promise we aren't mean!)
4. Start Spreading the Word! The first 11 contestants will be chosen by the Blog Stars and East Coast Creative, but #12 will be chosen by popularity in the link party. Get your readers to come over and give your thumbnail a click- yours could be the most viewed!! (Just don't act like some weird robot and click on your own entry a million times, that's lame-o!)
And, as if you need any more motivation to enter, we have the BEST.SPONSORS.EVER!! The 2013 CWTS Prize packages Total over $4100!! A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, HomeTalk, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS.nWe're so honored to have them! The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive: $500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods Project featured by HomeTalk
All contestants that make it to Week 4 will be given a $100 Giftcard to HomeGoods to use during the week 4 home decor challenge! The Semi-Finals Winner will receive: $500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star) $100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts $125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 2 Winner will receive: $100 Gift Card to Royal Design Studio A pair of $120 Robert Allen pillows from Chic Decor Pillows Project featured by HomeTalk
The Week 1 Winner will receive: $50 worth of 31 Gifts products $60 worth of Twtsted Yarn products $70 of Henle Headbands products $100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design Project featured by HomeTalk
Okay, enough talking, let's get submitting! We're so excited to have each and every one of you!! Good Luck and May the Oddsbeever in your Favor (sorry, two Hunger Games lovers here!)
Funny how much our decorating tastes change as we age and change, I know mine have. In my twenties it was Asian style inspired by a piece of fabric, in my thirties it was traditional once I had become a real adult. In my forties it was country due to the fact we had purchased an 18th century rambling house in the country. Now that I'm about to embark on a whole new decade, which makes me cringe and creak a little, I find my tastes changing once again. Now I'm leaning toward European objects that are old, centuries old, with a crusty edge. I want things to be authentic, well, as authentic as my pocketbook will allow and I like big, oversized objects that have clean lines, simple but elegant things.
( Saladino Villa ) Who of us doesn't love stuff? Things? Objects? It's innate, we can't help but to gather, if we don't collect and decorate with objects then all we really have is an empty room. Once I reached my forties the clutter had to go but once again it's slowly creeping back in to decorate the corners of my world.
(influential styles ) As we, my husband and I, go about renovating our old farmhouse I thought I'd start a blog to ponder out loud. Have you ever noticed how much easier a project is when talked about with others? While I've done design work for others, working with my own home is always so difficult, perhaps because it isn't all about me and I'm too personally involved. So as I go about trying to decorate my home I hope you'll follow along. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to many new friends~
