My Creative Blog [Search results for Feature] 

If you missed all the amazing projects of our first annual Creating with the Stars, be sure to check them out below!

Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners Ro und 3 Projects & Winners Round 4 Projects & Winners
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Sarah's unbelieveable bedroom transformation blew us away. The color combinations, details and style of the room were simply perfect and we fell in love immediately. She had a few awesome tutorials for her projects, so we decided to break them into two posts. Today, you'll see how she made that removeable accent wall that is a great solution for you renters out there, or those of you who have Design ADD like us!: )
When I heard that this week's theme was home decor I instantly knew that I wanted to do a bedroom feature wall and a dramatic headboard! With my amazing diy partner and husband, David, we got straight to work!

Living in a rental makes it nearly impossible to install classic wallpaper and nailhead, so we decided to build a separate feature wall! We wanted to incorporate two of my favorite materials, nailhead and grasscloth wallpaper. I love the texture of the wallpaper and the dimension of the nailhead!
Want to know how we built the wall? Here we go!

We purchased three sheets of plywood from Home Depot and had them cut to 7' high. Since the feature wall is 12' long, it would need to be built inside of the room. We designed it so that it could easily be dismantled into three pieces to be removed. We tied the seams together with 1x3s and built a frame on the back with 1x3s so it was extra sturdy and straight. We then flipped it over and primed it so that they wall paper adhesive wouldn't soak in.

Once dry, we cut the wallpaper to the correct height, placed it to the side and rolled wallpaper adhesive over the primer. We then used a wallpaper smoothing tool to remove any bubbles. The steps were repeated with 4 rows across, lining up the seams. It was helpful to have two people so that it could be adjusted as needed!

For the design, I was inspired by this fantastic headboard by Annie Selke. We created the design in Illustrator, and calculated the distance between the nailhead and printed it on two sheets of 11x17 which were taped together. We then punched little holes through the dots and used a felt tip pen to lay it out on the wallpaper.
Nailhead isn't the most fun thing to apply, but once you hit a rhythm you move pretty fast! Here are a few tips that I found helpful as I went.
1. To help protect my fingers from the hammer and to grab the nailhead more easily, I used rubber finger tips on my thumb and index finger (you know the ones that they sell in the office supply stores for sorting paper and such?) When I did hit my fingers, it hurt a lot less, and they weren't even sore when I was done!
2. If your wood is soft enough, push a few in with your finger first and then hammer. This saves time since you are putting the hammer up and down less frequently. Since our plywood was soft and hard in different spots, this wasn't always possible, but it helped when we could!
3. Lastly, this feature wall took about 2,250 nails. Wow, that's a lot of nails! So it was helpful to have two people or if you have the time, break it up over a few days. Total install time for the nailhead with two people was about 8 hrs.

It was helpful to install the trim (we painted first) before the nailhead reached the edge, so we knew exactly where to stop it. We used finish nails to secure the trim and then filled the holes with wood filler, sanded and painted once dry.
Next, we decided that we wanted the wall to sit just above the trim, so we cut legs to height out of a 1x12 and secured it to the back frame. We then installed a few cabinet anchors through the trim into the wall to make sure that it was firmly attached.
This wall was pretty massive! Almost the length of the room, but I LOVE the impact that it has on the space! Just because we are renting doesn't mean that without a little creative thinking we can't have a statement wall!

I mean, c'mon. That is genius, and we don't mind saying we wish we had done it first! Ha! Check out Sarah's fabulous blog, and then come back tomorrow to learn how to make that coral headboard!
Oh yeah! One more thing! Have you linked up your favorite home decor project yet? You can do that here for a chance to be featured on EC2 and win some great prizes. Fun for everyone!: )

 I have been living in the dark ages. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but trust me when I say that blogging without a smartphone is not easy! So when AT&T wrote to us asking if we would be willing to try out their brand new HTC OneX smartphone to see how it could help simplify doing projects and blogging, I didn't even give Monica a chance to say yes. I jumped all over it so fast, she didn't know what happened (Sorry Mo!) I've been moaning and complaining that blogging without a smartphone is difficult because you can't connect with your readers on Facebook, Twitter or through emails unless you're physically at the computer, which for me doesn't happen often. I mean, who wants to sit at a computer all day instead of playing and interacting with their kids?! Not me. Anyway, let's just say that when I received this package in the mail, I literally jumped up and down, clapping. 

Not only did they send this awesome phone, they included a gift card to use for a project to demonstrate how much this phone can help you get things done. Ummmm, yes, count me in, please. I can't wait to show you what project I did tomorrow and how this phone helped me along the way! AT&T's mottos is"It's what you do with what we do", and I can't even tell you how much I've been doing with what they do. However, I'll be honest, I don't know much about smartphones or technology in general, so I'd never heard of the HTC OneX, but I figured that I would take anything over my old-school cell.

This phone far exceeded my expectations! It is so sleek, has a huge screen (4.7 inches) and is easy to use. The only problem I've had so far, is that when I'm texting, the phone autocorrects in Spanish, which is pretty darn funny. Just ask Monica. By far, my favorite feature of the phone is the camera- it's 8MP (same as the iphone) so the pictures are clear, even in low light (which happens all the time when you do all your projects at night). Here's the proof:

Of course, I've put the camera to good use documenting projects and showcasing amazing stuff we found at Clover Market.

I can't even tell you how valuable the camera is to me, though, because of the amazing pictures I can take of my kids at a moment's notice. I mean, seriously, I would-and probably will!- hang these on my walls.

The camera is just one feature of the many things I love about this phone. It takes HD video, my kids love watching Veggie Tales on youtube on the big screen, and the Beats audio is incredible. I'm telling you, this phone is no joke. And want to know something cool? AT&T gave us an extra HTC One X smartphone to give away to one of you!

Yay! That's right. All you need to do to enter is leave us a comment telling us how technology helps you get stuff done. For extra entries, like us on facebook and twitter.: ) a Rafflecopter giveaway  This giveaway will be open until Sunday, September 30th, so make sure you tell all your friends! The winner will be announced Monday, October 1st. And don't forget to come on back tomorrow for a tutorial on one of my most favorite projects I've done to date! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget that we're in the running to be the New Face of Proctor & Gamble Home! Please head over and vote for Monica. You can vote once a day, now through October 3rd. We SO APPRECIATE you taking the time to vote each day! 

HGTV Magazine is one of my very favorite things to read- I get so much inspiration in each issue… and now… wait for it… My freakin' piano is featured!! AHHHH!!! Who knew painting my piano green would be our golden ticket to the HGTV train?!?

If you haven't picked up the October issue, you really should. Then you should frame page 54… and then maybe put it above your bed. Hmm, too much?

The editors at HGTV Mag called and asked me all about my color choice for the piano. I love that they included my quote about"spunk"… In 7th grade I was given the nickname"Spunky" from one of my teachers. I guess it hasn't gone away!!

If you missed all the fun details of my piano makeover and DIY Wood Shim Wall Art, click HERE for the full post with all the info!

Okay, now I have to mention the light sconce. Our blog sponsor Brad from Lucent Lampworks custom made it for me! I explained my vision and then the two of us built it together (I kind just smiled and Brad did all the work)

Brad is so creative and amazing at his craft! If you want lights that go far beyond the run of the mill, in-stock options check out Lucent!

I also have to thank our friend Stacy from Salvatori Photography. She came over to help me take pictures of my piano- and man that lady takes awesome pics! If you're in the PA area give her a call! Salvatori Photography

Alright, I've got to go run around the block or do something to burn off all this excited energy!! (If you know me well, you know there's about a 2.7% chance of me running-ha!)
We're so excited and thankful for this awesome feature and are just feelin' pretty darn blessed by all of you and your support! Thanks a million guys!!

I don't know about where you live, but here in PA, September was the most beautiful month ever! We had more perfect days than we could count! We just LOVE fall weather! We thought we'd look back over the month, because a whole lot of awesomeness was going on!
September's Instagram… As you can see, I'm really enjoying my time off from filming! Our days have been spent going on field trips, picnics at the lake, girl's night out, and of course puppies!! Follow along my day to day on IG @EastCoastCreative

Jess' September revolved around the new little man on the scene- Bennett. Her days off have been filled with lots of family time, a date night with her hubs, and celebrating that her rings fit again! lol. Follow her on IG @Jess_EC2blog

Okay, now let's see what went down on the blog…

Reader Survey We had so much fun reading through all your comments and input for EC2. Definitely check out the stats and see who reads this little old blog. (PS you'll also learn that men are afraid to admit they love reading blogs! )

We shared the inside scoop on many of our Knock It Off Projects: Stencil Wall, How to Remove Wallpaper, Dreary to Cheery, Outdoor Sectional,
If you've missed any episodes of our show… watch them here! Knock it Off: LiveWell Network

We were pretty excited that Silhouette offered to partner with us to give you guys a sweet deal on their cutting machines! Check out this post to get your Silhouette Discount

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of this month… The Arrival of Baby Bennett! The little man made an early appearance and Jess and Kev are loving up every minute with him! He's totes adorbs people! Check out the adorable pics of Baby Bennett, And you MUST check out his awesome Nursery Reveal

We started a fun series called Right Now…What's Going on in Our World where I shared a behind the scenes peek at what's going on. And yes, it involves insane animal cuteness!! Check it out!

One of my favorite things this month was adding a New East Coast Creative Team Member! Diana is our new intern and she rocks socks!! Seriously, she is doing an amazing job, and it's been super good timing with Jess having the baby.

One majorly exciting milestone for us was having a nice, big feature of my piano in HGTV Mag. Check out the details: Painted Piano HGTV Magazine Feature, And if you want to see how I did it, check out our Painted Piano Project, and the Wood Shim Wall Art above it!

And if you didn't already know we are a tad crazy (well at least the Mangin family is), we went way, way outside the box with my How to Cut a Perfect Mohawk using Frog Tape post. He's still rockin' the 'hawk two months later!
So, all-in-all, I think September was pretty stinkin' swell! Oh, but lest you think otherwise, October just might have it beat!! Here's a peek at what you can expect… -Blog redesign & we're moving!! (to Wordpress that is!) -10,000 Facebook Fan Celebration Giveaway! -We're visiting Martha (umm, yeah THE MARTHA!) in NYC -A Playroom Makeover on a budget -Fall Decorating ideas for indoors and out!
As always, thanks for supporting EC2- we couldn't do it without you!

Last week I mentioned needing to overhaul the 1/2 bath in the hallway on our first floor. We haven't started that project yet (I'm dying to get started, but we're waiting for a little more moneycashflow first), but I know exactly what we're going to do. Like every other room in our house, I'm trying to move in the casual/coastal cottage feel. So you can expect to see lots of neutral colors, warm woods and rustic Pottery Barn-esque elements. The only thing I'm keeping in this room is the bathmat and the toilet. Everything else has seen it's last day. Here's our current"loo" situation:

On a side note: I didn't realize how badly this bathroom needed a makeover until after I took these pictures. Can we say boring with a capital"B"?

This builders-grade vanity has GOT TO GO!

Same with that terrible light fixture. How have I lived in this house for almost 4 years and not changed that thing out? Blech.

I'm thinking this mirror needs an upgrade (like a frame) or a replacement. I'm leaning towards replacing it with an unexpected mirror. Something different and unique.
Bathroom Makeover To-Do List:
1. Paint wide horizontal stripes on the walls.

Source: younghouselove.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Adore that mirror, by the way.
I love that both these bathrooms have very subtle stripes on the wall. I'm thinking a tone on tone color, or even one color, painted in stripes with different sheens (semi-gloss and flat). I love these two colors that fall next to each other in the Benjamin Moore Historical color wheel: Elmira White and Grant Beige. You almost can't see much of a difference which is exactly what I want. I'm not hoping to bowl anybody over with loud colors in this room.

Also, I'm thinking really thick stripes, maybe five total, ceiling to floor.

2. Build a vanity out of an old table or desk.

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: decorology.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Ok, this is my favorite feature for the bathroom and is non-negotiable. This means that the whole makeover has to wait until I find the right piece of furniture. I'm hoping my luck will kick in soon and my next trip to the ReStore or thrift store will be the winner. Anyway, this is obviously a job for my hubs, but I've researched it, and it really is a pretty simple project. (I can say this since I will not be the one doing it. Ha!) I also saw a few sink bowls for really cheap at the ReStore my last time in there.
3. Add decorative items that also work as storage. Since this is the hall bath, I don't need much in the way of storage, but I do want to be able to hang a few towels and keep extra soap and toilet paper handy, especially since there won't be any storage under the new vanity. I'm totally in love with these vintage ladders and would be thrilled to score one. If I can't find a real vintage ladder, I saw a great tutorial on how to make one here.

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Surprise! The ladder above is a fake vintage ladder. Pretty convincing, huh?

Source: alovelyescape.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: ballarddesigns.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I'm also liking this basket from Ballard Designs. It would go great under the new table/desk/vanity.
4. Install new lighting. The look I'm going for with the lighting is industrial. Not so industrial that it's modern, but just industrial enough to look rustic. I'm not sure if that made any sense at all, but these pictures help explain it a little better:

Source: decor8blog.com via Abbie on Pinterest
The lights above are my absolute favorites ever. If anyone knows where I can find one, please, I beg you, share the love!

Source: shadesoflight.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Casey on Pinterest
5. Add a few fun elements like artwork, possibly some decorative trim (crown moulding), and wouldn't it be cute to add a door like this one?

Source: theletteredcottage.net via Jessica on Pinterest
ReStore, here I come!
So, what are your thoughts about my Bathroom Game Plan? Am I missing anything? Is there anything you hate? Discuss!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TIKI Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I'm a huge fan of outdoor living spaces, but you all know that working outside is not our forte. Last year, though, we added some much needed curb appeal by painting our front door and shutters to better fit our style, but this summer, our goal is to beautify the back yard, which is where we spend most of our time. Of course, i have big plans for our backyard. Who doesn't?! This will just be one of those things that will have to happen slowly over time, but a girl can dream, can't she? My backyard must-haves? Let's take a look: 1. Comfortable seating. I mean, come on. If I'm going to be spending lots of time outdoors with my kids or entertaining my friends, i want to have a nice cozy spot to sit and hang out.

Source

2. A secluded area that fits in with the natural surroundings. I'm a huge fan of seating areas that are snuggled under trees or is next to big planters in a hidden spot. That's not super easy to do, since we live in a neighborhood, but I think with the right plants, we could make this happen in some way.

Source 3. Great Ambiance. Man, i love me some outdoor lighting that sets the mood and creates an unforgettable atmosphere. Sadly, in the northeast where we live, we get lots of mosquitos at night that are attracted to lights. Booo. How can we light our space without attracting all those bugs?

Source Enter TIKI Brand lighting. This is one way I can immediately get to work on my backyard, create ambiance and keep the bugs away, even if I dont' have my dream space yet. The TIKI Brand Flame & Solar Torch is super simple to assemble and use. I was so impressed with how sturdy everything was…not like those old, plastic-y ones.The coolest thing about these torches is that they come with a small LED attachment that can be used when you're entertaining around a lot of people, especially kids. You don't have to worry about someone running into an open flame, which is a huge bonus in my book. The LED light turns on automatically at night and will last 8 hours after a full-day charge.

The other nice thing about the TIKI Brand Glowing Torch fuel is that it contains OFF! for protection from bugs. The worst thing about summer evenings is most definitely the bugs, and now I don't have to worry about that either.

Monica put her TIKI Brand Glowing Table Torch. on her table Monica and it is such a cool statement piece. It works much the same way in that it has a battery-powered LED light that illuminates the globe and the torch for a live flame. It looks super fun and modern and adds another interesting light feature to her outdoor space.

You can buy TIKI brand products at Walmart and Target for under $40. They definitely add a fun ambiance to any backyard space. Don't forget to follow TIKI Brand on Facebook for lots more ideas on creating the ultimate backyard expi

Ok, we all know that the reason we love DIY and home decor blogs is that we can legitimately snoop in other people's houses. Seriously, you know it's true. Well, I'm here to please, folks, so I'm going to give you a little glimpse into the house where my family (parents, both sisters and their families, and my fam) stayed the last week. We have this awesome tradition of spending a week together on vacation every year and we always go somewhere new. This year, my dad found this gorgeous house called"Old Wintersell" right outside of the adorable little town of Oxford, which is situated on the Chesapeake in Maryland. We've been to a lot of places, but this spot was definitely in my top 5 locations. Let me show you why:

This beautiful old house was built in 1845 and sits on a sprawling 14 acres. It was impeccably maintained and obviously nicely updated. Just in case you were wondering, here's the aerial view of the house (taken from the home's website- you can see lots more pictures there. This house is for sale, too!)

The kitchen was well-appointed and had everything we needed!

Loved these decorative spheres (I would have said balls, but that just didn't sound quite right)

The butler's pantry was so big that I couldn't get it all in one shot. On the left was a desk and bookshelves, stocked with loads of Bon Appetit magazines, and on the right was the coffee station and plenty of pantry space.


The kitchen opened into the main living area, where we spent most of our evenings hanging out.

This trunk-turned-coffee-table was a fun piece that added a lot of character to the room.

The bathroom off of the kitchen was very dark and stately-the gold framed mirror was a show-stopper!

My favorite feature of the house was this enclosed all-weather sun porch. It overlooked the yard and the water in the distance, and had a gorgeous brick floor and several seating areas. It was light and airy and very long. This space had to be close to fifty feet long!

I loved the sunny mudroom, which had a long bench along one side that was rustic and perfect and an awesome shelf with drawers on the other side. I'm thinking that shelf might be a DIY project calling my name!

I didn't take many pictures of the bedrooms (I tried not to spend my every waking minute taking pictures of just the house!), but this bedroom my sister and brother-in-law stayed in was so peaceful and calm. Plus, that fabric headboard was really cute!

This was their view…not bad, huh?; )

I never would have thought to hang plates in a bathroom, but they look so sweet above the beadboard. And, that vanity with it's marble top is looking mighty fine, as well.

Now, on to the outside:


We had so much fun kayaking, crabbing, and riding the boat off of this dock. There's nothing like getting up early and walking right down to the water. Love that.

The pool was wonderful, but the fence didn't go all the way around, which made for a few nervous moms. But, we spent a good amount of time in that thing, so I can't really complain.

The back of the house and the yard were perfection to me. It felt like I was kind of living in a movie or something. The evenings were absolutely perfect: the kids played in the yard while my parents watched from their adirondack chairs and my husband and brothers-in-law check the crab traps. Just lovely.

Oh, and the flowers…

The Chesapeake is only a 3 hour drive from our house and I highly recommend it as a weekend getaway or a week-long vacation, like we had. It's quiet, peaceful and quaint. It almost feels New England-like, but is a only a short drive away. St. Michaels offers lots of cute shops and good restaurants, and Oxford has the BEST icecream place on the Eastern Shore: Scottish Highland Creamery. If you go down to Oxford, stopping there is a must.

There's nothing I enjoy more than family vacation and being on the water. Combine the two and you have one pretty amazing time.

Can you tell we loved it?

What's your favorite vacation destination? We're always on the lookout for our next one!

Source: etsyfix.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

This is a GREAT blog. I actually stumbled upon it as I was searching for great giveaways in blogland to share with you. As soon as I found A Little Etsy Love, I immediately stopped, dropped and rolled. (Ok, I didn't roll, just stopped searching and dropped everything I was doing. Made for a good visual, though, didn't it?) The entire purpose of this blog is to feature amazing Etsy vendors and give away their stuff. Just look at some of the recent products they've given away: 

Source: etsyfix.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: etsyfix.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: etsyfix.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

They have some seriously great giveaways, with a couple of them going on RIGHT NOW. Also, if you have an Etsy shop, email them with the details, and they just might pick you to be featured!

Go enter, and Good Luck!

You all know I'm cheap careful with our money, so it should come as no surprise that when I was considering what type of party I should have for my son (Bob the Builder? Veggie Tales?), I decided to go with an All-American Boy party because I could get all the July 4th stuff cheap the day after the holiday (Charlie-man's birthday is the 9th). Even though it was really affordable (yay!), I was really excited about all the cute stuff I got or made for the party. Monica helped me out with a few of the projects and then was there to help set up, so I want to send a big thank you out to her!: )

I made Charlie's invitations on Picmonkey (stay tuned for a tutorial on how to make your own!), and since I didn't have time to mail them because I am a last-minute kind of girl, I just sent them as an attachment to an email. I know that probably breaks all kind of birthday party invitation rules, but I figured my friends and family would love me anyway. I had planned on having the party at a local park so that the kids could play on a big playground, but the weather was supposed to hit 101 degrees, and we Bucks Countians can't handle that kind of heat. Thankfully, a good friends of ours let us move the party to their house so we could be near a pool. Crisis averted! (Or so I thought…)

I hit the jackpot with the Target dollar bins (is there ANYTHING you can't do with supplies from the dollar bin? Seriously, they totally should be paying me!), and cleaned out their fourth of July goodies like big stars, cute pails with handles, adorable sunglasses and a couple of other things I can't think of now.

Changing the location messed with all of the plans I had for decorating, but we managed to tweak some things and come up with this backdrop for our food table (this is pre-food. Darn that I didn't get a picture of it all set up lookin' fine!)

I love this pennant banner that we made, and can't wait to fill you in on how we made it, and what I'm doing with it now that the party is over!

I also made and printed out a few food labels (as if anyone needs help identifying Chick-Fil-A nuggets, right?!). I did these last minute-of course!- and so decided to poke a hole and stick a toothpick through to help the sign stand. Worked like a charm! Monica may have said that this was ingenious.; )

I think this table runner was my favorite feature of the whole party! It was super easy, but deserves a post all of it's own.: )

My mom gave Charlie this chair for Christmas, and I thought it would be the perfect spot for him to open his presents. We added a little banner (from Target) to the bushes behind his chair and two little pinwheels to either side. A red blanket completed our present-opening spot!

Each kid got to choose a pair of sunglasses to take home, and to help them"stay cool".

This is when the drama started. A major storm with lightening, thunder, and high winds blew in fast and knocked down all of the decorations and ended our party rather quickly! I'm thankful for such helpful family and friends who didn't care at all, and helped clean up the place in a hurry!

We took a few minutes to eat our brownie-fruit kebabs (recipe from here).

…and eat our cupcakes, and then wrapped things up.

So, it was not exactly as I had envisioned but it sure was memorable. I love this sweet, funny, little boy more than words can express. Happy birthday, Charlie-man!

Have you ever had any major weather drama during a party? Did it make you wonder why you even bother, too?; )

In talking to a few of my friends, I realized that the majority of them had NEVER heard of GroopDealz, which is just wrong. This is not just another social group coupon site, like Groupon or Living Social. While I've used those sites for cheap tickets and activities, which is awesome, GroopDealz is a whole different ball game. GroopDealz was started by a group of women from Utah who wanted to help other Stay-At-Home-Moms make money during the recession. Basically, they feature one deal a day, based on your geographical area, that is handmade and unique- they often have Etsy stores offering deals at 40-90% off! If you haven't heard of Etsy, then shame on you. (Stop everything, and go there right now. You can thank me later.) You'll receive deals on jewelry, hair bands and bows, knit hats, home decor, accessories, vinyl and so much more! This is such a great way to buy unique gifts for friends, family or yourself, at a huge discount.

Just a sampling of some of the items offered through GroopDealz… 

I missed this deal, but I SO wish I had bought one, or two, or fourteen of these for my daughter. Adorable!
Click here to get started on GroopDealz, and let the fun begin!
Happy Monday, and Happy Shopping!; )

If you missed all the amazing projects of our first annual Creating with the Stars, be sure to check them out below!

Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners Ro und 3 Projects & Winners Round 4 Projects & Winners -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sarah is back today with another awesome tutorial from the home decor project that won her the grand prize in Creating with the Stars. I love the way she built this headboard and broke it down for us- it makes any custom headboard within the realm of possibility! Plus, it looks unbelievable with that grasscloth and nailhead accent wall!

To complement the accent wall, we wanted to create a headboard that wouldn't compete yet wouldn't get lost against the nailhead and grasscloth.
We made a plan and gathered our supplies.
1/2" plywood (1 sheet cut to width of bed frame, ours was 62.5") 2x8" (x2) 1x8 (x2) 1x3 (x4) coral curtain panels from Target heat n' bond batting
I drew a few diagrams for the basic construction and dimensions of the headboard. See below for some the specifics on the upholstery. Measurements are for a queen bed frame. Note: make sure to measure your bed frame first, in case yours is different! You want to make sure that the frame will fit inside of the arms.

For the arms, we screwed a 1x8 and a 2x8 together, measured and drew the circle with a lid. We then followed the line with a jigsaw to cut it out (we did remove any screws that were in the way first!).

For the foam, we cut a 3" camping pad in half and attached to the plywood with spray adhesive.
Next we upholstered the back piece by wrapping in batting and then fabric. To make sure that the top was pulled evenly, we attached a thin strip of scrap wood and pulled tight. This made it much easier to get an even look!

Next, we cut the fabric to wrap around the entire arm, starting at the inner part of the arm, we put a few staples in (on the inside so it stays in place while you attach the arm), we cut little holes in the fabric at the pilot holes (where arms attach to the frame). We then installed the arms with heavy duty screws (we used cabinet anchors) and attached it to the 1x3 frame.
Then we finished upholstering! We pulled the fabric tight around the arm and stapled, leaving it loose at the top. We cut the angles, almost to the edge, but not close enough so that it frays to the side of the arm, pull tight and staple. It doesn't have to be pretty on the top because that will be covered next. We cut a band of fabric the total height of the arm (accounting for the bends) plus a few inches and the width (2.5") of the arm plus enough fabric to fold under (at least.5" on each side, so at least 3.5" total). We folded the raw edges under and pressed with a hot iron so that the edges were crisp and attached the band to the arm with no-sew adhesive (my preference is Heat n' Bond) and a hot iron, staple to secure the ends.
That's it!

I finished the bed off with a few DIY pillows. The euro pillow shams are made from a white table cloth and a scarf from World Market. Since the scarf was translucent, I doubled it up with the white table cloth. The throw pillows are white shams from Ikea, I then painted a border using painters tape and latex paint with fabric medium. The bolster pillow is a kitchen towel from World Market and the left over headboard fabric.

I love how the grasscloth slightly shimmers depending on the lighting.

The nightstand is from World Market, the sphere from TJ Maxx and I picked up little letters (to spell his and hers) from a local antique store. Books were wrapped in paper from the Paper Source.

Hydrangeas and Ranunculus are two of my favorite flowers!

This week was sponsored by Home Goods, and if you've read my blog, you probably know that I'm pretty obsessed with the Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls brand! I love the thrill of the hunt, designer names and the affordable prices!
I picked up a cute accent chair, fluffy white rug (my puppy love it too!) and the white sphere!

Finally, here's where we got everything!
Headboard: Fabric Coral drapery panel from Target (x2), Batting,

3" camping foam from Home Depot only $20!
Feature Wall: Grasscloth wallpaper,

Nailhead (we used about 2.25 boxes),

Trim- I found 2.5"wide synthetic trim from Home Depot on clearance for $4/8ft board
Accessories: Night stand (World Market — not on website), decorative sphere (TJ Maxx), His and Her letters (local antique shop), Throw pillow on chair, chair (TJ Maxx), lamp and lamp shade, duvet cover
I'm crazy about our new transformation and I hope you love it too!

We totally love it too! Well done, Sarah! We 're ready for you to make a trip to good ol' Bucks County to fix up our master bedrooms. Any time.: )

P.S Have you linked up yet?

Not everything in the October, 2010 House Beautiful feature of this NYC apartment resonated with me. Some of the mixes of English Country/Indian/Contemporary took me a while to warm to. But when I saw this fabric-covered desk, it was LOVE at first sight. It looks just like my West Elm parsons-style desk.
I am so doing this!
Images from House Beautiful, October 2010. Nancy Tilghman's apartment designed by Daniel Sachs. Images by Ngoc Minh Ngo

I'm happy to share that I'm in the October 2010 issue of The Crafts Report Magazine!

This is especially exciting for me as not only have I been a reader and avid fan of the The Crafts Report for years, but because this is the definitive journal for high end handcrafted art.
A while back I was interviewed for an article on using social media to market your artwork. The piece is entitled Expand and Enhance Your Business with the Internet (written by Nancy LaFever) and is one of the feature articles in their October issue, which is their Special Internet Marketing Issue.

This is the necklace that accompanies the article.

Visit The Crafts Report Magazine online at: http://www.craftsreport.com/

When we opened submissions for Creating with the Stars on February 4th, we had no idea how how incredibly amazing the submissions would be. Really, we knew we'd get some good ones, but this was out of control! You guys made choosing so.incredibly.hard! We want to thank all 361 of you that took the time to enter. It has already been a great start to our first season!

Without further ado, let's get down to business… Introducing the Contestants for CWTS2013 (In no particular order)

1. Janel

#23 Boys Bedroom Makeover on a Budgetand her Blog Star is… Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl!

2. Jourdan & Ashley

#33 DIY Barndoor Headboard

and their blog star is…
Beth from Home Stories A to Z!

3. Sarah

#48 80's Chandelier to Glass Mirror

and her blog star is…
Brooke from All Things Thrifty!

4. Jane

#75 DIY Plank Wall

and her blog Star is…
Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime!

5. Amanda & Corey

#131 Handmade Dining Room Light

and their blog star is…
Beckie from Infarrantly Creative!

6. Nancy

# 137 Owen's Nursery Makeover

and her blog Star partner is…
Kari from U-Create!

7. Jessica

#164 Anthro-Inspired Inventor's Bell Jar Lamp

and her star is…
Mandi from Vintage Revivals!

8. Sarah

#223 Herringbone Metallic Artwork

and her blog Star is…
Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick!

9. KariAnne

#243 Shutter Wall

and her blog stars are…
Ashley and Whitney from Shanty 2 Chic!

10. Nat & Holly

#281 Living Room Makeover

and their blog star is…
Jane from Tatertots & Jello!

11. Ann Marie

#344 Mom Cave Makeover

and her blog star is…
Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect!

12. Melissa

#345 Bedroom Reading Corner

and her blog star is…
Sherry from Young House Love!

Aren't those projects amazing? It's going to an incredible season! The first week's challenge is a fun one. Week 1: UPCYCLE

You Can Play Along with CWTS Too! Now, if we could have chosen all of you, we would have. We still want to showcase all of your talent and project. For every weekly challenge, we're going to have a link party where you can link up one of your favorite projects that fit in with the weekly theme. We'll pick our favorite project each week and we'll feature our favorite here on EC2. Get your Upcycle DIY projects ready for week one, starting next week!
And we're sure don't need reminding, but just incase… we have an EPIC prize package! 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. 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 Lamp works 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 Twysted Yarn products $70 of Henle Headbands products $100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design Project featured by HomeTalk

The evolution of a house and style is an interesting thing. I take great pleasure in changing, rearranging and tweaking the rooms in my house. My style has changed pretty drastically (since I basically started out my married life with no style preference at all), but I'm still developing my tastes and preferences. Things rarely stay the same for long, which is exactly how I like it. My desire is to create a home that is comfortable for my family and welcoming to guests, that is pleasing to the eye, but that is also practical for raising two kids. I'm fairly certain that this will be a life-long quest. However, money and time (or the lack there of) make it a little more difficult to decorate and change things like I'd like. Kevin and I have had a few rough years financially, and so, I am finding that if I want to redecorate, I have to be resourceful and creative, and most importantly, learn how to repurpose items we already have. I've been learning the very difficult lesson of contentment (Melissa, at The Inspired Room, said this about contentment that really resonated with me), and am realizing that I don't have to have the perfect house, just one that my family considers beautiful and can enjoy living in.

With all that said, Monica and I will be showcasing our houses to you; not because they are perfect, far from it actually, but because they are a huge part of who we are. So, welcome to the evolving house.

This is C1's bedroom. Just recently, we changed her over from a toddler bed to a full-sized bed. In one afternoon, it seemed like she grew older right before our eyes just because of the furniture! I love her room- it's girly and sweet, but can also really grow with her. We painted the walls a really pretty shade of green (I'm sorry I don't know the paint color anymore!), and we used all-white furniture. Every piece of furniture (except the headboard) is hand-me-down or was hand-made by my hubs. Her cute butterfly and flower bedding came from HomeGoods and was a gift from my mom. She has a great dormer window, in which Kevin built a toy box/window seat. When we were creating her baby nursery, I envisioned that little space as a great reading spot for her down the road. For now, she uses it to play and look out the window.

This shelf came from my mom's attic (she has a great supply of decor and furniture she's not using and is really generous with it!). I made the monogram, using adorable patterned and hot pink card stock, and put them in frames we already had. I hot-glued ribbon to the tops to make them a little more feminine.This monogram project cost me no money at all, since I used items I already had! The little porcelain shoe to the left of the frames was a gift from her great-grandmother and has all her birth stats painted on it.

This is my favorite feature in her room. Inspired by something I saw in Pottery Barn, Monica and I created a tree stencil for the walls. I then hand-painted the trees (there are two of them- one on either side of the dormer window area), and added leaves and pictures of our families to make it a family tree. One side is the hub's family, and the other side is my family. I wanted C1 to have an understanding of the importance of family, and how blessed she was to have such a Godly inheritance, from an early age.

Isn't this chair the most precious thing you've ever seen? Ahh, I can't get enough of it, and you'd never guess that I got it at Big Lots for $40!

But really, these pictures show what I love most about this room: My two kids living in it.

Are you looking for the link party for your Creating with the Stars submission? Yay! We're thrilled to have you! Click here or use the button below to link up. Submissions are now open until February 21st. If you want to read more about the contest and all that it entails, click here.

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*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*
Wow, two awesome giveaways in one week! We love it when that happens! A while ago I posted about my Instagram frame and a few other options to display your favorite IG photos. Nate emailed me shortly after asking me if I had ever heard of InstaThis, a brand new company that takes your Instagram photos and prints them directly onto wood or acrylic for a really unique piece of art. We checked it out immediately and thought it was so cool. What better way to introduce you to a new awesome company than to do a giveaway?!!

Of course, we never like to do giveaways unless we personally have tried the product so that we know we're promoting good stuff to you guys. It's important to us that the products we introduce to you are quality, and let me tell you I was thrilled with this one.

I ordered one of my fav pics of the hubs and me and decided on the wood option and it turned out beautifully. The photo is printed directly onto the birch wood so that you can still see the grain of the wood. It creates a really awesome effect that looks much more like a piece of art, instead of just a plain old picture.

It also comes with all the mounting hardware you need and a custom slot in the back that allows for easy adjusting and hanging. I love that feature.

I'm super happy with my print and love that it gives me just one more way to use my instagram photos in my home. I haven't decided where I'm going to hang it but for now, it's sitting pretty in my dining room.

One lucky reader will win (one) 12x12 print from InstaThis!
The giveaway will be open until midnight on Monday, February 11th. The winner will be revealed on Tuesday, February 12th. To enter:
1."Like" us on facebook! 2."Like" InstaThis on Facebook 3.Leave a comment telling us what photo you would print and why!
All three of these are mandatory. Thanks!

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED* Use the code ECC15 for 15% off your order! Offer is valid until March 1, 2013 And oh yeah, we'd LOVE for you to follow along on our Instagram journeys, Eastcoastcreative and Jess_EC2blog. We promise, it's pretty darn fun.; )

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One last thing! Thanks to everyone who entered the In or Out Media giveaway earlier this week! We have a winner.: )

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This post was sponsored by InstaThis , who provided us with our wooden prints and whose concept and mission we love. All thoughts and opinions were our own and we'd like to thanks InstaThis for providing a special discount code for our EC2 readers!

First things first:

Today, Mo and Eric are celebrating 10 crazy years of marriage! I can't believe we're old enough to be able to say they've been married for 10 years, and I'll deny it until I'm blue in the face. Go ahead. Try me. Anyway, these two are such a great couple- generous, open, hospitable, fun and talented. Plus, they have four adorable kids to show for those 10 years. Congrats, guys! Love you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, it's business time. (Haha- that reminded me of the Flight of the Conchords song. Hilarious. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?) You may have noticed that Monica and I have taken this week to catch our breath, so you're not seeing many new projects (trust me, we have tons up our sleeves!). We've been downright exhausted after the Crafting with the Stars contest, and our most recent Nate Show makeover. But let me take this time to share an opportunity with you:

Do you or someone you know have a business or product you want to have advertised? We are looking for great shops or products that are representative of who we are and what we would buy or do.We really want to promote other creative people out there! Or, do you have a blog and want to increase traffic? This would be a great way to do that! We have grown by leaps and bounds the past few months, and it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon (crossing our fingers!: ) Seriously though, now is the time to partner with us!You can see our current rates here, and if you'd like more info, we'd be happy to send you our media kit that is chock full of all the juicy good stuff, like our detailed stats, who are readers are and what we're all about. We so look forward to hearing from you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And finally, I promised you a bathroom reveal this week, but I'll be honest, this has me stumped:

Notice anything? Yup, those ugly, exposed pipes under the sink are just killing me. My beautiful antique table turned vanity is being marred by the pipe's disgustingess.

We are trying to figure out a solution that doesn't include redoing all the plumbing (not happening- my hubs does have his limits).

Our first thought was to wrap the pipes in rope to make it a decorative feature, but I'm not sold on that idea. We're also toying around with the idea of building a small, removeable box, painting it the wall color, and then sliding it over the pipes. Ahhh, decisions, decisions! Thoughts? Until I figure this one out, we'll be saving the big reveal… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a great day and Happy Thursday!

Last year Jess and I shared with you our 2012 goals for our homes, the blog, and our community. We did a pretty good job chipping away at our lists (more on that later). This year, we're going start with our goals for this little ole blog. We have some fun changes and some big aspirations for EC2 in 2013. This is kind of like"What to Expect When You're Expecting", but a blog version! Here goes…

For the first two years we've pretty much kept it all DIY projects and home decor on the blog. Occasionally we've shared some of our lives and what's important to us. From all your emails and comments, you like the inside scoop, so we're gonna give it to you! We plan to work in the occasional post about our friendship, how we survive as moms (did you know Jess' son is a super picky eater? Well, soon you will), and just life in general. Don't worry, we'll still be focused on DIY, but just injecting a bit of"Us" along the way.

Holy moly we are beyond excited about this one. Here's a BIG hint- we're going to be hosting a contest that we won last year! We purchased it back in October 2012 and will be giving you all the details soon. Think HUGE prize packages, some crazy famous bloggers, and you!

In 2013 we're going to invite you into our casas (I'm fancy because I took four years of Spanish… casa = house. Ha!) We'll be adding home tours to the blog. You'll get to see the layouts, finished rooms, rooms in progress, and the downright ugly, unfinished. Trust me, this will boost your self esteem! We hope to have these up in the next month.

Blogging can feel like a one-way conversation sometimes. We love interacting with so many of you on Facebook (don't already LIKE us? Go do that now, then come back and finish reading)

and other social media outlets, but we also want to have an intentional forum for Q & As. About once a month we'll be answering your questions (anything goes) and giving you ideas on your own design dilemmas.

We'll admit that we loved seeing our names and faces in HGTV Magazine and Ladies Home Journal in 2012 (ok, I-Monica-didn't love seeing my face. Can you say Bad Pic?) We've made it a goal to have a full article or feature in another publication. I was doing a little magazine research and do you know that these are actual magazines: Bacon Busters, Miniature Donkey Talk, & Girls with Corpses… Umm, I don't think you'll find us in those, but who knows, maybe Bacon Buster readers need some DIY help?

We never want to compromise our commitment to keeping it real here on EC2, but we do want to provide you guys with better pictures. We'd like to be more intentional about learning about photography and using what we learn to take it up a notch with our blog pics. Don't worry, we'll still take plenty of cheesy midnight pics that look so grainy you think they were taken in 1963.

Yes, we know the"Big Screen" refers to movies, but saying"be on TV" doesn't sound as fancy. Jess and I are both Big Idea people and when you combine the two of us, the combo can be pretty intense. We loved working with Nate Berkus on his show last year and we were surprised how much we enjoyed the process of working on a TV show. So, I'm happy to announce that we'll be taking over for Whoopi and Barbara Walters on The View! Ok, nope that's a total lie… we are however, in the early stages of pursuing our own TV show. We've gotten feedback from so many of you that you'd watch us again, so we figured we'd give it a shot! If you think it's something you'd want to watch, be sure to leave a comment or email us and let us know! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, tell us: What do you think of our goals? What would you like to see us do this year? What are your big plans for 2013?? As always, thanks for joining us on our blog journey!

We loved Amanda's project this round because they did some things we're totally into… Everyone knows I have a thing for yellow (check out my yellow dining room buffet here). We also use our projector any chance we get (check out Jess' gigantic shaped frame), and we just love that they were willing to stage their garage to get the PERFECT look! Well, it paid off, Amanda! Now, tell us how you made it happen… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have to admit, I was pretty stumped with the paint round at first. I'm not super creative when it comes to thinking up wall art or paintings, and I didn't have a lot of ideas in mind for what I could do. But then, I remembered this little guy sitting out in my garage:

Corey and I have had this Bjursta sideboard from Ikea in our garage for a few weeks now — my sister was getting rid of it and asked if I wanted it, and I rarely turn down free furniture, so I said yes even though I didn't really have a plan for it. Corey and I figured it could live in our garage when we convert it into a family room (which we fully plan to do ASAP!), but that was the end of the plans we had for it. So, after a brainstorming session one night, Corey and I landed on a plan — we'd give this guy a makeover and set it up in a high-contrast room. The goal was punchy, modern, and fun. After some debate, we landed on this color palette, with paint from Home Depot.

(The colors are Sunny Side Up by Behr, Cordite by Home Decorators Collection and Totally Black by Home Decorators Collection) We started off with a black wall…

We just painted one of the walls in our garage for this particular project — down the road once we convert it, we'll probably do the rest of the walls black as well (or 1-2 black and the rest white), but I didn't want to go there yet. So, if you back up from our shot a little bit, you'd see…

Just Keeping it real, y'all. For contrast, we picked out a super rich, mustard yellow for the sideboard.

(Obviously this is not the finished sideboard — just with one coat on it! Just a reminder that things look crazy before they start to look good!) On the walls, we originally planned on just hanging a gallery wall, but when I got the idea to paint a world map on it, we knew it was the way to go. We pulled up a good map online and used our projector to get it up on the wall.

I was surprised by how quick it was to get the map painted — we just used some small paintbrushes and I outlined while Corey filled in. It took about an hour and a half from start to finish, which is way better than I expected.

(Yes, we do DIY projects in our pajamas. Don't you?)

Once everything was all finished and dry, we decided the sideboard needed a little something extra. So we grabbed some paint in the same color but a different finish (the main part is high gloss, the details are flat), and used the projector again to add some numbers. It's a super subtle detail, but we love that about it — when you're looking from straight on, the map is totally the star. But if you shift yourself a little to either side, the numbers suddenly jump out at you.

After the numbers were finished, it was just time to style! We added an Ikea rug to hide the concrete floor (and to add some pattern)…

.added a lamp for some height…
.

.
…and then we finished it off with a few accessories and books. And it looks a little something like this:

I'm pretty head over heels with this little set-up, and I'll admit — I'm sad it's in our garage because I can't gaze at it every day! But, hopefully we'll be able to tackle the rest of this room pretty soon and I can go stare at it anytime I want to! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk about dramatic! Amanda's garage is now the prettiest one we've ever seen! It has been so much fun to browse Amanda's blog. One thing that caught our eye is this China Cabinet makeover. The chalkboard paint is such a fun surprise at the back and we loooooove that hardware.

Plus, this little table-length succulent trough is too cute!

We have two more awesome tutorials from Melissa and Sarah tomorrow and Saturday, so be sure to come on back. Also, if you haven't linked up your favorite paint project, you can do that until tomorrow at 10 PM EST. We LOVE seeing all the incredible things you guys do in your homes! We'll pick our favorite and feature it here on EC2 on Sunday!

For my rookie post, I thought I’d stick with something I know and love… community. Community to me is all about relationships, REAL relationships… Remember how in college (yes, think way back) there was a group of friends that you always did fun stuff with on the weekends? Movies, Concerts, Cow Tipping (okay we tried it once just to say we had.)? Well, why do we so often assume that once we’re married and have kiddos, that we have to give up on regularly getting together with friends and we don’t make time for fun, non-kid activities? Don’t get me wrong, I love all the kid-friendly stuff we do with other families, but come on, how awesome does a night out with people you love, doing something out of the norm, and filled with adult conversation sound? To me it sounds heavenly and that’s why we started Group Dates a few years ago. Had Jess and I known we’d be blogging about it, we might have coined a trendier name, but for now - Group Date it is…

Group Date:

What? A once a month (ok maybe we’re slightly inconsistent, but once a month's the goal) couples date with friends.

Where? Anywhere! One couple is assigned to plan the date- the more fun and creative the better. Get us out of the suburban Applebee’s and a Movie routine!

The Real Housewives of Bucks County are going to help you start your own Group Dates (umm, so open to a cooler name for these.) Each month we’ll give you an idea for a new outing that you can invite your posse to. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking…

Rock it Out…

I recently took my daughter to a birthday party here, and while watching the kids climb like crazy and have a blast, we decided this would be a perfect group date! Our competetive group of men will love creating challenges and showing off, and the girls, well… we're just thankful we're already married before we allow our husbands to see us strapped into the completely unflattering waist harnesses. We think this is a great group date because it's active, it's throwback-to-your-childhood type fun, and it's super affordable.

Doylestown Rock Gym We also usually like to plan an activity and then follow it up with dinner so there's time to talk and see what's going on in eachother's lives. There are so many great restaurants in Doylestown, but for this date you'd want to choose something that's on the caual side. Our guys love Smokin' Lil's and its casual atmosphere would be perfect for some hungry mountain climbers!

Just a Taste…

For those with slightly more sophisticated tastes, a group wine tasting makes a great Group Date. There are so many vineyards in Bucks County that we'll do a future feature on all the places to visit, but we took our posse to Sand Castle Winery in December and had a fun time tasting, learning, and most likely making our host crazy with our lack of wine knowledge! We know a wine tasting isn't for everyone, but if it fits in with your group of friends, it can be a fun way to learn something new.

A wine tasting tour would better fill a whole evening- pick a few vineyards and visit them all. Choose the families with the coolest swagger wagons and pile in together. Remember, REAL community… it doesn't matter if there are old sippy cups, or crushed golfish in the seats. Real Housewives of BC's December Group Date

Don’t let yourself be convinced that you don’t have time, or this is just a kid phase of your life and you’ll spend time with friends later in life. Make a commitment to increasing community and fostering the relationships with the people God has put in your life. Get out there and plan a Group date!

What are some dates your friends would enjoy?