Candice Price Garden Design Landscaping Description for Monica
“I began with Monica’s bright bold design flavor and her newly painted chartreuse green door. I started by finding some plants that would complement that color and then some that would contrast nicely with it. I chose the cherry trees for the spring color and the dark purple bark; the red buds for the spring blooms and the deep purple leaves all season.
I suggested placing some of the amazing rocks found on her property in a couple of anchoring positions and softening them with the Hinoki Cypress which bring in that chartreuse color as well as the golden thread Cypress. I chose the the hydrangea paniculata for their bold color that lasts a long time and to add a soft feminine feel in between the evergreens. The dark green shiny leaves of the Cherry Laurel (evergreen) is also a nice splash of bling and contrast. The Cherry Laurel is near the porch and walkways because of its incredible smell early in the season. I also tried to pick a “foundation” of plants with lots of color not only during the growing season, but also throughout the winter; the cypress, the cherry laurel, the abelia, and junipers are all evergreen. The smoke bush is also a favorite of mine and I thought would be an incredible pop of color to contrast the yellow greens. The choices I’ve made also have layered rhythms of heights that create a mystery and intrigue as you travel on the walkways. The Smoke bush is a large bush but not as large as the trees. The trees however are perfect for the front yard because they are small trees and won’t overpower the shape, size and frame of the house. The Abelias and Junipers are both evergreen shrubs but they would be considered ground cover. The Abelia will only get 2’ tall and spread out to 3’ and the junipers (notice the blue color that will go really well with the yellows and the purples) will only get about 8-12” tall and spread to 18” or so. This is a nice foundation that spreads out and creates a garden area but leaves ample room for perennials and annuals along the edges of the walkways and around the porch. I also suggest a couple foliage perennials: Black Mondo Grass and The Heuchera Obsidian. These would be gorgeous bold accents all season in between your plants. I would suggest any annuals that are in the blue, purple, pink, yellow, orange, or chartreuse color families would just make this incredible! “
H appy first of September to you! The neighboring orchards are bursting with voluptuous ripe pears. Looking down the long green corridor always makes me want to run wild past the sweet smell of the fruiting branches. As with the dahlias, the pears bring a bittersweet feeling of joy and melancholy as another September harvest will soon come to a close. But the beauty of the four seasons is that as one season comes to an end, another spectacular new season begins. Saying goodbye to summer would be so much more difficult if the approaching fall season didn't offer such a wonderful promise of warm fuzzies. Autumn colors, cozy sweaters, misty mornings, quiet evenings, a warm fire....and of course, the anticipation of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And this year, our most anticipated occasion of all — the birth of our sweet little babies. xoxo Leaving the pear orchards, I found myself singing... On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.... A Partridge in a Pear tree.... On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.... Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear tree.... On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.... Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear tree.... ....and on it goes. xo
Ladies-and the approximately 1% of readers who are dudes-, we have awesome sponsors. They are the ones who make the rest of our posts and projects possible. Not only do they support us, but they have some pretty cool stuff in their stores. We've rounded up some of favorite items for a cozy Fall season. Make sure you don't miss the discount codes and special promotions!
1. We are digging on this Antique Thread Display Drawer from Nachokitty. It could serve so many different purposes: jewelry organizer, craft supply organizer, or pretty display for your tiny treasures. Don't stop there, though. You should definitely take a look at their Etsy shop- I could browse their finds for hours!
2. I love this Industrial Table Lamp from Lucent Lampworks! I can see it snuggled up to some pretty Fall decor on a mantel or side table. Love. it. To get 10% off your purchase use the code EC2TENOFF.
3. We're heading into the holiday season, and it's always good to have small gifts on hand for teachers, neighbors etc. Stock up on these Premium Soy Candles from CJS Eco Chic in the mini 4 oz. and you won't ever have to worry! And oh man, the holiday scents are to die for!
4. We love using non-traditional materials for headboards! How about this fireplace mantel headboard? Not bad, right? Architectural Antiques is hands-down our favorite place for incredible salvaged materials to repurpose.
5. Did you see Mandi's Epic Room Makeover. She used the Nova Trellis, from Royal Design Studio in the bathroom and well, it is fabulous. As a thank you to their 10,000 FB fans, RDS is offering25% of all orders through Sunday with the code WELOVEU.
6. You've all been waiting for Monica's big patio reveal, and tomorrow, the wait is over! They couldn't have done it without Stone Depot, and their super helpful staff. Now's the time to build an outdoor fireplace or firepit, and they guys at Stone Depot have everything you need to make that happen!
7. We can't seem to control our love for photo canvases from Canvas People! Right now you can buy a 11 x 14 Canvas for only $15 from Canvas People and $1 of every order will be donated to help fight Breast Cancer! If you need some inspiration for what to put on a canvas, check out this post! 8. Not gonna lie, once the holiday season starts (right after Halloween, in my opinion), I often need a reminder to stop and be thankful for all that I have. This 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Print from Red Letter Words makes a perfect visual reminder of that very thing…and it looks cool, too. Check out the fun new turquoise color, too! They also have a really fun, very sweet Print of the Month focused on the value we women have, and you will receive 20% off this entire section through the end of this month. 9. We love Moo & Puppy digital paper so much, we even wrote a post about all of it's many uses! I'm really liking the fall-ish colors of the Retro Digital Scrapbook Paper. Use the discount code EC2blog20 for 20% off your order!
10. We all know that Thirty-One Gifts has cute and affordable bags, but the one item I've had my eye for over a year is this small Magazine Basket. I love it's shape and versatility! Plus, you can personalize all baskets for only a few dollars more. Right now, mention EC2Blog when you order any basket and get any second item in the catalog 31% off. To place your order, click here and shoot an email to Amanda with your order.
11.Liberty Thrift Store is hands-down our go-to thrift store. Did you know that we found the chair we reupholstered for the Nate Show there? You never know what you'll find thrifting, but it's always fun! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wait, one more thing! We're happy to announce that we're accepting new sponsors! We have a few openings that we would love to fill, so if you have a business that you think we'll love and can help you promote, send us an email at eastcoastcreativeblog@gmail.com! Seriously, what better way to sell your stuff than to have two loud, passionate, crazy women on your side?! For all the nitty-gritty info about our sponsorship opportunities, click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a great day, and be sure to stop over and say hi to our wonderful sponsors!
We're so sad to see this Fall-lover's series come to an end already. It feels like we're just getting started! You can catch up on Days 1-4 here, here, here and here. But because we just can't get enough of this season, we're going ahead and giving you our Fab Find: Top Fall Finds 1. Create a Bucket List. Fall is chock full of fun things to do with your family. Print out a must-do list like this one… Update: We found out who created this adorable printable: Katie at Loves of Life! Go on over to her super cute, super fun blog to get your own printable! Thanks, Katie.: )
Source: i1101.photobucket.com via Jessica on Pinterest …or create a custom one using Picnik for your family and hang it up. I'm putting mine in a frame (with the glass still in it) in the kitchen and will use a dry erase marker to place check marks in the boxes of the ones we did! That way we can use it year after year…let the traditions begin! 2. Fill your home with the Scents of Fall. Mmmmm…pumpkin pie and spiced apple cider. I don't know anyone who doesn't love those smells. Load up on candles in scents that remind you of the season (my fav is Autumn Wreath from Yankee Candle. Get a $10 off coupon here).
1. Yankee Candle 2. Jack-O-Lantern Pomander 3. Fragrances of Fall 3. Traditions. Every year we go on the same hayride that takes us to the same pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins and we usually run into friends while we're there. (Bob White Acres, for those of you who are local. It's the best!) And we always host a Halloween party before all of our kids go out trick-or-treating together. Monica and Eric usually host at least one firepit and smores night during the Fall, too. It doesn't matter what it is- just do something this year that you'll want to do again next and the year after that. Traditions make the season something to look forward to!
4. Wear a Dressed-up Sweatshirt You know you want to wear sweatshirts all the time in the Fall, but you also don't want to be that frumpy mom. Mix that comfy sweatshirt with some style with this DIY old sweatshirt makeover.
Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest 5. Get Saucy Maybe one of your new traditions will be apple picking?? I'm from New England and we take our apple picking very seriously. We go back up north every fall to pick in Massachusetts.
You already know that I love making pies, but apple sauce is a family favorite too! It tastes amazing and makes my house smell even better. This site has some awesome recipies for all kinds of different sauces.
Source: familyfeedbag.com via Kay on Pinterest
So, there you have it, our Fab Finds for Fall… Now, we want your help… Leave us a comment letting us know what else needs to be on a Fall Fab Find List. Just to give you a little incentive, we're giving away another Starbucks giftcard to a randomly chosen commenter. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte would totally be my number 6 on this list.
Leave a comment by Sunday night at 10pm and we'll announce the winner on Monday morning. Have an awesome weekend and make sure those DVRs are set to see us on The Nate show Thursday, September 22nd! (Check your local listing for time and channel)
Phew! We don't know about you, but we are exhausted after that month-long Creating with the Stars. But on the other hand, we really miss it! We could not be happier with the way our first ever contest went and hope you all enjoyed it and were inspired by it too! We are chomping at the bit to get back into the swing of our own projects,but before we do that, we thought we'd take a look back at the things we learned form Creating with the Stars 2013- David Letterman-style!
10. You get what you pay for. We learned this the hard way, for sure. We deicded to use a survey company that was very inexpensive to host each week's voting and we had major problems every week with it. You guys noticed it, too, and we promise that next year the voting will be sooo much easier! Putting out a little bit more money will be worth it if we can avoid all the hassles we dealt with!
9. Running the contest and trying to do each round's projects = Crazytown Even though we like the projects we came up with during the season trying to do them while hosting the contest, coordinating posts, emailing back and forth with stars and contestants, all while wrangling our kids and managing the rest of our lives and another HUGE project, we were on overload. Whoever thought of participating in each round (I'm pretty sure it was Monica,) is insane, and you WON'T be seeing that next season.: )
Week 1: Upcycled Door turned Desk, Week 2: Anthro Wood Cut Art Knockoff Week 3: Painted Piano, Week 4: Colorful and Fun Kid's Bathroom Makeover 8. You people are competitive! For real! We went into this season thinking it would be awesome and a whole lot of fun, not ever thinking people would be so into it! Even readers who weren't contestants got fired up about the littlest thing!. Honestly, we had no idea we would be dealing with so many Sherlock Holmes! Now we know you guys are in it to win it, and will back up your favorites no matter what! 7. Planning and preparation were key for these procrastinators! Posting seven days a week within a strict time frame is no joke. Usually, we decide the day before what we want to write about the next day, but not so with CWTS! We began seriously planning in October 2012- approaching sponsors and stars, writing emails, figuring out guidelines etc. We were super glad we did this because the contest went pretty smoothly. Thank goodness!
We finished our round 1 project last year at 1 AM. Procrastinate, much?6.The pressure is on when the world is watching, We absolutely hate it when something doesn't go quite as planned. We recognize there were a few glitches in the contest and because so many people were coming here every day, those mistakes were just that much more noticeable. Ick, we really don't like that. No more mistakes next year! 5. Go big or Go home! We always say we're not afraid to try or go after anything and it worked in our favor with this contest! We landed some amazing sponsors by just asking if they wanted to partcipate! Plus, we went out on a major limb (that involved pretty lame dancing and fake mustaches) to get our incredible stars on board! (PS. this video gets a little long, so feel free to skip the middle!)
4. It's pretty darn fun to help new bloggers get a step up! We were unbelievably grateful to Tam for giving us a platform to showcase our fun ideas when we won last year. It made people notice us, and we were so thrilled to do that for these 12 crazy-gifted girls. We hope that you'll continue to support your favorites and follow along as they grow bigger than us! 3. The Stars you all love really are that incredible! These ladies took time out of their very busy schedules to help better the contestants projects and photos. All of the contestants comments on how wonderful the stars were to work with. Thanks ladies!
2. It turns out we're not the only talented people in blogland. Ha! But seriously, the talent that the contestants showed, and the amazing projects you all linked up blew us away. We love that this blogging niche is so encouraging and open to sharing of ideas, and man, our list must-do project list grew by about a mile after all of the fabulous ideas we saw throughout the contest!
1. Creating with the Stars is the Most Epic Blog Contest on the Web! We already can't wait for next year's contest. It's definitely not too early for you to start creating awesome things because submissions open in February 2014!
What did YOU think of the contest? Will you get your game on next year?
Want to catch up on all the projects from Creating with the Stars 2013? Click below!
Today marks our first day back to work filming for Knock It Off! We've had 6 weeks off so that Jess could enjoy time off with Baby Bennett- I was the lucky one to get maternity leave too! We really enjoyed our break, but we're also super excited to get back to helping homeowners with some awesome room makeovers! Before we went on our break we tackled our first Formal Living Room makeover. We were super excited about the challenge because neither of us have particularly formal homes. If you haven't watched the episode- check it out HERE!
Here's where the room started off… The family had a TON of amazing pieces of furniture, but some of them were being hidden because there was a lot of stuff in the room.
We used a bright, yet sophisticated kelly green on the top portion of the walls.
And added a clean, crisp board and batten on the bottom two-thirds. And of course, we couldn't leave the black piano alone. It looks okay in pictures, but it was pretty beat up and needed some love… you know what that means… Yup! We painted it!! (painted piano haters everywhere are cursing us! lol)
Isn't that so much more fun? The homeowner's kids all play piano and they were excited to have their first lesson on their blue piano. I kinda wanted to be a fly on the wall when the piano teacher saw it for the first time. Mwhaha. Actually, I heard the blue color made the kids play so well that they're all headed to Julliard! From the homeowner's submission video we actually hardly noticed there was even a fireplace in the room! It was so covered up by furniture and accessories.
We narrowed down all the accessories and furniture, replaced the glass shelves with wooden ones, lined the back with fun zebra paper (we couldn't resist adding a fun pop) and then displayed some of their amazing plate collection on the freshly painted white wall.
We kept many furniture pieces the same, but others- like the one below- we changed. The wood dresser on the left is what we turned into a mini office on the right. We painted it, added new hardware, removed the bottom two drawers and it became the perfect place to keep all their office supplies. You'd never know that it's totally functional… well minus the two printers I suppose!
The room had a huge picture window, but it was really covered up by the sheer curtains. Sometimes people think sheers are great because they let in the light, but in this case, they were hiding so much!
We brought in 4 curtain panels (you can only see three), and even though they're solid, not sheer- the window looks so much larger! These curtains are IKEA curtains that we painted to have a custom feel. You can see how to paint your own curtains in this post.
We were so happy with this room- it might have been one of our favorites from Season 1! We can't wait to see what season 2 has to offer!! Check back tomorrow to see how we added the fun pop of gold on the piano wall…
Today, those of us in PA enjoyed an early taste of summer! So, in honor of the beautiful weather, we're going to talk gardening! Ok, don't tune out on me yet… there are some cool things about gardening even if you're not"into it"…
Longwood Gardens My mother in law has an amazing green thumb, so anything I've learned is from her. I don't have extensive knowledge, but I've found plants that work for me and that I can manage… all that translates to "plants that are very hard to kill and can deal with being ignored!" Before I share some of my favorites and some recommendations, we need a little primer on plants. Annuals are plants that don't come back year after year… you have to buy them annually. Perennials come back year after year (AKA plants that Eric thinks are nice and practical!) Yes, that seems a little basic, but come on, most people confuse the two all the time! Now for my favorites…Grasses- these perennials are wonderful as space fillers. They're inexpensive, indestructible, and grow like crazy. My favorite type is Maidenhair Grass (Miscanthus). They come in a variety of sizes and are nice and green all spring and summer.
In the fall they get these pretty wispy thingies (again, not very exact with my names!)
They also come in a variety of colors. I've bought this deep red before and it looks great in the fall.
Vinca- These annuals are my #1 favorite flower and my go-to flower for most beds and here's why… These flowers don't need a thing from me! They love full-sun, and thrive during a drought and heat wave. That's essential for me because, I spend full-sun, heatwave days by the pool, not watering my flowers!
They totally spread and fill out an area so nicely. Vinca = instant garden!
They're awesome for hanging baskets and again need little to no water. I rarely, if ever, water ones in the ground, but might water my baskets weekly or every ten days.
Now most people use Impatiens (which btw I thought were impatience until about 2 minutes ago!) but, the reason I prefer vinca is that impatiens need TLC. They need a lot of water throughout a drought and can stand the heat, but only with care. The two look so similar, that the easy peasy flower gets my vote for sure! These are impatiens- can you tell much of a difference?
Sunflowers- who doesn't love a sunflower? We go a little crazy with our sunflowers and try out tons of different varieties. My kiddos' favorite is the Mammoth Sunflower because it's enormous! Look at this random, adorable couple and their sunflower. They really do get this big!
Sunflowers don't have a super long bloom time, but if you stager your planting- plant a handful in the same area each week- you'll have a longer bloom season. This was the border of our backyard at the old house prior to full bloom.
Did you know they come in oodles of colors and so many of them have awesome fall tones? They bloom towards the end of the summer and get me all excited for my favorite season! This little fella was from our 2009 gardening.
Final note on sunflowers- they're super easy to plant and a great one to have the kids help you with! Can't mess it up! New Favorite: Wildflowers- Thanks to Laura from Piggy Toes Photography in Norton, MA I'm hooked on wildflowers. I'm more of a clean lines, symetrical decorator and gardener, but was totally inspired by some of her pictures to enter the world of wildflowers. Who wouldn't want this amazing backdrop for photos right in their own yard! It was this picture of her son Atticus that made me contact her and find out more about these awesome flowers. Seriously Adorable!
These are super cute and will be making an appearance in our new yard. The company Laura suggested was American Meadows and I've already ordered three bags to plant in the next few weeks.
Although I'm partial to the cutie in the diaper, they're also great for more formal shots like this one from an engagement session. If you're in the MA area, make sure you check out Laura's website for great photography at excellent prices.
I can't wait to share pics of my kiddos in our wildflowers this summer! Cosmos- While cosmos kind of fall under the"wildflowers" category, I've been using them for years. They're a bit more"wild" looking and unrully than I'd prefer, but they're awesome for cutting and really are pretty.
They come in so many colors and they also come in a variety of heights (learned the hard way when I had mammoth plants that all needed to be staked and still looked a bit sad.)
They're just so pretty and make beautiful arrangements that last for a while.
If you think you recognize them from somewhere… it could be from the AC Expressway in New Jersey. They're planted for miles between the highway and they're so pretty all summer on our drives to the beach!
So, I don't have any really amazing gardening tips for you, other than to find something that works for you and that you actually enjoy. If I planted things that needed daily attention it wouldn't be fun for me and they'd all end up dead! So in honor of spring weather, and of the fact my husband sent me to Lowes tonight to buy this (my first ever John Deer purchase- I was a fish out of water) enjoy the warm weather and start thinking about what you might create outside this year.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand provided by ShurTech Brands, LLC. All opinions are 100% mine.
Thursday night we're hosting a fun cookie decorating party for some friends and their families. Even though we're in the middle of filming two episodes of"Knock It Off" I still want to do all of the fun holiday festivities that we normally do… I just don't have a lot of time to do things like umm… decorate! LOL. I just needed to remind myself that hosting a Christmas or holiday party doesn't have to take a ton of time, and it doesn't have to cost a lot! I decided that I would make it my goal to decorate for the party with Duck Brand® holiday design duck tape. With just one roll of their fun little penguin holiday design tape, I took care of place cards, candy containers, cookie take-out bags, and a fun little pennant banner. Not too shabby for just some tape 'eh?
Here’s how it all went down…
I have plain white bowls, that I accented with tape and then I’ll toss all the various cookie decorating toppings into them. Easy Peasy Right?
I liked the colors in the penguin pattern tape, but Duck Brand® has a great selection to choose from if you’re still putting together some holiday DIY projects; there are holiday bows, a snowman print, a candy cane stripe, seasonal sweets and pretty holiday colors to pick from as well.
For the place cards, I used an ornament ball, leftover card stock, and then accented the side of each with Duck® Tape. Here’s a trick… if you need to get your ornaments to stand straight on a flat surface, all you need to do is put a glob of hot glue on the bottom and then press it down onto some scrap paper. The glue will harden flat and then you can pull it off and then you’ve got a flat-bottomed ornament.
Since we’re having the kids decorate cookies, I needed to think about take-out bags. I mean we’ll definitely sugar them up, but we don’t need them eating all of the cookies! I had a bunch of plain white bags leftover, but wanted to fancy them up a bit.
I cut the tape in varying lengths and then tiered them like a Christmas tree. It’s nothing fancy, but perfect for quick party decor!
Finally, I wanted to make a little backdrop so I tried my hand at a Duck Tape® pennant banner.
Here’s what I needed:
Baker’s Twine
Duck® Tape
Scissors
Cut a 4″ length of tape and place the sting in the middle of the tape.
Lastly, just use scissors to cut it into a triangle shape. I can’t believe I haven’t tried this project before. It was SO stink in’ easy!
I set out to prove to myself that I could keep it simple, not spend a ton of cash, and decorate for this party just by using one roll of Duck Brand® holiday design tape! And I think that it worked! I’m super excited about our party Thursday and am pretty relieved that I have everything pretty much good to go!
For more ideas of what you can create this holiday season check out Duck Brand® on Twitter and pin your own crafts using the hashtag #DuckTheHalls!
So, how will you Duck the Halls this holiday season for last minute, easy peasy DIY projects?
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!
This has been a very long week for me and I'm exhausted. I've been hard at work but my work can be extremely fun especially when it means shopping! It's the start of the antique season for us on the east coast and it really gets a start with Brimfield, an antique show that takes place three times a year and has over 5000 dealers spanning 21 fields, it goes on for miles! To start the week off is an annual antique textile show in Sturbridge, MA and being an antique textile dealer of course I'm first in line. The line was just getting started here but by the time the doors opened this line was the longest I've ever seen it and I've been going to this show for well over ten years.
Wendy Lewis Here's Wendy Lewis who owns Textile Trunk in Vermont and just began showing at the textile show but is a staple at the New England Motel antique show one of the Brimfield show fields with over 400 dealers on this field alone. Wendy who is known for her grain sacks and large variety of linen and hemp sheets also offers a wonderful selection of 19th century printed textiles. I've know Wendy forever, before her second child was born but this is the first time I've met her in person and I have to say she's just as lovely, warm and friendly in person, it was so great to finally meet her. My bad since she only lives one state over!
Beautiful French and English offerings at Wendy's booth....
Carolyn Forbes Another favorite dealer is Carolyn Forbes of Carolyn Forbes Textiles standing in front of a display of 18th century textiles. She has a studio located right here in beautiful New Hampshire and can be found showing throughout the east coast. Carolyn features not only textiles but also a large display of clothing as well.
There were so many people at this show that taking pictures was a tad tough, this front woman was thrilled my flash went off in her face....lol.
Marston House Antiques If you've never heard of Marston House you really should get to know it especially those of you who are true Francophiles. The Marston House is own by Paul and Sharon Marston and own a bed and breakfast in Maine they also own property in Luberon a small town located in Provence. Their 17th century home in Luberon has several apartments for rent throughout the season.
Sharon is seen here after dying linens in her 17th century home.
One of the views outside her window in Luberon, talk about picturesque!
The slipcovers were made from some of Sharon's dyed linens, her linens are amazingly deep in saturated color.
A pair of panels that were on offer at the textile show made from tapestry fragments. A bit out of my price range at $25,000 but still beautiful.
Just a few of the textiles I brought home featuring an 18th century French silk brocade, 16th century pillow that needs to be remade, a small silk velvet Fortuny purse, a very early Fortuny hanging and a 17th century tapestry hanging with a rare crest motif.
While driving home I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures out my truck window since driving was slowed to a crawl. These are images of dealers setting up for the Brimfield antique show.
You can see from the front that the tents go on for as far as the eye can see.
Just some of the offerings at Brimfield. This show really offers it all and if you can't find it then you don't need it! At the time of this posting there's only one more day left of the show at Brimfield but you can always make plans for the next shows in July and September and don't forget to bring cash!
We promised that during our maternity leave from filming (I love getting a maternity leave without having to have a baby btw) that we'd do a whole bunch of things, and one of them was letting you have more little peeks into our real life happenings. With that in mind, we proudly introduce… Right Now a series that we'll do monthly… well actually, basically whenever we feel like it.
So, here's what's going on in my world right now… Loving: This amazing fall weather we're having here on the East Coast. Mid 70s during the day and cool, crisp nights!! It's the best sleeping weather ever! September is probably my favorite month of the year and I'm so thrilled to have some time off to enjoy it! Reading: Last night I finished reading Gone Girl. Thanks so so many of you for giving me book recommendations on Facebook! I liked it, but didn't over the top love it. I'm not sure what about it is keeping me from giving it an A+. If you read it, tell me what you liked/didn't like. I'd love to hear!
Waiting For: This weekend, but not excitedly… you probably know we breed Bernese Mountain Dogs with our dog Pennlyn. Well, this weekend the puppies leave and go to their new homes. I LOVE the families that we chose to adopt, but it will be super sad to see them go and I will have 4 miserable kiddos for a few days!
Excited About: A few things… Sunday we're going pumpkin picking and on a hayride with a bunch of our friends!! Our ABC/Live Well Network Season 1 Wrap party for our show- this Thursday night we'll all be celebrating the end of a successful first season. I'm still trying to figure out what to wear… Ugh!!
Trying To: Eat healthier and work out regularly. This is not my favorite thing, nor something I'm good at! But I have a goal of Oct 23rd, and hopefully will come away from this"maternity leave" happier and healthier. Working On: Communicating better with my oldest daughter…my mini-me. We kinda butt heads a lot. She's strong willed and I'm the queen of strong wills and well, let's just say I'm working on it. I want to figure out the best, most effective way to parent her.
Enjoying: The 3 hours each day that I have the house to myself, but then I'm also really enjoying the after pre-school, few hours before naptime that it's just Callen and me. It's really fun and nice to have 1:1 time! Using: Tons and tons of Chapstick!! I'm on a medication that makes me have crazy dry lips, so It's me and chapstick 24-7. Wearing: I'm totally in mom mode and usually wear sweats and my favorite Northface sweatshirt almost every day. What's the point in looking cute, if I'm gonna work out at night?!? Planning: I'm working on and planning my kids' playroom makeover. I totally struggle with designing my own rooms lately! I'm cool doing rooms for other people, but if I'm spending my own money I want to love it. GAH! It's killing me!
Needing: To find a good recipe today that uses a million veggies, bc I have a ton that will go bad soon if I don't use them!! Learning: How to think more before I talk (but don't hold your breath Eric, it's a slow learning process!) Struggling With: Church. We're kind of in this place where we're wondering where's a good fit for us. We've been at the same church for 16 years (and it's a wonderful church! Check it out HERE), but we just want to make sure it's right for us and we're not just there bc it's what we've always done. But, at the same time we're not sure what will be exactly right- it's tricky!
Listening To: The"Sister of the Year" CD mix made for my by my little brother (well, he's 26, not all that little, but little to me). He has the best taste in music and makes me mixes that have tons of songs that are cool well before they become cool. It's a good thing I have him, bc otherwise I'd never have even a sliver of cool within me when it comes to new music. Product I'm in Love With: My Kreg Jig- hubs used it yesterday to build new benches for our outdoor farmhouse table! Doing: Working down my to-do list for the day. I've committed to today being uber productive! (Up next, responding to emails, then making soup, then putting away all Cal's fall clothes) Dreaming Of: Taking another trip to Europe or somewhere amazing with my hubs. Last year at this time, we were counting down the days for our London and Paris trip.
This concludes this first edition of Right Now. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings or at least tolerated them! Want more of our day to day ongoings? Follow us on Instagram! Monica- @Eastcoastcreative Jess- @Jess_EC2blog What are you doing, loving, reading, or dreaming of right now?
I'm jumping the gun here a little bit, but all this rainy, cool weather has made me long for a good sweatshirt and a warm blanket. I'm with Monica: Fall is definitely my favorite season; the colors, weather and holidays just make me happy. However, my tendency is to put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt when I want to cozy up, but let's be honest, no one looks good in that combination. As a mom, I find it difficult to pull together a cute outfit when I have so many other things clamoring for my attention.
Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Lindsey, over at The Pleated Poppy, hosts a linky party every week called"What I Wore Wednesdays", and here's what she says about it:"hey, i think just getting dressed each day is an accomplishment worth documenting. that’s what this {WIWW} is, just a place for us to have accountability to get out of the yoga pants, and have some fun while we’re doing it." I'm pretty sure that you won't find me posting weekly about what I wore, (because trust me, it wouldn't be pretty), but I like the concept. Especially, since the majority of my time is spent being a stay-at-home mom, putting a little effort into what I wear would probably go a long way. I bet I'd get a lot more accomplished. And I'm pretty sure my hubs wouldn't complain. Seriously. I guess this is just one more thing I'm adding to my list of areas in which I need to be more intentional. Anyway, here are some of my favorite looks for the upcoming season. (Ha! Btw, I just realized that 6 of my 11 inspiration pics include knee-high boots. Guess you know what item I'm drawn to!)
Day at Home/Running Errands/Playdates
Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: iamagreedygirl.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest
Working 9-5
Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: jcrew.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Hot Date/Girl’s Night Out
Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest And I just couldn't end this post without a shout-out to Toms shoes. Casual, comfy and cute, these shoes work with anything (no joke- two of the girls on my highschool tennis team were rocking them with sundresses and it was adorable,) Toms are a bit pricey, but for every one pair of shoes you buy, another is donated to a child in need. Big bonus, right there. I'm putting these lovely chocolate Toms on my need-to-have list:
Source: toms.com via Jessica on Pinterest So, if you see me around town in scrubs, smack me please gently remind me of this post. Thank you.
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
Okay, so we weren't really"gone, gone," just kind of in overdrive and really, really swamped with about 1000 things going on at once. The good news is that even if we weren't technically"gone"… we're BAAACK (just like Twinkies!)
Yesterday we finished up seven straight weeks of filming for Knock It Off with only one week off during that time. Yeah, it kicked our butts! Our schedule won't always be like that, but we wanted Jess to be able to take a nice long maternity leave break, so we did tons of episodes close together. This is how we looked at the beginning of our 7 weeks…
And this is how we looked at the end!
Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much!: ) We're off for the next 20 days (woo-freakin'-hoo!!!) then we have one more episode to film, and then we have a long baby break! Here's a little peek into some of the fun things we have planned and what you can expect the next few months here at EC2!
For the first two years of our blog we posted 5 times a week and were the queens of consistency. Throw a TV show into the mix and it messed with our game! Our goal is to get back to 4 solid posts a week. We actually have SO many things we're excited to post about- including Jess' baby nursery (coming soon!!)
Remember how we hosted the biggest DIY contest in blog land- Creating with the Stars?? Well, believe it or not- we're already in the planning stages for our 2014 season! We don't want to tell you all the details yet, but we're going to have a fun fall/winter series that will win one lucky blogger a coveted spot in the 2014 season of CWTS!
Not only will we be blogging more, we're super excited about having some time to work on fun projects in our own homes! We've done 14 complete room makeovers in the last few months (which equals about 150+ projects) and we're so ready to DIY in our own homes for a bit! We'll also be sure to keep on posting all the KIO tutorials for projects we've done for the show!
Tomorrow night we're honored to be the guests at a Ladies Night Out event raising money for Worthwhile Wear. In 90 minutes we'll be completely transforming a blah, ho-hum room and doing it in front of 450 people! DIYing on TV is one thing, but doing it live and hoping every project turns out as planned and that everything can be completed during the 30 minute intermission just might be crazy town! We're honestly so excited about the challenge and we're looking forward to challenging the women there to use what they've got in their homes and also in relation to the gifts God has given them. We'll be sure to have tons of pics taken and we'll share the projects on the blog next week! Here's a hint… think cheetah print, ikat, and teal! So, that's what we've got in store for the blog! We're excited to share all of this with you guys!!Do you have any special requests for us over the next few months?
Let's face it, with Halloween on one end and Christmas on the other, Thanksgiving often gets a raw deal. I know that when the holiday season is in full force, being intentional with projects and decor gets really hard. I find it so easy to scoot right by Thanksgiving, without a second thought, and dive right into Christmas stuff, so I decided to tackle a project that would keep my family centered and focused on being grateful throughout November. A Thankful Tree that can be reused every year!
Here's what you'll need to make your own:
Canvas (mine is 18in x 24in)
1/2 yard-3/4 yard of fabric
Spray Adhesive
Spraypaint
Mod podge (not pictured)
Baby clothespins (not pictured)
Step 1: Spraypaint the canvas in your color choice. If you want to cut back on some serious blinding glare, use a satin paint for a more matte look.
Step 2: Locate your tree image (there are tons of free clipart images listed in Google images) and enlarge it to fit your canvas. We love the engineer prints from Staples and use them all the time. Step 3: Use a sharp-edge razor to cut the tree out. Don't worry about all the little limbs, and focus on the larger ones. This seemed super daunting, but surprisingly went quickly and smoothly. I accidentally cut a branch that I wanted to keep on (doh!) but was easily able to use tape to fix it.
Step 4: Lay your image down on the backside of the fabric and trace it with a pen.
Step 5: Spray the fabric tree with spray starch and iron it to make it stiff. This makes cutting it out with scissors a piece of cake. Step 6: Center the tree on the canvas. Starting at the trunk, lift small sections and lightly spray with adhesive. Smooth out all of the bubbles from the center out to the edges. A little spray adhesive may get on the canvas where you don't need it, but that's ok. We'll be taking care of that later.
Step 7: Place stencils on your canvas and stencil away! I used Martha Stewart's self-adhering stencils which are awesome because you don't have to worry about them moving around while you stencil. (Insider secret: This project was originally posted on U-Create, so there was a deadline involved. I was actually stenciling this bad boy in the car in between a shift at work and tennis practice. Pure craziness, I tell you #cantwasteevenoneminute.)
Step 8: Mod Podge the entire canvas starting at the center of the tree and working out to the edges. This will seal the tree and make it more resistant to wear and fading. And remember that spray adhesive I mentioned before? The Mod Podge takes care of hiding that, too. Score!
It's scary at first, but dries clear!
Step 9: Spraypaint the clothespins and adhere them to the tree with hot glue.
Step 10: Print out our fun"thankful" labels on card stock (download them here) and cut them out using scissors. Have your family write what they're thankful on each of the tags and then clip them to the canvas.
Voila! You're done and are left with an adorable, re-useable canvas that will help your family focus on what's really important in the next two weeks. Plus, it's super cute, so it's a win-win!
So, that's it! I love that I can use this every year. I plan on writing the year on the back of each tag and keeping them to look through each year. I'm hoping my son won't say that he's most thankful for Cinnamon Toast Crunch every year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aannnnnd since we've officially welcomed the holiday season here on the blog, we wanted to share something exciting with you! When we were looking around for cool Christmas vinyl options to share with you, we found very few that were modern and stylish. So, since we had several requests for the vinyl phrase we used on the front door last week, we decided to create a few just for you! A limited number of Be Merry Christmas decals are now for sale in our Etsy shop at a very reasonable price- only $8!! That's a whole lot cheaper than buying a new wreath, people. And we have a couple more coming this week, so be on the lookout. Get yours now!
Have you ever given thought to the women behind the men during this holiday season? First we have the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus whose birthday it is we're celebrating. If not for Mary we wouldn't have this wonderful holiday to celebrate. Happy Birthday Jesus!
How about Santa's reindeer did you know that the reindeer are actually all females? That's right, those lovely animals seen pulling Santa's sleigh are female. Only the female reindeer have their antlers when Christmas arrives and have the energy required for pulling a sleigh. (Think sex when it comes to the males but we won't go there right now.)
She looks happy huh? So lets all give thanks to the women in our lives this holiday season because chances are she too is also the woman behind a man! Happy Holidays!
This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine. Sometimes party planning can cost a pretty penny! I love hosting parties, but this time of year is expensive all around. Jess and I were super excited when Dollar General challenged us to create a fun Christmas party using Dollar General Holiday décor items. For only $20 we prepared an adorable Christmas Cookie Decorating Party.
We were thrilled with the selection of boxes, toppers, fun utensils, and little decorations we found at Dollar General. We had totally planned to DIY something from the store, but everything was too cute to mess with!
We set up the table with individual little work stations for each kiddo. Since Jess and I love raw cookie dough, we're sure to give each kid just a bit to taste!
I love these decorative straws and they looked perfect in a mason jar of milk
We found these adorable little shakers and filled them with sprinkles
After the cookies were all decorated, we had these fun little boxes for everyone to take their cookies home in.
So, if you're looking for a fun and inexpensive way to host a party this Christmas season, we'd totally recommend that you check out Dollar General- we never would have been able to decorate an entire party for under $20 if we were shopping somewhere else.
What fun parties are you hosting this Holiday Season? Monica & Jess If you're not a fan of Dollar General on Facebook, you can like them here. http://www.facebook.com/DollarGeneral
Only 11 days until Christmas, everyone! Start panicking! Just kidding- I absolutely love this holiday season (September through December is my FAVORITE time of year!) and have been tweaking, arranging and rearranging my Christmas decor for the last few weeks. And guess what? I probably won't stop until I take the stuff down on January 1st. I'm so excited to show you around on my first official home tour. Come on in and make yourself comfortable! (Warming: LOTS of pictures to follow, and hopefully, I'll be able to keep my mouth shut and let you enjoy it!: )
I'm still in love with my blue front door, and decided to forgo the traditonal holiday colors in favor of a rustic, woodsy color scheme. Browns, creams, copper and a few wood tree trunks!
Welcome to my foyer! This is what greets you as you come in the front door.
Isn't that houndstooth wrapping paper fabulous? Monica has great taste in (and an obsession with!) wrapping paper, so I have her to thank for it.: )
I tried my hand at making a wrapping paper leaf garland this year. It's pretty cute, but took a long time!
Living Room
I had fun decking out my mantel- again going with the rustic,woodsy theme.
I had to include my wood slice wreath, threw in some cut greens leftover from our tree, wrapped a few little presents with cute wrapping and added those charming. brightly colored reindeer from Target.
I love the Pottery Barn stockings that were a gift to us from my mom, and think they look great against the stenciled fireplace.
On the other side of the room, the moss monogram made it's appearance again this year.
I can't wait to show you how I made this faux-console table for behind the couch. So easy and makes a world of a difference!
Dining Room
I'm so close to a full reveal of my dining room (coming January 2013!), but couldn't resist sharing a few little glimpses. It's beautiful and I often think,"This can't be my house."
Family Room/Basement
I recycled the Nate Show ornaments that Monica made for me last year (why buy new when the old stuff is so cute?!), and bought two adorable plaid pillows on clearance from Target to stick on top of my old thift store trunk. And of course, what makes the space is the reindeer sillouette art.
I totally dig this space!
And see that little red pillow with the zipper? Monica and I made that last year for our fourth Nate Show episode. So cool, right? Kitchen
I kept it clean and simple in this room, folks.
I made that felt garland and let me tell you, it was a bear to make. Worth it, but oh-so-time-consuming.
We broke out the framed Advent calendar again since it was such a big hit last year.
Hall Bathroom
I had to show you this fab plaid rug I got from Target (yes, Target again, and no they don't pay me). It's so cozy, but doesn't scream Christmas. Love it.
Thank you, Jones Design Company, for the pretty (and meaningful!) printable! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But nothing in my home beats watching these two enjoy the holiday season. Celebrating Christmas with kids is so.much.fun.
And not to be outdone by the fun, crazy Mangin picture, here's a greeting from my cuties!: )
I hope you enjoyed my Christmas home tour! Let's play the favorite thing game. Ready, set, go! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And oh yeah, if you missed Monica's tour earlier this week, check it out HERE. There's some good stuff in there, folks!
Source: adventuresofabettycrockerwannabe.blogspot.com via Missy on Pinterest Wow, it's November 1st. Crazy, right? We're entering the season of giving thanks, and I think it's only appropriate to start it off right! Admittedly, Monica and I have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off (that is a terrible visual), but we have SO much to be thankful for, so I'm making it my goal to not let November go by without displaying gratitude. Yup, I'm adding it to my list of things I want to be intentional about! (Read more about that here, here and here.) Maybe I'll consider adding a little Thanksgiving decor to my home:
Source: dearlillieblog.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest
Or make a sweet treat with my kids
Source: heatherannmelzer.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Or start a new tradition.
Source: beautyandbedlam.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest Have each family member write what they're thankful for on a piece of paper and wrap it in a crescent roll. Open them at dinner and guess who said which thing.
Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest Cut out leaves from scrapbook paper and write words of gratitude on them. Punch holes in them and hang them on twine and display.
But whatever I decide to do, I'm going to do it whole-heartedly and with a spirit of gratitude. Want to join me?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We totally forgot to announce the winner of the Dine & Design tickets courtesy of Denise from The Painted Home!
The winner is:
Congratulations Stacey! We can't wait to meet you. Send us an email to claim your prize! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you do to give thanks? Please share!
It's Fall! Yay! Well, ok, we might still be experiencing 80 degree weather, but Monica and I are in total Fall project mode. We both have lists miles long of stuff we want to accomplish, and things we want to do during this, our favorite season ever. There's just something about getting back into a regular groove that makes us so much more productive. We're already planning our usual Tuesday evening blog nights (if you ever want to reach both of us at once, that's the perfect time!), and have some awesome tutorials, fun room designs, and, of course, lots of seasonal decorating to share with you!
If you're new around here, you'll quickly realize that we looooooooove Fall. In fact, last year, we dedicated a whole week to Autumn goodness. You'll definitely want to check out some of our fav Fall finds from last year, like…
Easy Apple Dumplings Oh yummmmmm. I can't wait to break these things out at our first Eagles football party. I don't know about you, but the only reason I watch every game is for the food. Oh yes, I said it.
Fall Mantle Inspiration This is my Fall faux-mantel from last year and I absolutely loved it, but I'll be mixing it up this year since my kitchen looks totally different.
Fall Anti- WreathMonica is a wreath-hater, and she's not afraid to admit it. Her solution for her front door was totally awesome, and I daresay it'll make you a hater of traditional wreaths, too. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the start of the Fall blogging season, we're happy to announce that we're accepting new sponsors! We have a few openings that we would love to fill, so if you have a business that you think we'll love and can help you promote, send us an email at eastcoastcreativeblog@gmail.com! Seriously, what better way to sell your stuff than to have two loud, passionate, crazy women on your side?! For all the nitty-gritty info about our sponsorship opportunities, click here. Come on board with EC2- we'll take good care of you!; ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We can't wait to share with you all that we've been doing in our homes (anybody ready for a Monica patio update?!), so why don't you throw on a pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt and cozy on up with us. Let the Fall fun begin!
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