My Creative Blog [Search results for Sweet Sponsors] 

It's time for a Back to School roundup of our favorite items from the best sponsors around! We've hand-picked some awesome eye candy for you all inspired by the Fall season. Enjoy!

1. This Thirty-One Gifts Spirit Collection is perfect for the athlete in your family…or even the crazy fanatics parents! I'm loving the primary colors, and this orange set screams"Hello Autumn!" Get one in your school's colors and be the envy of the other parents.: ) 2. It's time to start warming up the inside of our homes, and this headboard made of old doors is just so inviting, isn't it? Architectural Antiques has tons of doors with loads of character that could make this dream a reality! 3. You know we totally {heart} Moo &Puppy Digital Paper Shop (we use it all the time! Remember this?) and this Polka Dot Autumn Digital Pack has us motivated to make some invitations to our next bonfire and hayride! Right now, buy 2 packs, get one free and use the code RHBC15 for 15% off your order. 4. Isn't this Industrial Light with Vintage Enamel Shade from Lucent Lampworks gorgeous? It totally looks like something you might find in an old schoolhouse. Love that color. 5. One of the first things I do when September hits is bring out my Fall candles. I can NOT get enough of them. CJS EcoChic's Home Sweet Home (a blend of fine cinnamons), sounds warm and toasty. Sign me up. Also, because they're soy, these babies last forever, so my house can smell like Autumn right up until Santa comes. 6. I think this Vintage Garden Trug from NachoKitty would look awesome sitting on my hearth filled with matches, some scented pinecones and old newspapers. Everything you need for an amazing fire in one {really cute} place. 7. My daughter Campbell is just starting her first year of pre-school (excuse me while I cry), and I'm excited for her and anxious that she'll transition well. I love the sentiment of this Red Letter Words Dream Huge Set, and it expresses exactly what I want for her.

8. I expressed my love for the Honeycomb Allover Wall Stencil from Royal Design Studios last time we highlighted our sponsors, and I'm proud to say, that I've added it to my home! I can't wait to share the tutorial for you, but let me just tell you that this stencil is incredible. LOVE.IT. Use the code RHBC10 for 10% off your order.

9. Belvedere Designs has a huge selection of vinyl wall quotes, but this Abraham Lincoln Quote stuck out to me. Great for an office, or over your kid's desk. Choose from loads of colors to match your room!

10. And last, but certainly not least, Liberty Thrift Stores is our favorite place to thrift and all of their Accessories are 50% off this weekend! Stop in at any of their five locations and accessorize your home on the cheap! We're so grateful to all of our wonderful sponsors for helping us make this blog possible. We'd be thrilled if you shared a little EC2 love with them.: ) Have a great Labor Day Weekend! Have plans?

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 offering 25% 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!

In T minus 24 hours (there I go again!) our episode of The Nate Show will be airing across the country. We can't believe it's almost here. Since we're only 1 day from Go Time, we thought a behind the scenes play-by-play was a must. We love our blog readers and we're excited to share this crazy experience with you! Get ready, it's a lot of pictures. We couldn't take all of you with us, but we want you to feel like you were right there too!
Backstage Pass

Me, Jess, Eric & Kevin (our hubs) were picked up in a fancy-pants car at 6am to head to The Big Apple!

It was an amazingly beautiful day in NYC

We arrived a few minutes late (darn NY traffic) and were escorted all VIP-like up to our green room. We were laughing just saying things like"green room." Usually our days are filled with words like"pull-ups" and"snack time" so it was pretty crazy!

We snapped a few pics as soon as we arrived.

After getting dressed we were wisked away to hair and make-up. The hair woman was insisting that my hair looked"just great" as it was, but you and I both know that she was completely thinking,"That mess needs more than a touch up!" My hair is always a little crazy. I love this picture of Jess and Kev. Just a normal day getting makeup done in NYC.

Yes, the men needed make up too!
Jess' make up lady (and yes, I'm probably offending half of the world by calling her that) was amazing. Jess' make up came out awesome.

Then we were back waiting in the green room. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

So… since I'm not one for sitting around thinking about being on National TV, I grabbed the little ole' camera and started having some fun!

Kev managed to ignore all my shenanigans and just chill watching some TV. Guys have it so easy!

We really are dorks and loved every second of it. I mean, if you're in a Green Room once in your life, you might as well enjoy it!

Then, it was time to get down to business. Producers were coming in and out and explaining the segments and what questions Nate would ask us. We ran through some responses and botched them royally. We're pretty good on the fly, but man, we stink at acting. It ended up being fine, because Nate went rogue on the planned questions and pretty much did his own thing. I guess you can do that when you're Nate Berkus.

Before we knew it, it was time. Guess what? We weren't nervous at all! Can you believe it? We totally couldn't. We thought we would be, but the nerves never came. Perhaps it was the fancy makeup or something?? Off we went to the set.

Sound room backstage. Let me tell you this… some men would say sound guys have a pretty good job… We learned during our 2 day taping that all modesty and embarrassment goes out the window pretty quickly when someone is running wires down your shirt. Thankfully, we knew this and were cool as cucumbers as we got all wired up. Thankfully we weren't awkward because Peter Greenburg (travel guru) was there with us getting mic'd up and we acted like we do this all the time too! Fake it till you make it right?

Approximately 5 seconds after getting mic'd and doing a"testing, testing, 5,4,3,2,1" we were through the doors and taking our spots on stage. HERE GOES… I couldn't bring the camera on the set… weird right? lol but in 1 day you'll be able to see it all!! About an hour later, we were back in the green room. We were totally in one of those,"is it really over? Wow! That was awesome!"

We hung out with our favorite Nate Show producer Ed C. for a bit (talkin' about the Biz… haha! Kidding, we don't know a thing about The Biz, but we did have a great time catching up with Ed)
Then, we were off to take the rest of NYC by storm (and by that I mean walk 20 extra blocks because we never knew exactly where we needed to be heading)

Times Square

We were so excited to have lots of our friends join us for the show and we had an awesome afternoon and evening in the city. We're both so blessed to have these amazing women in our lives.

Well duh, what would a day in NYC be without some Naked Cowboy? My 9 year old accidental saw this picture and just couldn't wrap her mind around it. Don't worry Kenz, I can't either!

So, there you have it… our fabulous whirlwind of a day. Tonight Jess said other than having 2 beautiful kids and marrying Kev, The Nate Show was her favorite thing ever.
and here's where it all started… 2 girls squished into a wooden crate, ready to do some design!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also, a BIG welcome to our newests sponsors, Stuff Closeout & Consignment and JET Upholstery! Check out our Sweet Sponsors Page for more info on their awesomeness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, Go double check your DVR, make sure everything's set for Thursday and then, let us know what you think once you see it! Thanks for your support!

P.S. We took all 28 of our friends and family to Carmine's Restaurant in the Theatre District. It was so good! If you're in town, check it out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We interrupt this regularly schedule DIY program for an important announcement (I've always wanted to use that phrase somewhere!): We have some incredible sponsors who provide loads of amazing products just waiting to be purchased for one-of-a-kind Christmas presents! I've broken them down into categories for you…
Gift-Giving

Ok, you may remember me talking about the amazing art prints from Red Letter Words, but did you know Dee also offers adorable greeting cards and candles? Not only that, but messages printed on the greeting cards are so meaningful and thoughtful- perfect as a stocking stuffer, a gift for a friend, a teacher and the list goes on and on. Get 15% off until December 15th with the code MERRY15. Order by December 19th for Christmas delivery. (Excludes custom prints and the print of the month) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every year I try to give my neighbors a little gift, and this 1-2-3 Dip! Gift set from Pampered Chef is perfect! I am such a sucker for chips and dip. I pretty much could live on it. And if you don't have neighbors, buy a few as hostess gifts (they'll be sure to get you an invitation to next year's party!: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, Jane sent us a few of her 100% soy candles to try, and I can.not.get.enough. of the Christmas pine scent. I've been burning it around the clock since I got it, and the beautiful thing is, that because it's soy, it's long-lasting! Order a few of these as gifts, or just go ahead and buy a stash for yourself! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How about this adorable Littles Carry-All Caddy in the Winter Wonderland pattern from Thirty-One Gifts for teachers in your (or your kid's) lives? Fill it with a mug, some good chocolate and a gift card to Starbucks and you're set! It comes in 10 different patterns, so you'll be sure to find something for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entertaining

Planning a holiday party? Spread some Festive Cheer with this cocktail idea from Garnish. Goodness, could their stuff be any more darling? I could literally spend all my party budget on the goodies from Garnish- who needs food anyway? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I came across this super-cute idea to use scrapbook paper as a charger on a holiday table, and I'm in love! You could totally use this fabulous paper from Moo & Puppy and alternate the patterns underneath the plates for coordinated, but not identical place settings! {Swoon}

Use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for 20% off of your order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love Dream Dinners. I really do. And they are total life-savers if you are hosting a holiday party or dinner. So many of the meals can be easily turned into appetizers, like this Coconut Shrimp with Sweet & Sour dipping sauce. Make your holidays stress-free with ready-to-cook meals. Use the code DDNC201110 for 10% off your first order. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Home

Well, looky what I found on Craigslist. A $15 chair that would be absolutely stunning if reupholstered in some new fabric! Jet Upholstery could do that in heartbeat, and guess what? You can save 25% off any fabric order when you mention RHBC. Now go! That chair won't last long (especially because I can't keep my eyes off of it!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In our winnings from Crafting with the Stars, we both got to choose stencils from Royal Design Studio. They are the best place to get designer decorative stencils and tools. Monica chose this Morrocan Stencil- Chez Sheik:

And I'm getting this lovely Large Fabric Damask stencil:

We both have big plans for our stencils and come on, you know you have an area in your house that's just dying to be stenciled. Am I right? Head over to Royal Design Studio to be totally inspired.
Use the coupon code RHBC10 for 10% off your order! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Giving Back

We are often so focused on buying gifts at this time of year, but really, it's also a great time to give back. Head on over to Scout & Nimble to see how you can be a part of her awesome iniative to do just that. Also, did you see this ah-ma-zing rug she just got?

So jealous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, that's it! No excuses for lame gifts this year, people!; )

Ok, it's time to get really real with you. About us and our blog. It involves a little something we like to call:

We recently received a very nice comment from a regular follower that prompted us to write this post. Before you read it, I have to say that we were very grateful for this reader's honesty, and the sweet way she voiced her concerns. There's nothing we love more than good, honest feedback from the lovely people who visit our blog every day!

Ack! She nailed our current dilemma right on the head! Let me give you a little back story…when we started this blog a little over a year ago, we did not anticipate it interrupting our lives at all. It was just a place to throw all our ideas and projects. We literally thought that only our moms would read it. Then came Nate (not once, but four times!),

Crafting with the Stars…

local TV coverage, newspaper articles (you get the point) which equalled rapid blog growth. AND WE LOVED IT. All of these amazing opportunities meant that we were doing loads of projects, pouring hours of our time into the blog, and spending a lot of money to keep it all together. The blog is the most important, most rewarding and most fun thing we do (yes, even more than the Nate Show! It's our first love.), so we make every effort to put 5 great posts out per week. We LOVE this blog and it has become bigger and better than we ever expected.

But here's where our dilemma comes in: In addition to the blog, we both work other jobs, raise a bunch of kids and try to be good wives, friends, daughters, sisters etc. Realistically we could not possibly keep up the pace we had been going for the first year, even though we would like to. Not only did this little blog take a lot of time away from our families, but we also spent a lot of our own money to do all those projects! We need to find a better way. We are trying to adjust our own expectations (which, believe me, are sky-high!) and are experimenting a bit with our posts.

So what does all this mean for the blog you love to read?
1 You'll probably see only a few DIY projects a week from us. Instead of scrambling to come up with a DIY project just for the sake of having one to post about, we're being more intentional about our projects so that they're well done, and have a purpose in our homes.

2. We'll be highlighting our wonderful sponsors every once in a while to expose you to their awesomeness and also, to express our gratitude for their support of our blog that allows us to keep doing our projects. Don't worry we won't be throwing them in your faces at every turn, and we promise to only accept sponsor whose products we absolutely love!

3. We might host a guest poster, or highlight other blogs we feel like are worthy of notice! The design blog world is like a family, and we want to promote other people, like others have promoted us!

4. We'll keep bringing you our thoughts on all those fun, crazy and fabulous design trends out there, and how we're incorporating them in our homes!

So, in conclusion (are you still there?), we are crazy about this blog and all of you, and hope to continue doing this for a long time, and even (crossing our fingers) turn it into a full-time job. We hope you'll stick around for the long haul, and be understanding as we try to find balance and a system that works for us.
And now, a question for all you bloggers/mothers/wives etc. out there: How do YOU find balance?

P.S. We'll be doing a follow-up post on our top tips for Part-Time Bloggers, so get excited!; )