My Creative Blog [Search results for blogs I love] 

I feel very honored to have been awarded the 'Super Comments Award' by Mona from Providence ltd Design. Mona has been with me since my first day of blogging leaving wonderful comments for me along the way ever since, for that I truly thank her.

The way this works is you answer a series of questions about yourself and then pass it along to seven others who have left wonderful comments so without farther ado'.
1) Why do you blog??
I keep wondering that myself since I work ten plus hours a day and time has always been an issue for me but I can't help myself. I only just discovered blogs last year. I mean I saw them listed but didn't know what they were so always skipped over them. Last summer I opened one and I was enchanted. I mean here were all these people opening their worlds to us, sharing their homes. That first day I spent the entire day reading and after a month I wanted to be a part of that circle, so I took the plunge and dived in for better or worse.

2) Name your three best memories:
First is my Dad who's gone now'.riding around on my Dad's foot when I was little. I remember plopping on that poor guys foot the moment he walked in the house and he never minded and always gave me a ride'remember doing that? He also taught me how to tie my shoes and ride a bike, it's the little things that make me smile now that he's gone.
Second was the day I moved from Phoenix, AZ to New York City, NY to be with my future husband. I loaded up a large truck and drove across country all by myself. If you've ever driven a 22-foot long truck you'll know how much work it is coupled with the fact I was changing my entire life and leaving everything I knew. It was the scariest thing I've ever done but also the best. It showed me that I was capable of doing anything and from that moment on if I wanted to try something I did!
Third was the day we brought Dylan dog home four years ago. I hadn't had a dog in thirty years, dating myself here, I've had Persian cats. My husband really wanted a golden so I said lets get one and I've never regretted it. Dylan's great company, almost to smart for his own good, great to cuddle up next to and loyal beyond belief. But I think the best part about him is his eyes, you look into those golden brown eyes and you see love shining back!

?3) Name four of the best fiction books you've ever read: I don't have four favorites, I read all the time and there are to many to name. Some favorites I like revisiting are: Beauty by Susan Wilson The ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough I love mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark and Nora Roberts I read a lot of textile, art and decorating books too but what I like reading is all over the place.

4) What are the five best movies ever made?
Again I don't have favorites because I watch everything under the sun but when I'm alone I like light hearted movies, nothing serious and never anything scary....hate scary movies.
5) Name five things you cannot live without:
My family and friends. My best friend Deb is the sister I never had so I feel very blessed.
My antique textiles, I feel like I've finally figured out what I'm supposed to be doing in my life. It gives me a great sense of peace!
My computer, I have my web site/business on here and it's easier to talk to my friends overseas.
My monthly facials, it's relaxing, keeps my face in place and one of the few things I actually do just for me.
Auctions! I love auctions, the thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline rush just before you bid and sometimes winning, it's very exciting!
6) If you could change your name what would it be?
Chase! I saw a movie once with Rene Russo in it and her characters name was Chase, it was a really cool name. I like my name, Debra, but I introduce myself as Debra and people always say "hi Debbie", I HATE BEING CALLED DEBBIE! Not that there's anything wrong with being called Debbie....:)

7) Tell us a unique and interesting fact about yourself.
I can build! I decide one day to build a garden room in our side field and the first thing I needed were raised field stone garden beds. So I went out and bought a book, read it and went to work. See up in the far left corner my pile of rubble'these poker flowers are in a perfectly round garden bed that's twelve feet wide, I built that. You'll see better pictures in the spring, promise, now I'll bore you with my ability to build!

8) What do you love best about yourself?
My ability to do whatever I set my mind too. I believe everyone can do anything just stop talking about it and go do it. I've accomplished everything I've set out to do in my life so far, yes, it really is that simple. Just do it!
9) If you had a freaky Friday experience, who would you change places with?
Honestly, nobody because I like who I've become as a person. I've worked dang hard to become who I am why would I want to give that up? I'd like to have past and present people to dinner to pick their minds but trade places with them'nah!
10) What is the best thing about being a woman?
The ability to multi-task if I didn't I wouldn't get half the things done that needed to be done.

Now it's time to pass this gracious award on to some of the people who have brightened my days:
Stacey at: Style Addicted Mom Joan at: for the love of a house Sharon at: My French Country Home Jermaine at: French Kissed Deborah at: Boxwood Terrace Vanna at: lvroftiques better known as Delusions of Grandeur Debra at: 5th and State
THANK YOU!

I can't believe I actually won something but I did and it's fabulous! I want to thank Debra over at 5th and State and her nephew who chose my name, for the wonderful dessert cookbook by Chef Alain Roby. I can't wait to try out one of the recipes this weekend!

If you read our posts last week, then you know that Jess and I adore fall. We love it so much that we thought it deserved its own mini-series!

I set out to write a post on awesome ideas for fall wreaths. Sounds simple enough right? I mean wreaths are making a major comeback these days. Well… through my research and pursuit of fabulous wreaths to share, I realized one thing… I HATE wreaths! Yup, I'm confessing it publicly. I think about 90% of them look dumb. So, I needed to find a non-dumb looking something for my door… I found some inspiration and I'm pretty happy with it!
The Anti-Wreath Tutorial Here's what you'll need: An 11x14 frame (with the glass removed) Paint Ribbon Pumpkins (real or"funkins" haha I just love that cheesy name) Staple Gun Chair Pads
I went to Michaels and bought this frame 50% off, but… it was still $15.00. I headed down to the basement in search of another 11x14 frame that I could use.

Here's what I found. I didn't like the lines as much as the other one, but I sure did like the price tag… FREE! (Do you like all the dust on the edges?)

The best part about this project was that I ended up only buying 2 pumpkins and a can of spray paint!

I really wanted to use mini real pumpkins, but I think I was about a week too early in the season. Instead, I found these cuties at Michaels for $2.99 each.

The first step was to spray paint the frame purple. I didn't take pictures of this because really, how many times do you want to see me spray paint something? Then, of course I didn't wait long enough and scratched the paint. GRRR… back to do another coat. I might add here that I used Krylon paint and it was awesome. I loved the way it sprayed and it did dry really quickly… 10 mins max… I just touched it at about 7 mins!

I did a little test run of the frame on the wreath hanger and it was banging all over the place. NOT COOL. I don't want a dinged up door! So… I ran to my closet of tricks and grabbed these chair pads.

No more destroying my door

For the ribbon, I simply tied ribbon onto the stem of each pumpkin and then stapled it to the back of the frame. I also tied one piece of ribbon around the frame and knotted it onto the wreath hanger.

I think that as far as wreaths go, well, it's pretty cute! The whole project took about 15 minutes (ok, maybe 20 because I smudged my spraypaint!)

It's not an"In Your Face" wreath… I think it's just a little accent that fits my style just right. (don't you love the little halloween stickies that my kids taped on the windows with scotch tape? They're my mini decorators. I'm finding faux leaves and pumpkins everywhere!)

For Christmas, I plan to paint it red and add some christmas balls. Something like this…

Source: google.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest So, there you have it. An anti-wreath post, from a wreath hater.: ) I might be a hater, but I know some of you dig the wreath. If so, you need to check out Emily over at one of our favorite blogs Jones Design Company. The Nonna Wreath Tutorial

And even as a wreath hater, I admit this one is pretty cool! Perhaps it's the English teacher in me… Book Page Wreath Tutorial

I'd love to know if you're a lover or a hater… and head over to Emily's blog tutorials and let her know we sent you! Have a fabulous Monday!

P.S. Jess and I hung out Sunday night and did what BFFs do… ate brownie batter, browsed Pinterest, read blogs, and planned out some super fun posts for the next month! Can't wait!
Linked up to: Stories of A to Z Tip Junkie The Inspired Room southernhospitality

You get to read about our projects, you know what the inside of our houses look like, but who are The Real Housewives of Bucks County? Well, this must be your lucky day, because today we're sharing a bit of ourselves with you… (Warning, some of these questions are cheesy, but who doesn't like a little cheese and we like 'em!)
Meet the Real Housewives of BC

1. Do you have kids?

2. Where is your birth place and are you far from it now?

3. What is one thing you could not do when you were a child, but you can do now?

5. What are your hobbies?

6. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

7. If you could travel anywhere in the world — where would you go and why?

8. Have you ever met a famous person?

9. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?

10. One that describes your BFF and blog partner?

11. How tall are you?

12. When you were little — What did you want to do"when you grew up?" Are you doing it?

13. How do you spend your free time?

14. Favorite sport you like to watch or participate in?

15. What kind of food do you prefer eating when you are out?

16. Last Movie You Watched?

17. Would you like to be famous?

18. What Book Are You Reading?

19. Favorite Bible Verse?

*Photos courtesy of Doug from Candid Moments Photography. Thanks so much, Doug! You did a great job working with some very amateur models.: )
So, it's your turn now. What questions do you have for us? We're game for answering {almost} anything!

I didn't know Jess was going to mention one of our favorite blogs yesterday, but it was the perfect lead-in for my post today. Layla and Kevin from The Lettered Cottage have a wall that I love and want to create something similar to.

Now, their wooden walls were hiding out under the drywall, because they have an old home, but I'm going to have to bring in wood to create this look. Eric and I were talking about where to get inexpensive old, wood flooring, but then we thought about pallets. They're free, they're easy to aquire, and I think they just might work. Thus began my search for pallet inspiration.

This wall is not my style and I think the TV is completely out of place, but I was able to get some good tips from this DIY project. I'm pretty sure I want to whitewash or colorwash my wood.

Moma and Her Drill During my pallet search I found tons of other ideas and creative uses for pallets… I'm learning that they're all the rage right now! Children's Headboard

Apartment Therapy I really love this headboard. I'm not sure if I love the headboard or just the fact that it's in my favorite colors and my style bedding.

House Tweaking This reading nook is adorable! I need to find a spot in my house to create one for my kiddos! I might need to wait until we finish the basement, but I'm saving this project idea for sure!

Kojo Designs I'm not a big coffee table fan (perhaps because we have four kids and have had a toddler around for the last 9 years) but this is a cool idea and I think you could give it a rustic or very polished look.

DIY Ideas A Sweedish company makes interrlocking furniture that doubles as art. This is just a sample of their colors, but check out the link below to see how it's used functionally. So cool!

Sibylle Stœckli How fun are these bright outdoor chairs? This company sells them, but there are tons of DIY directions online. They would be fabulous in an urban backyard or patio.

Inhabitat Lastly, an adorable idea that my kids would love! Seriously, what little kid wouldn't love to play inside this… of course I'd add some fun accessories and a pop of color, but the idea is awesome.

Tiny Pallet House
What do you think of these Green building ideas? I think I'm all about it and I just need to decide which room I'm going to attempt it in… I'm between Callen's bedroom and the Master Bathroom. We're leaning towards Cal's room because the master bathroom has really high ceilings and is a much bigger project for the hubs. Currently"Pallet Wall" is about # 4 or 5 on the Honey-do-list… Eric's Honey-do-list… 1. Hang DIY hardware in kids bathroom (I'm pretty sure he's doing that now. I hear banging!) 2. Build Dining Room Table (we're in the planning and researching stage still, but making progress) 3. Assemble the kids' new swingset (a Christmas present, but we've been waiting for grass to grow) 4. LANDSCAPE this crazy yard (the builder is re-seeding this week and then we can start!) 5. Create Pallet Wall I'll keep you posted on our projects, and until we get to #5 on the list, I'll just keep being inspired by other people's DIY ideas. What cool Pallet Possibilies can you think of?

Welcome to my kitchen. You might remember we built about 18 months ago… darn that we weren't blogging back then. It would have been fun to come to all of you for design ideas. Although, after 5 homeless months I was sort of like whatever, just finish the house!
Well my kitchen was"fine"… and remember, when I say fine I tend to mean take it or leave it. It was just lacking anything cool. We do have a fun chalkboard backsplash, but the fun ended there.

Last week, we were sitting in our breakfast room, eating dinner (why is it called a breakfast room?) and I was looking out into the kitchen and not thrilled with the view…

This plain wall was screaming at me to do something! I love the barn sale chalkboard, but the wall was blah!

I looked to Eric and said,"Mind if I do an itty bitty project tonight when the kids are in bed?" To which I think he said something like,"Oh boy…" I quickly cleaned up from dinner, grabbed my oldest daughter and ran to Lowes. I needed black paint STAT! (Sidenote: it took the guy at Lowes 40 minutes to mix my black paint. Not exaggerating. I was the only one in line, but it was a hot mess. It sorta deflated my"we're on a mission" mindset, but oh well, I pressed on!)
I got home and started gathering supplies… tape: check, paint: check roller: check chalk line… UGH! It got mixed up with Nate Berkus' supplies and it was sitting in NYC. This was almost a deal breaker… I got a little cranky, and then decided to stop being sad and start being awesome!

Source: joyshope.com via Meg on Pinterest
That's right… I had chalk and string, so I just sucked up the royal mess and made a chalk line!

Eric was really, really happy about that decision. He loved that it looked like a blue snowstorm in our kitchen! (hehe)

Before snapping lines came the math. Boo math! Lucky for me, not only is the hubs handy, he's also super smart! I told him what I wanted and he handed me this nice, little cheat sheet of measurements. Pharmacokineticist by day… DIY Mathematician by night. SCORE one for me!

We chalked our nicely spaced and pre-measured grid lines

And then I got taping. I will be honest here… taping chevron wasn't my favorite thing ever. Getting the points right isn't hard, just annoying. I used an X-acto knife to get them crisp.

Then I painted. Then I asked Eric to paint the top because I wasn't tall enough. I think I heard him say something like,"How did I know this was going to become an us project?" I think I might have then suggested he change out of his grubby, outdated work jeans, and into something more blog-friendly… yeah, that didn't happen. It was worth a shot!

All painted!

We used our perfect stripe method and had no bleeding lines! SWEET! But, we did have some paint pulled off by the tape, not sure why, but I touched up any imperfections.

I just went back the next morning and did some reverse taping so I could touch up.

There she is… I couldn't love it any more than I do! Well, actually that's a lie. I'm also going to do the wall to the left of it. I wanted to be sure I liked it first. Once both walls are done I'll be fully smitten!

This is my not-so-boring kitchen now. I know chevron (especially in black) isn't for everyone, but I think it's just right for us!

I finally erased my month-old birthday message and added this to my chalkboard…

A Beautiful Mess is one of my favorite blogs and also describes this family of six pretty well. If you haven't checked out Elsie's blog you should, but I'll warn you. It's a love-hate thing for me. She is so adorable, so creative, so stylish, so cool that it makes this nerdy blogger have a little pitty party once in a while, but I keep going back for more. Some of my favorite posts are about her wedding… heart shaped pancakes for the meal… need I say more? Go take a peek! Okay, so there you have it… my new wicked awesome kitchen wall!

If you aren't connected with us on Facebook, we'd love you to!
We use it to post all kinds of cool ideas and to connect with all of you!

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Linking up to: TT&J, Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Saturday Night Special, Show & Tell Saturday,

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Our readers are seriously amazing! You guys have helped me out with two major design decisions in the past few weeks. I promise I'll update you about the family room wall stenciling soon, but Mr. Berkus has been keeping me away from that project. However, even being busy and sick, couldn't keep me away from my Granny Frames Gallery!

You all had so many awesome ideas and gave me great inspiration! I particularly loved this picture that Cori shared with me on Facebook. The colors of those spools are pretty spot on for the colors in the room now!

Here's the comment that did it for me though…

Tracie, who blogs over at Cleverly Inspired, gave me a total"Ah-ha" moment! About a year and a half ago, when I was initially planning out my dining room, I fell completely IN LOVE with this buffet that I found on Google images (remember life before Pinterest??) I tracked down the source and found an adorable blog called The Way We Are.

I love this more than I can even tell you! But, the hubs was sorta feeling like we'd be having St. Patrick's Day every day, so I went a different direction and began my love affair with yellow.
Now, thanks to Tracie's comment I realize that I don't have to let go of the green completely. In fact, the vases I already have in the room marry the two quite nicely!

I was a little unsure about the color of this spray paint since the lid is a wee bit bright, but gave it a try…

I know some people are all into gold right now (and I'm liking it too), but for this room I'm going green!

Holy Moly- I'm in love! Okay, since I'm slowly but surely learning life lessons, I'm actually not going to rush and hang these while they're still dripping wet! I actually think I might be distressing the green a bit with some stain as well. I hope to have the whole project completed by Saturday. So look for a final reveal on Monday!
******************************* Now, since we mentioned our shopping excursion last night on Facebook, we thought we'd give you a sneak peek of what we're thinking of wearing. Of course we both got two options, and we'll make a game-time decision. Jess' Outfit Choices… The hangers aren't doing the outfits justice, but they look super cute on!

Jess is leaning towards the dark blue shirt- it's my fav!

Monica's Outfit Choices This one is the one I'm leaning towards, but it's hard to see in pics. It's like sheer knit-lacy combo… It surprised me that I liked it on. I'm kinda Plain Jane.

This is my safe option. I love the birds and can live with the flowers.

We'll let you know what we decided and of course we'll take tons of pics to keep you updated on our final NYC taping. Thanks again for all of your input with the Granny Frames!

P.S. If you don't follow us on Facebook, I'm pretty sure you should!: ) We'll update lots of fun Nate"inside info" there tomorrow! Go HERE to like RHBC!

While meandering through blogs and design sites a few weeks ago, I found a super-cool paint chip wall. It got my wheels turning…

Design Sponge Source I started exploring ideas with paint chips and the potential is huge! I love the full wall and considered it for my office, but wasn't 100% sold, so instead I tackled a DIY Wall Art project inspired by Life, Crafts, & Whatever. If you want to buy something similar it will cost you 300 smackers from Ballard Designs

Now for my version… The first step was to visit Lowes with a really large purse! Paint chip samples are FREE, but I still felt a little shady while I took oodles of paint chips. I didn't take more than one of any color, so it was legit. I'll shamelessly plug my awesome Paint-Chip-Taking-Purse from Thirty One Gifts

Want one? Contact my fav 31 consultants Mandy they even have new patterns I'm loving!
Once I got home, I tossed all the samples on the floor to choose the colors that made the cut…

Next, I whipped out my little paper cutter and removed the paint names. I picked these chips because they were rectangular and I new I could cut the names off and still have 3x3 squares.

I quickly texted Eric to stop at Lowes and get me a 27x15 piece of plywood. Some women like their husbands to arrive home with flowers- I prefer plywood!

I figured out what layout I wanted… I eventually did move those two yellows that were too close together.

Spray adhesive is my nemesis, (I mange to get it everywhere and it's impossible to get off my fingers) but it was essential for this project. The stickier the better! And if you're wondering… yes I did this project in my bedroom on the carpet- I drive my hubs nuts!

I worked one row at a time, so I didn't mess up my pattern.

Now, if you know me, you know I'm laid back and easygoing, but I kinda like things to be perfect when it comes to DIY projects. I had to put my personal neuroses aside for this project and tell myself that it would look good in the end… see…that white crack showing would normally drive me nuts!

Spray, place, replace, replace again, remind myself it's doesn't have to be perfect, repeat… over and over!

Ta-Da! The finished layout all stuck down.

Next, I had to seal my art and add lots of yummy texture. Enter Mod Podge. It goes on cloudy and white, but dries clear- don't panic!

I brushed it on evenly, but then went back and added texture by brushing vertically and horizontally.

I allowed two coats of mod modge to dry (about a 1/2 a day) and then it was time to stain. I was NERVOUS about this part because I was liking the project and was afraid to ruin it!

There I am… I just used a paper towel and rubbed it all over…This is apparently my nervous face.

I covered the entire surface and then let it dry for about 15 minutes

Then came the fun part! I wiped off some of the stain and created a"vintagey" look. After letting the stain dry for at least a few hours, I did one final coat of Mod Podge to seal it all together.

This wouldn't be a DIY by Monica without some mistakes… I should have painted the edges first, but I was too excited to start, so I waited until the end, which meant I had to tape the top. Oh Snap.

When pulling off the tape… AAARRRGGGG!!! I was not a happy camper! Thankfully, I'm used to making mistakes, so I'm good at fixing them.

In the end, I LOVED how it turned out. It was almost free, has so many colors that I can use it anywhere (and yes, it has already been in two different rooms in my house), and was made.by.me- Gotta love that!

Oh, and have I introduced you to this fella? It's a MASSIVE (about 8inches high) pear that I found at Marshalls. I was thinking of painting it, but once I got it home it occurred to me that I love bold color and this guy already had it going on!

Beside the fact that I loved this project, Kenzie (my 10 yr old) really liked it (and if you know Kenz, that's a BIG deal), so we're making a pink and grey one to match her bedroom.
So, what do you think?
What have you made with paint chips?

The hubs and I had a little chat a few weeks ago… we were both pretty sick of having a semi-finished family room. We’ve had bare walls for pretty much ever. I just couldn’t decide what to do… stalking other blogs and design sites had me leaning a different direction every day. Finally, I decided to just do something!
Remember my fingerprint artwork? I still really love it, but decided it needed to be relocated to the other side of the room.

What, you might ask, did I have planned for the striped wall?
Welcome to my Ginormous $4.99 Family Art work

Pin It Right off the bat… YES, I know the picture comes beyond the frame, and I did do it on purpose. My kids have asked me about that about 214754 times in the past two weeks.
Here's how I made a 4x3 Ginormous piece of family art for only $4.99! I headed to the Bucks County Re-Store on Saturday afternoon without anything specific in mind. I just knew I hadn't done a project in forever and I needed some inspiration. I only bought one item, but it was $15 and just what I needed to spark a project idea!

Check out my new $15 mirror and my super-cool dance move! (Yes, I was doing that while taking the picture. Too cool for school, I know…)

This was how it came from ReStore and where my demo needed to begin.

I unscrewed the wooden boards from the back and then took a screwdriver to pry off the wooden backside. I just tapped it in with a hammer and then angled the screwdriver. I did this all around the edges until it came free.

I was left with a big mirror (still plotting what to do with it), the frame I needed, and a piece of wood that headed to the trash.

I primed the mirror first… do you know how rare it is that I take the time to prime? I was proud. After the primer I gave it two coats of Valspar's Navy spray paint.

Remember the awesome family pictures that the fabulous Stacy Salvatori took back in the fall? Well, I knew I was ready to have one blown up really, really big, but I didn't want to pay big bucks for a massive print. Thankfully, Staples will print huge black and white pictures. Just ask for an engineering print. They can go over 3 feet wide and really long. I just brought the jpeg on a flash drive and they uploaded and printed in about 5 minutes. The best part… It cost me $4.99!!

Do you recognize that black paper behind the photo? It's the infamous Nate Show Tar Paper! I was wicked excited to use it for another project!

I got out my trusty yet my nemesis spray adhesive and got to work sticking the pic to the tar paper.

The engineer prints aren't on heavy paper, they're on average copy weight paper, so I wanted to give it a bit more stability with the tar paper.

I adhered it, trimmed the edges with a utility knife and then got out my favorite new tool… my grommeter! I only had gold grommets, so I spray painted them a hammered metal first. I put one grommet on each side.

I had two copies of this framed print laying around back from my old homestaging days. I decided to ditch the boat and use the frames.

I also had about five of these frames laying around in my basement and decided to have them join the navy spray paint club as well.

Here's the arrangement as it looks now. I added gold chain to the grommets and I'm in search for the perfect doorknob to hang it from in the middle. I might need to head over to Architectural Antiques this weekend. I'm also going to add sketched artwork to the 4 empty frames.

All-in-all, I'm thrilled with how this completely inexpensive family artwork turned out. I love having my family's faces right in our main living space, and I love that it's a little quirky and unique.

Don't worry, I'll share the true finished product once I get a knob and artwork added. I was just too impatient not to share the family pic right away!
So, how many of you are running to Staples to BLOW-UP some Ginormous pics?

It is absolutely unbelieveable how many amazing, talented and creative women there are out there. We spends loads of time reading our favorite design blogs which inspire us to create beauty in our homes, and so, every month once in awhile when we feel like it, we'll be featuring the homes of bloggers that we love-our

Design Icons of the Blogosphere!

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Up first: my personal favorite, Our Vintage Home Love. Diana has captured the exact feel I want for my house, in her adorable home. She has such an amazing sense of style, and her house exudes calm. Not only is Diana super-stylish, but girl knows her way around a toolbox. She's built several pieces of furniture that I secretly covet really admire, like the Rustic Island she built for her kitchen, the barn door-turned-headboard for her master bedroom, and the salvaged wood shelving unit custom-made for her hubby. No joking- Diana has some serious skills.

So, without further ado, let's take a little tour of her lovely home:

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
If that doesn't say,"Welcome. Come sit awhile", I don't know what else would.

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Diana painted stripes in neutral colors on her side porch, which are so cute. Genius!

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I love Diana's use of textures in her house- lots of khakis and whites in the furniture and wall colors, woven baskets, warm wood tones and great, meaningful accessories complete the look.

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Aren't those floors to die for? I love the rich color. I'm guessing they're original to the house, which was built in 1905! And do you notice that vintage ladder over there in the corner? Does it remind you at all of my bathroom ladder? (Truth be told, Diana's ladder was the first of many to inspire me to get one of my own!)

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Her kitchen is so light and airy. I totally feel like you could walk in there and take a deep breath and poof!- there goes your stress. Yup, that's the kitchen island she built. Impressive, huh?

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Her master bedroom features the authentic barn wood headboard. I mean, really, couldn't you envision that door on a barn somewhere? Nope, she built it. Jealous much?

Source: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Her den was a labor of love for her husband. She wanted a place he could relax that included items that were important to him.Sheesh- talented and thoughtful? Making me look bad, here, Diana. By the way, I LOVE the pop of red on the pillows.
So, that's it. I think I'm in love. Head on over to Our Vintage Home Love and leave Diana a happy comment. Let her know we sent you.: )

Who is your design icon?

Sorry for the delay on our fabulous mudroom tour… hopefully the technical difficulties just built up the suspense and excitement!: )
So just to refresh your memory, I want an amazing mudroom, but right now it's not on the Mangin top ten. That doesn't mean we can't take a look at some awesome inspiration… Here we go! Bright, cheery mudroom, but for some strange reason all of my kids' clothing and accessories don't coordinate with our wall colors?: )

I don't love the curves at the top, but I do like the white/wood combo.

Again wood and white, and this room has drawer storage as well. Just in case everything you own doesn't match perfectly!

I love the idea of incorporating cabinets in a mudroom. Wide moulding at the top gives them a more custom, built-in feel. The shoe area is super functional, but you've seen how many shoes we have…

How beachy and coastal is this? LOVE it!

Cabinets again, but really I love the patterned cushion with accent pillows and the personality that the striped wall adds.

No room for a mud room? Some hooks will do the trick for a more"adult" household.

Not a true mudroom, but an excellent option. Coat hooks to the left, simple metal storage to the right. I LOVE the painted door an numbers. I definitely think the painted door with numbers just made the Mangin top ten list. Stay tuned to see an garage door re-do. Shh… just don't tell my husband!

traditional entry design by detroit media and blogs Just a Girl Chic, grownup mudroom. This is far too pretty to be called a mudroom… it's like the"anti-mudroom."

This adorable mudroom was made using IKEA shelves, combined with base cabinet. I love taking IKEA products and making them into something a little more!

Awesome cubbies. These were created by utilizing the space between the wall studs. This could totally be a DIY project!

And last but not least, a very classic mudroom. Clean, crisp lines. White paint. All-American kid accessories. Classic and Cute.

My dream mudroom is a combination of many of these inspiration rooms. Although, as amazing as these are, there are a few reasons why I will never have one of these mudrooms…

1. I have 4 kids… We will actually have mud and dirt in our mudroom.
2. My 4 kids are MESSY. They might hang up their coats, but they won't precisely place their backpacks to look like acessories.
3. Again, for some reason all of our belongings don't coordinate perfectly: )

Do any of these mudrooms thrill you? Let us know which one got your juices flowing!

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

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

Desk/Work Station Inspiration

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Monday, guys! We've had a busy weekend filming back to back episodes for Knock It Off, but we wanted to pop in and give you a round-up of our favorite summer items from some of our favorite companies! These wonderfully talented people make this blog possible, and we've gotta say, they're stuff is stinkin' awesome! Check them out, show them some love and don't forget to look for special coupon codes just for you!

1. I am LOVING this Tangerine Braid Headband from Henle Headbands- that color just calls my name!
2. Monica is obsessed with these Slim Cool Salmon flip-flops from Havaianas that come in lots of cool colors.
3.Isn't this Flower Leather Cuff Bracelet from Belmonili super cute? You ALWAYS get free shipping within continental US. Use the code BelmoniliECC for 10% off your order!

4. Our absolute favorite thrift store is having a 50% off sale on all media items at Liberty Thrift Stores, which- need we remind you?- includes books! Thrift stores are treasure troves of books with great covers, perfect for styling your home. (Picture Source)
5. Guys, you know we love a good DIY project, but some of you complain you don't where to begin or even what to do once you start. You have no excuse anymore because Bareroot Design Studios offers Design Workshops that will teach you how to get the look you want for your home. For all you locals, Bareroot Design Studio is hosting an OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, June 15th from 1-3pm. You do not want to miss this!

6. We have shared our love for Lucent Lampworks over and over again, but this Cylinder Glass Shade with Antique Bronze Down Rod just made us fall in love all over again. Save 10% when you use the code EC2tenoff.

7. I love the simple design of this Blessings Carafe from Blessings Unlimited. What a beautiful way to dress up your summer table.
8. This Affection Small Art Print from Red Letter Words is such a thoughtful and stylish gift for all of those graduates in your life. With lots of different saying, you'll be able to find the perfect one for that baby shower, wedding or graduation gift and you know what the best part is? They're only $19 each!
9. We love our phrases from 163 Design Company (see them here and here) and now they've come out with these NEST Chalkboard painted letter s, which are awesome. So cool just as they are, but even cooler that you can doodle all over them!

10. For a non-green-person like me, this Garden Planning Kit from Clean Mama Printables is clutch. This baby will help you achieve the garden you've always wanted It includes: *Planter Planner *Garden Plan Grid *Plant Record (keep track of all your plants in one place — glue on a large envelope and keep your receipts and plant info to keep track of plants that need to be returned or relocated) *Garden Plans — This Year + Next Year *Yearly Annuals, Perennials, and Trees + Shrubs Tracker *Yearly Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs Tracker 11. I know it says"Spring" in the title, but this Riley Spring Paper Pack from Moo & Puppy screams summer to me! Are you making a summer bucket list this year? Use this paper as a background for your big list of activities for your family! Use EC215 for 15% off your order!
12. Don't forget to check out the c urrent issue of Smart, Blonde and Craft y for loads of fun and creative DIY ideas to fill your summer and it's totally FREE! Also, make sure you take a look at all the fun blogs listed- you might come across one you've never heard of before!

13. I'm sorry but these Typewriter Key Bracelet from Junxtaposition are just so dang fun. Choose your design or pick one out as a one-of-a-kind gift for a friend.
14. I love the smell of citrus in the summer, and the NEW! Wood Wick Candles from CJS EcoChic are soy so that sweet smell will last a loooooong time.
15. Remember that faux stained glass window I made two years ago? I used this Artscape Window Film. It adheres to any window, is easy to customize and is a breeze to install. This stuff makes a HUGE statement without working hard for it. Plus, it can add some privacy and style where there is none!

16. I got this XXL Utility tote from Thirty-One Gifts and it is fabulous! It can hold so much stuff, and it easily collapses when I'm ready to put it away. I'm a huge fan of the nautical look, so the navy and white just stole my heart.: ) My bag holds a lot of the typical summer items you need when you're a mom of two little ones: towels, swimmies, suntan lotion, toys, but still looks good! C heck 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.

17. 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 over 3 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!

18. Ahhhh, how amazing is this Herringbone Shuffle Stencil from Royal Design Studio? I've been wracking my brain trying to find a place for it in my house. Think the baby would like it? Use the code ECC10 for 10% off your order.

19. And last, but not least, our favorite family photographer (and the official photographer of EC2. Ha!) Stacy of Salvatori Photography. This girl is seriously talented and has a fun personality to boot! She just did our gender reveal photo shoot and a few months ago, photographed Monica's family doing their thing on a Saturday morning. Make sure you like her facebook page because she's always running fun contests. We promise that you will LOVE working with Stacy and will have fabulous photos that will last forever!
Ok, folks, time to shop! Have fun.: )

I know, I know, you haven't even stuffed yourself with turkey and stuffing, or gone Black Friday shopping yet, and here I am talking about beginning a Christmas countdown. But let's be honest, once Thanksgiving is over, December is pretty much here and it's time to bring out the ol' Advent calendar. Our family had an advent calendar growing up, and I remember running downstairs and arguing with my sisters about whose turn it was to move the mouse from it's current pocket to the next day's pocket. Ahhh memories.

Last year was the first year I thought about doing our own Advent calendar because my daughter was at the perfect age, but I literally pulled the whole thing together at midnight on November 30th, so it wasn't perfect by any means. We ended up stringing it up on the curtain rod above our slider door, which was SO not convenient since we open those curtains every day. I did love the numbers, (which I downloaded for free but can't remember where-sorry!) and the little bags, so I wanted to reuse them this year. You can easily create your own numbered circles on Picnik using this tutorial. So here's what I came up with for this year:

It love the simplicity of this Advent calendar, and how easy it was to make!
DIY Advent Calendar I started with an empty frame, some jute twine, mini-clothespins, and my trusty hot-glue gun:

I laid out the bags in five rows in the frame to figure out the placement of the jute rope.

Next, I measured the opening of the frame so that I could space the rows evenly. For this frame, I placed the jute every 4:5 inches apart.

(Ignore the pen pointing to 7 inches! I wasn't thinking when I took this pic!)
As usual, I used my hot glue gun to adhere the jute rope to the frame. You could also do this with a staple gun.

I clipped my cute little bags to the rope…

And added fun activities to do as a family and leftover Halloween candy to the bags!

Finally, I hung it in our entry hallway for a touch of Christmas! It will also be the one of the first things my kids see when they come downstairs and head into the kitchen.

I love that you can see our Advent calendar as soon as you open our front door! (And no, my house is not decorated for Christmas yet, I just have a winter wreath on my door from our last Nate Show project- more on that later this week!)

My daughter can hardly wait to get started counting down the days until Christmas! I also scoured Pinterest for other fun DIY Advent ideas and found these for your viewing pleasure (click on the link to go to the tutorial):

Source: blogs.babble.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: davidandcarolineparker.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: modpodgerocksblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: budgetwisehome.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I'm totally doing that last one: wrap a Christmas book to open and read each day. However, I'm doing the 12 days of Christmas books so I don't have to spend a fortune on books! (Tip: Your local thrift store probably has LOADS of Christmas books for sale)
What do you do to count down the days until Christmas?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to our newest sponsors, Scout & Nimble and CJS Eco Chic! Check out these fabulous ladies and tell them we sent you!

We're secretly hoping that we are introducing you to Beckie for the first time, but chances are, you're already addicted to her sites, like us. Beckie must be one of the hardest-working women in the blogosphere because she writes THREE blogs! I know, crazy, right? But she is just that awesome. Plus, we are super-excited to be monthly contributors on Infarrantly Creative beginning this month, so you'll be hearing a whole lot more about Beckie here on our blog. Lucky you!!
Take it away, Beckie!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, my is Beckie and I am the mommy to three babies…

Yes I am a tri-blogger. But these are actually my real babies!

Yes I am a mom to two, wife of one, spray paint addict and Roadkill Rescue hero! What is that, you ask? No I don’t scoop dead animal carcass off the side of the road, but rather rescue discarded furniture and turn it into usable and beautiful décor for my home.
Here is the lighted end table I made for my husband’s office. You will never guess what this originated from…

Our church was remodeled last year to accommodate more people. Along with tearing out pews and adding new theatre seats they upgraded their lighting, which meant tearing down the dated chandeliers.

The chandeliers are HUUUGE! They took them down and before they hauled them off to the dump I snagged a bunch of the arms.
Here is what one of them looked like.

On the inside was 8 sockets for lights.

So after tugging, twisting, turning, clamping, and unscrewing I had everything taken apart.

I decided it would be fun to make one of the arms of the chandies a lighted end tables for my husband’s office. See my husband is a pastor at the church. It is kind of symbolic for him in a sense, since he is such an integral part of the growth and change happening right now. I lightly sanded all the brassiness with my 3M Sandblaster Pad and then wiped it down. I sprayed it with Clean Metal Primer by Rustoleum. After it was dry I sprayed it with some Oil Rubbed Bronze Metallic spray paint by Krylon.

I purchased a pine tabletop at Menards for $9.44.

In order to accommodate the threaded pipes I needed the tabletop to be drilled a bit so it would fit in place.

So I flipped it upside down and had my husband press it down so that it made an indention into the wood top. Since pine is a soft wood it worked pretty well.

Then I marked the spots and used a drill press to drill down into the table top. Then I placed the tabletop on top. Perfect fit!

I primed and painted the tabletop (Krylon’s Oil Rubbed Bronze) as well.
I wanted there to be a light still inside the table. So I asked my licensed electrician friend to show me how to use the parts I had to created a light fixture inside with an attached cord. After cutting some of the wire and removing the extra sockets. It went from this…

to this…

I measured the bottom harness and cut a circle out of a piece of scrap wood to fit perfectly inside.

Then I drilled a hole in the middle of the wood circle and added the light fixture securing it at the bottom with a nut.

Then I set my light into the harness and added 3 fifteen watt bulbs.

Then I put the white plexiglass in place and the top of the fixture.

Then I dabbed some Gorilla Glue onto the thread pipes and then pressed the wood tabletop in place. I weighted it down and let it dry.

And there it is… from church chandie to hub’s new end table.

And here it is plugged in…

Roadkill Rescue… success! Do you love trash to treasure projects? Well come check out all my Roadkill Rescues here.
Guess what?! I had another chandelier arm that I turned into something fabulous as well. Come check it out!

Thanks, girls, for having me and Happy 30th Birthday my friends! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aren't some people just so creative??!!! Thank you so much, Beckie, for stopping by our blog! We're hoping you leave a little more inspired today.

P.S. Don't forget to"like" us on Facebook for all the up-to-date details on our Mexico trip!

You probably noticed that we post 4-5 times a week here on the blog. That means most days you can come here for a daily dose of creativity. But what if I want more??? So you want more than just one dose a day? Sounds like it's time to follow us on Facebook! We love Facebook because it let's us interact with so many of our readers and lets us share far more than we can here in only one daily blog post.

Click HERE to Like Us on Facebook! Still not completely convinced? Let's see what you've been missing…

Project Sneak Peeks. I did a major 48 hour garage renovation as a surprise for my hubs. I'll be blogging it soon, but if you were following along on FB you'd have gotten some major sneak peeks and you'd have known that my husband came home 8 HOURS earlier than he was supposed to!: )

Jess gave this project sneak peek for an AMAZING project she just finished. This one will be posted on Infarrantly Creative next week. I know I'm biased as a BFF, but it's freaking awesome!

Bits of Monica Humor. If it makes me laugh, I share it. Sometimes I get eye rolls from Jess. Ha!

Real Life. We're totally normal (well kinda) gals with lots going on in our crazy lives. Sometimes we share things (like Jess' Anniversary last month) that let you get to know a bit more about the girls behind EC2.

My baby girl turned 5 this week. Don't be fooled by me sweetly calling her"baby girl"… she's in a supper annoying, naughty phase right now. Actually, I told Jess the other night that KJ was so naughty that I didn't even want to mention her bday on Facebook- GASP! Don't worry, I got over it and below is the post.

Awesome Finds. We use Facebook to share awesome inspiration for projects, products, and FOOD! Anytime we find a great deal or an amazing recipe, we'll let you know. I shared this project last week and I'm still swooning over it!

So there you have it. Plenty of reasons YOU should be following us on Facebook. Oh and wouldn't it be cool if you told your friends to do the same? We think it would be pretty darn fabulous! Like us HERE
In other news…

If you're not super familiar with blogs, I'll fill you in on a secret… people are too busy in the summer to regularly read all their favorite blogs. That's kind of okay with us because we love to relax and play in the summer too! Here's another secret… Fall through Christmas is a stinkin' amazing time in the blog world. We're talking insane creativity people. So mark your calendars because September 3rd EC2 is ready to rock your world! (slight exaggeration, but we do have some cool projects!)
Have a great weekend! Do you already follow us on Facebook? If not, did I convince you to?

Today's post has nothing to do with DIY (nope, not a lick), but I thought maybe some of you might be able to relate to our worst date night ever. At least I hope we're not alone!

Eric and I love the band Fun. We saw them last summer at a tiny concert before they were crazy popular- it was awesome! This summer they were coming back to Philly, so months ago- the day they went on sale, we bought really good tickets. Saturday night was the big night! So here's how it all went down… 4:30pm leaving our house to head to Philly. Now, I never like to take Eric's car- it's 9 years old and kind of a beater. But, since it was a date night and I know he really likes to take his car because it's economical, I decided to be a good wife and suggested we take it. Wife of the year, I know right!
5:00pm arrive at Chipotle for dinner We enjoyed an awesome dinner- do you know that I went to Chipotle for this first time ever a month ago?!? I'm a pretty picky eater, so I never was too interested in it. BUT… I stinkin' love it! Anyhow, we ate really fast and were headed back to the car in about 20 minutes.

5:20pm Beater car has a dead battery and won't start! Are you kidding me? The one time I agreed to take the beater. Ugh. We called a tow service and had the car jumped within 30 mins. Okay, not too bad, we still have tons of time before the concert started at 7:30pm.

6:30pm Arrive in Philly and are super excited for the concert We were so thankful for a smooth drive into the city and we were getting excited about hearing the opening band Tegan and Sara. We had to get off this exit and then go 1 mile to the Mann Center.

6:30pm-9:05pm We Sat and Sat and Sat In 95 minutes we moved 400 feet. Literally, my GPS told us we moved only 400 feet. We couldn't get out and walk because we were on Rt 76, there was no alternate route, and get this… it was 99 degrees outside and we couldn't use the air because of the dead battery. Can it get any better?? Oh wait it can, we thought we'd have our own mini car concert and popped in our FUN. cd… ERROR. Yup, randomly the CD player stopped working. It was Amazeballs!

9:05pm Turn around and head home. #DateNightFail After seeing via Instagram that Fun. was already playing and we had only moved 400 feet and had 1.2 miles to go we made the crappy decision to cut our losses and head home. We knew we wouldn't get there until around 10:30pm- three hours late and just in time to get back into traffic.
So, 100% certifiably, it was the worst date night ever. We got home around10:30pm and the only thing we'd accomplished was a fast food dinner and about 6 hours spent in a car without air conditioning. The thing is, five years ago in our marriage that kind of epic fail would have had both Eric and me completely annoyed and upset and most likely testy at each other. Thankfully, neither one of us was in a bad mood. We both kind of laughed it off, and felt like why get upset when we can't change it. I don't know if it's a sign of getting older and wiser, or being further along in our relationship (I promise you year 2 or 3 of our marriage I would have ripped him a new one about his crappy car- lol), but we were just happy to hang out together. (This blurry instagram pic was after 75 minutes of traffic and 99 degree heat, but we're still smiling)

I'd love to know if you've ever had an epic date night fail… Can you top our date night?? I should also mention the total cost for the night (not including the new battery we had to buy the next day) was like $350! Fun times I tell ya.
So, thanks for letting me share, we'll be back later this week with projects from our tiny kitchen makeover. Don't miss it- there are some awesome ones!!

PS- If you happen to be in the band FUN. or you have awesome connections, I'd be totally fine with you hooking us up with some kind of private concert or something. Just tossing it out there- never know who reads DIY blogs right?!?

This weekend Jess and I got up bright and early on Saturday morning to attend a barn sale. We weren't 100% sure what to expect (the details were limited) and on the way we were laughing at the possibility of us walking it and it being all farm equipment! Thankfully it wasn't! The sale was inside and out of this cool, old barn

There were plenty of random things, but also tons of furniture, mirrors, and stuff that was right up our alley!

I REALLY wanted to buy this piece for my dining room, but it's a corner unit that wouldn't fit. I was bummed!

Jess almost bought this mantle to turn into a headboard, but I kind of talked her out of it!

We both loved this cool sign!

I spotted and scored this awesome"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall…" style mirror for $5.00!

DIY Chalkboard Mirror Have I mentioned I'm impulsive?? By Saturday afternoon I was ready to start working on my mirror project! I make my poor husband take all kinds of dorky pictures of me holding things… He accidentally got himself in this picture (don't tell him I used it on the blog!)

Here's the mirror before… Jess is in a gold phase, and liked it gold, but me… not so much…

I went to Lowes and after staring at the spraypaint choices for an eternity, I decided that blue will now be my kitchen accent color. A worker actually made a comment about how long it took me to choose.: )

Did the blue in the above picture worry you?? It just looks crazy bright in the pic, in reality, it's a really great, dark blue! Love it! If you're doing this project with a mirror, I recommend spraypainting right over the mirror as well. It acts like a primer for the chalkboard paint.

See the little cobwebs?? I clearly didn't take the time to prep the mirror. Thankfully, they wiped right off. Impulsive remember?

Next, it was time to paint the mirror surface with chalkboard paint. You can get it by the quart at any Lowes or Home Depot.

Rather than using my real painting brushes, I opted for some art brushes because I was going to freehand the edges.

It is just me or do other people like taking pictures of open cans of paint? I always think they look so cool!

Thankfully, the mirror had an easy edge to follow and I was able to get my lines nice and crisp (perfectionist tendencies!)

The chalkboard paint went on really evenly and only required one coat.

And of course I hung it before it was dry! Ahhh I love it so much!

We decided we'd use it for a countdown for this kids for now. Eventually, I'll need some kind of quote that makes me seem way cooler than I am.

Here's where it's hanging in my house…It's on a small wall area between the kitchen and living room. And look, I've been using my Key Hooks and you can see them in this picture!

So, do you have any cool frames or broken mirrors that you can make into a cool chalkboard? What do you think of my Mirror, Mirror on the Wall turned Chalkboard?

We're linking up to a few Great Blogs! Shabby Nest, Remodelaholic, Under the Table and Dreaming, Today’s Creative Blog, DecorChick, Finding Fabulous, The DIY Show-Off, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Polly Want a Crafter?, Shabby Chic Cottage, Stories of A-Z, House of Hepworths, Beneath My Heart, Shanty 2 Chic, The CSI Project, CRAFT, House of Grace, Domestically Speaking, Creations by Kara, Southern Hospitality, Lolly Jane, Keeping it Simple, Somewhat Simple, Making the world Cuter, Young and Crafty, My Backyard Eden, Dittle Dattle, A Glimpse Inside, At Home with K, Brambleberry Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Someday Crafts, Serenity Now, The DIY Club, My Girlish Whims

You want to know what we learned this year at the first ever Haven conference? There are so many talented people in the world. It's true. Every single blogger we met has unbelievable talent, was super cute (I'm not lying when I say that Monica and I left feeling old and frumpy!), and could not have been nicer. It totally felt like a huge family reunion (except that we had never met before!) Seriously, though, we attended some inspiring sessions, chatted with some of our favorite bloggers and enjoyed really fun BFF time, too! It started out with a smooth flight, a pricey cab to the hotel (60 bucks, one way!) and the discovery that the hotel had overbooked and that our confirmation was actually a pending notification. Booo. But the guys at the Crowne Plaza worked it out and we got a room (a nice one, I might add!)

Upon arrival, we met some of the Haven crew and received our swag bags. There were some pretty sweet finds in the bag, but our favs were definitely the Annie Sloan Chalk paint, Purdy paint brush, Kreg Jig Jr. and a stencil from our go-to stencil girls at Royal Design Studio. Score!

We attended six sessions total, each of them were taught by some blogging bigwigs- do you see that list below? Southern Rhoda, Tracie at Beneath my Heart, Beth from Home Stories A to Z, Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick, and Myra from My Blessed Life We were SO thrilled to meet these ladies in real life and hear all the stuff they've learned through their blogging experience. We also spent time talking with vendors (Monica won 3 awesome paint brushes at the Annie Sloan chalk paint booth), and with business cards in hand, checked out all the blogs we hadn't read before,.

Rashon Carraway, aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting, rocked the Thrifting 101 session! Remember him from The Nate Show? We had fun sharing stories about our times on the show and how great the staff was to us. Good times, I tell you.

Sherry and John from Young House Love were the keynote speakers, and not only were they adorable, they were so down to earth, full of good tips and witty, to boot. Not fair. We loved their mindset about writing their blog, and their honesty about sort of stumbling into blogging fame.
We could have talked with Sherry the entire night. She's totally like the other best friend we wish we had.

We LOVED meeting so many people with similar passions as ours, and discovering awesome blogs we had never heard about. No one truly understands blogging except other bloggers, that's for sure.

Beth from Free Stylin' and Jamie from C.R.A.F.T

The highlight of our trip was meeting our blog mentor, Beckie. We've been chatting with her on the phone every week for the past few months. We knew she was insanely talented and driven, but we were so not prepared for how awesome she is in person! And drop-dead gorgeous. Her session about advertising had everyone buzzing about her. And for good reason! Love.that.girl.

Monica was really excited to meet her, and I was scared, I guess. Awkward, Jess, awkward.
And I'm sure you've all heard of Allison from House of Hepworths, but we were psyched to meet her since we were in the Blogging 2 Better collaboration with her the past 6 weeks.

Layla from The Lettered Cottage, taught a killer session on photo styling that rocked our picture-taking world. How she preps rooms for photos is genius, and even though we learned a lot, we're pretty sure that she has a creative eye that can't be duplicated. I am a HUGE fan of hers, so was pretty excited that she sort of knew who we were (or pretended to, anyway!)

We also had the priviledge of hanging out a bit with Ashley and Whitney from Shanty 2 Chic. These girls make DIYing look amazing. A gorgeous, creative blogging duo.

And speaking of gorgeous-ness…take a look at Ana White building a rolling storage caddy in sky-high heels and tight cropped pants. Fabulous, isn't it? Makes us feel like we should maybe reconsider our t-shirt and sweatpants attire for DIYing. Or maybe not.

And finally, here's a shot of us fooling around at the Homes.com photo booth. Our new bloggy best friend, Karah from The Space Between, took this picture and we love it. And you'll love her. First of all, she lives in Curacao, and secondly she does great projects (just check out her rooftop pallet bed) and thirdly, she's a lot of fun to hang out with.

So that's our crazy recap! All in all we had as really fun time, and I can't say enough how much fun I have with Monica. It may actually be possible that two people share the same brain. Just sayin'.; )
If you could meet one blog crush, who would you choose?

Hey y'all… How funny does that sound coming from me? Well, today we're taking some time to show you some amazing projects that some of our blogger buddies have been working on and one of them happens to have the sweetest southern accent, so I though I'd give the old y'all a try. I'm thinking it should never come out of the mouth of a Boston raised, Philly transplant (and yes, I had to Google it to even see how y'all was spelled! Ha!)
Anyhow, onto business. We want to introduce you to some crazy talented ladies that we're lucky enough to have met through blogging. If you don't already follow their blogs, you're missing out, but here are some of our favorite projects we've seen recently.
Kim @ Sand and Sisal Kim's posts are so dang pretty. Her pictures are amazing and this project is no exception. These glass vases can be made from paint and nail polish remover?!? I know right? I was amazed at the tutorial and will be going to the dollar store for vases STAT! Check out her tutorial! Painted Glass Vases

Shaunna @ Perfectly Imperfect This is the lady that says y'all and it sounds just lovely! Shaunna (in my opinion) knows her style and how to achieve it better than anyone in blogland (and yes, I know that's a BIG statement). If her rooms don't make you a tad jealous, than you're a better woman than I am! It might not even be my style, but the ability to take a room and pull it together so well is something to strive for. You have to check out all of her home before and afters. And funny side note… we were both on Nate the same day and didn't even know it! Jess and I were working like crazy on the 24hr backstage challenge! Home Tour Before and Afters

And I had to include this picture, because it's Jess' personal favorite of Shaunna's.

Brook @ Being Brook I think Brook is the next Ana White! Seriously, she has built so many awesome projects and this picnic table was just one of her recent masterpieces. Doesn't this whole set-up make you want to be invited over for a picnic? She also just made super cool wooden planters that would have cost big bucks from a store. Check out her blog for other DIY projects and to see all the details of this amazing table!

DIY Picnik Table

Allison @ House of Hepworths I've been following Allison's blog for ages now. It's awesome that I've actually gotten to know her! This project is really simple, but looks like something she bought at a high end store. I love Allison's ability to take something average and make it awesome. Check out how she added the awesome pop of color to these bowls and then turned them into art! (Allison also has a great link party each week it you're looking for a good one to join!)Color Backed Decor Bowls

Janena @ SAS Interiors Do any of you have"real designer" friends? Janena is my"real designer" friend and when she says a room I've done looks good, it's like a compliment x10! If you want to learn about styling bookshelves, or arranging a room, she is your girl, but she also does some great DIYs and this one spread like wildfire in blogland. Shower curtains are crazy expensive for cool ones, so Janena figured out how to use any curtain as one! Her steps are simple and will make it last, so check it out! Turn Any Curtain into a Shower Curtain

Now why do I want you to meet our blog pals?? I thought I'd introduce you to them # 1 because I think they're awesome and #2 because we've started a combined Pinterest Board called"Creative Minds" where you can keep up with some awesome DIY and decor projects. The 6 of us will all be pinning to it, to bring you one very awesome inspiration board! Make sure you're following on Pinterest and get ready to see some awesome projects coming your way over the next few days!

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!