My Creative Blog [Search results for creative] 

Happy Friday! Isn't this week completely WEIRD?? What's up with 4th of July on a Wednesday?!? Thursday morning my hubs came down stairs wearing a polo and jeans and I was like,"are we going on a date or something?"… he was like,"Hello… I work for a living and it's the middle of the week." Boo! Anyhow, I'm glad that it's finally the real weekend (and we're excited to celebrate Jess' son's birthday on Saturday!).
I was supposed to write a final Patio post before the big reveal, but all my pictures give too much away, so you're just going to have to wait until the grand reveal. I'm not 100% sure when it will be because I want to show it with with table, outdoor rug, etc… Stay Tuned!
Instead, I'm going totally rando on ya (a gal pal of mine said"rando" the other day and I laughed at her and then said it about 15 minutes later. I'm a nerd like that)… Here are some fab finds and things I've recently Pinned … 1- Some words of wisdom.

Source: thatonerule.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
2- Pallet Bench. Now that my real patio furniture is on my patio, my front porch is bare! I am thinking of building a few of these. Super Cute!

Source: funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
3- I printed these out this week. I have NOT been listening to any skinny rules for a long while now. Time to change that.

Source: hepburnandhoundstooth.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
4- Here's why I need the skinny list… The hubs and I are planning a trip to Europe in the fall. We're planning London, Paris, and probably one other destination. I can't wait to nail down all the details.

Source: Uploaded by user via Franniee on Pinterest

5- This is how I want to dress on our trip.

Source: fashionworship.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
6- Found this blog this week. This gal is crazy talented. For 365 days she upcycled a thrift store outfit into something fabulous. You have to check it out! (Jess and I also love the faces she makes in all the"before" pics)
Source: dollarstorecrafts.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest

Source: refashionista.net via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
Source: a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via East Coast Creative on Pinterest

7- I love this chair and I want to try something similar. I don't have a chair though… I'm tucking this idea away for another time, because I love it.

8- And just in case this isn't a random enough post for you… This totally is my sense of humor. I'm actually laughing while I type this.

Well, that's all for now! Do you follow is on Pinterest? If not, I think you should (just sayin') http://pinterest.com/real_housewives/
Have a great weekend! We have some awesome projects to share next week! 9- ONE more… This is what I'm reading right now. Jess read the first two books last week and loved them. Have you read it? Did you like it? What are you reading right now? Did you know we're both total book worms? (Sorry for the 20 questions!)

Source: 11993.genderweb.in via Melisa on Pinterest

You guys have been so good to us lately! You've dealt with all the blog switcheroo craziness and we thought we should thank you for it! Well, technically Canvas People are the ones doing the generous giving, but we're sharing the love with you! They run this deal from time to time, and this time around we get to share it with you!

Canvas People are offering a Free 8x10 to every EC2 reader! (or if you're more the large print type you can get $40 off of your order)

To get your free canvas, click HERE One of my very first blog posts ever was about a canvas gallery I ordered through Canvas People. Remember this?

So the question now is What to Print?? Pictures or a Printable? Don't worry, we've rounded up an awesome collection of free, legit prints that you can use on your canvas. How's that for exciting?
. To download them, follow them using the links provided to their source sites, save the image to your computer and upload it to Canvas People using the link above.
This would look great in a master bedroom or bath.Download the I love us printable.

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest The school year is almost over, make one of these on canvas for one of your kiddo's teachers Download the Teacher Appreciation printable 16x20

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
We love the colors in this one!Download the Room in Our Hearts printable

Source: simpleasthatblog.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest

Love isn't just for the month of February! Download the fairytale printable

Source: simpleasthatblog.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
Jess has an obsession with coral, so this would be perfect. Comes in tons of colors!Download the What I Love printable

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via East Coast Creative on Pinterest
And my personal favorite is one I made from a quote I saw. Download Straight Gangsta printable

You know by now that our favorite online paper store is Moo & Puppy. I made this monogram printable to put on a canvas, but I was thinking of making one for each of my kids' teachers. All you need to do is 1-visit moo and puppy2- choose your paper pack- you get like 8 papers for $3.00 (what a deal!) 3- Use picmonkey.com to add a background shape and letter4. Use this link to get your free canvas!

Ooh, and we just found a few more adorable printables (comes in lots of colors!) from Paper Coterie that are perfect for Mother's Day, and every other day for that matter! Download Love printables

We hope you have a great weekend and have fun choosing what to print! Aren't FREE things awesome? We sure think so! Enjoy!

**Update: Submissions are NOW open! Click here to enter! You'd better be sitting down ladies and gents, because we're thrilled to announce that we are hosting the BEST, MOST AWESOME contest in all of blogland!! Remember that contest we won last year? Crafting with the Stars? Well, not only did we win it, but we also bought it! Tam, from Sew Dang Cute, took a leave from blogging and we jumped at the chance to run the contest that helped jump-start our blogging careers. We're hoping that we can help one of YOU jump start or boost your blogging career, too! Welcome to the new home of Creating with the Stars! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're super excited because it's bigger, badder and better than it has ever been. In case you didn't notice, we've renamed it Creating with the Stars, which means no limits to the incredible stuff you can create. It's not just crafts anymore, people.

What the heck is Creating with the Stars, you ask? CWTS is the ultimate creative DIY competition that pairs 12 contestants with 12 of blogland's biggest stars to duke it out over 4 weeks. Only one team will make it to the end to claim the Grand Prize. The best part? You, the readers, choose the winners!
Here's a peek into our projects from the 2012 season…

One of our favorite parts of this competition is that contestants are paired with a super famous, awesome Blog Star! We've rounded up the best of the best and we know you all would LOVE a chance to work 1:1 with any of these bloggers!

Introducing the 2013 Creating with the Stars Blog Stars!

1- Sherry from Young House Love
2- Whitney & Ashley from Shanty 2 Chic
3- Brooke from All Things Thrifty
4- Jane from Tatertots and Jello
5- Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick
6- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative
7- Mandi from Vintage Revivials
8- Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime
9- Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect
10- Beth from Home Stories A to Z
11- Kari from U Create
12- Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl
That's some serious talent all in one place! And let me tell you, some of these bloggers are in it to win it-they're all about the competition!! Wouldn't it be so awesome to be paired up with one of them?!?

We also have some ridiculously awesome sponsors, who are chomping at the bit to give you some great prizes!
The 2013 CWTS Prize packages Total over $4100!!
A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS! We're so honored to have them!
The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive:
$500 from Homes.Com
$500 Gift Card to HomeGoods
Project featured by HomeTalk

All contestants that make it to Week 4 will be given a $100 Giftcard to HomeGoods to use during the week 4 home decor challenge!
The Semi-Finals Winner will receive:
$500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star)
$100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts
$125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks
Project featured by HomeTalk

The Week 2 Winner will receive:
$100 Gift Card to Royal Design Studio
A pair of $120 Robert Allen pillows from Chic Decor Pillows
Project featured by HomeTalk

The Week 1 Winner will receive:
$50 worth of 31 Gifts products
$60 worth of Twtsted Yarn products
$70 of Henle Headbands products
$100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design
Project featured by HomeTalk

Here's how it all works:
Submit one project that shows everyone your best stuff into the linky party here on East Coast Creative that will begin on February 5th. Projects must have been made October 1, 2011 or laterand must be your own work. You have until February 21st to enter. From those entries, 12 of you will be chosen by the blog stars and us as contestants and will be randomly paired up to work one-on-one with a Blog Star, to duke it out in a four-week competition to see who's the most creative. The Star will give suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and help so you can come up with the best project possible. Each round will have a theme and the bottom three will be eliminated based on reader votes. Once the contest is started, weekly projects are anonymous, so big blogger or rookie, everyone's on the same, even playing field! Find your favorite project to link up and be prepared to put your best foot forward if you want to survive!

What to do Now!
Submissions are NOW open! Click here to enter!
Be sure to Like East Coast Creative on Facebook. We're going to be messaging reminders, sneak peeks, and lots of contest info via Facebook, so you don't want to miss out! Also, start deciding what one project you want to submit for your chance to be a contestant! The sky is the limit and we're so excited to see all the amazing project submissions! Anytime you tweet about the contest, make sure you use #cwts2013 to stay in the loop and see what everyone else is saying about the contest!

If you have any questions about the contest, please email us at
CWTScontest{at}gmail.com

We're so excited about our 1st season hosting CWTS and we hope you are too!! Spread the word, because it's going to be one awesome ride!

The day is finally here! Submissions for Creating with the Stars are Open! We are so excited to see all of your submission projects!

This group of blog stars is pretty epic! One of them could be your new partner in crime! 1- Sherry from Young House Love 2- Whitney & Ashley from Shanty 2 Chic
3- Brooke from All Things Thrifty 4- Jane from Tatertots and Jello
5- Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick 6- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative
7- Mandi from Vintage Revivials 8- Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime
9- Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect 10- Beth from Home Stories A to Z
11- Kari from U Create 12- Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's just recap CWTS a bit and then we'll get onto the How To details! If you missed the announcement post with ALL the details, click hereYou can submit one project that shows everyone your best stuff into the linky party below. Projects must have been made October 1, 2011 or laterand must be your own work. You have until February 21st to enter your submission. From those entries, 11 will be chosen by the blog stars and us as contestants and will be randomly paired up to work one-on-one with a Blog Star, to duke it out in a four-week competition to see who's the most creative. The Star will give suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and help so you can come up with the best project possible. Each round will have a theme and the bottom three will be eliminated based on reader votes. Once the contest is started, weekly projects are anonymous, so big blogger or rookie, everyone's on the same, even playing field! Find your favorite project to link up and be prepared to put your best foot forward if you want to survive!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Enter CWTS: 1. Link Up your Project. Use the Linky below to submit your project entry *Reminder: Be sure to link to the actual project page, and not just your homepage. 2. Grab a Button. You need to add a link back to EC2 in your submission post. Even if it's an old post, just grab the button code below and paste it into the post.

</figure><figure><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94gFCdkl5XvfYfY0cmc6bAe7QBJMLiECl-2TRMqt4zNyp-App9z1rXNO1gQXFI1Re3zJ4trv2YJiIwsAEnpzzwhi4X5BtSd7XKOcfQ5H864evyCgGXOy0V6z4GaAbt3dfmA4_B8Z3ML-y/s1333/CWTS+button+grab.jpg" alt="Creating with the Stars" /></figure><p><!--end button code box-->
3. Follow EC2 on Facebook. Make sure you LIKE East Coast Creative so you get all the updates and info we'll be sharing there as well. (This step is a requirement to your entry- sorry to be big, bad, rule enforcers- We promise we aren't mean!)

4. Start Spreading the Word! The first 11 contestants will be chosen by the Blog Stars and East Coast Creative, but #12 will be chosen by popularity in the link party. Get your readers to come over and give your thumbnail a click- yours could be the most viewed!! (Just don't act like some weird robot and click on your own entry a million times, that's lame-o!)

And, as if you need any more motivation to enter, we have the BEST.SPONSORS.EVER!! The 2013 CWTS Prize packages Total over $4100!!
A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, HomeTalk, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS.nWe're so honored to have them!
The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive:
$500 from Homes.Com
$500 Gift Card to HomeGoods
Project featured by HomeTalk

All contestants that make it to Week 4 will be given a $100 Giftcard to HomeGoods to use during the week 4 home decor challenge!
The Semi-Finals Winner will receive:
$500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star)
$100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts
$125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks
Project featured by HomeTalk

The Week 2 Winner will receive:
$100 Gift Card to Royal Design Studio
A pair of $120 Robert Allen pillows from Chic Decor Pillows
Project featured by HomeTalk

The Week 1 Winner will receive:
$50 worth of 31 Gifts products
$60 worth of Twtsted Yarn products
$70 of Henle Headbands products
$100 Blog Re-design from 733 Design
Project featured by HomeTalk

Okay, enough talking, let's get submitting! We're so excited to have each and every one of you!! Good Luck and May the Odds be ever in your Favor (sorry, two Hunger Games lovers here!)

We might have come up with a way to ensure that your house is the coolest on the block this Halloween… At least it would get my kids' vote!

The Monster Mash Candy"Bowl" is SO NOT your Mama's Candy Bowl! It's a fun way for trick or treaters to choose their own candy or a treat- If they can get past our silly monsters!
Monster Mash Candy"Bowl" Tutorial
We were quick to respond YES when Martha Stewart Crafts asked if we wanted to be part of a creative Halloween Team. We love Martha and her products, so it was a no-brainer. Then we had to come up with a creative idea and honestly this one just popped into my head. I was at dinner, so I ran the idea by my board of trustees (AKA my 4 kids) and got their seal of approval.

The fun thing about this project is that you can totally customize it any way you'd like to, but I'll give you the 411 on how I did things.
I started on the chalkboard wooden labels first since they'd need to dry.

I used Martha's Multi-Surface Pearl paint on the wooden plaques that I picked up at Michael's for 79 cents. I'm not making this up, I really was amazed at how smooth the paint was. It probably was a combo of a good brush and good paint, but I actually begged the hubs to come look at how smooth this paint is! Shockingly, he wasn't nearly as excited as I was.
I then used chalkboard paint on the mini wood tags that I also grabbed at Michael's for 29 cents. Score!

Once everything was dry, I used hot glue to attach the two together. I planned to use chalk to label the plaques, but for pictures a paint pen worked better.
Next, it was time to make my monster mouths on the presentation board.

I bought a foam core presentation board because I think it's easier to work with than the cardboard ones. I traced my circles with a bowl and then cut them out using a utility knife (that manly hand is not mine, the hubs was my helper on this project- just FYI!)
Once we had holes, it was time to bring my monsters to life.

I went with really big googly eyes so that Mr.Monster looked fun and silly and not creepo for little kids. I bought a sheet of foam for the teeth and varied between pointy fangs and chunky square teeth. (The teeth were Jess' brilliant idea when I was brainstorming my project with her! It's awesome to have such a creative BFF.) I used hot glue to adhere the eyes and the teeth were also hot glued, but to the backside of the board.
Martha has an awesome collection of cardboard stencils and as soon as I saw the triangle, I knew we needed a pennant banner.

I traced and hand cut the pennants onto cardstock. I used our Silhouette to cut out my letters and just used some good old Elmer's to put it together. I knew from the start that I wanted to have fun, white lights illuminating my Monsters! I was talking to my hubs about a time (a long time ago) when I used a display board with lights to write him a love message and he totally was like,"Umm that must have been some other husband. I don't remember it at all!" Ha! Glad it made such an impact on him. In his defense, I do think it was about 10 years ago.

To add lights, we just predrilled holes for each light bulb. We had to try a few bit sizes before getting one that was just right. You want it big enough to fit the light, but tight enough to hold it in place. Once your holes are ready, just pop the lights through the back side.
Then we were ready to fancy it up a bit…

I used more of Martha's stencils and paint to add a skinny chevron at the bottom. I also added some fun details to my monsters accessories. The neon green paint is such a fun color and my kids told me it was cool. (Cool mom points for me!)
And what would a candy"bowl" be without candy??

I divided up my candy and hot glued the bags to the back of each monster mouth. In retrospect, I might swap them out for larger, brown bags so I don't have to refill it 24-7, but this let you see what was in the bags. I've had my kids try this out and it's really simple to get your hand in and out with your loot. The glue is holding up well too. I made sure we banged it around a bit as a trial.
While I was planning this project I started thinking about what choices to give kiddos. I went with 3 traditional candies and then added glow stick bracelets and one mystery choice, which is actually little plastic spiders (from Target dollar bin. $2.50 for 250).
My kids don't have allergies, but so many children do, so I thought this was a thoughtful alternative.

I hope our Monster Mash Candy"Bowl" inspires you to try something new this year. We had so much fun working with Martha Stewart Crafts to make this and we're counting down the days until we can use it!

I'd love to know what you think of our idea? Would your kiddos think it's cool?

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PlaidCrafts
• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.c o m/PlaidCrafts

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce you to sweet Brook of Being Brook. She's a fellow contributor to Infarrantly Creative, and was a part of our Blogging 2 Better group. She's insanely talented and her projects are sooo beautiful! Her incredibly adorable fabric wall map happened to be our favorite project from our summer challenge!

Hi East Coast Creative Readers! I'm Brook and I blog at BeingBrook where I share tips and tutorials on building, sewing, crafts and home decor! I'm a military spouse so I move frequently and am always striving to Create Awesome wherever our family ends up!

Today I have a tutorial on how to make a keepsake hanger out of an antique doorknob!

Supplies: 2 pieces of pine 1"x4" cut into a square Annie Sloan Chalk Paint & Clear Wax Antique Door Knob Epoxy Resin (I used Envirotex Lite) Screw

I needed something to screw into and antique door knobs don't usually take standard screws. So I started by taping off my antique door knob and mixing up some resin to fill the old screw hole. Beckie from Infarrantly Creative has an in depth tutorial if you need more help with this part. Then I painted my two pieces of pine with Annie Sloan Chalk paint in French Linen which is the same color as my daughter's dresser.

On one of the wood pieces I used my keyhole bit on my router to make a spot to hang the little doorknob shelf from the wall. The other piece of wood I marked the middle and then 1/2 inch down on each side and traced two lines to give the front of the wood a little angle.

I used a miter saw to cut the angles out and then nailed the top of the shelf to the bottom piece with a nail gun and finish nails. You could totally glue and hammer this with regular nails too.

Now it's time to drill a pilot hole in the wood for your doorknob and drill a pilot hole into your doorknob where the resin is.

Then crew a screw through your wood into the doorknob. Once my little shelf was all built I touched up the paint and waxed it with some soft wax.

Finished! I am using my little door knob shelf to display my daughter's keepsake baby dress and a little cup that was a special baby gift.

Thanks so much for having me Monica and Jess! I'd love it you came by and visited me at BeingBrook to see some of my other projects! Little Girl Aqua, Red and Gray Bedroom

Build a Rustic Headboard for only $35

Organize the Laundry Room with Basket Dressers

Isn't she amazing?! We seriously envy that girls talent and creativity. Thanks, Brook!

Well lookie here… a new blog name and a whole new look! {Eeek!} Let us tell you that this has been one crazy journey. If you’re new around here or missed the drama he’s the low down…
We’re a DIY and home décor blog. We’re Housewives. We’re Real. But, now we’re East Coast Creative… the bloggers formerly known as “The Real Housewives of Bucks County.” Hey, if Prince can do it, so can we! Change stinks, but we love our new name! So, our name is different, but everything else is the same. We’ll still be bringing you awesome DIY projects, cool design trends, and plenty of goofy Monica and Jess tossed in. Here’s where you come in… 1. We need help letting people know that East Coast Creative is still us! Facebook it, Tweet it, give us a shout out on your blog, whatever it takes. We want the world to know we’re still here!
2. For now, the old address will work, but (as soon as it's functional, hopefully sometime today) try to get in the habit of using
www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com
*will be working soon!
3. Let’s all just put RHBC behind us and move on. {Excuse us while we weep in the corner}
On another note… none of this would be possible without the amazing talent of Kim at 733 Designs. She put up with a lot of our crazy ideas, slight breakdowns, and was super helpful and fast in making this all happen.
Finally, we are so thankful for all of YOU! The positive feedback we get from you (especially in response to yesterday’s post) is so encouraging. We love this blog no matter what the name,(wait… what’s the name again??) and we’re so glad you do too.

Soooo…what do you think?!
With love, The Bloggers Formerly Known as The Real Housewives of Bucks County
** Other blog post titles that were considered:-How not to get sued-East Coast What???-The Housewives are Dead to us-Crap we need a blog name-A Case of Mistaken Identity

Wow, here we are just 2 years after we started East Coast Creative and we're celebrating 10,000 fans on Facebook! It has been quite a ride for us, from working with The Nate Show to now filming our own TV show Knock it Off! Honestly, we never could have imagined any of this and we couldn't have done any of it without the support of our amazing followers!
To celebrate and thank all of you, we put together a pretty fantastic giveaway. We wish we could give each and every one of you a prize, but in the end there will only be three winners. Bummer, but awesome at the same time!
The grand prize winner will receive a $200 gift card to Wayfair.com.

Whether you need a new bedroom set, coffee table, or a few picture frames, chances are Wayfair.com has what you're looking for. (I just ordered awesome wallpaper and can't wait for it to arrive!) They also have Halloween decor if you're still looking for fun ways to decorate, plus you can get a head start on your Christmas decor shopping as well! Be sure to enter below for your chance at winning a $200 gift card to Wayfair if you're in the market for new home decor.

The second winner will receive $50 to Royal Design Studio Stencils (you know how we love RDS stencils!), $50 to Gussy Sews Shop, and $35 to Vintage Vinyl Journals.

After receiving great feedback on the colorful stenciled accent wall we did on an episode of Knock it Off, we thought a Royal Design Studio Stencils gift card would be perfect for our readers. If you win you'll be able to create you're own accent wall, now don't forget to come back and share your design with us!
At Gussy Sews Shop you'll find an array of adorable handmade tote bags, diaper bags, zip pouches that are great for your makeup and sunglasses and crocheted infinity cowl scarves like the one seen here. Be sure to follow along on Gussy's blog for new product, sales, and a behind the scenes look at her busy, but inspirational life that includes her hubby and adorable baby boy.

Do you have a bunch of unplayable vinyl records just sitting around? Well, local Pennsylvania artist Katie, over at Vintage Vinyl Journals, figured out how to repurpose her scratched collection and turned them into something creative and useful again. She has classics like Sinatra, Elvis, and the Beatles, but can also customize gifts if you're looking for newer artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, or Beyonce. Stop by her site for updates on new journals as well as local shows she'll be selling at.

Last, but certainly not least, the third winner will receive $50 to Frog Prince Cake & Cookie Design (she did all the desserts for our KIO Premiere Party!), a Mila Rose Designs headband that sells for $32.00, and $100 to HorseFeathers Gifts!

Remember Linda from Frog Prince Cake & Cookie Design, who made these amazing mini tool cookies for our premiere party and you might recognize her from an episode of Knock it Off — that's where we met her! Well, now she will make customized cookies for you if you win the $50 gift card to her cake and cookie shop! Please note, she is asking for 4 weeks notice on any order.
Can you believe this cute floral headband from Mila Rose Designs is handmade? Melis has a beautiful collection of headbands, turbands, bows and more. She is currently running a sale for the month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness on a selection of pink bands and head scarves with 20% of the proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Whether your country chic or just looking for accessories that inspire you, HorseFeathers Gifts has what you're looking for. They are a mother daughter duo who hand create all of their unique designs and feature a selection of jewelry that gives back to amazing charities. My two daughters are crazy about these bracelets!
We can't thank you enough for all of your support, from the very beginning days of our blog to now watching our TV show. We appreciate every comment, email, and like! Enter below for your chance to be one of three lucky winners, each will be selected randomly.

One thing to remember with Rafflecopter… you have to do each entry task before you can click the green button to earn the entry. Clicking the button doesn't LIKE the page for you. And we're super excited about some new IG followers, so be sure to get that extra entry!! Thanks!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!

{If you didn't hear, The Real Housewives of Bucks County are now East Coast Creative (Get the story here ). You'll still be getting all the DIY, Design, and Monica & Jess that you love, but change your favorites to www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com Thanks!}
Last week we got real with you all and shared some of the struggles of a PTB (Part-Time-Blogger). You can check out the post here, but basically we're trying to figure out how to write a successful, growing blog, when it's not yet your full-time job (Notice we say"yet"… girls can dream right?!?) Due to the huge response we got from so many PTBs, we thought we'd share some of what we've learned along the way.

Pre-plan your posts. We spent about 6 months blogging by the seat of our pants. Ex: 10pm on Monday one of us would be DIYing a project for Tuesday morning. That still happens occasionally, but planning out projects ahead of time, helps us balance out the type of posts per week (DIY, Design Trends, Recipes, etc). It also helps cut down on our time shopping for materials. When you know what projects you're working on for the week, you might be able to cut your Lowes trips down to 2 or 3… sometimes, it used to be 5 or 6!

Using a simple Google calendar is a must for us because there are two of us that need to know the plan. Seeing the month or even two weeks at a time planned out makes things seem nice and manageable!
Check your Memory Card. Don't check to see if it's working, check to see what's on it. Jess and I have commented numerous times that we take more pictures of projects than anything else. Before blogging, I was a camera junkie. I had it with me all the time and we had awesome pictures of our kids. About a month ago, I decided enough was enough. Blogging was getting in the way of family pics. This is a peek at my April 2012 photos in Picasa.

Not one single picture of any of my kids, or even a single human for that matter. Ugh! I made a decision to be intentional and take more pictures of people than things! Here's a peek at May 2012 so far (and yes, I started May's folder about a week early)

I'm happy to be more balanced in this area, and really it's not about the pictures, it's about where my focus is and what memories I want to preserve… projects or people?? I'm choosing people.
Find a Blog Mentor. Officially or unofficially, having someone that you can ask blog questions to is so helpful! Beth from Home Stories A to Z was the first blogger we were able to reach out to with questions. She was always so helpful, even if our questions were silly or kinda obvious.

Having someone that knows the ropes and is willing to give you support when you need it is essential. Don't be afraid to reach out when you have questions. (You can even ask us, but we're still technically considered rookies)
Recently, we got an"Official" Blog Mentor. We write once a month over at Beckie's blog, Infarrantly Creative. That started a relationship that has helped us more than we ever could have imagined. Once a week we conference with Beckie about all things blog related. This lady is amazing! We give her a topic we want to talk about and 60 minutes later we have about 5 pages of notes and are so invigorated and full of ideas and things to try!

If you want to take your PTB to the next level, consider reaching out to someone that you think would make a great blog mentor. It'll rock your world!

Prioritize.
This sounds so obvious, but believe me, once the blog world sucks you in (in a good way, of course!), everything else can take a back seat. Decide what's most important to you, and what things you're ok living without. Actually write your priorites out on paper. It helps! For example: I made a choice to stay home with my kids (I work 10 hours a week outside of our home), so I only blog during their nap time and after they're in bed. Truth be told, I barely open the computer until 1 PM. However, I've had to give up sleep (low on my priority totem pole) in order to keep my top priorities straight. Give and take, right?

Learn when to say Yes and when to say No. We're still learning this one, folks, but here's are our thoughts about it. For the entire first year, we didn't say no to anything. And we're happy about that. Our lives were absolutely crazy, but we firmly believe that to grow your blog (just as you would a business) you have to put yourself out there, put lots of time in and keep your face forefront in everyone's mind. Doing that for the first year gives us the luxury now of choosing what's best for us and our blog, and occasionally saying no when it's not a good fit.

Source: oprah.com via Marivi on Pinterest
Be Consistent. It doesn't matter if you plan on posting twice a week or five times a week, but be consistent. Our favorite blogs are the ones who post on a regular basis- it's what keeps us coming back for more! We don't like to guess when someone might be posting, and we figure you don't either, so we do our best to post five times a week. Side note: if you want to grow your blog, posting often is key! Readers will come back if the content is different each day. You'll definitely lose readers if you post once every other week. It's just the way it is.

Step Away from the Computer If you're anything like us, you'll understand why this is important. We are constantly thinking about new projects, upcoming posts and events, how we can better grow our blog etc., so we could literally sit for hours and hours and hours at the computer and STILL have stuff we want to do. One of the best things that happened this year was our Mexico trip- a forced time away from the blog. And guess what? It was fabulous! We both thought we'd miss blogging terribly and would go through withdrawal. Not so. Real life is so much fun, and you might miss it if you sit on your rear all day staring at the screen.

Stop Comparing Not gonna lie. We went through a slump where we compared our blog and projects to another fabulous blogger. No matter what we did, or how great our projects were, we still felt like they didn't measure up. It stinks and takes away all the fun of blogging. We realized that there are millions of amazingly talented people out there, and someone is always going to be doing something more creative than we are, but who the heck cares?! We do what we do because we love it, and from what we've heard, our readers are pretty happy with it too. Every person has a gift- use yours to the best of your abilities and move on!

Source: imgfave.com via Sarah on Pinterest

These are just a few things we've learned along the way. The PTB dilemma is still something we're working on, but it's come a long way from where we started. Who knows, maybe someday we'll have a Full-Time Blogger Dilemma! That would be wonderful!
So what other tips would you add to our list?

We party hard in the Mangin family… We I love themed parties and have for about 10 years… before all the party planning websites and pinterest existed, I actually had to be creative and come up with ideas on my own {gasp!} I used to go a little extreme with the parties, but the hubs made me scale back I learned a little self control. I never went nuts like ponies and millions of dollars, but party prep would take FOREVER and other wifey duties would be ignored. Right now I'm planning Kira's 4th birthday party. She's wants a DOLPHIN themed party… UGH. I just designed her semi-dolphiny, semi-nautical invitations. I'm going to go with an ocean/dolphin party. She's cool with it.

I thought it would be fun to pull up some old party pics and get the creative juices flowing. These pics weren't taken for a blog, so go easy on me!
Kitty Party Obsessed with cats, we did a kitty theme. Pink. Black. All things Cat.

Probably my favorite cake ever.

Pumpin Party I took the easy way out and went with the fall theme since it's a November birthday. Pumpkin Mini Golf

Bobbing for Apples

Garr… Pirate Party It's been done 100s of times, but he loved pirates! (Oh, my word… do you love that I accidently drew him a french mustache instead of a piratey one?)

Wish this picture was better, but we made two huge plywood boats so the kids could have cannonball wars and walk the plank!

So, no we're not fancy-schmancy, but my kids LOVE their theme parties, and their mommy does too! All our friends know how we roll and they're great sports… Minute to win it anyone?

Starwars Babyshower anyone?? Little fella was going to be named Lucas after Luke Skywalker!

Ok, looking back at these made me laugh and inspired me to get my butt in gear and get all dolphiny! Here's a few pins to get me going…

Source: newenglandfineliving.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
How do you partay?

Psssst! We're guest-posting today over at Home Stories A to Z for our bloggy friend, Beth. Head on over to see what we did with an old cabinet!
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We love when a DIY project just kind of pops onto our laps. This Solar Terrarium was just that way. We were working on a succulent planter that was really flopping and suddenly came up with this project as a Plan B, and we sure love it!

Solar Terrarium Materials List Solar Light Succulent Plant Lantern from Lowe's Scotch Double sided Mounting Tape River Rocks

Did you see this great project on Pinterest from The Shabby Creek Cottage? I had seen it earlier in the week and was so glad I did. It inspired me to grab a few solar lights at Lowes.

Inspired to get creative with the solar lights, we first took the light apart to figure it out.

I had picked up this lantern at Lowe's a while back and it was perfect to let sunlight shine through the top. They come in black and silver.

We used Scotch double sided mounting tape because we needed it to really stick to the top of the lantern. This is intended for heavy mounting, so it did the trick!

Flip the lantern over to make sure it adheres really well.

All that was left was adding stones and a succulent plant. We even kept the succulent in it's plastic planter. It's really that simple! (And what's a blog post from us without a sweet cheesy picture?)

We dimmed the lights and voila!

Now, you might wonder what we have planned for our Solar Terrarium… I plan to give it a home on our new patio and DIY outdoor table (coming soon).

I have visions of 3 or 4 of these lanterns going down the center of the table during a nice evening dinner party! Until then, it's temporary residence is the accent table on my front porch. It looks so awesome at night!
So for under $10 we have a unique Solar Terrarium that took less than 15 minutes to make. It doesn't get much better than that!

Ok, are you ready for our last guest post for the Summer? We are thrilled with all of the projects our bloggy friends have shared with us, and this one from Christina of Christina's Adventures, is no exception! Christina is a local girl and has a sweet heart and some serious DIY skills. And oh my goodness, this nautical summer wreath of hers made my heart skip a beat. A.dor.a.ble.

She's a regular commenter on our posts, for which we are eternally grateful! Welcome, Christina!

Hey East Coast Creative readers! I’m super excited to be here! I live just a short drive away from Jess & Monica – and I share so many of their DIY passions! I have a blog (Christina’s Adventures) where I share my stories about thrifty decorating, DIY upcycling, and creative living.

I am a former Autism Support teacher (just resigned from my job in June!) who lives with my husband & “dog baby” in an apartment attached to my parent’s house while we save money to buy our own house (so we can have real babies)! This summer has been filled with all things wedding! I am a bridesmaid in one wedding, attending a great friend’s wedding next weekend, and my brother is getting married in a few days! We hosted a shower for my brother and his fiancée, and I had a lot of fun decorating for the shower. One of the guest’s favorite DIY items was this trough:

And YOU can easily make your own! Seriously! Added bonus – no power tools are required. Here’s how I made mine: I have been dying to make a trough for flowers for ages, and then I saw this one from Thrifty Décor Chick and I fell in love! I just needed the occasion/space to put the trough. When we were looking for something to fill the space at the kitchen table for the bridal shower, I knew this was my opportunity! I first planned out how big I wanted to make it. Our table was just about 6 feet long, so I decided to make this trough 4 feet long. I went to Lowe’s, and found some cedar wood in their lumber section. What I love about Lowes, is they will cut your wood for you! Just give them the measurements, and they’ll cut it. Seriously – best thing ever.

Here were the measurements I used:

• 2 planks: 3/4” x 7 1/2” – 4 feet long
• 1 plank: 1 1/2” x 5 1/2” – 4 feet long
• 2 squares (cut from the thicker piece): 1 1/2” x 5 1/2” – 5 1/2” long

In the morning, I hammered in some nails at the seams, just to make sure it was secure. I then roughly filled in some of the bigger cracks with wood filler, and sanded it down. I didn’t want this to look perfect – I knew I was going to paint and distress it, so I wanted imperfections.

I picked out a blue color I had in my stash (originally an “oops” can for $3). I didn’t prime the surface since I painted right onto the bare wood.

I let that dry, and then I painted with a very light gray over top (the same gray I used on this desk). I did not do this meticulously – I tried to leave some spots where you could see some of the blue coming through:

I then had some fun with glaze and sandpaper. There’s no science to this – I sanded down in certain spots, glazed over areas, and wiped down with a damp cloth. I like to use this glaze, which can be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Finally – I let it dry, and it was ready to be filled! I would have *loved* to fill it with fresh flowers, but it just wasn’t practical. We knew we wanted to keep the decoration in my mother’s living room after the shower, so she bought fake flowers from Michaels. I usually hate fake flowers, but these look surprisingly pretty!

What I love about this project is that it wasn’t just a “shower decoration”, but we are now able to use it in my mother’s living room (come follow my blog to see the full make-over of her room – coming soon!)

A few more glamour shots:

What are your thoughts? Have I convinced you that you can easily make yourself one of these as well? If you want to see more projects like this, come follow my blog! We have so much fun over there, and I’d love to get to know you better!

Because we're always slightly afraid you'll get bored of our crazy antics, we have a treat for you today in the form of a guest blogger! If you don't already know her, Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House is stinkin' hilarious and super talented. We love the design of her blog (which she did herself), the adorable pics of her splattered with paint, and her magical touch with liquid gilding. Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there! I'm Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House, and I'm thrilled to be guest posting today on East Coast Creative! I met Monica and Jess at the Haven conference earlier this year, and I think they come up with some of the most amazing projects!

A little more about me: I'm awkward. I can't cook. I hate cleaning. But I love tearing my house apart and putting it back together again. I've been working on my"Ugg-Duck" for nearly three years now, and I'm determined — hissy fits and all — to turn my 1980s eyesore into a home I can be proud of. DIY-ing on my own isn't easy (especially with a full-time job and grad school on my plate), and I have had my fair share of weird stories with my house — like finding fingernails in my fridge. Or 4 A.M. catfights. Or freaking out that I had a water leak in my brand new powder room… and realizing it was (possibly) a guest missing my toilet. Yes, that happened.
Right now, I'm working on remodeling my bathroom. But at any given moment, I have at least five other unfinished projects around the house. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of finishing up a full renovation, I use that momentum to give myself an extra push and do something smaller that I might otherwise put off — like my master bedroom jewelry organizer.

I've been spotting a lot of creative jewelry organization ideas on Pinterest, and even though I've been storing my jewelry neatly in a drawer in my closet, I realized I forget to throw on accessories when rushing off to work. These Rationell inserts from Ikea are meant to add storage space to pantries and other cabinets, but I saw the decorative pattern on top and thought it could really look snazzy (& functional, too!) as a jewelry holder.

It was so easy, I could even (sort of) hold my camera steady while putting the project together with one hand. Ha. I just measured…

Marked (simply pushing the tip of the screw into the wall will save you extra pencil marks)…

… and sunk the first screw into place.

And this is where I realized I'd forgotten my level in the bathroom! Ugh. Thankfully, I had a nifty iPhone app with a level that I could use to make sure I kept things straight and even.

By placing the organizer in between my remodeled master bedroom closet and the master bath, I have a great new spot for my jewelry — and less of an excuse to bypass the accessories in the morning!

There you have it — a simple and inexpensive way to get your jewelry in a prime notice me and wear me spot.
Thank you so much to Jess and Monica for letting me stop by, and I hope you visit me (and whatever current mess I'm making) over at The Ugly Duckling House soon! Sarah Psst: Want more? I love to post sneak peeks on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find me on Hometalk and Twitter at uglyducklingDIY.
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Thanks so much for visiting, Sarah! You're welcome back in our houses anytime.: )

Now that we have our hallway bathroom redesign almost completed, I've already moved on to my next big project (because life is not complete without some sort of project going on, am I right?)! I'm just in the daydreaming, inspiration-pic collecting phase, but there are two things I know I want: A neutral color pallette (surprise!) and a bench at the foot of the bed. We recently rearranged our bedroom on a whim one night (say goodbye to the simple door headboard!) and I'm totally digging the new layout. All of a sudden it feels like we have a lot more room, and so now the wheels are turning about a major overhaul to the whole space. Am I excited? Oh yeah. So, back to the bench: There is something so appealing to me about using the space at the foot of the bed that often goes overlooked. Plus, I can't wait to have a spot to throw all my clothes on sit down and put on my shoes, or pull up my stockings. Who the heck am I kidding? I don't wear stockings. Anyway, here's a little round-up of some of my favorite benches at the, you guessed it, foot of the bed. There are so many different design directions I could go in, but I think I've narrowed down my top four categories: Rustic & Simple, Upholstered & Chic, A Double Ottomon, and Completely Non-traditional. Take a peek:

Simple & Rustic This obviously fits the coastal cottage feel I'm going for, but I also want to be careful I don't go overboard with the"theme".

Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: valdirose.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: scotchandscones.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Who knew a bench could make your heart stop beating?!

Upholstered &Chic I kind of like the idea of the element of surprise this could bring to the room- a little more modern (or at least, transitional) than the rest of the space.

Source: housebeautiful.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Isn't that bench just plain awesome? I love that it has a back and it just looks cozy!

Source: crateandbarrel.com via Heather on Pinterest
This had me at the nailheads, for sure.
The Double Ottoman This is so clever. It definitely breaks up the space at the end of the bed instead of seeing one solid piece, and so, creates the look of a little more space. Plus, you could totally use these somewhere else if you ever needed extra seating.

Source: granvillehouse.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest
My personal fave of the bunch are the ones above. Glorious color, lines and detail.
Completely Non-traditional I'm pretty sure I won't be entering this territory, but it's so fun to see the options out there. People are so creative, aren't they?

Source: imminentenvironment.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Of course, I love a good basket, but I have a small bedroom and visually this looks huge to me and takes up a good amount of space. I'm looking for something a little sleeker, but isn't it perfect with the nautical vibe? And did you see that vintage map wallpaper? I die. Source: buzzfeed.com via lila on Pinterest

Source: housebeautiful.com via Peanut Butter Fingers on Pinterest
I could turn my old suitcase into a bench, but doesn't this scream beauty-and-the-beast-household-item-that-came-to-life? I'm afraid I'd wake up to it singing to me or something.

Source: bucketsofburlap.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest
Now who would of thought to put a vintage bathtub at the foot of the bed? Not me, that's for sure. I'm obviously not that creative. But it's beautiful in all it's rusty, chippy glory.
So, can you see the beauty in a foot-of-the-bed bench? Are you digging it like I am? 

Oh yeah, there's still time to vote for our knock off project for Round One of Crafting with the Stars. Polls are open until 8 PM tonight, so please take a trip over to Sew Dang Cute and vote. Thanks a million! Click Here to Vote

Like many of you, I was totally inspired by Monica's surprise garage mudroom makeover and decided to organize our out-of-control garage. By out of control, I mean can't-walk-through-without-tripping-on-wood scraps/kayaks/bikes/kids toys/trash/old furniture/tools etc. It was bad. Very bad. And while our garage is clearly not as cool as Mo's, it is at least more functional. So, with the helps of my hubs, I got my rear-end in gear and cleaned out the entire space, painted a few walls and built a super simple coat rack using materials I pretty much had on hand. I'm not showing you the whole space yet…you'll have to check out Infarrantly Creative this week to see that! 

How to build the EASIEST coat rack known to man: 1. Have a handsome man cut a 1x3 to the size you want.

2. Spraypaint it white (or the color of your choice)

3. Spraypaint cheap hooks. I bought mine at my local hardware store for around $1 a piece and sprayed them with a variety of spraypaints I had on hand.

Tip: Put the screws in a piece of floral foam to easily spray the tops, since they will be visible.

After I spraypainted my hooks, it started to rain a bit. I set up a makeshift shelter, and yes, before you even say it, I'm crazy. Thank you for saving my project, Elmo!

4. Mark where you want your hooks to go on the board and drill pilot holes. 5. Find your studs and drill the board into the wall.

We spackled over the screws, sanded and then touched over the paint for a seamless look. 

Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and the colors make it fun! The total cost for this coat rack was somewhere around $5, because I only had to purchase the hooks. 

That's it! Make sure you stop over to Infarrantly Creative later int he week to see what I did to the rest of the space! 

What do you do to corral all your bags, coats and other necessary everyday items? A hall closet? A set of hooks? Do tell!

Well, this is really exciting.

Source
The wonderful people at the Nate Berkus Show have given us TWO EXTRA TICKETS to the show we'll be taping on September 1st in New York City!

Source That could be YOU sitting in the audience within an arm's reach of Mr. Cutiepie himself! (And note to self: do not wear super low-cut top, ie: woman in white shirt below Nate. Who knows what might hang out that you don't want seen on tv?)
Shout it From the Rooftops Contest This is a spread-the-word contest. We want to see what creative ways you can tell the world about The Nate Show and our Debut! This is a totally subjective contest… no Random.org involved! We're picking the winner based on pure awesomeness!!
Interested? Here's what you need to do to score these tickets:
Creatively Spread the word about The Real Housewives of BC being on The Nate Show. (Ex: Rent a highway bilboard, Make us your Facebook status for 15 days straight, Get a tattoo announcing the big news and head to the beach, you get the idea…)

You have 15 days to be as creative as you can and to reach as many people as possible. We're looking for quality and quantity and we're sure we'll get a few laughs in there too! We have a tentative date for the tv airing of the episode, but it's not concrete, so you need to direct people to the blog and facebook to find out when. We'll let you work out the details on your own. We told The Nate Show producers that our readers would do an insane job promoting this upcoming episode of their show, so make us proud, and we'll thank you in person in NYC!!
To Enter: you need to email us and let us know what you've done to spread the word (therealhousewivesofbc@gmail.com ) We'd also LOVE to see a picture of what you've done. The Nate Show wants to see it too! Who knows, maybe you'll be their next guests??!!?? All entries must be recieved by August 15th. We'll be looking over all the entries and annoucing the winner on Wednesday, August 17th!
The Prize: The Winner will get TWO tickets to the September 1st live taping of The Nate Show! We'll both be there and will be so excited to meet you!! (If for some reason you can't make the 9/1 show, let us know a date that works and we'll get you tickets for that show instead). Sorry we can't fly you there or anything fancy-schmancy, but we would if we could!
So, Who's going to win? Who's coming to NYC with us?? Leave us some comment love and let us know if you're ready to WIN!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape brand painter’s tape. All opinions are 100% mine.

Sometimes it can be a little intimidating to paint an object like a lampshade, paint is permanent so you really don't want to mess up your design. But, fear not FrogTape® Shape Tape™ is here to the rescue! You don't need to be a creative genius to use it, the design is already pre-cut into the tape. It comes in three shapes; chevron, wave, which we used, and scallop. Here's a look at what I did, let me know what you think.

Supplies:

White lamp shade (this one's from Ikea!)

Paint

FrogTape® Shape Tape™ in Wave

Foam paint brush

Instructions are incredibly easy…

1. Cut the FrogTape® in small sections. Because I didn't use this on a wall, but on a circular item, I cut the tape into small segments so that it wrapped around the shade more evenly.

2. Peel one side of backing away and align the Shape Tape™ where you want it. Peel the rest of the backing off and tape in place.

3. Adhere the tape to the shade, beginning at the seam. You'll need to make adjustments as you go around the shade, so there might be some creases in your tape. That's no big deal- as long as the bottom of the tape is secure (where you'll be painting), you're golden!

4. Continue all the way around the shade and seal the edges with your fingers. The great thing about the FrogTape® Shape Tape™ is the PaintBlock® Technology, which is an absorbent polymer that helps to prevent your paint from bleeding.

5. With a foam brush, apply the paint, making sure to off-load the excess paint before starting. Also, brush away from the edge of the tape, not towards it! Be patient- you'll need to do several coats of paint so that when the light shines through, you don't see any splotches.

Ahh…crisp lines. There is nothing better!

I love the ease of using the FrogTape® Shape Tape™ to turn my boring lamp shade into a chic piece that can now be used to dress up any room in the house. It compliments the decor in this space and adds to my rustic beachy theme. To see more creative ideas using this product, follow the makers of Shape Tape™ on Twitter @FrogTape.

Hey everyone! It's your lucky day. While I'm on family vacation this week, we've asked a few of our favorite people to guest post for us! One of the highlights of our trip to Haven was meeting Karah, from the space between. She's super cool, fun, easy to talk to, talented and oh yeah, lives in Curacao. Not fair. We loved hanging out with her while we ate breakfast at McDonalds (don't judge). Anyway, she does some amazing projects (just wait until you get the sneak peek of her rooftop bedroom!), so be sure to give her some
EC2 love!
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Well, hello East Coast Creative readers! How are you? I'm Karah from the space between and I really can't even tell you how excited I am to be here today.

Ummm, let's not tell the husband I used a photo of our wedding day to try to express my excitement over guest posting for EC2 today. K? Thanks. ;) I am a total blog stalker of these lovely gals, and when I got to

stalk
meet them in real life … Holy Caloni, I couldn't help but take random paparazzi like pics.

It truly is an honor for me to be here today. And I'm going to share with you how I made a perfectly functional and, I think adorable, storage crate out of a pallet.

One important thing to mention here is that we live in a rental property that is approximat ely the size of a breadbox, so I need to get creative with storage. Oh, and one other fun fact, although not relevant to the outcome of this story … is that we live in the Caribbean. Here's our new rooftop bedroom.

Aaaanyway, back to the crate.

I didn't actually take a before picture … but … it was a pallet.; ) Similar to this one. And I used the same technique to remove the slats, a hammer and pry bar along with some cursing and a blister on my forefinger. Those last two are totally optional.: ) I knew where I wanted my crate to go in my kitchen, so I measured my space and cut my slats to size (14 inches long). Based on the height I wanted, I needed 3 slats per side (one wide one and two narrow ones), so I cut 12 pieces the same length. I took a little piece of scrap wood (maybe a 1 x 1) I had and cut it so I could use it as the brace to attach each of the sides of my crate together. The height was measuring about 12 inches so I cut my little brackets, if you will, about 10 inches long. Just long enough so I could get one screw into each of the three pallet slats on each side of the soon-to-be-crate.

Ok, here's the thought process … I wanted the front to be only a view of the slats, meaning the front and back slats would overlap the slats on the sides. So, in the picture above, you see how I lined my brackets up flush with the edge of the slats for the sides of the crate. I attached the 4 brackets to both ends of the slats for both of the sides. Then, by lining up the slats for the front (and then back) of the crate, I was able to attach the brackets to the slats creating a bottomless and topless box. Confused yet? This pic is of the 2 sides with the brackets attached … ready to be attached to the front and the back sides of the crate.
.

Why yes, I do work construction on the coffee table.: ) Which makes now seem like a good time for a few tips: 1. Don't do construction on the coffee table unless you're ok with a sawdusty mess.: ) 2. Drilling pilot holes for your screws (like I did here) is always a time saver … for those interested in saving time

and sanity and maybe a little bit of finger flesh.
3. One might want to wash their pallet with some sort of disinfectant cleaner. 4. Sanding the slats before working with them, or wearing gloves while handling the slats would probably be a good idea. But, I'm not one to judge so if you happen to forego any of these tips your crate is still cool with me.: ) Ok, where were we … once I had all of the sides connected, I added a bottom. This is probably backwards carpentry, but that's how I roll. AND, so I didn't have to rip down the width of any of the pallet slats, I spaced them so they aren't wide enough apart for any canned goods to fall through, but not exactly a solid wood bottom. Like so.

Then I drilled holes on either side of my crate to run some rope through for handles.
.

And because I didn't want people peaking at my canned goods (that's what she said), I added a top by just cutting more pallet slats the length I needed and adding a few pallet slats to the underside to attach them all together. Like so.

And because I love me some driftwood, I just screwed on a piece that I thought would work as a handle. I didn't even use the same color screws. And then added some not-so-random stenciling.

Thank goodness, because there is someone who doesn't like random stenciling around here. I finished her off by hand sanding the whole crate to distress the stenciling and smooth out the finish a bit. Oh, and just to clarify, all of the nail holes you see on the outside of the crate of from it's previous life as a pallet. Building the crate with the brackets on the inside eliminates any new visual nail or screws. And I really like the rustic look of the open holes from it's former life. And I really like that this project didn't cost me a penny! Score!
Here is a little wider shot of the corner of our kitchen. If you want, you can learn how to make a little landing zone out of an old clipboard and wooden bin here.

So, what do you think? Do you like pallet projects? Do you like unique storage ideas? Do you live with anyone who doesn't like random stenciling?
And, on a completely random note … do you watch the show the Bachelorette? I know, I know … I say, answer the question first, judge me later.; ) Anyway, the finale of the show is tonight and over at my blog today I have am giving a tour of the house where the final

drama
rose ceremony went down. What can I say, it's a small island.: ) If you have a chance, stop on over to the space between, it'd be great to meet you. Thank you, thank you so much to Jess & Monica for letting me come by today. Hopefully you are all enjoying your space today! ~Karah --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karah, you're awesome. End of story. You're welcome here anytime!: )

Did you guys know that Monica and I love discovering and studying small businesses, right? We both have owned our own businesses, and now run this blog which has turned into a small business in it's own right. We find it fascinating to watch people do what they love to do and turn their gifts into a fulfilling career! There's just something so inspiring about the whole thing. A few weeeks ago, I gave you a peek into my dining room complete with three new fabulous light fixtures from Lucent Lampworks. We thought it would be fun to let you in on what it's like behind the scenes with Brad at his home, and how we both fell in love with a few lights for our own homes.

This is Brad. (and his adorable daughter, Lia)

He is not an electrician. He is not a trained lighting designer. He is a self-proclaimed tinkerer with a creative side who one day decided to make a few custom lights for friends and family as Christmas gifts when money was tight. He opened an Etsy shop, had a sale a few days later and is now creating fabulous light fixtures out of old barn pulleys, found items and whatever gets his creative juices flowing for people all around the world. People, this guy is seriously talented. Since 2010, his lights have been showcased in the following awesome places: *Extreme Makeover Home Edition — Beautiful New Home in Texas that aired in 2012 *The Winter Collection Catalog for Stylish Home Magazine — www.stylishhome.com
*History Channel show — Abandoned — aired August 2012
*Featured in Soulemama.com
*Food Channel — Restaurant Takeover — Canadian version airing this fall!

Monica and I went to visit his little"shop" in his basement to see how he does it all and quickly realized how out of our element we were when Brad started talking about all the old reproduction wiring, vintage plug ends and exposed sockets.: ) But what we did know was that Brad was passionate about that stuff and it showed in his work.

Brad styles all the photos of his lights himself and has an incredible set up. See all those different backgrounds? He makes most of them himself so that his lights pop against them.

He doesn't mess around with lighting his"sets" either. Every thing this guy does is done right.

See what I mean? We got a few ideas for creating backgrounds for our finished projects, so, thanks, Brad!; )

Cage light anyone?

Monica got two of these gorgeous green enamel shades made for her. You have to wait for Spring to see what she did with them, but they are incredible!

I had to get my cheesy pic with that cobalt blue beauty and Monica was totally digging this glass cylinder pendant. 

And, in case you're wondering, this trip to his shop was where I first spotted the white, enamel pendant light that is now proudly living above my dining room table.

I also spotted this cage light which inspired the industrial cage light sconces that flank the art in that same room. Brad took my idea, researched and found cages from the early 1900's and turned them into awesome sconces. I loooooove them! 

Isn't that amazing? We strongly encourage you to take at a look at Brad's shop to see what other awesomeness he has going on there. You will not meet a nicer guy and he'd be happy to help you create the light of your dreams (please tell me I'm not the only one who dreams about lighting…) Oh yeah, one more thing just for you guys! You can get 10% off your order at Lucent Lampworks by using the coupon code EC2tenoff! You're welcome! Do any of you have a small business? Leave us a comment with the name so we can check it out! It's one of our favorite things to do!