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  • Creating with the Stars Round 3 Results!

    Creating with the Stars Round 3 Results!

    If you missed all the amazing projects in the first two weeks of CWTS, be sure to check them out below!

    Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners
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    This is so exciting, isn't it? We're almost into the final round of our first ever Creating with the Stars contest which is crazy! We know that the contestants are putting in hours and hours of work on their projects each week so that they are the best they possibly can be, and we just have to say that the caliber of their projects is blog star-level!

    This week was Sponsored by The Home Depot, and isn't it amazing what a huge impact a little paint can have? Ah-mazing! Here's a little reminder of the epic prizes our Round 3 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 votes were neck and neck again this week, with only a few votes separating the top two spots. Only three contestants move on to the finals, so the pressure is really on! Ok, enough of our chatting, let's get those results!

    1. Amanda { Love and Renovations } and Beckie { Infarrantly Creative }
    Painted Wall Mural and Dresser

    This is Amanda's second week in a row in the top spot…for good reason! You just can't ignore that yellow dresser (Monica has a similar painted dresser in her dining room!) and set against that black wall, it's just stunning! Congrats again, Amanda!

    2. Melissa { 5 foot 12 Creations } & Sherry { Young House Love }

    Painted Chalkboard with Map and Games

    3. Sarah { Sarah M. Dorsey Designs } & Brooke { All Things Thrifty }

    Painted Desk and Accent Wall using Custom Stencils

    Ack, this is just so hard to do (does it ever get easier?!!), but we have to say goodbye to these three amazingly talented women.
    4. Sarah { While They Snooze } & Sarah { Thrifty Decor Chick }

    Painted Map Coffee Table

    5. Nancy { Owen's Olivia } & Kari { Ucreate }
    Painted Couch featuring a Custom Horse Stencil

    6. Janel { Nellie Bellie } & Brittany { Pretty Handy Girl }

    Aztec Wonder Painted Rug

    Seriously, we could cry about having to let Nancy, Sarah and Janel go! You guys are welcome back here anytime. And, now we know who to call when we need something awesome painted!
    Here's the voting break down… the first and second place projects were separated by under 50 votes!! Insane!

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    Ok, it's the finals now, people- the last chance these bloggers have to show what they're made of!

    The prizes are stinkin' awesome this round (and the Blog star gets them too!)
    The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive:
    $500 from Homes.Com
    $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods
    Project featured by HomeTalk

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    Next week the challenge is Home Decor- so anything (even a room makeover) is fair game! Tomorrow we'll be sharing the tutorial for that amazing mural and yellow dresser! We'll be so sad when this contest is over and we don't have these incredible tutorials on our blog anymore!

    jess
    Monica
  • Creating with the Stars Round 4 Results {Grand Prize Winner!}

    Creating with the Stars Round 4 Results {Grand Prize Winner!}

    If you missed all the amazing projects in the first three weeks of CWTS, be sure to check them out below!

    Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners Ro und 3 Projects & Winners Round 4 Projects
    Before we do anything else, we want to say thank you to all of our sponsors! This fabulous contest was made possible by them and we are ever so grateful! Also, a HUGE shout out to Homes.com and HomeGoods for sponsoring the Grand Prize round this week! You guys are the best!
    The Grand Prize Winning Team will EACH receive: $500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods Project featured by HomeTalk

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    We just can't keep you guys waiting in suspense any longer! Without further ado…
    The Grand Prize Winner of
    The 1st Annual Creating with the Stars Contest is…

    1. Sarah { Sarah M. Dorsey Designs } & Brooke { All Things Thrifty }

    (Sarah, her hubs, and cute pup!) Colorful, Texture-filled Bedroom Makeover

    Congratulations Sarah and Brooke! Sarah has delivered such amazing projects throughout this contest. Let's take a look back, shall we? Round 1: Statement Light Fixture

    Round 2: Custom Cornice, Drapes and Bench

    Round 3: Painted Secretary Desk and Accent Wall

    We have LOVED having Sarah in the contest and have been continually inspired by her. Well done, girl!
    Make sure you keep up with all of Sarah's DIY awesomeness- Follow her on Facebook!

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    Melissa and Amanda have been awesome competitors too! They worked hard, stretched their DIY limits and came up with some super fun and stylish projects. Thanks for being a part of the contest, ladies! We also want to thank Beckie and Sherry for being amazing blog stars! Their partners loved working with them, and we already love them (duh!)

    2. Melissa { 5 foot 12 Creations } & Sherry { Young House Love } Guest Room Makeover

    3. Amanda { Love and Renovations } and Beckie { Infarrantly Creative } Reading Room Makeover

    Here's the official vote tally…

    This contest has been absolutely amazing and we're so thankful to all of you for playing along! Tomorrow we'll share how Sarah put her room together and then Friday we have a fun wrap up post for ya… think David Letterman top ten meets Monica and Jess. We know… you can hardly wait right?!? We'll also be sharing our favorite home decor project from the link up party (you have until Friday at 10 PM EST to link up right here).
    The good stuff just keeps on coming!: )

    jess
    Monica
  • Creating with the Stars Round 4 Voting {The Final Round!}

    Creating with the Stars Round 4 Voting {The Final Round!}

    If you missed all the amazing projects in the first three weeks of CWTS, be sure to check them out below!
    Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners Ro und 3 Projects & Winners

    We want to thank HomeGoods and Homes.com for partnering with us for this competition. They believed in this contest from the start and I'm positive the contestants have knocked their socks off! Since this is the Final Round, and we'll be crowning a CWTS 2013 Champion, we needed an awesome Grand Prize Package! The Grand Prize Winners -Contestant and Blog Star- will EACH receive:
    $500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods
    Project featured by HomeTalk

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    Also, for this round, HomeGoods provided each contestant a $100 HomeGood's gift card! Jess and I adore HomeGoods and just last week we picked up about 8 rolls of the best wrapping paper ever! You never know what awesomeness you'll score!

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    Okay, now let's get to business! There are only 3 projects this week, so you're voting for your 1 and only favorite! We're so proud of each of these ladies and we know they've worked crazy hard the past month! As you're voting and commenting, please keep things positive & encouraging and just pick your favorite project. We've tried to keep things as anonymous as possible, so don't bother playing Sherlock Holmes.: )
    Without further ado, We present to you… The Round 4- Grand Prize Projects

    #1- Guest Room Makeover
    For my final CWTS project, I chose to makeover a guest bedroom. I envisioned a guest room that was full of personality…fun pops of color and an interesting mix of textures and objects that feels comfortable, unique and welcoming to guests.

    What do you make with an old fireplace mantel and a shower curtain? Create a headboard of course!
    I loved the gorgeous detail in the border of the dark wood, in addition to the design of the shelf with the mirror and paneling. To complete the transformation to a headboard, I closed in the fireplace opening with plywood. and then I upholstered it with the blue and green ikat fabric---A.K.A a shower curtain from Target!

    After I spent about an eternity installing bead board and chair rail, I felt like the room needed a really fun pop of color that would also work well with the headboard fabric. For balance, I purchased a white round side table at HomeGoods, and painted it with some fabulous emerald paint!
    In selecting bedding, I chose to go with a crisp white duvet cover, so as not to overshadow the headboard fabric and pillows. Picking out pillows was super-fun and HomeGoods never lets me down when I am in need of a"new pillow fix." I fell in love with the vintage camera pillow (also from Home Goods) and felt it added an interesting and unique element to the room. The blue lamps added another great pop of color. My goal was to incorporate interesting objects with a mix of coordinating colors and textures into the room…the collage below shows all the details that I hope will make overnight guests feel cozy, comfortable and inspired.

    Homegoods was the perfect sponsor for the home decor round. HomeGoods is one of those stores where you may go in with the intention"just to browse"…but never leave without something"you just had to have!"

    #2- Colorful, Texture-filled Bedroom Makeover
    The home decor challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to complete some of the projects I have wanted to try for a long time! Starting with a bare white room, I couldn't wait to add some color, pattern and texture

    . To frame the bed, I created an accent wall covered with grasscloth wallpaper and used trim to frame the bed and nightstands. I love the touch of glamor that the nailhead adds to the space. While installing the nailhead, I tried a few new techniques that made it go surprisingly fast! Best of all, this wall is completely removable, renter or indecisive designer approved!
    I added a few accessories from Homegoods. And customized a few pillows using scarves, napkins and paint.

    I constructed the headboard from lumber and cut the detail in the arms with a jig saw. I then upholstered it with foam and a bright coral fabric. I love the simplicity of the headboard, but the curved detail and bright coral color make it extra special!

    I love the subtle texture of the grasscloth, and how the nailhead adds a little extra detail.
    I hope you enjoy this colorful, energetic transformation!

    #3- Reading Room Makeover
    When it was time for the Home Decor round, I waffled back and forth on what to do until I remembered that I had this nice (relatively) empty room in my house just waiting to be turned into something fun. After playing around with a few ideas, I decided I wanted a place to relax, read, and spend a little quality alone time…and the next thing I knew, the reading room was created.

    I took regular ol' Ikea Billy bookcases and turned them into built-ins (thanks to some crown molding and a little DIY magic) and amped up the room a bit with trim and some paint in a traditional"library"-ish color. To make it more modern, I painted the back of the bookcases with some chunky gold stripes and tossed in a cozy chair and pouf, a DIY-ed tree stump table, and a ton of bright and colorful accessories.

    When I was shopping for the room, one of the first places I wanted to hit up was HomeGoods — I'm obsessed with basically everything they carry and knew their store would be perfect for our bookcases. I managed to snag that gorgeous throw pillow for the chair, as well as several of the cute accessories you can see on the bookcases (including my personal favorite, the blue elephant up at the top)!

    I'm so excited to have this space now, and I can't wait to settle in and start reading!

    Now, it's time to Vote!

    You can only vote once and only for one project. (the past weeks you could change your vote if you wanted. You might have thought you could cast multiple votes, but nope- it was just changing your vote- it was set to just one per IP. This week we didn't allow vote changes, so make sure you have your mind made up when you vote! Good Luck- it's a tough choice!!) In order to vote, you must first LIKE EC2 on Facebook.

    jess
    Monica
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