My Creative Blog [Search results for wedding] 

I am such a sucker for fairy-tale endings, especially real-life ones. I was not disappointed with the wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine this weekend. Ahhh, such history and tradition, beautiful people and loads of money spent!

Engagement photo on THE wedding program

Didn't you just love her Alexander McQueen dress? It {quietly} screamed"royalty".

I loved the lace detailing on the bodice that was timeless, but still looked modern.

One of my favorite elements were the huge trees Kate requested to have brought in to Westminster Abbey. She apparently loves the outdoors and wanted to bring that feeling indoors. With a $83,000 pricetag, why not?

What fairytale doesn't involve a 4-horsedrawn carriage?

Wasn't it ridiculous that the press made such a big deal out of their two public kisses?

I wish I could have changed into another fabulous dress for my reception. Welcome to the big leagues, Princess Catherine.
Just for kicks, we thought we'd share a few pictures from our days spent as a princess:

Kev and I were married almost 7 years ago, and it seems like just yesterday. I am thankful that my dress was very simple and timeless, however, I wish I had picked a dress that was a little more unique.

In my opinion my wedding day was perfect, and I really did love being the center of attention (my husband is rolling his eyes right about now). I wouldn't really change a thing (except that my wedding pics are not in digital form, so I had to scan these! Hence, the grainyness…)
Eric and I will be married 10 years in just a few months… (I hope you're saving for a Caribbean trip babe!) Now, when Jess mentioned posting some of our wedding pictures my simple response was,"NO!"… Let me explain… I LOVED my wedding day and I felt great the day of, however a few weeks later when we got the pictures back (which were taken by a faithful blog reader, that did a great job-especially in the pre-digital age) I was so bummed to see that my make-up lady had used a powder that reflected against the flash in every-single-picture. Months of tanning, all to look like the Bride of Chuckie in every picture. So, when I asked Eric today if he knew where our wedding pictures were, he actually said,"Do we even have wedding pictures anymore?" So, only because I'm a dedicated blogger, you're getting one picture…

Now, pictures and joking aside, I loved a few specific things about our wedding… It was in PA and I was from MA, but SO many family and friends made the trip to be there for us. I had the best wedding party ever and I love the people that were part of our special day. I will also never, ever forget our DJ and the funny stories that go along with her. And finally, I might change about 95% of my wedding because it's been 10 years and I didn't even know what my taste was like back then, but one thing I wouldn't change is marrying my very best friend. Cheesy, I know, but sometimes it's okay to be sap city when it comes to the amazing, handsome guy that's absolutely perfect for me.
So, did you watch the Big Event? Tell us what you thought!

Thank goodness it's Wednesday, folks! Monica and I have had a crazy week (which is why you haven't heard from us much lately on facebook or twitter). Most of my crazy came in the form of my first trip to Las Vegas for a friend's wedding. If ever there was a crazy place, it's Las Vegas, am I right? We had so much fun, and loved being with some great, old friends. Sarah, the bride, asked me to take some informal pictures for them throughout the evening of their wedding. Immediately, I told her "I am not a professional photographer", and I made sure to emphasize this over and over and over again (sorry Sarah!). But I was game and had a lot of fun snapping shots of the happy couple, and thought I would share a few of my favorite pics of the night. Note: All of you photographers out there, please be kind! Feel free to read the quote in bold as many times as you need.: )

First of all, isn't she gorgeous? And secondly, I am embarrassingly in love with that sparkly headband…and the fabulous jewels on her dress. 



There's nothing like pre-wedding nerves and the rollercoaster of emotions you feel in that day. 

Since it was a destination wedding, the number of guests was small, but that didn't matter. We had enough fun for 100 people- especially in the elevators!

I mean, you can't have a Vegas wedding without a picture of some sort of game (True story: I'm an idiot about gambling and don't have a clue what that big wheel is!) in the background. 

After the ceremony, we hopped in a cab to go to the famous Vegas sign. The groom, whom we affectionately call Chewy, is one of my hubby's best friends from high school. One of the funniest guys I know, for sure. 

Sarah and Chewy, we wish you the best of everything in life! Congratulations.: ) And just because I love him to pieces, I had to include one of my better half and me at the reception:

So, tell me…what's your favorite thing about Vegas? Have you ever been to a wedding there?

In less than two weeks, one of my best friends is getting married. It happens to be on the same day as the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria is tying the knot and I'm a little frustrated with that, actually.

I would have really liked to see the chaos live (on TV) but of course my friend is a thousand times more important! Besides, I suppose they will show reruns for months and months to come so it's cool.

Anyhow, in the spirit of weddings, here's some beautiful pictures for you.

Hugs, Bettina.

Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.
E.B. Browning

I have great parents. I mean, really great, Totally in love and fully committed to each other, God and their three daughters. Not only that, they are tons of fun.

In early September, my sisters and I threw a 40th wedding anniversary celebration for them and it was so much fun to plan! The party was held at the country club my parents belong to, Saucon Valley Country Club, which is absolutely breathtaking. My wedding reception was also there, and I have pics of my hubs and me in that very courtyard above in all of our wedding finery (do people say"finery" anymore, or have I been working with the elderly a bit too much lately?). They do a top-notch job on all their events, and this was no exception! My sisters took care of the order of events for the evening, which included a roast of my parents by one of my uncles (stinkin' hilarious, I tell you), a special song sung for them by David Felty, a family friend and broadway musician, and a dance to their wedding song played by Lou Lanza and his band. They got the hard part (at which they are amazing!), but I got to do the fun stuff: the decorations!

The welcome table housed an old window on which I wrote the guest's names and seating arrangements. I absolutely loved the way this turned out and added just the right touch of vintage. I also included three cute photos on canvas from different decades in their marriage, a guest book where each guest was encouraged to leave a note or a memory, their wedding album, and a bouquet of dried lavender.

I used this method for making the canvases and they turned out awesome. My only wish was that I used matte Mod Podge, instead of glossy, but I just didn't have time to run out and buy it. If you're going to attempt this, buy the matte kind!

The invitations were Tiffany blue and chocolate brown, so I wanted to use that color scheme in the centerpieces. My sister, Chrissie, and I toyed around with a bunch of different centerpiece ideas, but finally settled on using dried lavender from the Peace Valley Lavender Farm. We loved the subtle light blue color, the rustic, organic texture of the stalks and the smell, which was heavenly! We placed coffee beans in the bottom of simple vases, cut the stems of the lavender to the appropriate height and then placed the bouquet in the vase. Finally, I wrapped the vase with a brown grosgrain ribbon. We bought round mirror chargers form Michael's that reflected the light of the votive candles we placed around the vase. The centerpieces were very simple, but oh so pretty, and we were thrilled that we could incorporate a local Bucks County product into the decor!

Some of the fun details…

Mmmm…sangria. I prefer the white wine sangria, in case you were wondering.

We told our guests that they should expect heavy hors d' oeuvres, but we ended up having a pasta bar which was a blast and so delicious! Guests could choose their pasta, alfredo or marinara sauce and a variety of toppings like crabmeat, scallops, chicken, green peppers, onions, artichokes, olives and more. Perfect!

Because of all the miserable rain we had prior to the party, we weren't able to use the courtyard, so most of the party was held on the terrace where the band played and the guests danced.

Can't forget the cake!

All in all, it was a beautiful night of celebrating an inspiring couple. Here's to 40 more!

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Please don't forget to head over to Sew Dang Cute to place your vote for the best fabric project. We are only one step away from the final round, so we need every vote we can get!
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Happy Monday!

*Thanks to Steph and Ammon Perry,, for taking the photos for us!

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!

I love this idea with text on a mirror. Write a positive statement, and repeat it every day. Or write your wedding vows on it, as a memento of your wedding. It could even be a perfect wedding gift.

Image: Living etc. via Simplicity

Happy Monday, everyone! We are working our tails off this week on lots of Fall projects and fun blog stuff, so to help us out, we've asked a few of our bloggy pals to share some of their projects with you. But get ready, because next week, we'll be back in full force!: ) We're so pleased to introduce you to Rebecca from My Girlish Whims. We've been communicating the past several months through email and were fortunate enough to share our top wedding planning tips with her readers in February when Rebecca was busy getting married and going on her honeymoon. Rebecca is a really talented jewelry designer (make sure you check out her anthro jewelry knockoffs!), but we're in love with this Paper Fan Banner she made. Isn't it darling?

Ok, take it away, Rebecca!

Hello East Coast Creative Readers!

My name is Rebecca and I blog over at My Girlish Whims

My blog is all about beading, crafting, and general life as a girl!

I'm so excited to be guest posting over here today, because I live very close to Jess & Monica! We haven't met in"real life" yet but I'm sure one day we will: )

I just got married in February and have been trying to repurpose a few of the items I DIYed for my big day so I don't waste them! I had a ton of these fabric flowers left over:

Which I had made to hang off the pews in the church.

My hubby and I recently bought our first house and so I've been working on collecting/making some home decor accents. I thought I could use the silver flowers from the pew cones for up in our bedroom, which is eventually getting a grey/silver color scheme.

I got this bucket from the"as-is" section of IKEA for $1.50. There was nothing wrong with it…I think they just aren't selling them anymore!

I spray painted it silver with leftover spray paint from another wedding project

I poured in some glass marbles (that were actually left-overs from my bridal shower!) and then stuck in my fabric flowers (this post has a full tutorial on how to make them if you are interested)

Here's the finished product:

Yay! I think it turned out so cute, and all it cost me was the $1.50 for the bucket!
I put my little flower bucket up in our bedroom on our IKEA TV-holder-thing-a-ma-whatsit. Yes, that is the technical term.

Other side has a picture of us from our big day: )

And there are the flowers!

Slowly our house is becoming more decorated…and slowly I'm using up some of my wedding decor too: )

Thanks so much to Jess and Monica for letting me guest post! Please stop by my blog sometime to say hi, I'd love to meet you!: )

Thank YOU, Rebecca! You can't beat a cute project with that price tag!

As mentioned, there's a wedding to attend in June and as so, I'll probably go a bit crazy and publish tons and tons of wedding pictures. Bare with me, please.

Source: don't remember

MOSAIC
I will bring my hammer down on you hard
And for that brief second close my eyes
(believe me, this hurts me more than you')
All of your beauty '
Shattered with one swift swing
And cleaning up the pieces '
A messy job.
But I must admit ' I thought of you,
In that particular, sentimental way
before I did you in
Oh, the beautiful company you've held,
The admiring eyes,
The groping hands once all over you,
Fingertips touching and feeling
Your every sleek curve and smooth'
Patience is the key now
To give the mastic time to dry before
Mixing just the perfect hue of grout
to complement your new assemblage
Oh wedding vase, anniversary plate,
Knick-knack cat, teapot lid.
-Laura Beth Love
1999

Mosaic bird's nest bowl made from broken china

Wedding Vase

Anniversary Plate

Knick-knack cat

Royal Winton Chintz teapot and lid
Below: Necklace I made from same chintz pattern shown above

poem copyright 1999 Laura Beth Love

I think this wedding invite is brilliant!

Image: Pinterest

W e met and fell in love in August. By May we were engaged and by October we were married. During our courtship, we talked of fixing up an old house in the country, of small town life and of children....lots of children.
Our wedding was six years ago this October. I was 33 and Mike was 35. We followed our dreams and moved to that small town, and even found that old house in the country. But the children, the children never came.
We started trying to have a baby before our first year wedding anniversary. Unknowingly, it was the beginning of our long path of infertility. My diagnosis came a few short months after we bought our old farmhouse, a house which was proving to require much more work than we had anticipated and to cause much more stress than we could have possibly imagined.
While we struggled to create a home that would provide peace and comfort, we were also going through intensive fertility treatments and procedures....all of which, month after month, year after year, proved to be unsuccessful.
The reality of what was happening caused us great sadness, and I personally felt an overwhelming sense of mourning....mourning for the woman I always thought I was, fertile, and mourning for the life I had dreamed of with my husband, with children.
I began this blog three years into our infertility journey because I desperately needed to find the calm in the storm and to celebrate all the good we had to be grateful for.
At a time when I started to retreat from friends and social gatherings, I found a new community with new friends from around the world. The days in which I couldn't bare to run into anyone in town, were days I found comfort in the words and warmth of bloggers near and far.
A year ago we returned once again to the fertility clinic in Portland. We've been going through various medical procedures since then, which ended up leading to an IVF procedure this past April.
So it is with great happiness that I share with you something I never thought possible....I am pregnant. We are due just before Christmas.
With twins.

These are my absolute favourite colours! They simply scream summer and tranquillity.

I hope you all have a beautiful day!!

We're having a blast with the Fall Lovers Series and hope you are too! If you missed day 1 or 2, click here and here, because you wouldn't want to miss out on the Anti-Wreath or Fancy Mantle posts.

I love fall foods. Perhaps I just like the fact that summer is coming to an end, routines are back, and fall foods are comfort foods in my book. We got home Saturday from a week at the beach and since it officially marks the end of summer for us, I made a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes (my favorite food), corn, stuffing, biscuits, gravy… it was so yummy!
I have many foods that are a Mangin family fall tradition, but one is kind of famous… my apple pie. It has to be baked for the Eagles' opening game every year. We actually make an apple pie like once a week all fall! Monica’s"Famous" Apple Pie So, my pie is nothing special. Actually, it's right out of a Betty Crocker cookbook we got as a wedding present, but it's a never fail recipe for sure. Anyone can handle this recipe… even the hubs makes a mean pie now!

(Sorry about the old TO jersey… we're too cheap to buy new jerseys all the time!)

An insider pie maker tip… Get yourself one of these bad boys from the Pampered Chef. I love it! Cores and slices the apples so easily. I've used generic ones before… blah! This cuts like butter! Check out our sidebar for Jane's info if you want to get one. She'll hook you up!

Here's the secret recipe…

Here's where the fun begins… the crust! Now, if you want crazy fancy pie, well check out some of these links Adorable and Impressive!

Source: thestoryofkat.blogspot.com via Sandy on Pinterest Almost too pretty to eat! (But trust me, it wouldn't stop me! )

Source: instructables.com via Jane on Pinterest Ok… get ready to be amazed and wowed and awed… My Pathetic Excuse for a Decorative Crust… Haha! I totally had just gotten in the door from running (ugh!) and I had company coming in like 10 minutes. I always do an EAGLES crust for the first game, so I started on the crust totally forgetting I was planning to blog about it, so this is real life people…

I ran out of room for the S so we were cheering for the EAGLE not EAGLES! One fun thing I usually do, when I want to make a fancy crust, is to use a marker lid. You can make holes of all sizes and it looks really cute to do a pattern of some sort. For this pie I did nothing cute nor creative!

You just pop that crust on top and voila… No, I'm not showing you a finished picture for two reasons… 1. It looked atrocious 2. We ate it before I remembered to take pictures

Ok, so save myself from this rather humbling post, I'll share some awesome recipes and ideas I've found. S'mores Party How fun would this be with a group of your gal pals on a cool, fall night? Jess and I added this to our To-Do list already.

Source: sidebysideblog.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Sunflower Dip- Caramel Apple Downright adorable!

Source: fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Fancy Caramel Apples This would be awesome as the centerpiece on your table and then you just eat them for dessert. My kids would definitely want to help me make these!

Source: countryliving.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate The hubs loves pumpkin. Can't wait to try this!

Source: closetcooking.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Sliced Garlic Potatoes I made these a few nights ago and they were fabulous! I had mine with sour cream! Yum!

Source: foodgawker.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

Well, after showing the world my ugly crust, I think I'll go eat a piece of humble pie…

Tomorrow it's wedding time and I can hardly wait to see my very best friend walk down the isle and say 'I do'.

I'm wearing a Norwegian 'bunad', that my mum was sweet enough to lend me and because the  summer really really have come to town it'll probably be extremely hot. But what don't you do to look your best.

I came over some pictures of Malene Birger's spring/summer collection, don't they look comfortable? I wouldn't mind wearing them in the heat of sun.

Have a nice day, all!

I've gotta start off by thanking so many of you for giving awesome feedback on my Powder Room Pick Me Up. Sometimes, when I do a FREE (well almost free) room in my house that's not a full makeover, I tend to think it's a little ho-hum. You guys helped me not feel that way for long! So Thanks! If you missed it, you can check it out HERE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today, you're going to have to make one more click to read my REAL post, and trust me you won't regret it… you'll get to see lots of awful pics of me and the hubs from a decade ago (dang that I can even use that phrase… I'm getting old!)

Our gal pal Beth over at Free Stylin' Beth has a super fun series going on and she asked both of us to be a part (you can link to Jess' post through mine too!)

So if you're into juicy details like how Eric and I met, how Jess fits into the whole picture, and what our wedding was like, then head on over! Click Here for all the passion!
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Finally, before you head over to ready my little ole love story… have you seen the 161 entries for Creating with the Stars?? There are some amazing projects, but we know there are even more of you just waiting to enter! We'd be thrilled to have you! Click here or use the button below to link up. Submissions are now open until February 21st. If you want to read more about the contest and all that it entails, click here.

And don't forget that we have the best sponsors and partners ever! Over $4100 in prizes and the chance to be featured on HomeTalk and Homes.com! Woot Woot!

A special thanks to Homes.com, HomeGoods, HomeTalk, and Home Depot for their generous sponsorship of CWTS. We're so honored to have them!

The Grand Prize Winners (Contestant and Blog Star) will each receive:
$500 from Homes.Com $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods Project featured by HomeTalk

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

Have an awesome day and don't forget to head over and show Beth some EC2 Love!

Ahhhhhh…I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Well, kinda. Our kitchen renovation that I've chronicled here, here, here and here, is done…for now! You may remember that it all started like this:

Ugh. That's a sad picture, people. It's not sad anymore, though, just look at it now in all it's *almost* finished glory!

Seriously, that is one big difference! I am absolutely crazy about our open shelves, new kitchen layout and big opening to the dining room. (Although I REALLY wish I made some sort of effort to clean up our dining room before snapping pics! Bad blogger!) I've been decorating and undecorating the shelves for weeks now, and I'm pretty happy with them, so I figured it was about time I shared. This is how they look right now, but I can absolutely guarantee you that they won't stay this way forever, since I crave change after about 4 days of anything staying the same.

The blue and green add just the right pop to my otherwise serene color scheme. I really do love the contrast of the fancy stencil with the trendy aqua blue accents. So fun! Those two round pie plates were wedding gifts, but they're only hanging out there until I can find a tray or something that I love- the blues just aren't perfectly spot on.

Up close and personal:

You've already seen the printable I made, but the plate right next to it is from the Pottery Barn Outlet. Can't get enough of that thing. That and the bird (from Joann's) are the only new things I bought for the shelves. Everything else was gathered from around the house- you got to work with what you have sometimes, right? Ok, I lied. I forgot that I bought this blue vase at a flea market this weekend for $4, and the mugs came from Ikea.

I have been scouring the stores to find dish towels that I liked and that matched the kitchen, and couldn't find anything that wasn't chevron (no offense to all you chevron-lovers out there, but I'm just not on that bandwagon!), but I found this one at Kmart! Yes, I was shocked too.: ) Cute, cute, cute!

I'm showing you this picture of all our mail for two reasons: 1) I just got this mail sorter from Kmart and it's a lifesaver. Really. All that stuff used to just lay on my counter making my already frazzled brain even more frazzled (if that's possible), and 2) See that uncovered outlet? I didn't even realize it didn't have a cover on it until I looked at this picture. It's so ridiculous what you get used to living with, and then start to ignore. *Fingers crossed that that baby EVER gets a cover.*

Here's a view of the other side of the kitchen:

We finally cut and hung two more open shelves to house our microwave. I gotta tell you, I so enjoy the extra space on the counters now that thing is off of it. So roomy! And if you're wondering about that crack in the counter, it's there because we moved a cabinet and it's counter from it's original spot on the other side of the fridge. It'll stay like that until we upgrade our countertops, and then it'll be seamless. Technically, I could hide the seam using a painting method a friend told me about, but, honestly, there are so many other things I'd rather be doing with my time.; )

I'm thrilled that, after 8 years of marriage, I can finally easily access my china. What a nice surprise to see that it actually works really well with my damask stencil and the colors in the kitchen. Woohoo for happy accidents!

Oh yes! I almost forgot that we installed this new light fixture above the window, and it's stinkin' awesome. Forget about all the additional light it gives off, it's adorable!

***Update: Several people have asked where I got this light. It's Allen + Roth from Lowes.

And finally, a view from the hall. I'm contemplating adding simple, wooden blinds to the window because it seems a bit bare. Anyone have thoughts about that? Should I or shouldn't I?

So now I've promised my husband that I'll tackle only really easy projects that don't involve him for a while.: ) I think this room has come a long way, and it just feels so much more like me. After a few annoying touchups on paint, fixing some broken tile and installing one more light switch, this pretty baby will be complete. Phew! Next week I'll show you what I finally decided about the curtain situation on the other side of the room.

Next on my agenda? A dining room redesign! I can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeve.

So, what's your favorite part about my new kitchen? Color scheme, open shelving, white cabinets, something else entirely?

Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips

Last Fall my sister, Chrissie, and her family moved here from Indiana. She had gone out there for college, (Taylor University) and ended up staying out there for 10 years. We are only 18 months apart and have always been extremely close, so the distance was not fun at all. I have another sister, Rachel, who is older than me, and the three of us are very best friends. I LOVE having my sisters close by. It is such a blessing to us, and our kids! Watching the cousins grow up together is super fun, and I can't wait to see how they interact as they get older. Anyway, all that to say I love that Chrissie is lives only 10 minutes away. And even more so now that she and her husband have started a new business that is beyond cool. Introducing…

You know those photobooths at the beach that are always so much fun? I've actually posted about my love for them here, so as soon as they mentioned their idea, I was totally on board. Race Street Photobooth offers a full-blown, portable professional photobooth that adds a fun and exciting activity for any group of people, anywhere. I'll get to that later, but first meet Chrissie and her husband, Kirk:

Adorable, right? Last Sunday they let Monica and I mess around with some fun props to try out the photobooth, and let me tell you, there were some hilarious, hideous, cute and crazy photos that came as a result!

We both couldn't get over how clear the pictures are (I guess I shouldn't be surprised since the camera they use-Canon Rebel T3i DSLR- is better than mine), and how quickly they were printed off. Seriously, in under one minute we had two copies of our photostrip (one for her and one for me!), which would be awesome at, let's say a wedding, because the bride and groom could keep one copy and the guests could take one copy home with them. 

Aren't we so sophisticated in that first picture? Why yes, yes we are, thankyouverymuch. The photos can be printed in black & white, which is my personal favorite, or in color with a choice of a white or red background. Monica's going to kill me for this next one, but I couldn't resist:

Ok, I take back the sophisticated thing. We're dorks. I could sit in the booth for hours and not get bored. Not that I have done that…yet. Race Street Photobooth serves the greater Philly area, and New Jersey. We're thinking of having them bring their photobooth into our neighborhood on Halloweenl so all the kids can get pictures in their costumes. Wouldn't that be fun? Honestly, the options are endless with this thing and will make any event memorable. For more information about their packages, check out their website. Plus, they're offering a special for EC2 readers! Mention EC215 to receive 15% off the package of your choice!

So…What event do you have coming up that needs a photobooth?; ) 

I've decided that it's about time I dedicated some of my decorating/reorganizing energies to our master bedroom. I am in love with our Nautica paisley bedding (a Christmas gift from my parents), and I even like the paint colors in the room, but the artwork, flooring and disorganized closets are just not working for me. Let's start with the artwork, shall we? Nothing in our room says"Kevin and Jess". It doesn't capture our personalities, or even our design style. Most of what I have hanging on the walls were gifted to us for our wedding, and while they are lovely, almost seven years have gone by and I'm ready for something new.

Artwork above bed: BEFORE

Baby on the left is my daughter at about 1 month old, and baby on the right is my son at about the same age. (The colors are sort of wierd- must have been a different time of day. The colors on the right are more true to life.) The babies are adorable, but take a look at the artwork. Too country-ish. And the picture really is a nice picture of lilies, but I was over it. (Also, if you are wondering, my husband made our headboard from an old door that he cut down, painted and mounted to the wall. I love its simplicity and the fact that it was FREE, since we had removed the door from another area of the house to open it up a bit. It's a really easy DIY project for those of you looking for a headboard.) Right before Christmas, Monica and I went to Hobby Lobby, which, sadly, is all the way in Easton. If you are in to crafting/decorating, you will want to plan a day trip to this store. We planned a special trip where we had dinner and then meandered throughout the store for hours. I was so giddy at the checkout counter that I rambled on and on about my love for Hobby Lobby and how far we travelled to get there. I'm sure the lady thought I was crazy and wanted me to move on, but I didn't even notice so high was I on all the possibilities of this amazing store. Anyway, one my purchases was two chipboard letters, a K and a J. They cost $1.77 each, and I knew I could use them for artwork above the headboard.

The first thing you may notice is that I'm extremely impulsive. I didn't really think this project through, and so I took many, many steps to get to the finished product. But I'm a trial and error kind of girl, and I've accepted that. My first thought was to decoupage a really cool french script paper to the letters. They looked awesome and I was thrilled. Until…

…I held them up against the wall. I hated the color of the paper against the color of the wall, and it wasn't working hung next to the awesome brassy-gold ampersand that I also bought at Hobby Lobby.

So, I decided to rip the paper off, and try spray-painting the letters in a metallic finish. Turns out that ripping off paper that has been decoupaged is no easy task, so I decided to stop that, and sand the paper (really? Sand paper? Yes, I told you I'm impulsive and not always sure of what I'm doing.)

The metallic finish was equally awesome, but again I didn't like the finish of it against the wall, in the dark brown frames, or next to the brassy ampersand. So, what did I do? I painted the darn things the same color as the headboard.

Artwork above Bed: AFTER

I love it! It's just a touch modern, which is fun against the more traditional lamps and bedding. And you can't tell from the picture, but the"&" really brings out the goldish color in the bedding. I'm super happy with the finished product.

Just to keep it real, here's an up-close picture of my bedside table.

Eeeeww! Dust much?
I have a few other projects up my sleeve for our master bedroom that I hope to start in the next few weeks. (I guess I should add dusting to that list.) It may take some smooth talking and the perfect timing to get the hubby onboard, so we'll see!
Next up: the floors

We have disgusting carpet that was disgusting before we moved in, and is even more disgusting now since we've lived here for 3 years. We are planning on ripping it out and then painting the subfloors, ala Ashley. Not exactly traditional, but it's cheap and pretty!

We won't be doing an elaborate stencil, though. We're thinking big, broad horizontal stripes in muted colors. I can't wait and I'll keep you posted on the progress. I also have a few other ideas for art for the other walls that includes some of my favorite photos of the hubs and me. Time to get crackin'!

So, we're one step closer to ma king the master our own.

Did you know we have some amazing sponsors that help make our little old blog possible? Yup, they're amazing and I (Monica) wanted to tell you why…
********************************* Stuff See that funky, fun header at the top of our blog? Well, that takes you to the website of one rockin' furniture and accessory store. One of our blog readers checked it out this month and thought it was pretty awesome too! With the holidays approaching, head over and get something fun for your house before company comes! (My personal favorites are the farm house tables and cool accent chairs)

RT. 309 | 927 Bethlehem Pike (3 Miles North of Montgomery Mall) Colmar, PA 18915 Tel: 215.716.3325Fax: 215.716.3431 Email: info@stuffcloseouts.comstuff Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday
********************************* Jet Upholstery So one DIY that I pretty much don't ever plan to attempt is reupholstering furniture. Way outta my league! Thankfully, I have Jet Upholstery right around the corner in Bucks County. Their work is amazing. Today, I hit a thrift store on the hunt for a cool chair to have Jet refinish for me! I'm still looking, but I know that when I find it, they're going to make it amazing! They also have an amazing selection of designer fabrics and can get just about anything you want. I just found this chair on Craigslist… and I've been drooling over this fabric…

So, give Jet Upholsty a call or check out their website. Go find an ugly chair for pennies and let them make it fabulous for you! JET Upholstery3102 Bedminster Road Bedminster, PA 18910 215-795-0881 215-220-3443 fax Store Hours: Mon-Thurs. 9-5 Friday 9-4 / Sat 9-12
********************************* Mandy Hajel, 31 Gifts

So, you probably know about 31 Gifts and how it's taking the world by storm. If not, stop right now and go check out Mandy's site. Really… GO! There are so many reasons to love 31… adorable fabric options, super cute bags, really fun parties, and it's a business that is based off of the Proverbs 31 woman. Rather than going on about the products, let me tell you a bit about Mandy (she's one of my bffs!). You see, Mandy and I used to teach English together… that is before she joined 31. She's been with the company for 1 year and in that time has made enough money to replace (and more) her teacher's salary, she's earned a family vacation to Disney World, a romantic trip for two to Mexico, a Dell laptop, an Ipad 2, a huge Best Buy giftcard, an XBox, and more. Do you think I earned all that as a teacher?? Umm, Nope. So, if you're looking to make a little side money before the holidays, give Mandy a call, she'll hook you up and teach you her secrets to success! Amanda Hajel Phone: (301) 791-3579 Email: hajelfamily@yahoo.com Website: http://www.mythirtyone.com/hajel/ ********************************* Blossom Bands So, what are your kids wearing for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Ok, maybe it's a tad early to know 100%, but you need to get thinking! The only thing you need to be sure of is to include a Blossom Band for your little ladies. I bought a Halloween one this month for Kira and she loved it! Bethany has tons of ready to sell items as well as custom pieces to match whatever outfits you're planning. You know how in decorating it's all in the details?? Well, a Blossom Band is the perfect detail to make your holiday outfits fabulous!

Bethany Lander Etsy: Bands Etsy Store Email: Bethany@BlossomBands.com Website: http://www.blossombands.com/
********************************* Jennifer Black, The Pampered Chef

If you read Jess' post on her amazing Apple dessert, then you know that we LOVE Pampered Chef products. Did you know that I only use stoneware to do all my cooking? Really, I have almost every stone they sell. It's definitely one of my favorite things. With thanksgiving coming, you should peruse their catalog and see what you need before cooking for the masses. I actually never buy something without hosting a party because the benefits are insane. I'm a huge fan of the catalog show because # 1- I don't have to find a date in my crazy schedule and # 2 Did I mention the amazing incentives and FREE products? So, call Jane, host a catalog party, and get a bunch of free stuff! Ok, even if you don't do the party thing, you must own at least one piece of stoneware and Jess recommends the apple corer slicer! Jennifer BlackPhone: (410) 952-1179
Email: Janeniferjblack@comcast.net
Website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/jenniferblack
********************************* The Land of Nod I've loved Crate & Barrel forever (we actually registered there for our wedding) so of course I LOVE their sister store, The Land of Nod! You'll definitely want to check them out for holiday decor and Christmas presents.

Here is one Must Have item if you have elementary aged kids.

It's the BEST doodle book ever! Taro Gomi draws the coolest Japanese doodles to get your kiddos thinking. Each page usually has a picture and a prompting question. Ex: An empty plate and the question… The Queen's coming for dinner, what do we feed her? My kids ADORE this book and fought over the pages enough that I finally bought a few more! The Land of Nod has offered our readers FREE shipping on most Holiday Toys, so click the pic below to take advantage of it! LMK if you buy a fun doodle book!

*********************************

Did Jess and I mention that life has been a wee bit crazy lately? Each week we keep saying that"it should slow down next week", but so far it just keeps on being awesome and crazy! Dream Dinners has been a total savior in this area! The other night I was over and asked Jess what they were going to do for dinner (because I had nothing planned for my family) and she just pointed to an amazing looking Dream Dinner thawing and ready to pop in the oven. Even if you love to cook, it's so wonderful to have some DDs on hand for the unexpected busy day. Give Kris a call and bring your friends- it's so fun to make meals together!
Kris Petrich, Owner 309 at Advance Ln 262 Bethlehem Pike, Ste 101 Colmar, PA 18915 Tel: 215-822-4055 Email: 309advanceLNPA@dreamdinners.com Website: http://www.dreamdinners.com/
A BIG Thanks to all of our sponsors! Thanks for taking this crazy journey with us! Now, go show them some RHBC love!
If you have a business or a product that you think our readers would love, contact us to talk about becoming a blog sponsor. Thanks!

Well hey there! Want to know something about me? I find something I like and then stick to it. I have only ever ordered one meal at The Olive Garden for about 14 years straight (Chicken con Broccoli and FYI they took it off the menu, so I don't go there anymore! Ha!) I wish jeans, sneaks, and a sweater with an oxford underneath was still as cool now, as it was when I was in high school. So basically, I don't do much in the way of mixing things up (except for in my decor and design, which is weird, but who knows…). This month some of that changed! Hello Bangs and Glasses!

A few things happened to bring about these changes… #1 I spent 8 days in London and Paris surrounded by people that had more style in their pinky finger than I will in my entire lifetime. #2. I was given an opportunity from Firmoo Glasses to try a pair of glasses for free #3. I got a zit on my forehead (I'll explain later)
So, here's what we ended up with… Awesomely geeky glasses that I completely adore (plus, I can see better!) and blunt bangs! I know I'm completely wild and crazy aren't I?

Let me tell you a little about Firmoo and the glasses first, then we'll get onto the bangs. Firmoo is the largest online retailer of glasses (who knew right?!). For years I'd been going to my eye doctor and ordering the uber expensive glasses they had. None of them were super cool, so I only wore them when I really needed to. Well now, I know that there is a HUGE world of glasses out there at like 80% less! And guess what peeps?? They give you your first pair FREE! Seriously doesn't get much better than that! (If you're the type that hears FREE and now is all distracted, here's the link to get your own free pair right away Firmoo Free Glasses)
**Oh, and lots of people asked which style I got, they're #ZS8024 **

I knew I needed to post pics of myself (not my fav thing to do), so I added fun quotes I like to distract you! Is it working? Okay, back to Firmoo… Check out their website and make sure you try out their cool virtual try-on system. You can upload a picture of yourself and try glasses on. It's like paper dolls of the future. I made a quick call to my eye doctor and got my prescription info and just typed it in when ordering. If you don't have vision issues, that's okay- they make clear lenses too! Jess' hubs Kev, calls them his placebos and I LOVE that name! Glasses are definitely an accessory, not just a necessity anymore.
A few day later, I got my glasses in the mail and it was love at first sight (Get it? Sight? Sorry, I can't resist a cheesy joke). They were step one in my mini Monica makeover. Then, I started toying with the idea of bangs… I love the look on other people, but I was a little worried because of my curly, unruly mop. Then, last week I was at the salon getting Kaden a hair cut and noticed this annoying zit on my forehead - suddenly I had my solution…bangs! If you can't beat em, hide em! Kaden gave me the go-ahead and I had one of my favorite hair stylists cut them for me! I couldn't be happier!! (If you're local, Rachel is awesome! Here's their FB page call her if you need a new do!)

I have to tell you, I am amazed that it took me so long to try something a little more daring with my"style"… I think it's a lot more"me" even. And just in case you're wondering, I'll still be ordering all the same foods at restaurants-I'm not that changed!!
Here are all the details you need to get your first pair free from Firmoo… Firmoo Website Firmoo on Facebook (head over and let them know EC2 sent ya!)
Just check out their site, choose a pair you love, and have them in about a week! (There are a few designer pairs that are excluded, but I found tons that I liked that were included)
So are you going to get a free pair? Any other"stuck-in-a-rut" readers out there?
** A huge shout out to our favorite photographer Stacy Salvatori for taking these pictures of me. She is a Bucks County local and does amazing family, portrait, and wedding pics. Check out her site and let her know EC2 sent you!! **I wasn't compensated for writing this post. I got a free pair of glasses from Firmoo (like you can) and was thrilled to review them for you guys. All opinions are 100% mine**