The Real Housewives of Bucks County

Nate Berkus Show {Our Farewell Episode}

2012-03-05T03:30:00.000-05:00

Hey! If you're new around here- welcome! We're super glad you found us and we hope you'll stick around a while. Use the icons on the right to take the plunge and follow us. We love all things DIY and we'd love to share our projects with you!
-Monica & Jess

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

What a bittersweet day… we’re so excited that our fourth episode airs today, but we’re also bummed that our crazy Nate Show journey is coming to an end. It has been such an amazing ride! If you’ve missed any of our episodes, you can check out some clips here.

Since we spent a good amount of time in the studio this year, we really had a lot of work to do behind the scenes.

Haha! Kidding! We totally snuck these pictures in the control room when we were waiting for our mics. Yup, we’re dorks. Want to know the funniest thing ever? When we were taking these, there was another woman waiting to go on for her segment. We didn’t know until she was on that it was Christiane Lemieux, the founder of Dwell Studios! We LOVE Dwell! Can you imagine us taking these pictures while she was watching. OMW we’re Dorks!

Thrift a $250 room that looks like a Million bucks!

This time Nate gave us a seriously tough challenge. $250 to design an entire room including furniture is insane! We never could have done it without an awesome thrift store. Liberty Thrift is a personal favorite and they have 5 locations in PA. We love the mission behind Liberty and it makes shopping there even better! They’re our newest blog sponsor, so if you’re in the area, go and check out one of their stores!

Since you’ll get to see the finished product on the show, we’re going to highlight just a few of our favorite projects this week. We don’t have a ton of process pictures, because it was about 19 degrees in our work area and we were so tight on time, but we’ll try and give you the main gist.

Here’s all the furniture pre-DIY… oh man it was in rough shape!

Our very favorite piece in the room was the Navy buffet. Something we love to do is to look at a piece of furniture and think of what we could turn it into. The minute I saw this dresser, I envisioned it as a fabulous buffet! When you’re working with thrifted pieces, don’t be afraid to try something a wee bit daring, the worst thing you can do is ruin it and have to head back to the thrift store to try again!

Here’s the pretty darn dramatic before and after…

We don’t have process pics, but we do have some process video outtakes! WARNING: These are totally unedited and really goofy, but we’re all about keeping it Real and this lets you see just how the navy beauty came to be!

Step 1- The Game Plan!

Step 2- TV makes it seem easy!

Step 3- To Mold or not to Mold?

Step 4- Oops Still looks like a Dresser!

So you're getting the idea right? Good, because we don't have any more process shots! This picture shows all the changes we made. Isn't she pretty? We both were sooo thrilled with her makeover!

Now, when you go thrifting you can look at the rows and rows of dressers in a whole new light! And now, here's the cheesy End of the Night recap from day 2!

Tomorrow Jess is going to show you how two DIYers that have never upholstered a thing in their lives, decided to tackle a chair for Nate! We're crazy!

We hope you had fun watching our final episode,

let us know what you thought of the room!

*** If you're wondering about the amazing stencil we used for our wall art, you can get it here. We love Royal Design Studios and their stencils are by far the best! ***

Real Housewives on Nate Berkus! {Set your DVR}

2012-03-03T08:10:00.004-05:00

It's finally here! Our final Nate Show Episode airs this Monday, March 5th (if you didn't know, Nate is moving onto other projects and won't have his show next season- boo!) We were thrilled to be on once more!
Make sure you set those DVRs and spread the word to all your thrift-loving friends! For this episode we were given a $250 thrift store challenge, so of course we headed to our favorite store, Liberty Thrift. We were pretty thrilled with the results and can't wait for you to see just how far $250 can go!

So, tune in and let us know what you thought of the room! Thanks!

Fab Find Friday {What We're Crushing on!}

2012-03-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

Confession: We have crushes. Yup, goofy, girl crushes. Now, we're not crushing on boys like we may or may not have in high school and college, but we're totally crushing on a few things we think you might want to crush on too!

1- Bicycle decor. This crush started a few month ago by seeing a bicycle pillow. Then, Mandy put some crazy cool bicycle art in her foyer, and I knew it was love. How great is this fabric? It's going to be making an appearance in my family room very soon!

A friend's family owns Bicycle Gift Hub and it's an online store of all things bikes! Now, it's a bit more for the seriously-in-love-with-the-sport type, but I did find these adorable book ends!

Want to know the funniest thing about this crush? I stink at riding a bike! Like seriously am awful. The phrase, "It's like riding a bicycle" has a very different connotation to me. My husband played college baseball and one time, when we were dating, I rode my bike across campus to meet him at the gym. The whole team had just finished up BP and I came riding up, looking all cool, didn't stop soon enough, hit the curb and went flying. Seriously, I was wishing the little accident had taken my life so I didn't have to face all those guys! Oh well, they must have found it endearing because most of them still came to our wedding the next year!

2- Industrial Eclectic courtesy of The Vow. First things first, I'm pretty sure "industrial eclectic" isn't real, but I sure love it as a style. I might have been one of the only women in America more smitten by the apartment in The Vow, than the likes of Channing Tatum (although, don't get me wrong, their chemistry was really sweet.) If you haven't seen the movie, I actually liked it and the hubs said it was really good for a "chick flick"

Now, onto the apartment. It was a little too urban loft for me, but soooo much of it I loved. These island light fixtures are calling my name. One of my favorite things was the sliding metal doors on the bookshelves. I need that in my world somehow!

I love all the color in the kitchen. I love the mismatched light fixtures. I love the clock. I love the island. Sensing a trend here?

Now this picture is a wee bit cluttered for me, but look at those metal doors in the back!

So the point of this rant is that I'm determined to find a way to make my so-far-from-a-New-York-loft house have an "industrial eclectic" feel.

3- Ladies Home Journal I'm crushing on LHJ for two reasons... #1- they've completely launched a new and improved magazine that's awesome. It's totally focused on the reader and what stories they want to see in the mag. #2- We're going to be collaborating with LHJ for DIY and design stories! We were in NYC on Monday meeting with the editor in chief and her whole staff. It was pretty amazing.

Lots more to come about LHJ, but for now, how about you go get or renew a subscription so you're sure not to miss any of our contributions. Just for a short time it's only $5.99/year! That's insanely cheap, so there's no excuses for not joining in on the fun! Head here to subscribe.

I'm most definitely crushing on brownies right now, but that's besides the point. I know you'd rather hear about my design crushes than my brownie addiction, so here goes:

1. Coral & Blue. Goodness, I'm in love. When I first saw that Ikea-hack buffet on the right, I was immediately mesmerized. Until then, the color coral never entered my mind for my dining/living room (I was going for more of a rust color), but now it's there in full-force. After an impulsive coral search on Pinterest, I found that amazing room from Southern Living on the left, and the Waverly Sea Scallop Coral Reef fabric that just sealed the deal. Expect a coral invasion into my home and onto this blog in the very near future.

2. DIY Furniture. In case you haven't heard, Ana White is the source for free furniture plans and I get sucked in just thinking of all the possibilities. I might have said to my husband tonight after seeing the apothecary console table, "Why would we ever buy anything ever again when we can just build it?", to which he replied, "You are an absolute madwoman." Ok, he didn't say that exactly, but I know he was thinking it. Anyway, my hubs and I have been scheming for months to build this playhouse loft bed for my daughter's 4th birthday coming up in a few weeks. One time I showed her this picture:

....and she hasn't stopped talking about it since! I can't wait to surprise her with it, and I'm also strangely excited about painting and decorating the little house. I'm hoping she doesn't have any ideas of what she wants it to look like (wishful thinking, I'm sure, because there is very little that my girl doesn't have an opinion about), because I've got the whole thing planned out in my mind already!

What things are YOU crushing on?

DIY Barn Meets Beach Coffee Table

2012-03-01T03:30:00.000-05:00

This project is an oldie, but a goodie. We realized that we never posted about the amazing coffee table that Monica made for our first Nate Show, and that we now have listed for sale in our Etsy shop. We like to call this little beauty, our Barn meets Beach Coffee Table.

Luckily for us, my father-in-law supplies us with amazing barn wood from his barn in PA. but don't worry! We'll show you how to recreate that look if you don't happen to have piles of reclaimed wood laying around. Stop what you're thinking right now! We are NOT crazy, you just never know when a project might call for wood. Ha!

Are you ready for the DIY trick that makes this project sooooo easy? The base of our table is made of two adirondack tables! No extra assembly required, which, let's face it, is exactly what we like about this project! I bought ours for $12 each from Home Depot during an after-season sale (right now they're $29, but if you wait, they'll come down!), and had them laying around in my garage for when inspiration hit. (You should have seen the hoarding going on in our garages, just in case we needed something to impress Nate! )

We started by priming just the legs of the tables (you won't see the table tops once the barnwood top goes on) with Rustoleum's Ultra Cover in Gray.

We love the color of the primer so much that we often use it alone (true story: I have four frames in my basement that are painted with this primer!), but this table was going in my nautical/cottage style basement, so we went with a Valspar Spraypaint in Navy.

While the paint was curing, we got started on building our table top. We laid our wood down so we could move it around until we figured out the perfect arrangement. Isn't barn wood gorgeous?! Confession: the actual table top in the picture above was already assembled when my dad-in-law found it in his barn! All Monica had to do was place it on top of the adirondack tables she painted. How's that for good luck?! But since then, we've made them to sell, and follow this method for a very close match.

We measured 44 inches long and 33 inches wide, made marks, and cut the wood with a circular saw (you can use a chop saw, if you have one).

You may have noticed that our table has beautiful blue tones, and we can't take any credit for it because only years and the elements can create that, but we can fake that look pretty darn well, if you ask us.

So here's the break-down: We used a very dry brush to paint Benjamin Moore's Beach Glass on the wood. The key here is not to cover up all of the wood, just brush it on randomly. We are not aiming for perfect coverage here! Then, we wiped on Valspar's Translucent Color Glaze in Mocha, focusing on the cracks, bumps and holes in the wood. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it away. Sand down any thick paint spots and then brush on one coat of a water-based polyurethane. We recommend water-based because it seals the wood (so a glass with condensation left on it won't ruin it!) and because it doesn't alter the color of the wood. Oh yeah, do the same treatment on the edges too, because they'll be visible!

Ta-da!

Just to prove it to you, here's the faux-barnwood next to the real thing:

Pretty close, wouldn't you say? We wanted it to look a bit more polished, but if you want a more rustic look, you can sand it down even more to reveal the wood beneath.

To build the support frame underneath, we took four 1x2's and cut them to size. The two end pieces were 33 inches, and the long sides were approximately 40 inches (make sure the ends butt up against each other.) Lay the boards face down and then place your support pieces along the edges and nail into place. Grab a friend to help with this because you want all the edges to be aligned, and the boards to stay in place.

We also added two bigger boards in the center as an extra support, and so it rests evenly on the adirondack tables.

Once the top is done, flip it over and place it squarely on top of the adirondack tables. If you want, you can screw the adirondack tables into the barnwood top, but we skipped this step! I loved being able to switch things up if I want, or create open space if I need it by folding up the adirondack tables and hiding the top! :) This beaut is now residing in my basement and I couldn't love it any more than I do!

We're hoping this table inspires you to bring a little barn wood into your homes!

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

Once a Month Lunches {20 minutes: 35 sandwiches}

2012-02-29T03:30:00.000-05:00

So, this isn't a DIY or design post, BUT it will save you so much time that you can work on projects to your heart's content!

Pin It
Confession Time: I don't make the lunches in our house... my beyond awesome husband does. Yup ladies, sorry he's taken! Anyhow... being the thoughtful wife that I am, I wanted to find a way to make it easier on the hubs so I suggested we try making a whole weeks' worth and freeze them. Eric was skeptical, but it worked like a charm... i.e. the kids didn't notice! Since I'm a wild woman, I suggested we get a little crazy and the next week we made an entire months' worth! It's a small change that has rocked our making-lunches-with-four-kids world! Lunches are now as simple as grabbing a sandwich and snacks- easy peasy (or so it seems when the hubs is doing it!)

The Once a Month Lunch Secret!

Make a Costco run and buy lots of supplies. (It really doesn't take two peanut butters or anything, but you never know when Michelle Duggar is reading our blog! Hi Michelle!)

Lay out all your bread. We divide it up because we have one fluff lover in the house.

Okay ladies, do your husbands do any simple tasks so weirdly? Now, Eric is a dreamboat for making lunches, but he holds the knife and slaps the peanut butter on in such a strange, caveman-like way!

Oh well, I guess I can live with caveman PBJs.

Here's the most important step... you have to peanut butter both sides! The one time I did the lunches, I of course didn't see the importance of this step, so I skipped it and we had soggy sandwiches. Mommy fail!

The hubs tells me that squeeze jelly makes the process even faster!

You might notice some of the sandwiches only have peanut butter in the middle... well, here's why!

This tool from The Pampered Chef is so inexpensive and awesome! It turns our normal sandwiches into homemade uncrustables! I pick my battles and I guess I'm still not convinced the edges are any more healthy! If you want to order one, contact our Pampered Chef blog sponsor Jen.

Ta-da! Awesome, complain-free sandwich!

We are left with a lot of crusts, and there are some times that we use them in meatloaf, and I've debated trying them as a french toast bake... although, my logical husband reminds me that it's only about $1.89 worth of waste, so sometimes they just become duck bread!

Another important detail... Get really good freezer bags. It makes a difference and keeps them nice and fresh!

Pack 'em in and you're done! Yup, it's that easy!

We keep a few bags in the freezer and all the rest in our deep freezer in the basement. Eric's new favorite midnight snack is grabbing a frozen sandwich and eating it cold. Weird if you ask me, but he loves it!

So there you have it. Our little family secret revealed! Maybe everyone has been doing this all along, but it's rocked our world and I strongly suggest you give it a try if you haven't. Who knows, maybe your hubs will think it looks so fun that he'll take over!

PS- We can't believe it, but we were nominated as one of Apartment Therapy's DIY blogs of the year. However, we need some serious votes. We're kind of getting smoked by the big blogs! It definitely takes a minute or two to vote, but we'd sure appreciate it. Go HERE to vote! Thanks so much!

Linking to: TipJunkie

Making Design Easier {Design Seeds}

2012-02-28T03:30:00.000-05:00

You all know it already, and I'm pretty open about sharing this one fact: I am not a designer by trade. I've never taken design classes, and in fact, often dreaded going to art classes in school. I'd call myself an amateur- I do what I like and think looks good in my home. Period. One of the things I find difficult (although, I admit it does get easier the more I do it) is choosing the right colors in my designs. I often have an idea or concept in mind, but getting there is tricky, especially for a non-detail-oriented person like me. Enter Design Seeds:

Design Seeds solves the color dilemma for us by offering tons of color palettes based on things you see every day. Like the colors of Fall? You can find several different palettes incorporating the various colors found in Autumn. Isn't that amazing? If you've been on Pinterest at all, I'm sure you've seen some of these floating around:

Source: design-seeds.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Basically, Jessica, the genius behind Design Seeds forecasts emerging trends and comes up with relevant color palettes based on those. She also sells a bunch of books that I would personally love to have on my coffee table or to use as inspiration.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Source: design-seeds.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Wouldn't this be beautiful in a nursery for a baby girl? Love the muted purples.

Source: design-seeds.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Can't help but fall head over heels for colors inspired by travel!

Source: design-seeds.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Oh man, this would be a super-fun palette for a summer birthday party, right?

And just in case you were wondering, there is a general rule of thumb when it comes to using color in design:

Use 60 percent of one color, which is your dominant color (think paint on the wall). This is the unifying color- most likely a neutral that ties it all together. Using 30 percent of your secondary color adds visual interest, like the furniture in the room, and then 10 percent is an accent color. Accessories, pillows, flowers etc. These are the things that make the room shine! Go ahead and take a look at your design inspiration pictures: most likely they are divided within this rule. Crazy, huh? These Design Seeds palettes provide a variety of colors that you can choose from for your home decor, wedding or party planning, and even when choosing an outfit!

Don't you just love it when there are short-cuts for great design? ;)

Mexican Dream {Iberostar Cancun}

2012-02-27T03:30:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know, Jess and I spent a week in paradise...

Thanks to our friend, Mr. Nate Berkus, we lived in the laps of luxury at the Iberostar Cancun. Nate and his wonderful staff gave us this trip after our second appearance on his show. Thanks Nate!

If you're looking for a place to vacation, we'd totally recommend this resort. It has only been open two months, and yet the amazing staff made everything run so smoothly. Other than the incredible location, and beautiful accommodations, the entertainment staff, "The Star Friends" were the best part. They got these girls out of our chairs, playing balloon volleyball, doing aqua aerobics, taking salsa lessons and more. Honestly, the staff made this trip amazing.

Here's a peek into our week...

Check out the resort lobby. It was beautiful and the decor was unique and stylish.

If you're a mom, take my advice and plan a girls' weekend! We were super excited that two of our gal pals came along on this adventure. This was the first time in years that we'd gotten away and it was so beneficial. Having time away from all the distractions of life let us truly relax and also connect as friends. We spent many nights sitting down by the ocean talking about life. It was so refreshing to be able to be open and honest and go beyond the surfacey discussions that busy life lends itself to. Jess and I are so blessed to have some pretty darn amazing women in our lives.

If I didn't convince you to plan a girls' weekend, maybe more pictures will!

Iberostar, you had me at infinity pool.

This trip was a perfect way to usher in our 30th birthday year and to celebrate our first, amazing year of blogging. We've been beyond blessed by this blog journey and we're so thankful to all of you (our readers)!

So, now we're back to reality, (and for me a fading tan is like a slow, death. It's horrible to wake up each day, working my way back to pale white) but we're excited about so many projects and ideas that we're working on!

and now the moment you've all been waiting for...

The WINNER of the

Royal Design Studio/Modello Designs giveaway is:

Congratulations Kara!
email us to claim your prize!

PS. Jess and I are super excited and honored to be attending the NYC launch of the New an Improved Ladies Home Journal Magazine this evening. We'll be ~~strutting our stuff~~ trying to play it cool as we have our pics taken on the "red carpet". We'll be sure to let you know all the inside scoop tomorrow!

Last Giveaway! {Royal Design Studios}

2012-02-24T03:30:00.000-05:00

We've been so fortunate to have been featured on some pretty great blogs and websites, but there are a few totally awesome blogs/bloggers who have been major players in our continuing growth.

We've shared our love of Pinterest on more than one occasion and Monica even created a how-to video about it, but now we love it even more. U-Create, Vintage Revivals and Home Stories of A to Z were so good to us rookie bloggers. We hope we can pass the blog love forward to other small blogs just trying to grow in the same way they've helped us. And you already know how we feel about The Nate Show. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thanks blogging friends! We appreciate you. :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, to cap off our Giveaways Galore Week, we have an unbelieveable giveaway for you!

We both have been thrilled with our stencils from Royal Design Studio (you can see my kitchen here, and Monica's wall panels here), but there are endless possibilities and choices for you at
Royal Design Studio. Just check out these beauties:

{Swoon} Ok, time for the details on how to win:

The Prize is a $75 Shopping Spree on Royal Design Studio. (Includes free shipping within the continental U.S.) All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm on February 26, 2012. Winner will be announced on February 27, 2012.

1. To enter, go to the Royal Design Studio website, pick your favorite stencil and comment with your pick.
2. Extra chances to enter by "liking" the RDS Facebook fan page and/or following them on Twitter and/or following them on Pinterest and commenting so on this post.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And finally, the winners from yesterday's giveaways:

Scentsy

My Best Friend's Hair

Kotton Pickin' Kute

Congratulations! Email us to claim your prizes, girls! Thanks for celebrating our one year blogiversary with us this week. It's been fun. :)

True Confessions of a Blogger {and a Giveaway}

2012-02-23T03:30:00.000-05:00

It feels like I haven't blogged in forever! It's nice to be back... well, honestly if you told me I could jump on a plane now, I'd grab my suit and be gone in an instant. Mexico was insanely awesome. I'm going to do a whole post on it next Monday!
So we're supposed to be giving interesting statistics this week... I've got a good one for ya!

The Disappearing Giveaway... If you've followed us since the very beginning you might remember a post about our Design Challeng{ed} contest... Or maybe you don't remember because not one single person entered. Ha! We'd only been blogging about two months and it was a major flop! It sure makes us laugh though!

Famous Angelina... Jess wrote a cute post about Cam's 3rd birthday party last year. It was a cute Angelina Ballerina theme. The post is fine, but nothing over the top. We didn't have great lighting and all the pictures are so-so... however, thanks to the post's title it was in our top 15 posts for landing pages! So many people have Googled Angelina Ballerina and found us! Ha!

So maybe we laugh a lot and blush a little over these silly posts, but it reminds us of the amazing road this blog has taken. We can't wait to look back next year and see what 2012 had for us!

Now, get ready for some stinkin' awesome giveaways!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have three awesome giveaways for you today! The giveaways are separate entities (in other words, if you win, you don't win them all, but you can enter all three!) Please let us know which giveaways you're gunning for in your comments.

My Best Friend's Hair Giveaway

My Best Friend's Hair is our most recent sponsor and it's the coolest concept! Their site can help you find the best stylists all over the country and get ratings and reviews. Want to find the best stylist in your area that can deal with insanely thick, unruly hair (that would be my wish)? They can help you with that! They also have tons of info about the hottest cuts and styles- so fun!

Today they're giving away a Neuma Beauty Hair Products gift set. I don't know about you, but I love using high quality hair products, and getting them for free is even better!

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)
1-Like My Best Friend's Hair Facebook Page and leave us a comment letting us know.
2-For an additional chance to win, head over to the My Best Friend's Hair website and either search for a stylist in your area or leave a review of your stylist and then leave a comment letting us know you did.

Scentsy Giveaway

I must have been living under a rock for a while, because I had never tried Scentsy until Breanne joined our blog last fall. Honestly, I wake up, walk down stairs, and turn my warmer on immediately, my kids take turns picking out the scents we should use. It's awesome! Breanne is giving away one warmer and scentsy bar of your choice!

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)
1- Go to Breanne's Scentsy website and then tell us in a comment what scent you'd love to try.
2-For an additional chance to win Follow RHBC on Twitter and leave us a comment letting us know.

Kotton Pickin' Kute Hat

My poor kids were all born well before the world thought to make amazingly cute hats- boo! I honestly don't think there's anything cuter than a baby with a sock monkey hat! Krista hand knits all of her hats and lucky for us, she's giving one away! Don't have an itty bitty baby? No worries, she can make them in child and even adult sizes. I just might buy the hubs a sock monkey hat... actually, I won't because I could possibly die of laughter.

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)
1- Go to Kotton Pickin Kute's Etsy Store and then tell us in a comment what hat you love!
2-For an additional chance to win like Kotton Pickin' Kute on Facebookand leave us a comment letting us know.

Giving things away is so darn fun! I can't wait to announce the winners tomorrow! Hope you're enjoying our week of giveaways just as much as we are!

AND NOW FOR THE WINNERS FROM YESTERDAY!

The winner of the Thirty-one Gifts giveaway is: Dwell Wool Knits! Congratulations!

The winner of the Dream Dinners meals is: Whitney! (and I promise I didn't cheat just because she's having her first baby! Congrats Whitney!)

(email us your address so we can get you your prizes!)

A bunch of Fun Stuff

2012-02-22T07:48:00.004-05:00

We're finally back to blogging after our amazing trip to Mexico! We had a great time with great friends and have to admit that this vacation was just what we needed: a break from this crazy, packed-to-the-brim (just like Monica's suitcase) year! We have lots to share about our trip, (especially about the amazing resort we stayed in!), but here's a sneak peek at our ~~totally burnt~~ tan selves:

But enough about that, we're happy to continue on with our interesting statistics from year one:

Yes, we are crazy, but we're committed to growing the blog and seeing where it will take us. Five posts a week is a lot if you ask other bloggers, but we are so thankful that there are two of us to lighten the load. We totally recognize that this partnership is rare, and can honestly say that after blogging together for a year, we're still friends. Ha! Plus, we love giving you guys new stuff to read every day, so even though it's a lot of hard work, it's worth it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have two awesome giveaways for you today! The giveaways are separate entities (in other words, if you win, you don't win both!) Please let us know which giveaway you're gunning for in your comment.

Ok, so giveaway number 1 is a service that is near and dear to my heart. I've mentioned Dream Dinners before when I told you that I used to own one with my mom, but just in case you missed it, this place is amazing! You can make a month's worth of meals in less than 2 hours- no prep work or clean-up required! Check out this post for more details.

This giveaway is open only to local readers (Bucks, Montgomery or Delaware Counties) and is valid only for use at the Colmar, PA store..

If you can't wait for the giveaway, use the new customer code DDNC102012 for 10% off any order of 36 servings or more.

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)
1. Go to the Dream Dinners website, pick your favorite meal and leave a comment here with why it looks so good to you.

2. For an additional chance to win like the RHBC Facebook page, and leave a comment letting us know you did so.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our second giveaway is pretty awesome, too (can you even handle two great giveaways in one day?!) If you ever see us around, you'll notice right away that we love Thirty-One Gifts! We usually have at least one bag each on hand at all times. :) Mandy is a killer consultant so if you have questions, fire away!

The set includes a Large Utility Tote, Picnic Thermal Tote and an About Town Picnic Blanket (in colors as shown).These items are perfect for sporting events, picnics, playdates, vacation and countless other uses! For more information about these products, check out the new 2012 Spring Catalog.

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)

1. Go to the Thirty-One Gifts Catalog and pick your favorite product and comment with your pick.

2. For an additional chance to win, like the RHBC Facebook page, and leave a comment letting us know you did so.

Same deal: if you can't wait to win, email your order to Mandy with the code love31 to get 15% off of your order.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allright, folks, you have 24 hours to enter! We'll announce the winners of both giveaways on Thursday morning, so don't delay! Good luck!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And the winner of the Garnish giveaway is Kori!

Email us to claim your prize, Kori. Congrats!

Happy Blogiversary to Us!

2012-02-20T03:30:00.000-05:00

Did you know that we've been writing this blog for one whole year now? I honestly don't know where this past year went, but it has been amazing. We've met incredible people, done some things we never thought we'd ever do (hello Nate!), and grew this little blog into something bigger than we thought possible. Granted, we still have a lot of growng to do, and trust me, we have big plans for RHBC, but we're proud of what we've accomplished. We thought it would be super fun to look back at the past year in stats. Every day this week we'll share something new about our blog with you that we've never talked about before.(Darn that we didn't start tracking our stats until May 2011!) So here we go:

Phew! That's crazy! And we just have to say a big thank you to YOU for spreading the word about our blog and for faithfully reading and supporting us through our successes and failures. We wouldn't want to do it without you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now, for our first giveaway to celebrate our blogiversary! You've heard us talk all about our love for Garnish, and we think you'll love their stuff too! Garnish sells totally customizable products that will make your event or gift memorable and spectacular.

To enter: (This giveaway is now closed)

1. To enter, go to the Garnish website, pick your favorite product and comment with your pick.

2. Extra chance to enter by "liking" the Garnish Facebook fan page, and leaving a comment saying you did so.

3. Additional chance to enter by liking the RHBC Facebook page, and leaving a comment letting us know.

Good luck!

Adios Amigos Day 4 {Sew Dang Cute Crafts}

2012-02-17T19:41:00.002-05:00

We're so thrilled to have Tam from Sew Dang Cute guest posting for us today. The name of her blog is perfect for describing her- she is so dang cute! :) Tam is so creative, and hosts Crafting with the Stars, which we had so much fun being a part of! She was so encouraging and uplifting, and also extrememely understanding when we turned our weekly projects in really late. Ha! Welcome, Tam!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, my name it Tam of Sew Dang Cute Crafts and I am so excited to be here today at
The Real Housewives of Buck County.

Some of you may know me from Crafting with the Stars, which I host on my site. I was blown away by Monica and Jess’s insane talent! They were definitely deserving to be Season 3’s champions, and I’m thrilled they asked me to guest post for you guys today.

I don’t know about you guys, but my jewelry drawer was an absolute mess. Things were tangled up and completely unorganized. I’ve seen DIY jewelry organizers all over blogland, but none of them were quite what I was looking for.

Then one day the wheels were turning, and I came up with the Jewelry Medicine Cabinet.

I can hang my earrings on the doors.

And store all my necklaces and bracelets inside.

It’s perfect and it all started with this frame I found at my local thrift store for $2.

My dad owns a cabinet shop, so when I was out-of-town visiting him this past weekend I took my frame with me and ran my idea by him. He took me to his shop and made it happen for me.

Obviously he has a lot of professional tools that make it so much easier, but don’t worry, you don’t need them to make this.

Here’s how we did it:

STEP ONE: Build a box the size of your frame. (Or if you have an old drawer your box would already be built – you’d just need to find a frame the same size).

We took pieces that were 3.5” wide and mitered the corners, then used wood glue and small pins in the nail gun to put the sides together. If you don’t have a nail gun, you can use a hammer and nails.

You may have noticed that the pieces have a little cut-out in them.

My dad is a bit of a perfectionist, so he cut out an inlay in each piece, so the back piece could fit in the box and everything would be flush.

Then more wood glue and pinning the back piece in place with the nail gun.

My dad has a fancy machine that you can program to cut things for you, so he used that to cut out all the holes in the back piece. If I was just on my own, I would have used a drill bit and that would have worked just as well. We did 5mm holes because my dad had that size of dowels on hand.

STEP TWO: Make a face frame. Since we are attaching some hardware to this and don’t want to risk splitting the wood, my dad recommended adding a face frame to the top of the box.

The wood is just a bit wider and goes right on top with some wood glue and pins.

Go ahead and putty all the holes and cracks. Once it’s dry, sand the entire thing down.

STEP THREE: Make the doors. Cut the frame in half.

Add a strip of wood to the inside of the frame.

We glued it in place and used some vices to hold each door.

Then we also angled the nail gun and put some small pins in to really make it secure.

Put the wooden dowels in the holes and you are ready to paint.

STEP FOUR: Spray paint. I went with white and apparently forgot to take a picture of this step. Oops!

STEP FIVE: Add hardware.

I used my staple gun to add the wire mesh (hardware cloth/chicken wire) to the back of the doors. Then I added hinges to attach the doors to the box and put a catch at the top of each door.

It’s almost there.

The last thing I did was add some knobs on the front of the doors. Then I hung it up and filled it with my jewelry.

All done! Now my jewelry is organized and tangle free!

Thanks so much for having me today Monica and Jess! Have fun in Mexico and congrats on turning 30. I’ll be right there with you next week (30 that is, not Mexico).

I hope you guys will all come visit me over at Sew Dang Cute Crafts!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't that adorable? I'm definitely in need of something cute to help me organize all my jewelry, and I may have just found it! Also, we're super excited because we'll celebrating our one year blogiversary with our first annual:

Come back every day next week for new and awesome giveaways. Trust us, you'll love them! Adios, from Mexico! Have a great weekend-

Adios Amigos Day 3 {Living with Lindsay}

2012-02-16T03:30:00.000-05:00

I'm so dang excited to introduce you to today's guest blogger... seriously, can you feel how excited I am all the way from Mexico?? Let me introduce you to Lindsay Ballard...

As Tom Cruise would say, Lindsay "had me at layered frames." It was the first project of hers that I'd seen and seriously, I spent the next two days of my life reading through the rest of her blog, Living with Lindsay. She recently completed a crazy-cool master bedroom makeover that pretty much went viral in the blogosphere and on Pinterest. Lindsey, we're so flattered to have you here and I'm thrilled we're becoming blog buds!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Monica asked me to put together a post to share with you guys while the ladies were on their Mexican vacation (¡Olé!), I think I did a few high kicks. You see, I swear that Monica and I were originally fraternal twins separated at birth, and the RHBC gals are some of my favorites on the internet. Their combination of wit and style is something we all aspire to, right? Ever the Teacher's Pet, I really wanted to wow you (and them!) with a fun post. I racked my brain for days to come up with the right project to share. Then, it hit me (or I hit it, because I accidentally banged a ladder into it) that I knew exactly what project that should be. This is a design that I put together late last year, but it quickly became one my favorite projects ever...

What do you think of when you hear the word 'drum'? I'd assume that most people think of their kids loudly playing a drum kit in the garage, high school football halftime shows, or their favorite rock and roll band. But, most people aren't us, are they? We DIYers and home decor obsessed people probably have a drum shade spring to mind instead. Or, at least I do. I've been rolling around the idea in my head for the past few months on combining the best of both versions of drums. I'm glad that I let my mind wander down that path - it's a lot of fun when I can dream up something pretty farfetched that ends up becoming reality.

Creating this fixture was actually a pretty simple process once I figured out what to do. I put together a tutorial so that you could do it, too.

DIY Drum Pendant Light

Materials Needed:

Used Tom drum

Short piece of scrap wood

4 finishing nails

Drill

Jigsaw

Pendant light kit (I HIGHLY recommend the cloth cord kits from Shanell's)

Scissors or X-Acto knife, if needed

Canopy

1. I bought a used Tom drum off of Ebay for under $30 shipped. I'm sure I could have found a better deal at a thrift store or pawn shop around town, but I knew what I wanted and was willing to pay a little extra so that I didn't have to drag the kids all over town. This Tom is 12 inches tall and 10 inches wide. Any size will likely do - you'll just want to make sure it will fit in your space.

2. I removed the top and bottom of the drum by unscrewing the screws that hold it together. I was able to unscrew it with my fingers, but you may need a really small socket or "drum key." Please note, I know not one single thing about drums, and I'm sure the top, bottom and little screws have a name. I'm going to just call them my own terms so that other non-musician DIYers, such as myself, can more easily understand the instructions. The top and bottom will separate from the chrome ring.

3. I cut a piece of scrap wood so that it would fit tightly inside the drum without distorting its shape. I didn't curve the edges; I just cut it straight across. On either side, I hammered in 2 finishing nails to hold it in place (drill small holes first to make it easier). In the below photo, I hadn't hammered them in all the way so that you could see them more easily in the photo. Obviously, hammer them all the way in. I colored the nail heads black with a Sharpie marker since my drum is black, but they are pretty well hidden by the chrome rings once you put the drum back together, so you might not have to worry about that.

4. Once the strip of wood was in place, I needed to create a slot for my light fixture to thread through. I drilled three holes that were roughly the diameter of the the piece I needed to thread.

I used my jigsaw to connect all three holes into one long slot. The reason you need to do this is to be able to balance the drum. There is a clamp on the side of a Tom that attaches it to a drum kit, and it creates more weight on one side of the drum. The drum doesn't hang straight from the center, so a slot gives you the ability to slide the fixture around to figure out its balance point.

5. Thread your fixture through the slot. You can pick up a light kit at a home improvement store, which you will hang by a wire and chain. OR, you can do what I did and use one of the Pendant Light Kits from Shandell's. Instead of having the ugly chain, these kits are made from cloth cord. They come in several colors - red, gold, brown and putty - and in either nickel or brass finishes. These kits are $29 each and I couldn't speak more highly of them. They definitely give a much more finished and vintage look to a fixture.

I have a 60-watt blub in the fixture, but that could vary by project. You will need to test it on your own drum, but mine does not get warm to the touch at all, even when left on for many hours. 6. Replace only the chrome rim on the top of your drum (where the light fixture is). You may find that you need to cut (with scissors or an X-Acto knife) the little silver ring off of the what was then the bottom head (they part you don't play) and put that under the chrome rim. You'll see what I mean when you start to put it back together - you want the top to be open, but you may need that silver ring as a spacer in between the drum and the rim. Flip your drum over and attach the head (the part you actually drum) and rim to what is now the bottom of the drum. You can just screw the screws back in with your fingers.

7. Hardwire your new fixture to the ceiling. You'll want to buy a light canopy to hide the wires. I got mine at Home Depot and spray painted it chrome. I hung my new drum pendant light in a small area of our entry way. I could not possibly be more in love with its quirkiness and originality. I bet you will be the only one in your neighborhood with this light fixture!

My favorite part about it is the amazing light it throws off at night. There is an almost ethereal glow that comes through the drum head, and the light that shines on the ceiling really highlights the fixture.

And yes, I totally bribed my dog boys with treats to sit right there. I sure love those crazy mutts, even if their constant barking makes my head feel like I'm actually living in a drum!

So, what do you think? Does the term drum shade have a whole new meaning for you now?

Adios Amigos Day 2 {Hannah Kate Flora}

2012-02-15T03:30:00.000-05:00

First of all, our guest poster today, Hannah, is stinkin' adorable. She is the only blogger we've met IRL, (in real life) and totally exceeded our expectations! Funny story: When we met Hannah, we were in NYC getting ready for our Nate Show taping and she had just finished hers. Needless to say, she looked amazing, and we looked like we had just rolled out of bed (what can we say? We hadn't been to hair and makeup yet!:) Take a look at what I mean:

Note: Faces appear blurry to protect the innocent.

Secondly, Hannah is soooo talented. She has been featured twice on The Nate Show and has impeccable taste. She chronicles her designs and awesome street finds in NYC on her blog, Hannah Kate Flora. (And ohmygoodness, you HAVE to see the kitchen table she just made! Unbelievable!) So, without further ado, here she is!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi there! I'm so thrilled to guest blog for my sweet new friends, the Real Housewives of Bucks County. I met these darling girls backstage while we were filming seperate segments for the Nate Show. I told them, cheesy as it is, I'm so encouraged by them! Such strong, faithful, clever women!

I racked my brain on what to post and was politely reminded by Brooklyn Boy, my soon to be husband, that I should write about Street Merch - left behind furniture found on the streets of New York (or anywhere for that matter) that just need a new life! You see, I'm a Texas girl who's lived in New York for the past 4 years. It's always been important to make my home (i.e. tiny apartment) feel warm, personal and lived in, but I haven't always had the budget to go crazy. But I noticed something living here, when you live in New York and move apartments or get rid of things, you don't have a car to throw your stuff in for a Goodwill trip. No sir. The street is your own personal Goodwill. Whatever you can't fit in your apartment goes to the curb. To put it plainly - this means you can find amazing pieces on the street, with nothing wrong except that there wasn't room for it in its previous home.

There's one piece I want to tell you about in particular - the bar cart.

I had just wrapped an interior design job on the Upper West Side, when I saw this on the street curb . . .

and this cell phone conversation with my mom ensued:

Hannah: Well I just had my final meeting with Erin and it went really great!

Mom: Oh good! I can't wait to see more pictures. I'm glad everything worked out! What are you doing now?

Hannah: Me too! Oh, I'm just walking home and wait..... what is.... hold on mom...

Mom: What is it?

Hannah: Well I think... hold on, let me move the bags of trash...

Mom: What???

Hannah: Street Merch.

Mom: Oh! What is it?? Can you take a picture?

Hannah: Yea. Hold on, let me just get this bag of trash moved over. Sick. Ok. It's a retro looking bar cart. Or a really crazy overhead projector cart thing. Hm. Shoot. Should I get it?

Mom: Well?? Maybe. Do you see a cab?

Hannah: No. I have to get it, don't I? Ughhhhhhhh.

(At this point, my mom is dying laughing at me. These Street Merch phone exchanges happen all the time between us.)

Mom: Hahaaaa. Just get a cab!

(I rustle around and end up manhandling the cart.)

Hannah: Well now I've picked it up and am walking down the street. Damn Street Merch. I feel RIDICULOUS!!!

Mom: Hahahahahahahahahahaha

Hannah: Why do I always do this?! I look like a freak carrying this cart under my arm, down the street, in the freezing cold, while I'm on the phone.

Mom: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa

Hannah: Goodness gracious. TAXI!!!!! gottagoloveyoubye!!!

And here's my cramped view of the bar cart on my lap in the cab. No big deal.

Anyways - I believe that everything has a purpose and I knew this piece had potential. My plan was to revive it with new paint & fabric! First step was to prime it. Don't worry about the sketchy area I'm spray painting in - you have to make do with cramped cement courtyards when you live in Manhattan.

I chose Navy Blue Spray Paint in high gloss. I gave it two even and thorough coats of paint.

And here it is all dry and sitting in our foyer! Apologies for the iphone pictures, these images are pre new Canon camera.

For the two shelves of the cart, I decided to use some preppy and bright Robert Allen fabric from fabric.com.

After measuring the fabric to fit neatly inside each shelf, I painted a coat of Matte Medium (which you can find at any craft store) directly onto the shelf. Then I laid the fabric onto the shelf and painted a 2nd coat of Matte Medium directly on top, wipping excess clean. I made sure there were no bubbles and the medium was equally distributed.

Once totally dry, I loaded the cart up with goods!

This bar cart has taken on many different forms - sometimes we use it as a side table and sometimes we use it for drinks and treats during parties! It's very functional, and has casters that make it easy to move.

Thats it!! Bonus: This piece was featured on my first Nate segment which you can watch here!

Thanks Real Housewives of Buck's County! Loved visiting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That looks awesome, Hannah! Thanks so much for sharing your project with us. And best of luck with your wedding and new married life :)

Adios Amigos Day 1 {Infarrantly Creative}

2012-02-14T03:30:00.000-05:00

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!

The New and Improved Real Housewives of Bucks County Blog!

2012-02-12T22:20:00.003-05:00

Nope, the link didn't accidentally take you to Heaven... you're just on our newly designed blog! Isn't it awesome? No streets of gold, but yellow stripes are sorta close! Since we're quickly approaching our one year blogiversary, we thought it was time to freshen up a bit. We contacted Kim from seven thirty three - - - custom blog design and she was just the gal for us.

We still wanted it to look like the RHBC blog we know and love, but to be a bit cleaner, less "hello huge yellow header that Monica doesn't know how to resize" and yet still reflect our style.

I think we achieved that don't you?

Now, don't worry, we're not going to be like the awkward girl that gets a makeover, becomes beautiful and forgets who she really is... We'll still be keepin' it real, and hopefully bringing you tons of cool projects that you (and we) love!

In other BIG news... we finally got our air date for our final Nate Show episode!
Watch us on Nate February 21st
And just to get you excited about it... we have a behind the scenes clip that you can only see here! This was from night 2, and we just barely avoided disaster!

Pennlyn is lucky that #1 she's adorable and #2 she cost a fortune... if that stencil was ruined she would have been in big ole trouble! (and of course the stencil is from Royal Design Studio!)

Finally, did you know that we're in final prep. mode for Mexico? I'm totally caught up on my Spanish... ¿Dónde está el baño (I think means where is the bathroom) and ¿Cómo se ve mi bronceado? (how does my tan look?) should be all I need. You were probably thinking we were leaving you high and dry for a blog-less week, but have no fear!

Introducing...

Yep, we've rounded up some of our very favorite blog celebs for your reading pleasure. Seriously, Jess and I were like giddy schoolgirls when each of these ladies agreed to guest post. (You might remember last year when Jess and I were both in Disney for a week and I had my husband guest post? Ha! Thanks love!)

Okay, so here's our group of amazingly talented, incredible women!

Tuesday- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative

Wednesday- Hannah from Hannah Kate Flora

Thursday- Lindsay from Living with Lindsay

Friday- Tam from Sew Dang Cute

Be sure to give these ladies the Royal RHBC treatment while we're away! We'll be back next Tuesday to kick off an entire week of giveaways from our sponsors! I'm loving what they're giving away! Don't tell Jess I told you, but you might want to start checking out our sidebar sponsors because there will be some amazing products coming your way!

Have an awesome week, we'll be thinking of ya...

Fab Find Friday {Salvatori Photography}

2012-02-10T12:45:00.002-05:00

Jess and I are super excited to share today's post! Back in the fall, we had a fun double photo shoot with both of our families. Choosing a photographer is a big decision. It's an investment and you want to be sure that whoever is taking the pictures will really capture your family as they truly are.

This is where Stacy comes in . I might have broken some laws, but I used my snipping tool to steal her picture from her website! Stacy is crazy talented, I'm a snooper and so I kept looking at her pictures SOOC (straight out of the camera) and they looked amazing. I'm jealous of her skills, but thankfully have her around to take pictures of my family!

Stacy is super laid back, which is a must for someone with kids. Her fun approach to a session made it really enjoyable and not like my JCPenney torture experiences of the past. My kids played in the leaves, ran around the park, climbed fences, and lived life just as we would on any old day (although dressed in semi-coordinating outfits-ha!)

Now for a peek at her incredible work with one of the cutest families I know.

The Jackson Family...

Since I'm writing this post, I get to add comments, in where I want, so I have to tell you a funny story. See the picture on the left? Jess used one really similar to it for her Christmas card... well, about half the world, saw the "waiting room" and thought she was prego! HA! I was loving it. They were really at a train station, but apparently "waiting room" is code for "we're announcing we're pregnant!"

Miss Campbell has the most amazing eyes ever.

Charlie or Charlie-man as we always call him is beyond adorable.

cute couple alert!

The Mangin Clan...

Apparently a family of 6 is a clan in my mind... Eric and I had never had family pictures taken. Can you believe that? 10 years and this was our first full family session.

Boys vs. Girls

I totally snagged this idea from my blogger pal Beth. It could be one of my favorite pics ever!

E and I aren't touchy feely people, so this pic is just perfect!

I'm a sucker for a good shoe pic. I'm thinking this is going to be blown up very, very large and put in my bedroom. I have to tell you that Kira (far left) calls those shoes her "Pumped up Kicks" My kids make me laugh.

Thank you Stacy for this picture. It's worth so much more than I can explain!

Of course we had to have some blogger pics... Did we mention we're total dorks? And how did I end up on the bottom!

Jess and I never had pictures of us together before this blog came along. I'm so glad we do now.

I'm now a huge believer in family pictures and I will be calling Stacy this summer for another session! If you want someone that's talented, great with your family, and reasonably priced Stacy is your girl!

Go check out her website and then contact her to get some pics done!

Make sure you let her know we sent you, then she'll know to take extra good care of you!

Have an awesome weekend!

Fingerprint Artwork {Meaningful Art}

2012-02-08T23:31:00.001-05:00

One of my 2012 resolutions was to add more of ME into the style (or lack thereof) of my family room. I might have taken that resolution a tad literally come to think of it, but I'm still happy with the progress so far! Let me give you a little back story...

See that artwork? It was hanging in my family room for the past year. It's fine... if you know me well, when I say fine, I mean ehh... take it or leave it. In this particular case, I was ready to leave it, so I started by taking it apart.

I wanted to do something a tad more meaningful. Trust me, I'm all about art just because it looks cool, but for some reason I was determined to create something a little "deeper" for this room.

At first I thought I'd use some cool lyrics I love. "American Pie" has always been a favorite song, but then I vetoed that because it just didn't feel right and I'm sure there's some weird deep meaning I am oblivious to.

I decided on Matt Redman's "Blessed be the Name of the Lord", typed it up on an 8x8 and enlarged it at Staples. (Total cost for two was like $5.00)

Here's the deal on the song. I'm not all like, "woohoo it has to be a praise song" or something like that. Truthfully, I hated this song for about 3 years and would actually leave church every time it was played. I wasn't being a jerk, I just couldn't stomach it. You may have heard me mention my twin boys in my birthday post, and this song has a line, "You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." Let me tell you for a mom that wanted nothing more than to keep holding her babies that line was beyond challenging for me. So why put it on your wall crazy blogger? Well, over time I've been able to get to the point where I do trust and understand that He will give and take and it's not going to be easy, but I'm not in it alone. He doesn't say I'll give and take and see ya later. It's only by grace that I got through each of our losses without becoming bitter and changed. Okay, enough personal stuff, if you want to read about our journey with the twins, you can check it out here. (Who knows, maybe it will be a help to someone.)

So I had my lyrics and needed something to go over them. It took some brainstorming and then it hit me. FINGERPRINTS... our fingerprints!

Here's How I did it!

The mat needed a coat of paint. Don't be afraid to change the color of your mat, it's a great, quick fix.

While they dried, I pulled out my kids stamping kit and took some prints. I'm a dork and started with my pointer, but realized a thumb is a better option. Just press, don't roll and don't use too much ink.

Then, I took pictures of our prints. I zoomed in as close as I could get, and then cropped in picasa. Editing the picture to black and white and increasing shadows helped me see the lines.

I happened to have a mini projector on hand (borrowed from a friend about 9 months ago- oops!) and a jar of cherries! I needed the projector a bit higher and they worked perfectly. If you don't have a mini projector an old school, classroom one would work fine too.

Keeping it real... yes, I still have a Christmas countdown on my walls.

I taped the paper on the wall and traced in pencil. I almost went blind. It was not simple to see, but it still only took about 5 minutes of tracing.

I removed it from the wall and traced over my lines with a sharpie.

After reassembling the mat and frame I was ready for after pictures... Darn that my room is bright with a glare 24-7.

Here's my new meaningful, fingerprint art.

I have a second one coming with the hub's print, but I'll show you that when the rest of the wall is finished! I have some fun plans brewing!

So what do you think of my new artwork? It's okay, you can be honest, I know it's a little unique.

Rugs, Rugs, Rugs

2012-02-08T03:30:00.000-05:00

I've never bought a rug. Ok, that's not completely true: I've bought a bath mat. Does that count? And sadly, I'm probably a long way from purchasing one, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming. Thank goodness that a lack of funds doesn't keep you from dreaming. Can I get an amen? In my dream kitchen, I would have a gorgeous rug in the "breakfast area". Let me remind you of the direction I'm heading in with my kitchen:

I'm on the lookout for a reasonably-priced rug that will bring in some light blue/aqua into the room with accessories and the rug. My first stop was RugsUSA. If you're not careful, you can get get swallowed up in an abyss of beautiful rugs and lose a few hours of your life, but thankfully, I came out alive with a few rugs I would love to have grace the floor of my kitchen.

Of course, this Morrocan Trellis Rug is out of stock. But so pretty, right?

This Keno Bold Floral Rug in Slate is my favorite of the whole bunch, and is 50% off right now! Only $120 for a 5x8 makes this beauty a great deal. It would look so fabulous in my kitchen because it sort of mimics the design of my stencil (the two would be across the room from each other, so the two patterns wouldn't conflict.) Love it.

It's pretty obvious that I love stripes. Combine that with a nautical navy color, and this Boardwalk Stripe Rug is right up my alley. It would take my kitchen in a bit of a different direction as far as color goes, but I just might want to do that! (Considering I change my mind every 30 seconds...:)

You probably have seen this rug before because it's a pretty popular Ikea rug called the Gislev Rug. Why is it so popular, you ask? It costs only $20 for a 6x4 rug! What?!! Besides being so affordable, our bloggy friend, Mandi, tweaked this rug with a little bit of paint and it looked amazing, so I'm pretty sure I could add some blue and it would be just right.

This Bogart Flat-Weave Wool Rug from Garnet Hill features a modern interpretation of the Moorish Tile pattern and comes in several glorious colors. And it's on sale too! Plus, this was one of Oprah's favs so you know it's pretty cool. Duh.

What about a DIY Rug?
Jamie, from The Creative Imperative, sewed several Ikea table runners together to make one large rug for only $35! That's seriously tempting, people!

Painting plain rugs is pretty popular in blogland right now, but this Painted Rug by Hayley Anderson

really caught my eye:

Again this rug is from Ikea, and you know I wouldn't use chevron (I've shared my feelings for chevron here), but the possibilities are endless if you're willing to tackle the project yourself. But isn't that the truth for everything? ;)

Am I the only person who has never purchased a rug?

*******************************
PS- Hey, this is Monica... I'm hacking into Jess' post. I need to throw out a plea for help. I need 2 BIG rugs. I have been looking for rugs larger than 10x12. My living and dining rooms have been waiting for rugs for eighteen months! So if you have any good, reasonably priced sources, let me know!!

Glazed Paper Tutorial & Finished Gallery

2012-02-07T03:00:00.000-05:00

Ever have a crazy week at work? Oh my word, last week I was beyond swamped... so swamped that I didn't DIY at all! {GASP} This weekend I needed to make up for some lost time and I have about 3 projects going on now. Phew, feeling more like myself!

You've seen my Granny Frames Gallery in progress, but today I'm going to show you the whole shabang! First, it's time for a little tutorial...

Glazed Paper Tutorial

Did you know you can spray paint and glaze paper? Yup, tried it.

See the thin rectangle frame in the middle? It's lacking... it's not really all that ornate or "Granny-esque." I had picked up a big old letter M at some craft store (not sure which one) and I thought perhaps I could make it fit in with the style of the gallery.

I ran to JoAnn's for some scrapbook paper and totally struck out. Nothing would work. What's a girl to do? This gold and blue textured paper jumped out at me, no surprise right... it's sort of bright and tacky.

The DIYer deep within told me I could do something amazing with this paper.

Here's all you need:

Textured scrapbook paper

Spraypaint (I'm sure regular paint would work too)

Martha's Metallic Glaze (I used black coffee)

Cheapo brush & a rag

Since it's winter and pretty darn cold in my garage I've started painting in our basement. The floor is covered in green and the fumes are intense let me tell ya!

I wasn't sure how the paper would take the spray paint, but it worked like a charm.

And my hands are still green today (3 days later) for some reason it won't come off!

Give the paper plenty of time to dry- about 4 hours. Then the fun begins! Using the same process I used on the frames, you simply slop it on and wipe it off. Don't forget to use the brush to get in all the crevices.

See the difference? Left side before and right side after.

Flip your paper over and trace your letter.

Did you know spray adhesive is my nemesis? It's so darn sticky! Give your letter a solid coating and slap on your new and improved paper.

Once it was on, and my edges were trimmed down, I brought out the big guns. Have you ever used liquid nails? It's a staple in our house and I use it quite a bit for DIY projects. Anytime I can't nail something I use it... we might even have used it quite a bit for our Nate Show projects last month. Be careful though, it is serious adhesive and is not forgiving.

There she is... M for Mangin, or monsters, or macaroni... whatever you want.

Here's the finished wall. I'm a big fan of the layered small frames within some of the larger ones.

I'm still trying to convince the hubs that it's okay not to add pictures.

Now it's time to accessorize the room. It's not my strong suit, so I'm going to have Jess over to lend a hand.

So, what do you think of my Granny Gallery?

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

One final thing I had to share with you about Red Letter Words. Did you know Dee does custom work? You can get one of her amazing canvases designed just for you! Every family has some phrase or verse or words that are special to them. Why not make it into art?

Start thinking of what you'll put on your custom art and then head over to Red Letter Words.

And in honor of Bucks County, check out this Philly canvas...

Stencil Happiness {Royal Design Studio}

2012-02-06T03:30:00.000-05:00

Remember my kitchen before?

Ouch. That actually makes my eyes hurt a little bit. Now I know that I am so blessed to have a home with a fully-functioning kitchen, so I shouldn't complain too much, but now that we've made some progress in our remodel I can't imagine going back to that.

This is the corner of the kitchen that is getting the biggest transformation. We already knocked out the wall, and took down the cabinets. Then after repairing the half-wall and drywalling, we got down to the fun stuff: painting and stenciling. What? That's not fun for you? You're crazy. :)

The new paint color for the kitchen is the same color we used in one of the stripes in our bathroom makeover - it's Olympic Stormy Weather color-matched in Valspar Premium at Lowes. It's such a pretty color and is so calming. Actually, the other day after we had painted the kitchen, my hubs said, "Our home is starting to feel so calm". Honestly, I wanted to jump for joy and give him a big fat kiss, because that's exactly what I'm going for! I married a good man.

As part of our prize for winning Crafting with the Stars, we each received a stencil from Royal Design Studio. I know, right? So fun! As soon as I picked out my stencil (Large Fabric Damask), I knew what I wanted to do with it. My plan was to hang open shelves on one wall in our kitchen, but I though that an all-over stencil would add so much interest to the wall, and make it go from plain to amazing.

Royal Design Studio offers a whole tutorial on their website, which I actually read thoroughly. I'm usually a "let's give it a go, how hard could it be?" kind of girl, but stenciling was new territory for me and I really didn't want to have to explain to my husband why we needed to repaint the wall if I did it incorrectly. I started out by figuring out the layout. This is one BIG stencil, and it worked out perfectly to do three of each pattern across the wall.

Source: royaldesignstudio.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I started on the far left wall and lined up the very edge of the stencil with the end of the wall, so some of the stencil plastic hung off the wall.

Is that gold paint scaring you a bit? Ha! Don't worry, we used this same stencil with gold paint in our most recent Nate Show project (which we can't wait to share with you!). The color I used for my kitchen was one shade lighter than the Stormy Weather- I don't know the name anymore, but if you get the paint chip for stormy weather, it's on there!

Here's what I learned while stenciling:

1. Stenciling is not for the faint of heart! It's very time-consuming and repetitive: each stencil took me about 25-30 minutes to do.

2. To get clean, crisp lines with no drips, use an extremely dry brush. I poured the paint onto a paper plate, dipped the brush, and then dabbed the brush on paper towels until there was almost nothing left on brush.

3. Use a level to keep the stencil repeating in a straight fashion.

4. Don't worry about getting the paint perfectly even througout the stencil, because the variation in darkness creates beautiful depth.

5. All that work is TOTALLY WORTH IT!

It took me stenciling one whole pattern before I figured out exactly how much paint to use without dripping it, but through trial and error, it became easier and I was thrilled with the crisp lines.

The RDS stencils are made of mylar and are so easy to reposition because there are cutouts that you line up with the stencil above/below/next to it.

Seriously, my right arm grew two sizes bigger during this project. I could *almost* qualify for women's body-building.

Once I got down to the back of the counter, I encountered (ha! get it? En-counter-ed) a tricky situation. We decided to pull the cabinet and countertop away from the wall, since we're hoping to replace the countertops and also slide the cabinets down a bit to fill some empty space next to the oven. So.much.easier.

After day one, this is how it looked:

Pretty awesome, huh? I was giddy about it. Really. Then once I finished up the stencil, we hung the shelves back up and were left with this:

We obviously need two more brackets on the upper two shelves, but I'm completely in love. I'm pretty sure this is my most favorite thing I've done in my house to date. You can see in that picture above that we painted the rest of the kitchen. All we have left to do is sand, prime and paint the cabinets, and the kitchen will be ~~pretty close to~~ finished!

You wouldn't believe how my hands are itching to decorate those shelves, but I'm trying to be patient and wait for the brackets. The last thing I need is to explain to my hubs why we need to buy new shelves. (Noticing a trend here? ;)

Did you ever take on a project that took forever, but turned out amazing results?

30

2012-02-02T03:30:00.000-05:00

I.Turn.30.Today.

Happy Labor Day Mom! You did all the work thirty years ago, so it's sorta weird that I get all the presents, but hey, I'll take it.

I'm not really one to make a big deal out of birthdays...21 was no big, crazy ordeal, although come to think of it I was pretty darn excited to turn 16 because it was my official age to start dating (and yes, I had my first "official" date on my sweet 16th) So, as 30 approached I didn't plan on it being a big deal, but honestly I found my self doing a good bit of thinking. Looking back on what I've done so far and thinking about what I want my focus to be going forward.

I got to thinking... I did a WHOLE LOT in my twenties... I married my best friend. I was married for every day of that decade. I graduated college. Bought three houses, sold two. Was pregnant eight times-yes eight. I gave birth 5 times. I grew as a person. I grew as a mom. I brought four amazing babies home. I let my twin boys go to heaven. I taught high school. I owned a home staging business. I became a cyber teacher. I started a blog. I thought primitive decor was cool. I changed my mind on that one. I found my design style.

Here's my thoughts in a mini, little nutshell... even though I did a whole lot in my 20s, I don't know that I've been all that intentional. I kind of go with the flow, and try and do things well.

I want to be intentional. I want to do things for a reason, not just because.

See these kids? They're insanely amazing.

They're the best thing I've done in my 30 years. I want to make sure that every day they feel that way.

I get pretty passionate about stuff I'm doing, house projects, blog posts, Nate Show, even my work... I guess going into 30, I want to be sure that my kids feel like I'm even more passionate about them, their spelling lists, their coloring, even their ENDLESS knock, knock jokes (please make it stop!!)

So that's all. Here's to 30 (it's the new 20 duh!) and here's to being intentional for the next 30 years!

And this picture made me laugh oh so hard!

Source: someecards.com via missy on Pinterest

******************************
And today, you have to go check out Red Letter Word's prints that are just perfect for Valentine's Day. How awesome is this truth?

Free Printable Art Round-Up

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

While looking for fun, free art for my new gallery wall, I discovered a few great places to print beautiful art, typography and even maps! And I just couldn't keep all the goods from you, so get your pen and paper ready (oh, wait, does anybody do that anymore? Get your Pinterest pinner ready, then!), for some awesome, free stuff!

1. Sprik Space

I mentioned that I printed off these two adorable prints from Sprik Space for my gallery wall, but these aren't the only ones Aimee has! Be sure to go on over and take a look at her super cute printables- and tell her we sent you.

2. The Graphics Fairy

Ok, admittedly, you have to do some digging on this site to find the hidden gems like this vintage french label, or this gorgeous peacock print. But luckily, all the printables are categorized, so if you know what you're looking for, you're in luck!

3. Feed Your Soul: The Free Art Project

I think this site is my favorite yet for free printable art. Don't ask me why I put it third on my list- it's late and I'm tired, so leave me alone. ;) The art is quirky and clever and definitely a touch modern. They have a few prints that would be perfect for a nursery or children's room, but I would put a whole bunch of them up in my house. Listen to what Jen says her reason for starting this site is:

"I love art and I know you do too. I also know that when people start to tighten up the purse strings they tend not spend money on things that aren’t necessary for survival, things like books, magazines and art. But, art is important for your soul. It helps rejuvenate, it’s thought-provoking, offers inspiration and can generally brighten an otherwise dreary day among other things."

Well said, Jen, and we thank you from the bottom of our art-loving hearts.

4. New York City Public Library

Did you know that the New York Public Library has a digital gallery of over 700,000 images taken from their vast collections? I found this old print of Pennsylvania from 1830 with just a simple search.Browse to your heart's content and I'm sure you'll find a inspiration for art.

5. Leanne's Printable Quotes

This is not a site that regularly features free printables (at least not to my knowledge), but in this post there are several simple designs that would make great cards (for Valentine's Day, maybe?), art prints, or anything else you can think of.

Where's your favorite place to get free printables? I shared mine with you- now it's your turn!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't stop looking at the Hymn & Folk Song collection by Red Letter Words! Today I'm smitten with this:

I sing this regularly to my kids and so it these prints make me happy. I love the set of three prints- something a bit different than the norm!

Welcome {to my New & Improved Entryway!}

2012-01-31T01:14:00.001-05:00

I am on a mission. A mission to make my house feel somewhat normal, organized and beautiful in the midst of our kitchen renovation. I am failing miserably, by the way, if you were curious about the state of my mission. But still, I'm plugging away. While my hubs has been working diligently on our kitchen in his very rare spare time, I have been busy trying to impart a bit of character into our entryway.. Last time you saw it, it looked like this:

I love the giant letter "J" that I found at Home Goods, but the whole vibe of the space was just feeling off and, I hate to say it, boring. As you know, I love neutrals and think they can be warm and welcoming and interesting all at the same time, but if they're not used well, they can be plain, old boring. I decided to add some interest to that wall with the "J", since it's the one staring you in the face when you walk in the front door. I tossed around a bunch of ideas like adding our names around the letter, making it a gallery wall, stenciling and so on, but I just kept coming back over and over again to stripes. So, stripes it is. Plus, last week I shared that I was starting a gallery wall of white frames on the wall leading into the kitchen. Obviously, I have lost my mind, and can't find my way out of the million projects that keep accumulating in my head. But that's another story for another time.

I started by gathering all the frames I had laying around the house (and ok, confession: there are several walls in my house that are naked now that I took the frames from them), and decided on a layout. There is no real trick to this, but if you need help getting started, check out these gallery wall layout templates.

Then grab the cutest guy you know, and get to work. I wanted to see my frames on the wall before I spray-painted them white. I actually lived with the arrangement for a few days before I did anything to make sure that it was exactly how I wanted it. Fixing a nail hole is super-easy, so I wasn't too concerned about the possibility of me not liking it and having to repair a bunch of holes. To each, his own, I always say.

And just so you know: it's never too early to teach your kids how to DIY.

Time to spray-paint! (Between this gallery wall and our Nate Show projects, I think my nickname should now be Captain Spraypaints-Alot or Wonder-Painter, or Super-Sprayer. You get the idea.)

So do you want to see it? Here's my new, not-boring-in-my-humble-opinion entryway!

Ignore the wonky lighting and wierd shadows- I missed good sunlight hours today!

This is the view from the kitchen, and yes, you are getting a peek at my new stencil, which is currently my most favorite thing ever.

I got these cute, little prints for free at Sprik Space. They come in a bunch of great colors!

And I absolutely can't wait to show you what I have planned for that big space above the stairs (you know, the one that still houses my remaining Christmas decor. Just keepin' it real, folks.)

What's your opinion of neutrals? Love them or hate them?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you had the chance to check out Red Letter Word's gorgeous new Hymn Collection. If not, you really should! There's no better way to add meaningful art into your home.

I need this in my house ASAP. What a great reminder of what's really important.

Have an awesome day!

Distressing Granny (How to Distress Frames)

2012-01-30T03:30:00.000-05:00

I feel like this post title sorta sounds like Un-dressing Granny. Ha...well, no worries, this post has nothing to do with grandmothers, and everything to do with making ornate frames insanely awesome.

If you missed my decision to "Go Green" with my frames, you can catch up here. I loved the green color, but it was a tad St. Patty's Day for me. We needed to tone it down a bit.

Distressing frames is a total piece of cake! Here's what you'll need...

Frames, dark glaze, a rag, and a cheapo brush. I chose Martha's Metallic Glaze in Black Coffee (and yea, Martha and I are still on first name basis... we're tight like that). I also really recommend using a cheapo brush because you'll be really pressing the glaze down into the cracks and I wouldn't want to do that with my awesome (yet pricey) Purdy brushes.

If you paint your frames, make sure they're really dry before you try to distress. I'm the queen of impatience, but even I waited 2 whole days! (Seriously impressive)

All you need to do is bush the glaze on. Work in one, semi-small-ish area at a time.

You really want to jam your brush into all the nooks and crannies (this is where the cheapo brush comes in).

Let it sit for about a minute or so and then use a rag (or in my case an old baby wash cloth) to wipe the stain off. It's up to you how much you leave on.

The difference is awesome. It's like going from Peter Pan to... umm... Robin Hood Men in Tights?? Okay, perhaps that didn't help any, so I'll just show you.

I love how it tones down the shine and brings out all the rich character of the detailing.

You know that moment when you couldn't be any happier with how a project is looking? That's how I felt about these frames. If you need a super simple project to lift your DIY spirits, distressing frames is for you!

Later this week I'll be revealing the entire gallery collage. It's almost finished!

I actually had a little bit of extra DIY help this weekend. One of my life long bffs came down for my 30th birthday weekend. Seth is one of my favorite people in the whole world. We've been friends since we were 13 years old and I was so happy he made the 5 hour trip to help me hang curtains! Ha! Seriously, I totally love having friends that enjoy a good DIY... He hung my new dining room curtains, helped figure out the layout of my wall collage, and even took a trip to IKEA (The shopping might have gotten a slight protest!). Don't worry, I didn't torture him all weekend, I included lots of good food, movies, and a night of snowboarding. All kidding aside, one of the things I'm most aware of as I'm turning 30 this week, is just how blessed I've been by so many friendships in my life.

So, are you going to distress any frames and

what do you think of my green ones so far?

P.S. Do you have any BFFs that have made your life that much more awesome? Do tell!

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

Red Letter Words-

We interrupt this post to let you in on something AMAZING!

Red Letter Words just launched a new Hymns Collection and we're loving it!

I don't know about you, but I grew up in a small church, singing some old school hymns and those words have stuck with me throughout my life.

This morning, I was kind of a crappy mom and wife (I really was grouchy and not so nice) and I would have benefitted from this reminder.

I'm so thankful to have a faithful God and one that forgives my crappy attitude... now I just need to say sorry to the hubs and kids as well. :)

Dee's products are fabulously cool, but this collection takes it a step further and makes art something that can really change the outlook on your day.

Go check it out and tell her The (not cranky anymore) Real Housewives of Bucks County sent you!

www.redletterwords.com
and of course LIKE her on Facebook, because we all love a good LIKE! http://www.facebook.com/redletterwords

Linking up to: TT&J

Out of Office

2012-01-25T23:06:00.001-05:00

We're in the Big Apple today filming our last segments on The Nate Show (*Boo hoo. Sniff*.) We're crossing our fingers that all goes well, and that our room comes together like we envisioned. No matter what, we always LOVE being on the show and getting to see all the fun people who work there who have now become friends! Make sure you follow us on facebook for up-to-date info on the day's events!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While we're away, we thought you might be interested in Lindsey's ah-mazing master bedroom makeover:

Source: livingwithlindsay.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Go Bold or Go home, right? ;)
Head over to her blog to see this unbelieveable transformation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After our life settles down, (which it should at approximately 5:30 PM tonight when we finish taping) we will coming back at you with loads of great stuff. Monica will reveal the finished product of her granny frames, and I hope to make some fun progress (read: stencil!) in my kitchen over the weekend. Also, after posting about the oversize letter "J" I hung in my entryway, I was inspired to perk the whole space up with a mini-makeover. The wall leading into the kitchen will now be home to a big ol' gallery wall of white frames!

Plus, I made a little change to wall with the giant letter on it! Can't wait to show you it, so expect good things from us next week. :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What fun things are you guys working on these days?

P.S. Want to check out our past Nate Show episodes? You're in luck, because we've conveniently compiled them in one spot. :) Just click here to see us in action!

Going Green {Granny Frames Gallery Walls}

2012-01-25T11:07:00.000-05:00

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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

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

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

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

I love this more than I can even tell you! But, the hubs was sorta feeling like we'd be having St. Patrick's Day every day, so I went a different direction and began my love affair with yellow.

Now, thanks to Tracie's comment I realize that I don't have to let go of the green completely. In fact, the vases I already have in the room marry the two quite nicely!

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

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

Holy Moly- I'm in love!

Okay, since I'm slowly but surely learning life lessons, I'm actually not going to rush and hang these while they're still dripping wet! I actually think I might be distressing the green a bit with some stain as well. I hope to have the whole project completed by Saturday. So look for a final reveal on Monday!

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

Now, since we mentioned our shopping excursion last night on Facebook, we thought we'd give you a sneak peek of what we're thinking of wearing. Of course we both got two options, and we'll make a game-time decision.

Jess' Outfit Choices...

The hangers aren't doing the outfits justice, but they look super cute on!

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

Monica's Outfit Choices

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

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

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

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

3 Blogs You Should Be Reading

2012-01-23T23:36:00.000-05:00

If I had more time in my life, I would absolutely be spending a majority of it reading blogs. There are so many amazing, talented, creative people out there (including some of you!), and it's so fun to be inspired by their awesomeness. I read loads of different blogs, all of them wonderful, but here are my top 3, must-read-every-day blogs. I rank the importance of reading these blogs up there with brushing my teeth and eating, so you know they've got to be good.

1. Vintage Revivals

Source: vintagerevivals.blogspot.com via BusyBeeEmily on Pinterest

I can honestly say that there are very few people who are as original as Mandi. Her style is tooooootally not my style (much more Monica's), but you can't help but be completely wowed at the stuff she comes up with. My favorite project she did was a living room makeover for her best friend:

Source: vintagerevivals.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I mean, seriously, isn't that incredible?

2. Jones Design Company

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Jessica on Pinterest

We've mentioned JDC before, but it's worth mentioning again! Emily has impeccable style: classic and clean, and she's a neutrals-lover like me! Not only that but she is genuine and thoughtful in her writing (you just have to read this post), and creates beautiful art prints. Plus, she's my hero because she hand-painted the "wallpaper" in her beautiful office.

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Oh good, you're drooling too?

3. Enjoying the Small Things

Source: kellehampton.com via Crissy on Pinterest

Kelle takes the most gorgeous pictures of her kids (she must take, literally, millions of pictures!), and her writing is just killer. She has a knack for writing about things we all do in our daily lives in such a beautiful, touching way. Plus, it's so much fun to see what outfits both she and her girls are wearing on any given day, because man, they are quirky (and adorable)! :) And if you are brave enough, make sure you read about the birth of her daughter, Nella. Have tissues on hand.

Source: kellehampton.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So, if you find a few extra minutes in your day, I promise you, you will not regret reading through these three blogs.

What are your favorite blogs? Any we should know about?

We're a Mess

2012-01-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

As I write this, I am elevating my right hand after slamming it in a car door on one of our many trips to Lowes. Let me just tell you that shattering the bone in your pinky and nearly chopping off the tip of it (yes, that's right. Say goodbye nail!), is not only not fun, but also very inconvenient.. Plus, Monica has been without a voice since Friday. She keeps saying it sounds like a 1-900 voice and is reciting over and over "Call 1-900-Craft-a-lot". We look and sound like we've been through some heavy duty boot camp or something, but nope, we're just doing some serious designing.

On the plus side, our projects for The Nate Show look fabulous and we're so proud of ourselves. Here's a sneak peek at what we've been working on for the past 5 days:

So, any guesses? :) Let us know what you think we're up to!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh! And two big shout-outs before I go: First, our husbands are the best ever! They've been on single dad duty the last several days and we are ever so grateful. Thanks guys-we love you! And secondly, I just have to say a big thank you to Monica. Not only is she the queen of DIY who picked up the slack for me without complaining, but she also sat with me through some pretty gross procedures in the ER (with only a little nausea). I am so grateful for my talented and caring friend!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a great Monday!

Granny Frames! {Dining Room Update}

2012-01-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since we've talked about my dining room... that could be because I've been scouring the earth to find ornate frames. I like to call them Granny Frames (Ha! I almost typed Granny Panties!) I'm obsessed with funky, ornate frames and guess what?? They're impossible to find lately.

Who's buying up all my granny frames?

Here's the plain wall, just waiting for something fab-u-lous! I just know I'm going to adore the stark contrast between the simple frame outlines on the wallpaper and the fancy-schmancy frames I'm hanging.

First things first, I needed an arrangement. I used my dining room table to try out some layouts...

Option 1 (sorta looks like I just tossed them there)

Option 2

Option 3- My Fav!

Before I commit to a layout, I'm going to use kraft paper to make templates and tape them on the wall. I can't risk putting tons of holes in my precious wallpaper!

The final decision I still need to make is what color to paint the frames... I was leaning towards turquoise, but I'm totally open to suggestions. Remember, the room is yellow, grey, white, and some black.

Help a girl out with some advice!

P.S. Thanks sooo much for all of the wall stencil input! I've made my decision, but you're going to have to wait and see! Actually the reason for the delay is that I'm just swamped with Nate Show projects, and won't have time to finish it for a few weeks. The half finished wall is seriously staring me down on a daily basis!

Busy Girls {Nate Berkus Take 4}

2012-01-19T03:30:00.001-05:00

One of our very favorite things in the world is taping for The Nate Show. Seriously, we did our first show back in the summer and decided it was the most fun ever. We're so thrilled to going back on for a final time and this evening we had a full night of shooting!

Since I'm honestly completely and utterly exhausted (working our real jobs and then doing Nate is a lot of work!), I'm just going to give you a little sneak peek into our field taping today!

Poor Tommy our Camera guy had to look at us for hours on end!

The later it got in the evening, the more crazy and silly I seemed to get. At one point, Jess did something with her hand that I apparently thought was the funniest thing ever, because I ruined the take by crying laughing. I couldn't stop. It took me quite a while to get things under control again! Actually, I'm laughing about it now.

You might remember our producer, Jesse from our Christmas episode... he's super talented and really fun to work with. He was sitting in for me, while we adjusted some lighting. Looks like he's trying to replace me as Jess' BFF!

This was our crew from today. Since Jess and I are working together for this show, we only needed a small crew, but we were thrilled that it included our very favorite sound guy Mike. Not sure which one he is??? He's the one that has my hand on his thigh! OMW! I was using the self-timer and running into the shot, and totally didn't notice how crazy awkward I was being. Thank goodness Mike and I are buds!

This shot is WAY more realistic and what most of our Nate shoots are like. (Did we mention we love these guys?)

Ok, we've got one tired blogger/mommy/teacher on our hands, so that's all the peek you're getting. Wait, what?? Oh, you want to know what we're working on for this episode?? Hmm... well, don't tell Natey boy, but here's a teeny peek.

Don't worry, you'll know all the ins and outs soon enough! This just might be our very favorite project yet. We're insanely excited about our top-secret plans.

Okay, time for some R & R.

Philadelphia Home Show

2012-01-17T22:51:00.000-05:00

When Denise emailed and asked us if we'd like to come visit her at the Philadelphia Home Show, we immediately said, "Um, yeah. That would be awesome." And it totally was. Denise from The Painted Home guest-posted for us (and we did for her, too!) a while ago, and we've been emailing back and forth for awhile, but haven't ever connected face-to-face. Until now. She was asked to design a bedroom/office for Greg Murphy, and did an amazing job. Head on over to her blog for all the behind-the-scenes stuff, but here's a glimpse of her great work:

I know, right? You could look and look and look and still not see all the clever things she did!

Monica and I both loved the dresser with those pieces of old luggage. Denise has a knack for including vintage and salvaged items in her designs!

You know that we love pallets, so Denise's pallet wall treatment was a huge hit with us!

Still liking the old grain sack trend....

This is Denise.Isn't she cute? And we know how crazy it can be working in within time constraints, (thanks to our old buddy Nate Berkus), but she did such a good job! And you better believe that Monica was eying up that gold, framed mirror in the back there. I was pretty sure she was going to ask me to distract Denise while she stuffed it under her sweatshirt.

Denise worked with Philadelphia Salvage who allowed her to use some amazing old doors for her giant headboard. They were gorgeous, and sadly, already purchased by the time we got there. All of these reclaimed materials made me weak in the knees. Seriously. I swoon over them.

We were so not prepared to have our pictures taken, and we might have accidentally made it onto the Home Show facebook page. Ha! Check out Monica's ski cap. Love it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Home Show is really a unique experience. It's filled with so many creative ideas that you can use to improve your homes. We were definitely intrigued by The Smart Masker, which claims it significantly cuts prep time for taping before painting. Has anyone ever tried it? With the amount of painting we do between our two households, it might be worth getting one!

And, oh my goodness, the best part of the entire show was called Clover Market. It was in a section of it's own and was full of handmade jewelry, skincare, clothing and my favorite, reclaimed materials from NYC. We found out that it's an upscale vintage outdoor market located in Ardmore, which isn't too far from us, and has tons more vendors during the spring. We can't wait to go there when it reopens on April 15th!

Yes, those are skeleton key necklaces in what might be the cutest display ever by Charms City Company. {Love}

We had a great time with two of our girlfriends (heck- any time out with your girlfriends is a good time! Especially when it includes lunch at the famous Reading Terminal Market) Thanks so much for inviting us, Denise!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We'll be doing some fun stuff today for The Nate Show. Stay tuned for more details on all we have planned!

Perfect Valentine's Gift {The Game of Love}

2012-01-16T22:23:00.004-05:00

Good ole Valentine's Day... Love it or hate it it's coming! Well, you can thank me later, but I have the perfect gift for your hubs! This gift started over ten years ago on our very first anniversary... we were broke, still in school, and oh so in love. Let me tell you it was a hit! So much so, that I just gave the same gift for our 10 year anniversary back in November.

**Disclaimer- This post is written totally from the perspective of a married woman that adores her husband. I'm being honest here ladies, so you've been warned. Also, if you are my mother, STOP reading right now. Thanks!**

The Perfect Valentine's Gift- The Game of Love

Imagine with me for a moment... It's been a long day, you and the hubs are headed to bed. You've put on your favorite comfy, frumpy sweats and a tee for bed. Once your hubs sees your bedtime wardrobe choice he knows there's no shot of romance for the night. He pulls back the covers to hop in bed and... what's this??

You've just pulled off the best Valentine's Day surprise ever. It's time to play The Game of Love! It's a game your hubs will love even more than the Superbowl!

All you'll need for this DIY is some time without your hubby around, some markers, some kind of shape template, and a fitted bed sheet...Seriously mom, if you're reading- Stop!

Ok, you can kind of see where this is going, and I must make a public confession... yes, I used one of my bff's birth announcement as my template! It was an adorable shape- Sorry Mandi!

I spent a lot of time ironing my sheet and then had an idea... I could have just washed and dried it. That would be easier.

Pop on your ~~still wrinkly~~ ironed sheet and you're ready to start making your game board.

If you want nice, straight lines, you can use some masking tape and your template to help with your spacing.

It doesn't have to be perfect (trust me he won't be too focused on your straight lines!)

Start tracing your template. Trace it over and over again. Darn that I couldn't really have a friend come and help me with this DIY... awkward :)

Before removing the masking tape, I added some cute little dashes along the top.

You can add your game's title across the top. Don't you love my cheesy name? The Game of Love... still makes me laugh! Feel free to use it or come up with a less cheesy one!

Now it's time to get creative. I included a few presents, snacks, wardrobe changes, and lots more!

Here are a few of my squares... (if you really want to know what else I added, you can try and read the teeny writing! Ha!) I had a few gifts wrapped and ready to go and a few yummy romantic snacks as well.

Put your mattress back and it's ready to go! (Okay, I have some limits, so I pulled a little censored for your protection action!)

In case you're wondering, here are The Official Game of Love Rules:

1. The player will roll a die, but the highest number can be 3 (so divide by 2 or the game goes too fast!)

2. Each square has a 1 1/2 minute time limit

3. No getting carried away- you have to stop at 90 seconds and roll again (the hubs might fight you on that one)

4. Only one person "plays" your role is just the game "facilitator"

5. The Final square is "Score" and you can't skip ahead (if ya know what I mean)

Okay, now my rationale for posting this. No, it's not my life's aspiration for my personal life to be all over Pinterest (don't worry, I am cool with you pinning it though). I just know that marriage is tough. It takes effort each and every day, not just Valentine's Day. I don't know your situation, but I know that 4 kids takes a toll on the love life. As a woman, I have to be intentional about connecting with my husband and making him a priority (FYI "connecting" is a code word! lol). I wanted to encourage woman to have FUN with their husbands... it's really okay- you're married! I call this the "Perfect Valentine's Gift" because for me, it meant so much to Eric that I took the time to think through this, plan out the surprise, and then have an unexpected evening dedicated to us.

So, will you be using The Game of Love to attempt to "Connect" with your husband this Valentine's Day?

Linking to: TT&J, Stories of A to Z i heart naptime

Creamy Guacamole with Homemade Tortilla Chips {Guest Post}

2012-01-13T03:30:00.000-05:00

We're so happy to welcome Becca from Home Beccanomics (isn't that a fabulous name?) here at RHBC. She's the mastermind behind loads of amazing recipes that have been tested by the toughest critics: kids! That's right, she's a Family and Consumer Science Teacher, so you know her recipes have been tried and tried and tried until they passed the test! Clean up the drool after looking at this guacamole and head on over to her blog for tons of other delicious recipes!

Creamy Guacamole with Homemade Tortilla Chips

When I introduce the homely avocado to my high schoolers, some girl inevitably raises her hand and states, “avocados are super fatty and bad for you”. Gasp! You lie, little girl, and I won’t have you speaking badly of the avocado.

Avocados DO actually have a lot of fat, but it’s the GOOD for you fat that you can eat as much as you want of; true story, as much as you want. It’s called monounsaturated fat and it lowers your bad cholesterol and raises your good. Also, Oprah said it reduces belly fat (and we know she probably has some intense fact checkers).

Buy your avocados when they’re hard and let them ripen at room temperature (to speed up this process put them in a brown paper bag with a banana). When one of your avocados “gives” when you press on it, put it into the fridge. When all four avocados are in your fridge, you’re ready to guac it up.

My husband likes guacamole. He is, in fact, crazy about it. I have made eggs with guac, guacamole chicken salad; sometimes I just give it to him in a bowl and he eats it with a spoon. I pretty sure he’s not alone in his love affair. I bet you don’t know anyone who dislikes the green happiness that is guacamole. If want a crowd pleasing appetizer, this wins every time. As long as the avocados are ripe and you add enough salt, guacamole is SUPER easy to make. The add-ins are really up to you. Love cilantro? Or lime? Add in small amounts and taste as you go. If you prefer to just follow a recipe then I can assure you, this one is legit.

Creamy Guacamole with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Serves 8

Chips:

8 Medium Flour tortillas

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle chili powder or paprika, to taste

Dip:

4 ripe avocados

¼ c. minced onion

2 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic pressed or minced

2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes

2 partially seeded jalapenos, minced

¼ c. sliced green onions (or scallions, same thing)

¼ c. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

¾ tsp. kosher salt

Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Pinch garlic salt, or to taste

Tomatoes and green onions for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush olive oil over tortillas.

2. Stack tortillas and cut into 8 wedges.

3. Grease two cookie sheets or cover with parchment paper. Arrange wedges in an even layer on cookie

sheets.Sprinkle salt and spices over wedges.

4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until starting to turn light brown. Let cool, and store in a Ziploc bag at room

temperature. These chips will be good for several days.

5. Cut avocados in half vertically. To remove pit, chop your knife into it and give it a twist. Remove any

part of avocado that is brown.

6. Scoop out flesh of the avocado and place in a mixing bowl. Mash with a fork, breaking up the large

chunks.

7. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos, and green onions. Mix to combine. To prep the jalapeno,

slice in half vertically. You must remove the white part of the pepper. Leave seeds if you like

a lot of heat; remove all seeds if you don’t. I usually keep about half.

Here’s a tomato tip: Take two Tupperware lids and put your cherry tomatoes in the middle in an

even layer. Slice across with a sharp, serrated knife, while pressing down on the top lid. A great

way to slice them all at once! If your tomatoes are small you might only need to halve them; if they

are large like mine were, quarter them.

8. Add Greek yogurt, salt cayenne, and garlic salt. Stir. Taste, and add more salt and cayenne according

to how you like it.

9. Scrape mixture into a serving bowl. Garnish with tomatoes and green onions, if desired. Guacamole is

best served the day it’s made. If planning to serve it several hours after making it, store in the

fridge with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed against the surface.

Mmmmm....We can't wait to try this! Thanks so much for stopping by today, Becca!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! Any fun plans that include guacamole?

Stenciled Wall Panels {Royal Design Studio}

2012-01-12T03:30:00.001-05:00

One of my 2012 goals was to make my family room reflect ME a little bit more. I'm not going for some adult, anti-kid room or anything... I just want the style to fit me a bit more. Okay, and if I'm being honest, the room currently has no style at all, it's sort of a mish-mash of randomness. The first step in this direction is...

Stenciled Wall Panels

Since we moved in, I've never been sure of what to do on either side of the fireplace. I've never wanted to compete with the fireplace, because I love the stacked stone so much. We've talked about built-ins someday, but someday isn't any time soon. So, we decided to try something a bit more creative.

Wall stencils have been around for as long as I can remember. I definitely stenciled a border of berries and leaves in our very first master bedroom. Gag! Well, thank goodness they've come a long way!

Royal Design Studio is my very favorite place to get stencils! Seriously, I bought a stencil a year ago from another unnamed company and it bled like crazy because it just wasn't made of heavy plastic. Royal's stencil was strong enough for a perfectionist like me!

Ok, so here's what I did...

We measured out a big old rectangle on both sides of the fp and then used a chalk-line to get super straight lines. I love my chalk-line. I use it all the time!

Then, I used another favorite, Scotch blue tape to outline the shape. (Random note: Did you know Picnic.com has a "skinny" edit button. Of course I tried it on my butt for this picture, but it didn't do a blessed thing. Drats!)

Then, it was time to line up my stencil and get painting! (Use a level to get the stencil straight. Royal Design Studio sells this cute little level that clips right onto the stencil. Genius!)

Rather than rolling this stencil, I used the brush method. Basically just tap the wall over and over and over again.

Darn that I'm easily distracted. Zoey 101... seriously?? I couldn't focus at all until I knew if little Chase and Zoey made up! (yes, I'm a lame mom of 4 kids)

Thankfully, after Zoey ended, I was able to get down to work...

Whoa! Look at that fancy time lapse...

I'm a stenciling machine!

Then, it was onto the other side. The whole process only took me a little over an hour of stenciling. I have to mention that a good brush is essential. I can't stress this enough. My Royal Design Studio brush was over at Jess' house, so I started stenciling with a small, craft store brush and it was a waste of time. I did one section and then stopped and waited for my brush. The cruddy brush took forever, was leaving bristles all over the wall, and needed two coats. Once I got my big, Royal Design brush it was so.much.easier! Look at the difference...

Here's how the room looks right now... and here's where I need your help!

My original plan was to trim out the stencil with molding (the molding will be the same grey color as the stripe on the curtains and the wall), but now that it's on the wall I'm unsure of what direction to go in. Here are my options...

Option # 1- Rectangle Trim

Option #2- Square Trim

Option # 3- Rows of Trim

Option # 4- You Tell Me!

What other ideas do you have for me?

I can't wait to hear your opinion and ideas!

I plan to finish the wall this weekend!

PS- Two things... 1- My mantle will be decorated one of these days... hopefully for the "after" pics. 2- My children don't sit around watching TV all day...I took my pics over a span of two days!

Kitchen Renovation {Putting it Back Together}

2012-01-11T03:30:00.004-05:00

New here? You can check out our kitchen demolition here.

Imagine with me for a minute....See this soffit?

Imagine with me that that soffit is no longer there. There would be no interruption from the countertops to the ceiling, and as a result, the ceiling would seem so much higher. Nice, right? It would be so open and clean.

I could hang the cabinets from the ceiling, which would increase the space between them and the countertop. You with me? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Ok, good. Because here goes:

First we removed all the upper cabinets (and by "we", I most definitely mean my hubs). We were amazed at what we found behind those cabinets- apparently the homeowners before us did their own DIY with painted tiles, framed by a sharpie marker! Plus, there's a vent that was hooked up to the microwave that we realized we need to take care of, as well.

I did loads of research on removing soffits, since this is our first big demo/remodel, and everyone said the same thing: make a small hole in the drywall and check to see if there is any wiring or pipes behind the soffit. In a lot of cases, soffits have no real structural function, but are there so you could hang cabinets from them. If you notice, new construction homes almost never have soffits in the kitchen. Luckily for us, there is a recessed light in our soffit, so we were able to remove it and get a good view into the interior of the soffit.

Since it's a pretty small hole, we stuck our small digital camera up in the soffit and took a few pictures in each direction to make sure all was clear. It worked like a charm and I was thrilled to see that there wasn't anything there but insulation!

Also, a bunch of people said that soffits aren't always made of drywall, but could also be plywood, which is why we weren't afraid when we saw this:

So, we kept on ripping things out (while trying hard to ignore the mouse droppings- Eew!) Then, when we were all done, my hubs said he thought that maybe this big beam in the front might be load-bearing beam that runs along the entire length of the back of the house. Ahhhhh!!! Noooooo!!!!

This is when we called in the experts, ie: my father-in-law and my parent's genius handyman, Robert. While we waited for them to come, I spent a few days trying to decide how I felt about have no upper cabinets.

I decided that I really liked it, but after stewing over it, I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't really practical for us since I removed the upper cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. My new plan for this side of the kitchen is a combination of cabinets and open shelving that I'll share with you as we get closer to it. (Believe me, LOTS has to happen before that).My hubs also spackled the wall, and painted it the new gray/tan in anticipation of the next step.

Well, you guessed it, we did find out that the beam was load-bearing like my hubs suspected and needed to stay in place. So, (and this is so sad, and yes, I know my hubs is a saint!) my hubs went to work drywalling the soffit back in, with the help of Mo's husband, Eric. Poor guy. But, we were able to remove the recessed lighting kit and install a pendant light kit. Woohoo! I can't wait to pick that baby out!

Even though we had a ~~really big I'll be trying to make it up to my hubs for a long time~~ minor setback, we did make some progress elsewhere. When we moved the oven to the other side of the kitchen and slid the fridge in it's place, we were left with this small cabinet space to the left. It was not functional at all, and it really made that side look disjointed.

We removed the counter from the wall, and then moved the whole thing over to the other side of the refridgerator, giving us more counter space to the right.

There is, of course, a crack between the two countertops, that, we're told can easiliy be masked with some paint that matches the counter brushed on the crack and then wiped away. You'll still notice it, but it won't scream out at you, and we don't plan on keeping this countertop forever (hopefully not past this year!).

Here's where we are right now:

I have to admit that my 3 year old took this picture, but what can I say? She has a good eye!

Ok, take a deep breath. That's all for now. :)

U Create Guest Post {Woo Hoo}

2012-01-10T05:30:00.004-05:00

Hey RHBC Regulars! Have you ever had one of those pinch me moments? Well, today is one of those moments for us! We're guest posting over at U Create and we're crazy excited about it. So, head over to U Create, to see our post for today and of course while you're at it, check out all the fabulous stuff Kari has going on at her blog. She's totally a blog superstar, so you'll probably want to follow her blog if you don't already!

Click here to go to U Create

***Oh and while you're here... We just found out that our Fabric Wallpaper project is in the Top 6 over at Not Just a Housewife. Do you mind heading over and voting for us? Thanks a million!
Vote Here!

Welcome to the Real Housewives of Bucks County U Create Readers!

2012-01-09T18:30:00.005-05:00

Welcome, U Create Readers! We're super glad you're here!

If you want to see some of our favorite DIY projects, click on the picture below to go to our our DIY page.

If you want to know more about us, click the picture below to know the inside scoop on what being a REAL Housewife is all about around here.

Well, look around, make yourself at home and come visit us again!

Thanks!
***Oh and while you're here... We just found out that our Fabric Wallpaper project is in the Top 6 over at Not Just a Housewife. If you think we're pretty okay, do you mind heading over and voting for us? Thanks a million!
Vote Here!

Welcome {To My Entryway}

2012-01-09T03:30:00.001-05:00

While my hubs finishes up the stuff I don't know how to do (ie: drywalling, adding corner bead etc) in our kitchen, I've been busy trying to make myself feel better about the disaster inside my house (see kitchen demo post here) by prettifying my entry way! My sweet mother-in-law gave me a gift card to Home Goods for Christmas, which is heaven on earth for a girl like me. No joke- I've been there three times in the last week and a half. Anyway, I was so torn about what I should get with that precious gift card- because you know there are at least a million things in that store that were calling my name- but kept coming back to tihs gigantic letter "J". Our last name begins with "J", in case you were wondering. So, finally, today I went ahead and bought it, thinking it would be perfect for the wall in my entry that housed my advent calendar in December.

This bad boy is made of some kind of metal substance but had a cherry, wood-grain finish that I did NOT like, but I knew I could spraypaint it and all would be well with the world. (What can't you improve with spray paint and hot glue, I ask you?)

See how large it is in comparison with my hand?

I picked up two metallic spraypaint finishes from Lowes (right before my son face-planted on the floor and received a nice, fat lip and bloody nose. Picture me trying to clean him up in the drywall isle full of construction-type men). I sprayed it first with the dark bronze paint, and then lightly sprayed it with the copper paint in concentrated areas. Then I went back over it with the dark bronze to make it a bit more authentic.I was trying to achieve a rusty, architectural letter look, and I think I achieved it!

I wish you could see it in person, because it's has a lot of depth that just isn't showing right in pictures, but you get the idea. Then, using the hardware provided, I hung it on the wall facing the front door. Don't worry- it actually is level, it just tricks the eye with that curved shape!

Right away, I felt like it was missing something, don't you?

I love the letter, but really think it needs something to make it pop. (Ugh, just ignore that mess of a kitchen back there) I'm thinking I could do stripes on just that wall like this:

Source: alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com via Cassandra on Pinterest

or do a stencil on that wall like this:

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Stfn on Pinterest

Except a lot less bold, because you know, I'm the queen of neutral. This one is a lot more up my alley:

Source: isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

I've also thought about doing a gallery wall of family pictures around it, stenciling our names in a very subtle color around the "J", framing it with chunky trim and the list goes on.

Help a girl out! Any ideas for me?