Family Room Art & How To Add Grommets!

{If you didn't hear, The Real Housewives of Bucks County are now East Coast Creative (Get the story here). You'll still be getting all the DIY, Design, and Monica & Jess that you love, but change your favorites to www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com  Thanks!}  

You might remember that one of my 2012 goals was to make our family room reflect my style more this year.  I still am convinced I don't really have a style... I more or less, just take lots of things I like and smush them all together, hoping it works out okay.  Recently, I took one more step in the right direction for the room.  

What's in a Name? {Introducing East Coast Creative}

Well lookie here… a new blog name and a whole new look! {Eeek!}

Let us tell you that this has been one crazy journey.  If you’re new around here or missed the drama he’s the low down…

We’re a DIY and home décor blog.  We’re Housewives.  We’re Real.  But, now we’re East Coast Creative…the bloggers formerly known as “The Real Housewives of Bucks County.” Hey, if Prince can do it, so can we! Change stinks, but we love our new name! So, our name is different, but everything else is the same.  We’ll still be bringing you awesome DIY projects, cool design trends, and plenty of goofy Monica and Jess tossed in. 

Here’s where you come in… 

1.    We need help letting people know that East Coast Creative is still us!  Facebook it, Tweet it, give us a shout out on your blog, whatever it takes. We want the world to know we’re still here!

  2.    For now, the old address will work, but (as soon as it's functional, hopefully sometime today) try to get in the habit of using

www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com 
*will be working soon!

       3.     Let’s all just put RHBC behind us and move on.  {Excuse us while we weep in the corner}

On another note… none of this would be possible without the amazing talent of Kim at 733 Designs. She put up with a lot of our crazy ideas, slight breakdowns, and was super helpful and fast in making this all happen. 

Finally, we are so thankful for all of YOU! The positive feedback we get from you (especially in response to yesterday’s post) is so encouraging.  We love this blog no matter what the name,(wait… what’s the name again??) and we’re so glad you do too. 


Soooo....what do you think?!

With love,

The Bloggers Formerly Known as The Real Housewives of Bucks County

** Other blog post titles that were considered:-How not to get sued-East Coast What???-The Housewives are Dead to us-Crap we need a blog name-A Case of Mistaken Identity

The Part-Time Blogger's Dilemma {Let's Be Honest}

Ok, it's time to get really real with you. About us and our blog. It involves a little something we like to call:

We recently received a very nice comment from a regular follower that prompted us to write this post. Before you read it, I have to say that we were very grateful for this reader's honesty, and the sweet way she voiced her concerns. There's nothing we love more than good, honest feedback from the lovely people who visit our blog every day!

How to Add {Awesome} House Numbers

Thanks for all your great comments about my new front door color.  Valspar's Spritz of Lime paint might be a new obsession for me! I gave you a little sneak peek of the door numbers yesterday, but today I'll give you the full low down.  Adding numbers to a metal door can be tricky, but don't worry, I made all the mistakes for you and can save you some time! 

How to Paint a Front Door {and my color reveal!}

About a month ago, I asked for your help deciding what color to paint my front door.  I was really stumped! Thanks to all of you for your input!  We collected over 400 responses! Best.Readers.Ever!

How to Spray Paint a Chandelier

Spraypainting a chandelier is REALLY easy and it's a super cost-effective way to change things up in your home. Back in January we shared our home goals with you, and one of mine was to start redecorating our dining room space. ALL of the furniture pieces in this room were bought on clearance (hooray for a $60 dining table!), through Craig's List (the hutch was $100) or from a family member (the red chairs were my grandmas!). Even the art was upcycled! Anyway, it's just not fitting in with that lighter, brighter, coastal-cottage look I'm going for, so I figured it was time to get moving.

Industrial Faux Canvas Collage

Happy Friday to our favorite readers ever! I've been really excited to share this tutorial with you! I wanted to hang canvas prints of my kiddos in a unique way.  Add some wire, screws, and clamps, and I think I came up with something pretty cool!

Industrial Faux Canvas Collage

Bucks County Designer House & Gardens

We were absolutely thrilled when we were contacted by the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown- the team that plans the amazing Bucks County Designer House & Gardens . My mom and I have been huge fans for a long time, and {before kids} made a point to visit the home every  year. I mean, what's better than being told that you're allowed to snoop in someone else's house?! The BCDHG is a fundraiser to support the Doylestown Hospital that combines gorgeous, old homes in Bucks County and fabulous designers from the area. Designers submit ideas for the rooms they'd like to design in a specially chosen Bucks County home, and the best ones are chosen by the committee. This year's home is unbelieveably gorgeous, with loads of character and charm.

Isn't it beautiful? And this doesn't even showcase the grounds! Love it. Anyway, the lovely ladies on the committee asked Monica and me to run two seminars, and of course, we agreed! We're so excited to be doing one seminar on Upcycling (duh! What else?) and the other on Accessorizing like a Pro. The seminars are included in the price of admission, so there's no excuse for all you design enthusiasts! We'd LOVE to flood the Designer House with as many RHBC fans as possible, so be sure to check out the calendar of events for more information and details. Plus, there's nothing more fun than meeting our readers in real life, so you'd be making us really happy. ;)

Will YOU be coming out to support us?

  > 

31 Gifts {Stop the Juggling Act}

We were really excited when one of our very first blog sponsors, Mandy, approached us about sharing her story with our readers.  This is a little different than our normal DIY post, but it's a pretty awesome opportunity and story we've watched unfold. So sit back, relax, and we'll tell you a little story...***************************************************************************This is Mandy.  In 2010 Mandy was a mom to two girls, a wife, and a full-time English teacher.  

Free Printable Invasion

I'm serious when I say that I think one of the best things about blogging and the internet is free printables! They add so much character to your home without having to spend lots of money. Thank you to all you who provide little ol' me with free stuff for my home! I've talked about a few different places you can find free printables here, but I decided that for my open shelves in the kitchen I wanted something specific and custom-matched to my color scheme. What's a DIYer to do? Why, make one herself!

I wanted to create something that was meaningful to me, but that also had some connection to eating and the kitchen. While searching around, I came across 1 Corinthians 10:31 and knew that it was perfect for this!

 I found a pattern that I loved by Moo & Puppy (it's the morrocan trellis pattern that comes in a bajillion colors), uploaded it to Picnik and went to town. Why doesn't everyone buy digital paper? Seriously, there are SO many uses for it and it's so darn cheap! Plus, you can get 15% off if you use the code RHBC15. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, back to the printables. I have three identical frames in the kitchen that I spray-painted turquoise, and needed to fill them with something. I made this one using a great Julia Child saying...  
....and printed this beautiful peacock from The Graphics Fairy!

Three cheap thrift store frames + free printables = one happy girl! And since I'm so happy, I decided to share the love.   Free Eat, Drink, Glory of God Printable
It's a 5 x 7 print and you can choose from three different colors: mustard yellow, turquoise and lime green. Click here to Download Printables  I'm excited to finish accessorizing my open shelves, but you got a little glimpse today of how they're shaping up. What do you think?
Have you ever made your own printable? Do share!
 

Instagram Love

I finally made the switch and got myself a sweet iPhone a few weeks ago.  I'm loving it... I will never go back to the world of Blackberry.  So of course I'm search of all the greatest apps (leave me a comment with your must-haves), but the app I was most excited to get was Instagram! I love it! I'll warn you, my Instagram feed isn't just blog stuff.  You'll see plenty of goofy pics of me and the fam as well.  Follow at your own risk! If you want to follow along on my Instagram fun my username is RHBC. 
Today, I thought I'd give you a peek via Instagram into my house and some things you might not see all the time on the blog.  Crystal light... I drink it 24-7.

Spoiler alert... Hello beautiful

Can you even believe I'm a DIY blogger?  Yup, that's my master bedroom.  Remember how I stole Eric's dresser for our Anthro Knockoff?  He's still living out of bins 7 months later.  I will get to this room someday...

Jess framed this for me on our first Nate Show.  It's our version of family rules... we're not really the hugging type.

Chalkboard back splash.  Love this rocket! (I also LOVE my knives!)

Chase and Polly, we're really dumb, so we agreed to get my daughter 2 ducks.

Spray paint makes everything better.  This project coming to you soon!

And last, but not least.  I love my memo board... even if it has December's calendar still.  Go me.

Also, one of our good friends (and actually our guest poster Staci's husband) is kind of a big deal on Instagram (like 35K followers).  He takes amazing pictures and I'm always amazed that his incredible pics are taken with a phone!! His username is Curious2119

So, now that I'm on Instagram, come follow along (RHBC)  I think I currently have 9 followers. Ha! Maybe you can be the big number 10! Have an awesome day- it's going to be almost 90 here in Bucks County! ** Wait! One more thing! Want to turn an Instagram pic into a canvas? I just got this deal in my inbox.  57% off from Canvaspop.  Use this google link to get the deal.  

  

Guest Room Spoilers!

Last week we mentioned that we've been really busy working on this Pepto Bismol pink room.  Trust me, I love me some Pepto once in a while, but on the walls... not so much.  

Does this guest room make you want to come and visit?  I mean, look, it has it's own personal gym, cable TV, and extra pillows! What more could you want?  We're talking 5 Stars Baby! 

Ha! It's okay, I know the anonymous homeowners of this guest room and they don't mind a little teasing.  Trust me, with how awesome the room is looking, last night Jess and I told them that we definitely want a sleepover once it's all finished! 

The grand reveal with come on April 24th, but until then here are some major spoilers! 

Drool-worthy hardware We are sooo crushing on the furniture upscale we did.  It was incredibly simple, but makes a BIG impact! 

Perfect Colors Have you ever walked into the paint department and felt like certain colors were just screaming for you to notice them?  That's completely how this pallette came together.  Jess and I met at Home Depot one night and honestly within 3 minutes we had our minds made up.  

Umm Gears?  Just wait and see.  We're actually not 100% sure about all the details for this project, but we know it's going to be awesome.  As we told the homeowners... "Trust Us" 

Industrial Flair Notice a trend?  One of the coolest things about this room is the awesome juxtaposition of styles.  We're pairing some funky modern pieces with an amazing 18th Century find. Can't wait to see it all come together!   

Honoring Service The homeowners really wanted to incorporate this picture of their grandfather, who served our country.  I'm totally a non-emotional gal, but this picture sort of gets to me.  One of my good friends Jen, would be so proud  of me (she's uber emotional and loves all things military)! 

Did We Mention Juxtaposition? Haha! From Army to Blue Birds in a single bound.  Don't worry, we're not crazy (okay, maybe a tad) and this will all work out nicely! 

Examples of Love & Commitment We have a very cool gallery project for the room.  The homeowners (which btw it's really weird to refer to them as "the homeowners" and not just Connie and Mark...  Oops! Did I just accidentally reveal their secret identity!) Anyhow... The homeowners had a collection of old wedding pictures from both sides of their parents and grandparents.  They've had some amazing examples of what it takes to make a marriage work for the long run.  They're going to have a special place to recognize that commitment and how God has blessed those couples in awesome ways.  

Have you heard Jason Mraz's new song?  I Won't Give Up is one of my top ten favorites right now and it's a great reminder that the road isn't always easy, but it's always worth it.  Go listen to it and I'll warn you right now, that it will be stuck in your head, but it's a pretty good thing to be singing all day! 

So how's that for some spoilers?  What do you think of the direction we're headed in?  Did you love the Song as much as I did?  

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