Big Time DIY- Welcome to My Patio Project!

I'm so excited to introduce you to one of our biggest DIY Projects ever!  Over the next weeks we're going to be taking you step-by-step through our DIY Patio Project.  I was thrilled when Stone Depot and EP Henry decided to partner with us on this crazy adventure.  

Shabby Apple {Giveaway!}

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Oh baby, do we ever have a great giveaway for you today! We've had a crush on Shabby Apple since we first heard about them on Beth's blog . I can assure you that you will too, after you take a look at all they have to offer. From dresses to skirts to bathing suits to jewelry to home decor- they have some amazing stuff! And we're so excited to pass on the Shabby Apple love to you in the form of a $50 gift card! Yay! :)

Memorial Weekend Re-Cap!

We had an awesome Memorial Day Weekend! I think we're both still catching up a bit... yard sales, barn sales, cook-outs, pool parties, parades, and more! It was awesome!  We didn't get much DIYing done over the weekend, so we thought we'd give you a little peek into the fun we had! 

The Annual Doylestown Memorial Day Parade didn't disappoint!  The weather was amazing and we loved honoring all those that served and were walking in the parade.  

 

Last Minute Announcement- Best Barn Sale Around!

We just found out it's  THIS WEEKEND!!  If you're even remotely local you'll want to make time to check it out. We got SO MANY awesome things last year.  My dining room buffet, my Chalkboard Mirror...  Check out this post to see it all.  BEST BARN SALE EVER!Sat, Sun, Mon 8-53045 York Road, Furlong PA  

A Few Announcements

Well, we're a bit behind the eight ball on this one, but we finally got around to choosing a winner for our Empire Patio Giveaway. (just so you know we use random.org to make our pick!)

Empire Patio Covers Giveaway Winner

And the winner is:

Congratulations! Email us at eastcoastcreativeblog@gmail.com to claim your prize!

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

Tips for Accessorizing your Space {SuperFab Room Redesign}

Hey there! We thought it would be fun to show you the major difference that accessories can make in a room design. So many people can pull together the "big" items in a room, like a buffet and dining table, or a couch and accent chair, but then seem to have trouble getting the room to look "finished". We all look at design magazines and read home blogs and see rooms that look absolutely perfect; stylish, yet still cozy, warm and inviting. What is it about those rooms? Take a closer look, and you'll see that the room feels finished because of all the finishing touches (ie: accessories)! Well, duh.

DIY Planters

 Have you ever noticed how incredibly expensive planters are?  For about $40 I could get one itty bitty planter, that's not even cute.  No thanks.  I decided I would DIY planters that would work perfectly with my new painted door and rockin' house numbers. I didn't want anything to frilly, or girly.  I wanted my style inside my house, reflected on the outside too! This project cost me $20 each, was incredibly simple, and totally fits my style.   

Memorial Day Drinks!

Whip out those flip flops, fire up the grill, the unofficial start of summer is just days away!  We have come to LOVE Memorial Day Weekend and all of it's festivities.  Today we're excited to share some must have Memorial Day (or any day) drinks!  

Before we get to the recipes, the highlight of our Memorial Day Weekend is definitely the Doylestown Parade.  Of course the charm of the town, the kids dressed in red, white, & blue, and the amazing bagel shop make it special, but really, over the past years the man in the picture below has made it meaningful for us.  This is my friends' dad and each year he walks with the veterans and it's been an awesome way to teach our kids respect for those that have fought for our freedom. All in all, it's an awesome time and we can't wait to stand and honor those men and women that have served.  

Now, in addition to an Awesome Parade, we're all about fun food for the holiday weekend!  We've tasted tested three drink recipes that we think you'll love! 

Modern Houndstooth Stencil

Thank you all for your awesome response to our SuperFab Room Redesign! We were thrilled with how it all turned out, (and thankfully, so were the homeowners!), but we realize that the houndstooth stencil from Royal Design Studio totally steals the show! Our favorite thing about this wall is the modern color scheme paired with the very classic houndstooth pattern. However, it's one thing to tackle an entire accent wall with a stencil, but it's another whole thing to do it with multiple colors! There's quite a saga behind this wall, and we learned some really helpful things about  how to stencil well that we thought we'd pass along to you. When you DIY, it's all about learning as you go, right?

SuperFab Room Redesign REVEAL {Guest Room}

When a close friend asks you to help re-do their bubble-gum pink, non-descript guest room, you can't say no. You almost feel like you need to stage a design intervention immediately. Everyone has a room like this one: a forgotten catch-all guest room/play room/ exercise room/ office. We decided that it was our duty to save the world (and Connie and Mark's parents!) from this room so we spruced the place up a bit. I mean, anything would have been better than that color pink, and we were game for the challenge.. So.without further ado, here's our first official SuperFab Room Redesign!
Update: Welcome YHL Readers! 
For the Stencilled Wall Tutorial and Paint colors click HERE 
To see the room with and without accessories click HERE 
For the Shutter Headboard Tutorial click HERE

Room Reveal Coming TODAY!

Just an update... we'll be posting early this evening with all the juicy room reveal details.  Can't wait! 

Patio Furniture Update on a Budget! {and a giveaway}

The weather is finally warming up and I feel like summer is right around the corner!  I thought I'd invite you over to my awesome yard and beautiful patio furniture!  Doesn't it look welcoming and just scream, let's drink some lemonade? 

Oh, and how rude of me, I need to offer you a comfy seat!

Random Monday

Happy Monday, everyone!  We hope you had a great day yesterday celebrating all the special mothers in your life. We both had enjoyable days with our families, but ended the day finishing up our fabulous room makeover, ie: SuperFab Room Redesign! We can't wait to reveal the room to you and give you a breakdown of all the fun projects we've been doing.

The Room Reveal will be on Wednesday and you won't want to miss it!

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

The #1 most frequently asked question recently is what color my kitchen is. Well, here you go:

I love it. It's the most perfect grayish/tan neutral you'll ever see. And, just so you know, I had Lowe's color-match this Olympic paint in Valspar Premium. Oh! And we're pretty excited (and think you will be too!) to start a FAQ page where you can find all the answers to your questions from our favorite products to use and the projects we do in our house to why we always DIY in frumpy clothes. Should be lots of fun, so stay tuned.

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

In case you missed it, we offered two pretty awesome freebies in the last two weeks: CanvasPeople (FREE 8x10!) and Paper Coterie ($15 credit towards anything you want! Use GIFTFAVES at checkout). Make sure you take advantage of those before it's too late. :)

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

Ok, your turn: What was your most favorite Mother's Day moment yesterday?

Another Freebie! {Paper Coterie}

Since you all enjoyed the free canvases we shared last week, we thought we'd give you a little treat this week too! We love hooking you up with freebies!!  

Have you heard of Paper Coterie? If you have, you're way ahead of us since we've been hiding under a rock and didn't know about their fabulousness. Basically, they sell super cool, trendy, fun ways to document and record all the important moments in our lives. Photo books, greeting cards, birth announcements, planners, journals. Awesome stuff, people. Check it out: 

The Curtain Solution {DIY Painted Curtains}

This curtain situation in my kitchen stumped me for the last month or so. I showed you the brownish-gray drapes I bought from Ikea first:

Projects Not to Miss

Hey y'all... How funny does that sound coming from me?  Well, today we're taking some time to show you some amazing projects that some of our blogger buddies have been working on and one of them happens to have the sweetest southern accent, so I though I'd give the old y'all a try.  I'm thinking it should never come out of the mouth of a Boston raised, Philly transplant (and yes, I had to Google it to even see how y'all was spelled! Ha!)

Anyhow, onto business.  We want to introduce you to some crazy talented ladies that we're lucky enough to have met through blogging.  If you don't already follow their blogs, you're missing out, but here are some of our favorite projects we've seen recently.  

Kim @ Sand and Sisal

Kim's posts are so dang pretty.  Her pictures are amazing and this project is no exception.  These glass vases can be made from paint and nail polish remover?!?  I know right? I was amazed at the tutorial and will be going to the dollar store for vases STAT!  Check out her tutorial! 

Painted Glass Vases

 

Mozzarella & Basil Tomato Pockets

I'm in love with this food combination. I've made several different versions of caprese salads, appetizers and entrees, but I think these little Mozzarella & Basil Tomato pockets are perfect for Mother's Day, (or any type of gathering where women are present since they're so darn adorable.) We had these this past Sunday for our Mother's day get-together with my husband's family. Sadly, my hubs and his four brothers devoured them without so much a word about their cuteness.

Recipe adapted from All You Magazine

Gardening for Kids {Kenzie's Garden}

This post brought to you by Whitney Farms. All opinions, creative ideas, and the cute kid are 100% mine.

My oldest child is a lot like her grandmom.  She loves all animals, being outdoors, and growing things.  At any given time you'll find at least two Red Solo Cups filled with dirt and some kind of seed on my kitchen counter.  This spring Kenzie started sectioning off a little area of one of our beds as her "garden."  We decided that a kids garden was a great idea and let her run with it.  Of course it got my DIY wheels turning, and I actually struggled with letting go and letting her "make it her own," but, in the end, I think she did a fabulous job and her garden is just how she wanted it.  

Here's a peek into Kenzie's Garden...

Free Canvas for You!

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

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

EC2 Home Tour - Welcome to My Foyer!

We usually share bits and pieces of our homes here on the blog, but we're going to try and do more full room tours as we get rooms "finished up" (are rooms ever finished?)  First up for me... My foyer. Now, I should explain that no one ever comes in our front door.  It's kind of sad since the front door is so cute now.  (Take a peek at the door here.)

I think you've seen this part of the foyer before.  Chair. Accent Table. Gallery Wall. Wallpaper.  

Done...for now! {Kitchen Renovation Update}

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

Advice for the Part-time-Blogger {Part-Time Bloggers Dilemma Part 2 }

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

Last week we got real with you all and shared some of the struggles of a PTB (Part-Time-Blogger). You can check out the post here, but basically we're trying to figure out how to write a successful, growing blog, when it's not yet your full-time job (Notice we say "yet"... girls can dream right?!?)  

Due to the huge response we got from so many PTBs, we thought we'd share some of what we've learned along the way.