A Peek into my Reality & Some Jello!

Do you ever get the feeling that DIY and Design bloggers have the perfect life?  We keep it pretty real here at EC2, but I'd guess it's still easy to assume that every room in our homes look perfect, are always clean and beautifully staged and that our kids are perfect cherubs that don't make messes.  Well, I'm here to promise you that's NOT the case!  And since they say a picture is worth 1000 words,  today I'm going to expose the ugly, un-styled, downright messy over on Instagram!  Throughout the day I will be giving you boosts to your self-confidence and your style as I expose the unfinished rooms in my house, the half-way finished projects, and just a healthy dose of reality. 

(If this doesn't make you want more, I don't know what will! Ha! #canyouspareasquare)

 

Real Design {M.Elle Designs}

Ok, so in my imaginary world, I'm an amateur, never-been-trained, but still somewhat decent designer. Then  I come across someone who is a REAL designer, and man, I am totally put in my place. I'm like the little girl decorating her doll house when you put me up against real designers. Ha! (And I'm not looking for reinforcement here- I'm ok with it! I figure there's always going to be someone who is better than you at everything in life.) Anyhow, remember this antique table turned vanity we made for my hallway bathroom last year? 

Creating with the Stars on EC2!

**Update: Submissions are NOW open! Click here to enter! 

You'd better be sitting down ladies and gents, because we're thrilled to announce that we are hosting the BEST, MOST AWESOME contest in all of blogland!!  Remember that contest we won last year? Crafting with the Stars? Well, not only did we win it, but we also bought it! Tam, from Sew Dang Cute, took a leave from blogging and we jumped at the chance to run the contest that helped jump-start our blogging careers. We're hoping that we can help one of YOU jump start or boost your blogging career, too!

Welcome to the new home of Creating with the Stars! 

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We're super excited because it's bigger, badder and better than it has ever been. In case you didn't notice, we've renamed it Creating with the Stars, which means no limits to the incredible stuff you can create. It's not just crafts anymore, people. 

Canvas for Valentines! {11x11 for only $11}

The day of love is quickly approaching, and I thought I'd let you know one of the things I'm doing.  You know that Jess and I love Canvas People and we're super thrilled that they now offer square canvas options! I don't know why, but even before Instagram, I was a huge fan of square pics (call me a trendsetter! lol!)

Anyhow, Canvas People has a deal for $55 off any canvas (11x11 or larger)... We did the math and guess what- it works out to... 

Dining Room Lighting {Lucent Lampworks}

My dining room. Well, like everything else around here, it seems like it's taking forever to pull together. I am oh-so-close to doing a full reveal for you (like next-week-close!), but I wanted to give you the juicy details about the fabulous lighting that we installed that totally completes the look I was going for. Love it when that happens! The last time you saw this space, it looked like this:

 

A New Look {Free Firmoo Glasses}

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

This month some of that changed!  

Hello Bangs and Glasses! 

The Honest Truth

One of our New Year's Resolutions was to share a little bit about ourselves. And you want to know something about me? Last year was the year I quit {almost} everything. Want to know something else? Last year I didn’t like who I was. Let me explain.

DIY Faux Canvases {Kira's Room Makeover}

I'm excited to share one of my favorite projects from Kira's Room Makeover today!  These faux canvases make an awesome impact on the room and man alive do they make me smile!  Everyone knows that Jess and I are slightly obsessed with Staples' Engineering Prints and this project just added one more reason to love them!

How to Paint a Whiteboard Wall

Thanks for all your feedback on Kira's Colorful Room Makeover this week!  Funny story... Jess and I are doing some filming this coming Monday (can't spill the beans yet!) and they need to get some footage of Kira's room... can I just tell you how messy her room is now? There are about 200 tiny Polly Pocket accessories on the floor! If only my house could stay as clean as it is on the blog!  

If you missed the makeover reveal check it out here and you can read the full accent wall tutorial here.

Today we're talking whiteboard walls!! It's the perfect solution for creative kids that color on walls anyway!

 

Valentine's Day Printables

Click HERE to Download

Click HERE to Download

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How to Paint a Mosaic Accent Wall {Bedroom Makeover}

Yesterday, I shared my daughter Kira's Colorful Bedroom Makeover with all of you. Check it out here if you missed it.   It's interesting when you're doing a room for a little person... there's this part of me that wants to go all crazy blogger-designer-nutso on the space, and then there's the realistic mom side that reminds me that her room will be a disaster of toys in about 3 minutes flat and that I don't need to go over the top to make her happy. Honestly, I'd kind of be going over the top just for my own self-interest.  So, with that being said, the mommy voice won out and I went with a fun, yet practical room makeover.  I'll guess I'll save up the glitz and glam for the master bedroom (if I ever do tackle it!).  

Colorful Bedroom Makeover {KJ's Bedroom}

November marked 2 years in our "new" house.  I can't believe it's already been two years, and at the same time, it feels like we've always lived here! Before we moved in, I quickly painted each of the kids' rooms in a solid color and did very minimal decorating. Last year, I did Callen's room with the fun Pallet Wall, but he's the only one that has a "cool room" as my kids say.  Kira was next on the list for a room makeover and thankfully, it's already gotten the "cool room" stamp of approval from my kids! 

Family Valentine's Mailboxes {Try this Now}

Occasionally, Jess and I do or see a project that is deserving of the "Try this Now" title.  The project needs to be super simple to execute and have a major awesomeness factor.  We know it's easy to have an ever-growing DIY list, but these babies are projects that you should try right away.  We've started a page on the blog where we'll catalog these super-simple projects, including today's Family Valentine's Idea.  So be on the lookout for our fun Try this Now logo.

TRY THIS NOW PAGE

I was browsing the Target dollar bins and spotted these cute mini mailboxes.  We have a little over a month before Valentine's Day, so I decided that we were going to create a little family mail center! 

6 Ways to Display Instagram Photos

I can't even tell you how much I love Instagram. If you follow me (Jess_EC2blog), you'll quickly find that out. Out of all our social media avenues, IG is definitely my favorite. I comment and "like" things more there than on Facebook. For real! There's something so charming and fun and real-lifey about Instagram photos and I wanted to figure out a way to show them off  in my house. But even if my version (which is not original, by the way, I've seen it done many a time!) isn't your cup of tea, I've rounded up a few other fun ideas of what to do with those cute, square pics.

Faux Sofa Table {Tutorial}

A few weeks ago during my Christmas home tour, I gave you a sneak peek at the faux sofa table we built and promised the tutorial for how we did it. Well, today's the day, folks! Quite honestly, this does not even need a step-by-step because it's such a simple project. You'll laugh when you see what I mean, and then you'll get to work building your own. I can't even believe what a difference this little DIY made to our living room space, which if you remember, is on my list of rooms to tackle in 2013. We're one project closer to an updated, fresh living space. Woohoo!

Best Valentine's Day Gift Ever- Take Two: 2013

Last year, I took a little risk here on the blog and got personal... really personal... I shared my idea for the Best Valentine's Day Gift Ever! I guess you guys liked it, because it was our most popular post of 2012- you dirty dogs! Ha! Have no fear, this year I have another idea that's a lot less prep and will still keep your man saying... 

Our Home Goals for 2013

Ok, folks. Yesterday we shared our BLOG goals with you and today's the day we publicly lay out our plans for our homes in the hopes that putting it down in writing for the whole world to see will motivate us to actually geterdone. These goals include our big plans for the year, but we'll be sharing lots of little projects and ideas along the way. 
So, here goes:

EC2 in 2013 {What to Expect When You're...}

Last year Jess and I shared with you our 2012 goals for our homes, the blog, and our community. We did a pretty good job chipping away at our lists (more on that later).  This year, we're going start with our goals for this little ole blog.  We have some fun changes and some big aspirations for EC2 in 2013.  This is kind of like "What to Expect When You're Expecting", but a blog version!  Here goes...

 

Top Projects 2012

Phew! Can you believe that 2012 is over already? We are gearing up for an unbelievably awesome 2013 filled with lots of fun and exciting things for this little blog (we'll share those with you tomorrow!), but we thought we'd take some time to round up our favorite projects from each month in 2012. Take a look, let us know what you think, and pin it if you like it!