Today I’m on Live with Kelly and Ryan sharing some tips to get ready for outdoor entertaining this summer! We used some awesome outdoor furniture pieces from Lowe’s and I https://smart-techno.org/devis/ wanted to share the info here with you! I’m loving their outdoor options this season – so many ways to mix and match!

Origin 21 Planter Basket

Yellow Accent Pillow

Outdoor Chairs

Black Wicker Planter

Outdoor Rug
Striped Pillow

Geometric Black Square Pillow

4 Piece Furniture Set

Raffia Throw Pillow

And if you didn’t hear the news… The Weekender: House of Style just launched on Youtube. Check out the first episode here! We’ll have new eps coming at ya every other week!

As soon as Lowe’s green lit the https://www.juliabergovich.com/size-guide/ renter series, I knew just who should host it! Keyanna is a designer, photographer, blogger and  the queen of rental-friendly design! You can check out her personal rental makeover HERE.

This series was created for renter’s, but all you homeowners – don’t tune out. There’s tons of ideas for you too!

I hope you guys love it – Let me know what you think!!

The window office nook was my favorite part of the makeover! Well, maybe the faux shiplap was… it looks SO legit!

Peel and stick wallpaper is the #1 renter’s weapon!

Key and the renter Christina did a killer job building this wardrobe unit. https://www.1stopbarber.com/plans-pricing I love the metal slide out drawers.

This first episode was a bit of a sneak peek into the series. We have more episodes coming in early 2021!

Would love to know if you have any room or project requests!

-Monica

**This project is a paid partnership between East Coast Creative Production and Lowe’s Home Improvement. I’m so thankful for the brands that partner with us and allow us to do what we love! **

I’ll link everything below and a few more favs from Lowe’s Fall Collection!

Here’s what the porch https://floripa-manchester.com/about/ looked like before – cute, but summery with the light blue door. Not much going on style wise.

And here we are after – all ready for fall!

I went with Valspar’s Autumn Spice for the front door paint – It doesn’t get more fall-ish than that!

Autumn Wreath

.01 Neutral Wreath .02 Paper Daisy Wreath .03 Tiered Pumpkins .04 Faux Pumpkins 

I’m a huge fan of layering door mats. It totally amps up the style. Here are some favs.

.01 Hey There Pumpkin  .02 Hello  .03 Happy Fall  .04 Buffalo Check  

This orange buffalo check is perfect for September/October, but I also like some Thanksgiving specific options Lowe’s had this season!

.01 Thankful  .02  Gather  .03 Hello Pumpkin  .04 Fall Y’all 

Hope this inspires you to get creative with your fall front porch this year – it doesn’t take a ton of time or money and … well, fall’s just the best!

-Monica

**This video was a paid partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement, but all ideas are my own. **

*Some affiliate links are used throughout this blog*

One quick reminder… These ideas aren’t just all about the pretty (though they are pretty!) I worked in education for a decade and 5 years https://www.batteryfolks.com/pro of that was spent teaching for a virtual charter school, so I understand virtual learning- many of https://www.youinc.org/contact/ these ideas are tried and tested!!

Step 1 – Find a wall! You don’t need to take over an entire room – just 4-5 feet of a wall will do! 

Some tips:

• • It’s important to have a specific space to do school. It helps students separate “hanging out at home” vs “going to school” 
  • Look for a space with natural light if possible 
  • Facing a wall might seems less than ideal in theory, but it helps your student focus on their school and be less distracted by everything else going on in the home
  • If you don’t have an outlet on the wall – no worries – run an extension cord and surge strip! 

Step 2 – Change the Backdrop – This step is optional, but recommended! It helps make the workspace seem more intentional and gives it a sense of permanence. With everything in life changing so much right now – providing this permanence (in a non-permanent way) is helpful for student learning! We went with a DIY faux wainscoting for our backdrop – simple + sophisticated. We might be schooling from home, but it doesn’t have to look like a traditional classroom with crazy primary colors! 

Here’s how we did it:

• • Painted the wall using Into the Gloaming paint color – HGSW2455 
  • Used a 4 foot level and gold sharpie marker to draw vertical lines (used the width of the level as our spacing – no measuring required!)
  • Added a painted piece of 1x wood at the top  
  • It took 2 of us 20 minutes to do our lines and add the top molding once the base coat was dry!

Step 3 – Build a DIY Desk – Remember that desks at school are simple – so you don’t have to over do it! Virtual learning requires a lot less physical papers and materials, so simple works well! 

Here’s how we did it: 

• • Our desk is made from a wooden sawhorse and a Project Panel 
    
  •  We used nails to attach the top to the horse for stability. You could also add a simple ledger board if you’re adding a lot of weight.
  • We used a stain touch up pen (Provincial) on the edge of the project panel to give it more of a two tone look
  • You could seal the wood with a coat of clear poly
  • For Size – Keep in mind you want enough space to write/work on assignments while allowing enough room for your laptop or even a second monitor! 
  • Total cost for our DIY sawhorse desk $50 
  • Desk Chair – I look for comfort + style! Avoid spinning chairs – they can be really distracting to your student and can actually make virtual teachers motion sick watching your kiddo spinning and rotating all the time. True Story!
  • Black Chair | Leather Chair  |Rug

Step 4– Add a Memo/Storage board – Utilize the wall as a HUB for all the things. Schedules, Supplies, Photos, Motivation etc… We made our own DIY modern, grid memo board!

Here’s how we did it:

• Our grid is made from Remesh (found in the cement section) 
• Cut down to size with wire cutters – it comes 4×6 feet, so if you want a jumbo one you’re in luck! 
• Spray painted it with Krylon Rose Gold
• Attached it to the wall with electrical staples
• We used S hooks and binder clips to attach everything
• Our DIY Paper roll is made from masking paper + a wooden dowel + yarn 
• Mini Plants are held on with binder clips

A quick word about motivation… Classrooms are filled with motivational phrases and posters for a reason! Visual reminders and encouragement are important at home too! Write your kiddo notes, add stickers, and get creative with encouraging them through these challenging times! 

Step 5 – Add a Perpetual Calendar – A calendar that you have to physically change each day is super helpful during this time when no one actually knows what day it is! The process of changing out the date builds routine and helps students keep on track with assignments/projects! 

Here’s how we did it:

• Purchase or Print Days/Numbers on cardstock or cardboard
• Use Command Picture Hanging Strips to swap out each day without damaging your walls – the grid on the back clings to the strip on the wall and makes changing it out daily super simple
• Looks modern and awesome too! 

Step 6 – Wall Sconce Hack- If you have a light – great! If not, this hack for adding one can transform the look of your space, give you light, and make the space feel more grounded design-wise. 

Here’s how we did it:

• Just attach the light onto the wall anywhere you want using the provided metal bracket – tuck the wires inside- you won’t be wiring it
• Add a puck light instead of a lightbulb – they have touch and remote  on/off options
• It’s that simple and makes a BIG impact on the style! Educationally this isn’t essential, but many puck lights can change color and my kids think they’re the coolest thing ever! 

Step 7– Add Storage – Our crate storage acts kind of like your at home “locker” – to store binders, paper, folders, textbooks, tech cords/accessories, etc…

Here’s how we did it:

• Attach 2 wooden crates together using small screws or nails for added stability 
• Can also stack some below the desk for added storage if needed
• Use a Dymo label maker to keep everything organized the more organized the better when it comes to virtual learning (added bonus – vintage type labels look awesome!) 

This space went from wall to workspace in about 3 hours total. I made one trip out to Lowe’s and to get school supplies, but the entire shopping and transformation happened in one afternoon and I honestly couldn’t love this space any more than I do. I think it’s functional, motivational, and fits anywhere in a home because it has great style! As a mom of 4 and former educator, I know the challenges we’re facing are hard and that a new workspace won’t fix everything, but I hope this makeover inspires you to embrace this crazy season of life and find a way to make school-at-home work for your family!

If you turn a Wall to Workspace I’d love to see it! Use #walltoworkspace and tag me on IG @MonicaMangin!

Good Luck friends- We’ve got this!!

**This project is in collaboration with Lowe’s Home Improvement- I am compensated for my partnership with them. All ideas and opinions are my own. I’m thankful for Lowe’s supporting East Coast Creative and helping me share my ideas!**

Here’s all the product and tool intel for items I used throughout this makeover!

MATERIALS:

Whiskey Barrels: https://low.es/2XyWqkh

Valspar English Tea Party Paint: https://low.es/2zn344T

Valspar Camo Green Paint: https://low.es/2A5Grlt

Valspar Pine Bark Paint: https://low.es/2zY1LcI

Valspar Duramax Exterior Paint: https://low.es/3g717Ku

Valspar Ultra White Paint: https://low.es/2YcUPmi

Butcher Block: https://low.es/2Tvb76A

4×4 Cedar Posts: https://low.es/3cT4KSs

Movie Screen Drop Cloth: https://low.es/3edzaz8

String Lights: https://low.es/2TuMWoY

TOOLS:

Kreg Jig: https://low.es/3bWK9v7

Craftsman Impact Driver: https://low.es/3eVR9eh

DeWalt Jigsaw: https://low.es/3cT4ymc

Craftsman Speaker (for movie theater): https://low.es/3e9O3SL 

** This project was a paid collaboration with Lowe’s Home Improvement. However, all ideas are my own. **

Boho Style Elevated Picnic Table

Built-In Storage Picnic Table

Kids Water + Sand Picnic Table

*This project was a paid partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement, but all ideas are my own. I’m thankful for the brands that make East Coast Creative possible!

**These episodes were in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement. All ideas are my own, but I was compensated for this collaboration

Crazy simple and pretty right?!? I really love this hack!

I’m not a florist, I just play one on TV… lol. I LOVE the impact the live greens made on this project!

Here’s what we used product/materials wise:

Picnic Table – Faux Fur Area Rug – Glass Lantern –  Wicker Lantern – Bulb String Lights – Garden Trellis –  Rustic Beige Oil-based Stain –  Satin Oil-Based Varnish – Black Steel Nipple Fitting – Black Iron Floor Flange – Pocket Hole Jig 

I’ve go two more picnic table hacks coming your way soon – one for the kids and one that has built-in storage! Make sure you’re subscribed to the Lowe’s Youtube channel so you don’t miss em!

-Monica

**This post is in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement. All ideas are my own, but I was compensated for this project! **

Huge thanks to Lowe’s Home Improvement for sponsoring this series and trusting my crazy ideas! I love this series and hope you guys do too! I’ll be back with another episode next Tuesday!!

-Mon

We’re living through really crazy times right now and people are turning to Pinterest to draw creative inspiration and learn from the amazing community there. One majorly trending theme is gardening – having access to fresh produce has become way more of a concern for so many of us. Even if you’ve never grown your own vegetables before – now’s a great time to start! It’s proven to be a stress reliever, an awesome thing to do with the whole family, and you’ve got indoor and outdoor options! Sounds like a win win to me!

As soon as it’s ready I’ll post the segment here. It’s got everything you need to know about gardening… or whatever I could fit into a TV segment, being shot 10000s of miles away from the hosts, with millions of people watching.

A couple quick hitter tips from the show! Now it a great time to be starting seeds indoors! Plants that originate from warm climate areas should be started inside. Think tomatoes, squash, peppers, beans etc… Since we’re all staying home, you can get creative with your seed starting containers. We used some yogurt and small Tupperware containers – just make sure you poke some holes in the bottom for drainage.

Egg shells for seed starters seem to be popular on Pinterest, but experts recommend using them for herbs or flowers – many vegetables won’t do as well. The cool this is that you can transplant the entire shell and it will break down in the ground, acting as natural compost!

We didn’t get to talk about outdoor gardening on the show, but a couple tips for ya! #1 -You can turn a regular yard/flower bed into a garden this year! Just add some vegetable specific soil to the bed and pop those plants in the ground. This is a time in life to get creative and who knows … growing kale and radishes around your home, just might be the next big thing! #2 – Paint Stir Stick Garden Markers are adorable and a great way to get your kids involved in the process! My daughter Kira made these and I think they’re just about the cutest thing ever!

Just tap them into the ground and voila! One DIY tip – we used oil-based paint pens for these- if you use normal markers, you’d want to use a clear sealant over top so they’re weather resistant!

Ok let’s talk about the majorly trending Scrap Gardening. How did we not know that we can grow more food from our leftover scraps of food?!? It seems magical and awesome.

Since learning about it, my home has been filled with all kinds of cut vegetables and jars! Real life iPhone pic below. I’m not kidding- I’m addicted to it!

Now, just to be clear… not everything will re-grow and some are easier than others. I made a little scrap gardening cheat sheet for you guys – these are the easiest to grow (in my rookie scrap gardener opinion) and what I taught Kelly and Ryan to do today.

We’ve also been pinning all kinds of awesomely helpful gardening info onto our Live! Family Gardening board – Make sure you’re following along. So much good info for beginners!

I hope you and your family are healthy and staying safe at home ! -Monica

Gemstone Soaps

These soaps are awesome for the person in your life that’s really into self-care… or for your great aunt that loves putting out fancy soap that you know better than to use! lol

Materials Clear Soap

Opaque Soap

Soap Colorants

Soap Scents (optional)

Plastic cups

Pyrex bowls

Small plastic mini containers Large kitchen knife Microwave First you need to create a rainbow of colors with your solid soap base. Cut the soap into cubes and melt it down in the microwave in a glass bowl (should take under a minute or so). Make sure you don’t try and microwave in any of the disposable plastic containers- they’ll melt and it won’t end well Using small disposable plastic containers, divide your soap and add soap colorant. You can get it at any craft store. This is the fun, creative part because you can make a huge variety of colors! We did some all in the pinks and some full-on rainbow. It’s totally up to you! Allow your new mini soaps to completely harden.

Once the soap is hard, use a large knife and cut each color into small shards. Keep them separated in cups or on a tray.

Why is this ombre soap is so crazy satisfying!?!

Fill a small plastic cup 3/4 of the way full with your colored soap pieces. You can mix and match colors, try some tone on tone – have fun with it! Once filled, use another glass bowl to melt down cubes of your opaque soap base and pour over top of your colored soap pieces. Allow these to Harden right in the disposable plastic cups. If you’re impatient like me, you can put them in the fridge to speed up the process a bit.

Once fully cooled, pop your soaps out of the plastic cups. You might need to break the cups a bit – that’s okay! You’ll end up with a soap in the shape of your cup and we want to change that up a bit, so use your kitchen knife to cut at an angle all around the soap until you create a gemstone shape you love!

Don’t they look awesome?!? I love these because not only do they look good, but they’re also really fun to make – it’s a great DIY to get your kids involved with!

Wood Dowel Earrings

Stained wooden dowels from the craft store are the base of these adorable wooden earings that look like they came from a high-end boutique! 

These earrings look awesome (I wore mine on the show!) but are insanely easy to make.

First, choose the length you want to make your earrings (we did about 2.5 inches) and cut the wooden dowel with a utility knife. Next, stain the wooden dowels making sure to get all 4 sides and the top and bottom – we used a walnut color, but you can do whatever you’d like. I think a light almost neutral stain would look awesome or a grey too! Allow the wood to fully dry.

Once dry, use a little painter’s tape to mask off a section at the top or bottom of your earrings to add your paint accent. We used white and black paint and did some with gold gilding paint which I really loved too!

To turn the dowels into earrings all you need to do is add an eyelet screw to one end and attach an earring hook. It’s actually that simple!! We made about 20 pairs of these awesome earrings for under $10! A crafty and classy win in my book!

Tube Bead Necklaces

No one will believe you made these handmade beaded necklaces – the clay and gold combo are gorgeous, but so easy to make that anyone can do it!

This is another easy jewelry project this time using clay. I love the look of this black granite clay that I found at Michael’s. To make beads, just roll the clay into a “snake” shape and cut to the size you want. Using a wooden kitchen skewer, create a hole within the bead where the jewelry chain will go.

After your beads are ready pop them in the toaster or over according to package directions to firm up your clay. Use painter’s tape to mask off half the bead and paint it with gold gilding paint.

Pop it on your chain and you’re good to go!

Clay Keychains

These monogram keychains are the perfect little gift for the travelers in your life!

Roll out your clay to about 1/4 inch thick (if you go too thin your tags will be less durable) Use rubber stamps to personalize with a monogram and use a pen, nail, or wooden skewer to poke a hole large enough for your jump ring to go through.

Bake according to package directions and once cool you can accent your monogram with paint or gold gilding. Use pliers to attach a jump ring onto the tag and then attach that to the keychain. Don’t try and put the keychain directly through the clay tag or it will crack. The jump ring is the best option!

Wood Burnt Cutting Board

A Personalized wood burnt cutting board is the perfect gift for the chef or entertainer in your life. This personalization is an easy way to level up a store bought gift!

The trick to making this project look classy is using your home printer to create a template. If you’re super artsy you can freehand it, but that wouldn’t work for me! Print out your template, trace the back of it with pencil – completely cover the surface. Then, flip it over onto the cutting board and trace the letters – the pencil from the back will give you an outline to trace with the wood burning tool! Easy peasy!

Decorative Baked Good Sacks

Baked goods or recipe kits are always a handmade hit, but this year elevate the style with a cloth sack, faux garnish and customized tag that will give your DIY a high end vibe!

Just add a little extra something to your home baked gifts – ribbon, faux greens and a tag. Done and done!

Herb Garden Markers

The gardener or chef in your life will love these custom, clay garden markers that are perfect for an indoor herb garden! 

Roll your clay into “snakes” and then flatten to a rectangle shape. These work best if they’re at least 1/4 inch thick so they’re nice and durable. Once you have rectangles, use a plastic knife to trim it to size – about 6 inches. Use your knife to taper the bottom end into a point, so it goes into dirt easier.

Once shaped, use metal embossing stamps to add your herb varieties. We went with the main ones – cilantro, rosemary, thyme, parsley etc… but a fun idea is to include plants or seeds with your gift. If you do that just make sure your markers and plant types are coordinated. Once stamped bake your clay according to package directions.

Package them up cute and you’ve got the perfect gift for the gardener in your life!

This is  About Humanity Tote + Candle

Want to give a meaningful gift, but don’t have a ton of time to get crafty? Kelly shared a really meaningful gift idea with me that gives back to those in need. I also love these totes as an idea to deliver all my gifts in this year!

To learn more about this organization and how you can get involved – click here!

Christmas + Tree Decorating + Live TV + Millions of Viewers = One Very Merry Monica! 

During the Today Show I shared some decorating tips and two Christmas tree themes, but I’ve got WAY more than that!  To make it easy for you, I pulled everything together into one free, downloadable PDF.  It’s got 7 tree themes, tons of DIY ideas, and my top tips to get your tree looking awesome this year! Click HERE or on the image below to download it (and friends, it took me 4.3 million hours to get this formatted into a size that’s easy to deliver to your inbox, and to make sure everything works, so even if you download it and read it in 2 seconds, I’ll be eternally glad that the effort was worth it!) 

Right now I’m driving back to Boston to continue Thanksgiving festivities with my family, so that’s all I’ve got for ya today. I’ll post the segment here as soon as I have it! Thanks for watching, supporting this crazy journey, and send me pictures fo your decorated tree! I’d love to see! 

Merry Christmas! 

Monica

If you missed that makeover, you can check it out HERE. – it was a fun one!

I won’t sugar coat it -Painting the exterior of your home is a BIG decision. I always tell homeowners that paint is something you don’t need to stress over or overthink because you can always change it out. Repainting a room would likely take about a day. BUT… the exterior of your home is a whole different story. It’s a commitment for sure, so you want to get it right. I pulled together a little video to share a  couple tips that always help me out!

I am pretty obsessed with the end product of this makeover! I think it’s contemporary yet classic and I’m so glad I went with the pop of pink for the front door! It’s Valspar’s Pink Cashmere – I think it’s nice and soft, but not overly feminine. I love it!

This dark navy is such a complex color – it can look so blue one minute and the next I’m sure it’s black. It’s Valspar’s Chimney Smoke from Lowe’s.  I’m so glad we went bold for the main color!

If you want to check out a more in-depth tutorial on How To Paint The Exterior of a House you can check it out HERE on Lowe’s Youtube channel. It also has all the product details and links, but here are a few of the Purdy tools that REALLY helped on such a huge job!

Power Lock Extension Pole – If you know me AT ALL you know I hate heights, so I used extension poles as much as I could and only climbed ladders when I had to! This one was super sturdy, easy to adjust and let me keep my 2 feet on the ground as much as possible! lol

Roller Cage + White Dove Roller Covers – Not all rollers + cages are created equal. Seriously, try using a crappy roller on a job this big and you will not be a happy camper.  These cages and covers are a MUST HAVE on all my projects- they applied the paint evenly, with awesome coverage and none of the drippy mess from using a bad cage.

XL Glide Brush – This 3 inch brush was our BFF – we hand brush a ton of this house because of the shingles. These are always my go-to brush, but this was the first time I’d used the larger 3″ for the majority of the project.  Worked like a charm!

So those are my takeaways from this huge job. Now who’s ready to paint their house??

What do you think of my color choices? Drop me a comment here or come say Hi on Instagram!

-Monica

*THIS POST WAS IN COLLABORATION WITH PURDY.   ALL OPINIONS AND DESIGNS ARE 100% MY OWN. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE BRANDS THAT HELP MAKE EAST COAST CREATIVE POSSIBLE!

The Studio has been home to me and the East Coast Creative/EC2 Productions team for the past 3 years.  It’s an inspiring and versatile space that has been a HUGE creative asset for our team. We’ve used this space to film, have product shoots, take headshots, build sets, test out project ideas for The Weekender, prep for live TV segments and so much more! I basically think every small biz owner could benefit from using the space, but here are a few uses that came to mind right away…

-All influencers… Spend 1 day a month shooting your social media pics in studio and level up your profile

-Bloggers (DIY, Food, Craft, Mommy) it’s okay to make a mess at the studio – you can shoot step by step process shots and beauties all in one big, open, well-lit space.

-Style Influencers – you provide the fancy clothes we’ll provide the space

-Brand Collabs – take the stress out of paid gigs by using our studio to capture your sponsored photo or video content

-Serviced based creatives – showcase your amazing work with a styled shoot day…hair stylists, makeup artists, lash artists, tattoo artists, masseuses (if you’re a masseuse we should become friends lol I love a good massage!)

-MLM’s gather your team and help them capture your products in action- also get some fabulous new headshots

-Photographers make us your indoor go-to. With equipment, cool furniture, and styling items, our space is the perfect choice for your client shoots.

-Makers/Artisans – Capture your products/handmade goods looking their very best. We provide everything you need to update your online shop (equipment, flat lay options, accessories, backdrops etc)

Ok this list could go on forever, but you get the idea…

Located in the Philly burbs ( hello beautiful Bucks County PA) , The Studio is a 1100 sq ft natural light space with a flexible floor plan that’s able to accommodate a huge range of creative projects. It resides within a cool, old converted cigar factory which adds to the charm. The EC2 team has benefitted so much from the studio and now you can too! We just launched our website  where you can learn more about the space, reserve studio time, and get inspired by the cool ways other creatives have used the space. We’ve got tons of studio equipment, eclectic furniture, and fun props available at no extra charge.  We want to help you and your business be the best it can be!

Follow The Studio at East Coast Creative on Instagram  where we’ll be highlighting amazing artist’s work and sharing exclusive studio promos! Cant’ wait to see what you guys create in our space!

Got questions? Shoot us an email at info@thestudioec2.com

Thanks Guys!

Mon

]]> http://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2019/03/introducing-the-studio-ec2.html/feed 1 http://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2019/02/purdy-up-your-space-living-room-makeover.html http://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2019/02/purdy-up-your-space-living-room-makeover.html#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:53:56 +0000 https://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/?p=14589 Hi Friends!  A few weeks back I was challenged to ‘Purdy Up’ a space with the help of some of my favorite, go-to painting tools. Bet you can guess which ones….You all know I love me some Purdy—I’ve used their products on almost every makeover I’ve ever done.  I always tell people choosing a paint color isn’t the only big decision when it comes to painting; using the right tools for the job can make it or break it as well!  So, my challenge was helping a family of four who wanted to flip their formal dining room and their living room in the historic, 120 year old home they had just purchased. I made a little video of the entire transformation for ya! Check it out ! 

I’ve gotta be honest, this makeover is one of my personal favorites! I love all the different colors, the design risks we took, the traditional rules we broke, and tbh I really miss big weekend room makeovers, so this one day project was a great way to get my creative vibes flowing!

I was so glad Purdy gave me this challenge and I can’t wait for the next one!  You saw a lot of it in the video, but here are some more details on the projects in this awesome, unique space.

Before I could even touch a paint brush, the dining room vibes had to go…The chair rail along the walls at this height screamed dining room so it couldn’t stay in this space.  Since a living room does not have furniture moving around constantly, there’s really no need to protect the walls with trim and I didn’t love the look, so it had to go!

I used Purdy’s 2 Inch Stiff Putty Knife to wedge in between the molding and wall and then lightly hammered down to break the seal.  

Carefully, use a crowbar or screwdriver to pop that chair rail off for good. Sand it down, and use the same putty knife to get to spackling! So much better right?!?

Truth be told, the homeowners were a little skeptical about the next part of the makeover, but the end result won them over fast! Since I was a huge fan of the painted ceiling and loved the current color, I wanted to create an even bigger impact on the room.  By bringing the color down the wall about 21 inches with the help of a level, chalk line and painter’s tape, this high ceiling looks even higher and will be the first thing people notice when walking into the room.

For even more visual interest (and controversy! lol), I went outside the box and even painted the tops of all the window trim within my 21 inch mark. GASP!! She painted molding!  I freaking love the result! 

I taped off 21 inches down the wall, then cut-in along the ceiling, and finally used Purdy’s Ultra Finish roller to fill in the area. I know we all think of Purdy for their awesome brushes, but their rollers and paint trays are next level too! 

I really like their Nest 9” Paint Tray – it’s a little oversized and super easy to work with. 

The empty frame wall art was kind of a wild card project. I wanted a fun contrast from the more ornate, thrifted art I was also putting in the room. It turned out pretty cool and I know the homeowners will get some questions about it, which is kind of cool as they can explain it’s a unique DIY art project and sound a little fancy. Ha!

This project is both high-impact and super simple with only three easy steps. First, trace your frames on a sheet of butcher paper so you know their exact size and tape to the wall for measurements- it’s way easier than working with the actual frames on the wall.  Then, once you have a layout you like, trace your squares right onto the wall.  Outline the squares in painter’s tape and paint them in with three different colors.  

I used Purdy’s XL Glide Brush – I always use an angled brush and these have been my go-to lately. Once your squares are dry dry, add some ornate picture frames for an awesome modern-meets-vintage look!

Throw in the perfect rug, some cool couches, a collection of thrifted accent furniture pieces and lighting and voila! Any signs of the old, outdated dining room have vanished.

Amazing what you can do with a bit of paint, the right tools for the job, and one Saturday afternoon! 

-Mon

*THIS PROJECT WAS IN COLLABORATION WITH PURDY.   ALL OPINIONS AND DESIGNS ARE 100% MY OWN. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE BRANDS THAT HELP MAKE EAST COAST CREATIVE POSSIBLE!

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