Wow.  I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to be part of a HUMONGOUS giveaway with some other fabulous bloggers and I couldn’t say no!  We’ve pooled our together money so YOU can win $750!!!

What would you do with an extra $750?  Take a vacation this summer, go on a huge shopping spree, pay a couple of car payments – the list is pretty much endless!   So good luck, and go enter!

Giveaway runs May 17-June 1, 2013 at 12am HST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Big May Giveaway: $750 Cash! appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CB2 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you guys as addicted to HGTV as I am?  Have you seen the inspiring design show Home by Novogratz?   It stars the talented husband-and-wife design team Robert and Cortney Novogratz, and they have created a new bold and colorful collection for CB2 based on their love for Brazil.  Their style is a vintage modern mix with unique and fun pieces.

CB2 and Novogratz Collection

Here are a few of the items from their CB2 collection:

So fun, right?!

I also really love the Figueira Swing Chair… great for adding a little color to your porch or patio, and reasonably priced.  There is a range of whimsical to sleek decor at various price points, so definitely take a look at the eye candy.  

AND…  They are offering an amazing trip-of-a-lifetime giveaway for you and 3 of your friends to stay at Bob and Cortney Novogratz’s vacation home for one week in beautiful Trancoso, Brazil!  (I warned you that it was an amazing giveaway!)

10 other lucky winners will receive a CB2 gift card worth $100 along with a personally signed copy of the book “Home by Novogratz.”  (Also very cool!)

Enter via http://cb2.com/sweeps between now and June 3rd.

CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Sweepstakes

You can also follow CB2 on their social media channels for more updates on the Brasil trip of a lifetime:

Twitter: @CB2Tweets  //  Pinterest: CB2  //  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cb2

Good luck!

Jen

The post Amazing CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Giveaway! #CB2NovogratzBrasilSweepstakes appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

Today I’m very excited to be co-hosting Let’s Connect Thursday, a social media link party.  I want to thank the six hostesses for letting me join and be part of the fun, and I can’t wait to meet some new friends on Twitter!

Jen

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Blog conferences are a great way to meet people. In fact, I met 5 other ladies at a recent one {Snap, holla!} that I’ve partnered with to bring you THE social media link party to at: Let’s Connect Thursday. Six different hosts means there are 6 sets of readers linking up. Greater exposure and a lot more link ups!

Meet the Hosts!

The Craft Nest //Designed Decor //Swish Printables //Creative Juice // Just Us Four //La Belle Parties

To add to the fun, we have a featured co-host. This week, the co-host is:

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Girl in the Garage

Each week, weíll have a new social media platform as the main theme of our link party.

This week, weíre linking up our Twitter pages!

Iím sure you already know that Twitter is fast becoming a primary way many readers connect with blogs!

So, growing your Twitter following = growing your blog following!

Join the twitter party and link up your Twitter page {NOT your blog homepage or a post link, please}

Your link will automatically appear on all 6 blogs!

Remember: Follow your Hosts and visit the others!

** The BEST way to grow is to spread the love.**

You will automatically be entered into our email reminder list by entering a link. You can remove yourself from the list at anytime.

The post Co-Hosting “Let’s Connect Thursday” appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

When I go to thrift stores or yard sales, one thing I always have a soft spot for is chairs – especially if they’re old.  Chairs are not only functional for seating, but they can be a great accent piece to your decor.  It doesn’t matter what it looks like when you buy it, because you have the ability with paint and fabric to transform it into the perfect piece for any room.  Here are 8 seating projects (including a few of my own) to inspire you to buy that thrift store chair the next time you see one (at a great bargain!) and then DIY it to fit your personal style.

Click on the links or the photos below to be taken directly to that specific project’s post.

1.  Berry Blush Chair by Girl in the Garage

2.  Vintage Chair Makeover by Three Mango Seeds

3.  Bright Coral Bench by Restoration Redoux

4.  A Tale of Two Folding Chairs by Girl in the Garage

5.  Reupholstered Cube Ottomans by Lilacs & Longhorns

6.  Vintage Gray Distressed Chair by Restoration Redoux

7.  Painted French Country Chair with Stenciled Drop Cloth Fabric by Plum Doodles

8.  Painted Bench by Storywood Designs

I’m so inspired by all of these seating makeovers – I can’t wait to makeover a few more chairs that are waiting in my garage!

Jen

The post 8 DIY Seating Makeovers appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

With Mother’s Day barely behind us, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on being a mom.  I’ve previously shared some of my heart with you about my first year as a stay-at-home-mom.  I have four years of experience in motherhood now and I’m still learning how to handle tantrums, set a good example, and offer the right amount of encouragement and assistance to my boys without spoiling them.  Being a mom (or even a dad) is a constant learning process.  No parent is perfect, and no child is perfect either!

1.  Seek advice

If you have a difficult situation, ask family or friends how they’ve handled similar situations.  Form a support group of parents; I belong to a Facebook group for mothers who ask each other parenting questions.  You could also join a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) chapter or similar group.

2.  Take breaks

As much as I love my kids, sometimes I need a break from them.  Getting a sitter and going on a date with my husband or going out for a pedicure can be relaxing and refreshing.  We also took a mini-vacation in March and went to Jamaica for 4 days while the boys stayed with their grandparents; it was difficult and emotional for us to leave them, but it was nice for mommy and daddy to have some relaxing alone time.

3.  Don’t sweat the small stuff

You’ve heard this phrase before.  Sometimes I find myself getting upset over simple things – a messy playroom right after I’ve cleaned it, some cracker crumbs on the floor from a messy eater, or blue yogurt dripped on a clean white shirt.  Sure I’d like to have a clean house and clean boys 24/7, but that’s absolutely unrealistic with a 3- and 4-year-old.  I’m teaching the boys to clean up their toys after they’re done playing and also to be careful when they’re eating.  Again, it’s all a process and eventually the boys will do these tasks without me having to remind them.

4.  Patience

Even though my kids are still young, I realize that many of the things we’re teaching them won’t surface until later in their lives.  Honesty, integrity, forgiveness, hard work, patience, good communication, and unconditional love are being planted in their subconscious so when they’re growing older and they face certain situations, they’ll remember those examples from when they were young and hopefully be responsible functioning members of society.

5.  Enjoy the moments

Kids grow so quickly, so try to be “in the moment.”  This is an especially important one for me.  I quit my job a year ago to stay home with the boys, and then I started blogging about five months later.  Blogging takes a lot of hard work and dedication if you want to grow and have some success, so I have to try to manage my time so I’m still giving the boys all the attention they deserve.  While I love doing projects and blogging, my kids will always come first in my life.  That’s why you don’t see me posting every day of the week; I have to balance my time and right now 2-3 posts per week is manageable for me without sacrificing family time.

I’m so thankful to be a mommy to my two sweet boys, and to have a wonderful example in my own loving mother (above).  

(And there are many more amazing moms in my life, including my sister, my mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law.)

I hope you all had a beautiful and memorable Mother’s Day!  

Jen

Miss any of my recent posts?  Catch up here:  

Blackened Mirror

17 Repurposed Crate Ideas  

**You have through tonight, Monday, May 13, to vote for me to be a contestant in the One Crafty Contest!  Click HERE, then scroll down to #37 The Handsome Hutch and click on the word Vote above the picture.  Thanks so much!  

The post Thoughts on Being a Mom appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

My garage is currently filled with several partially completed “big” furniture projects.  Big = many of them have broken or damaged parts and need extra time and TLC to make them functional and pretty again.  I work on them a little each day but sometimes I’ll take a break and try to get a quick project done in the meantime.

You’ve probably seen mirrors like these many times at Goodwill and passed them over without too much of a second glance.  The bright gold frame doesn’t exactly scream “current and stylish decor.”

So I used black paint to give it a more modern vibe, but I left some of the gold peeking through to give it a hint of an aged appearance.  Modern/aged – makes perfect sense together, right?     It may sound strange but I think it turned out pretty well.

I think it looks great with my upcycled crate table.

 Even a quick makeover can make a huge impact on your home decor!

And maybe the next time you see one of these mirrors at Goodwill, you’ll imagine the possibilities…

Jen

Miss any of my recent posts?  Catch up here:

17 Repurposed Crate Ideas

Berry Blush Chair Makeover

Similar post:  Makeover for an Awkward Entryway (with mirror makeover)

The post Blackened Mirror appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

This week I have the exciting honor of sharing my Repurposed Crate Ideas clipboard from Hometalk. What is Hometalk, you ask?  It is a community of homeowners, renters, and home improvement pros who enjoy sharing ideas and advice about home and gardening.  On Hometalk, you can ask and answer questions about home and gardening, share and view helpful and inspiring photos, and search and browse through thousands of previous discussions.  You can also create virtual clipboards to keep track of topics and projects that you’re interested in like DIY, Backyard Escapes, and Before & After, to name a few.  Hometalk.com exists for one simple reason: to make home improvement better and easier for you.

**Click on any of the photos in this post to be taken directly to the corresponding project on Hometalk.**

1.  This one may look familiar to you; it’s my Upcycled Farmhouse Crate Table.

2.  Planters made from old shipping crates by Chipping With Charm.

3.  Craft Supply Storage by First Home Love Life.

4.  Vintage Wine Crate Coffee Table by DIY Vintage Chic.

5.  Shipping Crate Work Bench by Love Sissy.

6.  Vintage Coca-Cola Crate Turned Dog Bowl Holder by Sew Woodsy.

7.  Old Wine Crates Upcycled to Rolling Storage by theDIYvillage.

8.  Footstool Using an Old Soda Crate by Cottage 4C.

9.  Crate Toiletry Cabinet by Gypsy Barn.

10.  Rolling Milk Crate Storage by Twelve Oaks Manor.

11.  Chicken Crate Coffee Table by The Ironstone Nest.

12.  Wine Crate Storage by Sand & Sisal.

13.  Driftwood Crate by Homeroad.

 14.  Vintage Coca-Cola crate turned succulent holder by Hometalk member Linda.

15.  Milk Crate Herb Garden by Cottage in the Oaks.

16.  Toilet Paper Storage Crate by Funky Junk Interiors.

17.  Vintage Crate and Wire Basket Shelves by A Sort of Fairytale.

I hope that by viewing these awesome projects you’re feeling inspired to do some repurposing.

Also – go check out Hometalk and join this amazing community for endless home and garden inspiration!

Jen

Miss any of my recent posts?  Catch up here:

Weekend Recap

Berry Blush Chair Makeover

Victorian Cottage Decor

The post 17 Repurposed Crate Ideas from Hometalk appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

It was one of those weekends…  Nothing too fantastic or horrible happened, but both of my boys (and I) had colds all weekend.  They had it worse than I did, but it was difficult to work on any projects when I kept having to wipe runny noses and refill juice cups for sore throats.  (The kids always come first!)  So in lieu of a regular Monday project post, here are a few things that I was able to get done this weekend:

1.  I stopped by a yard sale (hooray for nice weather and the return of yard sales!) and picked up this vintage buffet/side table.  It has a few scratches so it will need some sanding, and I haven’t decided what color to paint it yet, but I have a few other things to finish before I’ll start on this anyway.  I really like how the sides fold up for more table space.

2.  I made a couple rings from a pair of vintage clip-on earrings like I did in this post.  I think they look like sunny little yellow flowers… or a bunch of bananas.     I just love making new things out of old things!

3.  I finally designed and ordered business cards for my blog.  (Woohoo!)  Now I’ll actually have something to hand out when I’m meeting new contacts or clients.  I should receive them in a week or two and I’ll be sure to show you guys when I get them!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Jen

Miss any of my recent posts?  Catch up here:

Berry Blush Chair Makeover

Giveaway for Dolly Outfitters

Victorian Cottage Decor

The post Weekend Recap appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

Last weekend, you may remember that we went to visit my in-laws (I shared some photos of my mother-in-law’s Victorian cottage decor here).  Besides hanging out with the family, I made time for a little shopping.  Yes I’m guilty of visiting a few of my favorite retail stores that we don’t have by my house (Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters) – but I also discovered a Goodwill Outlet and had to see what it was about.  Honestly it was pretty much one big mess of stuff inside (it was not at all organized like a regular Goodwill store) – but I did make my way through just enough of it to find this chair.  Thankfully it wasn’t damaged in any way and was just missing a few “buttons” to cover the screws on the seat.

I knew some paint would really revive this chair, and I looked through my stash to see what I already had from sale items and freebies that I got at Lowe’s.  I’ve really been trying to be more bold with my color choices, so I took a chance and picked Berry Blush and Soft Silk.  At first I thought about painting the whole thing berry and then dry-brushing the white on top of it, but I knew that would give it a softer look and I was going for BOLD.  (Not neon-green-with-purple-polka-dots bold, but something a few steps up from my usual color choices!)

So I decided to paint some sections berry and some white.

I bought more buttons at Lowe’s and also painted them white.  After everything was finished, I protected it with a few coats of polyurethane.

And voila!  What do you think of this berry chair – is it love at first bite?

 I love the way the bright white *pops* against the berry blush!

It looks great on the porch… or in an entry way… or even in a little girl’s room!

Jen

Miss any of my recent posts?  Catch up here:

Victorian Cottage Home Decor

The Metallic Cube

Upcycled Farmhouse Crate Table

 This project was featured at these fabulous parties:

The post Berry Blush Chair Makeover appeared first on Girl in the Garage.

Happy Thursday!  With the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I’ve been busy working on a few projects this week – one of which I’m really excited to share with you tomorrow.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this giveaway!

When I was a little girl I loved dolls and all types of stuffed animals, but especially my teddy bear.  He comforted me when I was sick, consoled me when I was sad, and was my best stuffed friend.  I wanted to bring him everywhere with me.  How convenient it would’ve been to put him in a carrier and just GO – without having to carry him in my little arms, and possibly drop him on the ground outside (as little kids often do)!

I’ve joined with a few other great bloggers to offer a giveaway sponsored by Dolly Outfitters.  The winner of this giveaway can choose between a doll carrier for the young lady (or little man) in their life, or quilted handbag.  Doll carriers come in several patterns and can be personalized with your child’s name.  They even have a Football Star Carrier for little boys who want to bring their BFF with them – I know it would be perfect for the stuffed dog my son brings everywhere, which is too big to fit inside his current backpack!

If you don’t have a young doll lover in your life, you can choose a quilted handbag instead!

Check out all of Lori’s high-quality bags and doll carriers at Dolly Outfitters, and read the doll carrier review at Happy Hour Projects here! You can also use coupon code HAPPYHOUR to get free personalized embroidery on any doll carrier you order from Dolly Outfitters.

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!  The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and runs from May 2nd – May 10th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Jen

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