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Gearing up for Design Bloggers Conference 2015 #DBCAtl #DBC2015

By megan on February 25, 2015 in Uncategorized

Remember when I went to the Design Bloggers Conference in LA back in 2013? It was so much fun and I made so many wonderful designer friends that I was so bummed to miss out last year. But I’m BACK! And clearly brought the snow and frigid temps with me from Boston…for real. It snowed here this morning. #longestWintahevah I was hoping for some tropical temps in the 40’s but so far no luck! So I came down a day early to take part in Tobi Fairly’s Mastermind and it literally blew my mind! But that’s another post…

Tonight I want to talk about this fun little video I did last spring at High Point Market, and if you are one of the lucky few poeple who actually watched my oscar winning performance, then you’ll know I’m excited about tomorrow’s agenda.

Please do yourself a favor enjoy the rest of this post while listening

to the smooth tunes of Peaches & Herb

So first I’ll be reuniting with my ‘friends’ the Madcap Cottage Boys!

Sorry your eyes are closed John…but the dogs. It’s really all about the dogs. The interweb loves the dogs! Oh, and it’s also about my shoes…in the rain.

Then the afternoon brings a BFF reunion! Seriously, me and Alexa are total BFFs. See, I have it in writing!

And I’m pretty sure she sent this out as her holiday card this year. How adorable are we?

Also, I bought her this. I think she’ll love it!

Source: Zales (nothing but the best for my BFF)

But for real, I’m super excited about all the amazing content starting tomorrow. The Design Bloggers Conference is such an incredible event, I mean really, I’m going to be sitting listening to the editors of Coastal Living Magazine and Coastal Living.com talk about how to pitch the media?!? I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to pitch my MK Coastal products to them for almost three years. Wouldn’t my products look great in their pages? Will tomorrow be my lucky day? Crossies!

* Ok maybe I did cut some people out of those pictures (~~Ron~~ & ~~Gretchen~~) Geez don’t get so mad, you shoulda come to the DBC if you didn’t want to end up on the cutting room floor of my blog.

One Last Holiday Treasure

By megan on January 7, 2014 in DIY, Holiday, Uncategorized

For as long as I’ve had kids, I have been saving the photo cards that we receive every holiday season. Yup, just the photo cards. So if you are thoughtful enough to send out traditional cards…THANKS, but they are recycled (unless it’s super cute and can be used to make a gift tag, but clearly that’s another blog post for another day). I’ve been holding onto these cards every year while I try to figure out what to do with them all, but alas the box just kept getting bigger. Truth be told, by this time of year I’m usually just so sick of all the decorations that have turned into clutter that I am happy to shove them into said box. But last year I didn’t shove them, last year, I created a photo book with these supplies.

Yup, all I used was a book ring, hole punch, gift tag, and some ribbon! I brought last years out this year and so many friends & family members picked it up and flipped through it, they loved the simple idea. Blog guilt kicks in “You shoulda posted about this last year” So, here we are…my Annual Holiday Card Book!

Of course my kids are featured on the front page! It’s so simple really, just a hole punched in the top left corner of the cards & put them on the ring, then I used silver stickers to add the year onto the gift tag and finished it with a pretty bow.I did put a little bit of tape to secure the clasp, cauz I’m crazy like that, but once you slide the ribbon over it, you can’t see it at all. It’s such a simple little keepsake for your family to treasure year after year! Now I just need to go back to do 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011…wanna help?

Protected: For Eddie Ross at BH&G

By megan on November 1, 2013 in Uncategorized

Houzz is in the House

By megan on June 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

So excited to have one of my favorite websites as a guest blogger today, welcome Houzz to Do-Ovah.

Hello everyone! My name is Becky and I’m a contributor at Houzz, a home design site focused on helping design professionals and homeowners manage the remodeling and decorating process. Thanks so much to Megan for having me!

So, I’m here today to talk about kitchen trends. No, not Carrera versus Calcutta marble. Not marmoleum versus bamboo flooring. Not stainless versus enamel. Most of us don’t have kitchens like we see in magazines, the ones that are bigger than my entire first floor. The trend I’m loving is paring down and storing wisely, so you can work with what you’ve got and turn your existing kitchen into your dream kitchen on a budget. This trend includes all of the brilliant and efficient storage solutions currently on the market and what you’ll be able to do with the space they save.

First, relax and imagine a light, airy and uncluttered kitc hen and think about how you and your family will use it. Next, pare down. Pull everything out, cabinet by cabinet, drawer by drawer, and place like items together. Ask yourself some not-so-tough questions: Did you know you had three identical barbeque sets? How many omelet pans do you really need? Do you have to keep five different sets of china or do you want a bright kitchen that feels larger than it really is? Do you want to hang onto that bread maker you got as a wedding gift ten years ago and used once or would you like a window where you can watch your kids play in the backyard? With all of these things in mind, start sorting everything into “keep,” “throw out” and “donate” piles.

Next, head over to Houzz and seek out storage solutions that work for you and the stuff you have left in your “keep” pile (more on how to do this below; I promise it’s easy). If the pile is still too big, watch a few episodes of Clean House and Hoarders. Nothing makes me want to drive a carload of stuff to Goodwill like watching Hoarders!

Contemporary Kitchen

Total Elegance

Here’s an example of how to use Houzz. I entered “kitchen storage” into the search box and then selected “photos.” I can then scroll through the photos, and click on “Add to Ideabook” when I see one I like. I can create as many different ideabooks as I like from there — for example, “Kitchen Storage,” “Ideas to Show Contractor” or “Favorite Backsplashes.” Some people like to get very specific, while others like to make one giant ideabook containing all things kitchen-related.

Fab Tile

Once you’ve pared down your kitchen items and found the smartest and most efficient storage solutions, you’re ready to receive your reward! While our natural instincts tell us to cover every inch of kitchen wall space with cabinets, your hard work means you’ll no longer need to. Instead, you can add art, windows or one of my favorite kitchen trends, extending the backsplash from counter to ceiling.

Another reward for losing the clutter? Replacing bulky and dark upper cabinets with light-colored open shelving.

Open Shelving

This move makes everything look so much larger and brighter. This is a very attainable and inexpensive makeover for any halfway-decent DIYer. If you do choose a layout like this, there are two rules you need to follow:

1.) Play around until you find a pleasing composition of your china, serving pieces and glassware.

2.) Be aware that this will require some extra dusting. Store your stepladder near the kitchen and place pieces you use often on the shelves so that they will be washed regularly. When one little area is clear, take advantage of the opportunity to give the shelf a wipe down there.

I hope I’ve inspired you to find some storage solutions that will make your life easier and your kitchen dreamier!

Find more kitchen storage ideas from Boston kitchen and bath designers and more design professionals at Houzz.

Out From Under the Pin

By megan on March 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

Have you missed me? I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post, and let me tell you why! It has absolutely nothing to do with school vacation week, several new clients, planning both of my boys birthday parties, planning my hubby’s 40th birthday, oh and running the school auction, nope nothing at all to do with that. What is DOES have to do with is my new addiction…

Are you on board with your boards yet? Have you been “invited” (let’s just say that the exclusivity of the invitation is GENIUS, cauz everyone wants to be part of something where they need to be invited…but for real…anyone can get on the Pinterest Who’s Who list!)

OK, let me back up, for those of you who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. Pinterest is the greatest thing since…well…facebook! It’s the incredible universe where everything you’ve ever seen on the interweb and thought, “Oh I’ll totally remember where that was” can be organized all in one place. Seriously, anything and everything! Oh, and you can follow other peoples boards too, so whether it’s your bff, your favorite designer (me) or a celebrity, you can check out their inspiration and pin it to your own.

So maybe it’s a new must have outfit for the summer