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Making progress with paint

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I couldn't be more excited, more thrilled, more inspired, or more motivated than I am right now! I know you guys must be so sick of hearing about Hurricane Sandy, well I promise that I'm more sick of how thoroughly she has left her mark on nearly every aspect of our world. And being able to say 'screw you Sandy'...feels really good! And with every smidge we move forward that's exactly what we get to say. Granted, we're moving a smidge at a time...but smidges add up! 




This weekend Aaron finished up the last bit of tiling in the studio (the back corner of the closet...which no one will see...and you consider maybe skipping it...but then you feel like a slacker and you know you just have to do it.) Anyway, with the floor all done it was time to get some paint on the walls and ceiling. We went over to our local Benjamin Moore location...which is called Painters Express. It's in neighboring Middletown, NJ. We seriously cannot say enough good things about those folks over there! That place is run by a swift team of friendly, super duper helpful guys and gals who actually ask the who, what, where and why about your painting project. And we are talking about Benjamin Moore paint here. We've been painting furniture, faux finishes, and murals on walls in homes all over NJ and NY for over 18 yrs. We could probably build a small home with all of the paint cans we've gone through. So, like I was saying...if you think all paints are crated equal then just try Benjamin Moore once and it'll be your favorite. It's ours across the board!
And I was so excited to appear on their blog...a feature called Color Chats. What's crazy is that the interview and photo shoot took place on the eve of Hurricane Sandy...we lost power minutes after I emailed the last bit of info!
Since we'll be doing lots of painting over the next few months...from walls to ceilings to trim, and even some fab furniture projects, we figured we'd share the process with you guys! So stay tuned for all sorts of fun ideas, tips, tricks, and tutorials, along with our paint color choices!



This here is Bill! You want a guy like this at your local shop...who you can give your measurements, tell him what kind of decorative stuff you're doing, like maybe stripes or scallops...and he can steer you toward the best paints for the job and the proper amounts.


We were sooo psyched to come home and get to work! We are starting with the studio and then it is on to the living room! Seriously, over the years, besides doing it for work when doing decorative finishes or murals, we have painted the walls in our own home A LOT. And it feels really good to be at this stage. When I see fresh paint I see progress...my mood brightens and I'm off to the races looking for the perfect decor to make it all work.


Here's Aaron rolling rolling rolling!  :)  And yep...that is indeed a Painters Express shirt! HA! We really like to root for the home team.

So yep...pretty darn excited over here! And things are really moving quickly! hooray! We have some trim to buy and install...and then paint. And some holes to patch and paint. But, I think we should be moving in to the studio within the next week! I have paper mache rabbits and doll heads just aching to take their places of honor on the shelves we've yet to install.

Hope you guys had a great weekend! 
Thanks bunches for visiting us today! It's always so so great to hear from you guys!
xo Jenny...and Aaron!





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Watermelon Cooler

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Watermelon just screams summer.

It's sweet, juicy and refreshing
- the perfect answer to a hot summer's day!
It's a total winner sliced up and eaten fresh.
It's also great way to cool down crushed up into an icy granita or
made up into a thirst quenching watermelon cooler.

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7a, 7b, 8

Check out Coastal Style on tumblr and Pinterest

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Guest Blog Post from Zara Blake: 7 Must-Have Winter Fruits and Vegetables

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This Guest post is contributed by Zara Blake, a nutritionist blogger from UK. With her background in nutrition and finance, she has written many articles on health, wellness and finance.  At present she is focusing on ppi claims.

In winter season, you find lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the market. They are rich in vitamins and nutrients that help in increasing immunity. To stay healthy and fit, it is always necessary to have a balanced diet. Fill your plate with the fruits and vegetables rich in all kinds of vitamins and fibre.

Here are 7 must-have winter fruits and vegetables:

Fruits:

·         Grapes: - This fruit is rich in vitamin C, B6, magnesium, pantothenic acid, thiamine and potassium. You can eat it or can make a milkshake or add it to any kind of salads. You could even make jams and spread the same on bread, instead of cheese or butter.

·         Pomegranate: -Pomegranate contains vitamins B and C, and moderate amounts of fibre, as well as healthy fats, protein, and potassium found in the seeds. One fruit contains around 105 calories and is low in sodium. The interior of the fruit is filled with the seeds called arils. The name comes from two French words, “prome” and “granate” means literally “apple with many seeds”. Recipes like Mizuna (Japanese Mustard Greens), melon and pomegranate salad, and celery, bulgur, and pomegranate salad would take a minimal time to prepare and tastes good too.

·         Kiwi: -This fruit is rich in vitamins like K, E and C, copper and magnesium and folate, which is a mix of many in one. It has to be peeled and can be served directly or a fruit punch any time. 
      *Kelly specifically recommends kiwis to many of her clients because one medium kiwi contains less than 50 calories and more than 100% of your daily value of Vitamin C.

·         Avocado: -Along with being rich in healthy fats, vitamins C and K, folate is also present in this fruit. Spread it like a guacamole on the sandwich, instead of mayonnaise, even add to salads. It can be served by cutting it into two halves and adding lemon, kosher salt, olive oil and pepper to give a great taste.

·         Kushus, Oranges, Clementine, and Tangerines: -These are the varieties of Oranges available in the market mostly in winter season. . These fruits are rich in vitamins A, E and C. Apart from these; they even contain potassium, copper and niacin. They look like normal oranges from outside. These are found in North America in the month of November till March.
* Kelly recommends blood oranges because they are also rich in an antioxidant called anthocyanin due to their dark purple color and are available currently in specialty produce stores like Gentiles Market.

Vegetables:

·         Broccoli: - Broccoli is rich in potassium, magnesium and contains vitamins K, C and A. If you are dieting, the best way to take it is to make a wonderful soup and serve it hot. Here is a recipe I recommend:
                 Ingredients :
o   1 garlic clove- sliced,
o   1 onion – sliced,
o   1 celery stalk- chopped,
o   2 cans of chicken broth
o   broccoli- 4cups,
o   3 teaspoons butter
o   3 tablespoons of flour 
o   2 cups of fat free or low-fat milk
o   pepper,
o   ½ cup of reduced-fat cheese
                 Procedure:
Heat the pan and add butter, onion, garlic, celery until it turns little brown and then add broccoli, chicken soup and simmer it for 10 mins. Later, blend the soup and stir it with flour, milk until it turns thick and foamy. Add cheese until it gets melted. Serve it hot garnishing with pepper.
·     
       Sweet potatoes: - Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, A and C, iron, phosphorous and fiber. View Kelly’s blog post on sweet potatoes for more information: http://kellyspantry.blogspot.com/2010/12/sweet-potatoes.html 

This post was quickly edited by Kelly, but left in tact for European spellings for authenticity ;-)
For questions or to get in touch with Zara, email her at: zara.blake22@gmail.com




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