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The Bloom Workshop California

January 28, 2015 · Comments { 2 }

Do you remember my Michaela who interned for me a few years ago? Her grandmother always told her to dream big and dream she did. Last year, Michaela and her friend Ashley launched The Bloom Workshop. And not surprisingly it’s been a huge success! The hands-on workshop was designed for creative women who are eager to learn about blogging, social media, photography, interior design and styling. Our goal is to share our knowledge on how each of these topics work together to help take blogs or businesses to the next level. Bloom’s mission is to help fuel women’s creative passions, establish authentic community, and help each attendee feel confident in their small business or blog. With special sessions on the specifics of blogging, social media best practices, design, styling and photography, a styled photo shoot to practice the skills guests just learned, and a Q&A session with a panel of experts this is a great opportunity for all eager to learn, network and hone creative skills.

The Bloom Workshop // Northern California 2015

The Bloom Workshop // San Francisco Bay Area 2015

On April 10, 2015, The Bloom Workshop is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area! It will be held in the beautiful town of Los Gatos (super charming downtown). I’m thrilled to be on the guest panel of experts along with some other talented bloggers and artists in the area!

barn wedding dessert table // bloom workshop

Go here to register and get more information regarding the California workshop – register now to receive 15% off your ticket price by using the code BLOOM15 at checkout!

Not in the San Francisco area? To find a workshop in a city near you, check out the registration page.

Hope to see you there!

Cristin

Read full story By Cristin on January 28, 2015 in blog, craft, Design Tips, discounts, DIY, Entertaining, event planning, flowers, food, Holiday, interior design, Parties, tabletop, Tips/Tricks

#Pledge2Reset at BlogHer 2014: Making Your Living Room a Multi-Functional Space

July 31, 2014 · Comments { 2 }

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of sharing design and cleaning tips with BlogHer 2014 attendees for Pledge® in SC Johnson’s booth. The overall booth (so cute!) represented the general living areas in a home including the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, backyard and living room. My space with Pledge® was the living room. A place we entertain, relax, eat, play and sometimes even catch a nap. Because of it’s multi-function, maintenance is important to ensure it looks its best.

Regardless of your style or living room design, you’ll need a clean space to make it all work. Pledge® brand products can be used on nearly any surface to quickly refresh your furniture and floors. It resets your home and makes it more vibrant and inviting.

Try using the tips below to help reset your living room into a multi-functional space:

GET ORGANIZED! Trays are a secret weapon for bringing color to any surface. Clear or acrylic lets you see everything you’re storing. You can give a tray extra personality by adding a splash of color or wallpaper. Trays are also great to corral all the items in your living area.

USE WHAT YOU HAVE. Design can come from the most unexpected placed, even from the things you already have. Stack your favorite books to make a statement centerpiece or even a creative doorstopper.

MAKE IT PERSONAL. Make a space your own is the name of the game. It’s all the little things that can give a room some life. Frame your kid’s drawings or put up your favorite song lyrics. It’s something completely unique to you and your family and won’t cost a lot.

Pledge® has got you covered to bring your floors back to life. Just a few quick steps, and your floors are reset. Here I am showing how easy it is to clean with Pledge® Squirt and Mop. It was that easy. Really. Best yet, as it cleans, it protects your hardwood and multi-surface flooring. A win-win in my book!

Here’s an image of the whole booth crew including authors and bloggers, Anthony DeBenedet, MD (The Art of Roughhousing) for Shout®, Cheryl Sousan (TidyMom) for Scrubbing Bubbles®, Katie Nathey (Upcycled Treasures) for Glade® and Joanna Hawley (jojotastic) for Ziploc®. We were a happy bunch and had a great time. A big thank you to SC Johnson for including Simplified Bee!

Share how you reset your living room using the tips above on Pledge’s Facebook or tagging @SimplifiedBee on Twitter and Instagram using hashtag #Pledge2Reset.

happy decorating,

cristin

*disclosure: this post was sponsored by Pledge, however all opinions are my own (as always).

**photo credit: 3rd & 4th photos by Jenn Jacobson // all others by Cristin Priest of Simplified Bee

Read full story By Cristin on July 31, 2014 in blog, Design Tips, home accessories, kids' art wall, Organization, organization tips, Organizational tips, simplified bee portfolio, Tips/Tricks

My New Addition Sneak Peek & Cleaning with Pledge®

July 23, 2014 · Comments { 8 }

Doesn’t it feel good to wrap up a project? That’s the way I’m feeling this week as the finishing touches are completed on the new addition in our home. It’s been four months of hammering, debris and dust but, the result was worth all these minor inconveniences. I’m not quite prepared to show you the project in its entirety, but would like to share some sneak peeks of some of the finishes that were selected and on Instagram.

You must have guessed I would select a hexagon pattern for the bathroom floor 🙂 This one is in carrara marble.

The shower will feature a steam shower (Mr. Steam of course) and will soon be my favorite spot in the whole house.

I went round and round with what surface to select for the bathroom vanity, but in the end I selected a charcoal gray quartz. Super durable. Love the contrast it has with the all white vanity too.

The new walk-in closet is another favorite space. It’s in a driftwood gray laminate. It’s really stunning. I’ll go into more detail about this later 🙂

For the bedroom and to coordinate with the rest of the house, we selected white oak floors in a natural stain. New hardwood floors are the best. I’ve layered them with a super soft silvery hide rug.

As I mentioned, all of the dust from the construction has added up. And before we can move all of our furnishings, clothing and personal items into the new space, it needed to be cleaned. You may remember the traditional Pledge in the yellow can? Did you know Pledge® also makes cleaners for floors and other surfaces in your home? The nice folks at Pledge sent me some of their newer products out in my own home to test for myself. Pledge’s Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner was a favorite because it easily removes dust, fingerprints and smudges from a variety of surfaces including wood, marble, chrome, granite, glass and stainless steel. It was the perfect all in one cleaner from counters to windows to shelves.

Attending BlogHer 2014 in San Jose this weekend? If so, please drop by the SC Johnson booth and say hi! I’ll be helping share design and organizing tips in the “living room” where Pledge® is being showcased. Product demos will be going on all day as well and we’d love to send you home with a sample to try in out yourself. In addition there will be some fabulous prizes including five chances to win Pledge® products and a $50 Visa gift. There will also be two chances to win a grand prize; all the must-haves for family game night including a collection of board games OR an XBOX One. The booth will also showcase other SC Johnson products including Ziploc, Shout, Glade and Scrubbing Bubbles. If you can’t make BlogHer, join the conversation on Twitter or Instagram using #Pledge2Reset!

happy decorating,

cristin

*disclosure: this post was sponsored by Pledge, however all opinions are my own (as always).

Read full story By Cristin on July 23, 2014 in Bathroom, bathrooms, blog, interior design, Interiors, simplified bee portfolio

Anniversary Giveaway :: Win a $250 Lamps Plus Gift Card

May 12, 2014 · Comments { 2 }

I’m on the hunt for a beautiful brass table lamp and think I spotted it! The gorgeous matte brass table lamp by Mary McDonald is a winner and I found it at Lamps Plus. In fact, Lamps Plus is one of my first stops when souring lighting fixtures. As the nation’s largest specialty lamp and lighting retailer, I always have a huge selection, variety of styles, and a full range of custom lighting options to choose from. Do you remember the custom Color+Plus Lamp I designed?

I’m thrilled to have Lamps Plus kick-off Simplified Bee Blog’s 5th Anniversary giveaway week with a $250 gift card for a lucky reader. And although,I leaning toward brass light fixtures, it’s totally up to you how you spend your winnings!