Spice Up Your Breakfast Nook

A great place to begin your day is in one of our beautiful breakfast nooks.  Many of our models come standard with breakfast nooks designed just for you. If you want to see what I'm talking about, check out the photos in our Focus on Spring Arbor series highlighting the Dalton and the Wyatt.

Our new models at Champions' Club are also good places to find breakfast nooks to suit your lifestyle! You can check them out in our Focus on Champions' Club series highlighting the Kipling and the Doral.

Looking for some ideas to personalize your breakfast nook at home? Check out this article from Houzz here and get your breakfast nook juices flowing!

Check out all our models we have to offer on our website, at www.mckeebuilders.com

Painting Without the Hassle

Sherwin Williams's Color Snap application is a great way to decide how to paint your new McKee Builders home. You can take a photo of a room and paint it virtually, you can take a photo of an item or scene and see what color scheme the app suggests, and you can browse the extensive variety of paint colors they have to offer.

This app is a great way to paint your home exactly the way you want it the first time, without dealing with swatches or accidentally using a color you don't like.

Check it out today and start loving your home right away!

Lighting, Part 2

Champion's Club and the Ranch Homes at Spring Arbor feature Progress Lighting. These fixtures are energy efficient, beautiful and classic.

For those interested in adding more personalization, Progress offers some beautiful options in every style imaginable. Here are a few of my favorites (I picked only those that were reasonably priced):

I think that these all have a very updated, transitional look, without being trendy. They would complement any style of decor and furnishings and look like they came right out of a high-end retail store. Ask us for more information!

Houzz

Hello Again!

One of my most favorite new websites is Houzz. Houzz is "a collaborative platform for home remodeling and design, bringing homeowners and home professionals together
in a uniquely visual community." I use the site in so many ways that it really has become a help and an inspiration both professionally and personally.

Here are some examples of how I use the site.

1) Picking a paint color

My husband and I remodeled a bathroom and a laundry room this summer. He requested a yellow for the laundry room and I wanted a light blue for the bathroom.

So I start off by googling things like "best bathroom paint colors" and "best yellow paint colors." Oftentimes, Houzz will have the perfect article like, How To Pick the Right Yellow. Once I find a color or two that I really like I use the search function in Houzz (Pinterest is good for this as well) to search for room samples. For example, I chose Sea Salt for the bathroom and Houzz gave me an excellent idea of what it would look like (except that most of these bathrooms are HUGE and mine is not). It was incredibly useful and saved me from a lot of wasted time and money from indecision.

2) Furniture Choices

My four year old is ready for a "big girl" room. I searched for kids rooms, mint green (her color of choice) and white furniture and got some great direction on where to go for furniture shopping and paint colors.

3) Remodeling

Houzz was essential when I remodeled by bathrooms. I set up an Idea Book and then shared it with the tile company. When I went for my first meeting, my consultant knew my style and had already pulled some samples of what she thought I might like to see! It made a very stressful situation much much easier. Times two bathrooms by the hundreds of decisions that our homeowners make when they build a McKee home and you can understand why it sometimes takes several visits and lots of snack breaks when they meet with our design consultants. Houzz can help you get organized, find your style and settle some awkward interactions with significant others BEFORE you get too STRESSED.

I also will use Houzz sometimes just because I am bored and want to look at nice things! -Jenni

The Harrison

A sneak peek of the newly decorated model of the all new floorplan, The Harrison.

Bargain Shopping with Neighbors

Hello All! Last night I had a wonderful group trip to BJ's with my neighbors and it was SO fun and SO productive that I thought that I would share it with my blog followers. This would work for BJ's, Costco, etc.

First, gather 1 to 3 friends who like to bargain shop! Buy a membership under one person's name. Collect and split up the coupons (they will come to the member's house in the mail). Once a month take the biggest car you can find and go shopping! The great thing about going with friends is that you can split the membership but you can also split up your goodies! You really don't need 68 ounces of peanut butter and 42 AA batteries, BUT you could use 16 ounces of peanut butter and 21 AA batteries!

What's close to you:

Foxfield, Champions Club, Spring Arbor, Brandywine and Cecil Woods share the same Costco located in Christiana at 900 Center Blvd, Newark, DE.

Check out the below for info about BJ's.
FOXFIELD
BJ's
1260 E Woodland Ave.
Springfield, PA

BRANDYWINE
BJ's
2131 Kirkwood Highway
Wilmington, DE

SPRING ARBOR
BJ's
100 Penceder Plaza
Newark, DE

CHAMPIONS
BJ's
26676 Centerview Dr
Millsboro, DE

CECIL WOODS
BJ's
100 Penceder Plaza
Newark, DE

BUCKINGHAM SPRINGS
&
NESHAMINY FALLS
BJ's
200 Easton Rd
Warrington, PA

Stay tuned for a blog post about some things that I like for summer at BJ's. Happy Shopping!

More Target Shopping

It has been a while since I obsessed over the deals at Target, so here it goes!

These chairs are so, so great. I don't even know what to say. I love them. One of these in a master or guest bedroom or a couple in a living room, loft or office could be just that splash of color, fun, modernity, newness that you have been looking for. I cannot pick my favorite, but I would love one in my guest room/office. At $299, they aren't cheap, but they are certainly a good price.

Check them out here.

Do It Yourself Projects

In a make-believe world, I am very crafty. In reality, I am not very crafty, however, I can manage to pull off something very crafty every once in a while.

For example, I recently got a puppy. I made her a superlong fleece tug of war toy. She is no longer that interested in it but when guests come over I pull it out as if it were her favorite toy and proudly declare, "I made that."

For those of you that pretend you are crafty (like me) and those if you who are actually crafty, here is a nifty website for you to dream about.

http://www.diyideas.com/

Foxfield decor

For those of you building your fox collections at Foxfield, check out Horse and Hound. I particularly like the following, all from Horse and Hound, a needlepoint pillow, letter holder, stained glass artwork and coktail napkins.

Grandchildren in New House

It occurs to me that the first time your grandchildren/nieces/nephews visit your new home, you are thrilled, but also possibly anxious about your freshly painted walls!

Consider this Melissa and Doug easel from Olliebollen on sale for $29.95. It looks sturdy, cute and will keep the crayons off of your walls.