This post is in partnership with Chamberlain

One of the first projects that we did when we bought the Merc, even before renovations began, was updating the detached garage.

If you’ve ever wondered if pinky beige and forest green look great together, let me just permanently sear this image into your mind.

Sorry not sorry.

We attacked it with all of the love and Mandi White paint we could get our hands on and it turned out SIGNIFICANTLY better. To this day, every time my father in law comes over he asks if we’re sure we didnt replace the garage doors because he cant believe how much better they look. (You can see more of the process here)

So even though the outside was spruced up and looking fly (yes, I just said that, I’m also embarrassed for myself) the inside was rough. We’re talking raw cinderblock, wires, and 2 of these ancient relic garage door openers.

That we of course didnt have remotes for. In fact, I dont even know if they made remotes. I’m pretty sure that the way you opened them remotely was to throw a rock at a dinosaur that then started walking in a circle around a huge wooden gear-Flintstones style.

Do you think I’m joking? The garage doors didnt even lock! We had to use a metal rod that Court stole off of one of my hoards to keep them secure. #primitive

When Chamberlain reached out about installing one of their new Chamberlain B1381 Corner to Corner Lighting LED Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener, the thought of being able to park in the garage brought tears to my eyes! All of you Southwest-ites can attest to the indescribable pain of trying to drive with a steering wheel that will take your fingerprints off because it’s so hot. We also (obviously) use the garage as our workshop so functional doors and new lighting is just helpful all around.

The Biggest Difference: Lighting

Just for funsies, look at the difference between the lighting with our old opener and the new Chamberlain. (I know it’s a different spot, Court very enthusiastically took down one of the old openers when I told him we were getting a new one before I could get a proper before and after. I’m pretty sure that means I get an automatic fail on my blogger card.)

This is our old one. I SWEAR on my whole life that this is not one of those magic photoshopped pictures.

It is the exact same conditions in both pictures.

I’m not entirely convinced that if I pulled into the garage with the old light on that I would be able to make out if there was someone there trying to steal all of our wood scraps! I’m also not entirely convinced that it wouldn’t spark and catch the whole dang place on fire. It’s like the Cave of Wonders in there!!

BUT LOOK AT THIS MAGIC!

With the new Chamberlain LED opener, we could go into full on project mode at 2 am! Get excited neighbors!! Most garage lights use standard bulbs that put out between 450-1100 lumens depending on the wattage (lumens is the way that the amount of light output is measured. The higher the number the brighter the light.)

In comparison Chamberlain’s built-in Corner to Corner lighting system puts out a whopping 3,100 lumens-0evenly distributing daylight-like lighting to fill the entire garage! The diodes are also extremely long lasting, so you’ll likely never have to replace them!

Smart Home Tech Standard

We LOVE smart home tech at the Merc, and this garage door opener is no exception. It has a built in Wi-Fi powered by myQ technology that allows you to open and close your garage door from anywhere. Great if you’re like us and always lending out tools.

Other smart home features:

• Receive real-time alerts when your garage door opens and close. Know when the kids are home from school, when your husband is hiding from the family, or when your teenager tries to sneak the car out.
• Set daily schedules for the garage door to close. I love the idea of having it automatically close every evening at sundown. Just to be sure that everything is locked up tight. How many times have you walked outside in the morning to find that when your kids parked their bikes they didnt close the garage door?
• Customize how your myQ-connected garage door opener and lights interact with your other favorite smart devices and home automation platforms. Get enhanced features such as voice control, location-based closing or being able to control myQ via a partner app.
• Chamberlain Group and Amazon recently teamed up to offer In-Garage Delivery in 37 cities. I’ve never wanted to live in a large city more.

Aside from its smart home capabilities, we’ll also enjoy the convenience of a built-in battery backup system that enables our opener to work during power outages, so we can still get in and out in case of emergency.

Install was easy and almost entirely a one man job, as evidenced below. When Court started pulling all of the parts out of the box he said “Welp, this is going to be an instruction reading project” and we all know how he feels about following instructions. But it was super easy to follow and he had it done in about an hour.

If you are sick of living in the dark ages of garage doors (hahaha get it!??) you have got to check out Chamberlain’s LED garage door opener with Corner to Corner lighting. You can find where they are available in your area and online by checking out their website here!

And just because I cant believe it myself, let’s have another before and after…

Don’t you just want to break into the chorus of “You light up my life”? I think we’ll need to get Court on that. Learn where to get your own here!

The post Revealing Our Cave of Wonders with Chamberlain appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

OH MY GOSH we’re so close to moving into the Merc you guys! Hopefully this weekend!!

Something that I stupidly didn’t realize until we found ourselves in this renovation business is the heavy duty cleaning that has to happen before you can move in. I mean you think that everything is new, all the paint is fresh, the tile is new, tubs have never been bathed in, so all you should have to do is wipe stuff down and call it a day, right?

W-R-O-N-G-O Mandito, that is not real-ito. I’ve learned some pretty great hacks, so let’s dive into it!!

First and foremost, when you’re cleaning your renovation, make sure that the water is turned on, cause mine wasn’t and hose water is cold and usually a trek from where you’re working. Second thing, you need to get yourself a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with Durafoam.

I usually get mine at Home Depot because #lifer but you can get them everywhere! They are so featherweight and durable and have a diamond pattern that makes them even more powerfully scrubbable. Want to see how we used it?

DIYers, specifically those that tile, get ready to have your life changed. If you’ve ever used epoxy grout you are going to nod in recognition at this.

The haze. It’s there, and the only way that we’ve found to get it off is with De-hazer or Lacquer Thinner. Neither of which I’m particularly happy about rubbing all over the walls in my house. But guess what else takes the dreaded haze off?!

MAGIC ERASERS. No chemicals, no masks, no getting a little loopy from the fumes. Just a little water and the Mr. Clean magic.

Wild right?!

So many of you are concerned for our raw floors. (If you’re new, we’re using raw maple on our floors and leaving it raw, mostly because I want to see what happens with it.) People have lots and lots of feelings about how we’re going to clean them. I think I’ve figured it out!! Want to see?!

This spot on the floor is pretty high traffic (coming out of Ivie’s bathroom) and has had drywall, concrete dust, and dirt ground into it. You can see how it’s hanging out really heavy in the grain in the center of the photo. It seems to congregate wherever there is a lot of pattern and directional movement in the grain. I’ve swept it on multiple occasions and this stuff just doesn’t come out with a broom.

A little wipe down with my Magic Eraser and check this out:

When it was dried it looked brand new!! It’s such a small amount of water and cleans it so well!

All of that dirt in just this little section?! Grosssssss!!

Did you know that you can use Magic Erasers on glass to clean off stuff like hard water (thank you Southern Utah). Ivie’s new mirror had packing tape residue and it came right off!

And then there are the walls. We all know and love Magic Erasers and their voodoo powers on wall crap, but man alive I couldn’t believe how easily it took off greasy contractor hand prints and marks on my freshly painted walls.

So to recap. Magic Erasers are actually magic. Try the new one with Durafoam and you will love them even more than you already do. Pinky promise.

A post shared by Mandi Gubler | Fearless DIYer (@vintagerevivals) on Mar 20, 2018 at 7:32pm PDT

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The post Cleaning Up Our Construction Mess So WE CAN MOVE INTO THE MERC!!!! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

What’s up you guys! I know we’ve been talking about stucco a lot because of the Merc reno, but sometimes stucco just isn’t the right material for the job. Depending on where you live + the style youre going for, stucco might be a hard no ??‍??.

Today I’ve partnered up with James Hardie® to talk all about James Hardie® siding. If you’ve dipped a toe into the world of homes, chances are really high that you’ve heard of James Hardie products. They make everything out of fiber cement, so think backerboards for your tile job, siding and trim for the exterior, including shingles. James Hardie is the leader in the industry and rightfully so, can you believe they are on over 8 million homes? Dang.

Lets start with the first and most obvious decision when it comes to everything in your life, but especially the exterior of your house, color! Are you itching for the perfect white modern farmhouse? Something bold and traditional? How about something modern? James Hardie has carefully curated colors to fit every style. One thing that I LOVE is that on their photo showcase they have hundreds of pictures of real life houses so you can see what the colors actually look like! Soooo I thought it would be fun to show you 3 of my favorite colors, you might be surprised at my choices!!

Ok first up is Arctic White, As we’re learning with the Merc, a white exterior is more maintenance but is just about the most stunning statement you can make.

Love this Arctic White lap siding and red brick! Don’t you just want to snuggle up on one of those chairs and read a book?

When we were planning on building our new house (before we found the Merc, you can read about it here) our plan was to use ultra dark siding on the exterior, I’d even ordered a sample of Iron Gray. The only thing that I was going to do differently was use black trim instead of white. Either way you can’t go wrong!

I also love the dark planks on this modern house. What a cool mix of materials! Isn’t it interesting that changing the trim from white (in the above pic) to black completely changes the vibe?

The last color on my list might come as a surprise but I’m feeling the obsession with green grow stronger by the day! Friends meet Mountain Sage. I’m kind of obsessed with it.

Isn’t it the perfect dusty green? There is a house in St. George with it and every time I drive by it I think “MAN that is a great color.”

Here’s the thing, as important as the color is, the durability and longevity of not only the color, but the entire product is so much more important. James Hardie’s ColorPlus® Technology colors are baked onto the boards, meaning they’re not painted, and this special treatment helps the color last and stay true to what it’s actually supposed to look like.

James Hardie products are also the only products that are Engineered for Climate®, helping to withstand harsh weather, sweltering heat, creatures that love to feast on wood, is fire resistant (dammit Pearsons why couldn’t you have had Hardie siding?!! Too soon?) and almost anything else Mother Nature has to bring. If you’re looking at an exterior update or a new build take the time to order some samples of James Hardie products and check out their inspiration guide!!

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The post Siding Colors I Can’t Help But Obsess Over appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Do you ever stop to look around your house and just think: “BLAH.” It looks like its filled with stuff. Nothing important or special, just stuff. I know that I can’t be the only one that feels like that. It got me thinking, where in my life do things feel special, solid and centered the most? I immediately thought of my Grandma’s house. It has remained completely unchanged for as long as I can remember (which, lets be honest, will never be my house cause I love buying new furniture wayyyy too much.) So the last time I was there I snapped a quick picture of my favorite place in her house, the kitchen. I tried to get one of her standing at the sink, but she caught on to what I was doing and stepped out of the shot. Fast forward a few months and my friends at Shutterfly reached out about personalizing a space with some of their fun home décor products. I knew immediately that I wanted to have this picture of my Grandma’s kitchen professionally framed, and I knew right where I wanted to hang it.

Their whole mission is to help you to easily create things that are unique and personal to you. Which warrants a loud “AMEN!!”

I think that nothing makes a kitchen feel more warm and inviting than a collection of cutting boards. It’s the warmth of worn wood that just gets me every time! I am OBSESSED with their marble and wood cutting board. I’ve wanted one in this style forever and was so over the moon to find that they had one! But what to put on it!? Our last name? A monogram? I was on the fence until I remembered that I could put whatever I wanted on it…

Maybe a thoughtful reminder of the importance of our appendages??

Shutterfly just launched a collection of canvas totes and I (in my never ending effort to be more organized) decided that it was a must have. There is this cute family at our church that has a bag with their last name on it that they bring every week with coloring books, snacks and small toys. Dylan is SO jealous about it. Poor girl, the only thing that she gets to color on is the margins of the program. The second that it came she had it filled to the brim with books, crayons, cereal for the baby, stuffed animals, the iPad, diapers, and fingernail polish (because she can paint her fingernails SO QUIET, MOM.)

I’ll let you know how the nail polish situation pans out..;)

It’s so fun to look around the kitchen and see things that are more special than a run of the mill print, or something generic from the store. The best part is that we’re all inspired by different things, we all have ideas of what our home should feel and be decorated like. Shutterfly has such a great launching pad for everything you could possibly want to customize for your home! Seriously, go over and check them out and get ready to have your socks knocked off!

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Awaken your space with your vision. Shop Shutterfly Home Décor for personalized home accents that are uniquely you.

Massive thanks to Shutterfly for teaming up with me on this post + Find out how Shutterfly can help you update and personalize your home here. And an even bigger thanks to you for supporting the sponsors that make this corner of the internet possible!

The post Personalizing The Kitchen appeared first on Vintage Revivals.