All Blog Entries by Donna Kerr

As a new homeowner, I'm learning (and worrying) about all kinds of things I knew nothing about: seer ratings on furnaces, dead trees, the dangers of galvanized plumbing parts, insulation depths, etc. It's a little overwhelming to be honest but I'm plodding along and making my way. Many of my new concerns always seem to circle back to efficiency.  I can't get excited about squandering our planets resources OR my hard earned money.  It's a lot to think about and I have a feeling my to-do list will never be empty again!

Amidst my endless running around during the buying & moving process, I ran into a group called Solar City who were camped out at my local Home Depot offering free consultations and FREE SOLAR PANELS.

I know what you're saying...yeah

Seeing as how we put together a blog feature for the boys, it seems only fair that we have one for the girls too!

As I pointed out in the Boys blog post, there is A LOT of home decor available for girls, but much of it falls into the tried and tired category of pink and purple. There is nothing wrong with using either of these colors, but I encourage you to push the creativity box and use them in small doses. Blues and greens can look just as girly and fun! See for yourself in the photo examples below. 

Many of the bedrooms that caught my eye and I have chosen to  feature in this post are modern approaches to decorating girls bedrooms, as they have adopted gender neutral wall colors and are accessorized with a variety of age appropriate accents.

Chalkboard paint is something that I never tire of seeing. Even though it has been around for a while now, I am amazed and inspired by the applications people keep coming up with for it around the home. Nothing is off limits anymore! From doors and walls to accessories, it seems that chalk board paint can have a place in any room of the house, either as a practical function or just for a bit of fun. 

The temporary nature of chalk board paint offers the versatility of switching up looks without having to spend anything, as illustrated by the kitchen back splash and bathroom wall photos below. Whenever you feel like a change, simply wipe off the old pattern and create a new piece of art!

For the most part, chalkboard paint is easy to apply, but can

I grew up with my mothers Hot Pepper Jelly as a holiday favorite.  Thankfully she would make enough to last almost the entire year, to be served up at cocktail parties or a great snack while watching TV. Recently, I decided to try my hand at making it myself to share with friends and new clients at Pure Energy as a 'Welcome to the family' gift. Now I'm going to share it with you!  Warning: It's delicious and addictive! It's fairly simple to make, as long as you are prepared. Below is a step by step tutorial on how to become a canning wizard and dazzle your friends. 

To start, gather all the necessary ingredients: A 12 pack of 8 oz mason jars (this recipe fills 8),  jalepenos pepper, sweet cherry peppers, sugar, vinegar and liquid pectin.  Other

Donna has been featured as the Real Estate Pro of the Week in Silver Spring by Real Estate.com. The original article can be viewed here.

While “whimsical” isn’t a term we often hear used to describe a real estate website, it fits when talking about the Pure Energy Team’s, and somehow it works. As soon as you land there you get the impression that there isn’t a stuffy bone in the bunch.

At the office, the Pure Energy Team calls Donna Kerr the “boss lady,” but there’s a 3-year-old who calls her “mommy.” If you ask her who she is, though, she’ll gladly tell you she’s a “high-producing, award-winning, top-dollar getting, real estate-team leading, over-40 first-time mom.”

Kerr came to the world of real estate after

The Pure Energy design team frequently post photo galleries and inspirational color palettes for various rooms of the house, but I was beginning to notice that these features seems to geared toward the adults, so this week's design blog is 100% for the kids, specifically the boys! Here's why...

I have been noticing for a while now, that in every category of furniture, lighting, bedding and cushions offered for kids, the options offered for girls far outweighs the boys. A recent trip through the kids section at Target emphasized this point. Why is it that boys have slimmer pickings when it comes to interior decor? 

As I began researching the aforementioned items, it became even more apparent that the boys range available is rather limited. For

If you’re reading this I hope you have something sweet to cure that sweet tooth of yours. This week I am shining the spotlight on a local business located right here in Silver Spring called Velatis. Velatis is extremely well known for their amazing, mouth watering caramels. Their variety of caramels includes everything from Vanilla Sugary Plain to Chocolate Chewy Marshmallow, Sea Salt Caramels and Rocky Road flavor, a personal favorite being the Vanilla Chewy Plain! Velatis also makes all kinds of goodies including Brownies, fudge and delicious melt in your mouth old fashion chocolate. What I found interesting that is sold at Velatis is the Ice Cream Toppings.  These Ice Cream Toppings can either be bought in small chucks of the caramel flavor of your

Wouldn't it be nice if winter was a perpetual, idyllic Norman Rockwell scene? If it were, I wouldn't grumble about it's onset and length so much.  Alas, it is not. Winter in the northern hemisphere, especially around Silver Spring really means harsh wind, dreary rain, slush, waning daylight and illnesses aplenty. Blargh!  

I tend to go into full on hibernation mode during these months but do my best to keep a positive attitude about it.  How you ask?  I take this time to catch up on many 'to-do' lists (movies, books, things around the house), enjoy the break from my otherwise hectic social schedule and BEST of all, use the time to go on cooking and eating adventures! In my book, there is no better way to chase away the winter blues than diving

In addition to working full time on the Pure Energy design team, Cara Hunt also works part time as the Education Coordinator and a screen printing instructor at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, so this week I would like to highlight this wonderful non-profit art organisation and fill you in on the creative happenings there.

Located in downtown Silver Spring, Pyramid Atlantic offers programs in print making, paper making and book arts. If you have not been into Pyramid before, I highly recommend stopping by for a peek inside next time you are in the area.

Founded in 1981, Pyramid has expanded over the years, moving into bigger locations to accommodate the growing demand for more workshops and studios, which now include a paper mill, print shop, screen

This patio set had certainly seen its better days.  Chipping paint leads to rusted metal leads to this: ICK!

 
I set off with our trusty mouse sander and some coarse grain sand paper to get as much of the flaking paint and rust off as possible. Between the rust and the lattice work metal and detailing, I used a TON of sandpaper. *Always wear a dust mask. You never know how old paint is or if it contains lead.

I managed to get most of the rust and smooth out all the chipping paint.  To get it all off given the detailing of this set would have taken ages.  Afterwards I began priming with Rustoleum primer in black. I used 4 cans of primer total for the set.  TIPS:Save your hand, wear a glove when spraying! AND wait until the primer is dry and