Baby Boy’s Nursery is Ready!

With exactly 2 weeks until baby boy’s due date, I can say that his room is finally ready for his big debut. I’m actually a little surprised with myself when it comes to his nursery, seeing as I usually change my mind 50 million times before deciding on the layout for a room, how things should be arranged, what should be on the walls, etc. But his room was different. From the beginning I knew where I wanted all the big pieces (crib, dresser, chair), and everything else just kind of fell into place. It was like some kind of miracle.

I had always said I wanted a neutral nursery that could be re-used for a girl down the road, but as soon as we found out this was a boy, all that went out the window.

Here it is:

1. The world map is actually just a sheet of wrapping paper from | Paper Source | that I put in an
| Ikea | frame.

2. Another Ikea frame, this one has a | mat | in it from Pottery Barn Kids and a cute card we received from my aunt.

3. Just a hand-me-down wooden toy that I love.

4. | Gray elephant pull toy | is from Pottery Barn Baby.

5. White rocking bird is from | West Elm |

6. Habakkuk | print | is from my Etsy shop.

7. Books are thrifted from St. Vinnie’s.

8. Crib bumper and matching quilt are part of the | Madras | collection from Pottery Barn Baby.

9. The wall decals all came from | Sissy Little | Don’t even get me started on what a pain they were to install, but well worth the effort in the end.

10. The driftwood mobile was a super-easy DIY. Truly. Just drill a hole in the driftwood, then string it on to fishing wire and attach to a hook in the ceiling.

11. The curtains are a copycat version of Pottery Barn’s | Harper Shade | Because these are faux they well for us. We already have wooden blinds in the room that we can open and close, but the Roman shades are decorative and stay put.

12. Cloth diapers are a combination | Charlie Banana | and | FuzziBunz | (after hours of reading reviews online).

13. | Rocking chair | is from Babies ‘R Us.

14. Blue plaid fabric is from Ikea. They don’t have the blue online, but a similar one can be found | here |

15. ‘XOXO’ pillow was another | DIY | from awhile back.

A simple reading corner with new and used books.

16. A small collection of baby toys (how many do they really need?) that I’m sure will get hours of use.

17. Another | Sissy Little | wall decal.

And a few more details…

The wall | color | is Sherwin-Williams, ‘Sea Serpent’. We only painted 2 of the walls (I guess 4 if you count the weird little angled walls where the closet are and where you walk into the room), because I was worried it would be too dark. I didn’t want baby boy to feel like he was sleeping in a cave! However, I think if we’d painted the other 2 walls, it would’ve been fine. Maybe down the road we will, but for now, one wall remaining neutral is OK.
The dresser was a Craigslist find that Ian repainted using | Milk Paint | (he mixed slate and driftwood for ours), then added new hardware.
All of the shelves in the room are from Ikea.
The lamp I was in the great room but I brought it into his room because it looks more like a nursery than a living room if you ask me.

Did I cover everything?

I guess we have everything we need…just add baby!

Robin’s Egg Blue is Never a Good Choice. Ever.

This weekend was a combination of great and not-so-great. Here’s why:

Friday we had planned on going out to a nice dinner to celebrate | passing my exam | But once we got home from work, the weather outside was just over 90 degrees and we had a dog full of energy, so instead we decided to take a last minute picnic out to the lake.

And it was perfect.
Just the 3 of us. Goose got tired, and we got full.
What a way to start our weekend!

Then came Saturday.
Ian went to the football game.
I went shopping and picked up some cute new stuff for fall.
You could call it a good day.

And then there was Sunday…
If you’re anything like me, you get an idea for something in your head and you just want to do it.
Right then.
And there is no changing your mind.

All of the walls in our home were (and most still are), khaki, which I’m not a fan of. It’s tolerable in moderation, but throughout the entire home it just seems drab. I thought it would be fun to do a light grayish blue in the dining room. Something to add a splash of color, but still remain sophisticated, rather than look like a child’s bedroom.

So Sunday afternoon I got a bee in my bonnet to paint our dining room/kitchen, and after persuading Ian it was a good idea, we made a trip to Sherwin Williams.

I found the perfect color right when we walked in. But after a little debating (remember how I said I constantly second-guess myself?) We opted for something way brighter.
(I’m pretty sure the not-so-helpful employee was ready to kill my by the time we left because I changed my mind so many times)

This is the color we ended up leaving with:

Not so bad right?
Wrong.
It’s like, Robin’s Egg Blue on our wall. Never a good thing.
Honestly, I did one tiny section, stepped back to look and immediately told Ian I hated it (which isn’t exactly what your husband wants to hear after spending $50 on a gallon of paint). He told me to do the rest of it, and then we’ll see how it looks.
By the end, we both hated it.

Here’s how it looks (sorry for the poor picture, it was taken with my phone):

We have this awful piece of molding at the top of our kitchen cabinets that is like a reddish-brown and goes with nothing else in our home. When we first looked at the house, I told Ian that was the first thing we’d get rid of, and a little over a year later, it’s still there…
So I’m trying to work around it.

We also have a wall behind our dining room with a door going out to the backyard, and whether or not we’re painting that is still up for debate.

And if you’re wondering why the bottom half of the wall is white, there’s a legitimate reason. We’ve already decided that this house isn’t our “forever” house, therefore, we don’t want to make any huge changes that would be difficult for someone else to alter later. So as much as I love the look of wainscoting, it doesn’t seem like a brilliant option to install in a home we won’t be in forever.
Paint, however, is easy to change.
If the next owner doesn’t like it, (or we get sick of it), we can just paint over it.
So I guess you could call it a faux wainscoting.

Now I’m determined to find the perfect color, and thanks to | Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer | I can “try on” colors before picking a new one.

Here’s a couple I like, that seem to be a little more safe than bright blue:

More neutral and definitely more calm than this hideous bright blue that I literally laugh at every time I walk by.

Don’t worry, this will be covered up by the end of the week.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

Antlers: No Longer Just for Hunters

I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t always loved antlers.
Maybe because I can’t help but picture them displayed in a rustic cabin with no electricity, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, hanging by the dozen.

But when I married a man who loves to hunt, (he claims it’s biblical… Genesis 27:3, anyone?), I gained a new perspective on these “trophies”, and have grown quite fond of them over the last 2 years.

Maybe Ian and I don’t see eye-to-eye on exactly how to display them, but at least we’re making progress.

Here’s a few that have caught my eye recently:

– one –
Ok so I would never actually paint one of Ian’s like this (and Lord knows I’m not going hunting with him anytime soon), but luckily I found a little pair of my own at an antique fair a few weeks ago. I haven’t done anything with them yet, but I’m definitely considering this option.

– two –
Probably the only use of antlers here that Ian and I would agree on. How great is this room, paired with a huge antler chandelier? Often chandeliers made out of sheds like this can be overwhelming and make the room seem too heavy. But this, this is perfection. Tons of daylight with splashes of modern, rustic, and natural elements.

– three –
How adorable is this print from Etsy? I’d love to have it on our mantle.

| four |
Brilliant! A wreath! We all know I love wreaths (proof is here & here ), so why not add 1 more to the collection?

| five |
An antler shelf…genius.

| six |
I think this might be my favorite of all. Faux flowers added to the antlers give a feminine touch while still remaining slightly manly. Great for hanging jewelry, or so fun in a nursery.

| seven |
Antlers simply displayed as a work of art. With just the right amount of softness to give dimension to a modern fireplace like this one.

| eight & nine |
I got this for Ian myself last year for Christmas, (purchased here) and it now hangs on what I’m trying to make into our gallery wall. I love it because it’s modern, but masculine.
And last, but certainly not least, the little antlers I picked up at the antique fair. I had originally got them to drill into the wall and be curtain tie-backs, but for now their displayed in our kitchen along with all of my white dishes.

What are your thoughts on antlers?

Current Obsessions | Maps

Lately, I’m kind of loving obsessed with maps. I don’t know what it is about them, but they have a certain quality that adds a pop of color, texture, and interest to any space, regardless of the size.
Here’s a few of my favorites (click on the image to be redirected to Houzz):

I love that this bedroom still maintains an adult feel, even with a map that doubles as a headboard. It seems like so often maps are solely used in children’s room, but this goes to show that a map is perfect for any room!

The pop of orange on this map adds the perfect punch of color to an otherwise neutral nursery. Plus, you’re kind of setting your child up to be a world-traveler if you hang a map above their crib, right?

An entire wall devoted to a map, how fun is that? Use push pins to mark the places you’ve been, want to go, or let your child select an area of the map and pray for that particular area together.

Map pages pieced together are a great idea when a large wall decal isn’t quite feasible. Plus, this would make a super-easy DIY! Someone who I know actually used map pages as a floor for 1 room in their house and then sealed it, the results are amazing!

I’m kind of in love with everything about this nursery, but especially the map! Again, gender neutral.

Have a blank wall? Frame an inexpensive large map and you’ve instantly added color to your space! Perfect if you’re renting and don’t want to go to the trouble of adhering a huge map, plus it’s great if you’re on a tight budget but want a little something.

This is wallpaper, people! A vintage black and white map of Paris adds a touch of elegance to any space. I don’t care if it’s a jail cell, you can add elegance to a jail cell with a vintage Paris map. Fact.

Pottery barn sells large decals that are 5’x8′, perfect for a single wall, or around a corner like they’ve done here.
Found | here |

And, quite possible my favorite, chalkboard paint over the oceans! How clever? Even cuter with a few kid’s drawings on the chalk.
Found | here |

There you have it, my obsession with maps. Love them. Aaaand I fully believe that thanks to technology taking over, actual maps like these will become somewhat of a lost art as the need for them decreases. In other words: Stock up.

Let’s Talk Design

Nope, I didn’t fall of the face of the earth. I’m still around, it’s just been a busy past week!

Sweet baby Ella was born Saturday morning, adorable and healthy as can be.

We took advantage of my first (full!) weekend off in a long time and got things done around the house, plus, the weather’s been too nice the past few days to be inside on the computer!

That being said, let’s talk about design and space-planning.

Space planning is one of those make-or-break parts of a home. A well-designed room (or better yet, home!), creates areas for a steady flow of traffic,  crucial in any space, whether it be a teeny tiny apartment, or a larger home for a family of 6. While studying design and creating floor plans in school, space planning is one of the first they taught, and was required before every floor plan got under way.

Plan out your space. Visualize it in your head. Sleep on it. Use tools like the | make room planner |. Even if you’re not designing a home from scratch, you can still plan what your space will look like if you’re moving into a new-to-you place.

The best circulation path placement through a room us usually a few feet from one wall, straight through, like so:

Path placement here allows users of the room to be uninterrupted by traffic and enjoy conversation while the traffic paths are still usable.

Undesirable traffic locations are those that run directly through a room or parallel to the long axis of them room. Sounds like a bunch of gibberish, right? Here’s some examples:

It’s hard to find examples of “bad” design photos on | Houzz | so let’s just pretend that there’s not enough room behind that couch and one must walk directly through the center of the room.

Typically, comfortable seating arrangements are hard to achieve when there’s a walkway running directly through them and those seated in the area feel like they are in the way of those passing through. Doesn’t quite work, right?

Moral of the story: Plan your spaces (if possible) so that there’s a comfortable walkway that doesn’t run directly through the center of a seating area.

Aaaand…just for fun how about another giveaway today! The shop has been replenished so how about a pair of these for one lucky reader:

Simply leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win, winner will be announced Monday!

Enjoy your weekend!