One Room Challenge: Weeks 1 & 2

Howdy friends.  Thanks to the encouragement of my hard core fans on Facebook, I am jumping into the One Room Challenge Linking Party, Spring Edition.  I love that Linda from Calling It Home organizes this event.  It is a great way to get a room updated and hold you accountable over six short weeks.  I am a week late to the party, but I think I can catch up!

Ok, so last Fall I updated our master bedroom through the One Room Challenge and although I had a few more things to do at the end, I was crazy happy with the way the room shaped up in six short weeks.

This time around, I am choosing to overhaul my toddler’s room.  She is a wild and carefree two year old.  When she was born, I loved doing her nursery in our old house — it was one of my favorite rooms in the house:

{Above photos by Beth Furgurson from Cathy Green Interiors blog}

In our new house, we haven’t focused on her room.  It’s comfortable and functional, but baby girl deserves a polished room!  🙂  Here are the before iPhone pictures (toys picked up, but nothing styled for these pictures, this is what it looks like everyday):

Wall #1:

Wall #2

Walls #3 & 4

We inherited the wall color from the previous owners and we have liked it, but I would like something more serene for a toddler’s room.  Every bit of her room has been pieced together with items that we already had.  The rug used to be in our living room when we lived in Savannah (8 years ago!).

I am going to elaborate more on my plan for the room next week, but here is my paint inspiration picture:

{photo source}

I would like to keep my budget to a minimum (as usual).  First up, Matt will be painting and I will be stenciling the walls.  Then, I would like to rearrange the furniture in the room and purchase at least a rug and window panels.

So what do you think?  Can I do it?  Eeeeek.  Stay tuned!

Nursery Preview

 Today I am sharing a sneak peek at Julia’s nursery.  It’s about 80% finished and LBH, it may stay in that range for a few more weeks or months.  🙂  And nothing is ever 100% done around here anyway — that’s part of the fun!

My favorite elements of J’s nursery so far are the subtly striped walls (my husband did a great job!), the wooden monogram above her crib and the playful roman shades….

So, it’s coming together.  The last bits and pieces are:

• Bribing my husband to Paint the dresser and an end table a high gloss white.
• Select lamps for either side of the love seat.
• Choose a few more pillows for the glider and love seat.
• Decide what to do for wall art above the glider.  I am thinking about fun DIY abstract canvas or a medium-sized gallery wall with framed family pictures and mementos from her birth.

I will include a complete source list when I do the big reveal, but here is a quick one for you in the meantime:

Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Daiquiri Ice
Monogram letters: custom order from KY Grace Designs
Jenny Lind Crib: Land of Nod (ordered in 2007)
Crib Sheet and Skirt: Serena & Lily
Crib Bumper: Pottery Barn Kids (ordered in 2007).  This will come out before the baby sleeps in the crib due to recommendation that bumpers be removed from cribs (reason why I didn’t order the bumper that matches the crib skirt from Serena & Lily)
Roman Shades:  custom order from Windows By Melissa
Pink Flower Pillow: Serena and Lily
Green and Pink Flower Pillow: Caitlin Wilson Textiles
Dream Big Print: The Love Shop
Owl Wastebasket: Target

Stay tuned!  I hope to be back before the week is through with an update on the 2-years-but-who’s-counting bathroom renovation….

 

 

‘Round Here

Happy Friday!  It’s still rainy around here, so the light is not the best, but below are a few shots around the house these days.  Seasonal decorating is such a challenge for me.  I don’t want to get too kitchy, but with a 4 year old who loves to help decorate, I want the house to remain playful and fun, especially for Halloween, which was one of my favorite holidays as a kid.  So, I tried to incorporate a lot of brown, orange and black with some kid-friendly touches.  Oh, and if you make it to the bottom, there is a little bonus sneak peek of the nursery paint….

{Corner of the mantle}

{Living room}

{Front hall console}

{Dining room}

{Corner of the family room}

{Front door.  Need Pumpkins!}

{Painted nursery.  Mentally remove the mess and insert better lighting!}

Have a happy Fall weekend!

Nursery Inspiration

So, we found out that we are having A GIRL! 

Even before we found out the gender of the baby, I have been envisioning a mint green nursery.  Now, I am thinking mint green and white horizontal stripes with hot pink accents.  Here is my inspiration image:

Substitute hot pink for the red, and promptly remove the wall decal!

Here are some other inspiration images of nurseries, stripes and the color palette — I can’t wait to get my husband painting that room!

What do you think?  I am still not sold on the stripes and considering wainscoting on the lower half of the wall with mint green up above.  Hmmm.  Lots to do.  Stay tuned! 

{Photo credits: 1. Baby Lifestyles, 2. DecorPad, 3. Color Zen Blog, 4.  Survivin’ on Sweet Tea and Love, 5. DecorPad, 6. Sketch42, 7. Pinterest, 8. Pinterest, 9. theLennoxx}

Random Things I am Liking Lately

Happy Friday!  Tomorrow I am off on summer vacay, but if I get my act together, you will have a week of mini-posts next week.

Are you ready for my most recent set of randoms?

{As Rachel Zoe would say, “This is so major”; Phlox & Coral Coat, Anthropologie}

{This GORGEOUS oversized painting creates an ocean view wherever you live.  This is on my Christmas list.  If I don’t treat myself beforehand!  Blue Comes Through, Painting by Alice Dalton Brown, Acacia Catalog}

{I love these fun kids storage bins!  There are 7 different animal designs. 3 Sprout Organic Storage Bins, Amazon}

{These vintage map reproduction giclees are the brain child of the divine Suzanne Kasler for Ballard Designs.  There is something so comforting about the certainty of a map.  Suzanne Kasler World Map Giclee, Ballard Designs}

{I just bought this lovely and delicate bracelet and I absolutely love it layered with other bangles.  And the best part?  It’s only $29!  Clover Bangle, Stella & Dot}

{There are only a few hot soups good enough to make during the sizzling days of summer, and this is definitely one of them!  It’s so easy and super delicious.  Summer Corn and White Bean Soup, Cooking Light}

{This is such a great piece for the Fall, and it comes in 5 smashing colors. Ikat Print Scarf, Boden}

{I must admit that I am slightly obsessed with hiding tissue boxes.  I want one of these monogrammed tissue box covers for every room in our house.  At $14 and free shipping, why not?!  Tissue Box Cover, Pottery Barn}

Have a FABULOUS weekend!

In Case You Missed It….

Here are all the destinations around the blogosphere that I can’t stop thinking about….

For all of the design bloggers out there, you must check out this fun conversation with Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home on The Skirted Roundtable — I am a huge fan of her design and vision and am so appreciative of her honesty and candor on her blog. 

{Lauren’s Foyer — one of my favorite front halls ever!  I love that orange door.}

My very talented girlfriend, Amanda, at Namesake Design, revealed her baby girl’s beautiful nursery.  There was a lot of DIY and love that went into this amazing space. 

{A shot of the nursery with homemade “B”, mobile and curtains.}

I loved this “before and after” post by Marianne over at Haven and Home.  The “after” post makes me want to hang paper lanterns down every hallway in my house!

{The “after”picture via Architectural Digest}

I can’t stop thinking about the ikat fabric that Alyson used on these chairs — I love this before and after!

{Alyson’s Awesome Chair Makeover}

I am always looking to turn “to the trade” into “cheap and easy“, so I have been obsessing on how to put this great post into action.  I loved this post from Erin at Elements of Style.  As she would say, “amazeballs!”

{Erin Making Retail Look Custom!}

Green Street is one of my favorite new blogs and I can’t get this great corner of Fran’s son’s “big boy room” out of my head.

{Adorable Nook in Fran’s Son’s Bedroom}

I had been thinking about something like this awesome DIY project that Emily recently completed as part of her guest bathroom makeover.  She has inspired me, I think I am going to give it a go in our master bedroom.  🙂

{Emily’s Chic and Cheap DIY Roller Shade}

Aren’t these bloggers talented???!!!

Project Big Girl Room!

Project Big Girl Room is underway!  I am transforming my almost three year old’s nursery into her “big girl room.”  Because she is staying in the same room and I love the wall color, I am keeping a similar color scheme — lavender, mint green and white — but with a sassy Parisian flair!

I am trying to stay away from using all Pottery Barn Kids and Land of Nod, but I tell ya, it’s hard considering how easy, relatively inexpensive and available all of their items are!

So, here is my inspiration board:

{Windows: Audrey Chenille Panels in Lavender, Pottery Barn Kids; Print: World is Amazing, The Love Shop, Etsy; Paint: Benjamin Moore, Lavender Ice; Mirror: Ballard Designs (similar); Headboard: Blanc de Blanc Headboard, Target; Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids, Paris Toile (no longer available);  Side Tables: Flower Accent Table; Pillow: French Lady with Dog Burlap Pillow, NextDoortoHeaven, Etsy, Bed Skirt: Elizabeth Tulle Bed Skirt, Pottery Barn Kids, Sheeting: Katie Polka Dot Sheeting, Pottery Barn Kids.}

If you have been a long-time follower of the blog, you know that I love these monogrammed shades from Shades of Light: I was thinking about DIY’ing the shades with a more interesting monogram on an inexpensive shade from Target or Homegoods.

Here are some before pictures taken in February right before the big girl bed made its entree (excuse the little muchkin who is running around with the pillow from the crib!):

So, what do you think of Project Big Girl Room?  Stay tuned!

White and Red and Blue All Over

Lately, I have been loving cool blue paired with a little bit of intense red and soothing white. 

See what I mean?  Isn’t the combination fabulous?

I love the vintage feel of the room above, and the contrast of the stacked pillows.

The combination of the red panels with the gorgeous oversized blue silk sofa is unexpectedly kind of amazing.

The color pairing looks great in a nursery or playroom, especially if you don’t know the gender of the baby. {How cute is that little mushroom stool??}

This is a girl’s bedroom.  I love the feminity without the use of the traditional pastelly pink, purple and yellow. 

Another lovely pairing of intense red panels with soft, soothing blue furniture and white accents.  Divine.

And here, I love the pop of color that the red in the quilt provides without “permanently” committing to the red and blue palette. 

This is a really fun reading nook or guest room, don’t you think?  I love the Missoni-looking pillows too! 

What do you think of this colorful odd couple?   

[Images Courtesy of: 1. Decor Pad, 2. Porter Design Company, 3. Country Living, 4. Apartment Therapy, 5. Country Living, 6. Bedzine, 7. The Lennoxx, 8. Sixth Street Design School, 9. Design Diary]

Tres Chic Nursery

I am loving this new With a Flourish nursery ensemble from Land of Nod:

The crib blanket and crib skirt come in lavender and pink, and are both reversible between the floral and lattice patterns.  The bumper, changing table cover and valance are available in lavender and pink floral.  The crib sheet is available in a sweet, complementary lavender or pink polka dot.

The pieces des resistances are the panels – I adore the lattice panels!  The panels are available in green, lavender, blue and pink floral and lattice.  They look almost look custom, don’t they?  I would also love to use the green or blue lattice panels in another room – like a home office, laundry room or powder room.

Almost makes you want to have a baby just to decorate a nursery….I said ALMOST!

And btw, a similar ensemble also comes in “big girl” sizes with a variety of options and combinations for twin, full and queen beds.

BRAVO, Land of Nod!

 

Favorite Things Friday!

All of my guest blogging prospects were smack dab in the middle of summer vacay, or heading out for sorties to fabulous locales for the long weekend.

So, I have decided to share some of my favorites from the room of my home that has received the most reflection and attention – my daughter’s nursery.  Next Friday, we will have an amazing interior designer guest blogging about his favorite things.  Here goes:

This bubble gum lamp was one of my first purchases in my first house.  It now sits next to the glider and casts delicately tranquil shadows on the walls in the evenings (translation, 3am).  It’s like an oversized nightlight!

I bought this little chest of drawers at an antique store while on vacation in the Thousand Islands in upstate New York.  I fell in love with its miniature proportions, worn look and beautiful glass knobs.  The mirror hanging above belonged to my daughter’s great, great grandmother.  This ensemble sits at the end of the long, narrow dormer in the nursery.

I could not resist these feminine, fun and whimsical birdy curtain holdbacks, aren’t they sweet?  They make me smile!

This vintage Holly Hobbie plate hung in my bedroom growing up and its matching pair hung in my sister’s bedroom.  I flanked them on either side of a great Victoria Hagan mirror that I found at Target!  It’s fun to have familiar, sentimental and adorable items in my daughter’s room.  I am toying around with the idea of buying a few more plates from the set on Ebay and doing a larger display.

There you have it – a few of the items that make me happy on a daily basis!  As always, thanks for reading.  Wishing you a very happy 4th of July!

P.S. I thought I would include my daughter’s favorite thing too – her BFF Longley, the stuffed giraffe: