Bedroom DreamzzZZ!

We are gearing up and getting ready to move! HOLLA! I am so excited and haven’t been able to contain my interior designer self.

Among many projects currently in the works, I have plans to update our bedroom into a serene and beautiful sanctuary- while still on a minimal budget of course…

Currently, Our bedroom furniture is dark chocolate brown, with sage and creme bedding. I loved the look of the furniture when it was in our loft bedroom before:

But it just seems like in an old and dank apartment it wont look fresh and crisp like it did here (new construction). The bed frame above is a double and a hand-me-down from my mom. It is high time that my husband and I UPsize to a Queen. All the more room for morning snuggles with our 2 little girls. The dressers are from Ikea. I really liked them when I bought them, but now I feel like they are too masculine. And let’s face it, I want my bedroom to be feminine, Feminine, FEMININE!!!

So, here are the inspiration pictures I collected for my new room.

What I love:

The small zebra rug with the white and black trunk. And guess who has an old trunk just waiting for a coat of paint >This Girl<

The silver/stainless side tables. I have a rectangular mirror table that will suit the same look at a price of $0.

The modern white dresser and large white mirror.

What I love:

-The white furniture.

-The upholstered headboard

-The gold tassel throw blanket.

-The polka dot metallic pillows

-The neutral patterned drapes

My Design Plan

With my MAX budget at $250, I have to be very thrifty in changing basically EVERYTHING about my current room.

To start, I am going to paint my IKEA dressers white, and add a stenciled pattern on the bluish colored frosted glass, in hopes to create a similar effect to these white, mirrored dressers from Zgallerie. I will be creating my own upholstered headboard, which I have done in the past and have confidence in. And I will also be making my own drapes in a neutral Ikat fabric.

For the longer dresser/console. I found and old, tacky dresser console that needs a little love. But a fresh coat of paint and some updated gold hardware should do the trick!

Then there is the large white mirror to hang above the console. I found someone selling a large rectangle mirror for only $20 (STEAL!) that I had my eyes on. But then, while window shopping at Home Goods, I saw an already white, large decorative mirror for about $60. This is where I want to splurge. Is it worth the extra work and time just to save

Sometime down the road I will look for that Oh So Beautiful tassely, sprakly blanket and some shiny lamps with black shades, but that doesn’t fit into the current budget.

Currently I’ll continue collecting, sewing and painting my way into my dream bedroom. Can’t wait to update you once we FINALLY move!

Pack Your Bags

Baby on Board

I am now just under 6 weeks away from my due date, and the anticipation is building as we can’t wait to meet little Hadley! My daughter Tylyn will be 16 months when her sister is born, which made me reluctant to have a baby shower this time around. We certainly do not want our friends and family to feel like we are just mooching off of them for gifts. But my friend and sister insisted on throwing a “sprinkle” < apparently the name of a baby shower for a second baby. This weekend, we will be celebrating little Hadley in the beautiful sunshine and 80 degree weather!

Maybe the celebration for my little H will be as sunny as this sunshine inspired theme.

Being that the “sprinkle” is just a few days away, it has me feeling a little more stressed (in a good and anxious way) about having baby #2. I know there are so many things for us to do before she comes, but I don’t know what all of those things are! So, today I am attempting to put together a list of all of the Glamorous and not so glamorous things that need to be done in preparation for our new little love!

1. Pack my bags… Everything is different the second time around. When I was pregnant with Tylyn, I had all of the time in the world to think about my pregnancy and day dream about meeting our little babe. So, it was only natural that I had read all of the books and lists, and knew exactly what I needed way before I needed to know it. My hospital bags were packed at least 8 weeks before my due date and no necessity was forgotten. And as I am not getting closer to the labor and time in the hospital, I should once again start to pack my bags. Here are some things I know I must have again:
· Headband – I wore a big pink headband with a big pink bow through my entire labor with Tylyn. And although I look like a swollen wildebeest in all of my labor pictures, the only think distracting from my giant face is my pretty headband. Plus it was good at holding my hear back and keeping some of the sweat off my face.
· Furry Socks – Another great luxury. If all I get to glam up my “open in the back” hospital gown is a pink headband and a pair of fuzzy pink socks then I am going ALL IN!
· Toiletries – deodorant, toothbrush, tooth paste, hair brush, body soap, little shampoo and conditioner bottles and of course my make up! Once the labor was all said and done, and I finally was able to take a bath, I was very thankful that I brought my own toiletries rather than having to use the generic soap that the hospital had to offer. Birthing a baby takes a major toll on your body – obviously, so smelling good in the aftermath is really at the top of my list! And being able to put a little make up on truly made me feel 100 times more beautiful even if in reality it only helped my appearance a mere 10%.
· Nursing Bras – Having these in the hospital bags, makes it a little less awkward to nurse while you have visitors, doctors and nurses coming and going from your room all day. All modesty goes out the window when you become a nursing mommy!
· Nursing Pads and other pads
· Outfit to wear home – for some reason, I packed several sweat pants and t-shirts, thinking I was going to be changing my clothes often throughout my hospital stay. In reality, the only time I put on real clothes was just before I was discharged. So, this time, I am going to find myself a discharge outfit that is just as cute as what we will be bringing baby home in- maybe matching…?
· Baby Outfit/ Big Sister Outfit – I am so excited to have 2 little girls close in age, mostly so I can dress them alike. So I will be going shopping to find the perfect matching outfits for the girls to wear when we leave the hospital. Maybe something donning the titles of “Big Sis” and “Little Sis”. The hunt is on.
· Camera/Cell phone/chargers – Some of the best footage we have of our daughter’s birth is on my husbands iphone. We watch it often to remind us what a perfect day it was!
· Dad’s Bag – Change of clothes, snacks, water bottle,

This diagram is the perfect reminder of must haves!

2. Pregnancy Photo’s, Infant Pictures and Birth Announcements: I have been scouring Pinterest for some of the best baby related birth announcements and infant photo’s and have found a few shots I must recreate.

Family Hand Portrait! So sweet.

Peaceful new born pic of LOVE 🙂

Sister love 

If I do do a pregnancy portrait or 2 it will be like this.

Or like this.

I adore this picture and must recreate it with Hadley.

And lastly this precious photo op!

3. Get a big girl car seat for Tylyn
4. Get a new bouncer and baby bath seat: Last summer, when Tylyn was an infant, my husband and I were traveling around the US with her and before we made our final voyage home, we downsized from some of the many baby items that we had been traveling with. In hindsight we shouldn’t have donated these must have items, but we honestly weren’t thinking we would have another infant again so soon. Live and learn…
5. Reread Babywise! The principles are so ingrained in my mind, but a refresher is not only a good idea, but the perfect was to ease some of my anxieties about having an infant again (and this time with the added challenge of a toddler by my side).
6. Nesting
a. Hang Up photo’s and ready baby’s bed/area- As we live in a basement, we have to be extra creative about the sleeping arrangement and layout of all baby’s things in our “home”. Tylyn is still sleeping in her crib, and we will keep her there at least until Hadley is 6 months. This means, Hadley, like her big sis, will get to spend the first 6 months of her life sleeping in first, the Moses basket, and then the pack-n-play! I will also have to rearrange everything to give both girls their own space, on opposite sides of the room (so as to hopefully not disturb each other’s sleep schedules). As part of this mini reno, I desperately need to hang up some photo’s that are currently just lying in a box.
b. Hang Curtains
c. Paint chest of drawers

Of course there are lots of other things I am not even thinking about. But tackling this list should keep me plenty busy for a week or 2!

Wishlist Wednesday

Today’s post is dedicated to my beautiful friend Hayley, who is also one of the only people that actually read my blog! YAY!

Hayley just put an offer down on her first place – an awesome condo in Portland, complete with views, large outdoor living spaces, and lots of room for a growing lifestyle (that will hopefully involve babies one day – a selfish wish on my part). Although she still hasn’t heard about her offer, I just couldn’t resist starting to design a beautiful interior living space just for her!

First up, a little background info on who Hayley is…*Note she does not know I am doing any of this

· Hayley is a bit of a hippy
· Hayley is environmentally friendly
· Hayley is a world traveler (and seems to me to love the exotic places most)
· Hayley doesn’t own any furniture – except for a futon (shamefully).
· Hayley- like myself- wishes to be more glamorous

Because of the above sentiments, I already had a concept in mind for her new space, involving words and images like eclectic, Moroccan, inviting, funky, fun, warm. To go along with the images I had swirling in my head, I created an inspiration board in pinterest.

The space is big and has a lot of unique features to work with, like polished concrete floors and exposed wood ceiling beams. The orange stain to the wood perfectly goes with the color scheme I have in mind. So, lets put this plan into action!

I started my design with this color scheme in mind.

Add in some pops of orange, teal and eggplant accents, and voila!

*note all after images are photoshop creations to help visualize the space!

The view of the kitchen show s a new mosaic teal colored backsplash, cappuccino colored walls, a grey ceiling to make the space more inviting, A free standing kitchen island complete with colorful metal barstools, and some rustic, reclaimed lumber shelving for the environmentally conservative spirit. Also in view, is the wall opposite the entry. For a fun and graphic pop, a giant rust colored dart board logo is painted onto the wall behind a teal, hand painted chest.

In the living area is a dark grey/blue velvet sofa from home decorator’s collection, some funky owl side tables from West Elm with Moroccan inspired table lamps set an inviting stage. A feminine, two-toned patterned rug defines the space and is set with a metallic coffee table from zgallerie and colorful Moroccan poufs for extra seating. A pair of west elm side slipper chairs are patterned with a modern and funky fabric to spice up the room and reveal its young and playful personality!

Looking closely at the large open dining space, adjacent to the kitchen, we have a metallic Moroccan inspired wallpaper accent wall and the deep teal green color along the window wall. Grey window curtains add a softness to the space while creating an element of privacy and light control. The dining table is a mixture of metal and reclaimed wood while the colorful metal chairs continue to add an eclectic element. A metallic 3 tier chandelier hangs over the table to complete the look.

And lastly a note to Hayley:

I sincerely hope you hear good news about your offer on this fab condo, and not just because I so desperately want to help with the interior design. You deserve a beautiful place to call home and finally settle down :)! Also, if you hate all of my ideas, too bad I will happily change them to fit what you want! I love you old friend!

Oh yeah! We always have been super glamorous!