Pre-Nursery Reveal

The nursery is done! Well, for the most part. It's 99% done, to be technical. I still need to order the art and wait for it to get here and then put it in the frames (that are already hung on the wall, waiting!). So, until that gets done (on Wednesday), I thought I'd make a new mood board to show a preview of the nursery before the big reveal. It's fun to see how my ideas, even if they may be large or small have changed since the inspiration board I posted back in January. Since then we found out we were having a girl, when I was so prepared to hear I was having a boy. So because of that news I decided to bite the bullet and add pops of pink to the room. This new mood board doesn't really share all the pops of pink that are in there but when you see the big reveal, you'll see what I mean!



Some things stayed the same, like the paint colors.

1. Wildflower Honey by Behr
2. Silver Screen by Behr

A. IKEA's Gulliver Crib - We decided to go with the Gulliver crib, mostly because when I had Gracie, her crib had solid sides at the headboard and footboard and it was really hard to attach the bumper. Plus I liked the way it looked more than the previous one I picked. The Gulliver crib was also listed on The Bump's 10 Cribs We Love list.

B. RIBBA Frames - Can't wait to fill these frames with the art I'm ordering on Wednesday! The last thing we need to do. :)

C. Brimnes 3 drawer chest by IKEA - I stuck with the same dresser & I'm so glad I did because it's perfect.

D. IKEA'S Hampen Rug - We got two of these. They are bright yellow & I love them!

E. Chevron Bedding by Sweet Jojo Designs - Much cheaper than my original plan and I got way more bang for my buck. It matches perfectly and I couldn't be happier!

F. Cardboard Elephant Head - This was also on the original inspiration board, got it and love it! It's so cute. I can't wait to share how sweet it looks on her wall!

G. Yellow Lanterns and Pink, Gray & White Pom Poms - I knew I wanted to add these when I made the other board but didn't really know how I was going to do it or where I would put them. They ended up going above her crib! Can't wait to share this detail as well in pictures.

H. Yellow Chevron Changing Pad Cover - I ordered this on Etsy but the seller was awful, so I'm not linking them. But this is what I used. It's cute but took forever to get here and cost more than it's fabric was worth.

I. DIY Elephant Baby Mobile - You might remember my mom & I made this. It's above L's changing table and it's still one my favorite things about her room.

J. IKEA's SÖDER Pendant lamp - This is the lamp I chose to hang in her room. It's pretty and simple and works fine.

K. Elephant Rocking Horse - Obviously not something she can use anytime soon. We found this for 5 bucks at Goodwill. It's adorable & I love that it added so much character to her tiny room.

I also got this swing, thanks to my MIL. It matches my theme perfectly & I can't wait to use it. It won't be going in her nursery but it will be able to move around the house with me when I need it too and for the most part will be staying in my bedroom, where she will be sleeping the first few weeks.

So, that's it. I'll share the big reveal in the next couple weeks. Hubs & I are taking a Babymoon, like we did when I was pregnant with Gracie. We are staying local and at a private beach resort but it will be nice to get away for a few days to relax. We only have three weeks till I'm full term and before long we'll have a brand new baby to keep us awake every night! This pregnancy has really flown by but I'm so glad I have my blog to look back at little details I've shared as well as lots of memories to keep. My next post will be the nursery reveal and then Baby L's birth announcement! Get ready!

Nursery Inspiration Board

I was going to add more stuff to my inspiration board for the baby's room but I didn't feel like it. I figured I could just link to extra stuff that isn't in the image below. Ok, let's get started on where I'm getting everything and what I'm doing...



1. Wildflower Honey by Behr
2. Silver Screen by Behr

Both colors will be used on the main wall as stripes. Then the rest of the walls will be in the Silver Screen. You can view both colors on Behr's website by clicking Find Your Color in the drop down menu and simply entering the names, if you wanted.

A. Sunvik Crib by IKEA - $119.00
I really wanted a simple white crib. Really, all white furniture and obviously from IKEA. Last time around when we had Gracie, my parents got us the crib but it was several hundred dollars and she used it for about 2 years and then she was out of it and I just think spending that much money is such a waste when they aren't in for that long anyway. It does eventually convert to a full size bed, but only the headboard is needed, everything else just ends up in the trash. So, to me it's just not worth it. She's been in a twin sized bed since she was 2 1/2.

B. Brimnes 3 drawer chest by IKEA - $99.00
I definitely wanted a dresser that I could use later in life as baby grows and this works just fine. Plus I also wanted to be able to put a changing pad on the dresser and avoid having to use a changing table since there isn't any room for said changing table. This works perfectly.

C. Accent Slipper Chair / Gray Chevron by Target - $110.00
This is the one thing that I'm unsure about. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this chair but when it comes time to breastfeed I know I'll want a chair with arms. I'll want to be as comfortable as possible. The price is great and I love the pattern and the style. Anyone know someone who adds arms to chairs? Wishful thinking. I'm going to be on the hunt for the perfect chair matched with the perfect price so hopefully I can find something like this but WITH arms. Sigh.

D. Custom Made Crib Bedding by Wise Fingers @ Etsy - $265.00
This is where I'm going to splurge a little. I fell in love with the custom bedding idea a long time ago even before I was pregnant. It's the one thing I want to spend money on and damn it, I'm going to! The patterns in the image above are what I'm shooting for, in which order for which pieces I'm unsure about at this point. I'll be getting the crib sheet, crib skirt and crib bumper. Loves it!

E. Cardboard Elephant head - $13.00
It's pretty well known if you've been reading my blog for awhile or know me at all that I'm a tad obsessed with Elephants. When I found these Elephant cardboard heads I think I squealed. It's that serious. They come in a few different sizes. I'm going with the smallest one, which is 6w x 6h x 6d. It's perfect for our tiny little baby's room. I'm in love!

F. Nursery Art by WiseOwl Prints & DaphneGraphics
These are just a couple of the art pieces from Etsy that I'm currently hoping to get. I have a bunch of other free printables with elephants already saved to my computer.

G. Chevron Elephant Pillow - $20.99
More Elephants. No surprises there! When I saw this pillow I instantly fell in love and knew it was the one. Isn't it so cute?

Other things I want to add not in the inspiration board: Elephant Crib Quilt, Yellow Chevron Valence, Elephant Mobile, Diaper Caddy, Expedition Travel System - Merlin.

That's it for now. Feel free to check everything out and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading. :)

Thifting & Gardening

First things first, I hit 2,000 hits today! Woo! Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back & to all the new visitors everyday. Means a lot!

Yesterday, Paul & I did our regular Sunday routine. We got up, went to brunch and then thrifting. I usually come up empty but this time was different! I found three dishes/bowls for .80 cents a piece! Did you get that? Eighty cents. I call that a steal! They are super cute, multi color decorative dishes. Here, take a look...

Sorry for the bad lighting & blah quality. I still don't have access to my Nikon. So, these once again were taken with my Nokia.



And here is a up close shot. They're cute right?

Today I went outside and took pictures (with my crappy phone camera) of the front garden so you could see the flowers we have growing in there now. I'm pretty proud of myself, I usually would have killed all of them already. I don't have much of a green thumb. To be completely honestly, I'm not much of an outdoorsy person. I'd much rather decorate the inside of a house and completely ignore the outside but since I'm a home owner, these things have to be done no matter how much I'd rather not do it. Honesty is key right? I'm just keepin' it real, people.

Anyway, here you go! We still need to add little things like mulch and whatnot but it definitely looks better than it did when we first started this project.









And a wide shot of the front yard. Grass is still growing in. By mid-July it will look so green, you won't even remember those dead patches of grass.



And no I still haven't moved those two trees to the right of the garden. See what I mean when I said I'd rather just ignore anything to do with outside? It shows here. hahha. I have no shame! ;)

Hopefully by my next post I'll have a working camera... err battery for said camera. Fingers crossed!

the elephant in the room

I have the entire day to myself, so I haven't really left my bedroom much today except to eat lunch & use the bathroom. I love lazy days where I can just stay in my PJs all day & watch tv in bed, as well as surf the net & update my blog!!

This past week, my parents took Gracie to the zoo, since I got 3 free passes the last time I went because a few rides were closed. Our zoo is so amazing because every time we go (we have a yearly pass) if there is one thing not working, they will always comp the visit with free tickets to come back. It doesn't even matter that I have the year pass, they still give me free tickets! It's pretty awesome! We've already given three tickets to my parents and three tickets to my MIL.

Anyway, when my parents brought Gracie home after their zoo trip on Wednesday, my mom handed me a box & said 'Happy early Anniversary!' I opened the box and inside was this beautiful 24 carat gold Elephant! Squee!!









Isn't he beautiful?! He lives on a shelf in the dining room area.



I love it so much! I think we're gonna go & get Mr. Gold Elephant a friend to put on the other end of the shelf. Paul wants a penguin. He loves penguins like I love elephants. He actually used to have a huge embarrassing collection when I first started dating him, but got rid of them all because it was just overkill. I can't even. It was pretty funny.

Today, after I started making my lunch, I went to go let Max in & opened my front door & saw a package. I totally forgot that my other new elephants would be here today! My parents also ordered me these amazingly friggin' cute salt & pepper shaker elephants for my birthday from Mod Cloth! Countdown is down to 9 days (April 2nd)! I'll be 27.

The box they came in is so cute!



Here are a bunch of snap shots of these cute little things...











I love those little elephant tails! Too stinkin' cute.

These little guys live in the kitchen. On the shelves my dad built for me above my sink. I've actually been wanting to share this area with you guys for a while now but it's not completely done yet, so you can't completely see the sink & the counter. I'll share those pictures when we get the back splash up.







The kitchen printouts were ordered from this great Etsy store. Check it out if you're interested!

Like I said above, we still need to add the back splash & molding around the built-ins. All in good time! We will get there. :)

Hope you all have a great weekend! My birthday is a week from Monday! Eeeeee!!

Moving things around.

Earlier this week I felt the urge to rearrange my bedroom. We actually moved everything around because we were tired of it looking like this. Mostly because I can't really clean anything until I move it and clean all around it and behind it. Something I learned from my mother. The bed was on the other window wall in our room, but I wanted to move it back to the lime green wall. So, I did.



I also took the curtains down, washed them and rehung them in slightly different places.



In the meantime, I wanted to completely move the vanity, dresser & everything on those walls. A little tid-bit about my bedroom walls... They are solid concrete with some sort of plaster coating over them, so if you put a nail or a screw into those walls, it won't hold well, so they are a bitch to hang shelves on. We really rigged the shelves that we had up pretty crazily. So, I figured it was time for them to go.

Yup, I moved my Yankees Boys art to my bedroom. You might remember it from the living room reveal post. I decided I wanted it in my room because the black & white theme is actually in my bedroom, not in the living area. I want a new piece of art for the hallway wall.



And then there's the vanity. I moved her to the wall where the dresser was.



I feel like the room flows really well this way. I'm happy with it!

Another thing I never got to show you guys is the art we got for the new bathroom. Remember that bare orange wall? She's not bare anymore!



Don't mind the crazy angles. It's really hard to take pictures in that little bathroom!

Both art pieces are from IKEA... dur. Like I'd go anywhere else?! You can view them both on IKEA's website here & here. The second I laid my eyes on them, I knew where they were meant to go! They match the shower curtain so perfectly, it's almost like they were meant to go with that shower curtain. Hell, maybe they are!

We also added this little guy to the tub...



Naturally, Gracie loves him! Since she's the one who takes the most baths in this house, she gets to sit on him and play in the tub even longer now since he's so soft and cushiony.

Ok, this isn't house related but I just need to share these last two pictures with you guys. My cat Max (named after Gracie's favorite show Max & Ruby) sleeps like a human. Everyday. I'm not kidding.



He even sleeps with his mouth open, like Paul does.



I swear, this cat is a human in a cats body. Sometimes we joke & say he's Paul's dad, reincarnated to watch over us... or sometimes we say he's my bestfriend Brandon, who died a year ago, Monday. Max won't be a year old till July, so maaaaybe. ;) Either way, he's so unique & silly & gosh I just love him as if he were my own child. He's so special to me. <3

Easter decor

Last week I mentioned in the living room/dining room redo post that I'd share my Easter decor on the kitchen side of my house, since you could see the bits and pieces of it from the living room images. I've actually had my Easter decor up since the end of February. I know, I'm crazy but I just love all of the colors for Easter. I'm not at all religious, I only celebrate Easter for the fun side of it, the bunnies, eggs, etc. I didn't even celebrate it last year because I honestly didn't feel like it. But since my home is finally to my standards, I'm all about decorating for as many Holidays as I can, at this point. lol.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of my Easter decor.

I still need to paint my table & bench to match my Ikea chairs. Ehh, I'll get there one of these days. I actually just painted the bead board last night! And then took these pictures. lol.


Table up close.


Table & sill above.


I got all of these print outs on Pinterest. You can find them under Holiday Decor. And yes, the last one is longer than the rest, I ordered these in the wrong size and had to cut them down, except I couldn't cut that bunny off, it's too cute, so he peaks over the top of the frame. ;) I've been meaning to move him to the center frame but yeah, hasn't happened. lol


And a wide shot of the kitchen Easter decor side. Still need to add more art to this wall. Mind you my kitchen is still under construction. ;)


Have you started decorating for Easter? What's your favorite Easter activity?

I painted the top part of my kitchen cabinets this weekend as well. I'll hopefully have a Kitchen finished post in a couple weeks. I'll post current kitchen picture progress pictures later this week. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Befores & Afters

I decided before I do the big reveal of my new living room/dining room I'd share a few before & afters of a couple things I painted to match my new living room/dining room. First up is an old wood cabinet that I got from one of Paul's friends. I got it about 2 or 3 years ago and it pretty much just sat with the same things inside it in the same place. Mostly just wedding goodies & baseball memorabilia. I knew right from the beginning of designing my LR/DR that I wanted to keep it & paint it & really spiff it up a bit.

Here are some befores....



First I pulled the backing off by prying the nails out of the sides with a spackle thingy (I'm not good with terms, ok?) & also a hammer, which isn't pictured since that takes two hands. Ha!


Here is the back of it after I got it off. Ready for the fabric I wanted to use as a background.


This is the fabric I chose at JoAnn's. It was $34.99 a yard! I know, cray cray! But thankfully my mom gave me two 40% off coupons so it was allll good.


This is the adhesive that I used. I just sprayed the back board like crazy & then laid the fabric onto it & pressed it down into place, then hot glued the corners down so nothing was sticking out.


Here she is! All pretty!




Isn't she preeeetty? :) I love it!

Up next is a lamp I found at a local thrift store for 3 bucks. She was ugly & purple which to me is the worst color in. the. world. Yes, ever. HAAATE it. Anyway.





Here she is all primed & ready for paint! I decided I wanted to paint her a light yellow. Because yellow makes me happy. :)




This is with two coats of yellow paint. I did three or four.




Annnd here she is all finished! Light on. I don't know why the yellow looks so BRIGHT but the yellow I chose is actually a very light yellow, it's really pretty. The actual color is probably closer to the pictures above when I was still in the painting faze.


Lights off. Still looks SUPER bright but, like I said, it isn't this crazy of a yellow. It's the lighting I think.


And lastly a close up of the lamp shade that I picked up at IKEA. I think it's perfect for this lamp. It's so pretty on my yellow lamp. :)



That's all for now. I'll be posting pictures of the big reveal of my LR/DR in a week or so after my wall decal gets here. It's coming from Hong Kong sooo yeah I gotta wait! When I get that on the main wall, you'll get pictures, promise! Until then, hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Hopefully some of you comment! I'd love to hear... err see what you think! ;)