DIY: Magnetic Chalkboard

When designing the nursery, the room already had a niche in the wall meant to have a built in desk. My husband built a simple white desk with floating cabinets on either side. I wanted to use the space to it's fullest and so I thought about creating a pin board for the backsplash. Then as the thought process evolved we thought of placing a chalkboard there instead as long as it was magnetic so you can place photos or whatever little girls like to display.

It was a simple solution and to help guide us along, I found this guideline from good ol' Martha Stewart. We found some metal from the local metal yard and they cut it to size. Then with a little chalkboard spray paint we had a custom backsplash that is both functional and adds some contrast to the all white desk. When our little tike gets older she will be able to place all her treasured memories and photos there as well as draw and write messages.

Branching Out: Branch Curtain Rod

I feel like I have been saying this frequently lately, but it has been a while since my last post. With the holidays and the baby just around the corner, I feel like I either haven't had the time or the will to keep up with new posts. I am now on my maternity leave and in the waiting game so I really shouldn't have an excuse at least for a few days until the little one arrives.

I have pretty much finished her nursery and am just thrilled with it, but I am refraining to post pictures of it in it's entirety until my husband finishes the shelves that are to go above her chalkboard/desk area. He has been promising to do it for weeks now, but I have a hunch that he procrastinating because he doesn't want to put holes in the wallpaper. That aside, now on to my original reason to be posting.

I wrote a while back about a company that sells all kinds of branches and loved their stuff, but was disappointed that I had to buy five branches when I just needed the one. My husband is the master at finding anything online and so he found a random florist in Wisconsin that would send us a white birch branch at any length and pick the straightest one they had for $25. Not too shabby for a curtain rod. When it arrived in the mail, it was perfect (see above). I love the extra little unexpected touch that the branch brings to her nursery as well as the warmth. I found the linen textured curtains for a song at Cost Plus World Market for just $15 a panel. A steal!! I have a lot of favorite elements to her room, but I hope you like this one as much as I do! More to come!

Coco Stylewood Baby Lounger: Rockin' Baby

I have been hesitant to purchase all of the baby items and paraphernalia out there just because others say "you must have this". Partly because I know that all these things haven't been around forever and somehow our parents seemed to manage without, and also, a lot of the baby gear these days is motorized and doesn't allow baby's to figure things out for themselves or do things for themselves. With that said, one thing I did decide I wanted to have for our baby was a rocker or a lounger to be able to free up my hands for a few while I am in the kitchen cooking, but still have her near by. We ordered the Coco Stylewood baby Lounger by Bloom and it arrive in the mail last week. It's beautiful!

During my bouncer search I was again disappointed by the choices out there because of all the self motorized rocking. I came across a few that fit the bill, but my favorite by far was the Coco lounger. It's beautiful enough to leave in our living room even when your baby is not rockin' out in their stylish lounger. We got ours from Babystyle (30% off thank goodness) in the henna brown and natural, but for more color options, you can find them at Baby Geared.

Viva Terra: A Little Bird Told Me

These bird vases are just too sweet. I was lucky enough to stumble across them on a recent trip to Victoria BC at a local garden store (I can't remember the name) just before the holiday season and picked up a few as gifts for friends. But for those not around Victoria, I have seen them on the Viva Terra website for some time and have always been tempted to order them. They are a nice little gift for that special someone.

Garnet Hill: A Stocking for Your Stuff

Well, Thanksgiving is officially over and the holiday season has begun. This is one of my favorite times of year when we get to curl up by the fire with a good book and hot chocolate and not feel guilty for laying low. And I love Christmas decorations, especially stockings. I was looking for a new stocking for our little peanut who is quickly on her way. I found these online at Garnet Hill and instantly loved them! One of the more important criteria in my book is the size. None of this wimpy stocking size - you need to be able to pack them full! I also like the heirloom quality they have. I got the one with the ruffles since I know this little one will be a girl and then I ordered one more in the snowflake pattern for peanut #2 in the future.

Happy Holidays!

Phillip Jefferies Wallpaper

Bringing natural textures in your home always has a soothing and comforting effect. At least for me. I love any sort of natural wallpaper to bring the nature element inside, but what it also unexpectedly brings is a modern feel...with the right pairing of furniture and accessories of course!

We are putting this Japanese paperweave palm paper from Phillip Jefferies (a wholesale wallpaper company) up in the nursery to bring some warmth to the room. It is only going up on about the top three feet of the walls, but just that amount makes the room cozy. The bottom five feet of the walls are wrapped in white shaker style wallboard. Phillip Jefferies has some beautiful wallpapers to check out. Even if it's just an accent wall, these papers can make a huge difference in a room. We put some grasscloth wallpaper in our loft area so when you look up from the entry way you can see the textured wall.

Etsy: The Place for Pillows

This is the first time I have purchased something from Etsy and I have to say I am hooked. I found these pillows from White Butterfly Studio on Etsy and they just arrived today. The craftsmanship is impeccable and the customer service and price was just as good. I also love the other items listed under White Butterfly. These two pillows are going to look perfect in the nursery!

I encourage you to check out other pillows on Etsy. You can find some unique and beautiful items! Especially applique which I just love.

Calendars: More than Just a Time Keeper

I have done this for many of the places I have lived and still think it's a great way to recycle old calendars you love as well as have some economical art work around your home. After a calendar has finished it's year and you still love the pictures, who says you have to get rid of it? Simply pick a few of your favorite months and have them framed to put on your walls.

I really don't understand why custom framing is sooooo expensive and I can't get myself to spend the money on it, especially when the actual artwork itself is not of great value. So I will find every way around it, but still end up with nicely framed art. My solution is to take your picture/calendar to your local frame shop and have some custom mats cut and then pick out some stock frames. This way you get the custom look, but without the high costs.

With the picture shown, I had a calendar that I chose specifically for our bedroom. I picked out a linen looking mat, had them cut to size and then picked out some simple frames. I couldn't find a style and color that I liked all in one so I decided to paint them to achieve the look I wanted. I chose a champagne colored paint to pick up the lamp shades and also it is subtle enough that it doesn't make the already boxed in space too busy. The mats were about $17 each to have cut, the frames were 2 for $20 and then the paint was about $8. So all in all I only spend $69 for a custom look for two pieces - not too shabby!!

So save your calendars this year!