Nursery curtains

The first piece I wanted for the nursery was the curtains. With the closest Ikea being 2.5 hours away, my mother (who currently lives in another state), went to her local Ikea and picked them up. Then she went to Babies R Us to see how they went with the crib we've chosen -- and I LOVE it!

Three's company

It's official -- after nearly 7 years of marriage, we are expecting our first child! We will find out on October 21 if it is a boy or a girl (hopefully). Either way, I already know exactly what I want to do with the nursery.

By Sarah Richardson

 I fell in love with this nursery the very first time I saw it on HGTV's Sarah's House 2 (long before I became pregnant). It was meant to be a gender-neutral room, and it is totally my style. The colors also coordinate perfectly with the colors throughout the rest of our home.

Fortunately, Sarah Richardson's website has a source list with all the places she purchased the items in the room, as well as paint colors. I already have the paint swatches (by Glidden Professional), and will be purchasing the curtains (from Ikea) next month.

Some elements will obviously be different. The chair, for instance, is only available in Canada, and the chair's custom fabric is no longer manufactured (I had already contacted the vendor directly in hopes of tracking it down).

Even though some elements will be different, the important ones will be closely the same. We also plan to mimic the alphabet along the top of the room. Being a graphic designer and working with type, this is one of my favorite parts.

More to come on this project as we move along. I'm really looking forward to recreating this room and seeing how it all comes together!

Backyard friends

We have entered our first spring in the house, and wildlife is everywhere. We have seen several types of birds, toads, frogs, lizards, turtles, and a raccoon. Here are some photos of our backyard friends.

Spring is here!

The weather has been great in North Carolina. So great, in fact, that we decided to purchase a patio set and grill!

This is our first summer in the new house, so the patio set was a big decision. I had in mind something very specific: aluminum, neutral, stylish, no glass top, and seating for 6 while fitting on our patio. But everything that fit my requirements in appearance didn't fit our budget requirement. One way or another, something would have to be sacrificed; I wouldn't be able to have it all.

I looked at several patio sets on my own before Chad and I went to Home Depot. He spotted a Martha Stewart patio set that he said would be perfect. It fit the budget, was neutral, and had seating for 6. The best part was the shape. We loved the hexagon for our patio. The only drawbacks were a glass top and it was made of steel instead of aluminum.

Two weeks went by before we made a decision. And we decided to go for it. We also got a new Weber grill. Now we can enjoy our backyard for our first summer in the house!

 

 

This cookie jar is a hoot!

I spotted this cookie/cracker jar at Anthropologie:

I love it's vintage, kitschy appearance. It reminds me of sweet grandmothers. And the colors would go perfectly in our kitchen!

And though I have no need or use for them, I also love the colors of these Anthropologie bowls:

Speaking of the dining room...

I haven't yet posted pictures of those West Elm plates I was contemplating.

Shortly after that blog post, I ordered the plates. They were perfect!

I decided against hanging the plates on the wall, and put them on the existing black shelves instead. My mom also found some great white vases at a local store. The cut-out detail reminds me of tree branches.

One of these days, we will paint those shelves the same red as the wall. Until then, we're pretty happy with the way the dining room is turning out!

Questions

I like this table runner from Williams-Sonoma:

But will it go with my dining room?

Is the runner white or ivory?

Would it be too much red? 

Christmas recap

Christmas is over, and it's time to pack everything up. But first, I have to mention some Christmas items that really made me smile.

Each year when we decorate for Christmas, I come across these Mr. and Mrs. Claus candle holders in my tote. I always place them on the window sill above the kitchen sink.

My mom tells me that they came from Hallmark. They've been around as long as I can remember. In fact, I was certain I remembered them being on top of the old TV set along with other Christmas decor. I found a picture, but as you can see, they aren't there...

Either way, I absolutely love the Mr. and Mrs. Claus candle holders. I always forget about them, so they make me happy every time I pull them out of the tote. This year, while decorating for Christmas for the first time in our new home, I started thinking about other ornaments and decor from my childhood.

We traveled "home" for Christmas this year, and I found a box of ornaments my mom had made when I was a kid. She is an artist, woodworker and seamstress, and had hand-crafted all of these beautiful ornaments. Here are just a few:

I took the chance to bring them back with me, and I'll be excited to add them to our tree next year!

Even though I now have a box of handmade classic wood and fabric ornaments from my childhood, I want to keep shiny glass bulbs as well. The bulbs I've been using are rose, ivory, and gold (they were hand-me-downs), and I want to update them to match the colors of our current living room.

So while I was at Target today, I noticed that not only did they have 75% off holiday items, but that they also had an aisle of glass bulbs left! I picked up 4 boxes of bulbs for just $6. I used a Target gift card that I got as a Christmas gift, and I ended up with them for free.

I'd like to find some new red and white bulbs as well. Maybe I can find more while everything is on sale!