Baby D Nursery

I am so excited to decorate the nursery for our sweet little boy! I want him to have a fun and unique room that will be visually stimulating for his developing eyes and incorporate pieces that can mature from a nursery to a "big boy" room.

 

The subtle theme I chose was "retro Disney" and want to incorporate an eclectic mix of textures, patterns and colors.  I already have a couple pieces I want to use in combination of a bunch of new stuff.  :)

 

With that said, I give you Baby D's Nursery!

 

 

 

1. Here is the actual room baby will be sleeping in! Since this picture has been taken, I have painted the cubby blue, hubs trimmed the scallops to create a straight line and chocolate carpet has been put in.

 

2. This red desk was a street find I mentioned in this post.  We will need to secure it to the wall, but it will be perfect with all the drawers and shelf underneath.  We'll just need to add a changing pad to the top!

 

3. I want to incorporate either a bold rug or bold window treatments.  I haven't decided which yet...

 

4. I've always wanted a marquee light too.  Once we figure out the name I think it would be cool to get his initials in these lights.

 

5. I'm obsessed with this industrial style light.  I love everything about this light.  It's happening.

 

6. I also want to get a good floor lamp like this one.  Some accent lighting is nice so you don't have to have the overhead light on all the time.

 

7. To support my theme, I want to incorporate vintage Disney attraction posters as the room art.  I'm going to pick more of the "boyish" posters (obviously).  This allows me to instill my love of Disney to my bebe without having Mickey plastered all over the walls...

 

8. I am also obsessed with this crib.  It adds the perfect touch of retro to the space. This will also be happening.

 

9.  I registered for this chair and ottoman.  I love how it brings a more traditional feel to the space and I chose an ivory color because there is going to be a lot color and patterns going on in the room.

 

10. I also want to do a wall of book storage like this one I found on pinterest.  Some friends of ours gave us a bunch of children's books and I can't wait to display them all!  What a fun idea to add function and a playful accent wall.

 

11. Fun baby accessories like this mobile, owl bank, books and stuffed animals will tie this room together.

 

We haven't bought anything for the space but I can't wait to do so!

 

Ottoman Overhaul

You might remember this post... 

Well, I finally did something about them :)

Here is the before, luckily it kind of matched our couches but they definitely had that unfinished look to them.

I followed this tutorial and it worked perfectly!

So off to the fabric store with my friend Kristina and here is what I picked out.  The cream tones matched the couch and chair perfectly while the chocolate matched the curtains.  I chose the design to add a little texture to the room, when we first painted the main floor we chose a lot of neutrals and its starting to get a little boring.  I thought this fabric would add a little visual interest.

This was my first sewing project ever, with that said, it took me about 3 hours just to cut the fabric. 

Once I got to the machine I was cruisin :)

Here is the final product! I was just short of fabric to finish the second cover but I think another yard will get the job done.

I Love it!

It's MINE, ALLLLL MIIIINNNEEEE!

Celebration is in order!  I am now in possession of a SEWING MACHINE!!!

My WONDERFUL aunt gave this to me! It's definitely a little older but it's the perfect beginners machine and if needed I can upgrade later! 

Now I need to get on those ottoman covers! Aimee, Sarah, Learn me.

Sew Awesome!

Last Saturday I went to IKEA and I scored two Karlstad Ottomans that were on sale for $70 a piece!  Originally $100 bones, I did a little victory dance for getting such a deal!  They are a great size and after bringing them home and assembling them, I am happy to report that they are the EXACT same height at the couch.

We got these ottomans because hubs and I are feet up type people.  Our couch is also a bit shallow so its nice to be able to sink down and stretch out a little!  We put one in front of our chair and the other we place vertically on one side of the couch to give it more of a chaise lounge feel.

I opted out of buying the covers: 1. They didn't really have the right colors for our space and 2. They were $50! I couldn't justify spending that much for a cover I was less than dazzled with.  They look like the above picture, pretty bare bones.  The top cushions don't even attach to the base and the birch legs aren't looking very stellar with our dark wooded furniture room.

BUT... It's okay because, I GOT A SEWING MACHINE!!!  My awesome Aunt Cheryl gave me hers!  It is currently still in its case but I can't wait to get everything out and start sewing covers for the ottomans!  I want to find a fabric pattern with a white base and spurts of these colors:

Tans, Reds, Turquoise, Chocolate, golds, you get my drift.  This picture on our mantle is really the color base for the whole living room.  All the pillows pull from different colors of the painting and the rug is a pretty gold color.  The covers I make will be super simple and will be easy to slip right over the whole thing!

YAHOO!

Incorporating the Past into my Closet...

As I'm sitting here on hold with a Movie Company, the orchestrated tune of "Singing in the Rain" is filling my ears.  Since I was a young girl I have been fascinated with the Glamorous, Simple eras of the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's.  I know that is a rather large time period but I LOVE IT. I often joke with others that I was born in the wrong decade :] I was born in 1986.  Nuff said.

I wish I could have experienced some the changes that happened in our world in that time. If you think about it, 1900-1950 brought amazing technological, social and cultural changes.  I am so captivated with these early American Eras.

1920's - 1930's:  The era of silent films, flappers, the mob, the prohibition and the great depression.  Even though not all these events were glamorous, they are extremely intriguing in their own right.  As modern day Americans, we have never experienced the brokenness that was brought on by the great depression.  Yes, we are currently in an economic downturn but I don't feel it reached the severness of that back in the 30's.  We also take for granted the fact that we can buy and drink alcohol whenever we want.  Though it was against the law, I would have loved to experience an underground speak easy and dabbled a little bit in the illegal partaking of alcohol.   Organized crime back in the day is another thing that pulls me in.  It is still to this day alive and well in many Hollwood productions as well as the lesser known gangs and mobs of the present. Flapper and cigarette girls adorned themselves with short hair and hats.  They wore short skirts and sleeveless dresses, quite a drastic change from the modest apparel of the women a decade before. Fashion was born and women were ready to step out of the shadows.

1940's -1950's:  This is the era where my heart truly lies. When this era began, America was in the midst of  WWII. If you ever want to watch a good GREAT depiction of what living during the war, as a soldier might have been like in Europe, you need to wach the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers".  It is entirely informative, captivating and is based of a true company "The EZ Company", that served together in the war. (I digress) After the war came a booming economy, women in the workforce and my opinion, the best music, movies and television to ever hit the public.  Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Audrey Hepburn, Bob etcetera etcetera.  This post war era of Glamour is what I admire the most.  Going to movies was glamourous, flying was glamorous and everyone dressed for life.  Women didn't even own sweats let alone go grocery shopping in them.  There is a style and grace about this period that will never be matched again.

Most recently, I have been hooked on a more gritty version of life in the late 50's early 60's.  That would be called AMC's Mad Men.  It is a show that follws Ad Executives in the heart of NYC.  The Cigarette filled, Whiskey drinking and philandering characters in this show bring a more scandalous outlook on the seemingly innocent era.   The women on this show are insanely gorgeous and their style is to die for.

With all of the above said, It brings me to one random point that was the point of this whole post. I want to learn how to sew.


One common thread of all these eras that I love so dearly is FASHION.  I love the way women used to dress and I want to learn to sew so I can make myself some classic pieces that you just cant find anymore.  The flowy dresses, tailored jackets and high-waisted pants are looks of the past that are slowly coming back. For me, I had always loved the things of the past but watching "Mad Men" brought it all back to the surface.  I want to incorporate some of the old Fashioned Glamour into my own closet.
 
I asked for a sewing maching for Christmas...  We will have to see what happens :]