Nursery Talk

Lets start by saying, this is so unlike me to be dreaming up plans for a nursery. I'm going to blame it on my best friends who are all trying to get preggers right now.

I stumbled across this picture and fell in love. I'm not really traditional in the way of nursery décor, and I'm more concerned about the long term functionality of a room… that’s probably why I like what my friend, Oh Louise, did for little Walker so much.

This room is so clean, simple, and transitional. It could easily go for a bambino or bambina with a few very small tweaks. Everything except the crib, teddy bear and rocking horse could be used anywhere in a house. The flooring is amazing. I'm not sure a baby even deserves to have such nice carpet, but once you're ready to transition your tot to a big kid room, you could move them to a another bedroom and use this as a guest room. Give the kiddo old carpet, so you're heart won't break when they decide to turn it into an art project, right?!

When you live in Texas, ceiling fans are a must-have… at least for this girl. Its really funny how much the ceiling fan bothers me in this room. I'm going to think that they just hadn't gotten around to replacing it with a nicer looking fan before this pic was taken. Maybe even something like one of these…. Or maybe stick with painted blades and some glitz for a little girl?

What do you think? Are you loving the big bovine? Or are you more traditional?

Love the look? here are some of the moving pieces:

• Oeuf Sparrow crib, $760 (pricey, but they build their furniture sustainably sourced wood, finishes are free of VOC health hazards, non-toxic and water-based, and all factory wastes are recycled - nice). If you're on a budget, you can get a similar look at Ikea for $120.
• Rocking Chair, $405. I personally may opt for something a bit more substantial that Mr. Husband may actually want to sit in, like this or this, or the awesome glider that was made for Walker's nursery.
• Bovine paintings and prints (similar): here, here, here, or commission a piece from an artist like this or like this.
• Antelope carpet, $5.85/sq ft. Thanks to research done on the part of MFAMB in this post. I'm sure that you could find it for more/less... if its gets too expensive to carpet the whole room, or if you have wood flooring, think about having an area rug made from the carpet.

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DIY Door Makeovers - Part 1

Dear Blogosphere,
Its been quite a while since we last had a visit. I had  a fun girls trip with my mom and sisters that I had to prep for, enjoy, and recover from. Don't worry though… I'm back and ready to continue our meaningful relationship.

A lot has been going on in this crafty case since I returned from my trip. Remember this post about the bi-fold closet door make over? Its happening! 

We are literally in the middle of the project, and like most of the projects I drag Mr. Husband into, I totally underestimated the amount of time it will take to finish. That being said, I thought it would also be a good idea to throw in updates to a few more interior doors. Why not?! Right?

All of the doors in our house are circa 1978 hollow panel doors with jank door knobs that should be replaced. When we moved in, all we did was paint them white – which honestly didn't even come close to hiding the hideousness. I couldn't justify spending the money to replace the hardware on these doors because they were just so sad and gross.  I was all but resolved to having ugly doors for the remainder of our time in this house, until I took a visit to my friends house that she recently had remodeled (I have every intent of crashing her house to share with you once she's settled and gives me the green light, don't worry!!).

Her new doors are lovely. They're heavy, solid, thick wood doors. What caught my eye on them specifically was the trim that was used to give them the custom look.
BAM! My doors may not be heavy, solid, or thick, but they could certainly take some trim to dress 'em up!

So, that was the second half of our weekend door make over project, that didn't get finished this weekend…. That probably won't be done for a few more weekends. Oh well, its going to be bad ace once its complete. Here's a teaser pic to wet your pallet….

PS – I totally rocked my leopard print fur trapper hat on my ski trip. My sisters were pretty jealous.

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Master Bathroom Update

Hello lovelies.
Here's a little sneak peak at our master bathroom update... I'm so happy with the way its turning out, and can't wait to share the finished project!

Also, if you're a fan of C. Wonder, get your bottom over there ASAP for the 2 day flash sale. 75% off Sale items! I am ridiculous and purchased this amazingly perfect leopard trapper hat ($13.99) to wear with these fun emerald studs ($8.99) when I ski at the end of this month. My sisters and mom will not be surprised.

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Tuesday Morning Treasures

Okay kiddos, we have a lot of ground to cover today so lets jump in! I probably need to start taking my camera with me when I shop so I can stop apologizing for these jank phone pics....

First stop, a Dallas antique mall that turned up a few interesting pieces, including this lamp. Its a really good size lamp and looks expensive in person. I'm sure its not antique - or even vintage - but its a good deal at $57!

Right: antique mall, Left: Pottery Barn

WARNING: This next one may offend some of you soft-hearted animal lovers.... BUT it was already dead - nothing I can do about it!
I'm really diggin the antelope love happening right now. Check out the post Sadie + Stella did not too long ago on antelope floor coverings. I saw this and instantly thought it would be completely amazing as a layered piece in an office or along side a bed. Mr. Husband didn't think so, but I'm pretty sure his judgment was fogged by the not so glamorous taxidermy accompanying the hide. If you're not into the killing animals for fashion and style, then check out the animal safe choices at your favorite flooring shop!

Target. For real. I first saw these little cuties on one of the blogs I read (and now cannot rememeber which one to save my life - sorry!) and went directly to Target.com to buy them, but they were already sold out. I went to a few different store locations and finally gave up with the assumption that it wasn't meant to be. Until... a few nights ago when my Mom and I stopped by Target to pick up some Advil, and ended up leaving with a shopping cart full of goodies (shocker) - including 1 of these benches for $59.99!

I was thrilled to have found just the one, but was hoping that they would tell me where I could find a second in a nearby store. Well, that nearby store was a good 30 minutes away - and way out of the way from anything and anywhere I go. I finally got around to driving myself out to the middle of no where in not such a good part of town where I probably should not have been by myself at night (oops), and there sitting on the shelf were 2 more benches! I snagged the one additional that I needed, and quickly made the observation that this was the Target I needed to frequent for all things home related. They had everything on their shelves, that has been sold out in my local stores for weeks!

Along with my new x-benches, I found a small stash of Nate Berkus decor pieces that were 50% off (still full price on Target.com)! I also picked up a version of this wall art with a silver/pewter frame and matted for $14.97 (pics to come in a later post)!! For this reason alone, I will be making monthly stops to this Target location.

 (tray $15, silver shell $10, chain $7, box $10, tall vase shown $12.50, short vase $11.50)

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Baby Walker and His Nursery

Meet Walker. He's 10 days old and ridiculously cute (duh). He belongs to my sweet friend Eleanor of Oh Louise!, and I'm so happy to be an honorary aunt.

We got to meet him for the first time this weekend, and it was magical. After a long night of doing his best to keep his parents awake, little Walker was quite the charmer. He starred at us, made funny faces, slept a little bit, and did this really sweet fake cry where his face looked like he should be screaming but he wasn't actually making any noise. Love him.

On top of being a pretty cool baby, his mom hooked him up with a pretty sweet little baby bachelor pad. These pics are from my phone, and don't do the room justice but I was too excited to wait for good pictures. Its a woodland creature wonderland... not too baby, and will transition to a big boy room without doing much of anything (but knowing Eleanor, she will probably give it a new spin when that time comes anyways).

She's a really gifted thrift-finder (here, here and here) and did a great job of mixing old with new in Walker's nursery to stay true to her style.

 "Woodland Tumble" bedding from Baby Bliss, Squishable Round Fox, Orange and White Rug, Animal Prints: Left, Center, Right

This is one of my favorite things in the room. I know a book shelf wall is a pretty common thing to have in nurseries right now, but this is special. A lot of these books came from their gender reveal party we (myself and 5 of our dear friends) hosted. We didn't know if Walker was going to be a he or a she, and they hadn't registered... so we asked every one to bring a book and write a message in it. If you look closely, you can see a "Merry Christmas Curious George" book... hilarious because Eleanor is slightly obsessed with Christmas, and a "Ferdinand the Bull" book, which was one of my favorites growing up. Its just sweet and I love it.

Walker is pretty cool. I think we're all really pumped that he's finally here! Way to go El! 

(please disregard the no-makeup face, oops!)

P.S. - Once she's back from maternity leave, you people need to check out her Etsy shop - its legit. Muah!

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Dog Portrait

Remember this post about the watercolor dog portraits?
Well I finally got around to ordering one of Mitzi, and holy moly its so freaking cute!
She made this (in 3 days!) ridiculously amazing painting for $37 - including tax. WHAT?! Go check here out on Etsy.

 

Here are the original pictures I sent her to work from if you're curious... She's the cutest ever! Mr. Husband and I are completely in love with our little valentine!

And to think, I thought Valentine's Day couldn't get any better when I opened my mailbox to find this litttle gem... then my little sister emails me an amazing Groupon deal for Copper Mountain lift tickets (we happen to be taking a sister-mom ski trip at the end of the month!) that we took full advantage of... AND THEN Mr. Husband sent me the most amazing succulent garden to work. It makes me happy. Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

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Bright & White Rooms I Love

Two of these rooms have me seriously considering a move to Arkansas. Or, if I'm being less dramatic I could just say that I am way in LOVE with these simple white rooms. They're colorless and full of color at the same time.


The subtle hint of purple in this bedroom is dreamy, and the almost bare floors really warm the space and keep it from feeling too sterile. The elements of this room are so simple that it would be simple to recreate - probably part of the reason why I love it... its real and liveable. Like a fashion equivalent to casual chic.

Seriously y'all - how about that headboard? Mr. Husband and I have made an upholstered headboard for our guest bedroom and it was no big deal. Now, I'm thinking we should give this extra tall, cutout silhouette a whirl.

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This room may not be all too practical for every home, but thinking about my Aunt's small river cabin I couldn't think of a better solution for the space. First, I love it and there's something almost whimsical about it. The thought of kids climbing into the built in bunks, and friends circled around after a long afternoon outside... LOVE. The rope chandelier is fantastic and compliments the exposed rock. I also really love the larger size wood plank wall in contrast to the smaller wood plank ceilings. Can you imagine a more fun place to spend your summers?

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One more.... Okay, on top of this just simply being a beautiful kitchen - I love the back wall. I am obsessed with the windows, the plants and the fact that the natural green is the only color. The whole thing is ridic. Can you imagine that fireplace in a master bath - yes please! 

This kitchen is too pretty to cook in... which is perfect, because I don't cook!

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