re/Master-ed

Any new parent knows what it's like to bring home your first child- you pretty much live in your bedroom surrounded by all that baby gear (bassinet, burp cloths, diaper changing supplies, etc.) - you will pretty much bring anything into your room that makes those early a.m. waking hours easier on you and your spouse.

After several weeks spent with our master bedroom cluttered by all things baby, I decided to reclaim the space and do a little makeover. Plus, countless hours of late night Pinterest while tending to baby will make you antsy for a change. I found myself drawn to a more "eclectic" look that was borderline Bohemien-- much like an Anthropologie catalog.

The room as it was featured a blue wall which I had painted when we moved in (and still loved), an old headboard and some very thrown together, drab bedding.

I made my way to Home Goods with a budget of $250, but made it out of there for under $175 and found these key pieces for our master makeover...

I also knew that we were in desperate need a new headboard and thanks to Pinterest, power tools and a husband we were able to get one for under $100...(visit thatredheadedsister.com for the DIY headboard project information). 

-- AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE --

When I saw this painting I had to have it, but sent a picture of it to the hubs first to make sure it wasn't too girly to cramp his style-- I win.

Love this authentic CHANEL magazine advertisement I found on Etsy from the late 60's. Add a simple frame, and viola!

So pleased with the new look, and now I'm off to the next space to re/do.

~ Heather

Cute as a Button...'B' Turns One!

I was thrilled when asked to organize and decorate this "Cute as a Button" themed birthday party for 'B' when she turned one year old!! The color inspiration was teal, purple, red & gray with pops of yellow.

'B's Mom is an avid seamstress, so we were able to use spools of thread and button jars straight out of her sewing room as part of the decor ($$$ saver). 

The adorable Happy Birthday banner was ordered from Etsy and was also used in the photos taken prior to the party which were used for the party invitation and as part of the party decor as seen here. (Another $$$ saver- photos are very inexpensive to print)

The cupcake flags were handmade (by yours truly) out of gray chevron scrapbook paper and toothpicks for a total of less than $1- there is nothing some "re/vision" and glue dots can't do!! And the super cute faux drawer found at a local craft store made for the perfect cupcake holder.

And of course, a first birthday party 'aint a party without a SMASH CAKE!! !! !!

For an easy and inexpensive way to decorate a highchair (and jazz up all those photo ops of baby's first cake) simply buy different width-sized ribbon and cut into streams, then hot glue onto twine/string and tie to highchair.

And after the party is over, my advice would be to KEEP EVERYTHING you can. You never know what you can "re/vamp" and  "re/use" at your next party. Happy hostessing!!

-Heather

A Boy Named Indiana

When we found out we were having a baby boy we were absolutely thrilled, and our "little guy" made his debut appearance in January (just seven short weeks ago). Insert proud mommy love here...

Once we knew the baby's gender, I hit the ground running to start pulling inspiration for the nursery. I am a big fan of inspiration boards and you can pretty much use any online photo editing software to create a collage in order to pull together all of your favorite images. I was instantly drawn to the mint green, grey and orange color scheme. I felt it was gender neutral enough and captured the sort of retro-vintage vibe I was going for. (View full images of inspiration room at babylifestyles.com) 

 

After days of online browsing, I was not having much luck locating any kind of bedding that fit the bill. Completely frustrated at this point, I knew I would have to go a slightly different direction and started leaning towards using a different shade of green while still using grey & orange and accenting with pops of red & yellow. I ordered very basic grey, geometric patterned sheets from amazon, found the pillow at hobby lobby and was lucky enough to have my friend Sarah make the crib bumper (believe it or not the green & cream chevron material came from a curtain panel)!! And as a bonus, the white crib was only $125 bucks at Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot.

 

 

 

The nursery walls were originally a kind of pale flesh tone (cream-colored) and we ended up painting them two shades of grey with the darker shade on the bottom (roughly 18" from the base board). This helped make the room appear larger and brighter than before. I knew I did not want a traditional changing table and opted for this grey, weathered dresser from ikea with ledge shelving above (also from ikea) to display all of Indiana's books and the changing pad cover was custom ordered on Etsy.

  



 



 

The next task was to start pulling together items for the wall hangings behind little guy's crib. Some items we already had and others were found at Hobby Lobby and on Etsy (such as this antique abacus).

 

 

 



 

And the end result...

 

 

Other decorative elements in the nursery include model biplanes (found at Ross) suspended from the ceiling with clear wire, a drawing on a painted burlap canvas inspired by Where the Wild Things Are (done by his awesome Aunt Rachel) and an orange and cream chevron patterned rug.

 



 

 

We are so pleased with how the room all came together and didn't have to spend tons of money to get the look we wanted. If you find yourself faced with decorating a nursery & the joy of planning for a baby here are a few tips:

• Ask yourself 'what is the overall vibe you want to achieve in the room?' Do you want to use elements that are more graphic & bold with a twist of vintage or do you prefer something that reads more organic & soft with hints of modern. Or maybe you want it all and want a completely eclectic look. There is no right or wrong.
• Browse, Browse, Browse! Do your research. With the ease of use of sites such as pinterest, finding inspiration for your room is as easy as typing in "nursery" in the search tool. Looking at what others have already done will allow you to narrow in on what you want to do in your own room.
• Don't limit yourself by feeling like you have to use the bedding and decor options offered at major retailers (they can tend to be a bit generic). You can now opt for custom orders on sites like Etsy and most "shops" will allow you te set up registries so that guests of your baby shower can contribute towards the cost as their gift to you & baby.
• There is no exact science to the order of pulling the room together. If you fall in love with a paint color for the walls before you even have a crib, that's fine. Or if you find a curtain panel (or any fabric) that you know is just perfect from the room first and center your design around that, no problem. The most important thing is to chose color schemes & design styles that speak to you.



~ Heather