HOME | A few updates...

I've been pushing forward on projects in the nursery/guestroom trying to get everything checked off by my self-imposed one year deadline.  First item, the lights.  I had regular table lamps originally, but our roaming baby would pull them down in no time so I had to switch them to wall mounted (well, technically bed-mounted).  I had these super inexpensive Ikea lamps from our previous place and updated them with a hit of bright yellow paint on the shades.

I also spruced up the vintage Madeline poster that's hanging on the door.  The frame was a boring brown, so I gave it a few quick coats of yellow paint and now it is bright and sunny!

I learned this trick from Jenny at Little Green Notebook.  You can just paint your frame, letting the paint get on the glass.  When it is dry, simply clean up the glass with a razor blade!  Works for mirrors too.

I realized in my previous post about the nursery that I didn't show you a picture of the shelves we have currently.  Here they are...

There isn't anything wrong with them, but they are just not the vibe I want in the room.  Plus, I really want to install picture ledges so we can display all the cute baby books.  Something like this... 

Nursery Design by Elizabeth Sullivan via MadeByGirl

I'm waiting for Amazon to deliver me some cord covers then I'll share the changes in the living room!

HOME | Apartment Tour Part 3 - The Nursery & Guest Room

We moved into our new place less than a month before #babymads was born (yes, she has an official hashtag, how else is a psycho-mom suppose to categorize her Instagram pictures?).  I tried to get as much as a could done even though I was the size of manatee and about as quick. The nursery was definitely a major focus of my attention. I wanted to make sure that room was ready...nesting instinct I guess. It pretty much all got done in time. The drapes went up the day before she was born, so we made it just by a hair.

I didn't want anything too girly, so I went with a palette of red, white, pink and black with some splashes of yellow.  The red vintage dresser, which I stole from my mom, makes an awesome statement in the room.  I decided to bring the pink in primarily in linens (from The Land of Nod) and accessories like the tassle banner.

The crib I picked up from Wayfair.com and I highly recommend it.  It was very easy to assemble and has a great vintage look.

Since this room also needed to function as a guest room, we were lucky enough to be able to fit a full size bed in the space.  I picked the Malm High bed from Ikea for the clean modern lines and the ability to store stuff underneath. 

(The lighting situation is getting tweaked as we speak, so more pictures to come on those updates!)

This winged heart is one of my favorite pieces in the room.  I picked it up at the Wimberley Outdoor Market outside of Austin, TX when I was down at my friend's bachelorette party.  I somehow managed to lug home this giant metal heart and the oil painting of Petunia the Pretty Monkey in my carry-on.  Thank you Southwest for not calling me out on that one....Benefits of being pregnant, I guess.

 

So there it is!  I'm pretty happy with it, but, of course, there is still a to-do list:

- install new guest bed lighting (we are doing wall mounted so they are out of reach of Miss Mads)

- switch out the bookcases for something lower and more modern (I didn't even take photos of what we have now)

- install picture ledges to display books

- hang the Maskros Pendant lamp that I have been hoarding for 4 years

And follow me on Instagram for more house updates!

HOME | Mint Green

As I mentioned in my previous post on storage beds, I'm thinking of going mint green for the nursery/guest room.  We already know that we are having a little girl, so a neutral nursery isn't a necessity; however since the room will also function as a guest room, I think light mint will be a lovely and sophisticated backdrop.

Pink and Mint!

 

 

 

So here are my ideas for the room....

 

 

I want to keep things light, bright and airy with soft mint walls (perhaps Mantis Green from Benjamin Moore) and lots of crisp white. Bright yellow will add some energy to the space, and of course, I'll have to throw in some pink. I ended up purchasing the DaVinci Jenny Lind style crib in white from Wayfair.com.  I love the vintage look and couldn't beat the price! 

What do you think?  I can't wait to figure out where we are going to be so can begin to really pull this room together.

HOME | Storage Beds and Upholstered Headboards

Lately, I've been thinking about combining our future nursery with a guest room so our parents will have somewhere to stay when they come to visit us (where ever that is!). Since getting a three bedroom place to totally out of the question no matter where we go, combining uses and getting the most out of that room will be very important. Storage will be a huge necessity, so right now I'm focused on finding storage bed options. Of course, budget is a major priority, so I'm also looking for low-priced solutions.

If you are like me, you constantly claim that, given more storage space, you would be SUCH an organized person. It seems like there's never enough closet space for the stuff we have in our lives. We could all use some extra space and often times a bonus rooms, like a guest room, is the perfect place to squeeze in some extra organizing. 

I L-O-V-E Jenny from Little Green Notebook's solution here for fancying up a basic storage bed frame by attaching upholstered head and foot boards directly to the frame. Genius. This idea might come into play in our future space.

Ikea is always a great source for inexpensive bedframes, and they have a few good storage bed options.

Ikea Brimnes

Ikea Oppdal

Ikea Mandal

I'm going clean, modern and light with the crib and other nursery furniture, so I want the bed/bedding to tie in with the look.  I'll probably go with the Brimnes or the Mandal and paint the rest of the frame white.

Here are a few other good options...

amazon

This option is interesting, includes a padded headboard and frame, but might not offer the kind of storage we'll need.

I haven't pulled the room design board together yet, but I'm leaning towards a palette of mint green and crisp white with accents of yellow, pink and black.  I'm toying with the idea of doing a fresh lemon yellow upholstered headboard.  I think it would be gorgeous against a light mint wall.

 

 

This headboard from Skyline is a contender, but might not be quite punchy enough for the look I'm going for...

Much more to come on this room!