Dino Boys' Room

After being in our new home for almost a year now, the boys' room is nearing completion at last! I let the boys choose the theme for their room and then created an inspiration board from there.

The only project we have left is the stenciled accent wall, which I'm hoping to tackle this week or next. I'm trying to knock out as many projects as we can before little Hadley arrives in November!

Thankfully, this weekend we were able to finish the gallery wall above their dresser!

I had already purchased the stuffed dino head and T-Rex string art from Target a few months ago. The letters for the boys' names were from their rooms in our first house and just needed repainted. So, I set my hubby up with a drop cloth and some spray paint we already had on hand and he took care of that for me!

The square photo frames were also in storage, so I just had to figure out what to put in them! I debated ordering some prints from Etsy, but the in the end, decided to attempt a little dino DIY project with some dinosaur tracks and an easy-to-draw Triceratops.

The boys loved the finished product, and the stuffed dinosaur head remains their favorite part of the whole room!

By reusing items we already had and creating a little DIY artwork, I was able to save quite a bit of money! Total amount spent for the entire gallery wall: $32! Next up is the large scale geometric accent wall. I already have the huge wall stencil, and I can't wait to share pictures of their finished room!

A Girly Girl Nursery on a Budget

I absolutely love designing and decorating rooms for little kids! Until recently, though, I had really only done boys rooms. Now, don't get me wrong, I love decorating for my boys! However, when we found out we were having a little girl, I was ecstatic to be able to plan a girly space. Obviously, years of ideas started flowing through my head, and it was a little overwhelming narrowing down my design plan.

One of the most difficult aspects was trying to figure out how to achieve the look I wanted on a budget that worked for us. Because we were essentially starting fresh, we needed to purchase a crib, crib bedding, dresser, rocker, curtains, paint, and décor. The crib I initially fell in love with was more expensive than our budget for the entire room. I had visions of wainscoting, crown molding, and gorgeous floral wallpaper. However, the wallpaper alone was almost $500 a roll, and our budget for the entire nursery was $800. So, back to the drawing board I went! I ended up with the design board pictured below, and all within our set budget.

We are making progress, but still have a few more projects left! I can't wait to share the finished space with all of you!

It's a Big Boy Room!

Planes, trains, and cars, oh my!  Blake's getting a big boy room!  When I designed his nursery, I kept everything very simple and classic.  At two years old, Blake has many things he loves, so I wanted to incorporate those into his new room.  He actually sat right beside me and helped me design this inspiration board.  He LOVES the alphabet print, clock, transportation prints, car pillow, truck night light, and roadway rug. 

 

As always, we're on a tight budget, but I think we'll be able to create a fun and functional space for our little guy who is so full of life!  And I actually convinced my hubby to take me to Ikea next week!  Woo hoo! ;)

Yes, Master! (Bedroom, that is!)

 

Here's the very first before picture of our master bedroom before we moved in! :) 

 

 

 

You can see the crazy changes this room has gone through here. 

 

 

And here's the design board I put together for our new space!

 

 

We are slowly getting there, and I can't wait to share the 'before' and 'after, after, after' pics! ;)

 

What do you guys think?  Color overload or much improved? :)

 

 

 

 

 

It's Easy as 1-2-3!

I know quite a few people who are terrified when it comes to decorating.  They view decorating a home as an extremely difficult, painful, and almost impossible task.  And while some people will never be as comfortable with decorating as others, I have good news!  If you can pick out an outfit, you can decorate a room! :)  And some of you are probably thinking, "Well, that's a problem...because I can't pick out an outfit either!"  Yes you can!  Don't be so hard on yourself! :)  It's easy peasy! ;)

Step One:  Think about the colors of your favorite outfit...I know we all have at least one!  For instance, one of my favorite spring outfits is navy, white, coral, and beige.

Step Two:  Identify patterns from your outfit to use as inspiration.  For example, stripes, polka dots, toile, damask, paisley, chevron, floral, etc.

Step Three:  Translate your favorite outfit into ideas for decorating a room. 

And here's a great example of how to turn a favorite outfit into inspiration for creating a gorgeous room!

Outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/navy_coral/set?id=44752297,

Bedroom: http://galleryeight.blogspot.com/2011/02/colour-by-room-navy-blue-coral-too.html

Now go raid your closets and get inspired! :)

To Buy or Not to Buy

I don't know about you, but my favorite stores started bringing out their spring collections right after Christmas, or so it seemed. ;)  I've been itching to get my hands on some cute spring outfits but wasn't sure what size I'd be. :)   I'm still wearing my "normal" clothes at the moment, but I know I'll be needing a few maternity items soon, so I decided to check out Motherhood Maternity.  They didn't have a great sale selection in the store, but they did online...and they were buy one get one free!  So, I ordered four cute tops and anxiously awaited their arrival. :)  They came in yesterday, and I was so excited to try them on!  And guess what?  None of them fit!  They were all way too long, and I don't usually have that problem since I'm 5'7".  Not only that, but even though they were all the same size, two were way too big.  Maybe it's just me, but actual maternity clothes are not very flattering.  They always look so cute in the pictures, though!  I swear it's because they have size 0 models with fake bellies.  They are not real pregnant women! ;)  Anyway, Blake and I went out to return my disappointing purchases and I decided to run in Old Navy since we were right there. :)  And, lo and behold, in the regular misses section I found a ton of pieces that were adorable and flattering!  Hallelujah! :)

And here's Blake having fun in the dressing room :)

I also found a few nice things for Josh while we there.  They have a great selection of adorable clothing for little girls too, but not so much for the poor little boys.  Shocker! ;)  And for any of you who are also expecting, Old Navy at Lynnhaven has a maternity section.  I haven't checked it out yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the near future! :)

Spring Home Decor

Playing outside.  Long walks.  Ice cream.  Flowers.  Sunshine.  Spring is here, and I'm loving it!  Besides spring cleaning, this beautiful season makes me want to add some color and life to our home!  Here are some wonderful, inspiring home decor finds for spring! :)

All of these items can be found at http://www.etsy.com/.  HAPPY SPRING!!

Spring Family Portraits

Choosing outfits for family portraits can be difficult sometimes.  You know, because you want to match without looking like you're trying too hard to match and coordinate without looking exactly alike.  And if you're like me and overthink everything, then it gets really fun! ;)  I found this great inspiration board that might just be the color scheme I use for our upcoming family photos. :)

Source: http://www.faberphotography.com/

If you're having a hard time choosing outfits for family photos, http://whattowearguides.com/ is an amazing resource with inspiration boards for every month and holidays! :)

Spring Fashion

Tomorrow is the first day of spring! :)  There are so many great styles out for this spring, but, as always, there are considerably less choices for the mama-to-be.  And by considerably less I mean next to nothing. ;)  However, I have found some cute items recently, so I thought I'd share some of my recent purchases and a few extras as well!  HAPPY SPRING!

1.)  $19.99, http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=912989002&MasterCategory_Id=9996

2.)  $34.99, http://www.target.com/p/Liz-Lange-for-Target-Maternity-Sleeveless-Maxi-Dress-Black-Camel-Cream/-/A-13933261#?lnk=sc_qi_detailimage

3.)  $49.99, http://www.apeainthepod.com/Product.asp?product_Id=116949007&MasterCategory_Id=9996

4.)  $39.95, http://www.dsw.com/shoe/kelly+.and.+katie+tupelo+patent+sandal?prodId=dsw12prod3760148

5.)  $79.95, http://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Collections-Theory-Diaper/dp/B002VJYEAK

6.)  $11, http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/x6.aspx?deptid=70737&catid=83560&grptyp=PRD&itemid=1e0506f

Birthday Party Inspiration Board

I'm getting excited about Blake's 2nd birthday party!  I put together this inspiration board with some of the items I plan on using. :)  While I'm searching for ideas, Blake is sitting on my lap, a car in each hand, watching Disney's 'Cars', and shouting out "car" every time I find something with a car on it.  I do believe I now have both 'Cars' and 'Cars 2' completely memorized.  At least they're cute movies! ;)  Well, Blake should really enjoy this birthday party, because little man sure does love his cars! :)

Planning a Wedding?

If you're planning a wedding, or just like enjoy looking at wedding stuff like me, you must check out this website!  You can browse real weddings, inspiration boards, DIY projects, and much more! :)  Here's an example of an inspiration board that would be gorgeous for a spring or summer wedding!

Style Me Pretty, http://www.stylemepretty.com/.

Spring Must Haves

One of my favorite places to shop, The Limited, has launched a new clothing line, 'eloquii', to give "full-figured women the fashionable clothes they long for."  And they definitely succeeded!  Here's a collage of eloquii's must have items for spring.  I'm officially in love with all of them! :)

Check out the full line here:  http://www.eloquii.com/.

Navy Nursery Inspiration Board

This is the inspiration board I put together for Cole's Nursery/Guest Room. :)  A few of these items will be DIY projects that cost considerably less than the items listed here. :)

1.  Striped Large Cyclinder Pendant in Cobalt Blue by Oilo, $199

2.  Custom Wooden Letters by Going Gaga, $7.95 per letter

3.  Letter Pillow by Serena and Lily, $58

4.  Custom Chevron Crib Sheet by Ivie Baby, $50

5.  Harper Crib Skirt and Bumper by Pottery Barn Kids, $159.00

6.  Custom Birth Announcement Print by Little Prints Parties, $8

7.  Nursery Print by Hello Peanut Prints, $9

8.  Sunburst Mirror by Target, $24.19

9.  Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis Pillow, $65

10.  Fresh flowers

11.  Old Navy by Benjamin Moore