new table

So that my husband knows that I love him, I had to do a special post on the new table he built us. (as if I wasn’t going to!)

We have been using the same small round table that I had in my college apartment, so with the talk of our kitchen remodel (that still hasn’t happened yet) we knew we wanted to upgrade our kitchen table. As a person who likes to entertain, it’s a little ridiculous that I had a 36″ round dinner table.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous to have a larger table in our space because I was afraid it would make everything a little tight, but we measured the table out on the floor using masking tape and decided to go for it. I’m so glad we did, it seems to fit our kitchen so much better than the smaller table. It’s amazing how much better the scale of this table is in the room.

I’m still in the market for a bench (something I can hopefully recover) and a few perfect chairs, but for now, this is a happy addition to our kitchen.

This image was my inspiration:

Source: gusandlula.com via Rachel on Pinterest

 

Here is how it turned out:

Isla’s high chair sits at the head of the table. We took the tray off so she uses a plate on the table just like we do.

BJ did a great job hand crafting this piece. Let me know if you want more details and I’ll have him do a guest post on the specifics.

Sorry for the sporadic posting. I have had requests for more posts, I have lots of posts written in my head, so I’ll start working on them ASAP!

pelmet boxes and nursery details

I just finished a few final touches on Isla’s nursery. I made a pelmet box for over the window using Jenny from Little Green Notebook’s tutorial and I finally got it hung up! There’s a lot going on in the room, but I think it was just what the nursery needed to provide that finishing touch.

I also completed the details on the shelves about my favorite pink velvet chair. The top shelf houses a print Cailin sent us from the Etsy shop Gus + Lula and Isla’s birth announcement in a frame. The second shelf has her sparkly ‘I’ and a photo from our maternity shoot. The bottom shelf houses her small book collection. I love this shelf of books because it’s a reflection of who we are- a book about prayers, Audrey Hepburn, weddings, Minnesota, books about friends and the Daring Book for Girls.

A couple notes about her stuffed animals- the Cabbage Patch is affectionately named Mavis and was mine as a girl, the blonde doll with the big blue eyes was made by my mom and the large puppy on the chair was given to Isla by our dear friends Jessica and Brandon. It is affectionately referred to as Stuffed MoPo after their dog Money Penny. It was exactly the same size as Isla when she got her!

The adorable cross stitched letter ‘I’ was a special gift handmade by our favorite friend Megan.We are so blessed to have friends that love us so much!

nursery reveal

I am finally ready to reveal the nursery…I hope this isn’t anti-climactic! I would say it’s pretty much complete, although I’m still trying to decide if I should add a pelmet box over the window and I’m sure a few other small accessories will make their way into the room.

Some of you will remember the inspiration board I posted a few months ago, if you need a refresher here you go. I wanted a mix of vintage and modern, to make sure everything was fun and would work with the little one as she grows up. We also tried to do things on a budget and make the most of Craigslist and DIY projects.

View from the doorway. The vintage dresser was a Craigslist find that I painted to match the stripes in the bedding and the gold in the wallpaper. Don't worry, the mirror over the changing pad is securely screwed to the wall, it's not moving anywhere!

Here's the Orla Kiely wallpaper. This room is pretty small. It's about 7' wide by 10' long. I'm hunkered down in the closet for this picture. This light fixture was a Goodwill find from my friend Hannah- she got it for $6!

The closet. We kept the old wallpaper inside, check out all of the tiny clothes! The pink velvet chair (one of my favorite things in the room) was a $20 Craigslist find.

The closet, all covered up. The shelves above the chair are missing a few items for right now. I'm planning on sticking more books on the shelves and filling the frames with maternity and newborn photos. I also have a sparkly initial for the second shelf, but it can't be revealed quite yet!

The crib wall. The mobile disappears into the wallpaper a little more than I anticipated.

Close up of the mobile. The felt birds were Christmas ornaments I got on clearance. I covered an embroidery hoop in yarn and added some trim to complete the mobile.

We mounted the chalkboard low for little hands to draw on. I'm sure some toy baskets will find a home under the chalkboard too.

My mom and I made the bedding on one of her visits using an Amy Butler pattern (sans pockets). The fabric was from an Ikea curtain- the match to the one hanging over closet.

We have everything washed and ready, now all we need is a baby!

I’m feeling every bit of 38 weeks pregnant so hopefully she doesn’t make us wait too long after her due date. We can’t wait to introduce everyone to our little bundle!

Nursery Inspiration…Take 2

I think this board is a little closer to what we’ll end up with. The Orla Kiely Multi-Stem wallpaper was the real springboard for the room. I absolutely love all the colors in it.

We just put together our crib today, we ended up choosing this cheaper more affordable crib than what is shown in the picture. It’s so fun to have an actual baby thing all set up in her room.

Side note: I also bought a car seat yesterday at a consignment store in town. It was brand new and $100 less than the price that it is in store, so I figured I couldn’t pass it up.

I can’t wait to get the wallpaper in the mail so we can really get working on everything. I think it’s going to turn out really cute!

 

nursery inspiration board: one

I’m having a really hard time figuring out where to start in this little girl’s nursery. I have picked out a crib and I know what type of piece I’d like to use for a dresser/changing table, but I have not settled on colors or an overall “look” for the room. I decided to put together an inspiration board with a few items to see if I feel one way or another on ideas I have in my head. Here’s the first of a few inspiration boards…

As BJ pointed out this is “incredibly girly, like I don’t think it could get any more girly.” He’s right. I think I’m hoping for something a little more playful and whimsical. What do you guys think?