Baby Girl Nursery

Ta-da!

We played musical chairs with the bedrooms upstairs and although it was a ton more work I am so happy with the end result. I honestly never thought I would have a little girl and definitely didn't think I would embrace the pink but I am in love with it all. It is by far the "prettiest" room in the house.

The double bed and curtains were in our guest room so I went with the same green walls just a shade bluer than the original green. I love having a bed in here because well..........she wakes up every night around 4am with NO intentions of going back to sleep. So....that is where she and I snuggle until 6ish. 

Everything else was Ford's including the crib, dresser and glider. I still need to fix the knobs on her dresser and find a duvet for the down comforter but we are pretty much done! The bench at the bottom of the bed I snagged from my parent's house and I could recover it in the same Manuel Canovas as the curtains or I could save the third panel just in case we move and her next room needs a roman shade. 

I think we will be in this house 3-4 more years so she will graduate to a big girl bed in here. Maybe I will replace the crib with a dollhouse. I know a certain fabulous Aunt that has a very very gorgeous one right this moment.

Remember, I am not a designer but I do love creating cozy rooms! Without further adieu...

Top print by Katie Long Stevenson. We received the print below it from our dear friends Alice and Tommy Myer. I would love a better bedside table but this one works for now.

Jenny Lind Crib off Craigslist. Pottery Barn Bumper and Skirt. Roberta Roller Rabbit crib sheet. I have since removed the bumper and added a pink breathable one.

Curtains were a gift from an upholsterer we used in West Palm Beach when I worked for Pauline Pitt Interiors. (The Ikea pillows not going the same direction is driving me CRAZY...but I'm too lazy to take new pics!)

Pears and Bears dress from my sweet friend Sarah.

Pillows from Ikea. Bunny pillowcase via ???. If anyone knows I will pay a finders fee. I have the matching baby blanket that I still sleep with. I bet it is Auraluz and I might just have to get another one made.

I wish this glider was easier on the eyes but it has been wonderful for both kids. I bought it off Craigslist from some Exec at Wachovia. We exhanged in the parking lot at work while my friend the Security Guard watched and shook her head at me. If you look at the bookshelf you will see the book ABC Charlotte. This is a great gift and written by a dear friend from Carolina, Christina Pope!

My Grandfather was a cotton broker and this cotton wreath is definitely Amelie's favorite thing to look at while getting her diaper changed. Photo via Kristen Lequire.

One of my Feltman Brother's dresses. Does anyone have a source for pretty hangers? 

Photo via Kristen Lequire.

And by far...the best thing about this space is the little girl that lights up this room.....

Photo by Kristen Lequire.

Tuesday Tearouts

NO more stacks of magazines in my house! HOORAY! Well, except for Garden and Gun, old copies of Domino and some other favorites. Since this little girl is hanging tough (NKOTB reference) I put my feet up and ripped through about 40 magazines this weekend.

Here are some tearouts for today:

 Check out the pom pom coverlet on the bottom left bed. We have two old cabins below my parent's house and my Aunt has always kept some type of chenille accented bedding in the rooms. Absolutely adore. Wish I knew the source. Via Southern Living Sept 2014

Love this arrangement for Fall. Also Southern Living

Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce. Yes please. 

Gorgeous Flowers! Could be perfect for Thanksgiving..maybe add some reds or oranges.

Love the Art everywhere. We have so many framed items just hanging out in the half attic and so many more that need to be framed. I'm thinking of just hanging it all. Yes it can make your house look busy but it can also make it look lived in. I hate empty walls. Ellen Niven for House Beautiful.

That table skirt. I need one of these made, any sources in Charlotte? I also need cushions EXACTLY like those made. Via House Beautiful (I think!)

Pretty much the side table setup in the nursery....I still need a table skirt source though. Via House Beautiful

Love that bed. And I don't hate the purple at all. Via Veranda

That setting. Via Veranda. Photograph by Laura Resen.

Our sisal rug in the kitchen bit the dust. Come to think of it sisal in a kitchen is kind of gross. We (Max) cooks every night and it was truly disgusting. I love the way it looks and ties in our bamboo shades but maybe a Dash and Albert would be better. Love this outdoor dining spot also. Via Arch Digest.

Those chair skirts. I die. NEED. Via Veranda or Arch Digest.

And last not but least, GO BUY THESE COOKIES! I found them at Fresh Market and they are seriously the best cookies I've ever had. 

xo,

K

Need Help! Big Boy Room Progress

I need your help.

Here is where we are now. And here are the issues I have with this room:

1. I love that brown shelf
Does it fit there? Not exactly. But it holds so much and I have no idea where I would put all his books and odds and ends if I took it out of his room. I could do the ledges like I did in the Nursery for him but this boy has a LOT of books. I could also paint it white like I did with the other in the nursery but his beds are brown.


Or I could put two Ikea Lacks on each side of his bed?

2. Spacing
I would have put the beds under the windows but then the chair wouldn't fit. I had no idea how small this room really was.

3. Lighting
My friend generously gave me a set of swing arm lamps she scored at an estate sale. I'm thinking for the outer side of each bed? Dad insists I put a lamp in the middle but the Mississippi river map takes up quite a bit of space. (And needs to be reframed)

4. Curtains


I LOVE LOVE LOVE a horizontal stripe but not really in the budget and I'm too pregnant to bend over so painting is out. THESE from Pottery Barn are sitting in my cart and would be perfect.
Harper Cordless Blackout Roman Shade $179

Are they too baby? I hate they take up so much of the window but we don't really open the blinds anyways because we hope the darkness would make him sleep longer. BAHAHAHAHA.

5. THIS RUG

Ever since Ashley did her post on Rugs USA I have been eyeing this and I know it would be perfect but it isn't exactly necessary. Rugs USA Santa Ana Striped Rug in Dusk Blue $187 (After discount) and free shipping! That's a steal right?!

6. Get old curtains made into bedskirts 
These antique beds have brass rods for each side so I just need someone who can sew rod pockets and evenly cut to create 3 piece bedskirts. Any resources in Charlotte?

7. Cubes at the end of his bed

These were from Target and I'd love to cover in Burlap instead...also wish they were a tad wider. (Yes the bed on the right is taller, it has the double hideaway bedrails)

8. Gallery Wall above dresser progress
I have two more smaller prints I would like to add and possibly these hooks. Too busy?


Hooks by the door? I have red 1,2,3,4.

9. Monogrammed Pillows for Each Bed + Artwork above Headboard
I'm using what I currently have right now but I love the inspiration pictures below. The Norman Rockwell prints are cute but seem a little small for the wall. Especially compared to the huge map.


Via Pinterest:


Via Pinterest


Via Pinterest


Via Pinterest. Big blown up pics of him and family??


And lastly.....

10. I'm sad he doesn't have more room to play. But this is our 5 more year house and not much we can do about that right now. I will say the Hemnes dresser from Ikea is AMAZING! It fits so much!!!!! And I really wish that hand-me-down chair was 5 inches taller. I can't get up from it after reading to Ford!

I mean, how low can you go?! It was given to me by my former boss and she always ordered her club chairs from Charles Stewart here in NC. Ford keeps asking me to rock him...Maybe I should have splurged on another glider. HA!

xo,

K

Baby Girl Nursery Progress

Yesterday we took our lunch breaks to move beds and furniture around upstairs. Things are starting to look girly in the previously boyish and blue nursery! And I'm so so so so relieved the double bed from the guest room fit. Things are a little tight in there but this way if we have company we can always put baby in our room and I have a feeling I'll be sleeping in here the rest of 2014....so where do I hang the 40" TV? (kidding)

Things left to do:
-Hang art. I had Norman Rockwell prints framed above Ford's crib but they were boy-centric. I have some generic flower prints I could put there and then I'm thinking my "For James" by Katie Long Stevenson can go to the right of the curtains.
-Bigger side table and tablecloth. I will probably be cheap and get one of these decorator tables. Anyone have a good source for tablecloths? Should I just order the Burlap from Ballard?
-Recover bench? We have 1 panel left of the Manuel Canovas curtain material (all a gift from a long time ago) I can't decide if we should make new shams or use it for crib skirt or what. I also have about 5 yards of a pretty green stripe.
-New Changing table pad. Pink, Green or Lavender?
-New Crib Bedding. Again....pink, green or lavender? I love a set of green PB crib bedding I found on Ebay but I'm not sure the Greens match up.
-Get a lumbar pillow and blanket for Glider
-Spray bookshelves white for reading corner. Maybe order 1 or 2 girlie books. My niece just gave us her copy of Madeline!
-Order another white noise machine. The one I have is from my parents attic and it is awesomely LOUD. What is the loudest out there?
-Price out double video monitor systems. We only have 1 wifi webcam and that won't work with two. And still need to keep my eye on the big guy as he just graduated to a big boy bed.

Pottery Barn Bedding via Website and Ebay, Serena and Lily Bedding, "For James" by Katie Long Stevenson, Rikshaw throw blankets, Monogram boudoir pillows via Etsy, Changing Pad via Target, Gorgeous purple monogram via Leontine Linens.

Anything else? Ford slept in his moses basket for this first three months but we are going to try to get baby girl in her crib much earlier. That being said...where can I buy moses basket bedding? Or will I just use the Newborn Rock and Play this time instead? (We didn't have those back in 2011. And thanks Elie for the early gift!!)

xo, 

K

Paint Color Decisions

I could seriously paint my house all blues. Got the hell no from the man of the house.

Way back in 2010 I got a frantic email from my husband while I was pregnant and working uptown. All it said was PICK PAINT COLORS NOW. THEY ARE HERE AND NEED COLORS IN THE NEXT HOUR. I hadn't picked colors yet (wrote about that here) and this was not a pleasant email to receive. 

Yeah, Um, have you met me???? I stopped whatever work I was doing and began a google search on light blues and light greens, the colors for the nursery and guest room. I was NOT amused. I sent a hail mary email to Marianne and she (being the adorable sweetheart she is) responded with some advice which I took and made sure not to go too dark. I quickly emailed back my decisions and then got a reply that I needed to pick Sherwin Williams colors b/c that is what our painters use. F*&K!!!!

So in the span of about 2 hours I picked our colors and then had to google image them to death to find the SW counterparts. Fun? NO. Not when you are 6 months pregnant with your first child and making very important decisions. BUT..........the rooms turned out beautiful and now we are here again swapping it all up.

Like I wrote before we are doing quite the shuffle upstairs but we have a guest room that has 1. A locked gun safe in the closet and 2. access to the half attic. I only feel comfortable putting the oldest kid in there (12 year old stepson) so the green room becomes his room. Not a single clue on what to paint for him in there. White?

Current Guest Room. The green paint, curtains and bed are moving into the nursery for baby girl. This room will become my stepson's room. 

So the current nursery will have the blue painted over to green and the curtains hung and double bed stuck under the window. I'm thinking green nursery with pink and purple accents? Like my lovely "For James" by Katie Long Stevenson? 

Our Grassland by Sherwin Williams is beautiful in some light, but sometimes it can look a tad yellow. What do you think? Nursery appropriate?

Grassland

Here is Sherwin Williams Ancient Marble

Benjamin Moore's Vale Mist

Phoebe Howard loves Healing Aloe but it might not be green enough for me? (Not healing Aloe but a very very close wallpaper by Phoebe)

Healing Aloe

And now on to the Current Nursery (Possible big boy room color)-Icelandic Blue

Big boy room color? Yes? I was going to re-use the current Icelandic Blue but this image from Ashley Whittaker is haunting me. 

The blue is a more purplish blue/gray and I love the way it looks. So what do you vote...try to find this blue/gray or go with Icelandic? Elle Bright Designs saved the day and let me know it is close to Manor Blue from Benjamin Moore. (This room above is actually a wallpaper...buzzkill!)

Icelandic

Manor Blue

Decisions decisions. Is Manor too dark? Do you like Grassland Green? I think Manor would be a wonderful color to grow up with. I do love his Icelandic though. And between moving him, no more pacifier, being potty trained and big boy beds soon...I'm one emotional mama!

xoxo

Furiously Nesting Cracked out K with No AC