Tag Archives: nursery

Nursery works rocking chair

As you know, I’ve been waiting forever for my Nursery works rocking chair to come.. ok It was only a month, but still. I’m not very patient when it comes to waiting for furniture to arrive. I was surprised when it shipped early since the original ship date was March 4th. FOUR days before my due date. Ekks! I was pretty happy to know that I wouldn’t be rocker-less with a newborn!

IMG_0239The rocker is really comfy, besides the fact that it makes you sit very upright. Using the pouf to push off while rocking helps. Maybe I’m just not used to rockers?
It’s really comfortable + it has really nice back support & the suede fabric is more like velvet. Very lush. The husband likes it too because it comfortably fits him as well.

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IMG_0240I purchased the rocker here, but only paid $800 & got free shipping. Not sure why the price is raised?..

IMG_0245The room is pretty much finished! I just have to finish the gallery wall above her changing table. We got the maternity photos back & will be sharing shortly!

Here is a one of my absolute favorites from the shoot:

i-nkxHgrh-X2Jason + Anna Photography

Xo, Melissa

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Filed under Home decor ideas, Nursery

DIY black & white stripe wall

I think this is my favorite DIY project yet. It’s up there with the diy tufted headboard & antique buffet transformation .

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When first starting to plan the nursery, i was looking at colors and nothing was really catching my eye. I knew I wanted an all white room with an accent wall or accent ceiling & I definitely knew I wanted glamour, modern & sophisticated. I decided to browse through my Pinterest Nursery board (Gotta love Pinterest!)

and low and behold.. this photo

97671885639016665_beFZZQ0T_cI don’t typically like vertical stripes, so I was on the hunt for horizontal striped pattern. Also I didn’t want the standard stripe wall, with all the stripes being the same size. I googled irregular striped wall and fell in love with this look

155655730840472777_orCYiwH0_cAmazing right? Once again, Clayton thought I was absolutely out of my mind & could not wrap his head around why I would want a black and white room with no pink on the walls! Even though I profusely explained to him that there would be pink accents everywhere, he just wasn’t understanding my whole concept. Typical.

So now for the DIY portion of this post..

What you will need:

  • ruler
  • pencil
  • pure white flat paint
  • pure black flat paint
  • LOTS of frog tape
  • plastic spackle tool

First you need to paint the wall white. Decide how many stripes you want on your wall. Also how many inches each stripe will be. (I drew out a little diagram of this part, so I could conceptually understand how it would look on the wall) Measure them out with your ruler and make a few marks with your pencil. Draw a straight line across the wall, connecting the pencil marks. In order to keep the pencil line straight, we used the top cover piece of the window blinds. Very resourceful!

photo 2

Should look like this when you’re done. I put a “B” on each stripe we were planning to paint black, so we wouldn’t get confused. I highly recommend doing this, otherwise you could accidentally paint black where it’s supposed to be white.

**Side note** You are probably thinking.. why didn’t they just use a level? Well yes, you would think that would be the easiest option. However, most older houses are built where the walls are not level. So that’s why using the measuring method is best, unless you want your stripes to be slanted. For newly constructed houses, you could get away with using the level.

Now for the most tedious part of the process – tapping.

I really took my time on this, making sure the tape was straight with the pencil lines. I also made sure to tape outside of the pencil lines, so that the black paint would completely conceal and pencil. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, you can always go back after it’s dry with white paint to cover any pencil marks.

photo 3(Sorry for the crappy iphone pics)

Once all the tapping is done, take your plastic spackle spatula & run it across the frog tape edges, ensuring no paint seepage. Then take your white paint and do a coat inside the “B” marked stripes. This will guarantee that no black will seep through & ruin your stripes.

photo 4

After about 2 hours, paint on your black stripes. I took me about 3-4 coats. After an hour & 1/2 we pealed off the frog tape, to reveal perfect stripes. I was amazed. I couldn’t believe how good it looked. You don’t want to wait more than two hours to remove the tape.

I especially love the skinny stripes on the wall.

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IMG_0153Honestly, I’m no professional painter or DIYer by any means.. so if we can do it, you can too.

I’m so happy with how it turned out. For the next few days after it was complete, we both couldn’t stop going in the room just to stare at the wall! lol. Makes me happy! Can’t wait for our girl to arrive, so I can spend more time in here. IMG_0148Maybe the husband will start having more faith in my crazy unique ideas now. He loves the room & so do I.

I’ll share more nursery photos once it’s complete!

IMG_0154Xo, Melissa

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Filed under DIY Ideas, Home decor ideas, Nursery

34 weeks

To say the last few weeks have been crazy, would be a huge understatement. Between the childbirth & baby care classes,  maternity shoot, car shopping, baby shower planning & finishing up the nursery it’s been jam packed.

I can’t believe I’ll be having this babe in just 6 weeks! Here is the latest bump pic:

32 weeks + 4 days

Current cravings: peanut butter & avocados (not together lol)

Current annoyances: Not being able to get comfortable while sleeping. I get these weird buzzing/tingling feelings in my lower left back & also under my right rib. Keeps me up sometimes. Have any of you mommas experienced buzzing or tingling while preggers? So bizarre! I now have to sleep with 5 pillows just to be semi comfy!

Things I miss: Sleeping on my stomach! Pre-preggo I had a huge addiction to sleeping on my stomach.. only 6 more weeks. Can’t wait.

Things I’m loving: Her kicks. She is a super active baby. I love laying on my side and seeing her kicks and jabs through my stomach. LOVE it.

Current weight gain: 34 pounds

Last weekend we had our all day childbirth class at Santa Clara Kaiser. It was actually really informative. The instructor went over everything. We learned breathing techniques, positions to ease labor pain, terms we will need to know, watched labor movies &  played games. It was actually pretty fun! 8 hours was a little much, but overall it was definitely worth it. Clayton took a ton of notes & we asked lots of questions. Afterward we both were saying how we feel so much more comfortable with what is going to happen now.

Sunday we had our maternity shoot with our friends Jason & Anna, who also shot our wedding & engagement shoot. It was a lot of fun. To be honest I was kind of dreading getting my picture taken.. it’s little different when you’re pregnant & feel like a huge whale. But of course J & A made it super fun. We love them.

Can’t wait to share the photos with you guys.

I leave you with a little peak at baby girl’s nursery

IMG_0095I am still patiently waiting for my Nurseryworks Empire rocker… It’s backordered until March 4th! I hope it arrives before our little one does.

sneak

The side table lamp is from Target. The $7  lampshade was plain white, so I added a little grosgrain ribbon to the top & bottom. I like that it ties in with the black & white striped wall. The lamp base is acrylic, not glass. Much safer for baby.

sneak2

Just waiting for the maternity & newborn photos to complete the gallery wall above her changing table

sneak3This is the fabric I ordered for her crib skirt.. I love the anchors, but I’m still undecided. I was planning to DIY her crib skirt this weekend. What do you think about the fabric?

IMG_0090Have a fabulous weekend!!

Xo, Melissa

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Filed under DIY Ideas, Home decor ideas, Nursery, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Nursery + baby update

After searching Craigslist for a couple of months, I finally found the perfect dresser for the nursery. This will also double as her changing table.

dresser2

I have such a thing for well made antique & vintage furniture. The only thing I’m not completely loving about this piece is that the top is laminate. So I’ll probably prime it with some Linsser primer & then paint over. While I’m at it, I was thinking about doing a stencil on the top part too. Kind of like the quatrefoil stencil I did on our antique buffet. Honestly though, I might just keep it the way it is.

gold antique hardwareI’m so in love with the original antique gold hardware

drwers openSurprisingly the drawers don’t stick or get jammed. They slide out like butter! This piece was made by Morris of California. They are known for their smooth sliding drawers. So if you love vintage furniture, but hate the sticking drawers, search for one of these.

Above her changing table, I plan to make a gallery wall out of gold frames & other accents. Can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

***Baby Update***

I’m officially in the 3rd & final trimester!! We have 90 days to go. I can’t wait to meet this daughter of ours!

27 weeks

We had a doctor’s appointment last week & everything is right on track

Current cravings: candy canes & lemon water

Current weight gain: 24 pounds

Current annoyances: not being able to take my shoes on & off without it feeling like a workout, occasional lower backaches

Things I miss: caffeine, wine, sleeping on my stomach, sleeping through the night & not having to pee 8 times a night (NOT an exaggeration)

Things I’m loving: All the kicking from my baby – except when she is stomping on my bladder in the middle of the night. ouch! Having dinner made for me & house cleaning done by my favorite carpet cleaning sunnyvale! He has been so helpful & incredibly sweet throughout the pregnancy. Love him!!!

Xo, Melissa

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Filed under Life, Nursery, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Modern nursery rugs

In my long search for the perfect nursery rug, I found so many cute ones that I loved!

Thought I’d share some with you, in case you are having as much trouble as I did finding that perf rug for your nursery.

I was basically obsessed with the Madeline Weinrib Brooke Rug in hot pink, but then found out it was $1100 for 5×8, so that was definitely out of the question. So sad! If it’s in your budget though, go for it. It’s stunning, and if you hire the carpet cleaning las vegas company you will never have problems with odors or anything!! They have a lot of different colors too.

{Via Apartment Therapy}

This gold zebra rug from Overstock is gorg!! I know it’s not the typical nursery looking rug, but that’s what I like about it. It’s so different & glamorous. At $486 it’s not bad, but still more than I really wanted to spend.
{Via Pinterest}

The West Elm Souk rug was also one of my favorites

{Via West Elm}

The Surya Archive Rug in coral is gorgeous too

{Via Rugs USA}

I thought it would compete too much with the black & white striped wall though

This hand tufted wool black & white chevron is gorgeous too

{Via Rugs USA}

Another chevron from Land of Nod

{Via Land Of Nod}

I also found that Urban Outfitters has a ton of cute rugs that would be perfect for boys too. They are really affordable.

Also loved this black & white geometric rug I found on Ebay

We ultimately decided on the Pottery Barn Kids chevron rug in pink, which I am really happy with. I like the fact that it’s cotton & at $250, pretty inexpensive. So if it gets ruined by baby girl, it won’t be too much of a disappointment!

{Via Pottery Barn Kids}

Originally I thought I would have to return it thinking there would so too much going on in with the black & white striped wall and everything, but it looks amazing! Very girly, yet sophisticated & modern just how mommy wanted it 🙂 Which is your favorite?

We hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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DIY Tassel Garland

While browsing online for baby shower/nursery decor I was seeing these cute tassel garlands everywhere. It was definitely on my to-do list to purchase one.

Via Confetti System

Then I found this super easy tassel garland tutorial on Pinterest by Linen & Lace & thought I’d give it a try. I literally spent $5 on materials! Much better than the $30-$40 + shipping off Etsy.

So while the hubs went out with friends on Saturday night, I dove into crafting mode

I chose four different colors of tissue paper – gold, hot pink, light pink & shimmery white

Because I decided to hang this on baby girl’s crib, you are getting a little sneak peak of her nursery!

I love how the garland brings texture & fun girly glamour to her crib & nursery
.. I think she will love it. Obviously I won’t be able to leave it there when she gets older but for now it works.

What do you think? I’m basically addicted. I’ll probably make one for xmas & other holidays too. These are great for any kind of party too! Baby & bridal showers, birthdays, holiday parties or just cute decor in your home.

BTW, yes I’ll be doing a post on the DIY black & white painted stripe wall in the nursery. I’ve got all the tips on how to make perfect stripes with no bleed through!

Here’s my latest pregger shot at 23 weeks

PS. if you’re preggers, check out the new maternity tanks at Target by Liz Lange. They are heaven!!

XO, Melissa

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Filed under DIY Ideas, Nursery, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

DIY Wood Pallet Wall

I know the title of this post probably sounds really weird,  but trust me on this! I have been seeing this idea all over Pinterest & “Blogtown”. Honestly it’s brilliant. It’s inexpensive, recycled wood – so it’s Eco-Friendly and gorgeous! I always like incorporating a little rustic into a space. Adding a natural element seems to make a space feel more grounded and homey. Idk, maybe that’s just me.

These walls are made out of FREE wood pallets!! Loving this beachy shabby chic look. To achieve the whitewashed shabby look, brush over the pallets with something like this and then lightly sand with 60 grit sandpaper. You might want to water down the white wash stain, depending on the look you want.

This tutorial shows you how to create a wood pallet wall & the weathered/white washed look. They did an incredible job.

{Via Real Housewives of Bucks County}

{Via Design Sponge}

{Via Just A Girl}

 This darker wood makes the whole room into a masculine and edgy boy room. Love it.

{Via Just A Girl}

Wood pallets are typically FREE, just call around your local area!

This adorable baby boy nursery is the cutest! This Blog has a really good pallet accent wall tutorial as well & great safety tips.

{Via Bower Power}

I am highly obsessed with The Lettered Cottage. See how they re-did their reading room. Simply amazing. I love how the room looks like it’s right out of a Pottery Barn catalog!!

{Via The Lettered Cottage}

Can you believe creating a  wood pallet accent wall is cheaper than painting?!? Not to mention it looks like it’s a billion times more expensive than it actually is.

By the way, this would absolutely increase the value of your home. Just in case you were wondering.

Xo, Melissa & Virginia

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Filed under DIY Ideas, Home decor ideas, Increasing Your Home's Value