Home Tour {Reid's nursery}

My baby is two months old! What an exhausting, amazing, crazy, wonderful two months its been! Needless to say I've been busy.  It's been hard to adjust being busy with things that don't involve crossing things off of a to-do list.  On my to-do list for a while now has been sharing Reid's nursery... so I'm finally getting to that!
I shared my ideas for a nursery here {before we knew the gender} and here {after we knew the gender}.  I stuck with most of the ideas from the second mood board.  The vintage paint by number picture seen in that post inspired the colors for the nursery.  First we should see the hideous before picture of this room...

After we scraped some terrible wall decals off the of walls we started adding wainscoting.  I wanted horizontal wood paneling, so we used pine tongue and grove paneling.  We topped the paneling with a 1x4 pine board to trim it out.  The only difficult part of this was in a 100 year old house, nothing is level.  Leveling the bottom board is necessary to not make the rest of the paneling look wonky, so if you look closely there is a range of gaps between the floor trim and the first panel on top of it. After that we gave everything a nice thick coat of primer! 

The wall color for the room is Benjamin Moore Harbor Gray and the trim color is Sherwin Williams Simply White {as is in the rest of the house}.  Here are the after photos...

The paint by number ship print that started it all is the center of the gallery wall...

We added a wardrobe to the room because this room didn't have a closet.

Antique store finds sit upon the shelf...

Originally I had wanted this crib in a gray color, but after many attempts to order it, it was unavailable everywhere.  I'm actually glad because I ended up really loving the black!

The anchor print crib sheet is one of my absolute favorite things in the entire nursery! It adds to the nautical theme without being overwhelming.

Over the crib, I went with a garland rather than a mobile, which I was able to make myself with yarn I already had.

I used the lined basket as a hamper, while the other baskets in the room hold toys, stuffed animals, and extra blankets.

Source list:
Crib - DaVinci Jenny Lind crib in black via overstock.com
Rug - Jute Chenille Herringbone rug in Ivory {8x10} via West Elm {got on sale and saved shipping costs by ordering it and picking it up from the store}
Sheepskin rug - Ikea
Crib sheet - Anchor Print crib sheet via RH Baby & Child {gifted}
Dresser - antique store {gifted}
Rocker - already owned, it was Caleb's grandmothers! Bought my own fabric and had it reupholstered
Pouf ottoman - clearance from Target
Baskets - all three found at Tuesday Morning
Mirror - Tuesday Morning
Tongue and grove paneling - Lowe's
Black and gold accent table - Target
Striped Throw - Ikea
Blue Turkish Cotton Throw - clearance from Anthropolgie
Black & White pillow - Ikea {already owned}
Pom-pom garland - DIY
Picture Ledges {holding books} - Ikea {already owned}
Large shelf and brackets - Ikea
Picture frames - Target, Ikea, and vintage finds
Vintage paint by number - Etsy
Hand drawn Bible Verse - DIY
"The World is Your Oyster print" - via Rifle Paper Co.
"Rise and Shine" print - via Minted

Diaper pad changing cover - Etsy {gifted}
Lamp - Ikea {then spray painted gold}
Wardrobe - Ikea {handles were spray painted gold}
Curtains - Fresh Linen Curtain Panels in blue via Land of Nod
"R" initial - Zinc Letters via Anthropologie {got on sale!}
Mini pendant - Retro KU pendant via Rally House

Paint colors - walls are BM Harbor Gray, trim is SW Simply White

it's baby time

If you didn't already know, the Champ fam is getting a baby! Here is our official social media announcement... :)

Here's some quick answers to the questions we get... Due date is 1/15/15, there is only ONE in there, yes we will find out the gender, no we don't have names picked out, no I probably won't tell you our name ideas anyway, yes our parents are all very excited, and I have felt like crap this entire time (yes, even though I'm in my second trimester... just lucky I guess).

In my periods of feeling good (thank you, Zofran), I have been surfing the web for ideas on the baby's room.  I created a few mood boards with some initial items and decor that I liked.  Some of the stuff is way out of my budget but this isn't necessarily "I'm going to buy it" stuff, more like "I'll try to find something similar and/or copy" stuff.

Cloud artwork by Paule Marrot via Natural Curiosities Art House - this is VERY expensive, something I would definitely have to try to recreate! 
Moon print via Etsy
Glider via Target - (currently unavailable in this color... really hoping that changes soon!)
Letter hooks via Anthropolgie
Alarm clock via West Elm
Baby Tom Moccasins via Le Petit Tom - these are super expensive... something similar and less $$ will do just fine
Diaper caddy basket via Restoration Hardware
Toy basket via Etsy

Moroccan pouf via Etsy
Gallaxy crib bedding via Dwell Studio - my hubs is definitely voting for this bedding! #spacenerd 
Wooden animals via Land of Nod
Blue striped blanket via Land of Nod
Owl onesie via Etsy 
Paper mache elephant via Etsy - I love this, they have a few other animals too! 
Quarter Moon print (similar) via Etsy
Adventure print via Lindsay Letters

Heart onesie via Crewcuts
Striped & polka dot blanket via Stay & Co.
Storage basket via Terrian
Bibs and burp cloth via Dwell Studio - now unavailable, boo! :(
Stuffed bunny via Anthropologie
Pink striped headband via Etsy
Rug via Land of Nod
Beautiful girl print via Lindsay Letters

Those are just some ideas so far... won't be too long before we find out the gender!

lovely spring things {2014 edition}

My blogging frequency since moving into our new house has been slow.... slower than I expected.  My decision making on where things go and where to hang stuff up has been a bit of a struggle.  I'm trying to be extra careful about hanging stuff because I really just don't want to have to re-do it later!  With spring around the corner I think I'll be motivated to make some more decor decisions and bring in some more color.  I always wrestle with starting a project and then getting easily distracted by other projects or potential projects {one of the major downfalls of Pinterest}!  I'm going to attempt to make myself a list of projects and try REALLY hard to stick to it!

In the mean time I've been scouting out what types of things I need to add to my decor for spring. Some I will try to DIY and some I need to buy.

First up, abstract art.  I want to try and DIY at least one large canvas using these as inspiration...

1 // Underpinning abstract art by artist Clare Elsaesser via Etsy
2 // Abstract by artist Britt Bass Turner
3 // Abstract by artist Britt Bass Turner

I really love the Britt Bass Turner painting and she does offer prints in her shop, which would make them a lot more affordable to possibly purchase in the future.  We will see how my abstract skills pan out.... I haven't had a ton of luck in the past.


I would like to buy one {or maybe more} of these...

1 // Pineapple print from Creature Comforts on Society 6
2 // Flower Child print by artist Clare Elsaesser via Etsy
3 // Navy & Yellow floral print by artist Clare Elsaesser via Etsy

I would LOVE the pineapple print for my kitchen! I admire so many of Clare Elsaesser's artwork as well.  She offers prints too, making it very affordable!


Next, I'd really like to get a wreath on my front door. Our front door has a huge pane of glass almost the width and length of the door, so having something to obscure the view would be nice since our house sits close to the road. I would like to DIY one and have been looking at some like this for inspiration...

1 // Skinny floral wreath
2 // Baby's Breath wreath {found on Flickr}
3 // Fruit & berries wreath from Style Me Pretty Living

The baby's breath wreath would be a very classic wreath that would look good anywhere and during pretty much any season.  I love the skinny looking wreaths too, I think I may attempt to make mine a skinny version.  The fruit and berries is a nice fresh looking wreath, although I would probably want to find fake fruit that doesn't look too fake.  I'm unsure how long real fruit would last...? Same with flowers though, either dried or pretty fake would be best.

If you want to see last year's "Lovely Spring Things" post, you can find it here.

my christmas {& birthday} wishlist

Christmas & my birthday are only 3 days apart... {this year I'll be 28 on the 28th - my golden birthday!}  Some of my family members like to know specific items I'd like for gifts, so around this time of year I make a wishlist of things I like.  Here's pretty much everything that made the list... :)

1. Nate Berkus Bath Rug in Mint - Target // 2. Foldover Clutch in Gold Stripe - Etsy // 3. Tasseled Hand Towel - Anthro // 4. Perpetual Blooms Hand Towel - Anthro // 5. Little Book of Lettering - shopruche.com {or Amazon} // 6. Poppies Art Print - Etsy

 

1. Skinny Sweatpant - J. Crew {or similar elsewhere for less $$!} // 2. Marled Colorblock Sweater - J. Crew // 3. Fair Isle Striped Sweater - Madewell // 4. Flannel Popover in Buffalo Plaid - Madewell // 5. Softfleck Sweater - Madewell {I like the lilac color too}

And of course I can't forget my list within the list... stuff from Rifle Paper Company...

1. Hairbrush Print // 2. Citrus Floral Tin Recipe Box // 3. Baker's Recipe Cards // 4. Holiday Pine Wrapping Sheets // 5. Wildflower Wrapping Sheets

I have WAY too much fun making these wishlist! :) Also, I find it very scary that Christmas is less than 8 weeks away!!!

fall style

Well it's that time of the year when everyone is sick of the hot weather and ready for those cool crisp days.  That way all the girls can justify their Pumpkin Spice lattes that they have been drinking in 99 degree weather {honestly, I've never even tried a Pumpkin Spice latte... but I will this fall, and then I'll probably join the bandwagon}.

I do really love everything about fall... the clothes, the home decor, the yummy candle scents, the changing leaves, & of course the weather! I've recently bought a couple of things that are fall-ish over Labor Day weekend when there were some great sales.  I bought a pair of pants for work that are a maroon/wine color, and also a necklace that has blush colored gems. Here's a little snapshot from my phone...

Tank from Forever 21 - $14 / Pants from LOFT factory outlet - $30 / Necklace from J.Crew Factory outlet - $15 / Shoes from Madewell (old)

I also dug down deep in my purse to find $80 worth of giftcards to J. Crew!!! If you know me, you know this was a HUGE deal!  I worked at J. Crew in college and I absolutely love their clothes.  I still have tons of stuff that I bought while I worked there 8+ years ago... a true test to their timeless style and quality if you ask me! {My husband thinks that's just one of my "lines" to justify buying from there... but it really is true in some cases!} ;) So yes it's pricey and no I don't buy stuff full price from there, but I do know what their best sales are and I do tend to jump on the 30-40% extra off the sale price promotions cause I know that's when I'll get the best deal.  So a couple weeks ago J. Crew had a sale of 20% off everything, including full price items.  The sale + the giftcards meant it was time to get something real nice.... :) I wanted something more unique than just the average shirt I always buy, so I landed upon this jacket...

It's back ordered so I don't have it yet, BUT I'm really excited to get it at the end of September... right when the weather cools down.

I'm also mildly moderately obsessed with fall home decor... favorite inspiration pics via my Pinerest page include...

Gorgeous entry way! I can tell from just this picture that I could live in this house forever...

Source here

Simple Halloween garland

Via Etsy shop here

Great fall table centerpiece

source unknown

And a Halloween costume I might just have to try on Lola... :)

Source here

Love the large branches around the front door! This is actually the owner of Nell Hills front porch {I talked about Nell Hills here}

Source from this blog

Also, if you are transitioning your home decor to fall, don't forget about the Halloween printables I made that can be found here!

lovely spring things

I cannot wait for spring to truly show it's face!  If I see another snowflake I might cry!  Unfortunately that's very possible in our upcoming forecast... boo.  The weather never stops the stores from rolling out all the wonderful and brightly colored items though!  I have been loving a lot of spring items recently and thought I'd share some of those...
First is a wreath from Target... when I told Caleb I "loved this wreath!" his reaction was "really?!?"... soooo we don't always see eye to eye although he usually comes around to liking my style. :)  I really like the bay leaf wreath look, plus the anemones - my new fave!  When I snapped this pic at Target it was on sale for $35, not really a price I want to pay, but I love it no less.  Maybe I'll get lucky and find one on clearance in a couple of months.

Next, Rifle Paper Co.  I. Could. Die.  I love everything they have ever made and will ever make in the future!  Too much? Well it's true.  I really want to snag some of their beautiful journals.  I'm not one for journaling too much, but I have some other plans for these babies...

Rifle Paper Co. journals

I spotted this tote at Gap the other day and the bright colors caught my eye.  Another thing I really loved about this bag was the zipper at the top.  I've been keeping my eye out for a tote this shape & size with a zipper and have found they can be hard to come by.  We are going on a trip to Boston soon and I'd like a bag that I can keep my wallet and camera/lenes in, so it must have a zipper to be more secure.  Carrying around a purse and a bulky camera bag is definitely not ideal, so something like this could really help.  This bag is $49.95 - but Gap has 40% your purchase like every other day, so I think I could get this for a fairly good deal.

Gap Tote

I also have an Etsy giftcard that has been burning a hole in my pocket for quite some time now.  I love so much stuff on Etsy, but I really love these necklaces I found recently.  The colors are bright and springy and there are several color options!  The shop they come from is called JM Designs.

Color Delight Beaded Necklace

Another Etsy favorite is tea towels.  I have admired this one in particular for a long time.  What a great way to add color to the kitchen! Made by claudiagpearson's shop.  She has tons of other great items too, I love her style!

Spring Tea Towel

Now to enjoy some spring-like weather!

living room for a bro {mood boards}

Last week I posted my ideas for bedroom decor of my brother's new downtown Kansas City studio loft.  He already purchased a new sofa and chair so he was also looking for pillow ideas.  I took it slightly beyond pillows and came up with two different living room mood boards that could work for anyone wanting that slightly modern or urban vibe!

Since he already got his sofa and chair, I didn't have to search for those and it made it easy having the larger living room pieces already selected.  He choose very clean and streamlined look in a charcoal gray from Room & Board's Ian collection.  I also tried to keep in mind the colors he liked best from the bedroom mood boards, which was option #3 of blues and oranges.  I didn't want it to match exactly nor did I want it to clash, since this is a studio loft that is completely open.

Here's the first board I put together, using mainly warmer colors...

1.  Bondis Wall Clock - Ikea $19.99
2.  1900's Kansas City Map - Etsy $15
3.  Leisure Burnt Orange pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
4.  Ribbon Pillow - Crate & Barrel $24.95
5.  Gray Linen Pillow Cover - Etsy $40 {shop sukanart)
6.  Jarvis Azure Rug - Crate & Barrel $249 {5'x8'}
7.  Kite Kilm Floor Pouf - West Elm $149

 Next option using blues and lots of geographic shapes...

 

1.  Amsterdam Canal Watercolour Print - Etsy $120 {shop simoneridyard}

2.  Vintage Blueprint Map of Downtown Kansas City 20"x30" - Etsy $29.95

3.  Castillo Floor Lamp - Crate & Barrel $229 {I imagine with the popularity of this style of lamp there is most likely a cheaper option available as well}

4.  Stockholm Cushion in Black & White - Ikea $12.99 {I own two of these and love them!}

5.  Stockholm Cushion in Blue - Ikea $12.99

6.  Leisure Blue 23" pillow - CB2 $29.95

7.  Lappljung Ruta Cushion Cover - Ikea $10

8.  Olin Black Rug - Crate & Barrel $149 {5'x8'}  --- I think this is a great price for such a classic looking rug - comes in other colors as well.  The gold color is currently on major sale!

Other honorable mentions that didn't make the cut... :)

Drake Natural Shag Rug - CB2 $339 for 5'x8'

Stripe Cabana Pillow in Cobalt - Pier 1 $20 {it's an outdoor pillow, but could still work as long as it's comfortable}

Eivor Throw - Ikea $19.99

Happy decorating!

bedroom for a bro {mood boards}

Based off the title of this post, you may think I'm going to talk about designing a bedroom for an obnoxious frat-dude, obsessed with partying, self-absorbed college punk... well no, that's incorrect.  Actually I'm helping out my actual BROther, Tommy, with ideas for his bedroom and living room in his new downtown studio loft.

I created 3 mood boards, which I have never done before, using Photoshop {I found a tutorial for using Photoshop here}.  Once I got going it was pretty easy to do! And it always feels better coming up with all these ideas knowing it's not your money that would have to be spent! ;)
Tommy and I have similar yet still fairly different styles.  Often times we like the same store but not always the same pieces.  He has much more of a modern style than I do.  I made 3 boards because I had a feeling the more options the better, in this case.  So here's my take on a modern, masculine, bedroom design...

Option 1... using gray, navy, a citron greenish/yellow...and stripes!

 1. Stripe Duvet Cover + Shams in white/feather gray - West Elm $69 {full/queen} $19 {standard sham}
2. Stripe Sham in white/citron - West Elm $24 {euro sham}
3. Stripe Sheet Set in white/citron - West Elm $69 {full set}
4. Embroidered Dot Pillow Cover in India ink - West Ellm $39
5. Solid Throw in regal blue - West Elm $49 {on sale!}
6. Nash Table Lamp - CB2 $49.95





Option 2... using gray, navy, off-white/cream, mustard yellow, and some different patterns...

1. Pietra Duvet Cover - Crate & Barrel $189.95 {full/queen}
2. Cotton Velvet Duo Pillow Cover in golden gate - West Elm $24.99 {on sale!}
3. Colorblock Stripe Pillow in mustard/cream/charcoal - Etsy {JillianReneDecor shop} $45
4. Y City Pattern Pillow Cover 20"x20" - Etsy {designjennis shop} $28
5. Evan Throw - Crate & Barrel $59.95 {on sale!}
6. Sherwood Table Lamp - Crate & Barrel $79.95
7. Solid Throw in regal blue - West Elm $49 {on sale!}
8. Window Pane Throw - West Elm $39.99 {on sale!}





Option 3... gray, orange, bright tropical blue, and a mix of stripes and chevron... plus some urban art!

1. Linen Cotton Duvet Cover + Sham in slate - West Elm $149 {full/queen} $29 {standard sham}
2. Leisure Burnt Orange Pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
3. Chevron Crewel Pillow Cover 20" - West Elm $44 - could replace this with a cleaner, more straight-line chevron design, or the Y City Pattern pillow from option #2
4. Leisure Blue Pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
5. Striped Orange Throw - CB2 $69.95
6. Clutch Walnut Table Lamp - CB2 $99.95
7. Avenue Print - CB2 $199.95
8. Rajika Bed Linens Standard Sham Set - CB2 $59.95 {for set of 2}


Next, I'm going to try to come up with some ideas for his living room! 

thrifty find + succulents

Recently on Pinterest I have seen a lot of succulents.  They are awesome looking when planted in groups and sometimes come in really unique colors.  I saw some for sale at the Kansas City Rivermarket a few weeks ago for $1-2 each, which I thought was a pretty good price, so I bought a few.  I wasn't sure of what I was going to plant them in though.  They don't really need a traditional pot because they have a shallow root system.  I also wanted to plant them in an interesting container, preferably something antique-ish looking.  So I went on a thrift store hunt to find a container to plant mine plus some for a friend who enjoys them as well.  After several stores I finally came across these containers:

They were oval brass containers that had a bit of a worn down look, which is exactly what I wanted, and of course they were so reasonably priced at a couple dollars a piece!  I had read a tutorial for planting succulents before and so I follow the same steps it described.  First I added a layer of rock to the bottom of both containers.  Next, I took a coffee filter {which fit perfectly in the containers} to hold the soil above the rock so that it could drain well.  Too much water is bad for the succulents since they are cactus-like or in the same family or something like that...

So I added the plants and was happy with the way they turned out... One for me and one for my friend for her birthday!  Supposedly they are easy to care for too!

I also want to try putting them in flour sifter like this picture.  It would be so cute in a kitchen.

From fiskars.com

Have a good weekend!

my favorite home decor store!

I feel like it was meant to be that I moved into a home that is only about 7 min and 20 seconds (or something like that...)  :)  from am amazing home decor store.  The store is Nell Hill's, find it {here}.  I can't afford everything in the store {like some of the furniture}.  But they have great, affordable accessories and tons of inspiration.  I go here all the time just to look around.  One of my favorite areas is the fabric section!  They have a large selection of fabric on bolts.  I often take pictures with my phone of some the most inspiring finds, so here are a few.

I want a giant gray bookshelf like this! {Insert snarky comment by husband here about everything I like being gray.}

Love the art and accessories.

Excuse my shadow in this picture... oops.

Bamboo lanterns, bought these at Nell Hill's and here they sit in my family room.

Picture from the Nell Hill's website - the most amazing ottoman ever!

If you ever have the chance you should definitely go!