Nursery for Baby Elijah



I'm so excited to share a mood board that I recently made for my good friend Krista. She is expecting her first child in August and I am so hapy that Gibson will have ANOTHER boy around to play with! It is so neat that so many of my firends were pregnant as at the same time that I was and I just feel so blessed that we were all able to go through these experiances together and that our little men will all be able to grow up with one another!!!

 

ANYWAY... back to the point of this post... the nursery! Krista and Elizar just had a new home built for them and in fact closed on the home this last Friday! With Elijah's birth right around the corner we knew that we would be making his room the first priority!

 

Krista's vision for the little guy included grays, blues, stars, and a "few" cowboys items (daddy is a fan). So this is what I came up with...

 

Bedding, Crib, Rug, Cowboys Artwork, Star Mobile, Star Hooks, Wooden Letters, Dresser, Light, Overlays

Favorite Things Friday

1. I love this bookcase. I'm always a sucker for an IKEA hack!
2. Cannot wait to try  O'verlays for a nursery I'm designing! I've wanted to use them for years!
3. Obsessed with Mini Trader Joe's Ice Cream Cones! YUMMY and just the right size.
4. While I did pass on the $65 Stitch Fix tank I did purchase this one from GAP! At $17.46 it was a great buy!
   
5. Want to do book ledges in the playroom.

Thrifted Thursday #2

Guest what I found at the thrift store for only $3.99???

Yup some ugly green in-boxes for my desk at work... what you wouldn't want to have these dirty things on your desk???

Well after some scrubbing and a few coats of gold spray paint they are looking chic!

I took them to work and they give my desk a bit of individuality... which if you know me, I'm all about. In fact, here is my desk...

I covered my plain tan cork-board with left over fabric from our sun room. It adds a fun pop of color in an office where all of the work spaces look the same... brown brown and some more brown... not for me!

I also put up some cute instagram photos. Makes me smile all day to have so many photos of my family to look at! AND bonus their small size allows me to have so many without taking up a large footprint.

Between the photos and fun colors, my desk really makes me feel at home and my new gold accent is just icing in the cake! Whenever you see something at a thrift store I challenge you to thing of a way to revamp it to make it into something that would make you smile!

Gibson is 3 Months Old

Gibson is 3 Months old today!!! CRAZY! He has grown so much in the last month. 

This month Gibson...

• Took his first ride on an airplane

• Met my family in Savannah! 
  
• Laughs all the time... he loves to have his neck kissed
• Likes to swing now in his mammaRoo and likes to hold and look at his twisty toy. 
  
• Sleeps 12 hours without waking up at night… it is amazing and the only way that I am making it through going back to work!
• Likes to look up at his guitar when he gets his diaper changed.
• His nana now watches him during the day and he is doing well with taking a bottle. We had to upgrade to a size 2 nipple though so that the flow is faster.
• Still really enjoys bath time. I cannot wait until he is big enough to take baths with his big brother
• Cloth diapers are still working really well for us. And we are still on the smallest settings.
• He is in 3-6 Month clothes exclusively and 6 months in Carters and Ralph Lauren.
• His tongue is still out all the time
• Enjoys being in his carrier
• HATES being in the car seat!
• His baby acne is completely cleared up now.
• Helped his mommy celebrate her 30th birthday AND celebrated Father’s Day

 

 

 

Gibson Monthly Photos:

2 Months

1 Month

Here was Hunter at 3 Months

Working Girl

Back to reality! I started back at work full-time yesterday and I am currently just trying to keep my head above water! AND Gibson rolled over yesterday so I'm already missing firsts... so sad!

Our director isn’t playing around either! She threw me back into the deep end fast! I’m prepping all of the logistics for a last minute event in Hawaii for early NEXT week! I’m sadly not able to go and execute as it would mean 6 days away from the kids and I just cannot handle that my first week back. We also have a half day today of hosting an Italian Counterparts spouse. AND on Wednesday and Thursday we will have all of the senior DoD Spouses in for two days of meetings/events! CRAZY!!! 

Thank goodness all of the kids are good sleepers!

Please hang with me while I’m trying to get use to my new routine! My plan is to still try to blog this week but things might be a bit more abbreviated!
 

Wednesday: Gibson is 3 Months!

Thursday: Thrifted Thursday

Friday: Favorite Things Friday

Friday Favorite Things

1. As I mentioned yesterday I recently used Printstagram to print Instagram photos and I LOVE the results! I ordered the mini squares which were 48 for only $15. This size is perfect for my wallet and I was so happy that I had a few to give away to my parents for their wallets and I can switch out the frame in my living room from time to time.
2. I think that Gibson man needs these little swim shorts!
3. I'm already starting to plan Hunter's second birthday party and I will need to remember that you can print on a brown paper bag! Time to design a little logo for the event
4. I've been researching dining table re-dos and this one has really caught my eye... 
   
5. Birthday HINT... Matthew Park I would like this for our entry! 
   

Thrifted Thursday #1

It has been a WHILE since I shared a Thrifed transformation with you and I'm happy to say that I am back with one today.

Last week I visited my local Salvation Army and found this $2.99 frame that was in need of some love...

I knew right away that the openings would be PERFECT for instagram prints.

So after ordering some through Printstagram and giving the frame a coat of White spray paint and the matting received a coat of gray I was left with something wonderful!

The prints were just a little too small for the openings so I simply added some black card stock to the back of the mat and used tape to add the photos.

Here is the final result! I LOVE IT!

Not too bad for a $2.99 frame!

Stitch Fix

After a fun lunch out with a girlfriend I came home to a box from Stitch Fix!!!I was so excited to receive my very first Fix! If your not familiar with the company/concept...

"Stitch Fix is the first fashion retailer to blend expert styling, proprietary technology and unique product to deliver a shopping experience that is truly personalized for you. Simply fill out the Stitch Fix Style Profile and our personal stylists will handpick a "Fix" of five clothing items and accessories unique to your taste, budget and lifestyle. Simply buy what you like and return the rest"

About a month and a half ago I signed up and took an on-line style quiz and I was SOOOO excited to see what was in my very first box! 

First I pulled out a little note from the stylest and a style guide to direct me to different ways to wear the items in the box...

 

My initial thought was that all of the items were SUPER casual... but of course I had stated that I need help with casual clothes to wear on the weekend... I feel like either I'm all dressed up for work or I look homeless... So I really needed help to find a stylish point in the middle. 

The first thing I pulled out was the Ally Teardrop Stone Bangle... LOVE!!! I'm not usually one to spend $88 on jewelry but I really do like this piece and I knew before even putting it on that I would be keeping it! After all I get a $20 discount for my first order so really it would only be $68.00... that is lady logic (in case you were wondering)

Now for some major selfie time... that sounds gross... what I really mean is that I tried on all of the clothes in the box and took photos to share... 

First up is the Striped Maxi Skirt... in the jersey material it was sooo comfy! And I like that I could just toss on a tank top and necklace and look pulled together. It is still a little tight so don't judge me in that area! I just had a BABY peeps... I'm working on it! 

 

Next we had the Under Skies Mixed Print Belted Dress... When I fist saw it in the package I HATED it... the print was just not me and nothing that I would ever pick out in a store to try on... But I put it on and I don't hate it. Again it is a little tight but I was surprised that I actually liked the print on. It was a fun mix of patterns and floral.... only issue here is that I cannot breastfeed in this dress... so is it worth it???

The last two pieces I tried on together... a Splendid tank and Just Black Distressed Boyfriend Jeans... The tank I like but it is $64.00... worth it? It sure does hide that post baby belly!! LOVE that! 

The Jeans are a little TOO distressed for me... But I loved that I fit into the size I did! I wish that Stitch Fix had a way to exchange for the same style with less ripping. I guess I could just go and buy directly from Just Black... or should I just embrace the super casual look??

So here is the breakdown...

Bangle: $88
Jeans: $88
Splendid Tank: $64
Maxi Skirt: $58
Print Belted Dress: $68

TOTAL: 366.

I automatically get $20 off on my first order... and If I were to keep EVERYTHING I get an additional 25% off all items ($86.50 off)... this would bring my total to $259.50


So help me out... what should I keep and what should I send back??? Only have three days to decide!

Emma's Room

I realized that I've never shown Emma's room fully! It is still a major work in progress... Matt started building her a loft bed two years ago and.... yeah from the photos below you will see that it is not yet completed! I guess the best things are worth waiting for... I've been tempted to just go to IKEA and buy a loft bed but I think that it would cause a HUGE marital fight.

Well here is the room:

When you enter you are imediatly reminded of who occupies the space! EMMA. These are craft letters from Jo Anne Fabrics that I spray painted white. 

This is Emma's desk area...

I made this bulletin board for her special items.  Like all of hr 5K bibs, a letter from my former boss, and proof that she beat me once at the game Pay day!

Above the desk are more special items that are showcased on shelves that I painted white. 

And there is the bright yellow chair that I had found at at thrift store for only $5.00 and refinished. I also bought that desk for only $9.99 and refinished... I'll share that project tomorrow.

Here is Emma's current bed... NOT a loft bed... On the map above the bed Emma puts a little flag on the country if I'm on travel.

The duvet was actually a sheet that I found on a work trip to India and I had them sew additional fabric to make teh sheet into a duvet. 

I LOVE the elephants in purple, blue, and pink! The colors go with her room perfectly. 

For the space by her closet... There is a reading nook at the base of her bed with a beanbag chair... and the closet doors are painted with chalkboard paint. I just need to put something cool on them.

Ever since Emma was three she would say that she wanted a deer head in her room... this is our compromise... 

 

For he dresser... I painted each of the drawers a different color to create the ombre effect. 

 

What was originally a plain all white dresser from Target now has some personality! 

 

The top holds more treasures... like this jingle truck and a coke from Afghanistan and a turtle from Hawaii. 

There is also some artwork that Emma did showcased above the dresser! 

So that is the room as it currently stands.

Still on the to-do list for this room:

• Rug
• window treatments 
• LOFT BED w/ sofa seating area under
• crown molding
• Fun design on the chalkboard closet doors
• New light