Townes' Nursery

I posted a couple sneak peeks of our little guy's nursery a few times in the past 6 months here and here. 

I had decided on a rug that I loved but then in the 11th hour something wasn't jiving and I made a switch to this rug from World Market that was on super sale. In my opinion you can't go wrong with black and white stripes ever! I like it so much I also have it in the living room, although that one was from IKEA long before World Market started carrying their version. I guess you can't have too much of a good thing. 

I took some pictures last week while waiting for this babe to make his arrival and I'm mostly pleased with how they turned out. I ultimately wish I would've painted the room a cooler shade of white when we first moved in but oh well! The fan light puts off a yellow tone but then when you open the blinds it's too blown out. If I were a better photographer I'm sure neither of these issues would be a problem but, alas, I am not. 

I still am very smitten with the geometric wall we DIYed [completely stolen from here] and the way we reused almost everything from Theron's nursery. 

So without further ado, here's where our littlest bundle will hopefully play and sleep! 

I wanted to add a large "T" over the crib but struggled to fine one in a font I like. I think I am going to ask my father in law to build an oversized shadowbox "T" like one I saw at HomeGoods awhile back! 

The silver letters were from Michael's this summer, the large tapestry was from Society 6, the ferris wheel is an old CB2 find, and the campaign dresser was a Salvation Army thrift store score!

The "Be You" print is actually a washcloth from H&M and the iPod dock I scored at a garage sale!

I love all things hearts and even though I have boys I think hearts can be used for them too! The blanket is from this Etsy seller [and is so affordable compared to others selling the same thing!] and the pillow is from Land of Nod.  

The arrow string art was a random find at Target just last week and the lamp was from CB2 that used to be teal before I made it gold!

I've also been working on hanging a collection of frames in the hallway and I love this little view you see while sitting in the glider!

There you have it, guys! Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Big Impact Nursery "Art"

In Theron's room we have a gallery wall that I absolutely love. 

In fact. we also have a gallery wall in our living room that I love just as much.

I know some people are over them but I can't help but collect cute/funny/inspirational pieces and they've got to be displayed somehow! And if YOU like it, then do it! Who cares what anyone else thinks is cute; it's your home!

However, in the new nursery I wanted to take a different route. Randomly, I found this great affordable tapestry from Society 6 and immediately added it to my cart and never looked back. I ordered the smallest one and it is still huge! 

I'm sure you could just nail it to the wall but I bought a canvas with a 40% off coupon from Michael's and stapled the tapestry to the canvas to make it a look a little more polished. 

We hung it over his dresser that I scored secondhand and I'm pleased as a peach with how it looks. 

The room has a little more to go but it's getting there! I'm currently 33 weeks pregnant and hope this little guy stays put for a good 7 more! 

xoxo

Nursery for Baby #2

So I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant and I can't believe it! I think because I'm a teacher and had the entire summer off this pregnancy has flown by! I feel pretty good and definitely cannot complain. 

We started working on the baby's nursery pretty much right after school got out. I didn't really have a plan of action until one night I was exploring on Instagram and this pic was recommended to me. 

Immediately I wanted to recreate it in the nursery; it was the jumping off point for sure!

I read Kelsey's blog post about the process and also Vintage Revivals original blog post tutorial as well. Once I was convinced I wanted to take this on, I roped in Dave to be my math guy. I can trace and outline but measuring is not my forte. I wish I had a "math brain" but I just was not blessed with that attribute. 

It took David a good 4-5 hours to measure and draw the entire pattern with a pencil and then it took me about three hours to trace over it with an oil based Sharpie pen [purchased at Michael's]. 

Kelsey used a few of the pens on her wall but my wall only took one. We do have pretty basic flat walls so that may be the case. Once everything dried I took a magic eraser to the rest of the wall to rid it of any stray pencil markings. It worked like an absolute charm. I am thrilled with the outcome and am so thankful to David for having the patience to make this happen!

We are reusing a lot of the furniture and [pretty much everything else] from Theron's baby days. 

I absolutely loved having a glider [although it looks like our particular glider nearly doubled in price since I bought it three years ago!] with Theron and hope it will be the same way for this baby. I can't even begin to imagine how many hours I clocked in that chair, nursing my Theron Drake. We're also reusing the pouf, although as of today I want to get a new one, and the crib is in tip top condition so that's going for round #2 as well. 

I know the room looks very mono chromatic right now but you guys know me and can assume, correctly, that I have since added some color. I can't seem to stay away no matter how hard I try! 

I'll definitely be sharing some updated pics soon! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo

Master Bedroom - New Seating

One of my last blog posts was about how I wanted a swinging rattan chair in our master bedroom. My father-in-law said it was most likely possible to hang it [even though the window area where it would be has a soffit] but I kept shying away from the price tag. With a new baby on the way and my best friend's destination wedding in just under two weeks away, I know my money is best spent elsewhere. 

Then one night I was randomly perusing our town's facebook garage sale site and came across this little beauty. 

For $20 I couldn't pass it up! It's small but has the perfect vibe that I wanted! I may come back to the swinging chair later but for now this works wonderfully!

Do any of you sell/shop your facebook sites? This chair was the first thing I purchased but I sell stuff frequently. I've had a few flakes but most transactions have been seamless! 

xo

More Master Bedroom

The back wall is finished and the floors are installed! Yippee! We also bought a new rug to ground the space. I went with an 8x10 jute rug from Overstock. I also sprung for a better rug pad than I normally buy from a local furniture store. I was worried the jute would be too scratchy but it's been just fine. 

I'm not sure how the room will evolve but I'm thrilled with where it's at right now. I really want a hanging chair in the bay window but I'm not sure I have enough room or support since the ceiling drops down in that location. It's been on my mind lots lately so I'm hoping we can make something work. 

Something like this:

source

They have some reasonably priced ones at Pier One and I'm trying not to bite the bullet before I know it's possible! 

I'll be sure to keep you updated!

xo

Theron's Big Boy Bed

Theron's three years old and since we have a new baby boy on the way [eek!] we thought it the perfect time to switch him over to a big boy bed. 

He has been in his crib-converterted-toddler bed for awhile now...maybe even over a year. He did so well with that transition and thus far has done great with this latest one, too. 

I was hesitant on buying a bed because they are not cheap. I mean, you can find some cheap ones but I didn't want to waste my money on something that wasn't sturdy or that we would have to replace in his teen years. 

I debated between a couple metal beds from Target and Walmart but finally settled on the one I had always loved from West Elm. It has a classic shape, color, and is solid wood so I hope it will stand the test of time. I still want to get him some new bedding but the current setup seems to be working for now. 

We were worried that Theron would roll or fall out since we decided against purchasing bed rails but so far, so good. He happily went to bed the first night and didn't have an issue one. I hope I'm not jinxing us by writing that!

When we first moved in his room looked like this:

Then we transformed it into this:

And now, here it is with his big boy bed:

It's a simple space, but one that our kiddo seems to love! 

xo

Master Bedroom Updates

We've lived in our second home for nearly two years and while it doesn't feel that long, we've managed to undertake some minor home renos in that time.  For those of you that may have forgotten/never seen, this is what our master bedroom looked like when we first bought our home:

The previous owners had painted it a deep red and I repainted it almost immediately to a light blue-gray by Benjamin Moore.  I think the color was called "Grey Owl."

We had originally, upon move in, replaced their carpet with more carpet. But since our aging dog has seemed to revert to baby tendencies, we made the decision to rip the carpet up and extend the hardwood we laid in the rest of our home into our master and hallway as well. 

Additionally, I decided I wanted a little more architectural detail in this room by adding some wainscoting. I researched DIY tutorials and pinned some good options but ultimately my father-in-law found a company, I think based in Canada, that ships pre-made wood to you that fits together like puzzle pieces. He so sweetly prepared it for us and installed it and David and I caulked and painted it.

I am thrilled with how it turned out and with the flooring now installed I think it definitely makes the space look more custom. It also helps to ground the room since the vaulted ceilings make it seem so large. 

In the above pictures we still hadn't installed our baseboards but that now has been completed. We're waiting on moving everything back in until our new jute rug comes sometime soon. I'm excited to pull the space back together. 

Thanks for checking in! 

xo

Hello and Welcome [Sign]!

I've been on a very mini roll as of late in decorating and doing stuff to our house. I feel like everything I really want to do costs so much money that these little spurts of energy are making a little bit of happy difference in my world.  

Last week I showed you our Day of the Dead decorations and now this week I'm back with a very small project that made for a big impact! 

I bought this 'Hello' sign off of Groopdealz and had it lying around the house for awhile. I wasn't certain how I wanted to gussy it up until I saw my best bud, Freckles Chick, use some faux flowers for a little project for her daughter. 

It probably comes as no surprise that I sprayed it gold and then made a little trip to Michael's to grab some flowers. I wanted something pretty and neutral so I grabbed what you see in the pic below. 

I used a simple glue gun to adhere the pieces on the wreath and then hung it up on a wreath hanger on our front door. I really love how the wreath stands out against the charcoal door and it's just what it needed!

And, for any of you that may be wondering, the Instagram heart wall has stayed up since day one with plain painter's tape. I was skeptical too, but it's worked like a charm!

Thanks for checking in! 

xo

Master Bedroom Progress

It's funny how I was SO borderline obsessed with all things DIY and/or home decor related for years and then I just stopped updating things or buying home stuff. We have quite a few updates to make in the kitchen plus home improvement issues on the exterior that have had us saving up for major renovations rather than buying lots of decorative things. 

But, we have made super small updates to the master bedroom recently.  

After our recent trip to IKEA, I decided to put the two prints we bought above our bed.  I'm not convinced they'll stay there forever but I like how they fill the space. And, yes, I'm still relying on my iPhone for blog pictures. The DSLR seems like a lot of work nowadays. Lazy I suppose. 

To the left of this space is our closet and an area that needed something. I had thought about putting a tall dresser there but then remembered I had the World Market desk and that it would be perfect in the space. It gives me a nice work space and looks like it was meant to be here. 

The styling is nothing to write home about but it works for real life. It's kinda my motto right now. 

I got lucky at the Goodwill [surprise, surprise!] with this little cane chair for a steal!

The next project in here is to actually settle on a rug-not just a place holder, possible install hardwoods, and install board and batten on the walls.  

It's all coming together slowly but surely! 

And now, I'm off to watch more beauty guru YouTube videos--my newest obsession! 

xoxo

DIY Dining Table [Round 2]

When we sold our house last summer the buyers negotiated to keep a lot of our furniture. I didn't even know that was a "thing" but they did it! It's a sore spot for David and me, but we're getting over it--if slowly. They wanted nearly every single piece of furniture we had in our home-it was so odd.  We negotiated back and forth, and I put my foot down to keep our sofa [that we had just purchased!], our arc lamp, and Theron's dresser.  They had the nerve to ask for Theron's dresser.  I mean, really? It was in my son's room holding my son's personal items. Low, I tell you.  

But I digress, I'm getting over it, remember? Haha! In the end, they got to keep a lot, including our dining room table that my sweet father-in-law custom built for us. I was rather emotional about the whole thing but he reassured us that he would build us a better table anyway! If the buyers wanted the table--let them have the table.  "Less to move" he said. He was right. 

For the last 9 or so months we lived with a $100 table and chairs set that I found off of craigslist.  

I liked them well enough but when Theron's birthday came rolling around Dan hopped to building us a new and improved table. I've shared many a time that he can build anything. It's unbelievable. He measured the space, asked me what I wanted, and about two weeks later I had a table to stain.  

With our first table I stained it a dark deep walnut color, almost the color of our floors. But more recently I have been drawn to a more gray washed & lighter/imperfect stain shades.  

I ending up searching awhile on Pinterest after a trip to Lowe's for stain turned out to be unsuccessful.  I came across this post about a custom stain made from two ready-made minwax colors [special walnut & weathered oak] and I was sold.  

There are so many tutorials on staining furniture and I basically followed them all. My father-in-law sanded the table perfectly so all I had to do was apply a pre-stain wood conditioner and then followed that with the special walnut stain.  Then I applied, I think, 4 coats of the weathered oak stain over a handful of days.  I finished it off with the water-based polycrylic top coat and brought it in for T's party. 

I think this pic was after the first two coats of walnut and weathered oak. 

Another up close shot somewhere in the process. [I think my DIY blogger card is being revoked as I type-whoops!]

The table takes up a much more substantial space in our dining room and of course has special meaning to us since it was custom built by our family for our little family. 

I think I could've gone even lighter with the stain but I love it even so!

I kept the chairs from the craigslist table and like them so much that I'm in no hurry to replace them.  I have plans to add upholstered captain's chairs on either end but I'm in no hurry to do that as well.

Those flowers were originally purchased for outside but they look pretty happy on our table indoors. 

So that's how our new and improved table is hanging. We love it and hope you guys do, too!

xoxo