Feeling... Better

Ah what a difference a day makes!

Thanks again for all of your words of encouragement, I'm happy to report that I got my shit together this morning and took another stab at it. These (cloth) storage boxes from IKEA are a god-send. They're perfect for organizing tiny tiny clothes. Folding, rolling and organizing (short sleeve onesies, long-sleeve gowns, etc) the chaos felt invigorating unlike yesterday's fiasco. I guess I just needed to apply my anal-ness to this whole baby thing. As a first timer, sometimes it's hard to see through the weeds. Organizing baby clothes, blankets, towels is just like organizing craft supplies, sillly! I'm thinking that as long as I approach it this way - applying the same coping skills I have for more familiar issues, I'll have less freak-outs!? Hmm perhaps a spreadsheet :)



The Mr also helped put things in perspective. Sometimes tough love is annoying, especially when you just need someone to share in your sorrows and egg you on. But he's so right this time. There are more important things to worry about. Having too much is a better problem than not having enough. AND I need to get over the whole pink thing or else it'll just bite me in the ass. I've been so obsessed with not going overboard with the whole pink thing. Why? I don't really know, just something that I've managed to set my mind to. Honestly, I need to get over it and accept the fact that one day she might just gravitate towards it (like 90% of all girls), so why drive myself nuts over it? There are worst things to gravitate towards! Like purple. Just kidding. So instead of whining about it, I should be more grateful that we have all these things - pink or not. We're lucky that we won't need to buy additional clothes for her and she'll be spitting, puking and crapping all over herself in the first couple of months right? I've been such a momzilla. Bad. Can I get a pass this time and play the hormonal/pregnancy card? Pretty please?

OK. I'm off to find nursing bras! I'm attempting to pack my hospital bag and apparently it's a key item to have. What was in your overnight bag? Any useless items or things you wish you had?

Emma's Nursery

Little Emma's room is finally done (I had posted a nursery sneak peek about a month ago)!!! I have four weeks and four days to go and I'm so glad I got a head start on this big project! My energy levels are now way down and I feel like I'm carrying the world's largest and heaviest watermelon. There's no way I would've been able to paint and decorate in my condition and in this god awful heat.

My legs, ankles and feet are finally starting to swell and so is my face. Oh yes, I definitely have that I'm pregnant and I need to give birth soon or else look. Of course it didn't help that I had family visiting last week and we've been eating non-stop. My mom arrived from California this weekend, she'll be staying until the end of August to help out with Emma.





I had my last baby shower this weekend and I just want to say thank you to my sister Mary Jane (who came all the way up from Texas) for throwing the party and to my sister Cecile (all the way from California) for lending her decorating & games/entertainment expertise! Hillsy and I are very lucky and grateful to have you guys! A special thank you to my cousin Ely for hosting it at her lovely home and of course to all of my aunts and cousins who were able to attend. We played lots of games and ate lots and lots of good Filipino food - I'm still recuperating.

Sources:
Wall color: Glidden Evermore Premium (Satin finish) Stillness 70GG 63 Pure White Base; Prints by Amy Blackwell; Wall embroidery by Lisa of loulouandoscar; Laundry Basket: Round Carry Basket (Steele Canvas Basket Co.); Giant Dwarf stuffed bunny; Sophie the Giraffe; Gulliver Crib, IKEA; Pillows: Ferm Living Elle Elephant, Yellow round Pillow from Urban Outfitters; Tiny Garland on crib (I made); Hanging twig garland (I made); mirror, yard sale find; Faux Sheepskin Cloud Rugs (I made); Stuffed Strawberries (I made); white and red striped Fern Animal by Ashley Anna Brown; Wall Doe Sculpture by Astulabee; Two framed prints by Studio Violet; Aqua & White throw on Heater, Anthropologie; Blue & White striped dress, old navy; "Emma" customized wall decal and grey ribbon decal by Shanna Murray; Chandelier (Pottery Barn Kids)

How To: Hanging Twig Mobile

Here's my latest project for Emma's room - a hanging twig mobile! I haven't quite figured out its final destination (over the crib, the mirror... nursing station...) but it's finally done!



You'll need:
One or two dried-out branches
White paint - I used craft acrylic paint
Paint brush
Twine
Glue gun or other strong fast adhesive glue
Various trims
Clear nylon wire/fishing wire
Ceiling hooks



Steps:
1. Gather branches & paint
2. Glue Gun branches in desired position (if using more than one)
3. Tie branches with twine for added security
4. Paint twine white or leave natural

Note: If you're using only one branch, the balance thing won't be as much of an issue.

It might be a good idea to attach the fishing wire to the mobile at this point so you can get a feel for the way it will fall/hang - which will determine where you will be attaching the decorative elements. Securely tie/knot fishing/clear nylon wire at both ends of your mobile (I attached mine to the two ends where the two branches meet). Figure out how high or low you want the mobile to fall from the ceiling and cut your wire accordingly.

Gather trims and temporary attach them to the base (branch). This is the fun part, there’s no right and wrong, just put them wherever you think looks good! Most trims (vintage leaves and foliage) have paper covered wire stems which will allow you to wrap them into place. You’ll eventually glue gun them in place, but I would wait until the mobile is permanently suspended in its final position. Why? You may need to adjust the position of your trims depending on the way the mobile will naturally balance itself out - so save yourself the aggravation/time and wait to permanently attach the details. You’ll need a step-stool or a ladder and potentially an extension cord for the glue gun if you’re hanging it high up.

Attaching to ceiling: You’ll need to screw in tiny ceiling hooks to the ceiling, so you can attach the other ends of the wire.

Great resources for trims: Papier Valise, Blümchen, if you're lucky enough to be near Parcel (it's a perfect place to find most of the ones I used!)

Mr. Rust Oleum, oh how I've missed you!

Forced myself to finally paint Emma's mirror this morning. Remember this $20 find? Well it's now Heirloom White - thanks to an old friend Mr. RustOleum. Surely you must remember him from the good ol' days! I had a rag over my nose and mouth while giving it a couple of coats so it wasn't too bad AND the humidity is much lower today than it was yesterday. Hopefully you all had a good weekend, I couldn't bear being outside for more than a minute yesterday. Boy how things have changed, I'm usually the last one to complain when it comes to heat!!

Our walls are pretty shitty when it comes to hanging/nailing things into the wall and I was pretty concerned about not being able to find proper studs for the mirror (it's freakin' heavy). Melis to the rescue... she suggested OOK hangers. Has anyone else used these or their other products before? I picked up a 2-pack from Home Depot, hopefully they work!! Will keep you posted!

PS. Saw a really great film via Watch it Now Netflix this weekend - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I highly highly recommend it.

For our little Emma

I think most people hold off on sharing/announcing the baby's name until the baby is born. I guess I can understand why, but for us, we were pretty set on Emma early on and were happy to share her name with friends, family and pretty much anyone who asked if we've named her yet. Fortunately we haven't encountered any looks of disgust or unwanted reviews of the name... hope I haven't opened up the floodgates :)

I'm SO excited to share a sneak peek of Emma's room, I'm almost there...



Adorable Giant Dwarf stuffed bunny, a gift from Ez; Sophie the Giraffe, a gift from P; tiny garland I made ages ago; Butter Yellow pillow from UO; prints by Amy Blackwell; wall embroidery by Lisa of loulouandoscar; the cutest blue & white striped dress, a gift from Ez; "Emma" customized wall decal by Shanna Murray (another one from Ez!); little blue, white and red striped Fern Animal by Ashley Anna Brown, stuffed strawberries in a jam jar I made a couple of weeks ago,; the most beautiful custom Doe sculpture in the world by Nicole (a push gift to myself) framed by another one of Shanna Murray's beautifully illustrated decals.

(Moms, please don't be be alarmed. I'm aware that I'll have to remove most of the items in/around the crib for safety purposes)

PS. I dragged my butt to our local yoga center yesterday for my first day of pre-natal yoga, despite the gross weather (thanks to Hillsy who knew better and persuaded me to go). AND of course he was right - don't you just hate it when that happens?! I loooooved every single second of it and I didn't even mind the chanting all that much :) I've been doing DVDs at home/running instead of going to a gym since we moved from the city and I guess I've forgotten how much I actually enjoyed workout classes with REAL people! I may have to reconsider joining a gym after Emma is born!

Lastly, please come out and play Mr. Sun. All this grey is so not good for my never-ending TO DO list. I keep adding, nothing is getting crossed off and instead, the indentations on my bed and couch seem to be getting deeper, I've developed a refresh-every-30 second gmail/twitter/facebook/pinterest/flickr tick, researching eyelash extensions AND sending out emails like this...

"she is CARAZY, did she really think Dina was setting up a 5-man ambush at Chakra? Seriously? Danny and Johnny sitting out in their cars in the parking lot?? LOOney. :)"

If you have no idea what that refers to, believe me, you're better off!

Yard Sale Find

Look what I found....



Can you believe it? $20 for a 4'x2' mirror framed with real wood (it's quite heavy)?? I'm thinking of painting it white and putting it up in the nursery... although it would be perfect as is in our dining or living room. Hmmm. What to do...

How To: Fabric Stuffed Strawberries

I've been saving my Bonne Maman jam jars for the longest time - knowing (hoping) that one day they'll come in handy. The day has come! I was over at Ez's blog Creature Comforts the other day and spotted a glass jar full of beautiful fabric strawberry sachets. As much as I LOVE the chez sucre chez sachets, I've been spending waaaay too much money on the nursery... so I decided to try and make my own. Plus, my stomach has been giving me issues so I've been taking it easy this week and definitely had some major down time.





I found some helpful tutorials (bread and buttons, Moda Bake Shop and Embroideroo) to help get me started and learn the basic steps. I was too lazy to bust out the sewing machine so I hand-sewed everything. I also used four different sizes of fabric (approx 6", 4" and 2" circles before cutting in half).

How To: Faux Sheepskin Cloud Rug

I featured a bunch of cute ZARA baby products a while ago and a nice reader left a comment linking to this really cool DIY Sheepskin Rug post. I was inspired to give it a shot and finally finished my Cloud-shaped Faux Sheepskin Rugs for the nursery this weekend. I purchased a yard of "Grey Shaggy Pile Faux Fur" fabric from this ebay seller (they also have a website). At first I was afraid the fur was too long, more hairy than puffy... but now that I'm done and the rugs are in place, I love the way they look and feel!

Keep in mind that because I painted my floors using paint with an eggshell finish, I didn't need to attach a non-slip backing to my rugs. Depending on what type of floors you have, you may need to add some sort of anti-slip pad or stickers to the bottom. Ikea sells really cheap anti-slip pads.



You could make a huge cloud or like me, make a couple. I was able to make two decent sized clouds out of the 1-yard I purchased.

Step 1. Draw your shape on the back-side of the fabric with a permanent marker. If you're using grey fur, I suggest using a grey marker or disappearing ink fabric marker (if not, a pencil will do). Cut out the shape then shake out to remove excess fur/fibers - I suggest doing this outside or else you'll have fur everywhere, including in your mouth :) Stop after a couple of shakes, don't worry if you still see fur flying around. You really just want to shake out the fibers that were loosened-up from cutting.

Step 2 & 3. Generously apply Fray Check (I buy it at Michaels) at the base of the fur (where the fur is attached to the base fabric) all around the rug. Allow to dry wrong-side up or hanging before laying down on the floor.

Have fun!

Nursery: Table Lamp Options

Next up on my nursery to do list - hunt down an affordable table lamp to sit on top of a side table, that I've also yet to find!



a. Simply Shabby Chic™ Resin Candlestick Base + Barrel Lamp Shade (24.99), Target stores
b. LJUSÅS SALBO Table lamp, IKEA 39.99
c. BAROMETER Work lamp, IKEA 39.99
d. Bird cage Lamp - Antique White, Target 124.99

Off to check out some vintage options....

Nursery: IKEA love

The word IKEA usually sends Hillsy into a tizzy. BUT after a little nudging and a couple of very convincing emails/links vouching for their budget-friendly cribs and accessories, he soon saw the light. AND I think he might even believe that it was his idea all along.

I'm proud to report that we made it outta there in less than 2 hours! I know it doesn't sound like much, but believe me that's record timing for me. I can spend hours and hours getting lost in there and that's just in the showroom. Letting me loose in the marketplace area typically adds another 1 to 2 hours. Unfortunately, after years and years of torture the boy has wisened up. Like a freakin' homing pigeon, he led us towards ALL of the "shortcuts", which cleverly allow you to completely bypass half of the store (lighting, storage, gardening, etc - basically sections where I could spend hours ooing and cooing in and picking up random items that I really have no need for). Smart smart man.



I love everything we ended up buying. I especially love the crib, simple lines and definitely not bulky - it's the perfect size and was very easy to put together (pleasant surprise). Ooh and I just had to have one of these cool grey/white trays. Hmm, may need to take another trip out there this weekend :)

Images: IKEA

Nursery: Storage Container Options

I've been having SO much fun planning the nursery. Question for parents... are you as excited to do up the second baby's room?? I sure hope so, coz I'm really really enjoying this part.

So let's talk containers shall we? I've been looking around for containers to fill up a few nooks & crannies - for toys, laundry etc., that would also double up as accent pieces. Here are a few of my faves so far...


A. Galvanized Wash Tub (Main St. Supply). This site is great, they have a bunch of different shapes and sizes available.

B. Storage Bushel (Hable Construction). LOVE these things and the storage boxes but unfortunately way over my budget. You too? I spotted this awesome no-sew DIY Storage Box Tutorial.

C. Round Carry Basket (Steele Canvas Basket Co.). Also avail with casters. I've been drooling over these for a while now and I finally found an excuse to buy one :) I'll be using it for the little one's dirty clothes.

D. Peddler's Design Round Potato Basket (Uptown Country). Love the look of these potato, egg, clamming wire baskets. Whatever you call them, I love 'em! Perfect for storing/organizing toys, books and other small items.

E. How awesome is this Blue one (Lehman's)??? Also love the vintage options but I'm not sure about safety issues when it comes to chipping paint... Love this yellow one and this awesome vintage clamming basket,

The Land of Nod is another source for other affordable storage options.

All Images from individual shops.

Nursery: Painting

My entire body is sore! We tackled the nursery this weekend...

Nursery Lighting

Operation nursery is well on its way. I finally ordered the lighting fixture! It was a tough choice but I decided to go with...


Images:
PBteen Vintage Iron Chandelier $129 on sale for $99
CB2 Eden Pendant Lamp $49.95