My Spring Mantel

Once upon a time, I actually planned ahead...

I spent hours on Saturday casually persuing some of my favorite discount spots for the perfect spring decor... Then, on Monday, I had the day off, so I piddled around and mixed and matched until I had my Spring mantel exactly the way I wanted it - simple and sweet.  I even used a hammer and nail all by myself.  When everything was just right and the sun was coming in the front windows to bathe the room in added beauty, I actually set up the TRIPOD to take pictures of my work.  I zoomed and I angled, I clicked and I adjusted until I had a glorious collection of blog-worthy photos.

Later, when the house was cleaned up and the baby was sleeping, I sat down with my leftover Mexican food sparkling water to upload said photos and prepare my blog post hours before the linky party even started.

And...

My dang computer won't sync up to my camera. 

Thank goodness for the love of my life my iphone (and instagram) or I'd be REALLY mad.

All I've got to show for:

Wreath & carrot garland from Tuesday Morning (Please! Who has time for crafts?).  Window frame from my basement circa 2007. Off center idea... my very own. ;)

Happy first day of Spring!

Check out the party going on at The Lettered Cottage for much better photos of lots of festive mantels!

P.S. If you missed it yesterday, don't forget to enter my Watching Me Grow give-away before Friday.

P.S.S. Midweek Confessions tomorrow - be there or be square.

My Sunroom

Continuing the theme of goals for 2012, I am linking up with The Nester with my 2012 "Home Goals."    I did this last year, but my focus was on selling our house; so the goals weren't as applicable once that was off the table; plus, I mean, we had other stuff going on.  Like having a baby.

That said, I did not...

...introduce window treatments into my life

...complete any of my wall art projects

...invest in a nice rug or

...purchase a duvet cover I love

BUT, I did... create a "perfect" nursery for Sam

So the year wasn't a total bust!

This year, I've decided to focus on just ONE room - our sunroom.

Before:

This room was one of my favorite things about this house when we first bought it; and we spend the vast majority of our free-time at home in this room.  It is where we do 90% of our "entertaining" and have 99% of our good conversations with friends etc.  It is bright and warm and welcoming. Yet, it is one of the rooms I am least happy with from a design/decor perspective. 

Since we've been married, Jeff and I have NEVER bought a full-price piece of furniture for ourselves.  Luckily, my mom re-decorates A LOT - so we get a lot of hand-me-downs.  This works wonderfully most of the time, but for whatever reason, the sunroom has become kind-of a dumping ground for furniture we don't know what else to do with.  The result is a room that has never really felt put-together or "like" me.

2012 will be the year that changes...

In fact, I'm already off on the right foot.  For Christmas, Jeff gave me free reign to pick out fabric and finally get my favorite comfy (but hideous) chair and a half covered (that was a goal for last year that I was thisclose to finishing on time).  Talk about making a girl happy!

Here's the old dud (+ my stud and my girl):

And a little peak at the new (and very improved) version:

From Fabric.com

This has become kind-of my inspiration for the whole room.  We still don't plan to start dropping big bucks on furniture etc. any time soon, so I'll mostly be working with what we have or can get for a really good deal.  I'm also hoping to make a few things for the space - either by myself or with the help of unsuspecting friends and family members ;). 

Either way, I've got big plans to bring this room to life and make it fit in a little more with the rest of our cozy, but fresh and fun home. 

I will (of course) share the final product when we get there; but in the meantime, here are a few goodies I've picked up for the project recently...

On sale at RugsUSA.com

Christmas gift purchased from Cardboard Safari

So... that's my big home goal for 2012. What do you think?  Ideas? Suggestions?

What are your goals for your home this year?


P.S. I'll have Midweek Confessions up tomorrow morning - get ready!

Christmas Tour of Homes

Hi there!

If you're a reader... THANK YOU for supporting my little "Midweek Confessions" gig yesterday.  You made me feel like a super star (funny how 14 - and counting - linkers will do that), which is especially appreciated given the week we've had. ;)

And, if you're just stoppin' by today... Thanks for clicking on my name and WELCOME!  I hope you'll stay and look around; we're all about bein' real and laughing at ourselves in these parts.

So, if only for today, I'm going to be one of those bloggers that decorates her house, takes pictures of it, and then blogs about it.  Look - when it is clean, you've got to milk it for all it's worth. Plus, too many of my favorite blogs (i.e. The Nester, Blue-Eyed Bride, & Kelly's Korner) are hosting link-ups. I can't miss the party!

May as well start at the front door...

Even a little tree for my little guy...

Want to see year's passed?  Click here or here.

And don't forget to check out all the other BEAUTIFUL home tours on the web today & tomorrow (and, heck, all the time)!

Baby-Proof Decorating : A Guest Post from Kirsten Krason

Hi guys.  Tired mommy here.  We're out of the "honeymoon phase" with Sam now and adjusting to the parts of parenting we'd been warned about - i.e. staying up ALL night eating and crying. (BOTH of us- haha!) . Luckily, he is still cute enough to make even that bearable.  I'm going to try to get some pictures etc. up later today; but, in the meantime... I have an awesome guest post for you from one of my favorite design bloggers.  Enjoy!

First things first, if you have never read 6th Street Design School... You need to start! :)  Designer Kirsten Krason lives down the street from my good friend Liz in Utah - which makes me kind-of feel like we are friends even though she is a "big time" decorator/blogger and we've never met. :)  Anyway, her blog is one of my absolute FAVORITE stops for design inspiration and tips.  You MUST check it out.

Isn't she so cute?

Now, on to some content...

Before Sam was born, one of the things I thought about was how my "decorating taste" would change once there was a baby on board  (i.e. STUFF EVERYWHERE and, eventually, little hands everywhere). 

So, a while ago, I asked Kristen to send me some tips for baby-proof decorating.  Here's what she said:

1. Outdoor fabrics! I seriously swear by outdoor fabrics for anyone who has kids. There are some misconceptions that outdoor fabric is ugly or uncomfortable but there are actually some great patterns and designs out there. I love outdoor fabric for any dining chairs because you don't have to worry about food staining.

2. Museum Putty is amazing! I love this stuff. I put it on the bottom of lamps or other fragile items in my house. It's not completely fool-proof but it holds well enough to deter kids from tampering with items.

3. Scotch Guard is great for any pieces of furniture or pillows that you worry about. I spray it on everything in my house.

4. Magic Eraser really is magic! This is great for walls or furniture. I also recommend using high gloss paint when possible. It's so much easier to clean.

5. Outdoor Rugs. We have this outdoor rug in our dining room and it is incredible. I never worry about food spilling on it. It is super durable and very easy to wipe clean. Plus it looks great!

I hope these tips help. Overall I would say that when you have kids you just have to relax and be flexible. Things will break. But try and have a good attitude about it when it happens. 

Kirsten, thanks SO much for sharing some mom/designer expert advice.  I'm definitely going to remember these things when I finally get around to re-doing my sun-room later this year.  :)

P.S. If you want more, check out the entire series on her blog right here.  (This will be some of my late-night-feeding-reading in the next few months for sure!)

Gray and Yellow Nursery Reveal

FINALLY, I am ready!!!  I started this post on April 24th, so you can tell how anxious I've been to share our nursery with you...  Well, today folks, is the day! :)

Decorating Baby C's nursery has, by far, been one of my most favorite things about this season - besides that it will actually end in a real live baby, of course! But, it has also been a lot more work than I thought it would be...  For example, our entire gallery wall came crashing down last Thursday night just when I thought we were almost done.  We lost one poor frame in the process, but everyone else survived (including me and my hormones.) Sometimes fellow bloggers make it look so easy!  ;)

Anyway, I'm thrilled to finally be able to show off our newest space...

But first, before I begin, I want to give credit to these incredibly talented and creative blogger-moms who's nurseries provided my initial inspiration - Thanks Erin (my original model), Katie, and Kelly!

And now...

Baby Chapman's Grey & Yellow Elephant Nursery

Details:

Wall Color - Valspar Silver Lake (This turned out more blue than I was hoping, but I've grown to love it.  FYI)

Rug - Ikea (gift from Aunt Delores - not pictured online)

Curtains - Ikea ($14.99 for a set of two - we used four - not pictured online); rod from Lowe's (two rigged together in the middle because that window is so long)
Overhead Light  - Lowe's (gift from Jeff's parents)
Crib - Davinci Kalani in Espresso from Amazon (gift from my parents)

Crib Bedding - Custom done from  Tuft Love Fabric on Etsy

World Map Decal -  Urban Decals on Etsy

Hanging Pom Poms - Prost to the Host on Etsy (remember we used this at our Gender Reveal Party too)

"Keep Quiet Baby's Sleeping" Print - Plantagenet Rose (Gift from Kathryn)

Snips & Snails Print - Finny & Zook from Kzukowski on Etsy

Puppy Dog Tail Hooks - Ikea

Side table - Found in Poppy's basement; cleaned up and spray painted white on top.

Glider - Hand-me-down from Jeff's parents (he was rocked in this as a baby) &  re-upholstered in gray

Pillow - Made by Jeff's mom with fabric from TuftLove

Elephant Lamp - Marshall's (gift from Amanda & Jake)

Storage Baskets - TJ Maxx

Gallery Wall Art -Enduring Arts; Bound to Remember; Finny & Zook by KZukowski; Sugar Fresh (all on Etsy).  PLUS, old photos and some "fillers" while we wait for pictures of Baby C. :)

Frames - Ikea Ribba Collection

Dresser - Already owned; painted with Valspar Dandelion with bamboo pulls from Cool Knobs & Pulls spray painted white

Mirror - Already owned

Elephant Hooks - Anthropologie (gift from Kathryn)

Elephant Mobile - Sugar and Spice Studio on Etsy

Felt Garland - Steph Loves Ben on Etsy
Stuffed Animals, Toys, Books, etc. - Gifts!

*Feel free to email me if I left something off or you want more info!

As you can see, we were incredibly spoiled by family and friends with time & gifts for this project.  THANK YOU to all those that made this nursery possible, especially my dad and husband who literally gave up hours and hours to make my "vision" a reality. Seriously, I'd have a lot of ideas and an empty room without you!

I think the room is a perfect spot for a baby... It is relaxing and soothing, but still bright and happy. Plus, if we ever need to adapt it for a girl, a few hints of pink would easily do the trick. We love it!  Sometimes, I even look forward to late night feedings in there... Let's see if that lasts! 

What do you think?

Nursery Art Round-Up

First of all, THANK YOU for all your great responses to my last post.  I felt like I got a really great mix of encouragement and reality - just what I needed.  You guys are the best!

Now... I'm not quite ready for the big reveal just yet.  (I know, it's a slow process... I have literally TWO things that I'm waiting on to finish/come in the mail... Then I'm good to go.)  But, I have spent countless hours scouring Etsy in the last three months for just the right nursery art.  So, I thought I'd share some of my resources today.

Also, and I realize this is kind-of cheating, today's Show Us Your Life Post at Kelly's Korner is all about "What You Make." The only thing I'm making these days is BABIES (well, a baby) and LISTS... So, I'm going to pass on some of my other creative finds instead.  Enjoy!

Bright and happy "word art" at Kzukowski featuring Finny & Zook

Scripture & prayers with a cute & modern look at Enduring Arts.

Love the simple, retro look of this... Done on cork at The Word Shop.

Just precious... from Sarah Jane Studios (obviously they have girls too - but I'm bias)

from Barking Bird Art

I wanted this one (from Dazey Chic/ Studio Mela) really bad, but Jeff did not think it was "cool."  Haha!

LOVE a good silhouette... This one is done on linen paper in any color your want from Bound to Remember

Obviously, this is just a TINY little fraction of what's available... You could waste spend DAYS looking at this stuff.  And the best part?  The prices are GREAT!  I don't think I spent more than $20.00 on any one print for our nursery.  (P.S. We didn't use any of these exact prints, but several of the vendors.  No peeks here!)

Check out Kelly's Korner to see what tons of bloggers are making!! :)

Happy Friday!