Nursery Sneak Peak

Because I'm on bed rest, it's been a little hard to get up and take updated pictures of the nursery. Today we had lots of sunshine and natural light, so I was able to take some pictures. It's not COMPLETELY done yet, but all I have left is some wall decor and some small odds and ends. But with bed rest, no projects for me :-)  Hopefully that will change soon...I'd love to get this room finished before the baby actually gets here.  So here's a little sneak peak...

For the Love of Marble

After coming across this parisian marble bathroom the other day, it reminded me of the marble that we used in our Kitchen Remodel last winter. 

When I found this tile at a garage sale, the woman who sold it to me told me that her son has used this marble to renovate a bath in a victorian home. She said he used EVERYWHERE...the floors, the shower, up the walls...what I wouldn't give to see a picture of that bathroom! So when I came across the picture above, it was just like the one I have envisioned in my mind.  I still have not tired of this marble in my kitchen...still IN LOVE.

Image via House Beautiful

 

Pics at 31 Weeks

So even though I'm almost at 34 weeks now...woot!woot!...almost two weeks past when I delivered with Teagan, here's some recent pics at 31 weeks...I'm making myself capture these moments, I know one day I'll look back and cherish even these uncomfortable and trying days of the third trimester :)

An "Aha!" Moment

From our Kitchen Remodel

I'm not one to really quote other blogs, but this one I could not resist. As I was reading a recent post from The Shabby Nest, who was describing why she obsesses over decorating so much...I had that "aha" moment when it finally clicked. THE answer. The one I've been searching for for so long...the same feeling that I've felt, when others just seem to roll their eyes at you with that "whatever floats your boat" look...the explaination I try to find to tell my husband why after loving something for so long, I now want something different. An answer to the feeling you get when you stumble across another's blog or devour over a picture in a magazine and it clicks...I want that. I have to have that. I don't think I can sleep until I figure out a budget friendly way to make that. 

So this my dear friends...is the explanation from The Nester and The Shabby Nest.

Enjoy...and I hope it may shed some light or give you your own personal "aha" moment.

"...A couple of weeks ago, the Nester did a series of posts on thrifting and buying things just because they are "a good deal". In the final post she brought up an interesting point. She asked if it's wrong to enjoy a pretty house. And her answer was "not at all". An answer, that I wholeheartedly agree with. She went on to point out that house tweaking - as I like to call it - is not a sign of discontentment for her. And then she said something very eloquent (so I'm going to quote her directly.)"


"Nobody accuses the writer who is restless with the pen and a blank page of trying find her contentment in the wrong place. Is the singer who changes the arrangement, the pianist who craves the keys, the painter who tweaks the canvas, the collector searching for that one last treasure, the songwriter who paces the floor waiting for the perfect words, are they looking for meaning and contentment in all the wrong places simply based on what they are passionate about? Is it about time they smartened up and stopped wasting their time? No one would dare accuse them of such. I think they are created to pursue their art."

"That was my "Aha!" moment. It made me think about myself and my own desire for a beautiful home. And how that may be interpreted as materialism or discontent. But it isn't. It's my form of art..."

The Ottoman that we built

From Nursery to Big Girl's Room

Picture Ledges that we built...and a Painting from my husband

Who knew? That my obsession was a form of art...the same obsession that I have been guilty of criticizing my husband for since he's an artist and his wheels are ALWAYS turning...The same one I have had to tell myself that sometimes artistic people just look at things a little differently than the norm...The same one I criticize but am so thankful for that he can dream up and build anything he puts his mind to...Yep, that's me...The one who has finally accepted that my obsession may just be MY form of art...The one who did indeed...marry an artist.  Aha!

Bed Rest and an Update

So we've had a VERY eventful last couple of days. What started as a basic 32 week checkup, turned into finding out I had started to dialate and the onstart of contractions. So after a few days in the hospital, all is going well. I am ordered to bedrest the remainder of the pregnancy and am ordered to also stay in the Denver area, since we live 2 hours away up in the mountains. This has been very hard being that my husband and daughter will have to be at home during the week, and I will get to see them on the weekends.

Since I'm on bedrest and not at home, the inspiration is a little short, so there may not be much posting for a short while. We are just trying to stabalize this pregnancy and hoping to keep him inside as long as possible! But i will confess, as a person who doesn't know how to sit still, this has been VERY hard to adjust, but I know the Lord is using this time to draw closer to him. 

Image via Alice Lane

Do You Do...Red?

I have to admit, I have never been a huge fan of red. While I know that all colors appeal to different people in different ways, no matter how many times I have tried to use red in my home, it's never really set well with me...never really felt like...well, ME. 

I think red can be one of the harder colors to work with as well. It can easily give you a very modern, sharp look, vintage charm...or country chicken in a second.

But after seeing this home from House Beautiful, some of the rooms appealed to me.

While the red in this room is the dominant source...my eye is instantly drawn to that vintage wicker trunk at the end of the bed...HOW I WANT YOU.  I love the mix of textures in this picture.



I love the use of the books with one simple painting on this dresser. While utilizing storage, it's a no fuss way to do a simple display, without a lot of fussy knick knacks, which I have a hard time with. I'm a person of need, so if it just looks useless, I have a hard time displaying it.

A simple and beautiful white country kitchen, with just a FEW touches of red. I think the hardware in combination with the floor really makes this space.

A seren white and grey bedroom, with just a subtle touch of red. Notice the texture the simple jute rug adds to the space.

I love this window nook. The details with the ceiling and the floors, the chandelier, the fabrics and the natural texture...very easy and comforting.

Then this outside space of all the trees, with of course a red and white hammock. While I would love to lounge in this, I have a hard time picturing myself lounging very long or quietly with a toddler running around and another one on the way.  Maybe if they're busy playing outside in the trees like I used to when I was little or enjoying some daddy time while mommy rests...hey, I can dream!  

Images via House Beautiful

Thank You Dear Hubby

I just wanted to send a big THANK YOU to the dear hubby who surprised me last night for my birthday with flowers, a yummy chocolate cake...and then had already hired a sitter so we could go out to dinner and have some much needed alone time! Love him to pieces and I don't know how this family unit would function without him!!

Wordless.

Have You Ever?

Have you ever been so sick, like never before? That's where I've been this week. Sick, in bed, with bronchitis. The coughing fits keep causing contractions, which is not good for this 29 weeker.  So with only limited meds since I'm pregnant, it's mainly bed rest and a lot of being miserable until it decides to let up.

In the meantime, I wish I had a barn door next to my bed to look at, like this one from House Tweaking. If you catch the corner of it, she also has an amazing scrap wood headboard.

Or this headboard by Sherry Hart...I'm In.Love.With.You.

Have a great Valentines Weekend with your loved ones! Oh, and in case you were wondering about how much snow we got here...Steamboat, which is not too far from here, just over the mountain, got 4 feet in 4 days and hit their 300" mark at the ski area already...and it's only February...oh my are we in for it this year!

Crib Bumper Tutorial

Remember when I mention about this fabric that I ordered?



It's the Chipper in Charcoal Slub from Premiere Prints. I decided to use it for one side of the crib bumper that I wanted to make for the arrival of baby #2, which we've found to be a boy this time!

While I do love blue, I'm just not into anything Pooh related, too modern or anything frilly for this little cowboy, so this is what I decided on. 

So, onto the Tutorial.

I know that some people may just say "geesh, why didn't you just buy one", but it was pretty inexpensive to do it myself and I am a pretty big DIYer, so I decided to tackle this. Blame it on the nesting or my overabundance of options, but this is now complete, so I can at least say I accomplished it...and before the baby is born no less! 

First I decided to use Teagan's old crib bumper as the cushion. It was practically brand new and I loved the dimensions and weight to it. This was so much easier than starting from scratch with batting and stuffing.

So with all 150 inches of it, IN ONE PIECE, I got to cutting. I laid it out on the floor over my fabric and cut around it as a template. Keep your fabric and your bumper double folded so that you have less length to cut/work with.

I did this with both fabrics, since I used a different pattern on each side. If your fabric is not long enough (mine wasn't) you'll need to peice together and cut accordingly. I decided to do this at the corners where the crib bends. This also depends on which way your pattern goes and take into account where the repeat is.

Now you'll need to make your ties. I decided to work in the blue here, so I made each tie. You could also use grosgrain ribbon or anything premade to be easier, but no, I chose the long route.

I cut my strips to be 3"x12.5" because I wanted larger, oversized ties. Once cut out, place right sides together and sew leaving one end open. You will need to turn them right side out and then fold under the unfinished end's corners and stitch shut. At the end, the iron is your friend. You'll then have 24 of these bad boys...





Now comes the fun part. Matching up where you need the ties to go and pinning it all together. I used the placement of where her ties already were as a template. Easy peasy? Not exactly. While placing the right sides of the fabric together, you'll need to pin the ties FACING IN so that when you turn the right sides out, the ties are on the right side. If you can't use an old bumper as a template, you can measure where you'd like them to go in your crib. I don't know why this part was so hard for me, just a lot of math and trying to think while you're timing when your 2 year old will be up from their nap and running around to ask "mommy, what you doin'? and I want to help!"  It should look something like this...





Once it's all placed together, stich it up, leaving one open end. Now comes the REALLY fun part. Stuffing all 150 inches into this beauty. After a few grunts, sweat a few times of questioning your sanity on why you did this again, you'll have a perfectly sized bumper slipped over another. Then fold under the open end and stich closed.

So after 5.5 hours later, your hard work paid off and you now have exactly what you want!

I am loving the mix of the charcoal greys (there not black if your monitor is showing that) mixed with the light blue. So mixed with the grey walls, some more fabrics that will be used and some antique finds, I'm getting excited to complete this room.

The final pics are coming soon...when I can get a good day of light in the room since we've gotten almost 2 feet of snow in 2 days...and it's still coming...I may have to wait just a few...

Oh...and she did wake up from her nap finally to help! ;)

Thanks for the Mention

Today over at Room Remix, our Kitchen Remodel is being mentioned as some favs from their paint link up party. Stop over and check out the post, there are some great projects in the mix and the blog is a great read!

If you missed the Kitchen Remodel, you can see it here.

Have a great weekend...and stay WARM!

Too Cold For Words

Sorry I have been a bit absent from the blog lately, but besides having a ton of dr.'s appointments for this pregnancy, we woke up this morning to -33 below. Yes, you heard that right. It ranged in our county at 9 am this morning from -29 to -49 in some places. Oh the joys of living in the mountains! It took us 2 hours to get my car to start, just so I could head off to work.

So with that, I wish you a blessed and WARM day, hopefully full of soup and hot chocolate!



Image via Photobucket

New Camera Play

I was so excited to get a new Canon Rebel XSI around the holidays! The point and shoot FUGI I had just didn't really do justice to any photos, no matter what settings it was set to. I've always had a *secret crush* on beautiful photography, so this was an easy outlet to let me start to play. It has really taken me some time to learn how to use some of the lenses and I'm still trying to figure out my shutter speeds and such. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips!

So today we went out and took some photos, playing around with it a bit...not using Photoshop or anything yet to add effects, just raw...

If you look at the elk on the left...he's shedding his right antler...