Thank You Bonnie!

So many wonderful family members and friends have given Ryan and me such generous gifts for the baby. I have begun to write my thank you's--but of course I feel so far behind! But Ryan and I are so grateful and feel so thankful to have such loving people in our lives--thank you to everyone!

I wanted to give a special thank you to my cousin Bonnie. Not only did she buy and restore an old toy chest...but she went out and bought my nursery paint colors (Benjamin Moore Bold Blue and Benjamin Moore Decorator's White) and painted the exact same stripes on the toy chest.

It is the most beautiful piece of furniture I've ever seen...and the thoughtfulness is overwhelming!

Check out the gorgeous pics below...

And inside the toy chest were two gorgeous orange blankets--one she handmade! I can't wait to put all of the baby's toys in here and snuggle with him and these blankets!

Bonnie--I will treasure this gift forever. Thank you so much!

Love you!

Spring Home in Madrid? Yes please!

After a weekend of beautiful days and even great weather ahead...

I am totally in love with Isabel Lopez-Quesada's elegant Madrid villa featured in Architectural Digest.

I am obsessed with the mixture of antique and modern furniture, white walls...and bold pops of color.

This home just screams fresh Spring to me!!!

Container Store Score for Closet Organization

Are you trying to organize your closet? After searching at Target & Bed Bath & Beyond for some great pieces to organize my baby closet--I went to the Container Store and found a great, super cheap solution.

These open crates are stackable so you can make them as tall or wide as you want, are only $9 per crate, and because they are open you can access whatever is inside super easy without worrying about cheap drawers.

I also found this great blue hanging device. I had previously bought a white version from Target but the dividers were way too flimsy. This is actually really sturdy and can hold much more weight.

The cute little striped box is a drawer divider which will eventually go in my dresser. One section will be for socks, the other section for hats.

As you can see I have a ton of storage space now! I'm thinking I'll put diapers and extra towels in the blue hanging drawers, and then maybe buy two boxes that will slide into the blue piece where I can store all of the baby shoes and baby toiletries. I love when little things, that can get easily lost, all have a place to call home.

And I still have my dresser to fill up :)!

My Nursery Reveal

I think this will be my last "official" post about my nursery! I still have frames that need to be added to the shelf and my ceiling pendant hung, but overall it's finished and I'm in love!

Here are some of the "reveal" photos...can you spot my inspiration board above the bookcase? My class project really has come to life!

Most of the pieces are from PB Kids and Potterybarn. The pillow on the chair is from Marshalls but is the fabric I sourced from Calico Corners. The little stool is from Target, but is temporary as this will be replaced by the changing table/dresser.

The rhino book ends are from Urban Outfitters. The monogrammed piggy bank is from Nordstrom. Orange Chevron rug is from Urban Outfitters.

This weekend I washed all of his 0-3 month clothes and hung them back in his closet. His 3+ clothes are separated out into sized boxes and stored in the attic for now. I'm thinking of doing some sort of closet organization to take advantage of all of the space below the hanging clothes. Plus we'll need some additional storage for diapers, blankets, towels, etc. So I'll be posting any great finds later...

Do you remember this space before? Here's what it looked like when we moved in...

Here's the same room set up as my office...

And here's the same room set up as the baby nursery!

Now we just need to wait patiently for the bambino...

It's been way too long...

Ahhhh I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted! This is the longest I've ever gone and I have missed it! Plus I got a stern warning from my Aunt that I need to start posting again...and I can't disappoint her :) So I promise to get back in the saddle again this week.

Things have been crazy to say the least in the Heather / Ryan household these past few weeks. Ryan has been in Las Vegas a total of 3 separate times + Arkansas in the last 30 days. We've had two wonderful baby showers, plus family and friends in town, a crazy work schedule...oh and did I mention I only have 5 weeks left before the baby arrives!! Ahhhh!

Good news! The nursery is finally done--well almost. Is anything ever really done? We still have to hang the light fixture but to be honest I just don't know how this will happen. This super cheap and super awesome brass light fixture from Urban Outfitters has stumped all of the handy men in my life...my contractor, my father, and my brother-in-law! (No I didn't forget to add my husband's name to this list :)

We also had a small snafu with our dresser. The snafu being my eyes were bigger than my room and my dresser is too large. So we had to order a more narrow dresser--so we are hoping this arrives in time for the bambino! But everything else looks amazing! Curtains-up. Bookcase-stocked. Closet-full of washed super cute clothes hanging on the tinniest hangers ever! I'll post complete pics this week!

In the meantime, I have three more home projects I would love to do--maybe after the baby is born--because I will have so much time right? :)

#1 is painting the guest room. This is the last room in our house that hasn't been painted and is still in that awful builder's beige color they dipped our house in before selling.

#2 is painting my office downstairs. I'm still thinking green?

#3 is updating my foyer. Now that I'm totally obsessed with board and batten (from the nursery) I'm thinking this would look perfect on my awkward wall next to my front door. Sorry for no pics. But basically my front door opens up into my living room and we have this weird long wall where we can't put any pics behind the door so it always looks lopsided to me.

But then I came across these awesome (and similar) foyer solutions--and I think this would look perfect!

Also check out this amazing redesign I found on Young House Love via Jenna Sue Design.

Loving my Rhinoceros bookends!

Happy Friday! I plan to take a breather and relax this weekend. How about you?

In the meantime, I thought I'd post the cutest thing I found for the nursery so far...

Rhinoceros bookends from Urban Outfitters.

Nursery Progress - 5

Well...the nursery painting is DONE! We literally painted for two days straight...and I outlasted all non-pregger volunteers :) Ryan says I have more energy now than before I was pregnant!

The stripes were much harder than we had anticipated--but after many touch-ups and touch-ups to the touch-ups they are perfect! A huge thank you to my mom, Ryan, my sister, and her boyfriend who helped make this possible and didn't judge me as I obsessed over every square inch with a fine toothed comb!

Every person I love has helped in some way with this nursery--and it really does make it that much more special.

We still have much to do--the curtain rod just shipped to me so I have to hang the curtains, the brass chandelier, the gold frames...and of course bring in the dresser and glider...but we are getting so close!!!

For the colors I used Benjamin Moore's Bold Blue & Decorator's White--both mixed in Valspar's Zero-VOC Certified "asthma & allergy friendly"™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Love this paint! Benefits include:

• Certified "asthma & allergy friendly"™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Dries to an antimicrobial finish
• Provides a mold and mildew resistant finish
• Uncompromising quality
• No lingering odor
• Zero VOC

What a beautifully styled closet!

As Ryan and I try to purge some of our clothes to get closet space ready for the baby, I can not help but dream of a walk-in closet one day. We live in a 50's rambler that I adore, but let me let you in on a little secret...back in the 50's I think people wore a total of 5 outfits--seriously that is all that will fit in each of our closets. I can't believe how small they were built!

And while this closet is totally impractical because if I had a walk-in I would custom build shelves to make every nook and cranny usable, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautifully styled photograph in a Potterybarn catalog!

Seriously, I would love to replicate this look somehow...maybe in my upstairs guestroom? It's already beige...

The collection is called Blacksmith...and I do love the contrast between the wrought iron, distressed wood, and then the beautiful white ottoman and chandelier. Love love love!

Perfect little jewelry tree for guests

 

I might need to get one of these Blacksmith Wall-Mount Bars with Hooks. This would even be cute to hang photos or frames from!

Nursery Progress - 4

Yeah the molding is done!!! My contractor did an amazing job--it is exactly what I had envisioned. Seriously if anyone is in the MD/DC/VA area and is looking for a great contractor--email me. He is my "Angel" :)

Tonight, I need to start sanding the wood. And then repainting white (in hindsight we should have probably waited to paint white :) and then this weekend...the stripes go in!

I propped a photo on the shelf to give you an idea of what I plan to do. It will be so nice to lean pictures all around the room so I don't have to worry about hanging photos and I can rearrange easily.

I have also found the perfect brass/gold curtain rod that I'll install this weekend, with the curtains further apart this time. And I bought these beautiful gold frames from Potterybarn which I think I'll wait to add black/white photos of the baby.

9 more weeks to go!

Nursery Progress - 3

Okay I know I promised some amazing photos...but due to Friday's inclement weather my contractor couldn't install the molding until today. But he's upstairs as we speak making the nursery look AMAZING! Pictures to follow this week.

But my in-laws did come over and help us set up the crib and bookcase. Every time I walk past the room I peek inside to make sure the crib is still there. It feels very "real" with the crib set up!! I love how the black-out curtains look with the rug! I can't wait for stripes on the walls, some frames set up on the shelf molding...and of course in 9 weeks THE BABY!

My New Office...In Progress

Happy Thursday everyone!

I'm so excited the molding in the nursery gets installed tomorrow. We are also going to be putting together the crib and bookcase--so look for big photos on Monday!

In the meantime, last weekend I tried to hack my new office together as best as possible. It's definitely looking better...

I'm loving this Moroccan Trellis Navy Blue Rug I purchased for a steal off of RugsUSA during CyberMonday! It really warms up the whole place. All of the throw pillows and yellow tray are temporary until I buy find some great green pieces.

I think this is the wall I will end up painting green--just to make my desk standout more!

My Ikea bookcase is holding up nicely, although it looks a little rough up close. Now I just need a ton of great finds to fill the bookcase. Thrift stores here I come!

I splurged on a white metalasse duvet and shams from Potterybarn. They are so pretty up close and will really go with whatever colors I pick in the future.

This Ralph Lauren Estate wool blanket was an absolute steal--I found it on clearance for $30 at Marshalls. Amazing! I'm not sure it will stay in my office, but it will definitely find a home.

Especially since I just snagged this great "Bean Sprout" favorite throw from West Elm.

Now I'm thinking I need a trip to The Container Store to score some of these great organizing pieces:

How great is this wall color!! Too bright??