More Surprising Fashion Finds

so first lands end (canvas) and now ll bean? actually the ll bean signature line. i got their catalog in the mail and even though i can't wear any of it right now, i decided to torture myself anyway :) and whadaya know? a killer shirt and pair of boots!

close up, wool and suede:

the stuff is kinda pricey though no?

Etsy Love: ML Paper Creations

next up in the etsy/nursery category is ml paper creations from oh canada! everything is cute in this shop, you kind of want to buy it all. but i chose this:

since it was pre-framed and coming from canada, the shipping was a bit more than other etsy items but the cuteness justified it! :) plus meaghan, the shop owner, was about the nicest person ever and followed up with me to make sure i got it and loved it (yes and yes!). have a great weekend!

Table Skirt

way back when i did a post on table skirts and mentioned how i had a good opportunity to replace a boring white one in our bedroom with something fun. well the time has finally come!

this is an annie selke fabric that i found at a discount fabric store (zimmans - see here) for about $15 a yard. they made it and shipped it to me in all of three weeks! definitely makes a statement in the room and goes well with our ikat wing chair. easy way to add some color - try it or send me pics if you already have!

Bed Rest.

actually that title is a double meaning :) i was put on bed rest this past friday and am struggling to be good and follow what the drs tell me! guess this is not unheard of with twins. i'm still working though - from home - so i'm not sure if this is going to help or hurt my blogging!

anyway, this weekend i got one of those bed bath and beyond mini ad things where they send you $5 off (like every week). a picture in there reminded me of one of the best deals around. if you, or really anyone you know, are looking to spruce up your bedding - either in your own room or a guest room - then look no further than this:

barbara barry poetical

(although i'm not a huge fan of the blue-ish scallop quilt thing) this has always been one of my favorite fabrics and now bb&b is tempting me with it in duvet form! so not gonna happen with all of my other happenings around here but someone please tell me they are going to buy it! and then send pics!

Etsy Love: Sugar Fresh

i'm loving this alphabet art by sugar fresh! the seller has prints in lots of cute colors:

or you can create your own custom print by picking the colors yourself. here's my customized version:

a free proof is included with the custom prints so you can see it before you get it and make changes if you want!

Nursery Palette

before i get into today's post, i wanted to mention that the expedit bookcase from this post comes in lots of different sizes and finishes. should have said that before! ok...

i have thought a lot about the color palette for the nursery. there are so many directions to go in - it's a little overwhelming. when i first began designing the nursery, we didn't know the genders of the twins. so the idea was to go gender-neutral. we have since found out the sexes but that's for a later post!

my normal inclination would be to go with color, lots of it, and some graphic elements. but my gut (ha) keeps telling me calming, neutral tones so i'm sticking to that feeling. and what's emerged is aqua and camel (i am calling it camel b/c i refuse to admit to tan or beige!).

another goal was not to have a theme or have anything that looked too baby-ish. for me, baby stuff will come in the form of accessories. the things that are the big investment pieces, i want to be able to use again. i'll break down the specifics in future posts :)

Out With The Old...

...and in the with new. and by old i mean our 29 year old carpeting :) i think it was time. in preparation for the babies, we replaced our old, gross, olive carpeting with nice new stuff. really, babies or not, this needed to happen. carpeting isn't exactly an exciting topic but just for kicks, i'll do this in befores and afters.

boo to my photography skills, the stairs look so much better in person. seeing these pictures makes me realize there is a real opportunity for a gallery wall here. anyone who has a 2 story staircase and suggestions?

artwork needed badly on these walls. but at least no more vacuum marks!

amazing how lighter carpeting opens up the whole space, which is hard to do with all of these sloped and angled walls.

the little chair actually looks nice now!

close up:

similar to paint, it's incredible to me how much carpet color can change the look of a room. this is neutral but not boring and provides a good backdrop to do just about anything on the walls or for fabrics. any exciting carpet projects in your life? ;)

Nursery Storage

there is one open, full height wall in the nursery - the other walls either have dormers or windows - making it the perfect spot for a big storage unit. there are lots of baby changing "station" options out there but i want something that is able to grow with the babies and not look kiddie. so my inspiration came from this photo:

via style at home

then i saw it in an office:

via decorpad

also saw it in a nursery:

via here

i love the open back so you can see the wall color behind. and as you probably already know, this is the ikea expedit bookcase.

i also like it because it doesn't cost a fortune. west elm has one for nearly 5x the price! and as ikea points out, this thing is finished on all sides so it could be used in multiple places. definitely could go in a family or living room. does anyone have this in their pad? any thoughts?

Etsy Love: Anna Malie

guess i have a thing for elephants at the moment. but when i saw this little print from anna malie, it had to find its way into the nursery. it came unframed so i bought a little 8x10 to stick it in.

simple and cute :) have a great weekend! i'm ready for some crisp fall air!

Here's What We're Working With...

in the interest of keeping it real and also having good befores and afters :), i thought i'd share what "the room", aka the nursery, currently looks like. we are very fortunate to have a large room next to our bedroom. it measures 21 1/2 feet by 15 feet and will fit everything we need for the twins!

standing just inside the door:

from the left end of the room looking across to the right end:

from the right end looking to the left end:

the doorway just in sight:

lots to do :)

I Spy

suzanne kasler for ballard antlers! i've expressed my fondness for them before but doesn't this whole room just make you happy?

via kelly green

i love the quadrille fabric on the chairs mixed with the pink bench fabric, the tulip table, and the collage of frames and artwork on the wall. so many ideas in this one little picture!

Etsy Love: Peppermint Bee

i've let myself purchase a couple of things for the babies' room so i'm starting a new mini-series devoted to things i've found on etsy for the nursery or related to the babies. finding all of this stuff has been hard work actually and many hours of browsing. it is amazing how many shops and items there are if you type in "nursery art" or "painted knobs" in the search box so you really have to sift through to find the good stuff! but i have to admit, i love the hunt even if it is a total time suck.

so for my first etsy find, we have the peppermint bee! and here's what i found:

isn't he cute?! stitched onto a piece of linen and made out of amy butler fabrics. this seller was also so nice and included a hand written thank you card in the package. i would buy from her again in a second. so go check out the shop!

any good etsy items that you've found recently?

Goodbye To A Genius

i'm not sure why but i am so saddened by the passing of steve jobs. his passion, drive, and innovations were remarkable - the stuff history books are made of. i own a mac book, two ipods, and an iphone and they are all critical pieces of my daily life. even though i fought my husband on the idea of getting an apple computer, switching from a pc three years ago, i so glad made the move. and i'll never go back!

so thank you mr. jobs. i hope apple will be able to thrive without you and be the same cutting-edge and inspiring company they were under the leadership of their great founder.

image via here

A Little Paint...

...goes a long way! my house has the worst staircases maybe ever. the bannisters and railings look like something you'd see in a dorm. totally 80s and in terrible taste. it would take a lot to redo them i think so for now we're living with them.

(original listing photo)

do your eyes hurt? can't say i don't share the good, the bad, and the ugly! the carpeting is about the same vintage as the stairs and we're getting around to replacing that now! so in between the old stuff being ripped up and the new carpet going down, i thought i would try to make the stairs look a little better.

(before)

it's amazing to me how a little white paint makes it look so much better. a runner will be going back down but i think this paint job will make a big difference.

do you have nasty stairs? how are you making them less of an eye sore?

Driftwood

i love the natural, rugged, and imperfect look of driftwood.

like this mirror from ballard:

and this star from pb teen (i know, again with the teeny bopper crap, but it's kinda cute):

we were in the market for a piece of furniture for our kitchen that would give us some much needed storage. we have these two columns that separate the kitchen from the family room. if we had oodles of money, i would have opted for kitchen cabinetry with a nice cherry top that would have surrounded and incorporated the columns for a totally custom, built-in look. this was not in the cards. instead i recently found a sideboard made out of reclaimed wood and made to look like driftwood.

close up detail:

hardware:

i am totally enamored with how this has instantly given the kitchen more character, and in a good way. i envision more lanterns of varying heights on top. to me this is the law of (opposites) attraction. a tailored sectional, crisp white trim, and rustic, natural wood. so when in doubt, go opposite!

p.s. boston-area peeps - this can be found at boston interiors!