Guess what we started.....

I'll give you a clue...



Full update and details to come...

Make Your Own Art

Here's where I reveal the art I made for Zoe's room.

I couldn't find one last print for the space above her bed. No more owl prints or other cute things to be had at Home Goods. I thought about doing some unpaintings (fabric stretched over canvas) but couldn't find the right fabrics. So I just bought some canvases at Michael's and went to town.

I bought three 16x20 canvases. First I painted them solid colors-2 pink and one purple:



Then I used a Martha Stewart stencil I found, also at Michael's:



What, you say? You think I should do something about the hair on my arms? Just kidding, that's the other half who lent me his thumbs for the final canvas. When all was said and done, they looked like this in my kitchen:



And this is what they look like in Zoe's room...



That's along with the last owl print I found at Home Goods. I may have stalked the woman who had the other one in the set for a little while in Home Goods to make sure she didn't decide against it. But then I chortled to myself that I actually got the cuter one and let her have the ugly one.



And that's me, crafty lady, signing off.

Runner, Runner on the Stair.

If I told you that we were getting a runner on our stairs for our 11 year old Golden Retriever, would you think I was crazy? You would. Well, it's a good thing that's not the case...

We decided to get a runner for our stairs for several reasons. First of all (and these are in no particular order), the staircase just seems kind of cold and uninviting. So in my efforts to warm it up and make it more homey, I thought a runner would add a little color and texture. Secondly, the idea of kids running up and down hard wood stairs makes me nervous-especially with socks on. Thirdly, with the dark stain, I'll do anything to protect the wood..even if it means covering it. Lastly, there's the issue of the elderly Golden Retriever.

I knew I didn't want some run of the mill boring colored carpet, so I set out to the carpet store with the idea of stripes in mind. Well, not so much to pick from. If I wanted a neutral khaki carpet, I would have been in luck. I also didn't want to break the bank on this idea, so I wasn't going to be going to the Design Center or going crazy with some custom carpet. I did manage to find something at our flooring place--it was the same place that the builder used for the carpet in our basement, so I knew the vendors and installers would do a quality job.

I came home with three boards of carpet to consider. The other half and I looked at them long and hard and changed our minds several times. Then we had several people come the next day to take a look at the choices. Among the friends, the pick was unanimous. Since we were already leaning in that direction, we went with it. Here is a pic of the samples..do you think you know which it is?? The answer, and the installation revealed, later this week!

The one where I like the rug...

When we were picking paint colors for this house, I knew one room would be pink. But I didn't want TWO of them. So I decided that for Zoe I would do purple. I was a little worried about the shade, but then I tried to pick a color that was more in the blue family-sort of like a hydrangea. I lucked out and picked a great color.



Of course, you can't really tell in that picture because of the light--but i swear it's pretty.

Then I saw this picture and really loved the coloring of the room-and the walls we have are almost the exact same color...

So I set about to give our room a similar feel. Problem: a lack of designer budget or patience. So I had to give. But with a lot of help from Home Goods and Pottery Barn Kids, this is where we ended up:



The lamp was an awesome find from Home Goods-I think I found it the weekend we moved into the house. Owl Prints? Home Goods, about a month ago. The chest of drawers is from Land of Nod--about 5 years old from Maya's original nursery. See that picture of the Golden Retriever? Peter painted that before Maya was born..cute, no?



Had to have the same Pottery Barn Kids chandelier that Maya has..it's so adorable and I feel like it makes the room. The curtains, on the other hand, were a disappointment. Kind of like the rug in Maya's room-but they came from a place of necessity. If you have encountered a child who wakes up at the first crack of light in the morning, you know what I am talking about. Get me those black out shades ASAP in whatever you have in stock!

The rug is from Pottery Barn kids and we bought it when we bought the big girl bed..about 2 months ago. This time, the child has less influence and Mommy got to choose. So. Much. Better!!





Found that cute picture at...yes, you guessed it..Home Goods. The chair was the original chair from Maya's nursery. On my list of things to do is to get a new slipcover for it..but given all the things we have to purchase for the house, it's really low on the totem pole. Or I might just sell the chair and get a new, less expensive one in a color I like.

Wait, you want to see the bed? But then that would spoil the piece of DIY art that I made that I am saving for another post! So stay tuned ;)