kitchen nook

My trusty assistant, Hazel, and I were over at Aunt Sarah & Uncle Greg's house yesterday, and we started chatting about their kitchen. They recently repainted their kitchen cabinets, updated the hardware, and added a great buffet that they painted a fun, bright color. I'm pushing them to add a small table and two chairs in there as well. I think it would create such a warm & welcoming breakfast area!

Bryn recently posted about these rattan beauties, on *major* sale at World Market...



I think the pair would look incredible with Ikea's knock-off of the Saarinen dining table...



I love the pairing of the modern table with more traditional chairs... Not to mention that this combo would give you a very high-end look on the cheap!







P.S. - I'm hoping to be back around these parts a little more often now! I received the sweetest email from a new reader, and it was just the encouragement I needed! Thank you for sticking around, friends!

baby girl nursery inspiration

My streak continues! This past weekend we headed to our friends' baby gender reveal party... And, once again, my guess was wrong... They will be welcoming a baby girl in July! I'm absolutely thrilled for them, and can't wait to add another little girl to our growing play group.

I actually pulled together these baby girl nursery ideas last week, but the days got away from me and I never posted it. So as part two of baby boy nursery inspiration, I'm back with two nursery ideas for baby girl W.

There are just so many options for little girls, and I was torn between this gray, lavender & white room with pops of coral pink:

1. White curtain panels with coral pink pom pom trim

2. Owl baby mobile for over the crib

3. Babyletto Mercer crib

4. Set of alphabet & number prints (with adorable owls for O's!)

5. Lilac & coral pink ikat fabric for crib skirt

6. Owl lamp

7. Stamped Scallop rug in gray

8. White & gold dipped leg side table or dresser

{DIY project inspiration here}

Background: Benjamin Moore misty lilac paint for walls

 

And this fun, bright pink & orange room with tons of DIY project ideas:

 

 

 1. White floating shelves
{DIY project inspiration here}

2. Pink ombre felt-wrapped letters for over the dresser

{DIY project inspiration here}

3. Jenny Lind crib

4. Pink & orange ikat fabric for crib skirt & roman shade

{even more budget-friendly chevron print here}

5. Off-white rocker/ glider, found on Craigslist

6. Pink chevron rug

{DIY project inspiration here & here}

7. Orange monogram throw pillow

{DIY monogram inspiration here}

8. Orange lamp

Background: Benjamin Moore Love & Happiness paint (in stripes) for walls

 

Which one gets your vote?

found friday: target x benches

Whoops! So there goes my attempt to create a scheduled blog feature... 'Found Friday' bumped to Saturday on my second one.

But this does work to your advantage. My original post was going to include these awesome coral x benches, with swoon-worthy contrasting white piping...

I could hardly believe my eyes when I came across these fully upholstered benches at my local Target! I've seen a lot of great DIY projects for inexpensive x benches from Target or Sears, but all have wooden legs.

I love, love, love that these are closer to my favorite budget-busting Ballard Design beauties. Although, admittedly, with the lower price tag comes a less sturdy feel. I still think these would look great at the foot of a bed or under a console table... especially for only $70 a piece!

End of post... Until my sister and I came across a major sale at one of my favorite local stores, Post & Gray. Custom upholstered ottomans on Century furniture frames, marked over 50% off! The vendor was cleaning out her warehouse and had tons of different patterns, styles and sizes on sale.

These were such a bargain at $50 each (cheaper than even my good ol' Target finds!) My sister is slowly redecorating her living room, and these add such a fun pattern! I'm now regretting that I didn't pick up a pair myself. If you're local, be sure to check out the sale (it ends this week!)

there was one in the bed...

Rewind to four years ago... when I tossed my husband's king size bed from his bachelor pad days to the curb. And while I still stand by my reasoning (the bed was HUGE for the room), I'm starting to reconsider.

Fast forward to today... Perhaps it's my punishment for walking around these past six months bragging about how well Miss Hazel sleeps... But our sweet little thing is going on 3 weeks of up-and-down evenings. She does, however, sleep like a rock if she's snuggled up in our bed. Which, of course, leaves one of us out on the couch.

So are these sleep-deprived parents now googling sleep training? Nope. A bigger bed? Bingo. {Feel free to subtract points for bad parenting now...}

I'm thinking a patterned upholstered headboard, a la West Elm...

{via}

But, of course, DIYed with a budget-friendly fabric from Premier Prints...

{via}

{via}

Although I must admit that a large part of me still wants to find this gorgeous ikat fabric from Mary Jo's... A year and a half later!

What do you think... When does function trump aesthetics? When does a bed become too large for a room? A post on searching for the world's smallest nightstands may be coming up soon, friends! 

baby boy nursery inspiration

Dear friends of ours are expecting their first baby in July.  They find out this weekend whether their baby W will be a he or a she!  In the meantime, I couldn't resist pulling together a few nursery inspiration boards.

I have a feeling that they'll be welcoming a little bambino, so I'm starting off with a baby boy nursery board.  (Although in full disclosure, I've been wrong on my baby gender guesses about 90% of the time, including my own!)

Outside of the crib & rug, this entire board is thrifted or DIY... Proof that a chic nursery doesn't have to break the budget!

Here is baby boy W's vintage car inspired nursery...

1. Set of framed vintage car prints for over the crib

{found on Etsy for $75, but I scored a set of 6 prints without frames at a yard sale for $0.50!}

2. Baby Mod ParkLane crib

3. Navy buffalo check fabric for crib skirt & roman shade

{DIY projects from here & here} 

4. Peg board for over dresser to hold diapers, spraypainted a fun color

5. Area rug, found at Home Goods

6. Vintage car club throw pillow 

7. Benjamin Moore Sea Salt CSP-95 for the wall color

 8. Leather rocker/ glider, found on Craigslist



our weekend {in pictures}

Happy Monday, folks!  We had a relaxing weekend... and as a bonus, it was extra long due to an ice storm that had Hazel's daycare and Jeff's office closing early on Friday.  And for that I say, keep the ice & snow coming!

We bundled up in some warm new clothes, thanks to Yiayia...

 



Took a few naps...

Watched an unfortunate (for UNC fans, at least) basketball game with aunt Sarah & uncle Greg...

And started celebrating the Carnival season!  Mardi Gras is two weeks away... which obviously calls for muffalettas, homemade jambalaya & Hazel cuteness.  In case you were wondering, we did find her in a kingcake...

 

 

 



And we may have squeezed in some shopping too... But Hazel promised to keep that part quiet!

 

found fridays: west elm baskets

I'd love to start a new feature... Found Fridays... to share thrift finds, deals, or other fun budget-friendly ideas.

Up first?  Some look-alike West Elm storage baskets, found at possibly the most random spot: my local grocery store.

 

 

{West Elm on left / Harris Teeter on right}

 

For $19.99 for a large basket, the price is perfect for Jenny's DIY ombre paint project.  She used the West Elm basket, but for less than half the price, I think these would make a great substitute.

{via}

I may just have to head back to the grocery to pick up one... or two!