HOME TOUR: GUEST ROOM

I just loved our guest room.  Yes, past tense.  It has been dismantled to make room for baby.  But I didn't want to miss out on saving some pictures of it.  While it was far from perfect and not ever quite finished (is a room ever finished?), I loved that it was a cozy spot and most of all, I loved that we welcomed so many friends and family to stay there.  Without further ado:

The double windows in this room look out over our wisteria-covered pergola.  The view out the window in the spring and summer is just a sea of green!  The bed is a hand-me-down from my generous in-laws.  I absolutely love it.  It is substantial wrought metal and distressed so beautifully in bronze and copper tones.  I'm hoping I have a guest room again soon to use it in!  The night tables were my husband's during his bachelor days.

 

The carved armoire was a lucky find at Lakewood Antique Market (remember when!) on a fun date with my future husband :).  It'll move to LittleBit's big girl room.  The chairs are from Ballard Designs and the egg and nest prints were purchased at Scott Antique Market with off the shelf frames and custom mats (a favorite trick). 

 

 

The bedding is from Pottery Barn and includes the Grand Embroidered Duvet and Standard Shams, the Matine Toile Quilt and Euro Shams and two blue velvet standard shams that were in my condo bedroom ages ago.  I think from Linens N Things?  The sheets are the Pottery Barn Pearl Embroidered collection.

The curtains were moved from my condo bedroom and are a blackout-lined slate gray silk.  The curtain rods are Umbra, from Target, with rings from Restoration Hardware.

The bathroom is painted in Sherwin Williams Relaxed Khaki.  The same collection of egg and nest prints from Scotts hang there.  Soap dispenser from good old Target.  The bath mat was a HomeGoods score.  And the shower curtain is panels that I found on markdown at Cost Plus World Market.  Hand towels are antique monogrammed linens.  

 And here is the room today, getting ready for baby. 

You can see a sneak peak of the SW Angora paint by the newly painted BM Ashley Gray door and the big white square might be the best home improvement yet - new sheetrock over the old non-working intercom panel.  Those things were terrible looking.  One day I'll get the nerve to post a pic of the main controls in the kitchen.  And our house just isn't that big!  Who needs an intercom??

I think this will make a cozy spot for our tiniest princess.  Although I'll miss welcoming guests into our home, I'm excited about seeing our family grow!

SHOPPING LIST: BABY BRADY

We made a deliberate effort to limit the number of "baby" things we brought into our house for LittleBit.  However, babies seem to come with a mountain of gear nonetheless.  We've been thrilled with our well-researched purchases.  We are lucky that Baby Brady on the way will be born in the same season and LittleBit has outgrown most of her baby things, so nearly everything will be reused.  My shopping list this time around is just as simple, but shorter and sweeter.  Her Daddy is glad!  Here's what I'm thinking:

GETTING AROUND

Ergo Baby Carrier - we didn't get a carrier for LittleBit and didn't ever miss it.  I've heard rave reviews for the Ergo, so I think that's where we're headed.  I have a never-used MobyWrap that was gifted to LittleBit and I and this time around, we are determined to work the wrap!

Bugaboo Wheeled Board - LittleBit doesn't like to be in the Bugaboo one bit.  It usually means we're headed to the mall and she's not a fan of being locked down during the shopping trip.  I don't blame her!  I think it'll be a few months before I venture out with the two princesses together and by then, I think LittleBit will be thrilled with this and better able to understand that she has to hold on!  We'll see how that goes...

Bob Duallie - if I'm going to do any sort of walking or running, I think I need one of these.  Lord help me.  I have no idea where we will put it.  I guess it will be sitting in the garage with the rest of the strollers.

Prince Lionheart Seat Saver - not sure my leather seats will ever be the same, but it looks like we'll need another one of these.

 
AROUND THE HOUSE

Sleep Sheep - I think I'll invest in another Sleep Sheep.  LittleBit loves hers and I imagine she'll continue to use it for the near future.  

High Chair - We used a beautiful vintage wooden one for LittleBit that was generously lent to us by her Aunt and Uncle.  After an unfortunate accident with the heavy wooden tray and my previously lovely toe, we returned that and we're thinking of this one for when Baby gets a little bigger.

Diapers - Loyal to the Pampers Sensitive diapers.  Will obviously need a ton of these. 

Monitor - our Motorola has died a most annoying death and we weren't too pumped about investing another couple hundred dollars in any of the monitors on the market.  We ordered a DropCam and love it so far.  We will be ordering another for Baby. 

Car Seat Toy - just saw this and thought it was precious.  We've loved all our Haba toys.  Would love to have one!

Snuggly Outfits - I've discovered the hard way that spit up stains never die.  Twice now, I've stain treated dozens of baby outfits and put them away clean and twice now I've pulled them out of storage to find that the stains have resurfaced.  Baby will need some fresh new gowns and sleep and plays.  After that, she'll have a more than sufficient wardrobe of hand-me-downs, thanks to Grandma and Gigi. 

That should do it.  We're more than halfway there now.  Can't wait to see what she looks like!

BIG GIRL ROOM

LittleBit has a lot of growing up to do in the near-term horizon.  She is more than ready, I think.  Mommy is the hold up.  I completely admit that I'm clinging to her babyhood.  She is a wonderful baby and has been from the start.  Most importantly, she's MY baby.  I fully embrace the fact that this is a limited-time engagement and that my babies will be grown in the blink of an eye.  I want them each to be fully immersed in each phase of their life.  I was most guilty of "being too big for my britches" as Mama would say.  I was always striving to be a little more grown up.  Well, here we are...all growed up.  And loving the sight and sound of her little paci...her sweet eyelashes laying on her cheek...how she looks running around in her little diapers...laying her down in her baby crib to sleep.  Anyway, as everyone is keen to remind me - I will have another baby to cherish in just a few short months.  And there's no stopping the growing.  I tried to make a deal with LittleBit to just be my baby forever, but she is re-trading the terms.  So, following her lead, the next couple months will include paci abandonment, a crib-to-bed transition and likely potty training.  Heaven help me.

First up, and easiest to stomach, is the big girl bed.  Here are the plans:

PAINT
Walls are SW Possibly Pink.  Love it.  If I were doing it again, I think I'd test at 50% and 75%.  Trim will be Benjamin Moore White Dove.  Doors will be Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray.  Debating on whether to paint below the chair rail in Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter or to leave it white.

FURNITURE
Planning to use my childhood bed (which was also my mothers and my grandmothers).  It is a very simple white-painted child bed.  I am planning to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Coco.

Moving my antique carved, distressed armoire into the room.  We'll finish the trunk that my darling husband built to use as a night table, space permitting, and perhaps paint another old spare night table with the Coco paint.  Eventually, I'd like to move our Ikea mirror up there as a floor mirror.

BEDDING

Hopefully no bedskirt.  We'll see how it looks.  Pottery Barn Pearl Embroidered Sheet Set, Sandalwood (no longer available).

Pottery Barn Grand Embroidered Duvet Cover and Standard Shams in Espresso.  

I have some old standard shams in a blue-gray velvet that might look nice.  And the piece de resistance, a pair of throw pillows in this beautiful fabric.

 Finally, this precious Taylor Linens pillow that was a gift from Grandma.

ACCESSORIES
Lamps - reusing an old pair of  scrolled lamps that are currently in the guest room.  Need new ivory shades.

Artwork - will reuse LittleBit's alphabet prints from Etsy (digital files arranged and edited by ME), likely on either side of her bed, above the night tables

Canopy - considering sewing a canopy for above/behind the bed using the same fabric as the throw pillows along with a solid colored lining.

Curtains - either using the blue silk, or sewing some linen panels.  Leaning toward the linen panels now.

Going to build a play tent for LittleBit.  Plans look like a teepee, with lots of girly upgrades.

BATHROOM
Is painted Sherwin Williams Possibly Pink.  Now that I'm leaning toward the linen curtains, I'm undecided on a shower curtain.  Was going to move the blue gray from the guest room, but we will just see how that looks.  Definitely sewing a relaxed roman shade from the same fabric above for the window.  Thinking of painting the vanity Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray.

Need new bathroom art to go with the new color scheme.  Just like for Baby's bathroom, I'm loving the Restoration Hardware Baby & Child Hand Folded Vintage Map.  We shall see if this is DIY possible.  Would love to have one for each of them!

The vanity knobs are from Anthropologie (no longer available).

Her vanity set is from Target - the Threshold Oil Can set in Pink.

Her towels are Hotel Collection in white with a pink monogram.

This weekend we managed to get started on the nursery.  Moved the bed out and prepped for painting.  My sweet husband is patching sheetrock over three of our lovely vintage intercoms.  Can't tell you how glad I am to see those things go! He finished painting one (of four) doors in the nursery Ashley Gray.  And Joss & Main brought back the Addison carved panels for the nursery.  After a tense half hour of refreshing my browser - haha - I was able to "add to cart".  Hope they arrive soon!

NURSERY PLANS

The pregnancy "nesting" itch is no joke.  I feel like it's starting sooner this time around - or maybe that's just because I know I have another little princess on the way (and little girls are SO terribly easy to buy...and buy...and buy for) and we do NOT have a move on the horizon.  With Littlebit, her gender was a birthday surprise and we moved from Augusta to Atlanta a swift SIX weeks after she was born.  There was no way and no reason to totally deck out her nursery.  No hesitation this time around!  Luckily, I still absolutely love the items I so carefully chose for her nursery and I'm planning to reuse almost everything for Baby's nursery.

Enough chatter - here are my tentative plans for Baby's nursery:

PAINT
After a ridiculously over-exhaustive search, I've decided on Sherwin Williams Angora (6036).  We purchased a gallon, so the deal is done.  There's a huge swatch on the wall and I've gone to examine it no less than a thousand times in every possible lighting situation.  Trim will be Benjamin Moore White Dove, doors Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray and not quite sure about ceiling yet.  Any suggestions?  Considering Angora at 25%.

FURNITURE
Reusing Littlebit's walnut jenny lind crib, changing table, desk, mirror, gate-leg table and rocking chairs.

BEDDING
Reusing Littlebit's buffalo check bumpers (with stripe piping and ties), adjustable crib skirt, and crib sheets

WINDOWS
Hmmm...I'm either going to sew up something like these from RH Baby and Child, or keep the blue-gray silk in there. 

We have four linen panels that could be repurposed into the RH design.  The blue gray silk were done at the start of my still-amateur sewing career and are not meant to be viewed up close - ha.  They were made from Lewis & Sheron remnants, so they're weird widths.  Not sure they'll work.  But they are blackout lined.  Not sure how I would control the light situation with the linen ones.  Maybe roman shades that coordinate?  Too fussy?  Another option would be to use the Ikea Berta Ruta check fabric and sew some blackout lined curtains.  Not sure if I'd realistically keep those for a big girl room though.   

WALLS
I need art for above the changing table, between the windows and I'm considering something above the crib.  Between the windows I'm thinking of buying some sort of carved wall medallion, about 48x48in.  Saw one on Joss and Main and didn't pull the trigger.  Shoot.  We have some old shutters in the basement and I'm thinking maybe those could be distressed for behind the crib - or maybe behind Littlebit's bed? 

spaces design

Have no idea about above the changing table.  Here I come, Etsy...

BATHROOM
I'll sew a roman shade for the window, and maybe a shower curtain too. Waiting til I make a curtain decision.  I'll use the same fabrics.  Will pick up a new bath mat.  Need artwork - in love with this from RH.  Wonder if this is too big of a DIY to take on?

Purchased the entire Seal Harbor hardware collection for Baby and LittleBit's bath in polished nickel. 

Considering painting the vanity in Ashley Gray too.

Whew.  Just a little bit of a to do list!  Starts this weekend - wish us luck!

CAMELLIAS

The camellias are blooming all over town. I think it might be a bit premature - it's supposed to be near freezing again this weekend But they're beautiful for the moment. The tree outside my bathroom window has been covered in glossy green leaves all winter, but the new pops of vibrant pink peeking out above my little cafe curtains remind me every morning that spring is coming. Spring is coming!

Illustrations by Paul Jones. From "The Camellia". Available at studiobotanika for $95 each.

FRIDAY SHOPPING

We love this perfect little posy vase from the stylish team at kate spade. Just a little pop of color to add some punch to a gray January day. Also available in kelly green and inky blue.

$25.00

Available at Macy's