countdown to baby: nursery tour!

Only 10 days until my due date! I am so excited to meet this baby, and I can't wait to bring him home! His room is by far my favorite in the entire house — every time I open the door, it makes me smile. The nursery is so cozy and serene, and I love it so much!

The look and feel of the room was inspired by this photo from Pinterest:

I instantly fell in love with the color palette and the hand drawn quality of the mural. A little digging took me to the artist's Etsy page, but since I was going to have to work around a window, I decided it would be best to customize the layout and get the look with paint. I chose a light minty green, Behr Juniper Breeze, for the base color and used four gradually darker shades from the same color family — Misty Moss, Australian Jade, Pine Brook and Secluded Woods — for the mountains. Here's a look at the finished space:

I love the way this room came together! It's so dreamy and calming, and we managed to pull this off with a small budget. The changing table is a Craiglist find that we used in Graydon's nursery, and I found the crib through a local mom-to-mom group on Facebook. The biggest investment was the new glider, but I kept an eye on it and waited to buy when it was on sale. (For product sources and links, scroll to the end of this post!) I kept the rest of the room light and bright, adding in touches of gold, warm wood, cozy textures, and black and white accents. After all, I couldn't do a mountain nursery without a little buffalo check, amirite?

One of my favorite parts of the room is the reading nook. I wanted Graydon to have a special place of his own in the new baby's room, somewhere to hang out, play, and look at books during diaper changes and nursing sessions. The canopy makes this little corner feel so special, and Graydon loves his "cozy area."

I am so happy about the book ledges! I absolutely love books — there is no such thing as too many books — but most of them live downstairs on our family room bookshelves or in Graydon's room in his book bin. I love how the ledges show off the books, though, making them as much artwork as reading material.

I'm still obsessed with my white chair, even though with two cats, two dogs, and two kids it's going to be impossible to keep it clean. At least I'll always have these photos to remind me it used to be white?

Overall I am so beyond happy with this room, and I can't wait to bring our new baby home so we can spend all the sweet, cuddly, newborn days and nights in it together!

Sources:

Crib // Chair // Ottoman // Rug // Pottery Barn Kids Changing Table (from Craigslist, similar here) // Pendant Light // Mobile // Black & White Pillow // Faux Sheepskin Pillow // Crib Sheet // Fox // Hedgehog // Floor Lamp // Canopy // Bean Bag // Rope Basket // Deer Bust // Book Ledges // Macrame Wall Art // Zodiac Hook // Stools // Plaid Blanket // Hearth and Hand by Magnolia Embroidered Pillow (sold out, similar here and here) // Wolf

nursery sneak peek!

I have been in full-blown nesting mode lately, getting everything organized for baby boy's arrival next month! His room is coming together so beautifully, it's already my favorite room in the entire house. Yesterday the new chair for his room was delivered, so I wanted to share a quick little sneak preview of the space!

1. Chair // 2. Pillow (sold out online, similar here and here // 3. Stools // 4. Clock/Nightlight

The mountain mural is by far my favorite part of the room. After we lost our baby last year, I immediately wanted to escape to the mountains, and we spent a week in the Rockies with our dear friends from Colorado. The mountains are so vast, ancient, and humbling, it truly was such a healing experience to be surrounded by their immense beauty. Two of my very sweet, amazing, talented girlfriends helped paint the mural, and it is so beautiful and holds so much meaning for me. We still have a few little things left to finish up the room, but I am so happy with how it's coming along! It is so peaceful and serene, the perfect place for middle-of-the-night nursing sessions and all the baby cuddles. I can't wait to bring this little boy home!

spring has sprung?

Although it certainly doesn't feel like it here in Michigan (brrrrr, it is cold outside!), today is the first day of spring. It's not quite time to break out the sundresses and open-toe shoes, but there are other ways to celebrate winter's end - like this super cool chandelier by Pani Jurek. Made of test tubes and inspired by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Marie Curie, it's a whimsical mix of nature and science.
$175, Etsy.com

runway to davenport: louis vuitton

Guest blogger Amanda Sinistaj, the interior designer who, in her first post, showed you how to translate Alexander McQueen's inimitable style into your home decor, has set her sights on the oh-so-sweet Louis Vuitton spring collection. For her second post on paper + cloth, Amanda takes the girly frocks off the runway and into your boudoir.


Runway to Davenport: Louis Vuitton
by Amanda Sinistaj

The spring 2012 Louis Vuitton collection…ahhh, how sweet it is! Pastel colors and laser-cut lace tops and dresses left me with a feeling of innocence and remind me of when I used to play dress up. (Let’s be honest - my girlfriends and I still do when the occasion calls for it.) I think you can find your inner child whilst still living as an adult. So I’ve built these selections around the grown up princess. Playing with texture and a lack of color proves that you can uniquely express yourself by personalizing your selections.

runway to davenport: alexander mcqueen

For her first paper + cloth guest post, I asked interior designer and blogger Amanda Sinistaj (check her out at www.dwellwellonline.com) to find inspiration in the spring 2012 runway collections. As a stylist, my job is to translate and curate fashion for the rest of the world, whether for an individual's wardrobe or an editorial fashion shoot. For her first post, Amanda translates the design vision of the divine Alexander McQueen for a very different runway - your living room.

Runway to Davenport: Alexander McQueen
by Amanda Sinistaj

Trends…I hate that word. Personal style seems so much more appropriate for where 2012 is headed. It will be a year of personal expression, individuality and all about the details! From runways to your living room, we will show you how to translate the spring fashion line up into your home decor.

Alexander McQueen's collection for spring focused on incredible details in pleating and draping that were infused with an oceanic theme. Texture and color is a proposition easily incorporated into your living spaces.