Just the Three of Us

Posted by Amber in Baby/Kid on September 20, 2013  ||  30 Comments

Our days as a family of three are numbered. I am going in early Sunday morning to be induced with baby #2. We are so excited and extremely nervous. It’s been nearly 4 years since I had Ramona.  Our lives have changed drastically more than we could have ever anticipated. Obviously for the better. Ramona is our world.

After Nick installed the car seat, he came in and proclaimed that at 28 he felt too old to be having a baby. We both laughed but also understood what he actually meant. We have a toddler, and this newborn stage seems like a distant memory. Something of the past except that it’s also our very near future too.

We were so clueless about being parents like every new parent. Nothing can prepare you for parenthood. Nothing. Every child and family is different, so it’s a guessing game to find what works. We’ve been so nervous because we feel like it’s the same thing with adding another child into the mix. Full of unexpected twists and new problems along with amazing memories and heart melting emotions.

There’s also the fear that I’ve been battling the entire pregnancy. What if something goes wrong? That fear wasn’t as strong when I had Ramona. Don’t get me wrong I was terrified of the childbirth part, but the fear this time is different. Maybe we are just more knowledgeable now about what can go wrong. Maybe our previous miscarriage woke us up to pregnancy risks. Maybe it’s the crazy stage of life we are at now especially with regards to our living situation. I can’t say for sure, but it’s been a very anxious pregnancy.

I denied all the testing to find abnormalities in utero. Mainly because it wasn’t going to make a difference. This baby will be given to us exactly how he/she should be. I figure the last thing anyone needs is something to fret about when there is no changing the situation anyway. I denied the tests with Ramona too.

We are also nervous about how a new baby will change the current family dynamic. Ramona has been it for 4 years. She is used to constant attention and immediate responses. She is so excited to be a big sister. She has wanted to be one for over a year now, but she’s 4. She doesn’t really understand what bringing a baby home means. We both want her to feel just as loved because I know our love for her won’t change or diminish just because we have another child.

Every thing I’ve ever read about having a second child is that your love just doubles. It’s not split. It’s multiplied. (I also selfishly hope this is true because Nick and I are both second children.) It’s difficult to imagine having the capability to love more but then I realize we already do. This baby has been much anticipated, and we most assuredly are anxiously waiting.

Despite all the fears and no matter what, we are so excited to meet this baby on Sunday. We know that even if there is sibling difficulty paired with the lack of sleep and general newborn haze it will be completely worth it. We are so blessed even if somedays we need a reminder.

Can’t wait to meet Baby Wills and become a family of 4. No matter how surreal it feels right now.

Photos by J. Noel Photography in Austin, TX

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Building: Picking Insulation

Posted by Nick in Building on September 19, 2013  ||  10 Comments

Today we’re talking about what came after framing: Insulation. Since we live in Texas, where generally the weather forecast for any day later after April is “balls hot”, this topic is very important to us.

Our last house was horribly insulated. It was awful. Like I don’t know enough superlatives to describe how inefficient that house was.  More than once we had electric bills over $700. It was brutal. In this house, we wanted to be as efficient as we could afford to.

The 2 basic options when it came to insulation were fiberglass insultation or spray foam insulation. When I say that we had options, our builder basically said “you can have fiberglass if you want, but you’re crazy if you do.”

Apparently, with fiberglass 30% of the air leaks through the insulation. Whereas foam insulation has 0 air leaks and is way more efficient.

Inside the walls, they basically spray the insulation, then cut it back to the studs. Above is what it looks like before its cut. And below is what it looks like after it’s cut back to the studs.

Up in the attic, they don’t cut it. They just let it stay as thick as it gets when it’s sprayed on. They crazy thing was watching the guy up in the rafters spraying the roof.

The difference the insulation makes is pretty astonishing. Walking into the house, even when it’s blazing hot outside, it’s reasonable inside the house. The temperature difference between the inside and outside was pretty jaw dropping the first time we went in, even without HVAC.

If you’re interested in reading more on the difference between the 2 insulation types, this page is a pretty good source.

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Building: Lighting Purchases

Posted by Amber in Building on September 17, 2013  ||  28 Comments

Nick shared some of our lighting options/inspiration yesterday, so here’s a peak into some of our purchases so far! I already blamed our trip to Old Home Supply for our master bath choice. What I didn’t tell you is that we scored some incredible lighting deals.

In the warehouse, we found these incredible hexagon pendants. They were salvaged from Caravan of Dreams a studio/nightclub/theater in Downtown Fort Worth. We bought all 3 of the pendants. We are putting 2 over the kitchen island. The third will be repurposed as something else or used for repair of the other 2 pendants.

Although I do LOVE the Hicks pendant, the price difference between these options was a no brainer. Plus it’s a unique option. They were the best choice for the house and the space.

Originally we bought the 4 flush mounts (top shelf) that match the island pendants, but we had to return 2 when we realized there was no backing or electrical wiring to them at all. We could fix the electrical part, but since there was no way to attach the fixture to the ceiling, we had to pass.

We bought 2 flush mounts, 2 sconces, and 1 skinny flush mount. The skinny flush mount and the sconces are for the stairs. The 2 flush mounts will go in the mud room hallway off the kitchen. (The hallway by the stairs needs 3 flush mounts.)

I adore this tulip light. We are hanging it over Ramona’s vanity area in her bathroom. She calls it her makeup area, and this light is going to be perfect for it. It’s adorable, and I might move it from house to house if I ever move.

We bought all that lighting for under $800. They gave us 10% off for buying so many pieces as if we needed more reasons to love this place. I love that 1) we have awesome vintage lighting, 2) it was cheaper than buying new, and 3) it has a story. It definitely accomplishes our goal of building new but adding as much character as possible.

I had been eyeing these West Elm sconces for the kid’s bathroom. At $80 they are pretty reasonable option. Then we made a little trip to Austin over labor day for maternity pictures and general Texas fun. The goal was to scout out the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware outlets in San Marcos.

It was our lucky day because they had 2 scones. I loved them in person. They were a good size which is what I was worried about when I saw them online. They are simple and modern. Plus how great will it look next to Ramona’s tulip light? One was marked $26 and the other was $46, but we got both for $26.

When we saw this JC Penny light go on clearance, we headed out with a coupon in hand. It was about $50 total. It’s huge. We are putting it in the laundry room over the washer and dryer to add some wood tones to that space.

Nick was determined to get the Areaware Orbit chandelier for the formal dining. They had a 20% sale, so he pounced. We’ve consider some other places around the house to hang this guy, but the plan is still the formal dining at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What kind of DIY home blog would we be if we didn’t include some sort of DIY aspect into our lighting? (Answer: A terrible one.) Nick wants to build the Lindsey Adelman light and a Drop Light Chandelier. We aren’t 100% sure where they are going to go. Most likely in the entry and above the master bath.

That’s what we have pulled the trigger on so far. It’s a pretty eclectic mix of lighting, but that’s sort of the goal for the whole house. We want the house to have all the charm of a 1920s house but with all these modern conveniences like huge closets and open floorplan.

What’s your take on our choices so far? Are we too ADD for our own good?

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Building: Let’s talk lighting

Posted by Nick in Building on September 16, 2013  ||  36 Comments

So during the whole building process we’ve been killing ourselves looking at every light source we can. Today I’m putting together some moodboards of the fixtures we’ve been looking at. We learned during the process that we both kind of geek out over lighting.

First up are the Pendant options. These are the fixtures we’re looking at for over the island as well as handing above the vanities in the master and Ramona’s room.

1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7  /  8  /  9

Next up are the chandeliers. These are the guys we have been considering for the dining as well as above the bathtub. Also, we’ve been playing with the idea of a chandelier on Ramona’s vanity as well.

1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7

Lastly, the wall-mount lights. These are the fixtures we are looking at for bathrooms, hallways, etc.

1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7  /  8  /  9

So there you have it, our inspiration mood boards for the different light types in the new house. Some modern, some industrial, some classic. Kind of describes our overall design aesthetic.

What do you think? Any favorites? Do you have a favorite source for lighting that we should know about? Do let us know!

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Master Bath: Compromise Isn’t an Option

Posted by Amber in Bathroom, Building on September 13, 2013  ||  24 Comments

When I had my plumbing meeting, I picked out a 36×60 rectangular soaker tub for the master bath. I liked the modern rectangular shape and how deep it was. Our plans were drawn and the budget was set for a drop in tub option since stand alone tubs are significantly more. This tub worked with plans and budget so easy choice….

About a week later, Nick and I swung into the Old Home Supply. It’s an incredible store in Fort Worth that sells vintage lighting, hardware, and all things home. We saw these stand alone tubs. We fell hard. We wanted one from the get go but didn’t make it a priority since we were being budget minded (you know smart).

The tub on the left wasn’t much more expensive that the soaker I picked out. It was a reproduction. The one on the right was cheaper but on hold for someone else. It was vintage and recently refinished.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I will say that Pinterest has been amazing through the entire design process. It’s helped us gather our thoughts and see our rooms come together. (You know get inspiration.) I looked through my bathroom board and guess what I found? Bathrooms full of stand alone tubs.

Way to go Pinterest. Stab the knife a little deeper. I knew that compromising on the master bath was something I didn’t want to do. Thus it was my turn to do internet research and get myself the tub/master bath I really wanted.

We found out vintage tubs that have been refinished aren’t as strong and chip easier. It didn’t think going that route (although slightly cheaper) was smart with kids. I started looking around Vintage Tub.

Here are a few free standing options. I think we would be happy if we bought a house with any of them, but since we get to choose I wanted to be a little picky. They all are around the same price.

We decided on a 66″ double ended clawfoot. I liked the lines and symmetry of this tub more than the other options. (I hear slipper tubs are uncomfortable. Plus they remind me of old western movies.) The pedestal would have offered a similar look, but the clawfoot was more classic. The price difference between a cast iron tub and an acrylic one was $10 so negligible. We went with the acrylic tub because it wasn’t on back order. The durability is comparable. The acrylic tub is lighter which is probably best for us in the long run if we decide to change the flooring in there later on we will be able to move the tub without much problem.


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Also we are having it custom painted black with white clawfeet. It was Nick’s idea. I was sold on it immediately. Later I found this that I’d pinned over a year ago. Our faucet will be oil rubbed bronze, but it reads more black than bronze.

So what does this mean for plumbing? Well we have to reroute the drain and plumbing by cutting into our foundation slab, moving the lines, and patching the cement. It’s an additional $500 (quoted so we will see what it actually comes in at). A cost that could have been avoid if I would have just never compromised from the beginning.


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Moral of the story is really think about your nonnegotiables before you build. I thought I could live without having a statement tub in the bathroom. Okay technically I can live without it, but I don’t want to. In the end I decided it was worth it to spend more to get what I really wanted. Also we paid for the tub out of pocket, so like with all our other plumbing fixtures we are technically came out ahead of what was budgeted. It isn’t the budgeting win the faucets were, but there was a little more emotion and style invoked in this choice.

This is something that couldn’t/wouldn’t have been done later. It was now or never (for this house anyway). We had the cash to pay for the tub and went for it. No regrets.

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Plumbing choices

Posted by Nick in Building, Uncategorized on September 12, 2013  ||  16 Comments

Amber discussed going to our builder’s plumbing supplier and looking at fixtures.

Here’s the scenario: our budget for plumbing was squeezed along with the whole house budget. The cheapest options available were still over budget which is completely depressing to think about. Since we were going to go over budget, we thought it was time to get creative.

We decided to hit the internet hard. At the old house I had bought some plumbing fixtures for our wet bar from Overstock. I was blown away by the quality. They were actually Kingston Brass though not marketed on the site as such (they’re much more expensive to buy directly from them).

 black_and_brass

So I went to look at their selection. We wanted brass, but the only ones we could find were way out of budget. The oil rubbed fixture we bought previously read more black than bronze, so we decided to go with them in a sort of “black & brass” scheme (Side Note: I’ve been walking around singing “Black & Brass” to the tune of AC/DC “Back in Black” Lately. Yes, I’m pretty awesome). Above is an inspiration image for color tones we were using. It’s too expensive for us, but definitely gives the feel. White walls, dark metals, brass tones, mixed in with marble, wood tones, maybe cement tones, etc. We’ve got a couple of tricks up our sleeves yet.

Here are the fixtures we went with for the bathrooms:

selections

1 – Faucet for the Master Bath (2 x $179.99)     2 – Shower heads for walk-in shower in master (2 x $167.99)     3 – Shower handles and valves for walk-in shower in master (2 x $189.99)     4 – Shower and Bath combination for kids’ bath (1 x $229.99)     5 – Faucet for kids jack and jill and half bath (3 x $89.99)

We paid for all of this out of pocket which means the remainder of our plumbing budget from the building bid can be moved towards other overages (not like we’re short on those). It was definitely over the allocated plumbing budget from the bid but cheaper than using our builders’ supplier. Plus the total amount is already paid for, and the quality is much better than anything else at this price point.

When we handed over the fixtures to our plumber, he told us that he knew they were “the good stuff” by the weight of them. They’re solid brass, so very heavy. He was pretty blown away by the price…”what was that website again?” he asked as we were leaving. Score.

Stylistically speaking, the faucets are a lot more traditional than we would like, but not necessarily overboard. At this point, if we keep the rest of the room pretty modern with some industrial touches, I think it will keep it from being too boring. The shower heads for the master shower are amazing though. I couldn’t love them more. Style-wise they’re on the money. The kids shower head is pretty neutral. Amber doesn’t care for the size of the shower head  or the bath spout, but I think it will be a good fit for the space.

So there it is, faucet crisis solved. We got some great stuff at reasonable prices, now we just have to come up with a design for the rest of the space that achieves the look we’re going for. But hey that’s the fun part, right?

PS. While we’re talking about Bathrooms, Go check out the bathroom reveal our friend Michelle at Decor and the Dog just did. It’s crazy good!

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What to Expect: Plumbing

Posted by Amber in Building on September 10, 2013  ||  12 Comments

There was this one time that I had to go pick out all my plumbing fixtures with this wild 3 year old…yeah that’s her dancing in the shower to something that’s blaring from an iPhone. You know in the echoey all tile building where people are conducting business and such.

Don’t worry you probably won’t have to expect that when you shop for your plumbing, but I wanted you to get a feel for my state of mind. I was thinking I need to have a blog post just to prepare people for what they are about embark upon. So. Many. Choices.

Here are some plumbing terms/things to think about before you wander into a showroom:

1. Finish – oil rubbed bronze, gold, nickel, brushed nickel….

2. Shape/Style

Left to Right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

These are bathroom faucets that sit on a 4″ base. They are typically the cheapest style you will find. Most brands have a variety of different finishes for each style. Look at the difference between each of these. The spout height, shape of the hands, hot + cold levers vs 1 lever…

Left to Right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

More bathroom faucets except these are 8″ widespread which means they have no base. They are “fancier” (read: more expensive). Most models come in a cheaper 4″ centerset option as well. Again the finishes, handles, and spouts come in so many different options.

There are several more faucet option, but these 2 are typically what you see in bathrooms.

This option was our “in budget” choice. No those quotes aren’t unnecessary. This faucet was pretty significantly over the allotted amount for bathroom faucets (even in the 4″ choice), but it was the cheapest option. Add that to the wild kid, and I was pretty irritated.

There’s nothing wrong with this faucet. It came in several finishes all at the over- budget price. For the price point I wasn’t impressed with this faucet. I mean I’m not an expert on faucet prices, but I just wasn’t happy.

We moved onto shower heads. The middle option was again “in budget”. I wasn’t a fan of the size of the shower head especially for the price. Now I’m not trying to be snobby or rude, but I was being very picky. I mean when you are looking at paying more than a hundred dollars over budget per item, you want something that you feel like was worth it. It adds up fast with 5 sink faucets, 3 shower heads, 5 sinks, a kitchen sink, a kitchen faucet, a master bathtub, and a utility sink + faucet.

Sorry I feel like I’m whining instead of giving you useful information. Here is my advice when you have to select an entire houses worth of plumbing – faucets, sinks, tubs.

1. Know what finish you want. We love brass but knew that was going to be out of budget, so we needed to come up with a finish that wouldn’t clash with the brass accents we knew would be in the same space.

2. Know what shape/style you are going for. Traditional, modern, transitional…what kind of handle do you prefer? What height do you want for the spout?

**The key here being know what you want for the room. Be thinking about the space as a whole – the finished space – to help select the finish and style of your pieces.

3. Find something reasonably priced for what you WANT.

Something we are learning is budget can’t be the only factor. Otherwise we wouldn’t have any plumbing fixtures in the house. Seriously. I do think when you are building you have to think creatively about what you want/can live with in your house as well as balance the reality of the budget. There has to be some give and take. Cut here to spend here or other solutions.

Did you catch the word creatively? We are the Wills yo. You know we got something up our sleeve to solve this problem.

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What to Pack for the Hospital

Posted by Amber in Baby/Kid on September 6, 2013  ||  16 Comments

After my doctor’s appointment this week, things got real. This baby is coming soon. I needed to whip myself into shape and start packing my bags for the upcoming trip to the hospital. I know everyone is pregnant, so I wanted to help you out with a little what to pack inspiration/real life need!

Obviously you need a cute weekender bag (vintage Diane Von Furstenberg anyone?). Nothing too big or small since most hospital rooms are tiny.

Last time I packed normal nightgowns, and they weren’t ideal for breastfeeding. If you want a nightgown, I’d go with one specifically made for nursing. Hospital gowns aren’t stylish, but they do have snaps on the shoulder that are convenient for breastfeeding. Bring a nursing bra if you want to stay in the gown. It’s something you will use for as long as you nurse anyway.

I actually bought this robe. It’s jersey (on clearance in store) and super comfortable. You don’t want the room to be too cold for the baby, so a robe is a great solution. Plus if you stay in the gown (which you probably will for at least several hours after delivery), you can at least use to look more put together. Get some cheap flip flops instead of slippers. I wasn’t up much at the hospital after Ramona anyway, so $2 flip flops worked great for bathroom trips.

I am a big fan of nursing tanks with pajama bottoms. I would bring a few tanks for in the hospital and the way home. If you are having a c-section, obviously go the nightgown route instead. For me the tanks and pj bottoms with a comfy robe were the way to go. You will need to buy bottoms that are still maternity since you’ll still look about 5 months pregnant.

Regardless if you go the gown + bra, nightgown, or tank + pjs look, you will need nursing pads. You might want to bring a nursing cover in case you have male friends (your dad/father-in-law or heck female friends too) come to the hospital. You never know when baby needs to eat and for how long, so it’s best to at least have the option of feeding while still visiting with friends.

Don’t forget your electronics and cords. Super important while waiting for baby and all the social media you’ll be engaging in after to show off the precious bundle. Camera with a way to video is a must too. You can always take video on your phone as well. Just be thinking about how much you will run your battery down, so you might want a few video options just in case (i.e. camera and phone).

Snacks!! You can’t eat while you are laboring, so you will be starving after you’re done. Make sure to pack some high protein snacks, so you don’t have to wait on food.

Toiletries (I even packed my makeup), nipple cream, and Chapstick are all necessary! I wouldn’t pack my razor or anything. Let’s not get too ambitious, but you might want to squeeze in a shower and some primping before heading home or having people over at the hospital.

If there is an older brother or sister, you probably want to bring a gift for them from the baby. I know that might sound silly, but people will be all over the new baby. You don’t want them to feel left out or resentful from the start. Plus you have to stay overnight without your other kids, so it’s the least you can do.

When you head home, have your car seat ready and installed or you won’t be going anywhere. Wear comfortable pants, a nursing tank (or soft tee), a wrap cardigan, and some slip on shoes.

Besides mittens and a cute beanie, I didn’t pack much as far as outfitting the baby. Most of the time they are swaddled up and in hospital clothes since they are constantly being unwrapped and checked on by the nurses.

It was very important for me to have a special going home outfit for the baby. It’s the first trip out into the world, dress them for it!

Boy Outfit – Hoodie / Button Down / Jeans / Shoes

Girl Outfit – Dress / Jean Jacket / Shoes (not pictured but so important a bow!!)

My bags are packing and we are ready to go…okay well not really but at least this part is done! Hope that helps all you pregnant mama since I know there is a ton of you!

Have a great weekend loves!

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Some random vintage finds

Posted by Nick in Antiquing, Decor on September 4, 2013  ||  16 Comments

It’s been a while since the last time we did a vintage purchase round up. Mostly because, well, we’re spending a lot of money building a house, and the actual building process is consuming most of our free time.

We did manage to snag some nice finds a couple of weeks ago at Vintage Freak in Bedford though. It’s a nice little unassuming mid-century focused store not too far off from where Ramona takes ice skating lessons, and we like to pop in whenever we get a chance.

They had a pretty nice selection of mid century pottery available in the store. We grabbed these 2 guys for $8 each. Great price and you can never have too many modern white vases laying around.

I also grabbed the teak bowls on the left. You can’t tell from the photo, but there’s 2 of them stacked. They were $6 for the set. I bought them to be used as a salt mill (and to bring some wood tones) in the new kitchen.

The army green box on the right is basically just a worn metal box that we plan on storing our business cards in. It was $2 and I liked the color (didn’t seem like too much of a risk).

Then there were these guys. All 3 brass birds were $36.

 
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 Emily Henderson used the mid sized one in the room above and noted that she paid $60 for it, so we thought it was a pretty good deal. No real plan yet for them, but my money would be on them going in Ramona’s room in the new house (lucky girl right?).

Lastly, we snagged these 2 chrome tufted sling chairs for $25 each. If you’re wondering whether or not we photographed them outside our storage unit, you’re absolutely correct. Things are getting a bit too tight in the current set up for us to be bringing project furniture in. We actually stopped by storage to drop them off then remembered that we need to photo them, so we pulled them out real quick (blog comes first yo).

These guys need to be reupholstered, but the the actual pad can be removed from the metal so the upholstery job should be easy. Plus they were pretty cheap, and we think they could be a total show stopper if done correctly.

So there you have it. Some of our recent random purchases. What do you think of the brass birds? Are we crazy for buying those chairs? Are we just crazy in general? Don’t answer that last one.

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August Goal Check

Posted by Amber in Uncategorized on September 3, 2013  ||  16 Comments

Katja and I tackled August with the monthly challenge of INSPIRE. I decided to hone my mood board skills and start compiling images (home and fashion) to inspire myself and you.

I also really wanted to allow myself time to truly design spaces and think through all the rooms we are having to build. Nick and I have really been able to have a clear vision of each space through these mood boards and finding inspirational images to guide our decision making. It’s been a great month. We are both feeling refreshed and inspired. We are so excited for what’s in store for us over the next couple of months (the arrival of our child also included in that – 24 days or less!!).

I participated in curating an IKEA dream home with some fabulous bloggers that coincidentally have mad style. I was in charge of the kid’s room. Make sure to check out the entire tour. Also I have a great roundup of IKEA hacks that make me want to go all DIY on several IKEA pieces!

Nick and I tested our parenting decorating skills and hosted Nursery Week where we both designed a nursery for a boy and a girl. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities in our mood boards. It won’t be long until the baby comes then quickly followed by the house, and we will get to design the nursery in real life! Check out Nick’s boy nursery and girl nursery as well as my boy nursery and girl nursery. Are you more excited to find out what the baby is or how the nursery will look?

I have been having an incredibly fun time with Fashion Fridays. I love pulling together outfits for me and Ramona along with home finds. I started with pattern play, floral + gold, budget finds, and baby style. This was originally going to just be a series in August, but you might see it pop up every now and then. I’m having a hard time letting go, but I know this month is going to be a little busy to commit a regular series.

Our monthly challenge for September is SOFT. There will a bundle of complete softness and preciousness coming to Wills Casa this month. Let’s hope however that having that baby is not so much of a monthly challenge and more like a happening I guess. A really joyous happening that’s also painless. Hey a girl can dream right.

Thanks for the sweet words about our dog Sara. She was doing better but took a turn for the worst on Monday when we were scheduled to pick her up. The vet has taken more aggressive action. We will see how she responses to this new treatment over the next couple of days.

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