Nursery Week: Amber’s Boy Nursery

Posted by Amber in Baby/Kid, Inspiration on August 19, 2013  ||  16 Comments

Since we’ve been so focused on design decisions for the house, we figured we would dedicate an entire week to Baby Wills. Mainly we need to be smacked in the face with the fact we will be a family of 4 in nearly 5 weeks (maybe less)!

Nick and I each made 2 mood boards – one for a boy nursery and one for a girl nursery. We weren’t allowed to see the other until it was complete. We figure that gives us the most well rounded view moving forward. It’s also the most epic battle of the sexes ever.

We will both include existing pieces that we have for the nursery like our mobile, the swiss army blanket, our glider, and the dresser. Thus we weren’t exactly starting from scratch, but the challenge was to build a nursery for each gender around those 4 pieces.

1. Mountain Print                                              10. Side Table
2. Don’t Forget to Play Print                           11. Plane Knobs
3. Rifle Paper Co. Hat Print                             12. Floor Lamp
4. Adventure Awaits Globe                              13. MCM Dresser/Changing Table
5. Swiss Blanket                                                 14. Jute Rug
6. Vintage Airplane Mobile                             15. Cow Hide Rug
7. Sun and Cloud Pillows                                  16. Quiet Banner
8. Striped Crib Sheet                                        17. Luca Glider
9. Babyletto Modo Crib                                    18. White Pouf

I have a mix of items we already have on hand – the mountain print, mobile, swiss army blanket, the dresser, and the glider. We have a vintage globe that we could DIY a graphic onto or just use in the space. I could probably sew a shape pillow like those clouds and sun. That navy banner is actually a DIY. It would add beautiful typography, texture, and depth to a gallery wall.

We do need a crib. I want one with slats all the way around. I feel like that was a lesson I learned with Ramona. Although I would love that side table in my living room, it’s also awesome in this nursery.

I like the idea of layering rugs, but it will all depend on the flooring in the nursery. This jute rug looks pretty soft and is so durable. I am team cow hide when it comes to discussions about whether they are appropriate as decor. We can find them much cheaper at the flea market too.

The combination of the floor lamp + glider + pouf looks appealing for late night feedings. The glider was our splurge for Ramona’s nursery. Although I’d love to reupholster it/go back in time and pick a less safe color, it’s comfortable and has great lines. Plus the color will work with the swiss army blanket. We do have the footstool as well. I will use the it at first, but hopefully I can swing a different option eventually.

Tada! My boy nursery. I know you might be thinking wow it’s so neutral. Well it is. Trust me once you get all your toys and kid stuff in there patterns pop up out of nowhere. Also this is just a starting point. What do you think?

Nick will share his tomorrow. Do you think they will be similar? Is this going to start a design fight between us? If so, who will win? (My money is on Nick. He did a pretty fantastic job last kid even project nursery thought so. In real life her room was way different, so it will be interesting to see how this kid’s nursery changes as well.)

*Technically this nursery would cost $2,337 if I purchased the remaining items I needed to make it happen. However that’s skewed because there are 3 big ticket items on here that we could get cheaper/DIY that would put me around $1,300 for the whole room instead. Not too bad considering the crib, rugs, side table, and floor lamp purchases.

 Some affiliate links included.

Update: Check out Nick’s Boy Nursery.

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Fashion Friday: Budget Finds

Posted by Amber in Style on August 16, 2013  ||  13 Comments

I started thinking about how our budget is allocated and realized I have an unspoken rule when it comes to fashion. I now refer to it as the 10-20-30 rule. Typically I like spend around $10 on something for Ramona, $20 on something for me (not because I’m worth more but I buy less for myself than I do for Ramona…much less), and $30 for something around the house.

Of course there are exceptions and this is just a generalization, but it’s still a pretty good guideline for us when we think about budgeting.

1. Patterned Dress $9.95 – Ramona actually has this, and it’s adorable on.

2. Ruffle Striped Tank $10.80 – The lace detailing with the bow and ruffles is worth the extra 80 cents.

3. Jersey Mini Skirt $8 – This comes in polka dots and various colors too. I love the versatility of the navy stripes though.

4. Mint Shorts $9.99 – Lots of different color options for this cute pair of shorts, but wouldn’t the mint look great with that ruffle striped tank above it?

5. Necklace $10 – I love that J Crew thinks about practicality on kid’s jewelry. The ribbon tie on this is genius. It won’t knot up in your kids hair, and it’s easy for them to put on themselves.

6. Polka Dot Dress $4.95 – This is one of Ramona’s favorite dresses. It’s cute and definitely something I let her play in yet she still feels dressed up. The girl always wants to be in a dress.

Just some tips from 2 parents (yes Nick does a ton of clothes shopping for Ramona) who are constantly shopping for clothes: Our go to stores for Ramona are Target, J Crew, H&M, Old Navy, Gap, and JC Penny. Typically we buy most of her stuff on clearance to stay in that $10-ish range. Since she loves dresses we can put tights and a jacket over them when it gets cold, so things carry through the seasons. She has a vast closet.

1. Jersey Dress $17.95 – I love the basics line at H&M. I would probably buy this in the burgundy color instead of brown or maybe I would just buy both. You can dress this up or wear it casual. (Confession: I wear the short sleeve version now with tights as a maternity dress. So comfortable.)

2. Navy Neck-tie Shirt $14.80 – First I love the navy and coral combination they have working on the model. I also have a thing for shirts that tie. Maybe I just watch Mad Men too much.

3. Sunglasses $9.95 – I love wearing sunglasses to hide my sleepy eyes which I’m coming to accept is just how I look more than an indication of how much I actually slept, so having a few cheap pairs stashed away never hurts.

4. Sandals $17.48 – These are my daily shoes even when I’m stomping around on our dusty land. They are comfortable and go with literally anything.

5. Tank $8.80 – Super cheap tank in a pattern that makes me drool. Seriously you could wear this with a skirt and blazer or a pair of jeans. Either way it would look ridiculously cute.

6. Antler Ring $3.80 – I love how quirky this ring is. Also I hate paying more than $10 for jewelry unless it’s something substantial.

7. Necklace $16.90 – This is from the same etsy shop I showed you last week. Gorgeous selection of statement jewelry for next to nothing.

1. Watercolor Pillow $20 – This is such a fun pillow and reasonably priced too. I love the colors.

2. Cloche $19.99-24.99 – Having a cloche for our Christmas tablescape made a huge difference in how we styled it. It gives such impact for something so simple and inexpensive.

3. 8×10 Coffee Print $18 – This print is beautiful and also so true (for this family anyway) it hurts. It would pair well with this kitsch coffee print.

4. Wood Planter $24 – I love the wood tone color blocked with the bright coral. It’s so modern and a great styling accessory.

5. Wire Accent Table $17 – I have been eyeing this table at Target. I think it would look great in Ramona’s room. The top is cheap, but it’s itching for a little DIY to glam it up a bit.

6. Rhino $29 – You might not have time to search for that vintage brass animal that will finish off the vignette, so this guy is a great inexpensive option.

7. Floral Dishtowel $20 – This towel is so pretty you could frame it. Either way I love the colors and floral print.

Obviously we buy home stuff that’s more expensive than $30. If I’m looking for something specifically, then I always have a target price in mind. I think the key to find a good deal on home decor is to know what’s out there and what people are paying for it.

So there’s a budget version of sorts for Fashion Friday. Any rules you have when it comes to spending on style?

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Design Decisions: Wall, Trim and Door Colors

Posted by Nick in Building on August 15, 2013  ||  17 Comments

Yesterday Amber wrote about our Door and trim options, and today I’ll be talking about our color choices regarding those. Before I jump into our actual color choices themselves, allow me to tell you a story.

Back in April, during our original scoping sessions with our architect, we had one word that we beat into the ground: Windows. We wanted to make the point that it was almost impossible for him to put too many windows in our house. Every time our architect (Larry) would come back with a revision of the plan, our response would be something like this:

It was to the point where you’d think we were asking basically for our house to be 4 walls of windows and a roof (though that does sound nice).


(via)

We want our house to have tons of natural light because we want white walls. Looking through our inspiration photos, white walls were a major recurring theme (especially on my pics) and the thing is, they never look good unless there’s a ton of light bouncing around a room. A dark space was not going to work.

With the majority of our walls being white, we knew that our windows needed to be a different color. We have mainly vinyl windows for budgetary reasons, though the windows in the kitchen are wood because they had to be for them to open like we wanted. The pic above shows our main color options: Almond (Left) and Clay (Right).


(via)

We went with clay, thinking that it would be closest to the pic above (this house is also a recurring theme in our home inspiration). Yes, we know that we won’t have the beautiful wood windows like in this pic, but we think it won’t be too far off.


(via)

As far as baseboard colors go, right now we’re leaning towards matching the window color though we reserve the right to change our mind and match the wall color to go with a monochromatic look of sorts.


(via)

Lastly, to pair with our light and bright walls, we’re hoping to throw a bit of a curve ball with some black interior doors. White walls + dark wood floors + black doors = my favorite combo.

We had always been leaning towards black doors. Then our door guy showed Amber a house that he was doing with black doors that were even the same style as the ones we chose. We were pretty much sold then.

So there it is. What do you think of our choices? Are crazy for going white? Will they be impossible to keep clean and will we be continually touching them up? Black doors too bold? Will they look good with the clay trim?

 

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Design Decisions: Interior Doors + Trim

Posted by Amber in Building on August 14, 2013  ||  21 Comments

We had our meeting to pick our interior doors and trim. I have my nice binder/notepad combo at each meeting now since inevitably the meeting will cover things in so much detail I won’t be able to keep track. Plus there are always decisions that we leave in the “to ponder and come back to” category.

And yes I am parenting Ramona via the iPhone. Don’t judge.

In case you don’t remember, our builder is in the same office as my parents. The office doubles as a showroom for certain things like doors, trim, and wood flooring. It’s convenient (especially when you are bring your daughter to the meetings…hey Ramona why don’t you go see Papa…sorry dad).

We had unlimited door options, but here were the contenders. Option A is a 2 panel eyebrow arched door. You can see the arch is on the top panel only. Clearly it looks like an eyebrow hence the name.

Option B is a classic 2 panel door. The panels are just rectangles.

Option C is a craftsman style 6 panel door.

All options are nearly the same price. We wanted paint grade doors and trim since it fits more with our style than stained wood. Paint grade saves us $1900 for the doors alone which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but how often is it that you save money and get what you want?

We went with option C. I think it has the most character. It goes well with the “make this new house feel like an old one” that we are going for. Plus it’s interesting.

Moving on to trim. This is the typical trim option with the one on left side being for the door and the right side being the baseboards.

Another option is 1×6 base with a 1×4 case. I like the simplicity of this look. It’s more modern. Yes it will get dusty (like all baseboards), but I vacuum my baseboards when I vacuum the floor anyway.

We won’t have too much crown in the house since the great room and master will have beams instead, but I still needed to decide on what crown we wanted for the formal dining, entry, and office. We had 2 crown options. This option is larger. The ceilings in this room are 10 feet with 8 foot door which is what the house will have. It would be more expensive since it’s larger, but mainly I felt like it was a little overpowering for the space. Doesn’t it feel like it brings the ceilings down?

The other option was the typical crown size.  It’s cheaper and less overpowering for our space. It will keep those 10 foot ceilings feeling spacious.

So there you go a sneak peek into what the interior doors and trim will look like. Do you think we made the right call on the doors? Next up we are talking about colors with these selections.

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Upstairs Floor Plan Update

Posted by Nick in Building on August 12, 2013  ||  14 Comments

final_upstairs_sm

Last time we talked about the floor plan, the upstairs looked like the above (notice the giant unfinished spaces on the top left and bottom right of the layout).

When we decided to hold off on finishing the upstairs, we knew that we could make use of that space. Finishing out that extra 400-500 sqft. would give us more room and add value to the house.

The thing is, we were still going to have them frame it, but that’s it. So we needed to come up with a plan.

floorplan_update_sm

So basically what we did was photoshop the existing floor plan and make our adjustments for the builder and this what we came up with. We added a room, moved the upstairs bathroom, and enlarged 2 other rooms.

What we’re thinking will happen eventually is this: first, the bonus room is more than likely turn into Amber’s craft room since there will be a ton of natural light in there. The guest bedroom will become Ramona’s room as she gets older. The craft room could become a media room (I’m in no rush for that, but with no windows it makes sense).

Lastly, the playroom got extended. The kids are going to have lots of room to, well, play. That excites me greatly. I grew up in a really small house with 5 people living in it. I had a cousin with a giant game room / playroom, and I was always mesmerized by the openness of it. Having a giant room like that is something I’ve wanted since I was a little kid.

So what do you think? Are we crazy for holding off on finishing the upstairs so we could add some extra space?

(ps. follow us on instagram for some sneak peaks of the house progress. We’re not blogging exactly in real time, so you get to see the progress a little more as it’s happening)

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Happy Birthday Amber!!!!

Posted by Nick in Side Note on August 11, 2013  ||  27 Comments

happy-birthday

For those that don’t know, today is Amber’s 29th birthday. So I’m putting a post up in case any of you guys want to wish her a Happy Birthday (I’ll start: Happy Birthday sweeheart!).

I didn’t do anything huge for Amber (as we are already bleeding hundred dollar bills in the build process). I just got her the clutch from the post on Friday and some Rifle Paper cards (we all know how Amber loves Anna Bond).

I actually had already bought the clutch before she started working on that post and when she sent me a pic of the mood board to review, I responded “I don’t really like that clutch, how about this one…” and linked to this one. She said she thought it was weird that I found it so quick, but didn’t think too much about it.  I just smirked to myself.

She’s pretty busy today with a baby shower for a friend of ours, but hopefully I can take her out somewhere tonight and we can watch the season premiere of Breaking Bad! Sounds like a solid birthday to me!

If you have a sec, leave a comment and tell her Happy Birthday! It means a lot to her when you guys comment. 

 

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Fashion Friday: Floral + Gold

Posted by Amber in Style on August 9, 2013  ||  16 Comments

I am having fun with Fashion Friday! Last week I played with mixing pattern for women, girls, and the home. I decided to mix 3 of my favorite fashion trends – florals, golds, and a Peter Pan collar – into some delightful inspiration before you get started on back to school shopping.

Basic Top / Peter Pan Collar Necklace /Earrings
Clutch / Jeans
Floral Pumps / Green + Pink Bangles

As I was putting this together, I realized the base – basic green tee, jeans, leather clutch – can pretty much be paired with anything for an entirely new look. It easily dresses down or up. I love the bright floral shoes and the pop from the statement jewelry. It’s casual but still dressy without being too overwhelming.

Also those earrings are only $9.90 on etsy. Steal.

Sparkle Tee / Floral Leggings / Canvas Backpack
Floral Bracelet / Gold Sandals / Polka Dot Notebook

Everything in this look for girls is under $20. Crazy deal, huh? No reason to compromise on little kid style with prices like that. The Peter Pan collar tee would look great with a skirt too. I kinda want that flower bracelet for myself.

Art / Chandelier
Cabinet / Leather Chair / Love Pillow
Floral Rug / Moroccan Pouf / Side Table

I am crushing on that floral rug from Urban Outfitters. Of course the chandelier with the worn leather chair make this room. The Peter Pan collar inspiration is the scalloped wall. I think I should get some points for cleverness on that. There are a ton of feminine aspects to this room, but I feel like a dude could totally live in this space comfortably. It’s a great mix for both genders.

Tamsyn of Max and Me sells the love pillow in her etsy shop. Go check it out.

What do you think? Isn’t it fun to see fashion and home side by side? Would your man be okay if you decorated your room with gold + floral + scallops? It’s tax free weekend in Texas, so I might be picking up some of these fashions. Well for Ramona anyway (thanks 33 week baby belly).

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Shop Nashville Antiques

Posted by Amber in Antiquing, Shop, Travel on August 8, 2013  ||  18 Comments

Last month we spent a quick weekend in Nashville. There was a lot of work that needed to be done, so we didn’t get to spend as much time as usual hitting up our favorite antique spots. Remember our loot from the Nashville flea last year? Such antique goodness in Nashville. Get ready to be bombarded.

This hanging wicker chair was in amazing shape. I’ve been wanting one for a very long time and Emily Henderson makes me want one even more. Technically we own 2, but they aren’t in good enough shape. This beauty was $695 which put it way out of budget especially since you can buy a new one at Serena and Lily for $450. Still gorgeous.

This lamp was insane. It was hand crafted not vintage. Think of how amazing it would look in a minimalist living room or dare I say it nursery! It was $95 – not a terrible price but too much when we didn’t have a clear purpose for it.

This vintage airplane propeller was $200 I think. It was huge. I would have loved to get it for Nick’s office to mount over a window. Of course he technically doesn’t have an office right now, so we passed.

I can’t remember how much this was and now I’m wondering why in the world we didn’t buy it. Those gorgeous pulls. Oh why did I not take this with me.

[Nick Edit: I think it was around $300… more than we were wanting to spend and I wasn’t sure we had room for it on the way back.]

These basketball jersey were amazingly vintage. Just looking at them makes me think about Pleasantville.

This black and white portrait is so creepy and would look great with the right art around it. It was $15, and we almost bought it. We have 1 creepy painting already, so we could use another one. I am hoping to get one from my actual relatives though.

Blame the pregnancy brain, but I can’t remember the price of this vintage dress form. I remember thinking it wasn’t a terrible price for how amazing it was, but it wasn’t a steal of a deal. I mean it is gorgeous.

Now for our purchases…

You know we have a thing for airplanes around here. When we saw this vintage airplane mobile, there was no way we could pass it up. It was $25. It’s even more adorable in person. The tiny wood airplanes have cloth wings and string detailing. Those wood clouds send the adorableness factor through the roof. Look for this mobile in various nursery moodboards soon.

We’ve seen several vintage Girl Scout uniforms, but we finally bought one for Ramona. It was her souvenir of sorts. She keeps saying it’s going to be her Halloween costume. I tried to convince her that we should go as a family s’more with the new baby. However she says, “That’s weird, mommy.” Whatevs little kid.

So there you have it. A couple of purchases and a lot of lusting after some beautiful vintage items.

You can read about more of our Nashville shopping experiences at the flea, Southeastern Salvage, and Antique Archaeology.

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Foundation: The Pouring and the Prepping

Posted by Amber in Building on August 6, 2013  ||  16 Comments

After a whole bunch of dirt moving, we pulled up to our lot after our Alt experience to find some exciting progress peaking over our little uphill lot. See the forms and pipes sticking up!

The forms for the foundation were set meaning the entire outer footprint of the house was staked out. AND the electrical and plumbing lines were put down. Obviously those have to be established before the slab is poured. It was pretty easy to see where the the rooms downstairs would be based on the forms and plumbing lines.

We like to play a game called baby progress vs. house progress. I was 30 weeks, 2 days when we hit this home milestone. Clearly the baby is going to win and come before the house is finished, but it’s nice to compare the progress of both our babies as they grow.

Over the next 2 days, the crew worked on digging the trenches for the foundation footings. You can see the machine that trenches. Plus the guys that dig and square off the trenches. This angle is the kids’ rooms and bathroom.

Once the trenches were dug, the foundation prep looked like this. Basically they make a grid of squares across the plotted space. This is from the back side of the house looking into the master bedroom. You can see where the fireplace will be against the wall.

The squared piles of dirt between the trenches were tarped. The rebar was laid into the trenches and on top of the dirt piles. This is the final step before our dirt became our slab.

Our foundation was poured on a Saturday. Unfortunately we did not make it to the slab before it was mostly dry, so we didn’t get to put our hands in it. You know leave our mark for whoever owns this place in 100 years. Hopefully we will be able to do that when they pour the driveway by then the baby will probably be here to join in that fun!

Here is the entire foundation from the back view. It was so smooth like the best iced cake ever. Our initial thoughts? This looks small. How are we going to fit our entire living space on this? I mean I was having serious anxiety about it. Nick was annoyed at me.

He kept bring up the upstairs to which I kept reminding him that it doesn’t count since we aren’t finishing it yet. We were looking at almost 3,000 square feet (plus a 3 car garage and 700 square foot patio) thinking how is everything going to fit on this.

Seems ridiculous doesn’t it? Apparently this is a common feeling though, so good to know we are normal.

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H&M Home Picks

Posted by Nick in Shop on August 5, 2013  ||  23 Comments

Last week, while perusing one of my favorite Mens Blogs, I caught that the H&M ecommerce site was up and running. So I thought I’d do a roundup of some items I liked in the Home section.

Most of the selection is pillows, drapes, blankets, and accessories. No big pieces to speak of, but the stuff they have is pretty awesome and really reasonably priced. Some really cool stuff for babies too.

HNM-HOME-PICKS

1 – Duvet Cover Set  2 – Curtain  3 – Jacquard-weave Blanket  4 – Cushion Cover  5 – Canvas Cushion Cover  6 – Glass Jar  7 – Ceramic Jar  8 – Rattle  9 – Velvet Cushion Cover  10 – Toothbrush Holder  11 – Candle  12 – Candle  13 – Candle  14 – Cushion Cover

What do you think? We’ve already purchased a few things to stockpile until the house is finished.

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