Baby C's Nursery

We are 15 days away from the due date, people!! 

 Let's hope she comes before or on that day.... HA. 

Regardless, her little nursery is ready when she is. 

Have a look.

If you care about the details...

Bedding, Curtains, & Changing Pad Cover 

I saw the set on Pinterest and about died. Then I died again when I saw the price tag. I decided I would just use the print as inspiration, but my oh-so-amazing Mom actually bought it all for me - here! Let's be honest, minus a few little things Grandma helped fund this nursery significantly. She's great and a little excited for a grandchild ;)

Gallery Wall

I found all of the framed art for my gallery wall online. There is some really cute stuff out there, and most of it's FREE. Links below. (Sorry, I can't remember where I found the blue arc art... I'm pretty sure it was a desktop wallpaper though haha. Whatever works, people!). The key was an old item I had laying around. I just painted it gold to match. The white oval frame is from Hobby Lobby.

Water color floral

No love in fear

Geometric gold heart

World map

Little but fierce

Rocking Chair & Footstool

These things are PRICEY. I went back and forth on this purchase. We ended up finding this gem at Downeast. They have product online too but the real deals are in store. Every store can be different and sometimes when things go, they are gone forever. We just kept checking back and we found this chair on sale. The footstool was an IKEA find. Bonus- it has storage!

"Ferle" Rug

Maybe completely unnecessary because there is already carpet in her room? This rug was too good to pass up though. 6' 5" x 4' 4" and I got it for like $20 at IKEA. We must have bought one of the last in stock because I don't see it online anymore. I know it's not super high quality and it won't last forever - but $20?? Worth it.

Gold Nightstand. Lips, Arrows & Heart Art

Hobby Lobby is your friend, people!! I wasn't even planning on these pieces, but they are just so cute. Stock is always changing, but they have so much to choose from. It was hard to pick!

Owl Lamp

Potterybarn is usually out of my price range, but we found a long lost gift card from our wedding! SCORE. Originally the lamp was like $50/$60 bucks... yikes. I got it on sale though. The gold ears are a nice touch. Don't you think?

Changing Table

Vintage! From Austin's mom. Austin himself was changed on this thing 26 years ago. Precious, right??

Dresser

Another vintage item! My mom grew up with this dresser in her room as a bedroom set, then passed it all onto me, and now I am passing it onto our daughter! It was a teal color before with some serious vintage hardware. I WISH I had taken a "before" picture, but I forgot. I used Americana Decor chalk paint and wax finish (get it at any local craft store), and I got the hardware at Home Depot.

The dresser matched this desk before I painted it.

Gallery Wall on a Budget

Operation beautify flat continues with this gallery wall on a budget! 

Type in "gallery wall" on Pinterest and you get all of these AMAZING creations that probably cost a fortune.  I wish we were rolling in the dough but we just aren't. I'm not embarrassed to tell you that all of these frames are from Poundland (the Dollar Store for England). I am also not embarrassed to tell you that I made that flower out of plastic spoons and cardboard. I'm on a strict budget and that's how things get done around here!

I am not particularly experienced with Photoshop or other design programs so free printables are the way to go! Check out where I got my pieces from, below. 

Without further ado, here it is!

Excuse the poor lighting and photo quality. Amateur hour over here. You get the idea though.

Spoon Flower Tutorial here

"Choose Happy" print here

Chevron Arrow print here

Pineapple print here

"Love is a verb. Love is a doing word" print here

"Home is wherever I'm with you" print here (My dear friend Catherine made this for me. THANKS CATH!!)

I can't find where I found the "Be Kind" printable. But honestly, you could just make that one yourself.

Dreaming

I love dreaming. It's a free adventure every night! Besides the point. The real point is, there is not one decoration in our entire flat. We couldn't exactly bring any with us, given our packing limitations. The bank account and the husband would also not appreciate it if I spent money on expensive decor. This left me with one option: make it yourself. Yay crafting, right?

I'm starting with our room. Over the bed to be exact. Nothing fancy. Super simple.

It's so so easy to make too! All you need is:

I found the actual letters for free here. I printed them off and glue dotted them to the colored paper. (Secret... I used glue dots to mount the clothes pins to the wall too).  I wish I had twine to hang the thing. I couldn't find any in the city and didn't want to order it online, so string worked just fine. I tripled it up so it was a little thicker on the wall. 

Honestly, easiest craft of my life. I love how it turned out!

Side note:
I listened to this song on repeat while making the banner. LOVE IT. Not sure if it's popular in the States, but I'm all about it.

Ruffles

GUYS! I sewed something successfully!! This is very exciting because the last time I tried to sew it was a complete disaster. The supposed-to-be maxi skirt was skin tight, had crooked seams, and no hem. Needless to say, this is a big deal for me.

I bought this suit at Old Navy last summer. It's super cute and flattering but the cups provide ZERO coverage. I thought it would be cute to add some sort of trim to give it a little extra coverage and make the suit unique. As you can see I chose RUFFLES! I love how it turned out! I am not going to provide any sort of tutorial because I'm sure I did it all wrong, and it's going to fall apart in a week. Now off to Mexico in two days where I can show this baby off!

2.14

In our cozy apartment we have very limited counter space. We have a small roll out island that we put in the middle of the kitchen that has a wood surface.  I use this as my main counter space in the kitchen. I always put hot pots and pans straight from the oven or stove directly on it. My husband always warns me that I am going to burn the countertop or even worse, our house down.

To solve this problem we made Valentines theme trivets! We found them in packs of three at IKEA- here- for like 3 bucks. We thought it would be cute to do conversation hearts. 

1) Cut out contact paper to use as your stencil. We are lucky enough to have a friend in our craft group that did this for us with her craft machine. 

2) Stick the stencil on the trivet and then use Mod Podge to seal the edges.

3) Once dry, paint over the stencil and wait for it to completely dry. (The middle one was supposed to say "Hot Stuff" but I was impatient and didn't wait long enough for it to dry. I peeled it off and will just keep it as my year round trivet.)

4) Peel off the stencil and finish with a paint sealant.

The finished product:

Keep in mind these are 7" trivets.  Much bigger than a drink coaster. 

Early Bird

I honestly used to hate it when people started celebrating Christmas early. Then one day I realized that Christmas makes me happy- the decorations, music, food, love, and just the whole spirit! Why can't I start celebrating it now?? Is that a crime??

Here is a little craft I made to kick of the celebration of the season. Don't hate me for bringing the spirit of Christmas early :)

But really... let's remember what it is truly about. 

An excerpt from our loving Prophet, Thomas S. Monson's address "Because He Came."

"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ.

Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others.

Because He came, there is meaning to our mortal existence.

Because He came, we know how to reach out to those in trouble or distress, wherever they may be.

Because He came, death has lost its sting, the grave its victory. We will live again because He came.

Because He came and paid for our sins, we have the opportunity to gain eternal life.

Because He came, we are gathered tonight to worship Him, in bonds of brotherhood and love."

There is a reason why this season is special. Let us not forget that.

Everything in Its Place

There are times in my life when I misplace things, forget things, and sometimes completely lose things. This happens more than it should. One item that I never want to misplace, forget, or completely lose is my wedding ring. I usually take it off at night when I sleep, but I don't always put it in the same place. This leads to heart attacks in the morning when I seem to have misplaced my ring. I saw this great idea on Pinterest that is the perfect solution to my problem. I decided to be crafty and make one of my own.

What you need:

• Frame
• Scrapebook paper or fabric
• Hook (I used a button)
• Glue gun

I planned on getting a cheap frame from DI or Goodwill but I found this gem at Hobby Lobby and couldn't pass it up. The scrapbook paper was cheap and HL has every option in the world. The hook was the hardest thing to find. I could not find ANYTHING that didn't have to be screwed in. I found the button and decided it was much cuter anyway! 

This little project was so easy I don't even need to provide steps... but I will just in case :)

1) Cut the paper to the right size and put it in the frame. I got a nice little surprise here when the glass in my frame was permanently attached. I just put the paper behind the glass and decided I would glue the button directly on the glass.

2) Warm the hot glue gun. Glue the button/hook on the frame with enough space for the ring to hang down. 

3) Wait for it to dry and hang your ring. Easy!

Here's how it turned out. I love it!