Break Time!

Hello Readers!  Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas.

I'm taking a little rest from blogging for the next wee bit. 

Be back soon ;)

The Colour of Champagne

Am I the only weirdo that's been married for 8 years and still looks at wedding dresses???  I can't help it!  My wedding dress was dumb - it was a total spontaneous purchase....

And that damn pinterest.... there are so many beautiful dresses to fantasize about!

Anyway, I saw this dress on Pinterest..

 and then this one...

and then this one...

And then I realized it's not the stupid dress I am inlove with, it's the colour.  That chnampange colour.  I just love it.  So, I started digging into the colour a bit more and found some beautiful stuff.  My new obsession - CHAMPAGNE.

My Christmas Wrapping Paper!

After my post about Christmas wrapping paper ideas (here), I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do this year! I received a ton of emails from followers with suggestions (thank you very much, btw!).  Eventually, I decided on traditional kraft paper, with twine and fresh greens.  I love how the gifts turned out and they look beautiful under my tree!  Can't wait to give them out!

Notice my crumpled tree skirt???  Ask this little mischievous one what happened to it!!

Favourite Finds Friday

This week, I saw this picture on Pinterest, and it sparked my long lost love for tartan.  Hummmm, tartan - can be tacky and ugly, or rich and chic.  Here are my rich and chic finds this week!

Tartan Cup and Saucer.  The Bay

Red Tartan Flounce Pillow.  Pier1

Ralph Lauren Home

and c'mon, who wouldn't wear these red soles???

Christian Louboutin Tartan Pumps

Dollar Store Candle Craft (FAIL!)

You can't win them all my friends - this is my first (shared) craft fail.

My original idea came from this post on Glitter Guide which I found on Pinterest.
Double sided tape + glitter = easy, cute, glittered stuff.

I wanted to make 2 vases for my Christmas dinner table.

First step - collect everything you need from the Dollar Store!

- Vase
- Double sided tape
- Glitter
- Epsom salts

I wanted 2 stripes of red glitter on each vase.  I was paranoid I would tape completely uneven and waste a whole roll of tape, so, I used a stripe of painters tape as a guide.  Then did a row of double sided tape above and below the green tape. Nice and even!

Next, I went bananas with glitter.  It stuck no problem to the double sided tape.  Very good idea Glitter Guide!!

Next, fill your vase with epsom salts - it looks like snow!!!
Then add some cute candles and ta da.  Dollar Store craft at it's best.

Not happy with how they turned out.  I like how the glitter stuck to the tape - very cool tip for future crafts, but these just ended up looking cheezy. 

I ripped off the glitter tape, and now here they are on my festive table.  Nice and plain.  And now I like them.

Recreating an Inspiration Room

When you look at a nursery like this, it's easy to say "whoa, love that!", but then end up doing a traditional Winnie the Pooh room from Babies 'r Us because you can never imagine being able to do this room yourself.

No need to be intimidated, I can guarantee this room is just as easy to accomplish as the easy bed-in-the-bag nursery... without breaking the bank!

Artistic Design for living

Let's breakdown the elements in the room and figure out how to recreate this beautiful, inspirational nursery!

Starting with the paint colour - I just love this icy, baby blue from Benjamin Moore!

Blue Ice (Benjamin Moore)

A glidder in a nursery is so important for those late night feedings.  I can remember sleeping in that thing at 4am...  feels like just yesterday!  I spent a pretty penny on my glidder, and I'm glad I did.  Worth every cent!  Thankfully, it's still in good use at my Brother's house with Aunt Kitty and the babies!

This one isn't even that pricey - $995 from  Monte Design Group

Luca Glider

Personally, I would have changed the piping colour - LOVE this look!

The pillow in this room is from Trina Turk and runs well over $100.

I've NEVER spent $100 bucks on a pillow.  Especially for a nursery!!!!
This pillow screams DIY.  Check out this tutorial from Living Savvy

And one from Urban Jane

I'm not sure exactly where the crib in the inspiration picture is from, but a white crib like this is easy to find.
I love the curved lines on this one from Pottery Barn.  And, $750 isn't too much to spend on a crib.  This one converts into a day bed, and then full size bed.  You'll have it for years.

Hayden Crib.  Pottery Barn.  $750

Check out this dresser I found on Sears.ca for just $279.99 (it comes in white!)  The legs are the exact same as the one in the inspiration shot.

Change the hardware and Voila!!!

Chrome Pull.  Home Depot.  $6.99

Area rugs are one of my favourite things to shop for.  They are readily available at big box stores these days which means you can save some big time money.  Especially if you are looking for something rather simple... like a chocolate brown area rug ;)

Crazy deal - this one from Home Depot is just $239 for an 8'x10'.  Amazing deal.  And really, who wants to spend more than that on a nursery rug. Do you know how gross spilled milk smells after a while?!?!?!  I don't care how much you clean that thing!

8'x10' Chocolate Brown Shag Rug.  Home Depot.  $239

Now, if you are looking for something with a little more detail, shop around.  There are so many great rugs out there that can add a little something extra to your room.  But for a nursery, I wouldn't recommend spending too much money.  This one from Pottery Barn is a fair price.

8' x 10' Striped Rug.  Pottery Barn.  $750

Custom made rugs are always an affordable option.  Visit a local carpet store (or call my buddy Keith at Direct Carpet).  You can bind a stain resistant carpet into any rug size you want.

You can ask my friend Shannon, I am (now) a PRO at shopping for crib bedding.  One thing I learned from shopping for her baby's bedding, is that custom is not always more expensive.  I found a ton of options for crib bedding on Etsy.com.  And the best part of etsy.com is that the shops are mostly owned by independent people, which means you can always haggle a good deal out of them.

Check out this adorable crib bumper.  Just $20.

Mezoome Designs.  Etsy.com

Starting at just $24 for a custom change pad cover, Sweet Dreams Custom Crib bedding on etsy.com will make anything, in any pattern or colour that you can imagine.  You can even get a 5pcs set for $339.  Really, not a bad deal for all custom!

Think about getting just a few pieces custom - Like a bumper pad and a quilt, and then shop at Sears or Babies R Us for solid colour pieces to match.

Sweet Dreams.  Etsy.com.  Custom Bedding

I am crazy about the drapes in this room.  I LOVE the combination of orange and brown.  These are super easy and cheap to sew yourself.  And these days, grommets are so easy to do yourself.  They literally just snap in place.

Vintage Poly Burlap.  Fabric.com $6.98/yd

Vintage Poly Burlap.  Fabric.com $6.98/yd

Curtain Grommet Kit.  Fabric.com.  $9.09

Do you have a room you'd like to me to help you recreate?  Feel free to email me a picture of your space and your inspiration space!!