Birdie Brigade

I promised I would share more with you about this sweet little birdcage that I put together for Nina's room.

First of all, I picked up the cage itself from a church rummage sale months ago. I think it was $1. Then I got the little nest at Hobby Lobby (maybe $3?), and the blue eggs from TJ Maxx on clearance ($4?). The birdcage is hanging from a simple hook in the ceiling, using a ribbon I had in my stash.

Most importantly, the birdies themselves! Aren't they precious? I got them on Etsy from Megan at My Sweet Pumpkin. She custom sewed Nina's name on each of them, and even went out of her way to find the exact colors I asked for: pale pink, pale yellow and sage green. I think I paid $5 or $6 for each of them. Totally worth it!

I wanted to hang something in the corner of Nina's room to give it more dimension. (Check out my last post if you want to see her whole room put together!) The birdcage is perched high enough so we can enjoy looking at it, but little hands can't grab it. Gotta have a strategy with 22-month-old Hurricane Henry lurking around! :)

I'll be back on Friday to tell you about the desk in the other corner of the room. Have a great day!

My Pretty Girl's Room

Months and months ago, I got an offer from Dutch Boy Paints to review their product. Obviously, they know my affection for painting things. What with moving my whole house (twice) and all, it has taken me a long time to get around to using the paint that they sent me.

Oh, how it was worth the wait!

I promised my four-year-old, Nina, that her room would be the first room painted in the new house. I selected "Delicate Pink" from Dutch Boy's collection. Here's Nina's room before:

And here is the after! Excuse the harsh lighting; I was trying to get a photo with the accurate color of the walls. It's a pale pink that doesn't overwhelm you with it's pink-ness, which I love.

Nina's room is small, but I am so happy with the color because it gives it a warm glow when the morning sun comes in.

I will be telling you more about this birdcage (below) soon, and also about the desk (above).

The gallon of paint was more than enough to cover the walls in one coat. That is reason enough for this mother-with-no-time to become a convert!

Dutch Boy paint in Delicate Pink. I love it!

I'm Back!

Hi everyone!

Long time, no see. How have you been? I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one! How have I been, you ask? Let me show you. I've been staring at this:

Yep, those are boxes. Yep, we moved. Again.

About six weeks ago we decided that a move was in the best interest of our family. It happened rather fast, and right before Thanksgiving we moved from the gorgeous 1930s Spanish Colonial (quite frankly, the more beautiful house I will ever live in!) to this:

It's a sweet and humble 1950s ranch in Lafayette, California. While I miss those stunning hardwood floors and amazing view in the old house, I can't deny that there are certain perks to this new place. Namely, this tree in our new backyard, which is just begging for a tire swing:

It's been an interesting ride so far. We did most of the move ourselves since it was only a distance of ten miles. Lots of sore muscles, all in the name of saving some money! However, our poor dog has no idea where he lives, and sometimes I wonder if the kids do either. (For instance, today Nina asked me if she could play in the basement. I had to remind her that we no longer have one. Hmm...)

I believe, though, that this was a good decision for our family. I am feeling remarkably settled, considering how much upheaval we have had in the past few months! And I've already been working on some house projects that I can't wait to show you.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I'll be back next week with some new material, and can't wait to reconnect!

The Wall-O-Photos

Some of you asked to see the photo wall on the staircase landing. I must say, I have loved walking by it every day. Unlike my old photo wall, this time I branched out to include things other than just photos. I have a silhouette of my husband as a little boy, a framed poem written by my great-grandmother, random stars and mirrors and clocks, and a big letter G for our last name. I also included black accents as well as gold. I like the mixture!

For all of you who hate the angled photos, I am sorry. It's hard to get a good photo pointing up the stairs.

Basically I just started in the middle of the wall with that big mirror, and worked my way out. I didn't worry too much about everything being perfectly spaced, because I don't have that kind of patience! But I am thrilled with how it turned out.

And now, a small announcement: I am taking a break from the blog. I'm not sure for how long, I'm thinking a month or so. We've got some stuff going on that I will share with you eventually, but now I just need to deal with it. I am OK, we are OK, but my attention needs to be elsewhere.

But please don't forget about me, because I will be back!

Welcome to Henry's New Room!

Here's another example of how thankful a girl can be when her rental house has great paint colors already on the walls.

Henry's room faces the front of the house, and it's got these sloped ceilings that make it extra-cozy. It was already painted a warm brownish-gray, which looks great with his furniture.

The hardwood floors in here are so pretty. And his buffalo check curtains (from Pottery Barn Kids) look right at home!

I picked up that red lantern (hanging from a simple hook in the ceiling) at a Goodwill store back in Denver. We just ran the wire down the corner of the room, and it blends in with the paint color!

I love this little reading nook, where we read Henry's bedtime story every night.

It's a perfectly cozy room for a perfectly sweet little guy!

Living Room Love

I've been away for a little unplanned break. Working to finish the house, get settled, and more importantly, take time to engage in life here with my family. We've been exploring and enjoying the city, and a few weeks' time has helped to make me feel a little less like a foreigner. The kids and I even have a few play dates set up! So we're surviving.

I thought I might show you my new family room and den. Come on in! This first photo is taken from the doorway, which is to the right of the front door as you enter the house. (Oh, and also? You better believe I am counting the days until fall temperatures arrive and that fireplace gets some action!)

Now here I am taking a photo while standing on the couch, to give you another angle. I could not be more excited about those built-in bookshelves. I swear I would live in a pup tent if someone would build me built-ins in there.

I am standing in the corner by the bookshelves for this next photo. The room beyond the living room is being used as my den. Love that.

Here's a bit closer up of the den. Don't you just love the ceilings in this house?

The den again. Ahhh...lovely sight. This is the first time this grown-up has had a desk of her own in the house. Before I just had stacks of papers on the edge of the kitchen counter. I feel rather spoiled.

It's a great house to cozy up in. My kiddos seem to agree with me!

New Uses for My Old Stuff

My favorite thing about moving to a new house is the way that you get to re-think how you use your stuff. For example, this chandelier hung in my master bathroom in our Colorado house. It was a huge bathroom, so it worked really well in there.

In our new house, I decided to use it outside. I love how it makes the deck feel more room-like, and gives it more dimension.

Of course, anything would look good when set against this amazing view!

We sat out there the other night at sunset, and the candles hanging above us added such a nice ambiance!
Want to come over for dinner?