baby girl's nursery

when i started thinking about decorating emma grace's nursery, i realized that honestly, her nursery is really for me. other than looking through photos, she would have no recollection of the adorable crib skirt and bedding i picked out for her.  i started thinking of the things that were important to me (especially during 3 am feedings...) and i decided i wanted it to be calm, happy, and comfortable.  

bub-hub gave me a camera strap last christmas that had the most beautiful floral pattern on it and i just became obsessed. after searching the internet and calling hundreds of fabric stores, i found the amy butler fabric and started buying up as much as i could find.  i loved the bright colors and i thought the balance of pinks and blues and bright greens were just perfect. 

we painted the walls the calmest shade of pink we could find, and filled the room with white furniture and accents to keep the focus on the fun colors in her bedding. 

i also tried really hard to stick to our budget.  pinterest and etsy are fabulous dangerous places, but after many pro/con/do i really need the crystal chandelier conversations with myself (and bub-hub...), i chose the things that were most important to me.  i knew i wanted to do a hoop wall collage, and have a few elements for her name.  but i also knew that I would probably want to add things later on as she grew up and we started making family memories together. 

i'm pretty sure baby girl loves her room...at least, she loves having her diaper changed on her changing table! :)  

crib - pottery barn kids
lamp, night stand, dresser/changing table - ikea
quilt and crib sheet - shelly akerly
crib skirt - caden lane, etsy

photos by sarah carpenter photography

welcome to our entryway

i finally decorated our apartment entry way.

4 months isn't too long to wait is it?

 

 

i found 4 matching frames at goodwill,

spray painted them with white, matte paint

and filled the frames with cute fabric!

easy as pie.

 

p.s. hobby lobby sells patterned burlap.

shut the front door.

pretty lifechanging find if i do say so myself.

 

do you have any fun and easy home projects to share?

 

 

 

Marital Counseling: HGTV Edition

lately,

bub-hub and i have been trying to watch more HGTV.

something about being married just makes us feel that is the responsible thing to do.

i have to say, it's been pretty interesting.

we are learning quite a bit about each other.

not that we are anywhere near ready for a home of our own,

but it's good to know what you're getting into before the pressure is really on!

who needs pre-marital counseling when you can watch HGTV?

 

one thing we agree on is dark, hardwood floors.

i truly love the way they warm up a room.

Source: muskokaliving.ca via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

and we love the brick accent walls:

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

and how cute is this door? just makes you want to come right in and have a cup of tea.

Source: designindulgences.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

i've never really thought of myself as a feather girl, but i could go for these:

Source: thenaturalweddingcompany.co.uk via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

and when i asked bub-hub for polka dot walls, he very politely said, "ummmmm you're obsessed." see....communication is key :)

Source: thedecorista.tumblr.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

perhaps he'd go for a more subtble version like this for a craft room:

Source: bartsch-paris.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

 

raider will definitely need a comfy chair to relax in. that is a non-negotiable. :)

Source: rockcandy56.blogspot.com.au via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 someday we will be ready for a home of our own.

but until then, our apartment is perfectly wonderful.

 

do you have a dream home floating around in your head?

 

 

 

how to make a headboard

i would like to introduce you to my dream bed:

Source: westelm.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 everything about it is lovely, with the exception of it's price tag.

somehow, bub-hub allowed me to convince him that we could do this ourselves. for way less.

after i convinced him, and gave myself a pep talk

we headed off to lowes for our supplies.

 

 a level

measuring tape

wood stain

(we used 2 cans of spray-stain)

3 1in x 6 in x 6 ft boards

4 1 in x 8 in x 6 ft boards

(precut from your local hardware store)

14 2 inch dry wall screws

electric screwdriver

 

a few tips:

tip #1 - measure the width of the boards yourself.

for example, the 6 inch wide boards were actually 5.25 inches wide and the 8 inch wide boards were actually 7.4 inches across.

tip #2 - you can have boards cut for you at the store.  if you only want your boards to be 5 feet long, or if you need a 10 foot board cut down to 7 feet, they can do it for you! all you have to do is ask.
tip #3 - make sure your electric screwdriver is charged. :)

 

before you head to the store, measure how wide and how tall you want your head board to be.  we have a queen sized bed and so a 6 foot long headboard was perfect.

i also knew i wanted it to be be around 48 inches tall, so we used a combination of boards that was close to it.  the final height was 50 inches.

 

[step 1]

pick out your stain. 

you can go the traditional route and paint it on, or you can spray paint it on.  we chose the spraypaint.

 

[step 2]

prepare your work area.

we laid our boards on packing paper to protect our patio.

 

[step 3]

follow the directions on the stain and apply carefully.

i could hear my dad's voice in my head the entire time...

go with the grain!

i guess you never know which life lessons are going to stick.

whatever you do...go with the grain.

 

[step 4]

let everything dry!

 for me, waiting is the hardest part.

i love seeing the end product.

i knew that i wanted this to be a success and not a disaster,

so i waited 5 hours for everything to dry before moving on to the next step.

 

[step 5]

lay out your boards in the order you want them to hang, and mark place on the wall.

we alternated 6 inch boards and 8 inch boards.

 

[step 6]

initially, we decied to try using 3m velcro strips.

it was working just great, and the boards were holding just fine, but i just couldn't get the vision of boards falling down on me in the middle of the night out of my head.

we inserted 2 dry wall screws, 1 inch from the outside edge in the center of each board. i am definitely sleeping better and am nightmare free.

and easy and simple solution. 

 [step 7]

step back and admire your work.

you did it! :)

 the lamps and yellow pillow are from the always lovely target. i believe the bedding is from target as well. i've had it since high school.the nightstands are simply crates that previously served as wedding props, and were found at a flea market. easy peasey.

 

what i love most about this project is how easy it is to personalize. you can change the stain, the number of boards, the space between the boards, the width of the boards, anything and everything can be adjusted. such a simple project that can make such a big difference in your room.

 

[here is the original pin and tutorial that inspired me.]

 

a weekend update :)

this weekend was a fantastic and relaxing one.

we spent saturday watching college football and playing games.

42 anyone?

i'm a pretty ok partner.

at least that's what bub-hub tells me.

sunday, i ran errands and did some damage at target.  

can a girl ever have enough flats??

pretty sure the answer is no.

don't worry, only the bottom two are new purchases. 

i didn't do that much damage. ;)

 i also made a stop at crate and barrel and used a gift card to pick up some fall pieces for our new table!

yayyyy!

aren't gift cards are the best??

it makes shopping a little less painful and it's easier to explain why it was necessary to buy a bag full of plastic pomegranates to bub-hub. :)

i also made a fun announcement yesterday:

thankful thursday link up!

fun games with friends, shopping, and decorating for fall.

what's not to love?

how was your weekend??

how to paint like a non-professional

here are a few thought on how to paint like a non-professional:

tape everything and protect your floors.

taping was such a beat down,

but i'm so glad we did it.

so worth it.

invest in the tools of the trade.

we picked up two kits and a few extra rollers from the paint section at home depot.

we decided it was worth the extra $2 to get extra rollers instead of rinsing them out between colors.

paint with a buddy and leave them happy notes to cheer them up.

don't be cheap. buy a few samples.

you don't want to end up with highlighter yellow walls.

unless you like that sort of thing.

we ended up choosing the fourth one! :) and it is amazing!!

pick a good playlist. 

something to keep you focused and in the painting mood!

and last but not least...

paint messy.

at least i did...

somehow, bub-hub managed to remain spotless for the entire two day affair.

i had paint everywhere.

#messyisfunner

we worked so hard on the tape and protecting the floors...i wanted to put them to the test.

this was such a fun project, and i'm so glad bub-hub and i did it together

even though it took forever,

and even though i have blisters on my hands.

#worthit

#teamchastainforthewin

p.s. don't forget to link up your sweet treat swap packages tomorrow! yay!

painting the days away

well, our weekend can be wrapped up in two words:

painting marathon.

that's right folks. 

friday, we painted.

saturday, we painted.

i don't know why i thought it would only take us a few hours.

good thing bub-hub is a realist and planned for it to take the entire weekend.

and extra good thing i bought t-swift's new cd. 

#onrepeat #sorryimnotsorry

saturday morning, we made a shipley's donut run, and got ourselves pumped up for the day ahead of us.  nothing better than overdosing on sugary fried goodness. 

#halloweendonutsforthewin

when we got back to the apartment, we kicked it into beast mode.

 i think i might have started crying when we finished.

i've never been so happy in my life.

#teamchastainforthewin

how was your weekend??

p.s. i have so many new friends on instagram and i love it!!!

i wanna follow you too, so leave your name in a comment!

or add me @mrschastain

pinning paint chips

bub-hub and i are moving into our new apartment this weekend!

yay!

i'm super excited and having more space and transforming this new place our home!

one of the things i'm most excited about is painting the walls.

but it's also the thing i'm most nervous about.

i've never really painted before, so i've been reading so man how-tos and tutorials,

but i'll probably just end up winging it and making a mess.

i think we have our colors picked out:

a yellow kitchen

soft gray living room and bathroom

soft blue-gray bedroom

i know, we're super exciting, wild and crazy people.

 

 i love that this wall color is on the blue side of gray.

Source: roomzaar.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

or maybe a lighter shade of gray...

Source: houzz.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

doesn't this yellow kitchen make you so happy?

 

 

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Sarah Grace on Pinterest

 

i'm obessed with this blue.

i think it's so calming and peaceful.

a perfect room to come home to at the end of a long day.

 

Source: la-belle-vie.tumblr.com via Tara on Pinterest

but the again, who knows what i will actually walk out of the paint store with...if anything.

 

do you have any tips for painting?

how do you know what shade of paint to select?

 

 

organized clutter 101

i would probably describe my personal style as organized clutter.

i love walls and shelves full of picture frames and books and prints.

i even have boxes of frames and books sitting in my closet right now. oops. 

but as much as i love being surrounded by stuff, i definitely think there is a fine line between organized clutter and chaos. 

#basicallyhoarderstatus

i'm excited to tell you guys about a partnership that i'm doing with Apartment Guide. they contacted me and asked if i'd be willing to share some tips about apartment living and making the most of a small space on a budget.  so i thought i'd give you a few tips and tricks on how to display clutter in an organized fashion. whether you're living, looking or moving, Apartment Guide offers tips on how to decorate your apartment and make the most of your space on the Apartment Guide blog

[1] a sturdy shelf or two or three - i love the rubbermaid shelves they sell at home depot.  they are really simple to install and can hold up to 25 pounds. do you know how many picture frames that is?

[2] some stuff!  you can use books, picture frames, knick-knacks, candles, flower pots, anything you want!

[3] patience! sometimes, everything comes together perfectly the first time around. but most of the time, it takes a few rounds of rearranging before you find your fit. just take a deep breath and try again.

1. work in small sections at a time. 
i like to start with larger objects, like these coffee table books, first and add smaller pieces in around them.

i love using coffee table books, especially for their color.  when using heavy books, be extra careful and make sure you have something, like a book end, to support their weight keep them upright. i used a basic book end i found in the dollar section at target on one side and a woodcut on the other.  i like to use frames, or in this case, a container of pretty flowers, to hide the book end and add an extra something special. :)
it's a budget-friendly alternative to the pretty, but expensive, designer book ends.

2. don't be afraid to stack objects. 
i love the way picture frames and art prints look when they are clustered together.  you can lean things against each other or even stack items.
larger art prints, or photo canvases, can rest against the wall to create height, or, you can hang it on the wall just a few inches higher than the shelf, with a nail or hook, for a floating effect.

3. play around and create different looks.
move things around, take pieces out, add pieces in, swap things around.
when you finally have a shelf full of stuff, take a step back and stare at your creation.
it may take a few attempts and some rearranging before your feel that pitter-patter of happiness in your heart, but you'll get there.

here is another set of shelves to ponder over.

this set is a little simpler, but it still allows me to display all of my favorite photos! :)

yes i know, i'm a little obsessed with my bub-hub.

sorry i'm not sorry.

and of course, a girl's gotta display her cookbooks right?

4. have confidence in your creation.

tadaaaaaaa!

you're awesome, so therefore, everything you do it awesome.

duh.

the beauty of this decorating method is that there is no right or wrong.
nothing had to match,
nothing has to coordinate.
you can use what you already have floating around.

so there you have it, decorating with organized clutter 101.

if you’re ready for a whole new space or looking to move, apartment guide has the photos, floor plans, features and tips to help you find the perfect apartment community. “like” apartment guide on facebook, tweet at  them @AptGuide on twitter, “circle” them on google+ and follow them on Pinterest for real-time tips and updates on how to make the most of your small space.

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Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partner with bloggers such as me to participate in blogger programs.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any products and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.