Sweet Child O'Mine

Oh. My. Goodness.
One more reason to love facebook – I now get to see all of the beautiful baby nurseries that my friends have put together. And let me tell ya – I have some creative friends! I am loving all of the dressers turned into changing tables, the gorgeous armoires, the beautiful color combos and how fabulously personal each one looks. I also love the photogs who do the "home" session so you can see sweet pics of the nurseries. There is one that I know Stephanie and I both can't stop talking about. The muted ruffles against a jewel tone wall for a little girl - ahhh! soo cute!!

While perusing the web I found the amazing website http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/home-tours. This site covers many topics but just so happended to feature one of my favorite things - baby nurseries. I found some fun, personal, and beautiful baby rooms.
There is something so sweet and innocent about a room that eager soon-to-be parents spend so much time focusing on to make sure it's perfect for their newest family member. So much love, joy, & attention go into creating an atmosphere for learning & growing for a child you haven't even met yet.

So sweet!

I I really like the crisp feel of the white dresser with the bright yellow changing pad. Also, notice the cute yellow bucket filled with items you need while changing. Smart!

I love the black & white - timeless!

One thing I adore is a dresser used as a changing table. To me - it doesn't get any more practical than that. You take a dresser that the child can use for a very long time and add a changing table and it becomes the most practical piece of furniture in the room. Then when you don't need the changing pad anymore you remove it only to add other things that work better. I would think too, that as the child learns to walk & is getting into everything having a changing pad
& a few changing items would be less of a distraction from any chords or anything heavy they could pull down that could be potentially harmful. I think it's important to have a changing area for babies because it seems like it would help with structure. You go to the same place each time to have your diaper or your clothes changed. I could be crazy, but it sounds good to me :)

Another favorite of mine - bookcases in your child's room. Reading should always be an important part of your routine, so why not show it off in a really cute way? It can also be used to hold baskets with necessary items, toys, and many other things. Again, another piece you can keep for a long time and personalize as your child gets older.

A great place to store blankets, toys, baskets, books - gotta love a good bookcase!

stripes - love 'em!

I want this room in my house. Plain and simple.

I REALLY want the big monogram pillow!
And the mirror.

Oh, and the collage of pictures, too.

I mean - why didn't I think of this years ago?!

Wedding Dresses: The short story.

Reception/send off dresses seem to be really popular these days. I've seen everything from fancy, short white dresses to cute, colorful spring dresses. I definitely don't see them as a necessity, but defintiely a fun option if you can fit it into your budget. I personally chose to have one to get me out of my long wedding gown, and give me more freedom while dancing! :) I stumbled upon these two dresses this morning. They are meant to be actual wedding gowns- cocktail length wedding gowns also seem to be a growing trend and a great idea for a summertime outdoor wedding!- but would also be super fun party dresses! Reception dresses are also perfect for the bride who has a small ceremony or destination wedding, and throws a big reception later.




{dresses by Pronovias, photos courtesy of Paperblog.fr}

I on the other hand went for this style. Not so much appropriate for a wedding dress, but party dress? Sure! They are also a great way to really show your style and personality. Therefore, I wanted something super fun and girly! Fluffy tulle, check. Rhinestones, check. :)

{dress by Sherri Hill}

Here are some other great party/send off dresses!

{lillypulitzer.com}

{BCBG dress at Nordstrom.com}

{jcrew.com}

Depending on your style and your vision, these dresses can be found almost anywhere! Don't forget to check out the prom section of stores, they often have great cocktail length dresses that come in a variety of colors (including white!).

Real Simple Centerpieces

Two humble elements―a wooden salad bowl and carnations―add up to something special. Cut the stems to three or four inches, arrange in a glass dish, and place in the bowl.

Great for a hot night!

Bucket with dry sand holding down the lollipops – perfect for a kids table!

Granny smith apples floating at different heights for a still life

Real Simple way to make your bookcase different...

As I was looking on the real simple website today I saw this.
LOVE the different letters that spell READ on your bookcase. So easy!
Hmm, I'm inspired. I have a little room at the top of my bookcase to add some letters. I will make sure to add my pic once I have a finished product!

A Kiss for You

My Nana loved, loved, loved Hershey Kisses. She kept them in a crystal bowl in her bedroom. To this day I can't eat one without thinking of her. When I saw this I remembered her "kissing" booth one year out our church Fall Festival where she gave out "kisses". She would have adored this centerpiece.
I do - so fun and easy!

Personal & Practical Baby Gift

Not long ago I was trying to come up with a good idea for a personal and practical baby gift. I wanted to make sure it was something that no one else would get my sweet niece but also something that I knew she could use(since let's face it - when it comes to baby girls all us women want to buy them are the way cute clothes!). I had already started collecting books and so I knew that would be a part of the gift, so I just added more, and more, and more :) That's what aunts are for!

Here is what I came up with:

- I started with my favorite target brand of the summer - Liberty London. LOVE this print(I even snagged one for myself to use in our guest room)! Ellie Grace's room has lots of polka dots in brown,green, yellow, & pink so the floral will be a different addition. The great thing is, when can you NOT use a basket? You can use it for the books, for her lotions and creams on the changing table - whatever you need.

- Books, books, and more books. I shopped Hastings clearance section, TJMaxx, Marshall's, Ross, etc. for some good finds - even the husband had fun helping me! We have a book for bedtime, a book for play time, & a classic book that every child needs "Love You Forever". My favorite is a book that I found at - of all places- Office Max(while the husband was shopping for pens) in a clearance bin whose main character is a pink elephant named Ellie(too, too perfect since her nursery has lots of elephants & her name is Ellie Grace!), a ballerina book for our future little dancer that has swan lake music in the background, & a book about a bunny tea party(well, because I love bunnies). In each we wrote a personal note for Ellie Grace to remind her of her Aunt & Uncle's love for her. Now let's just pray she grows up loving to read as much as we do :)

- My husband's favorite - a little Juicy Couture romper we found that we just couldn't resist. I can't WAIT to see her in that sweet little outfit and{of course} the bow to go with it ;)

- Since most babies live in onesies and knit pants the first year I figured we may as well make them cute, so we did! We gave one short sleeved & one long sleeved onesie with her monogram on one & her name on the other(thanks Beverly!). And of course, a bow for her to wear in her strawberry blonde hair with each and precious knit pants to match - one pair of pink & the other pair with pink & purple stripes.

- We also gave 2 picture frames and a fun little pair of purple mary janes for her little newborn feet.

- We also gave diapers and wipes - you can never go wrong with those!

{I typically don't spend as much on gifts as this one - but since it was family, well - we made some exceptions! Plus, this is about 3 shower gifts in one since we didn't have that many showers}

*Emily