The Nursery

It's gametime.  I still haven't done anything with Justin's nursery and he just hit the two-month mark.  eeeeeeek  (I also haven't sent out baby announcements yet-  arggg!!)     But he's starting to spend lots of time in here, is looking around more (and just started laughing this week! :)  and it's time to give him something special to stare at.  Right now the poor kid looks at this: 

...  And it's actually much worse than that.  (I replaced his shell mobile with his beautiful owl mobile since the picture was taken which doesn't work at all in the room's current state, but now the room is a huge mess because -  like I've said before- I don't take care of my "undone" rooms...  It gets so messy because I never want to spend any time in here.  bad mama)  I did put up shades to keep the un out at naptime...

I was really floundering with this room.  We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl so I decided to go with a general theme of owls & some fun colors and kind of a pale nature/ tree feeling...  I planned to do the room once the baby came because I just couldn't get into it but had a general idea that it would be soft & pale & realxing.  Dave painted the walls in a soft pretty cream.  I bought a few great accessories:

... And waited for little one to arrive.  When it was a HE and not a SHE, I really found that the direction I was going in just didn't appeal to me anymore.  I forgot about the space for a month in the midst of new baby busyness.  After he was a month old, I started saying to Dave, "We really need to do his nursery."  It's taken another month for me to actually get around to designing it.  But better late than never I guess.  (In all honesty, I know the nursery at this point is more for my hapiness than Justin's...  kids are fine anywhere when they're this tiny...ALthough I must say he LOVES his owl mobile and that thing is a Godsend.)

BUT I'm going in a really different direction.  The owls will stay but I'm going a little nutty in here.  I want it to have sort of a vintage, unexpected, Alice-in-Wonderlandy-curiosity-vibe.  I want it to be darker and higher-contrast so baby Justin has lots to lay his little eyes on.  The furniture we had was fron our old house & just doesn't fit well in here so I'm also reworking the shelving to fit this space.  And finally, we've got some beautiful vintage lighting from our old house that I can't wait to get installed!!

So this weekend we're repainting and I'm ordering fabrics- finally!!!  Here are some hints:

Don't be scurred.

Have an awesome weekend!!

xoxo,

lauren

*images from last sequence:  Domino via Windlost, Domino, Markham Roberts via Cote de Texas, Grant K Gibson, Elle Decor Magazine cover, Apartment Therapy

I Got a Feva!

It Sounds Warmer Out...

This morning when I woke up, it was just a little better.  My shades were down but I could hear the birds!!  Chirping like they should be!!  (Under the crying/ yelling of my two year-old who had just woken up on the wrong side of bed in his bedroom.)

There was more light at 6:40 AM than yesterday and it's seeming to get better each morning.  Could it really be here??

I'm afraid to open the shades, because I know there will be puddles of muddy snow and a mudpit of a yard to look at, so for now I'm just chillin in bed with #1 (Christian, our 2 year-old) and I hear #2 (Our two-month old, Justin) starting to squalk in his nursery.

I don't know about you but I'm so ready for these:

 ...  I did see red buds on our maple tree last week so it's on its way!!!

Are you as ready for Sring as I am???

 When I was a little kid, my grades used to drop a little in the Spring.  I looked out the windows more and rushed through my homework.  In the second grade, my teacher, Sister Marian, called my mom in for a chat about my grades.  (They were usually straight-As but she'd noticed that my work wasn't as good.)   She thought maybe my parents' divorce was having an effect on me.  (I was 2 years old when they'd split up so it had been 6 years and honestly I'd never known what life was like with married parents.)  My mom listened patiently and then simply explained that I got a little less into school in the Spring.  Call it "Spring Fever" if you will,  but it's almost got me now.  (And it "gets me," it's that strong.)  I can't wait!!

Anyone else got a feva???

xoxo,

lauren

ps- I need more cowbell!!  (Saturday night Live)

And Don't forget to check out the Love List Libraray!!

Guest Blogger Before & After: Camila From High-Heeled Foot in the Door

Please welcome Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door!!! :)
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Hi Pure Style Home readers,

Me and Lauren go back a long time. I think I’m actually the first non-family member to ever comment on her blog! Since then we’ve become great friends  and everyday I wish that she lived closer to me! I of course jumped at the chance to guest blog and be in Lauren’s neighborhood (virtually speaking) for the day.

 

I’m so excited to be here showing you a little before and after that recently took place in my own home. During our many talks me and Lauren came to realize how close we are design wise. We share many of the same beliefs when it comes to decor even though I tend to go more bold & bright in my color picks the basics are the same.

Here is a before picture of the guest room in my home. When we first moved in I had found a paint color I loved and simply painted the walls, added left over furniture from around the house and eventually put some window treatments in place. Ah bad decorator I know!



As other rooms got finished in the house I finally set my eyes on finishing this room.  Because the paint was relatively new I decided to keep that as is. This helped the re-vamp process, because I didn’t need to prep the wall again, prime print.

It now looks like this and is waiting for Lauren to come and stay in it!



It’s a multiple purpose room with a small office area and a trundle bed with pillows  made Roberta Roller Rabbit napkins! The massive bulletin board was another DIY project that was made from supplies from Home Depot.



Like Lauren I believe every room needs a little greenery and in this case I decided to go with some sunny sunflowers.



Storage boxes are piled up top for my office supplies. My individual craft storage cubes got a unified built in look by adding a wood countertop that I stained yellow.




I didn’t want the walls to be too busy.  So I placed some token pieces on the wall in a very organic manner. No measuring here!

One of the crucial elements to the room that helps tie in my introduction of yellow are my DIY striped curtains.



The room encompasses everything I love, is simple and chic and feels very much like me all essentials for good design according to both myself and Lauren .

I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into what happens over at High-Heeled Foot in the Door!

xoxo,
Camila

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What a fun fresh happy modern space!!  I love the color scheme & all of the cheerful touches. (One of my favorite being the turquoise beads on the white gourd lamp-  just perfect!!!)  Camila, than you so much for walking us through this beautiful happy space of yours!!! :)  Hope you all enjoyed!!

xoxo,
lauren

A New Painting for Our Kitchen Nook

I'm crazy about this oil painting painting I recently found for our kitchen nook.  It's by a German artist named Decker and was done in 1886.  You know when something just calls to you?  ("Buy me!!" ;)  I didn't know where I'd put it (I rarely do with art...  If I love it, I know I'll find a spot) but for $60, I was thrilled. It's full of my colors and I just love its moodiness. 

I've been meaning to  get something up on the left side of my kitchen nook for a while now...   Here's a photo of the right side with the chalkboard:

The green in my cabinets (Behr's Witch Hazel in Semigloss) works perfectly with the Decker painting:

I'm leaving it unframed and I love seeing the tattered sides of the canvas.  The painting is so beautifully aged.  

And here it is up in "the nook." 

I'm never one for permanence in my home, but it'll be staying in the nook for a good long time!  While I do appreciate museum-quality art (who doesn't?)  I'm always on the lookout for beautiful inexpensive original paintings.  (And by inexpensive I mean under a $100 and preferably in the $30 - $50 range...  I know that's cheap, but I feel no guilt at checkout! ;)   

xoxo,

lauren

ps- The white floor vent register seen in the pics has finally been replaced!!  wahooo