diy: fabric mobiles

bff, sarah, from lovely chaos, created this diy on fabric mobiles, and as soon as i saw it, i knew i wanted one for london's room.

so finally, i reeled in dear friend missy (although reeling her in was pretty easy as she loves projects!), and we got busy. well, as busy as we could with 5 kiddos to keep an eye on while working. after two work sessions and some time working on our own, we each finished our mobile.

we followed all of sarah's tips and suggestions. the only differences are that we used wire to connect the hoops, and we added one extra larger ring than she did, so ours are a bit bigger and took a bit more fabric. we estimated that we needed roughly 110 strips of fabric (however as you'll see at the bottom, i had tons left over).

we wired our rings first:

next, we ironed and cut all of our fabric strips:

then we began layering on the fabric strips using tacky glue. we started with the bottom ring and worked our way up:

and up (only one ring left to go in this picture):

and the final product...

here's mine:

here's missy's:

i had a lot of fabric left over; however, i think i should still add a bit more to the mobile to fill it out...make it look thicker. what do you think?

leftovers:

overall, i'm quite happy with my mobile, and i plan to hang it over london's cradle, and later in her room (when she gets one!).

thanks for the idea sarah, and thanks to missy for creating one with me!

dreaming of where i could dream

it's kind of amazing and a little depressing how quickly ones taste can change in decor. at least mine. just when i thought i knew what i liked (straight lines, pottery-barnish type furnishings), and after we invested some actual money into bedroom furniture, i find that i've shifted away from the finished, matchy look. 

in the end this really is all just too bad for me, because my husband is a believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." and our bedroom set (yes, it's a "set"...sigh), is only four years old, and it certainly ain't broke. i'm sure we'll have it for a long time to come, but in the meantime, here are some designs that make me want to sell what i have and start over! (a girl can dream.)

i don't think i could be more in love with this bedroom. it is beautiful! may be i can find a headboard like this for the guest bed at least?

(source: decorology)

and this one is so sweet...i can see it as a girl's room or even a guest room.

(source: decorology)

i would never have enough confidence to put these bold colors together, but they completely work and are stunning!

(source: decorology)

this one is just sexy.

(source: decorology)

 this room is pretty busy, but i'm drawn to it (everything except the zebra print ottoman that is).

(source: apartment therapy)

oh, and this one is so pretty! the wallpaper is such a fun vintage print.

(source: roomenvy)

i'll keep dreaming and living vicariously through the other rooms in our house!

ideas are a-flowin'!

i mean really...

source

source

there are just so many sweet options! i really love the massive rustic mirror hanging behind the dresser in the room right above. it adds so much character to the space and is completely unexpected as it juxtaposes the stereotypical wall decor of a baby's room. oh the possibilities!

after spending some time searching girls' rooms online, i think i've finally found some items that could pull my vision together.  here's what i've got so far.

this:

and this

and these!

and this gorgeous tie back to go with the lovely curtains:

and every baby's room needs a rug, right?

and of course a sweet blanket to go with simple bedding:

and just this one more thing for now:

this is so much fun! creating a room from scratch is just a darn good time. can't wait to meet the baby girl to fill the space and really give it life.

retro dresser and nightstand

i found a retro dresser and nightstand for noah's new room! and for 50 bucks! total score. i can't decide whether to leave them this light wood color, or paint them something funky, or may be just like a gray? hmmmm...

now, if i can only find the right bed.

a boy's bed

the search for the "big boy bed" is on! i've found several kinds of beds that i like for noah's room, but i can't figure out where to buy them! if my mr. wasn't so busy or my dad lived closer they could easily make one of these. they're so simple. we kind of need it asap too...if only there was an ikea closer!!! i know they have something similar to some of these. oh well!

room envy

home designing

home designing

home designing

rustic and romantic girl's room

obviously, i've started the hunt for the new baby's room, as this is my second post this morning about nursery decor! 

this is a strong contestant for the direction i might head in for my little girl's room. i love how eclectic and rustic and romantic it is. just beautiful.

Check out this link for more pictures.

if i were having a boy...

...i'd want to decorate his room something like this! figures, on my search for baby girl nursery inspiration, i find a baby boy's room i'm in love with! maybe we'll just have to try for a third... ;)

and i might have to give matt a project after seeing this armchair turned rocker. how smart? i've been really disappointed in the glider we got when we had noah...i can't stand the way it looks, and the slider mechanisms often catch. i'd love to have a rocker that's as gorgeous as this one!

see tons more inspiration at oh dee doh.

old fashioned ice cream party

my baby boy's 2nd birthday was on saturday and we had a party to celebrate! i was going for old fashioned ice cream shop party. the colors were orange and teal. homemade food and homemade decorations and lots of friends set the scene!

homemade sliders and mac and cheese; homemade vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream, accompanied by tons of toppings in mason jars; orange slices and cheese balls in glass jars on each table; homemade bunting hanging from the ceiling; playful balloons; photo garland of noah's 2nd year; lights above the yard; kids with ice cream faces and wet heads from swimming; and loving grandparents, all equal a really special and memorable birthday party. 

i still can't believe i have a two year old!

baby girl shower

friend, kristin is having a baby girl in october, so we had a little shower for her last weekend. I hung pink poms poms from the ceiling, set out my pretty china tea cups and made several pink little treats to munch. we had a lovely time and kristin received a lot of girlie gifts!