Nursery Planning: Beckett's Room Itemized!

I've gotten a few questions about Beckett's room - its color, where I got the lamps, etc.! Here goes!

Overview:

• Brands/Stores Used:  Ikea, Pottery Barn/Pottery Barn Kids, Three Sprouts, several Etsy shops, West Elm and Wal-Mart.
• Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Smoke Embers

ITEMIZED DETAIL!

• Crib: Wal-Mart, Baby Mod
• Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids, Harper Mini Dot, Gray
• Mobile: Pottery Barn Kids, Flying Elephant Mobile
• Decals: Etsy, Tweet Heart Shop
• Black Frames: Ikea, Ribba
• Maternity Pictures: Zach Porter Photography
• Art, Subway: A Vintage Poster
• Flash Card Art: Pottery Barn Kids
• Night Stand: Ikea, Hemnes
• Lamp: Ikea, Rubto
• Bin with Fox Face: Three Sprouts, Amazon 
• Boppy Lounger cover/Black & White Polka Dot: Etsy, Not Just Any Purse
• Bobby Pillow cover/Gray & White Chevron: Etsy, Boutique Sweet Cheeks
• Curtains: Made by Vivian, my sister's Mother-in-Law
• Pillow & Pouf: Made by Maggie, my mom's friend 
• Chair: West Elm, Ryder Rocking Chair

• Cubbies: Ikea, Expedit
• Storage Boxes: Ikea, Drona
• Decals on Boxes: Etsy, The Applique Finery
• Horizontal Animal Art: Ikea, Olunda
• Funky Orange Lamp: Ikea, Fillsta

• Dresser: Ikea, Hemnes
• Change Pad Cover: Made by Maggie, my mom's friend
• Caddy with Beavery Face: Three Sprouts, Amazon
• Clipboards: Staples
• Ribbon on Boards: Joann Fabric
• Wired Book Bin: N/A; my sister got it for me!

• Hooks: Ikea, Bastis

• Chair: Pottery Barn, Grayson Dining Chair
• Book Trough: Kudzu antiques, Decatur, GA
• Frames: Ikea, Ribba
• Art in Frames: A Vintage Poster

I had SO much fun decorating this room and getting it ready for little Beckett. I hope she loves it as much as we do, and I definitely hope we find it as functional as we do fun!

Q: What are your favorite stores/brands when it comes to decorating?!

Miss Beckett's Nursery

Pan 1 of 6!

Pan 2 of 6!

Pan 3 of 6!

Pan 4 of 6!

Pan 5 of 6!

Pan 6 of 6!

Details!

More Details!

This was such a fun room to decorate! I enjoyed each and every project, from the clipboards and "art", to the iron-on animals, to working with Maggie and Viv on the curtains, pillow, pouf and change pad cover, to picking out her furniture - you name it! I also love seeing so many of our friends and families' sweet gifts to Beckett - the books, toys, etc. - all around her room. And I'm SO grateful to Austin for the amazing paint job he did on her room (and doors!), and for letting us go through with so many home improvement projects that I think made her space even more perfect! (loving the gray patterned carpet & new crown in her room!) I'm also so appreciative of the photos Zach took that, to me, help make her room special! Looking back at her initial inspiration board, it's even better than I had imagined!!

Q: What's your favorite room to decorate? I'm a huge fan of decorating of all kind, but this by far was the best room to do - so many fun ideas you can do in kid spaces. No, I couldn't put ALL of my ideas into her room, but maybe in her play room one day... or in her siblings room.... eee - happy just thinking about it! I hope she loves it as much as we do and I hope it's as functional as it is fun - i'm sure things may move around as we live in the space in LESS THAN A MONTH!!

Paint Update: Austin's Master Swatch & The Final Four!

K - we've changed direction a bit thanks to Sharon! As you know, we trying to get our house to 4 colors TOTAL... Austin experimented today with some of our favorites:

(From Left to Right): Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray, Benjamin Moore's Whale Gray; Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter new option!; Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray

I'm VERY proud of this guy for helping us make our decision! :)

Our official decision will leave us with FIVE colors total:

Color #1:  Neutral Beige - we're leaving it in the dining room, half bath and hall closet. Mix is TBD (must dig in garage!) 

Color #2: Benjamin Moore Smoke Embers (already in Beckett's Room & the upstairs guest bathroom ; will be used in one of the guest rooms, too! 

Color #3: Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray - we have decided to  use this color in our other guest room; we are also considering, down the road, to use this in the bonus room (we're not having it painted right now!). 

Color #4: Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray - we have decided to use this beautiful, dark color in our new office/library downstairs! Down the road, we'll likely use this in our master bedroom, too!

Color #5: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter 

This is a NEW swatch! Last night we visited Sharon and just LOVED the colors her and Jamie chose for their entryway, hallway, and for the big kitchen/dining/living room area. Instead of going dark like we had intended, we loved how light and open and airy their home felt, and she promised it wouldn't weird her out if we used the same color so... we're doing it! Thanks to Sharon, we're using Color #5: Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter!

We have decided NOT to use Benjamin Moore Whale Gray - it's the darkest and while we think it's pretty, both my sis and Sharon have expressed concern it my present blue. In our test, it was the bluest, but not as pretty as Chelsea Gray!

So, if you look back at the sample, and another silly picture of Austin (hehe!), you'll see that 3 colors won!

Picture all 3 without the one directly behind him as Whale Gray is out!

Here is a final swatch of the new 4! (top left: Amazing Gray; top right: Revere Pewter; bottom left: Chelsea Gray; bottom right: Smoke Embers)

All of this being said, we think we're ready now! We're calling our favorite of the 3 painters tomorrow and hope to schedule ASAP!

Q: What is the last thing you worked on that you thought would be easy that ended up being hard? I mean really - this took me far longer than I thought it would!! So glad to have it done. Now, we will only need to have 3 rooms painted down the road (the bonus room; our bedroom & the master bathroom) - we hope to use these colors, and figure we'll see how this turns out and go from there for Round 2! 

Shades of Gray.... Paint That Is

Nope.... not the book (although I did read the first one, and own the other two but haven't picked them up - eek!). We're painting the house! (interior!) We're moving from ALL brown to a combination of a neutral beige and shades of gray (probably 3 to be exact, 4 colors total).

Why? Well, a lot of it has to do with the fact that we've been LOVING gray for a while. AND, we just had the stairs and entire upstairs' carpet redone in a gray shade!

New Carpet: Martha Stewart Living Chester Isle in Flagstone; pics coming soon!

Color #1: This is the neutral beige - we're leaving it in the dining room, half bath and closet. It's a Sherwin Williams custom mix from previous owner - need to look it up! For now i'll call it Beige!

Color #2: This is the gray in Beckett's Room and the upstairs guest bathroom - it's Benjamin Moore  Smoke Embers. Not the best pic, but ya get the idea (I'm about 29 weeks here!). We also plan to use this color in one of the guest rooms and maybe our bathroom.

Now we're looking for:

• Color #3: One Color for a guest room and the new office/library downstairs! (will keep ceilings white)
• Color #4: One Color for the entryway, hallway, and kitchen/living area! (want to paint ceilings in entryway/hallway a color - maybe Amazing Gray below!)

Here's what we're looking at:

Already Using: Benjamin Moore Smoke Embers (above in Beckett's Room)

Potential Color #3: Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray - considering for guest room and new office/library downstairs! We're 99% certain we're moving forward with this without a sample - we just love it! And it came by way of my sis's Mother-in-Law Vivian who I trust!

Potential Color #4 Option 1: Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray - considering for entryway/hallway, etc.

Potential Color #4 Option 2: Benjamin Moore Whale Gray - considering for entryway/hallway, etc.

Austin is getting samples of Chelsea Gray & Whale Gray today! Hopefully we'll like one of them and get the areas painted as early as next week - eeee! THEN, once everything is painted, we'll need to decide which of these 4 colors go best in the remaining rooms we're not painting (out master bedroom, our bathroom & the upstairs den/xBox room). Also, we're trying to decide if we want to leave the doors white - we painted the doors in the interior of Beckett's room gray and just LOVE them!

Q: Have a favorite paint color or brand? We love Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams! I've never had a favorite paint color, but after this exercise I feel like I'll have a few favorites! I initially went to Benjamin Moore because I kept seeing home decor pictures of Gray Horse and just LOVED it. Pottery Barn uses Benjamin Moore colors so it's fun to see what they paint with.

Q: How many paint colors are in your house? Right now we have too many shades of tan/brown and can't keep them straight. We had crown added to a few rooms a couple of months ago and we gave them the wrong touch up paint, so you can see all the touch up. Sigh! Yes ANOTHER reason I can't WAIT to paint!

New Art, Impromptu Road Trip, Taco Night

Hi! I hope you're having a great Sunday! I have had such a wonderful day. Woke up early, started laundry and started the slowcooker! Once that was going it was dishes, poodle baths, a trip to the grocery store  and a fro yo run. Then more cooking, blog reading, and chill time - such a great day! I also snapped a few pics of one of our new pieces of art for one of the guest rooms!

The room looks kinda halloweeny here- I swear it's not - there's a patterned chair that brings these colors together and  I now wish I'd taken its picture too! LOL Oh well - the new art is over the bed!

And a close up - without the glare in the first one! Love the little animals, especially the  middle one. Reminds  me of our little Barney, a dachshund who became a member of our family when I was 6 years old - I love and miss him!

Backing up to yesterday, it was a long one - it started out early with a trip to my hometown. I think I've mentioned on here that my mom and stepdad are getting a divorce. Part of this has involved dividing their things and my sweet mom had a list of beautiful things she wanted me and Austin to have. Some of it furniture, some jewelry - she was incredibly generous. Also generous, was Scott, who loaned us his truck. Alas, we made the 4-hour trip there, then returned - sweet Austin drove the whole way (I offered but was truly nervous - I haven't driven an F-150 gigundo truck ever!). So it was definitely a long day of travel under sad circumstances. :( While we didn't get to visit long, I'm looking forward to seeing my mom in Atlanta next weekend! Always a good time when me, her and my sis are together. :)

When we got back to Atlanta we unloaded the car, showered, whipped up my favorite guacamole then headed over for dinner with Mel and Jon! They made an awesome taco bar with grilled steak and chicken and tons of toppings - YUM. We got to see their adorable  little girl Madison, and meet Terry & Sara's new baby Samantha - so perfect and tiny! We were also very entertained by Chad & Jose. You always know you're having a good time when, before you know it, it's late! Great night - can't wait to try to replicate that steak!

Q: How has your Sunday been? Relaxing I hope - I'm really enjoying my day with Austin, my now-clean poodles, now-stocked fridge and full tummy (just had pizza muffins - I'm a happy camper). 


Q: Have you ever seen 'The Good Wife'? We got the first disc from Netflix and i'm a couple of episodes in - loving it!

My Bedroom Evolution

It's almost Friday - YESSSSSSS!! I hope you've had good weeks, and are looking forward to fun weekends! Tomorrow night is chill night, then Saturday we have a Steely Dan concert and Danielle's 30 birthday bar crawl! Then Sunday is chill/rest/probably work day. I hope to take a spin class Saturday too - we'll see! So, it's been a year since I've been working on (slowly) updating our bedroom - it's getting SO close to being done - just need a couple of new pieces. For now - here is the latest update - the evolution of our bedroom!


BEFORE - August 2009 (just moved in; chocolate/cranberry; no night stands; new lamps

August 2010 - (new, lighter colors, new pillows, new green accents and new night stands)

June 2011 (new dresser, a bit of new accents and art)

AFTER August 2011 - new art, new, smaller lamps - we like it SO much better! And again - more bright!

Before & After Shot

Click to make larger - LOVE the new art - really helps fill the space and, to me, make it more homey!

Hope you like the changes we made! The great thing is we can always go back - stuff is just shuffled all over the house. The lamps are now in the guest room and living room, and i'm just updating other lamps! The new lamps, in case you like them/are looking for small lamps, are from Crate & Barrel. I had found them a while back, but they were $60 each - not worth it for the size (small) lamps I was looking for! Well I went in with a $100 gift card from my sweet co-workers (birthday gift!) and they were on sale for $20 each. A steal - love 'em. I wanted the art to be the focus while giving us more surface space. As far as the art, Ikea frames (20"x28") for $20 each - so $80 in lamps + frames, and about $6 for the fabric inside, which matches the pillow I got in NY at the street fair!

Q: Are you a lamp person? What is your favorite thing to buy for your home? I love lamps and pillows! And frames - but i'm bad about having pictures printed for them - eek!


Q: What are you doing this weekend?!

New Couch, New Dresser, New Recipe!

Thanks you guys! I loved reading your comments regarding bloggers and their "fakeness." haha So many good points were brought up - about why people do tell all and why they don't. I also thought it was interesting how privacy often seemed to play a role in how much or little you divulged about different topics. Very cool! Thank you again for sharing and for supporting me and my upbeat content! haha So Yesterday was busy, busy! I got up early and hit up the Fulton County Tag Office. In Atlanta, your taxes for car tags are due on your birthday. So sweet. Since my big two-nine is coming up soon, I had to go pay the man. $400 later, I was back home working, until my lunch break when I went to get Reuben's medicine and hit up Kroger. Reubs is okay - has an ear infection. Sad! Then I just worked more before making a new recipe, and a few oldies. New recipe time- yummmmm. :)

Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information: 441 calories, 53 carbs, 7 fat grams and 39 protein grams.

This was a really tasty recipe - definitely best cold! It had plenty of flavor, the onions added a lot of crunch and the OJ combined with the adobo gave it a spicy after taste. The serving is very large and filling - a big serving for this amount of calories and fat grams makes me happy! Visit Healthified Kitchen for the recipe!

And here are my new 'home' items - I'm SO excited! Finally had time to take some pics - woo!

new couch! So much cushier/deeper than our last one - love it!

in the room - it fit great and went well with everything! We found it in Atlanta at Kudzu - it's a Rowe couch!

new dresser for our bedroom!

more context in room - love the taller height and the additional space for clothes! We found it at Pottery Barn outlet!

New home stuff seriously motivates me to do more around the home and to relax more - odd combo but after new purchases I just want to nest in and enjoy them. It's probably some of that astrological cancer coming out of me - I can be quite the homebody. I honestly think it's my preference sometimes!!

Q: Are you a homebody at heart? In practice? Both? I think i'm a homebody at heart, but not so much in practice. I will say that Sunday - Thursday I try to stay home as much as humanly possible without being labeled a shut-in... and and in line with keeping my job. haha

Q: What's your favorite kind of pasta salad? This was my first time trying a southwest one - I enjoyed it! My favorite is probably a more Italian one - with mushrooms, pepperonis and a spicy homemade dressing!

My Saturday, Fridge, new Cushions and Book Review

Happy Easter! I have had a wonderful Easter day - pics to come tomorrow. :) Including a Deviled Egg recipe - my first time making these - eeee! And thanks for your comments yesterday - I loved hearing what you were up to (and yay Erica - baby shower!), and which meatless products are your fave (totally agree, Lee - morningstar farm sauage patties and not links). Today I bring you my Saturday, in pictures. I tried my first green monster. I used 1 cup fat-free milk, 1 1/2 cups spinach, 1 small banana, 1 tbsp protein powder and ice. I didn't love it, but am open to trying it again with strawberries instead. Austin, on the other hand, loved it and drank it all! LOL

We got replacement cushions for our outdoor furniture. No, we didn't set out for orange, but these were the only ones that fit after going to 3 Targets, 2 Wal-Marts and 2 Home Depots. War Eagle it is - we'll love it!

I tried to take artsy pictures. Yes, if I have a camera in hand I will take pictures until Austin makes me stop.

I organized the side of my fridge. Last week I picked up the small pen holder and two red hooks from Container store so that my oven mits would be easy to get. I also put post-its on a business card peal/seal magnet, a place to write down items as we run out of them. Then I purchased a dry erase board from Staples for our weekly menu. And of course I'm still loving my red timer from Teresa and my conversion magnets from Williams Sonoma. Then today I organized everything as I was doing so it hit me: my food scale needs a home. We always stick it in a drawer and when I need it I have to find it or when i'm cooking I continuously misplace it. Enter 3 business card magnets cut into the scale's shape. Now it's stuck on the fridge - EASY PEASY!

Close up of dry erase board and magnets

I finished Dean Koontz's The Good Guy.

This book was about an average guy in an average bar, who is mistaken to be a contract killer. He's given money and a photo. Instead of correcting the man, he wants to figure out who the beautiful woman is. So begins his dive into the rabbit hole where he tries to save this woman's life, while putting his own in danger. The book is very much a cat and mouse as it's told from his perspective, as well as the killer's, who won't give up on finishing the job he was asked to do. There are a good bit of twists and lots of suspense. The ending was satisfying too, especially as you learned who this 'good guy' really is, and how the killer came to be one. I give it a 3.5/5. For me, there was a bit TOO much cat and mouse. I mean how many times can you read they ran, he got close, they ran, he got closer, they ran, another narrow escape. I could have dealt with less of that! I was glad it was an audio book though and it did keep my interest.

And I prepared to host Easter. No pics of that - just lots of work in the kitchen, prepping veggies and what not, and lots of work in the house cleaning up, vacuuming, etc.!

Q: Do you like green monsters? What's your favorite green monster recipe? Please feel free to share links or any ideas to get it to taste 'strawberry-like' or 'chocolately.' :)

Q: What's on your fridge?