I have had several requests for opinions on crib bedding lately. One friend is having another boy and insists on getting new bedding. I 100% agree. After all, no two boys are alike! Another friend sauntered into the scary, scary land of “not knowing” what she’s having. I only say it’s scary because I am too much of a planner. I can’t take it. But, there are plenty of amazing gender neutral options out there. And, then, there’s me. I’m having a girl. I showed you what I’m buying for her but we’ll look at it again as well as some other awesome options. Sound good? Ok. Here we go.

(Aside: goody gumdrops it’s starting to storm as I’m writing this post. What is more cozy than a storm in the summer? LOVE IT.)

We all love Pottery Barn and it’s trifecta of baby, teen, and adult home decor. But, what if you want something a little different? Have you tried Pixie Dust Decor, Serena & Lily, Rosenberry Rooms, Oliver B, Kate Quinn Organics, or Carousel Designs? Keep reading…

For my friend having another boy, here are a few of my favorites:

I love the fluffiness of this light blue and white combo from Pixie Dust Decor. Here is a close-up:

See the little pagoda? Too cute…and very original. If you wanted to add more color to this theme, I would add a dash of lime. Look at the crib sheet you could have made:

This swatch is of Pixie Dust’s Aqua Lattice fabric. Oh, did I mention that you can also buy fabric by the yard from them? Fabulous!

Pixie also carries an adorable red/blue theme for a boy:

I love the boldness of this look! Here is the close-up:

Oui, oui! Non?

How about this cutie gumball design by Carousel Designs? I like blue and brown and I do love the fun gumball design! I think, however,  it would look really fresh and crisp with white nursery furniture. I love a good, CRISP room.

Moving into a little gender neutral territory…

I really like the idea of this pique white bedding with a white crib! It’s so simple and so chic. And, think of all the possibilities for room decor…endless.

I am really into neutrals right now, though. So if you wanted to add a little interest, you could  add:

Marlo Crib Bedding Blanket from Serena and Lily

Or go with the entire Marlo room:

Crisp! Fresh! Soothing! And, may we please discuss the awesome origami birds above the crib?

Let’s be honest,  even though I heart neutrals, you know I love a good color pop! This bedding from kate quinn organics comes in other great shades like “pomegranate” and “blackberry.” YUM!

For the girls:

Here is what I bought for Miss Thing (Lulu Bedding from Serena and Lily):

As you know, we are focusing on crisp whites, grass/lime greens and shades of purple. By the way, I am dying for the mobile shown in this picture. Has anyone found it out there somewhere? I am on a mission. If you have any info, let me know!

Other girly bedding I like includes:

Singing Birds! I love this daring black, white and lime combo. Very chic, indeed. Rosenberry Rooms

And would ya just look at those bows! Oliver B is a company that makes bedding that helps reduce the risk of SIDS. Check out the site. So smart!! The bumper is fully ventilated. Cute boy bedding, too.

I have many more suggestions. If you need help, email me and let me know what you have so far. FUN!

Adrianne

Good news: I have narrowed my lighting fixture search to only a few pendants! I think one of these light fixtures and the apple green beds will be what the rest of the room revolves around! Over the weekend I found this sassy piece:

Isn’t it adorable?? When I did a little more research on this pendant, I found that it is from Stray Dog Designs. Uh oh…what a DISCOVERY! I mean, look at the other options:

The Niki Pendant…loving the orange bird accent!

How about those stripes! So bold!!!

Speaking of stripes…and, by the way, you may choose the stripe color and the papier mache cord color. P.S. The Mini Roses sleeve and finial are papier mache from recycled materials, handmade by artisans in Haiti, and hand painted with low VOC paint. LOVING IT!

I can also see having this floor lamp by the glider/crib:

So….which pendant gets your vote??

Adrianne

P.S. Stray Dog Designs has a truly impressive story! Check out their site immediately! And, they live in Tennessee…my birth state. What’s not to like?

OH MY. I mentioned yesterday about how much work we have to do in the guest room to make it special for our new little girl, right? Well, I am totally overwhelmed after, this morning, I took a good, hard, honest look at our family room. OH MY.

Yes, that is a house in our house in our family room which is one big room with our kitchen. Brightly colored plastic stuff…ahhhhh!!!!! Ok. So, as much as I hate this house (but thank you for the hand-me-down, Finley!) Davis loves it. Ergo, it is smack in the middle of this room. Look closely, though, the house is not the only thing there…there is a “toy creep” happening. What would you suppose is behind that chair (which, I know, needs to be re-upholstered YESTERDAY)….

OUCH! MINE EYES! It’s like looking at the sun too long…it just hurts!!

I swore, when I became a mom, that toys would not take over. Ha! Well, they are not only taking over, they are becoming a significant part of the floor! HOWWWWW will I resolve this mess? I have a few ideas but there is limited space. And, Davis is NOT cool with the idea of just throwing all of the toys out. Huh?

Several options…

The “Beat Our Chest” toy chest from Land of Nod. It may fit between the wall and our chair…

The canvas option…too casual? Land of Nod

The Souper Spoon. I know. Totally unrelated…I just CRACKED up when I saw it!! Again, clever little Land of Nod.

SERIOUSLY adorable. I’ll take one of each…but for the kids’ rooms, not the family room.

The Company Store

Now we may be getting somewhere… I like the idea of a “hidden” storage area like this ottoman.

Also from The Company Store.

Or, does this wicker basket suit my future “Coastal” family room?

Pottery Barn Kids

STOP THE PRESSES. This is too cute. I maaaaay be able to pull this off beside the chair.

Pottery Barn Kids

Lots to do to find just the right thing, no? Well, you know what’s on my “to do” list for this weekend. Have a good one and we’ll chat again Monday!

Adrianne

If you didn’t read my post update from yesterday, we found out that we are having a little GIRL!! Yippee!! I am already dreaming of ribbons  and bows and monogrammed diaper covers. This opens up a whole new world to me. Seriously – I am so used to shopping boy-style that I don’t even give the girl stuff a once over! Now, I can rip off my blinders and go k-razy!

My stylish decor genius friend, Jessie (yes, Gimlet Eyed Jessie), and I were discussing this new world of girly-ness when, naturally, her future room became the topic. Jess made a lovely suggestion involving an unapologetic, hot pink, shiny tole chandelier. I LOVE THIS IDEA! But, I am having trouble with it because of the ceiling fan currently (and totally un-stylishly) gracing the room right now. My big concern: will she get TOO HOT in there without it?

Before I make my decision, let’s look at the bevy of eye candy chandeliers I found online while entertaining the idea…

From a lovely blog, Matters of Style. Ladies – this is a showstopper! And, look at the green and white ceiling. DYING!!!

Very girly…from Pottery Barn Teen

A more modern and definitely chic bebe option from Decorati.

A FANCY SCHMANCY option from Shades of Light.

Very cool and crisp from Rosenberry Rooms.

Cutie Green from KooKoo Bear.

Uh oh…I spy a mod pink one…oooohhhhhhh!!!!

Land of Nod

And, last but not least, this would match the crib bedding I am considering…another topic for another day!

Rosenberry Rooms

Or, I can go with…a…ceiling…fan…

…from…Lowe’s

Cast your vote! HOW necessary is my ceiling fan???

Adrianne

Yes. It’s true. I have blackberry jam and peanut butter on my suit sleeve today. Did I change suits? Of course, NON! I am wearing it like a Mom badge of honor. (I did dab it a bit, however.)

A few of the hardest lessons for me as a mom have been:

1) You are never going to be 100% clean even on your best days. (Lesson: Be flexible.)

2) If you dare wear silk, gabardine, jersey cotton or any other fabric (read: clothes in general), stuff (any kind of stuff) will be smeared on it before you leave the house unless your child is spending the night somewhere…which never happens on days you dress up and have to be somewhere other than the playground or the gym. (Lesson: Be flexible.)

3) Your hair will never be “did” perfectly ever again. (See conditions in #2) (Lesson: Be flexible.)

4) You rarely have time to do anything about said PB&J situation before leaving. The smearing inevitably happens while exiting the house. (Lesson: Be flexible.)

5) At some point (I say when you are a year or so into this kid deal) you start to not care and hope no one notices. (Lesson: Be flexible.)

SO, we arrive at my current mental state…I think I’ll get another cup of coffee! Ha!

Through this hilarity of a morning, I started thinking about rugs for the nursery (I know. Random thought.) as well as how I need to buy Shout Wipes for my purse.

Let’s take a look at these beautiful rugs, shall we?

I am thinking of going with pops of turquoise and orange in the nursery. OR, pops of yellow. Remember my post from yesterday? The guest room-to-be-nursery walls are already painted a sassy grayish taupe.

Okay so check out this cutie from Anthropologie:

And from Jelly Bean:

And,  Posh Tots:

More Posh Tots:

Rosenberry Rooms (I am in love with this one. Sassy owls!)

Pottery Barn Kids. This one I may use in Davis’ big boy room (a MECCA for design projects).

What do you think? I suppose it will depend a bit on the bedding I end up choosing. I don’t want there to be too many focal points. You have to start with one piece for inspiration, right?!

Good luck staying peanut butter free today!

Adrianne

My mom and I celebrated a bit last week with a trip to DC. (Our birthdays are a day apart at the end of this month!) We usually see a show at the Kennedy Center, however, on this trip we decided to take it easy.  We spa-ed, we ate, we slept, we ate some more. Delightful!

One of the highlights of the trip (for me) was discovering a wonderful shop and site, Paper Source. I know, I am way behind the curve here. How have I not paid attention to this mecca of beautiful papers and quirky gifts?? I was so inspired with ideas for the baby’s room, I have to share. First of all, though, here is my lovely mom in the garden at the National Cathedral (yes, we even had time to squeeze in a historical venture and a little God):

Doesn’t it look serene? Are you relaxed now? Okay. Let’s continue on the paper topic…

I recently saw an article on DIY bookshelves. Have you ever picked up a copy of Better Homes & Gardens’ 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100?  (I would give you the link but I cannot, for the life  of me, find a link to this issue!) If not, you should. It’s genius! Well, on page 39 of the Spring 2010 issue, they present the idea of revamping a basic bookshelf. I intend to find old, wooden bookshelves and repaint them. THEN, find paper you simply adore and paste it to the back of the shelves like so:

Found on Centsational Girl and Belle Maison

Isn’t that gorgeous? What a clever trick. If the color of the shelves already suits your paper choice, all you need to do is unscrew the back of the bookcase, cut the paper to fit, and hot-glue or spray adhesive the paper to the back. Done and DONE! If you are papering built-ins (we have some in our den area that I am going to HAVE to paper), simply measure the back of each shelf space and cut the paper to match. Then, adhere to the wall/back of shelves.

Ok, so, that is the easy part. The hard part is picking from all the beautiful papers there are out there. Feast your eyes on some of the options with kid potential from Paper Source:

I am LOVING the idea of this backed on a moody grayish blue bookcase! (Or, if you are bolder, bright orange or red!)

DYING for this in a little girl’s room behind a glossy white bookcase or end table! Who has a girl? Call me. Now.

(Did I mention these are around $3.50 a sheet (20×30 size sheet). A steal!)

For a more subtle look on shiny taupe shelving…

Also beautiful on a moody blue or dark brown bookcase.

You won’t beat this lovely yellow on white bookshelves. Classic!

As you are reading this, I am searching Craigslist for old shelving with character. I’ll let you know what I find! In the meantime, check out these other quirky items from Paper Source. I surely got a chuckle out of these:

I mean, let’s be honest, right!

AMAZING.

Your life DOES rock, sweetie!

No matter your views…this is objectively hilarious.

Alrighty. Go pick out your paper and tell me what you find!

Adrianne

My husband will attest to the fact that I am a regular magazine junkie. It’s a bad habit, I know. But, there are so many great ideas out there! This kind of exposure is good and bad. I always say you can’t come across too many people with great notions. However, it can be a bit confusing because I like a lot of styles (read: a lot of “notions”). A LOT. For example, I LOVE a good traditional damask (feast over beautiful said damask wall below…and pretty much the entire room).

Better Homes and Gardens

I also LOVE a sassy modern chevron stripe and lacquered table.

Harts Fabric

Can’t you see that GLOSS?? From Room Service.

And, I LOVE antique door knobs and quirky ideas.

Antique Doorknobs.org

I guess that is why I told a lady that helped us decorate a room in our house long ago that my style is “traditional with a twist…and it can be quite a twist.”

It’s fun to like a lot of different themes but I tend to get lost in them all. I have to make a serious effort to do what they call…um…”focus.” What’s the point of all this chatter? Well, I have found that there are several if not many unfocused among us. Sound familiar? No need to fret. Check out this fun quiz I found in Real Simple Magazine:

Decorating Personality Quiz

Take it. Now. It’s only a few questions, people! I took it and I am, as predicted, a mix of all categories. I had three “A” answers and two of “B,” “C,” and “D.” Ha! This means I like “Sophisticated Classics” like timeless pieces and luxe fabrics.

Real Simple Sophisticated Classic Room

Blend that with “Modern Graphic” (a la chevron stripe), “Cozy Casual” (a nice, comfy couch, please!) and “Vintage Eclectic” (older pieces with a time-worn look a la “New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence” by Richard Sexton. A MUST have for your coffee table.).

After you take the quiz, read this: “Your Decorating Style Defined.” I find this quiz and article super helpful (and pretty dead-on).

I am sharing this with you because it is a good starting point in our journey together. I am looking forward to navigating styles together and hopefully inspiring both of us to continue to find our own unique style. Clearly, mine is all over the map…I can’t help but give you all sorts of ideas!

As I write every day, I’ll be incorporating ideas from all of these styles into the upstairs of my house…a mecca for unfinished home projects. It’s also where my two-year-old dominates and my on-the-way baby will, no doubt, dominate. I want to make it fun but fit into the style of our house in general…a tough proposition, no?  I hope that you’ll find Lambchop Designs to be an integral part of your “kid” style as well.

Ok! Take that quiz and let me know what your results are!

Adrianne