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I'm making a few changes to our bedroom, which we are still sharing with Emilu.  By moving the crib to the opposite side of the room and flanking it with two sets of wall shelves, there was an empty space above it, which I thought could use some dressing, but it had to compliment the shelves and crib bedding, as well as making look cohesive. I settled on a simple banner, here's how I made it:

 The final resting place is just below the wall shelving, I think it looks better there, don't you think?

Crates + casters = kids' storage

These adorable and practical DIY storage crates have been transformed into kids' storage bins for toys and crafts.  What a cute idea!  By adding casters to bottom of these crates they become mobile storage boxes. Voila!

Image via Apartment Therapy

The French Cafe

Source: littleplayspaces.com via jan on Pinterest

Step aside Fisher Price, here comes the best next thing in play spaces. I'm so crazy about these French Cafe play space. I secretly wish sometimes I was a small kid, remember when the possibilities were endless, there was fun everywhere.  Take this amazing board dream street cafe from Little Play Spaces.  Now you can play the waitress, the chef or a really wealthy patron, and serve French lemonade, warm croissants and croque monsieur.  Isn't this lovely?  Oh how I wish Emilu was older so I can see her play with friends, while speaking French and serving macaroons.  She'd make her mama proud. One day...

The Iconic Alphabet

Who doesn't have fun-packed memories about learning the alphabet? I know I do. From the first encounters of this iconic learning milestone through song and then by watching the dancing letter shapes on Sesame Street, the alphabet is the most fun-filled learning block in our language development. And here are some awesome ways incorporate the alphabet into your infant or toddler's whimsical world.
The Alphabet 2 from n9ve on Vimeo

Ross's Vintage Modern School-Themed Marvel

You can create an art display wall in your child's nursery or playroom.  I love the alphabet inspiration of these creations.

Rachel Bone's Artsy Take on the Alphabet

 

Source: ilovemimosa.com via Patricia on Pinterest

(Images via Mimosa
BuyModernBaby
Ohdeedoh)

Blogs I'm lovin'

I recently discovered five new blogs which have sparked a sincere entrepreneurship spirit in me.  The authors are all parents of little children and share similar life interests with me.  But they are highly creative and highly committed. Check them out, I know you will love them too.  

 1.  Minor Details

 2. Making it lovely

 3. Prudent Baby

 4. Diaper Style Memoirs

 5. Oh Happy Day

I leave you with a classic little rhyme made of nursery print cards that can be framed, used as cutout pieces for your kids or even hung on a wall.  You bet I will be singing this to Emma Lucia during her bath.

 Via DiaperStyleMemoirs

Nursery Update

Everyday I find myself folding and unfolding little Emilu's clothes over and over.  It's like nesting in overdrive. That's why I still haven't washed the clothes, because I know that I will keep folding them over and over until the day she comes.  I wonder if other expectant mothers had this bizarre behavior prior to the arrivals of their offspring.

We still have a few big items to buy, which we are postponing until the very last minute.  The stroller and car seat are good examples, and the changing table tray, which will be mounted on the crib is already on its way.  The only thing left to buy this week is the cloth diapers package and the wet bag. I just can't wait.  And you bet,  I will be blogging about the experience of cloth diapering!

These drawer organizers are the best.  You can find them almost anywhere, including Target and The Container Store.  These are from IKEA.

DIY Saturdays: Nursery

After completing our bedroom into a half nursery, I'm still simmering with ideas to keep updating it as Emma Lucia grows.  This image from MadeByGirl of Jane and Amanda's Home tour is testament that simple is nice and the less stuff a nursery has the merrier it is.  

For more pictures of their home, check the above link at MadeByGirl.

A Nursery Nook for less than an iPad!

We all know times are tough, even our own government is trying to cut back. So the feat was to transform our bedroom without hurting our savings.  Since we live in a one-bedroom apartment in the middle of the city, the baby will share our bedroom until we are ready to move to a bigger place.

I wanted a bright, light room with outdoor themes, and the first thing I needed to do was paint my existing bedroom furniture to accommodate this theme.  And with the new furniture,  white and natural color, it was easier to integrate the green, my favorite color, into the design scheme.

Our bed was originally black, so we sanded it, primed it and then put two coats of white glossy paint. See for yourself. It now looks like new!

The project was completed in a week and the total spent was just under $400, which included: paint, baby furniture (crib, dresser, and other accessories like mobile and wall decal), rocking chair, new nightstand and desk.

This is the breakdown:

- The crib, dressers, shelves, rod, curtains and nightstand are from IKEA.

- The desk is from CB2.

-The Baxton Studio rocking chair in white is from Sears.

-The mobile and wall decal are from Etsy.

-The paint color is Behr's Celery Spring.

- The pom-poms were my own DIY project.

-The lumbar cushion in graphic dots, is from Casa Ideas. 

  

Before and After:

 So there you have it!  It was a very fun and calming project.  And anybody can do it.