Fabric Friday

I haven't done a Fabric Friday in a while, and was just browsing some fall flavored stuff on Fabric.com. Cozy cozy. 

Clockwise: Robert Allen Promo Divination Linen Blend in bronze (curtains, large couch toss pillows), Robert Allen Reverence Chenille in Cocoa (2 upholstered chairs), Robert Allen Large Diamond Jacqard Cashmere (smaller couch toss pillows), P Kaufmann Reel It In Jacquard in Sand (2 lumbers for chairs), Robert Allen Cojedes Cut Velvet in slate (upholstered ottoman) 

Top it off with a tufted leather couch, mercury glass lamps, a plush blanket, a cup of coffee, and a piece of pumpkin pie. Aaaahhh. Happy weekend!

Anthropologie Hardware

What a gross and nasty day here in Atlanta. Eww. I miss the sun already. I know the rain is necessary and yada yada, but if I can't curl up in bed all day with a book or one of those really bad Lifetime movies, I'd rather the sun be shining, ya know?

Anyways, here's some brighter news. The Anthropologie hardware I ordered was delivered yesterday! We have Anthro at the malls here in Atlanta, duh, but I'm lazy and thought I'd just order it to be delivered to me. Ha. The shipping was $5, so I'm sure the gas it would have taken me to get to Lenox is about the same.

And of course I couldn't wait to put it on.... pictures from last night via my phone. These snaps don't really do it justice.  Anthropologie, as always, did NOT disappoint! These knobs are just the shade of green I was hoping for. The reviews online were right, it's sort of a minty seafoam green.
  

I think it coordinates nicely with my existing fabrics. Yay!

With a little bit of sparkle, I love this pop of color on the white dresser.

I really can't wait to do some styling now!

Thanks, Anthro, for saving the day and updating this dresser for me.
  

My to do is getting shorter! :)

small table

crib skirt

hang mobile

hang sconces
art work

.... finish baking the baby

Reading & Toy Bench

More things getting crossed off my nursery to-do list! I guess it is safe to say that I'm in nesting mode now. I'm so excited to see our little girl's room come together. I imagine it will be covered in crayon marks, chocolate stains, and juice box spills before we realize the time even passed, but it still thrills me to put it all together for her. 

I ordered a bench from... yes, Amazon... and it came last weekend. It's a simple white bench with three cubbies. Hubby went out of town this past weekend, so I got to work putting this bad boy together. Power tools, what! It took me about an hour to get it put together correctly. The directions were pretty good, but it came with a bajillion pieces of hardware. I found myself staring at each piece trying to unlock the magic code. 

 I used Pottery Barn baskets to fill the cubbies. But, it wasn't quite done yet. I really wanted the top to be upholstered. I had fabric leftover from the bean bag I had made (which should be coming in this week!) and thought I'd try Pinterest to see if the smart people on the web knew how to make a no-sew cushion. Oh, they do. There's only 10,000 posts on the subject. I didn't rummage through all 10,000, but I found one that sounded great. The words "hot glue gun" appeared on the items needed, and I knew we were made for each other. All I did was cut a piece of 2" foam to the right size, wrapped it like a Christmas package with batting, then wrapped that with my fabric.... using hot glue. Uh huh. 

A monkey could do it, really. A monkey.

It's not a professional job. If you flip the cushion over, you would see the rough edges and gift wrap resemblance. But who cares?

I think it makes the wood bench feel much cozier.

My three fabrics at play- Waverly Cross Section in Honeydew, Waverly Pebble in Caribe, and Richloom Isis in Seaglass. I tried to pick fabrics that could be used at any stage and weren't necessarily childish. Hopefully everything can be used in a big girl room, too. You know, until she tells me her favorite colors are pink and purple and demands it to be so.

Close up of the cushion. I'm in love with the Waverly Pebble fabric... can't wait to see the bean bag!!

The baskets and white pillow are from Pottery Barn (Savannah Utility Baskets and Jute Braid Linen Pillow in Ivory).  I look forward to filling those baskets with books and toys for the little sweetie. I picture many story times had in this little spot in the future. Will she like Disney, Winnie the Pooh, Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street? Will she love the classics like Goodnight Moon, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear Brown Bear? 

Will she want to spend more time with blocks and Legos? 

Will she be a true dress-up diva and just want to pose for mommy's camera on her bench?

To say that I can't wait to find out is a complete understatement. 

Nursery Details

Everything is coming together in little girl's room, and I am excited! I don't know why all of a sudden I feel this mad rush to get things done. I guess I have this fear that come third trimester I won't be able to move, and I'll be missing a belly button. I was talking to my mother-in-law yesterday about shopping, and I told her she could out-shop me right now. She offered to push me around in a cart... and it's funny because that is so what I imagine third trimester being like!

Baby girl is getting a pretty dresser with some hardware bling. I found the hardware on Amazon, of course... seeing a trend here? They are seaglass and antique brass knobs. I'm planning on using sconces I already have from Pottery Barn. They are the Chelsea Swing Arm Sconces that used to be in master bedroom. I found a little pedastol table at HomeGoods that I wish I had scooped up. Hopefully they'll have more soon. I also want to find some sort of mirror. I love the Ballard Bone Mirror, and they have several at the outlet near me. But, I'm thinking I need something rectangular for the space it's going... so the hunt continues.

I'm planning on having a small bench under the window to house toys and books. I bought three of the Savannah Utility Baskets from Pottery Barn a few weeks ago that are nice and sturdy. I plan on using my Waverly Pebble in Caribe to make an upholstered cushion on top of the bench. I also had a bean bag made in the same fabric, which should arrive sometime next week!

I'm also thinking I need to paint her a little something..... we'll see if I have time. I best get a move on. December will be here before we know it, and more importantly, the third trimester is about 6 weeks away. Holy boogers.

Nursery Happenings

I had one very productive weekend. I got into clean up mode and couldn't be stopped before the nursery closet was cleared out, gifts and outfits were organized, baseboards wiped down, and the room was dusted and vacuumed. I also made one heck of a Goodwill pile!

After my cleaning frenzy, I made plans to start on my to-do decorating list. I ran out to Hobby Lobby in search of an off-white or white curtain rod for the room. I didn't really want to give RH Baby & Child the 100 bucks they want for theirs.  So, I happily spent the 100 on gas driving around town (ha).  I didn't find anything at HL, but they do have all of their Christmas on display. CHRISTMAS! Woah. Then I ran to HomeGoods, where I didn't come out with a curtain rod, but I did find a cute basket clothes hamper.  My search continued on to Michaels, Bed Bath, Steinmart, Marshalls, and Target. Didn't see a thing. I got home and decided I would search on trusty Amazon. Found it! And only $11.99 at that. With free shipping. Oh, and ps, I ordered this on Saturday, it was delivered YESTERDAY. Even my husband was shocked. Now that is fast!

I also got to work on pillows and finished two.....and my dragonfly mobile came in from Baby Jives last week. I am so glad I decided to splurge on this!

Yesterday, I got a call that my glider and ottoman set were on the way to be delivered. Hubs let me know around 2:30 that they were in the nursery and looked good. I thought he might send me a picture, knowing how excited I was about the chair.  He didn't, so I asked. The whole time I was dying from suspense.

I waited.

and waited.

And waited....

Dying a little more each minute.....

Almost an hour later, I get an email from Hubs with the following pictures attached.

Glider still wrapped up.

And ottoman still in its box.

I just couldn't help but laugh. Is this not the typical male thing to do? Men. I guess in his mind I wanted the picture as proof that the two items had arrived... not that I wanted to see what they actually looked like. I was expecting more along these lines....

I love the chair. It's so comfy, and best of all it was so affordable and came within ONE WEEK of ordering it. Free shipping here, too. Thank you, Amazon Prime!

Swatches

Swatches are taking over my life... that is nothing out of the usual. I seriously think I might have my mom make a quilt one day of the many swatches I've picked up over the years. Yes, I have that many! But this time, the fabric is hunting is so much more fun because it's for the little person I'm busy growing! HA!

My first thought for a girl's nursery was lavender and gray. Like a really soft lavender that basically looks gray, not Barney purple. Then I got to thinking, I really should do this room in a color I like a lot because I have to spend a lot of time in there, and what does a baby really care anyways? Although, as I type that, I think if my daughter is anything like me she will absolutely have an opinion on fabrics and colors. That makes me laugh. In any event, I started thinking BLUE. Yes, BLUE, even for a girl. It's my favorite color, and actually my nursery and my room growing up was baby blue, and I think I turned out ok (no comments needed here).

I think blue can be girly if you do it right, right? So anyways, here was my jumping off point. I found Richloom's Isis in Seaglass first (the large flowers) and immediately fell in love with it. I initially paired it with apple and lime greens and other seafoamish blues.

These guys were also in the runnings.. Waverly Cross Section in honeydew and a few Premier Print patterns I liked.

But then I rethought the greens and opted to go a bit softer, using only the blue shades found in the Richloom Isis in Seaglass. I put all my swatches in this color side by side, and got so excited! The beginnings of baby girl's nursery. Makes me giggle, hehe :)

From top to bottom: Richloom Isis in Seaglass, Ticking Stripe in Aqua, Lewis & Sheron Tahitian Stitch in Horizon, Waverly Jacquard in Aqua, Braemore Spice Market in Aquamarine, and the small swatch is Waverly Pebble upholstery weight fabric. I'm not sure I'll use all of these or just 2 or 3. I'll probably use a lot of the ticking stripe because it's only $6/yard. Score. I plan to make baby girl drapes, a crib skirt, a bean bag cover, and some toss pillows for an upholstered toy bench and a lumbar for the glider. Can't wait!!

Did anyone else do blue in their little girl's room?

Nursery Fabrics

Um, yes. I need to know if this baby is a boy or girl, like yesterday. I don't know how people wait until birth. That just isn't in me to do. I'm such a planner and have to know information that's available. HAVE TO. Anyway, I still have to wait to find out for a little while. I'm thinking either way the nursery will be blue because, hello, that's my favorite color. Maybe if it's a boy a black and white theme. Who knows.

Until we do know, fabric combos will be dancing in my head!

Finished Headboard

Saturday afternoon, I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and get to finishing this mega headboard. If you've been reading along, you know I've been at this thing (or leaving it laying dormant) since last summer. That's almost a full year. How sad am I?! It was overwhelming choosing fabric and finding something that I knew I could live with for a long time. But I finally found fabric... so I didn't have any other excuses. 

I ordered extra fabric in case I wanted to use it for throw pillows or something else around the else. It's Robert Allen Linen in Natural and I love it. It's a very good weight for linen, I would definitely recommend it.

Yes, Mom, I did iron it first...

I got down with my electric carving knife and wrapped that sucker in fabric. This was the chaotic scene.. it's gotta get ugly before it gets pretty, right?

And after what felt like 3 years of nailing these boogers in, finally the nail heads are complete. 

This was not easy. I got really frustrated. I wanted to cry. I wanted to give up. I wanted to chalk it up to another Pinterest DIY FAIL.

I didn't.

Once it was complete, hubby got to work hanging these brackets. Good job, Hubs. 

And here she is, in the room. It's like she is talking to me "see Ash, I was so worth it". She's not perfect, but she was way cheaper than any number I could afford. And I love her. I'll be honest with you, this was not an easy-peasy project in my opinion. This will be my first and last headboard project. Ha! (Sorry, Mom, I didn't iron my bed skirt....love you, mean it.)

But, in the end it was well worth it. It just adds so much to my bedroom, I couldn't be happier.

A closeup of the nail head detail. Those things will haunt my nightmares for a while. I used 3.5 inches of foam to make this headboard super plush.

I really love the fabric! 

 I told my husband the headboard was going to be big and tall. When we got it on the wall, he said "woah, you weren't kidding". I wasn't kidding. I wanted something huge and not puny. This is a long and horizontal space, and the large stripes I painted makes it feel even longer... so I knew I needed something big and bulky. Something that had presence. Something that demanded my attention. 

And so, here she is. Size 77"x42".

Seeing this view at night makes me very happy! I'm glad I powered through it and finished. 

                                I only wish it weren't Monday and I could go back to bed.....