Making Progress

First, a little update on Mother's Day.  My last post was written before the actual day, so I was yet to receive the wonderful gifts my children (aka husband) picked out for me.  When I woke up Sunday morning, I walked into the kitchen, and Derrick said, "you might wanna look over there."  I turned around, and this is what I saw

Have y'all ever heard of Sur la Table?  I love that place.  Derrick and I stumbled across one of their stores in SoHo when we were on our trip to New York for our anniversary last year.  I was in search of a hostess gift, as we were going to be staying with a friend of mine, and let's just say that store was full of great hostess gifts.  Of course, I wanted one of everything.  It's kind of like Williams Sonoma but more fun, in my humble opinion.

So the other night, I got a new Sur la Table catalog, and I showed Derrick a couple of things in there that I liked.  I was thinking they would be good birthday presents.  (My 30th birthday is coming up in...eek...8 days.)  It was literally 3 or 4 days before Mother's Day, so I didn't think there was any chance he would be able to get those gifts in time for Mother's Day.  I had no idea what he was getting for me.  I also had no idea there is a Sur la Table in the metro Atlanta area!

My smart husband looked it up and found one.  He took himself and the girls right up there and bought the two things I had shown him.  One is a Cuisinart ice cream maker.  The magazine had them in fun colors like green and red.  My girls picked purple for me, as they know it's my favorite color.  Derrick wasn't loving that idea, but I told him that if they picked it out, that's what matters.  The other thing is a beverage jar with a super cute chalk board sign that hangs on it.  I've been wanting one of those for a long time, and I'm super excited to have one.  Now I just to invite some people over so I can fill up with lemonade or tea or something else that's pretty in a jar.  The possibilities are endless.  I love getting kitchen stuff.  Derrick did a great job!

Okay...now on to my blog title...Making Progress.  I'm finally making a little progress on Josiah's room.  The key word is little.  But hey, it's progress.  We had the walls painted last week, so they are now navy blue.  I know it looks black in the picture, but it's navy.  I promise.

Notice I did not include a picture of the whole room, because I still have a lot of work to do, but I did at least start on my sewing projects.  I made a cover for the changing pad.  It's navy and white ticking.  I love it.  My changing table is different from most, so the pad is flat and almost square.  Sewing a cover for it was basically like sewing a pillowcase with a zipper, so I figured I'd try my hand at it.  I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, especially since it was my first time working with a zipper.  Here are a few pictures.

As you can see in the last picture, it's not perfect.  The fabric was a little small for my project, so some of the selvage edge is showing, but hey - I'll just turn that side to the back, and no one will be the wiser.  I'm really enjoying the crisp clean colors in this nursery.  Boy stuff can be fun!

Oh - and one more picture.  All the fabric I still have to do something with.  I'll let you use your imagination, and I'll post pictures again when we're finished (or at least closer to being finished).  Yay for nursery decorating!

Layla's Room

Since Baby Boy Lewis will soon be taking over Layla's nursery, I think her sweet room deserves a tribute.  Here are some pictures:

I can't take much of the credit.  My good friend Meredith is an interior designer, and she helped a lot.  It was my idea to do the board and batten on the walls, so we hired a contractor to do that.  I picked out the bedding and the rocking chair.  We already had the furniture from Elizabeth's nursery.  Meredith pretty much did everything else.  She had the cute idea to put polka dots above the board and batten on two sides of the room.  She found almost all of the tchotchkes on the bookshself.  (The picture frames actually have pictures in them now - just in case you were wondering.)  Meredith also bought the lamp, and the little pink paisley rocking chair was a shower gift from her.  How cute is that chair?

This little corner with the rocking chair is very meaningful to me.  The chairs is so comfy, and Layla and I still sit here and read, rock, and sing every night before bed.  Heck, we sit there before naps too.  It's a good spot.

Did you notice those curtains?  Yeah, Meredith gets the credit for those too.  She and I went to  the fabric store one day.  It was quite an experience.  She went through bolts and bolts of fabric, trimming swatches of the ones "we" liked.  Then, she put those swatches down on a table, and in no time flat, she weeded out the ones that weren't any good and came up with the design for these curtains as well as the ones in our bonus room and Elizabeth's room.  It was amazing.  I will miss these curtains.  Oh - I did pick out the cute pink trim.  Go me.

Just so you have an idea of what the other side of the room looks like, here's a picture of the changing table.  It's not spectacular, but I can say that I still love it.  The whole furniture set is from Bellini, and the changing table was probably the main reason I chose their brand of nursery furniture.  Their changers are sort of square, and they are designed for safety and comfort.  You lay the child straight on to change them, not sideways.  If they roll to one side or the other, they are still on the changing table.  I love it.  Plus, the changing table piece is removable, so it becomes just a dresser for future years.

So that's Layla's nursery.  It has been a great room for the past 2 years.  If I had it to do over again, it probably would look completely different, but that's just the way it goes, isn't it?  Styles change so quickly.  As soon as you decorate your room in one thing, it's out of date, and you're stuck with a dated room.  Of course, you smart decorators have learned your way around this by using neutrals and classics and just updating with less expensive trendy pieces.  I'm going to get there one day.  That's definitely the strategy I'm using for Baby Boy's room.  I want to do something neutral with classic shades that can hopefully last longer than a couple of years.  We shall see.

Thanks for touring Layla's nursery!

Nursery Dilemma

As you know, we're expecting a baby boy in May.  Naturally, I've been thinking about what I want to do for a baby boy's nursery.  I've known for a while that I would not want to do the traditional PBK trains, planes, or baseballs.  I don't like the traditional primary colors or the baby blues and browns.  I knew those things, but I honestly had no idea how hard it would be to come up with an idea for our baby boy's nursery.

As of right now, I still have no idea what I will do in Baby Boy's room, but in the meantime, here are a few boy nurseries I've seen online that I actually like.  Of the hundreds I've looked at, these are the ones I really like.

One of my favorites is Jenny Lyons' little boy's nursery.  Jenna is the Executive Creative Director for J.Crew.  You can see her whole house here, but here's a shot from Beckett's nusery.  I adore the striped ceiling.

Another nursery I like is from one of the head designers at DwellStudio.  Take a look at her little boy's fun and functional nursery.  You can view other pictures from her home here.

Interestingly enough, both of those nurseries have colors that I normally wouldn't be drawn to, but it's the way they're used that makes me really like them.  Since I will probably not be painting stripes on the ceiling, and I certainly don't have the type of space featured in the DwellStudio nursery, I am trying to figure out what will work for us.

We have some definite limitations.  For one, the room where Baby Boy will live has white board and batten on all the walls, to a height of about 6 feet.  There is a nice picture ledge at the top of the board and batten, that goes all the way around the room, so we do have that space to work with.  Also, I have dark brown nursery furniture, and (gasp) it all matches.  We bought a set from Bellini over 4 years ago, paid way too much for it, and at that time, I wouldn't have dreamt of putting non-matching furniture in a room.  My tastes have changed, but for the sake of the resale of the furniture, I do not plan to paint any of the pieces in the nursery.  So, white walls, dark brown furniture.  The top 2 feet of the walls are currently pink, so we'll definitely want to change that.

So far, here are two bedding sets I've seen that I like.  Both are from Serena and Lily.  The first is my personal favorite, and it's called the Rye collection.  The second I also like, and I think Derrick prefers it.  It's called the Ben.

I am definitely drawn to the turquoisey shades of blue.  I like the orange as well, and I think both of these sets would work well with the white lower walls and the dark furniture.

If I don't go with either of those bedding sets, it may just be a thing where we pick a color combination and go with it.  I like this idea of the letters of the alphabet on a ledge around the room, with each letter varying in style and color.  The colors featured below aren't what I would do, but I definitely am considering this idea.

Last, but not least, I really like the ideas used in this nursery.  Fun framed art.  Colorful vintage pieces mixed with modern.  I found this one on ohdeedoh, thanks to my friend Lanie Beth.  She's the go-to source for great blogs!

So that's about all I have.  Kinda sad, huh?  I'm going to keep thinking though and keep searching.  I'm kind of hoping I'll happen upon an old book or a fun print or something else that will just grab me, and I'll know it's exactly what I need for nursery inspiration.  We shall see.  I'll be sure to keep you updated as we go from a nursery dilemma to a beautiful boy's nursery!

Living Room Revamp

I don't know if you remember, but in May, I won an e-design from design blogger Erica Harless.  When I won, I had to choose a room of my house that I wanted her to design.  I debated between our office / keeping room area and our living room and eventually went with the keeping room.

Here are the recommendations she gave for the office / keeping room.

Honestly, I haven't made a ton of progress, but I did rearrange the desk and file cabinet, and I found fabric I'd like to use for the window treatments.  Truthfully, I'm too cheap to pay someone to make the drapes, and I haven't found the time or desire to make them myself, so the room is still pretty bare.  Hopefully I'll get some motivation before the baby comes to sit down at the sewing machine and make some drapes!

But...that's not what this post is about.

Today, I want to talk about my living room.  Ever since I won that e-design and chose not to have Erica do the living room, I've been wondering what she might have done with it.  I'm kind of nesting, so a few weeks ago, I decided to make some changes myself.  When I say myself, I mean I called my good friend Lanie Beth, and she came over and gave me great ideas, and I implemented them.

Here are a few before and after shots.

I think the biggest change (as far as the overall look of the room, not necessarily the most amount of money) we made was the new rug.  We ordered this rug from Pottery Barn.  I had a hard time finding a rug I liked, and this one really had mixed reviews, but I decided to take my chances, because it was one of the only ones I found that I liked.

Another change was to add curtains.  Lanie Beth suggested velvet curtains.  I was hesitant at first, but I'm so glad we put them up.  I love them.  They really make the room feel cozy and more complete.

Lanie Beth also suggested painting the coffee table, which was something I was already planning to do.  It just so happens that she has her own business (Under the Rowan Tree) refinishing furniture, so I didn't have to look any further.  She brought me some paint swatches, showed me some knobs, and after I picked my favs, she went to town.  I LOVE my "new" table.  It adds so much color and interest to the room.

Oh, and I also bought a new couch.  I found it on craigslist at an antique store.  If I had it to do over, I'm not sure I would buy it, because it turned out to be a good bit smaller than I had imagined. (Silly me, I bought it without seeing it in person.)  With that said, I really do like it, and I think it's pretty and fun, and it adds a vintage feel to the room, which I really like.


I think the thing I like best is that the toys are gone.  I know that's awful, because I'm a mom of two little ones with another on the way, but I love walking in the living room and not looking at toys.  If we keep the toys out, I'm going to have to be diligent about taking the girls upstairs to the playroom for play time every day.  I don't want the toys to sit up there without any attention.  That would be so sad.  Plus, it would mean we've been glued to the boob tube all day, and that's no good.  Another option is to find some other type of storage for the toys in the living room...something that has a lid so the toys can be disguised.

It's still a work in progress.  We want a new couch and chair to replace the white ones.  I know white slip-covered couches are all the rage, but I hate them.  They are not practical for kids.  I don't know what is, but I'm thinking dark brown leather.  Something that can be wiped down and doesn't show every speck of every thing spilled on it.  I also want something different for media storage.  I think we'll mount the tv on the wall and find something low and smaller for the components.  It's a process, though, so it may be a few months before it all comes together.  And I'm okay with that.

For now, I love my new living room.  I love sitting in it.  I love walking through it in the middle of the night when Layla cries.  I love cramming 28 people into it for a Christmas party.  It's the place where memories are made, and I'm looking forward to many more.

what do you think?

If you read this post, you know that I won an e-design from a local designer, Erica Harless. I was super pumped when I won. Winning is so great, isn't it? There's just something exciting about winning.

First, I had to fill out Erica's questionnaire. She, of course, needed to know lots of specifics about the space as well as my personal style and design preferences. She then took that information and created a design, just for me.

You can read her entire post here.

It really was a fantastic process. I sent pictures, measurements, and details about my style, and she sent me back a design. I love it. And she's a great artist. Check out this picture she drew of her idea for the keeping room.

Here's a drawing of the breakfast room and keeping room. The numbers refer to specific elements that are numbered on the next picture.

And here's the e-design board (numbers coordinate with drawing).

She wants to unify the two rooms by incorporating black furniture into the breakfast room (the office furniture is black). She chose a beautiful floral fabric for the curtains and wants me to pull out yellow as an accent color (for a lamp in the breakfast room and a framed print in the keeping room). She recommends a board and batten treatment on the walls. I love that idea. We did board and batten in Layla's nursery, and it's fantastic. Last, but not least, she suggests incorporating a little seating area into the keeping room, using the file cabinet as a "table" between two chairs. How GENIUS is that?? It's by far my favorite suggestion. I never would have thought of it.

The next step? Well, that's the catch. We really weren't planning to spend any money on this particular area of the house, so I don't know when we'll be able to get started. We did "rearrange" the office furniture today to somewhat resemble the drawing. I like it better already. Erica really knows her stuff!

If you're looking to redecorate, I definitely recommend Erica and her e-design process. It's very non-intrusive. You can send her the information and photos when you have time. When she finishes your design, you can then take her ideas and implement them if/when you have the time and money. It's very low stress and can be as affordable as you'd like. You are in control of the entire project. If you're a control freak like me, you will really appreciate this process.

I'll be sure to post updates as we, slowly but surely, implement Erica's suggestions. I think the very next thing I have to do is clean off my desk. Now that it's on the big wall, the disarray is quite obvious. Yikes!

I'd love to hear your input too, so leave a comment if you have particular thoughts about the design. Any ideas where I can find "cheap" fabric for curtains?

Star Provisions and Mother's Day 2010

Oh, Mother's Day. It's such a wonderful day, isn't it? Mothers (well, most mothers) are such amazing creatures. The Lord really made something special when he created moms. A mother is so many things. The word I think of most is sacrifice. Being a mother requires so much sacrifice. A mother gives nearly every ounce of time, energy, and love to her children. And we wouldn't consider doing anything else. Even though the kids rarely appreciate it, until they are grown and have their own children. We just keep on giving. And it's worth it. Every single bit.

I'm so glad we set aside a day to honor the mothers (and the like-a-mothers) in our lives. They deserve more than a day, of course, but for most of the moms I know, one day is enough. Most just enjoy hearing a "thank you" or a "you're doing a good job."

This Mother's Day was my third, and I had a great weekend. Derrick and I were supposed to go to the lake for a friend's 30th birthday, but as it turned out, we had to drive to Atlanta for a very serious mission. Elizabeth somehow left her blanket in a store while shopping for my Mother's Day gifts with her Daddy, Saturday morning. (Side Note: I have kept up with that thing for 3+ years. I know where the blanket it as at all times. I'm just saying.) We didn't realize the blanket was gone until nap time, at which point a MAJOR meltdown occurred, followed with profuse promises of going back to Atlanta to find the blanket immediately. So...since we already had a sitter coming, we decided to use it as an opportunity to go find the blanket (hopefully), followed by some shopping and eating, in honor of Mother's Day.

Mission accomplished. We found the blanket. It was just laying on a table in Star Provisions, next to some very beautiful dishes. I literally grabbed it and snuggled it and almost started crying. Sad, I know. I think I'm a little attached to blankie too. I was just so glad for Elizabeth. There is no telling what I would've had to come up with if we had not found it.

By the way, Star Provisions is my new favorite store. It's a boutique, of sorts. It's attached to a very nice restaurant, Bacchanalia. The boutique sells fresh cuts of meat and cheese, among many other things, but what I fell in love with were the wares! Oh my word. The prettiest white serving dishes. And such cute home accessories too. I absolutely love that store. If you haven't been, you need to go. Some of the prices are a little high, but most things were quite reasonable.

We went from there to dinner at Houston's, and then to Lenox, where we window shopped. We stopped at The Cheesecake Factory on the way home for takeout cheesecake. Sorry, Weight Watchers. We'll see each other again this week, but for Mother's Day weekend? I just couldn't. I can't imagine how many points are in a slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake.

And that was all the day before Mother's Day! I'm so blessed.

Today, I worshiped the Lord with the best body of believers, and then we ate yummy Mexican for lunch, which I had been craving. It's always so satisfying to eat something you've been craving, isn't it? We were supposed to have dinner with Derrick's mom and brothers, but it didn't happen, so the afternoon was kind of a bust. We wound up trying to buy hanging plants, but the girls totally broke down, so we left. I did get some good ideas for the plants, though, and I hope to have some up soon. Maybe I won't kill them. That's a big maybe. Oh - and the fanciest meal for Mother's Day? Dinner at IHOP. Funny, but it was yummy. Derrick never wants to go, so Mother's Day was my chance. =)

I hope all of you had a most wonderful Mother's Day. If you are not a mother, I hope you took time to thank your own mother or those women in your life who are like a mother. If Mother's Day brings up tough memories for you, due to the loss of your mother or possibly a miscarriage or the loss of a child, I pray you had some peace this Mother's Day.

I'm sure you're all wondering - so what did Derrick get you at Star Provisions, when he was shopping with Elizabeth?? The answer? So many fantastic and beautiful things. Here's a peek:

These really cute votive holders...

I'm kind of into birds right now, so...

I love, love, love white serving dishes...

I think I may be addicted to cake plates...

Just think of the possibilities. Cakes. Cookies. Really. Put a cloche or a cake dome on it and anything underneath looks special. Even birds...

I know. He really did too much. I honestly told him not to spend more than $100, but my husband never sticks to those limits. Never. I'm not complaining. I love my new house wares, and I can't wait to use and display them. One day, I hope to have a buffet for my breakfast room that will serve as a display as well. A girl can dream.

Happy Mother's Day!

Oh - and later this week, I will post about the most special gift I received. Hint: it was created by little hands.

I WON!!

I won! I can't believe it. I don't think I've ever won anything in my life. Well, that's not true. I'm sure I won a class spelling bee, and I did win a leadership scholarship from Chickfila, but who's counting?

I posted last week about a room design give-away from Erica Harless, a designer and blogger. In order to win, I just had to spread the word about her give-away. I honestly didn't know if I'd have much of a shot at winning, but apparently I did. I won a free e-design board for the room of my choice. Now I just have to decide which room.

Will it be my living room or my breakfast area / keeping room? If you've been to my house, feel free to leave a comment and weigh in.

As the room make-over takes place, I will be sure to post updates, so stay tuned. Oh - and I have to say thanks to my fantastic sister-in-law, Teinika, who helped me win by posting a comment on Erica's blog. She's the best.

Happy Monday.

i'm not that competitive

Really. I'm not. Some would argue otherwise, but in general, I don't care that much about winning or losing, and I get really annoyed with sore losers.

But.

I just found out about a competition for a room design give-away. Seriously? Do you know how bad the bottom floor of my house needs some design help? We paid a designer to do the upstairs 18 months ago, but the down stairs? Whew. It needs some help. The problem is that it's too overwhelming and expensive, so I tend to give up before I even get started. This particular designer is very budget-friendly (so I've heard), so I'd really like to see what she would recommend!

Suddenly, I'm feeling quite competitive.

If you're feeling extra generous and would like to help me win, please visit the designer's blog by clicking HERE and leave a comment in my honor. Something like, "Lauren Lewis referred me to your site. Please design a room for her!" Just an example. I think the competition closes Friday morning, so there's no time like the present. Of course, if you'd like a re-design, I totally understand. I dare you to try and compete with me. If you win, I will never be your friend again, but hey - a new room might be worth it. I guess it's up to you to decide.

Just to show you how badly I need her help, here a few pictures of the rooms I would like help with:

I think my living room needs to most help. It's where we spend the most time, and I feel like I'd benefit most from enjoying this room. It's not terrible, but honestly, I don't like it. We need new furniture, for sure, but that will have to wait. In the meantime, I'd like help with window treatments, colors, pillows, creative toy storage options, and all the other details that make a room feel inviting and homey and beautiful.

The keeping room is another great option. The main issue I have in here is window treatments. What can I do with a window this big? I have no idea. Also, is the leaning bookcase totally out? If not, how can I make it look better?

And last, but not least, the breakfast room. It's a relatively large space, and it's awkward, so I never quite know how to fill it up. Window treatments again are an issue for me. What looks good on a bay window? I'd like a "piece" to hold dishes and such for the wall behind the high chair, but I don't know what type of piece would work best, or what color it should be. Bar stools? If so, what color? So many questions.

So...you see? There are options. Many options. If I don't win the competition, at least I've admitted to all of you that I need help. Maybe that will get me motivated to do something about it. We shall see. Now, go on over to Erica's blog, and leave a comment for me. Thanks.