Chalkboard Plaque

Wall decor always poses a challenge to me for some reason and the nursery wall decor was no exception. I fell in LOVE with these little vintage chalkboard wall hangings on the RH Baby website and so I ordered the large rectangle one with a special spot in mind to hang it!

credit: RH Baby & Child

BUT... unfortunately RH has sent me 4 different "sorry for the shipping delay" emails and so I got too impatient. Yet again I figured I could make my own version...even though I was SO looking forward to this one.

Credit: RH Baby & Child

 I had no idea where I was going to get 'coloured' chalkboard paint...so I looked up online how to make your own coloured chalkboard paint and while at Michaels picking up supplies for the concoction low and behold I found that not only does Martha Stewart carry the PERFECT gray chalkboard paint but she also had shades in mint, and robins egg blue and of course black which I picked up as well! Martha you rock!

I also picked up some champagne coloured ribbon and chalk!

For the MDF board I needed I went to Home Depot where I rummaged through the scraps and found this perfect sized piece...and since it was my lucky day the guys at home depot sent me on my way free of charge!

I used a dinner plate and a measuring tape to try and get the cuts right. I admit they are a little off but it just adds a not so perfect touch which I don't mind. Here is my final product, complete with a French saying to welcome our baby home to!

Giddy-up!

Although I did order a few items from the Restoration Hardware Baby site, I set out to create a few 'look-a-like' things of my own. One nursery item I fell in love with was this little vintage rocking horse off of the RH website...

credit: RH Baby & Child

At $149 it wasn't that out of our budget so I was considering ordering one.



Credit: RH Baby & Child

 It was on an earlier trip to Michaels for something else that I spied the craft of the week which was this little raw wood rocking horse which actually gave me the idea to make my own version of the RH toy instead of ordering one...and at $39 I couldn't resist!

So off to Michaels Craft Store I went again...in search of the perfect craft paint for the task at hand. To my surprise the Martha Stewart Craft Paint was 40% off! Score!

I started out glazing the wood with the "rootbeer float" shade, then added the eye and some dark areas with the "vanilla bean" shade and finally white washed the whole horse with the shade called "wedding cake". And Voila! Baby's own RH dupe!

Nursery Inspiration

One of the most exciting things I can think of is waiting until the day your baby is born to find out if it is a boy or a girl! Since we don't know the gender of our baby I set out to create a very neutral nursery that would be perfect for our baby boy or girl! One of my all time favourite decor stores is Restoration Hardware and so I have to admit I clocked many many hours on the RH baby & child website collecting ideas and inspiration for our little nest!

Here are all my favorite nursery inspiration photos:

credit: Decorpad

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

 

credit: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

And there you have it... after hours of drooling over their website design gallery I chose elements of the rooms that made my heart sing and got my mojo back!

Earth to Rebecca!

Hi guys! Wow it sure has been a long long while! Im pretty certain I've lost many of you along the way...and I apologise. But the past 8.5 months have been the busiest, craziest ones in my entire life! And I know I have said that before but cross my heart! So to start I should let you know that shortly after we got home from our Christmas Vacation in Palm Springs I learned that I was PREGNANT!!!!! I still can't believe it and here I sit ready to pop!

Right now I'm in my 35th week and the due date has been set for October 8th! We are actually taking some time off to travel back home to Victoria to have the baby!!!

So as far as this pregnancy goes (my first) I really have nothing to compare it to but I can tell you one thing....BOY OH BOY was I sick for the first 4.5 months. So sick that I had Nathaniel throw out ALL of our house hold area rugs, relocate the cat litter to the basement, and hide all my body lotions, perfumes, scented candles, and home fragrance oils :(  Anything that smelled like anything HAD TO GO! Even our poor dogs got a lot less attention during those first months....poor fellas. I barely got through my last semester of my university degree....but am happy and relieved to say that on June 21st I graduated with my Biological Sciences degree! Just in time too as it was a goal of mine to complete my degree before having kids :)

So alas this is why I have all together abandoned the world of blogging. Pregnant, with almost every side effect I can think of, and scrambling to make it to class... I just didn't have any mind space  or energy for any decorating, painting, or blogging. In fact, I JUST started and finished the nursery in the past few weeks...

So for the sake of this blog being somewhat of a journal of my life here in Edmonton I thought I`d post a few photos of the evolution of my 'bump'!

Here I am at 21 weeks...the first sign of a bump!

 This is a pic at 7.5 months...getting bigger :)

And almost 8 months...

Here's a 3D ultrasound photo of our little dove!

32 weeks

34 weeks

Here's the most recent pic at 35 weeks!

We are so excited about this new adventure in our lives!!! And in only a matter of weeks we will have our very own little bundle of joy!