My Retreat

My bedroom! 

Okay....not  my bedroom yet, but trying to get there.  I saw this pic on A' la mode's blog.   She noted the source is Phoebe Howard.

I still need to find some wall frames, a headboard, and the lamps but I got the other stuff already.  

Got the the pearl embroidered duvet from PB.  I got it for $70!  Which is cheap considering I have a KING size bed.

I got pillow shams in this lovely blue and green paisley print from PB.  

This night table I purchased right after we moved into the house we are living in right now.  It's from Scandinavian Designs.

I also got these Restoration Hardware  Euro Shams.  They're old okay....I got them LONG time ago when I was still single and I was able to splurge on items.  I also got the coverlet too.

Still looking for lamps, but this is what I found so far.  Needed to get something with color since duvet is white.  I was thinking of silver though, but have to think about it....

Will share pics as soon as my Master Retreat is finished!

A Magazine Cover Life Inspires this Mom

As you all know having a baby is a lot of work and sometimes the home gets neglected.  I don't know about you, but my home was a lot more organized before I had a baby.  My closet was sorted out by color (still is, but less clothes hanging in it), shoe closet was organized, no mail piling up on the desk, laundry was always done before it spilled over the hamper, and I even mopped the hardwood floors every single day!

If you haven't noticed in our "blogs we love" section, one of the blogs I personally enjoy reading is A' la mode by Shelli Knoch.   She writes about how she attempts to live that magazine cover life while being a mom and wife.  Reading her blog inspired me to start focusing on the home especially with these pics of her Master Bedroom!

I don't think I need to explain why I fell in love with her bedroom

      So simple yet so elegant

Love the different patterns here.

             Here's a close up of that Ikat pillow which started this whole redecorating for me!

What did I tell you?  Isn't her Master Bedroom dreamy?!

I fell in love with those Ikat pillows in her Master Bedroom, so I got them too!  I also heart that Moroccan pouf too!  What's great about Shelli's site is she actually includes where she got all her furniture, accessories, and decor so anyone can go get them too!   Shelli has a lot of inspiring photos of her home. You can check it out here and here, but don't blame me if you end up redecorating your home too! Oh...and she even adds pics of how her style evolved and what she learned along the way.  This is SO helpful especially to people like me who are trying to figure out what to do with their junk furniture.

I am SLOWLY trying to improve the look of my home.  I probably won't even come close to what her house looks like.   This is what I've done so far:

MY LIVING ROOM or what's left of it since furniture had to be rearranged for a crawling baby:

This is the before pic

•  The four wall prints are from my father in law.  I think he got it from a relative who visited China
•  The 2 blue pillows with the bamboo buckles are from Pottery Barn
• The 2 red pillows were made by my mom.  I picked up the batik prints from Malaysia (visiting in-laws)
• The sofa is really really old!  I got it when I got my first house.  It has survived abuse by 2 cats who used it as as scratching post.  I don't plan to change it because I know it'll get abused by my daughter and dog.

This is the after pic.  Yes I know the wall color and the prints kind of blend together.  Need to contrast them more so it doesn't look so blah.  Painting the room will take a lot of convincing, so I am thinking of changing the frames and adding matting.  What do you think?

The lumbar Ikat pillow I got from Trendy Pillows on Etsy

I got this pillow from Pop O' Color on Etsy

• I decided to keep the blue pillows from Pottery Barn.  Hey need to save some $ right?
• I didn't want to much design on the pillows so I chose a lumbar Ikat from Trendy Pillows for the middle of the sofa.  Figured my sofa already has prints why add more.
• I paired up the Ikat pillow and blue pillows with the Chartreuse Trellis pillows from Pop O'Color. I chose this color so the prints hanging above the sofa would tie in with the sofa.  

Isn't it amazing how pillows can change the look of a room?  These pillows probably would cost at least $100 if I bought them in a store.  I got these from Etsy which saved me money!

Thank you Shelli!  Keep on blogging because you inspire moms that it is possible to live that magazine cover life!

Stuck on Number 4

I finally had time to get a frame for a print I bought  from  Mateo and Tobias  store in Etsy.  Thank you Cathy! I just love the print and it looks even better hanging in my son's room.  If you missed our Facebook link to Mateo and Tobias, you should go and see all the cute handmade plush toys and colorful wall art she does.  The great part is, her stuff is reasonably priced!  You can customize the color for some of her wall art which makes finding what you want easy.  Not only do you get a great deal, the wall print adds a wonderful touch to your room's decor.

Anyway, I am almost done with my to do list for my son's room.  Of course I decided to start my list at #4 and work my way up.  But it seems I've been stuck on #4 for a while, dreading the unavoidable...#1 moving my shoes out.  Maybe, it's natural for a woman to be dreading anything that deals with closet space or her shoes... in this case both.  In the end I will have to deal with it so I will have to either find a new place for my shoes or start donating some of them (sniff sniff).

To Do List:

1. Take my shoes out of his closet. - Yes! I admit it... I am still using his closet space.  I have to figure out where to put all my wonderful beautiful shoes.
2. Organize his dresser.  - I've been dreading this but I have to face it. I need to take all the clothes that are too small for him out and see what clothes he needs for the upcoming months.
3. Take out stuff my son no longer uses. - I know he is just 6 months old, but can you believe he has stuff in his room he no longer uses?  Like his size 1 diapers and his swaddling blankets
4.  Finalize on room decor - I actually enjoy doing this.

Will update you how far I get on my list.  I am hoping I can finish my list by the time summer ends.  We will see...

To be continued

Garlands Galore!

Garlands galore!  I was browsing through Etsy looking for garlands and found various types being offered.  Check out these garlands from Short Cake Party Picks.  They are so colorful and happy...you can not only use them for parties but also in bedrooms too!  I just love the pom pom garlands made of yarn.  It looks so soft and plush adding a nice touch to any child's room.  Short Cake Party Picks allows you to pick the colors for the garlands too!  So you can customize it to a party or room color scheme!

Color Yarn Pom Garland

Tulle Pom Garland

Felt Fringe Garland in Blue and Green

Felt Fringe Garland in soft pink and hot pink

Crochet Flower Garland

Another Etsy shop I found is  Sugar Owl Design. They sell these beautiful butterfly garlands available in various motifs.  They have butterflies in Tropical Island colors and prints as shown below.  They have these garlands in Picnic Jubilee, Ocean Meets Sky, Strawberry Cream, and Fashionista. These gorgeous garlands are made of high quality cotton fabric sewn together with heavy duty upholstery thread. The smaller inside layer of wings have also been individually pressed to achieve a 3D effect. These garlands can be used for parties as well as decor to add color to a room!

Butterfly Garland in Tropical Paradise

If you are looking for  good classic pom pom garlands, Pom Love has them!  Again, these garlands can be custom made so colors can be designed by you!  Won't these look pretty in a nursery?

Pink, Peach, Purple Pom Pom Garland

Want to go neutral?  You can get a beige and white one!

Skip*Hop

Although my son is only 5 months old, he already has several baby books from his Grandmother (Lola).  I’ve been trying to find some cute book ends for his room but haven’t found any I liked until I went on Skip*Hop.  Their ZOO bookends are a perfect addition to any nursery or playroom décor.  Their bookends come in 3 styles: a cute blue dog, a silly brown monkey, and a friendly blue owl. 

Skip*Hop also makes these cute Zoo plates and bowls  which I LOVE!  Aren't they just adorable!! They come in 4 different friendly characters: Buzzing bee, cute blue dog, silly brown monkey, and a friendly blue owl.  They have other cool  products for the Nursery, as well as products for Bath time and Meal time, go check it out!

DIY: Poppin Art!

It's Pop Art!

I wanted to give my son's room a modern and vibrant art piece above his crib so I tried this DIY Pop Art I found on the Family Fun website. I did my Pop Art on a portrait of my 4 month old son wearing his shades and hat. It gave out a smooth cool vibe which I thought went well with the Pop Art look.

To do this DIY Pop Art you will need the following:
Photograph
Colored paper
Scissors
Glue
Card stock or matte board
Double sided tape

1. You will need to printout four black and white copies of a photograph of your child's face on colored paper. You might have to play around with the contrast if it isn't strong enough. I decided to make copies on lime green, hot pink, yellow, and orange paper.  I then cut the images out as shown below.

2. Then glue them to pieces of contrasting colored paper as shown.

3. Finally, mount the photos on card stock or matte board with double-sided tape, and it's ready to be framed!

Dalidecals

Want another alternative to staying organized besides using the standard white board?  How about a  Chalkboard Calendar Wall Decal from Dali Wall Decals!  Yes a Wall Decal!!  This calendar wall decal is 32.4 inches wide x 22 inches high.  If you need a different size no worries, Dalidecals also does custom calendar wall decals.  It comes in one piece so it’s ready and easy to apply.

You can post important upcoming events on the calendar, so no one in your household can use the excuse they didn't know about it or they forgot.  There is also a space for you to write important notes to your hubby, kids, or a quick reminder to yourself.

A Quick and Low Maintenance Dog House

We mustn't forget about the family dog!  I was looking for a dog toy on Etsy one day, and I encountered this shop called  Graphic Spaces which happens to sell dog house decals.

These dog houses are so cute!  Any dog lover would love this!

You choose the color of the dog house,  the color of the paw print/bird and the size.  You can even have your dog's name on it too!

These look great near little "fido's" food bowls or dog bed.  It helps let kids know that this is a special area for little "fido", and they must respect it.  No touching the food bowls and no pulling "fido's" tail while he/she is sleeping.

Olliegraphic

Last month, I came across a site Sarah+Abraham  and fell in love with her products.  I found out about Sarah+Abraham through a design and decorating website called Project Nursery.  Sara (Yes, that how she spells her name) sells a variety of personalized products such as paper goods, plates, bowls, pillows, water bottles, stamps, and even cupcake toppers! 

I bought two of the personalized pillows as Easter gifts for my son and my  niece.  These pillows come in various colors from bubble gum pink to lake blue.  You can also personalize each pillow down to the shape of your child's eyes.  I chose almond shape eyes for both my pillows. Glasses can also be added as well if your child wears glasses.  Overall, I thought it was a fun way to represent your cuties at home.

Each custom throw pillow is hand-sewn on upholstery-weight fabric.  These adorable pillows can be used as decorative accents for your nursery, child's room, or family room.  I placed Noah's pillow in my living room.   Every time I see it, I see my Noah smiling back at me.

Below are some of the other products Sara sells.  Check out her website to see more!

Bowls and Plates

Cupcake Toppers, how cute is this!

Invitations

Get Inspired!

As I was browsing through the web for some art work for my son's nursery,  I came across a website which sells Inspirational Art Work.  I thought it was a pretty cool idea to add art work in a child's room that can inspire them as well.  These are all done on canvas and are sent out in a wooden frame.   Below are some of my favorites:

The Fan Club

Trying to be green is something that I now try to do especially since I now have a little one to think about.  Have to think about little cupcake’s future.  So, when looking for a light fixture for her nursery I kind of knew I wanted a ceiling fan.  Since it only gets hot a couple days out of a year where we live, we didn’t want to install an A/C in our home.  A ceiling fan would be a more perfect way to cool my daughter’s room on those really hot summer nights.

I knew I wanted a light/ceiling fan that had clean lines giving a modern look to the room.  I also wanted a fan that was quiet when turned on. After looking for the perfect ceiling fan, I found one.  Of course the one I wanted was the one from Restoration Hardware, so I had to look for an alternative which didn’t hurt my wallet ($329).

Concept Ceiling fan from Restoration Hardware $329

After searching the web, I finally found one which was almost half the price and on sale at Lamps Plus!  I loved the price so much I decided to get it for all the bedrooms in the house.  I got the Casa Vieja ceiling fans for $170.00 each.   

We love the Casa Vieja ceiling fan because:

• it's quiet
• the light can be dimmed (which is very handy especially on nights when we have to change her diaper or do a feeding)
• the fan has 3 speeds
• it's an inexpensive way to cool the house

44" Casa Vieja Probe Ceiling Fan

Me and My Shadow Box

Shadow Boxes are fun keepsake projects which lets you turn cherished momentos into art work.  It also allows you to see them in a daily basis rather than stored and hidden somewhere.

I have saved a few items from my daughter's birth which I knew I wanted to incorporate in her room:

• daughter's first top
• daughter's first knit cap
• daughter's ultrasound
• daughter's and mother's hospital i.d. bracelet

I simply used old handkerchiefs I had lying around for the background.  You can use scrapbook paper if you have that on hand or even gift wrapper.   I got my shadow boxes from Pottery Barn Kids.   I plan to update these shadow boxes as she gets older as well, so they will definitely be on her walls for years to come.   They are not that difficult to do and is a great project for those who don't have a lot of time.

Shadow box opens up, and I just place items inside.  I set them using pins.

Finished product! Very simple.  Took me a minute to do.

Wala! Another shadow box.  This also only took a minute to do.

Say Bye Bye to Plain Walls

Like all expecting mothers, when I found out we were expecting I became very excited about decorating the new baby's room.  I was on pins and needles trying to patiently find out whether our baby would be a boy or girl.  When I found out I was having a boy, I knew I did not want the typical blue room.

Instead, I wanted to use colors that were neutral.  After much thought I decided to go for brown and green.  I knew I wanted to cover the bare walls with a splash of color but painting was out of the question for me.  I didn't want to start a project like that knowing I have to finish it,  so I decided to look into wall decals.

I went into Pottery Barn Kids (PB Kids) and found some wall decals I fell in love with.  They had a yellow & brown giraffe and two brown monkeys which I thought would go well in the room.  I was at first intimidated by the size of the decals wondering if I can position them correctly on the wall and  hoping I would be able to stick them correctly the first time around.  When it came to putting the decals on, it was a lot easier than I thought.  I was able to peel the decals off, arrange them on the wall to my liking, and stick it back on the wall with no problem.  It only took me 15 minutes.  After putting them up, the wall was complete, and it no longer looked bare.   I actually had people who saw them and thought they were hand painted which was great since this was the look I was totally going for.

Giraffe and monkeys decals

  My sister also used decals from PB Kids to decorate her daughter's nursery. She chose a more intricate pattern of branches, leaves and birds.  It took her more than just 15 minutes since there were more sections to her decals as well as trying to balance each side perfectly.  She ended up taking 1 1/2 - 2 hrs putting the decals up due to the pattern she chose.  In the end, the wall gave a beautiful feel to the room.  She was satisfied with how the wall decal transformed her daughter's nursery.

"Hayley" decal

                                    

Overall, the PB Kids decals were fun to use and gave a great feel to the room.  If you want to fill in some bare walls consider using these PB Kids decals.