ella's nursery.

since ella was a month early, i didn't have her room finished when she came home from the hospital. so, it took me a while to get some pictures of it to share with all of you guys, but i finally did it! i had so much fun planning her nursery. i wanted the room to be really soothing. also, i wanted her to grow into it as a little girl, so i didn't want it to be overly baby-ish or neon haha. the theme is sort of a whimsy woodland one with neutral {any tan, gray, white, cream, taupe} with pops of gold & coral. 

{i have an unhealthy obsession with neutrals...but i think the coral is so different & fun!} i linked a lot of the things i found, in case you are looking for something similar. if there is something i missed, just ask!

curtains: tjmaxx | curtain rod: amazon | glider & ottoman: babies r us | opossum fur: new zealand | pompom garland: anthropologie | whimsy deer head: amazon | side table: antique store | floor basket: land of nod | lamp: old, hardware refurbished with gold leaf rub 'n buff.

crib: babies r us | mobile: babies r us | gray & coral wool blanket: land of nod | quilt: babies r us | crib sheet: etsy | crib skirt: land of nod | birch tree wall canvas: hobby lobby. 

  bunny with internal white noise: babies r us | plush doughnut rattle: babies r us | deer: fawn shoppe | lambie: gift | elephant lovie: gift | pale nulle: luckyboysunday | opossum fur pillow: new zealand.

i planned the whole nursery around this $3 handmade doily i found in snohomish at an antique shop. it was the perfect color coral that i had in my mind, so i brought it shopping everywhere with me!

 lamp base: land of nod | laurel leaf lamp shade: land of nod {not currently available}  | clover gold mirror: land of nod {gold not currently available, white here}

squirrel: tj maxx | tiny mirrors: hobby lobby | moccs: various

we picked out the felted animals for this diy mobile in a christmas shop in vail, CO when i visited jack at one of his externships last october. however, i found them online by outside inside here. i just took their little scarves off and hung them from a wooden mobile hanger {found on etsy} with embroidery floss. ella is obsessed with it.

 mountain wall canvas: antique shop | nursery furniture: babies r us {note that the furniture comes with standard pewter colored hardware. i turned all the hardware gold with rub n buff in gold leaf. i also did not pay retail...i got all nursery furniture for 40% off!}

  

coral fleece blanket : gift

sushi in the window: priceless. hehe.

 frame: hobby lobby

Baby Shower.

Our dear friends Rachel & Jon are expecting their first baby in March. There would be NO way that her Oakland family would NOT be throwing her a shower to celebrate their new addition. Since I had never taken on this feat before {let alone planning ANY party}, I thought...who better than me to volunteer? My friends Courtney & Kennan jumped in to help me. Thank the LORD for these ladies. Courtney provided the fabulously lit apartment for the space & did the food and Kennan put together the games. I pretty much handled everything else. It was such a fun experience. I genuinely enjoyed every part of planning this shower.

  

It's a BOY: Naturally, the theme had to be Mustache Bash.

Wet your whiskers with orange mango pineapple punch, sparkling cider, champs, or a mix of all three.

 Courtney's homemade spinach bacon quiches with graham cracker crusts, chocolate & vanilla cupcakes topped with fresh fruits, turkey & roast beef sandwich rolls, piggies in a blanket, spiced pineapple {one of the things Rachel said she has been craving}

 Close up of the adorable pigs in a blanket.

Details...antique chic candles, turquoise straws, ribbons.

The diaper cake I made for Rachel. There are four packs of newborn diapers rolled in there!

 Can't be a Mustache Bash Shower without mustache props for the guests and game prizes {inside vellum envelopes I decorated with hand cut mustaches with ribbon bow ties}.

The fabulous dessert table, cookies {melted caramel chocolate, spiced cinnamon, and white chocolate macadamia nut} by Courtney and pumpkin bars by our lovely Sarah.

Cheese & crackers by Courtney. Other food not shown is Courtney's famous buffalo chicken dip & hand-rolled crock pot meatballs! She is AMAZING!

Baby Price is Right by Kennan.

Guess the Diaper Surprise by Kennan.

I made white and milk chocolate mustache pops for favors.

 The sign is read "Before you 'mustache' {must dash} Please Take One...it's kinda fun once you get it. Ha.

Our Guests...featuring:

Mama L. & Baby L.

Mama L. & Papa L.

{Since our Oakland family is small & close, we decided a co-ed celebration would be more fun.}

Mama L. & Remi L.

After lots of food, beverages, games, and gifts....The End.

Some people have junk-drawers...

...We had a junk-CLOSET.

When we moved in to our new 750 square foot place last fall, we downsized from about four linen closets...to one. Our new linen closet resembled something close to the innards of a full-capacity trash compactor:

I was so tired of buying duplicates of medicines, shampoos (etc), and finding the exact same thing weeks later, nestled deep within the abyss. With my new-found, post-busy season sense of freedom (also said, "obsessive compulsive disorder"), I searched for some organizational inspiration on pinterest.  Of course, we have WAY too much stuff for our closet space to look that neat and tidy...so here is my best rendition:

Step 1: Decide which sheet sets and towel orphans make the cut. Roll each set into a gift-like bundle for easy access.

Step 2: Brave Oakland Ikea at 8pm on a weeknight after work in order to buy fabric closet organizer boxes in white and cream.

Step 3: Next evening after work, go to craft store to pick out a hot glue gun and cute metallic letters to label each of the boxes...and get the husband out of there before he convinces you to buy the entire store (he began college as an art major!).

Step 4: Get a buddy to help you glue hot glue letters to various fabric Ikea boxes (Miso makes a really supportive buddy, especially when your finger prints are being burned off by excess hot glue globs). --------->

Step 5: Take a break for some free local wine tasting. Our favorite place in Alameda is Rosenblum, where we are members.

Step 6: Come home and finish putting all the contents in each box, and find a home for it on the shelves: 

(I also got some super cheap metal shelving at Ikea, which helped by adding an additional level in each section of the closet...helped me fit MORE stuff in each nook and cranny! WAHOO!)

And the final product in sections:

...I know it still looks a little cluttered, but I refuse to give up things like laundry soap, my bread machine, and various other "ugly" items for the sake of the cause. Maybe ONE day, if we are blessed with a few more square feet to our name, we can spread out and make things prettier. Until then, I stand by my motto that "Love grows best in tiny houses."

Who needs a Band Aid?? Because...I know where they are!!!