Photography – Kim Robbins \ Styling – Brier Rose Design \ ...]]> This is such an adorable little mother-daughter shoot!  Collette from Brier Rose Design styled the sweet vintage lemonade stand setting, and spent a lovely afternoon with her daughter Brierlyn playing and laughing while sipping lemonade and enjoying the gorgeous California weather.  Brierlyn is cute as a button, and the images from Kim Robbins are ones I know they will treasure forever.  Love this idea for some “Mommy and Me” keeper shots!

Photography – Kim Robbins \ Styling – Brier Rose Design \ Vintage rentals – Smoke Tree Junction Antiques \ Mother’s clothes – Maple Boutique \ Girls clothes – Gap Kids

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 1 comment · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Photography

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Some of you are probably scratching your heads right now. She doesn’t want a baby’s room to look babyish? So I’ll explain.

My goal is to create a comfortable space for my son and for myself. ...]]> When JB and I learned we were having a boy, I immediately started daydreaming about how I would decorate the nursery. As I scoured the internet and magazines for inspiration, the only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want it to look babyish.

Some of you are probably scratching your heads right now. She doesn’t want a baby’s room to look babyish? So I’ll explain.

My goal is to create a comfortable space for my son and for myself. Yes, I’m decorating partly for him and partly for me since I anticipate I’ll be spending quite a lot of time in his room.

First, I thought about colors. Specifically, paint colors. I don’t think a nursery should be limited to candy coated shades of pink or blue or yellow. And truthfully, I don’t care for pastel colors anyway. My office, which will become the baby’s room, was painted a bright shade of green called Dill Pickle. I actually had nothing against the color for a boy’s room. In fact, one of my closest friends painted her baby boy’s room Dill Pickle. But after two and half years surrounded by green walls, I was ready for a change.

So I began seeking inspiration, and when I stumbled upon Hawken’s room and Finn’s room I knew I found exactly what I wanted. Their striped walls appeared sophisticated, preppy and masculine, which I loved. I also liked the fact that stripes would add visual interest and dimension to my baby’s small room. Once JB and I agreed on the walls, the rest of color scheme sort of fell into place.

My painted doubted my vision from the beginning, but when he pulled the last piece of tape off the wall, he acknowledged that my idea worked. No, the room doesn’t look exactly like Hawken’s and Finn’s… but you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the big reveal.

Stay tuned for part 2: nursery furniture.

 {images via Project Nursery and Ohdeedoh}

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Decor

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During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly ...]]> From celebrities to friends to fellow bloggers, everybody seems to be pregnant right now… including me! You may be even more surprised to learn that I’ve been sitting on this secret for 32 weeks. That’s right, I’m having a baby in July!

During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly to discuss my excitement and fear about having a baby and to keep track of my favorite things for me and him. Yes, I’m having a boy!

Being pregnant has been a remarkable and weird experience. Yes, weird. It’s controversial to admit this, but I can’t say I’ve truly loved sharing my body with this new little person, and I’ve had my more than my share of super emotional days. Then in March, my life got even more stressful: I began a new full-time job, my first in 3 years (yay!), and my husband deployed again (boo!). Needless to say, taking care of everything by myself – the house, the dog and my work – while growing a baby has been exhausting, which explains my two month radio silence.

But now I’m excited to fill you in on the past 8 months and look forward to reaching the finish line with you cheering me on!

Have you noticed a baby boom among your circle of friends recently?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 4 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Life

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{17 weeks; 21 weeks}

My cravings have been simple to satisfy — from strawberries to guacamole to spaghetti and meatballs to ...]]> We have officially crossed the halfway point! At 21 weeks, I must say that I’m really enjoying being pregnant. Aside from 3-hour naps during the first trimester (really, we could all use an occasional 3-hour nap) and minor migraines during the second trimester (which I’ve cured by snacking throughout the day), I have been blessed thus far with an easy pregnancy.

{17 weeks; 21 weeks}

My cravings have been simple to satisfy — from strawberries to guacamole to spaghetti and meatballs to hot fudge sundaes — and I have had no food aversions. I walk regularly and do daily yoga stretches to keep my lower back strong and limber. And my husband has treated me to countless foot rubs and back massages. Yes, I’m a lucky lady.

{20 weeks}

Of course, I sometimes miss my morning cup of hazelnut coffee and my pint of homebrew with dinner, but such small sacrifices are well worth it. I’m willing to do whatever it takes for a healthy little Peanut!

Speaking of Peanut, we had our second trimester ultrasound last week and were thrilled to see our long-limbed acrobat.

{second trimester ultrasound}

And I’m happy to report that he/she kept his/her boy/girl parts sufficiently hidden from our view. That’s right, we’re keeping the gender a surprise! We figure there is no better thrill in life that the jubilant announcement of “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” in the hospital delivery room. I also figure it will help me to “push harder” when the time comes.

What about you? Did you/will you/would you keep the gender a surprise?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 5 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Health, Newlywed Life

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That’s right, friends … little Peanut will be joining our family in September! And we are beyond excited to become parents.

We may still be in a rental townhouse rather than our first purchased home, and we may not have a furbaby family member yet (which are two things we both thought we would do before bringing a little human being into our world). But you know what? The ...]]> There’s something in the oven … And it’s not just cupcakes!

That’s right, friends … little Peanut will be joining our family in September! And we are beyond excited to become parents.

We may still be in a rental townhouse rather than our first purchased home, and we may not have a furbaby family member yet (which are two things we both thought we would do before bringing a little human being into our world). But you know what? The timing still feels just right.

We are looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!

“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” – Author Unknown

Any other expectant mothers out there?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 7 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Life

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Here is my guy in an organic onesie I purchased from one of the daily deals sites. I can’t afford to dress him in anything organic at full price. :)

Here are a few of my favorite daily deal sites:

Mama Bargains Baby Steals Green ...]]> Sometime during my pregnancy I discovered the world of daily discount sites offering up baby related gear and clothing, and I was hooked. Most of the items and clothing I’ve purchased for my little one have come from these sites.

Here is my guy in an organic onesie I purchased from one of the daily deals sites. I can’t afford to dress him in anything organic at full price. :)

Here are a few of my favorite daily deal sites:

Mama Bargains
Baby Steals
Green Baby Bargains
Baby Half Off
Totsy
zulily
bTrendie (I can send you an invite link if you want it!)

Are there other baby deals sites that I don’t have listed here that you think I should know about?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 9 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children

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I jumped at the chance to order Hudson’s Easter basket and wanted to make sure that I wasn’t scrambling at the last minute. I ordered all of our Christmas stockings from Pottery Barn Kids because ...]]> One of my favorite things about being a first-time mom is getting to experience so many of my son’s firsts. Holidays are some of the best firsts around and I try to make them as special as possible without going overboard on an infant’s first holiday.

I jumped at the chance to order Hudson’s Easter basket and wanted to make sure that I wasn’t scrambling at the last minute. I ordered all of our Christmas stockings from Pottery Barn Kids because they had a cute collection of stockings that included two older-looking and more adult stockings in addition to the fun Sugar Plum Fairy and Santa Claus stocking. We were really pleased with them, so I was excited to order Hudson’s basket from PBKids, too.

We chose the green basket liner with the bunnies and got it monogrammed. I ordered him the small basket in Espresso.

Then we got to help the Easter Bunny stuff the basket. I obviously can’t ask the Easter Bunny to give a 10 month old (he’ll be 10 months old by Easter) chocolate and Cadbury Mini Eggs, so I had to get creative. This is his completed and stuffed Easter basket.

Hudson loves books, so the Easter Bunny chose these wonderful books for him. The kids department at Nordstrom always has a great collection of seasonal children’s books, so I picked out a few cute options there.

Where Are Baby’s Easter Eggs by Karen Katz
Easter Surprises by Lola Schaefer
Who’s A Bunny by Chris Theiss and Jennifer McGill
Little Quack Counts by Lauren Thompson

We found a cute pair of bunny ears and a sweater knit stuffed bunny from Pottery Barn Kids. We also got him a couple of Baby’s First Easter bibs from Target. And because I don’t see much point in dying Easter eggs for a baby who can’t eat eggs for three more months, we picked up some plastic eggs to fill his basket.

If there’s a little one in your life, what will you put in his or her Easter basket this year? Any suggestions for me for the future?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 4 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children

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But. I have always been a little rigid, controlling, obsessed with tidiness and cleanliness. I’m a Monica. I obsess over the little things like a crumb on the counter top or some dog hair near the baseboard. I can’t help it, but I’m learning to tone it down a bit.

What girl doesn’t want her house to look impeccable and always be ...]]> Turning into a mommy just happened over night. One day we were two and the next day we were three.

But. I have always been a little rigid, controlling, obsessed with tidiness and cleanliness. I’m a Monica. I obsess over the little things like a crumb on the counter top or some dog hair near the baseboard. I can’t help it, but I’m learning to tone it down a bit.

What girl doesn’t want her house to look impeccable and always be ready for the guest that just pops in unexpectedly? I think one of the main rules your own mother teaches you is to not let the  cleaning pile up. Keep up with it, so if someone calls and says , “I’ll be there in 5 minutes,” you can just pick up a few things and throw on a smile.

On any given day, you can bet that my living room looks like this. (Pay no attention to the guard dog on top of the sofa.) We sort of set the room up and use the furniture to barricade him in the area where we want him to stay.

And my kitchen looks like this. Drying rack, bottle pieces, formula, cereal, and water are always on my counters.

It’s okay. I can’t be too worried about having it all there, all the time. I pick it up during nap time and pick it up again every night. We have some cute toy baskets for the smaller toys. But just knowing that everything is generally messy kind of makes me go crazy thinking about it. I came up with a few solutions to help me through the baby clutter.

1. Buy cute storage bins. We have these canvas buckets from Pottery Barn Kids for all of the small toys. The bins look cute in the room and aren’t too imposing on the rest of the decor.

2. Don’t let the baby messes pile up. Deal with small things throughout the day and pick up the toys every night.

3. Have some rooms in the house that are baby-free. Our guest bedroom and our study are not baby-friendly zones, so we don’t put toys in there. I’d love it if our master bedroom was baby-free, but that’s where I have to get ready every day and it’s just not realistic to keep all of his things out. We use our Pack ‘n Play as a playpen in our bedroom and keep a few of his toys in there. It keeps him entertained long enough for me to get dressed.

4. Don’t buy too many toys. It’s so easy to go into the store and come out with a new toy every time because you know he’ll love it. But we just don’t have the space for it in our little bungalow. We don’t have a play room and anything we bring him just makes our house a little bit smaller. Hudson likes playing with pots and pans (the cheap ones, not the All Clad), so excessive toy is unnecessary.

5. Get over it. People know I have a baby and they’ll be forgiving, not judgmental.

Relaxed is a stretch. I can be relaxed. But I still strive to keep a clean house. I just wait until my son has turned in for the evening to attempt to make the sophisticated adult home a reality again.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Organization

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