I have so many nursery projects to share with you readers! My inner Martha Stewart has really come out for this event and even if you aren’t the most crafty person in the world, I think you could do a few of these projects without too much trouble. Making the nursery personal and yet inexpensive is one of my top goals for the room (besides making it totally awesome and modern and bright….those are good goals, too, right?). So I knew we’d do a lot of DIY projects and I’d hunt for gently used pieces of furniture that just beg to be refinished. So far, so good.

My loving fellow-crafty lady mother come up to The Great North to visit her only daughter a few weeks ago. Our sole mission was to pump out as many projects as humanly possible in 2 full days. So we first went fabric shopping and found a literal JACKPOT at a local quilting store. Narrowing it down to just three prints was painstaking but I’m really happy with what we chose:

My mom got to work on the sewing machine (since I still haven’t sucked it up and learned how to sew) and made two sets of orange curtains with green tie backs, a green window seat cushion, and two yellow cushions for the rocking chair. The window seat is definitely one of my favorite spots in the room so far.

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I have always loved the idea of a gallery wall in our house and as it is, there are a whole lot of framed photos in our house. For me, photos are a major part of making a house a home. And I take a ridiculous number of photos on any given day at any given event. I’m that friend who people tend to groan at because I’m insisting on yet another group photo. The result of that though is that I have a lot of photos of great moments, great people and great memories and I would definitely love to start showcasing them in a more special way. I stumbled upon these images of this living room on Apartment Therapy and instantly fell in love with the stunning yet simple grouping of photos on the side wall. Don’t you love this?

{photos by Sean Slinsky}

I’m thinking I’d love to do this on one of the large blank walls in our living room choosing favorite photos from our engagement session, wedding and honeymoon. I would probably stick with all black frames, but I’d definitely switch up sizes and styles. Perhaps some are ornate with traditional white mats while others are clean, sleek and modern. I love groupings of mismatched but alike items so I like the thought of a dynamic photo display that, over time, would likely evolve as our lives do. So the architect in me (practicing or not, you can’t shake 4 years of architecture school and obsessive measuring) is thinking I might grab a level and a chalk line and start blocking out a wall and then from there let it grow organically. Heck, soon enough I might even have a disc of wedding photos so I can get this party started right.

Anyone else put together – or looking to put together – a gallery wall in your house? I would loooove to see pictures!

With Thanksgiving coming  up, there will be lots of family, friends, and food.  From elaborate to simple, you can create a pretty table to enjoy it aound!

Oranges with clove initials for placeholders are pretty and smell wonderful!

Cream colored pumpkins with cute placecards attached are easy to do and a nod to the traditional.

For centerpieces, something as simple and easy as candlelight is made a little more special with the addition of some dried citrus slices glued to the bases of the candles.

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Plaid has been all around lately, everywhere I look!  I love the traditional and casual cozy feel of it, plaid just seems to warm up whatever space it’s used in.

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When we first decided to move to Nicaragua, I had a vision of what our home would be like. That vision was filled with dark wood, open courtyards, hammocks gently waving in the breeze. I.e. a Gringo house, not a Nica house.

Shortly before we moved we received an email from our program director. He described a couple (Nicaraguan) who needed roommates. The monthly charge was only $200 including utilities, and they were happy for us to have our dog live with them. We happily agreed to a three month term, feeling relieved that we didn’t have to immediately start searching for a home.

I knew I was in trouble the minute I walked into the house. The lights were fluorescent. Geckos were on the walls. And oh the paint. It can only be described as sickly green. I was immediately homesick. I won’t go any further, to do so would be insulting to our roommates.

We spent the next week pondering reasons to move (prettier digs), but realized that nice cushy budget wouldn’t exist anymore if we did move. We decided to stay, but started making plans to paint and update the house just slightly. Not enough to lose money, but enough to be comfortable. I’ve lost the before pictures, so you’ll have to make do with the after.

First up, the living room. The HUGE living room. We have two front doors, double sized. Two huge windows and so much space it’s hard to fill up. Our life of dodging furniture is over. I can’t get over the space. These pictures only cover half of the space, it’s that huge.

We only painted and hung curtains in this room. Our roommates have been living in the house for seven months, and I don’t feel comfortable rearranging or buying furniture that we won’t bring back to the States.

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As I head towards the halfway mark of my pregnancy (at 18.5 weeks, if you want to be all technical about it), I’m starting to pull together the nursery and thought it would be nice to share. I fully intend on this being a long, drawn-out project full of extensive research, bargains, and excitement. So far so good! :)

My inspiration all started with these images from the wonderful Jennyology’s blog:

I am obsessed with the bright apple green walls, the vivid curtains, and the fact that she avoided all pastels. I am on a mission….NO PASTELS in this nursery. I want all bright and bold colors which proves to be a challenge in the sea of pale pinks and blues in nursery world. But I have faith that I can do it!

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Let me preface this by saying that we don’t have kids, and we don’t even know if we want kids.  That said, I have been thinking about decorating a nursery… basically just for fun.  One idea I’ve toyed with is a fairy tale themed room.  I’d love this chandelier and castle wall decal for either a boy or girl:

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Not only can Etsy dress a baby like none other, but it can also decorate a nursery like a pro. Of course, you’ll need to be the one to pull it all together but nothing like handmade goods to inspire a room for the baby.

Pillows for the rocker:

by seller ManicMuffin Totes:

from seller ginia18:

Then come the wall prints. Don’t even get me started.

by seller Ferntree Studio:

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As I’ve lamented before on EADL, Evs and I have quite the blank space looming large right above one of our living room sofas. Finding a piece that’s affordable, fills the space, and is aesthetically pleasing to the both of us has been quite the challenge.

Then there’s my love of gallery walls.  However, The Cottage has neither a staircase nor a deep enough hallway to boast the collection of images I’ve dreamed up in my head.

Enter the “Shelf Gallery!”

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One of the nice things about having a house is the fact that we have the space and are able to have friends and family come and stay with us.  But as of late, and especially after the wedding,  our guest bedroom had really become a no-man’s land full of things that didn’t really have a home.  It certainly didn’t reflect a welcoming feeling.  With 3 sets of visitors coming to visit and stay with us this fall, I decided that it was high time to do something about it.

But here’s the thing:  with budget being a huge issue, I needed to re-use and re-purpose what I already had and make it work.

Armed with 2 gallons of paint (that I got on sale over Labor Day!), I got to work.

Here’s an embarrassing view of what it looked like before:

It wasn’t pretty!

I decided on a wall color, thanks in part to Mrs. Limestone and her own guest bedroom, and also decided to paint all the furniture an antique/off white so that it would look less mis-matched.

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