*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Jacey! She enjoys peace and quiet by taking a walk through her neighborhood.

Have you seen Jennifer Squires Ross‘s work? If not, allow me to introduce you to her photography.

Jennifer has been photographing professionally for nearly two decades. When she first started out, artificial lights and dark rooms were all the rage. These days, Jennifer prefers to take a more organic approach using natural lighting and highlighting what matters most.

Nature is a common theme in Jennifer’s work. From golden scenes to foggy beaches, I admire her ability to capture the magic in landscapes.

There is a dream-like quality to her images that summons tranquility and stillness in whomever gazes upon them. I find myself breathing deeper and more easily when I look at Jennifer’s photographs.

Could your home use a dose of peaceful photography? I could sure use more peace and stillness in mine! See details below for the chance to win some of Jennifer’s amazing work.

PRIZE: one $200 gift card to Jennifer Squires Productions

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old. One entry per email address. This giveaway is open to international contestants!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “SHHHHH!”

DEADLINE: Enter before 9:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 2nd. One random winner will be chosen and announced Monday, June 3rd.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking peace and quiet…tell me how you bring some into your everyday life. If you have little ones, is going to the bathroom by yourself and locking the door the only peace and quiet you experience? Do you live near the beach and enjoy early morning walks before the rest of the world is awake? Or maybe you meditate on a regular basis? I’ll go first. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious by all the noise / mess / chaos that three kids can make, we go to the library. The kids know they have to be quiet at the library and they love to discover new books. Everyone instantly relaxes as we browse the aisles. It’s my favorite place away from home. The peace and quiet of the library follows us home too. I let the kids borrow a few books each. As soon as we hit the door, they flop down on the floor and get lost in their own little worlds. It works every time.

BUT, WAIT!, THERE’S MORE: Use the discount code TWEAKING13 to score 20% off all landscape photographs now through Thursday, June 6th.

Thanks Jennifer!

images: Jennifer Squires Ross

One week from today our outdoor dining patio will be featured on the Home Depot’s blog, The Apron. To hold you over until then, I thought I’d share a few of the DIY projects that were involved in the makeover. The Home Depot provided us with a dining table and bench to help furnish our back patio and the rest was up to us. There were budget and time constraints – not to mention the Ohio weather was NOT cooperating at all until a week before the already extended deadline. But I think projects like these {ones that require little time and not a lot of money} provide the most opportunity for creativity and inspiration.

Patio project #1: Update a garden stool. We had a ceramic garden stool sitting in our garage just begging for a makeover. Originally, it was a glossy green. {You can see the original stool here on the front porch of our previous home.} I had been eyeing pricey gold versions for our patio makeover so I decided to try painting ours. HH was concerned that regular spray paint wouldn’t adhere to the shiny, slick surface. After a little research googling, I discovered that applying a few coats of flat white spray primer first would be my best bet. I wiped down the stool, applied two coats of Rust-Oleum primer then finished with two coats of Rust-Oleum pure gold spray paint. Behold! A much cheaper alternative to the trendy gold and brass versions floating around on the internet. I like that the finish isn’t brassy but is a little on the “champagne” side. Very sophisticated. It’s been outside for a few weeks now and is holding up superbly.

Patio project #2: DIY a modern outdoor art piece. I can’t get over Ariele Alasko’s work. As much as I’d love to own an original piece, it’s just not in the financial cards for us. So I did the next thing best thing. I sketched a simple chevron design and handed the drawing over to HH who brought it to life. HH started with a 3′ x 3′ piece of treated plywood as the base. He borrowed a neighbor’s planer to rip 2 x 8′s {leftover from demo’ing the original 8′ ceilings in what is now our vaulted great room} down to ½” thick strips. Using a compound miter saw, construction adhesive and finish nailer, he attached the wood strips to the plywood base. He trimmed the outside edges and framed them then stained and sealed the entire piece. We hung the outdoor art on our home’s brick exterior with concrete anchors. The piece is sheltered by a deep 3′ eave and hangs on the north side of the house to avoid rotting and fading.

It is my favorite part of the entire patio because 1) it’s a personal design and 2) we used wood salvaged during our home’s renovation. It’s just a bunch of wood but it holds a lot of meaning for us. It turned out so great! HH and I are thinking we’d love to incorporate more pieces like this inside the house.

Patio project #3: Create portable light poles. Ever since I started brainstorming the patio makeover, I knew I wanted to string globe lights above the patio but there was one teensy, weensy problem. There aren’t any outbuildings or trees in the backyard to string lights to and I didn’t want to sink poles into the ground permanently. Along with HH, I came up with an idea for portable light poles.

HH poured 7″ of concrete into two concrete tube forms, set fencing top rails into the wet concrete, placed 4 eye bolts into each concrete base {for tethering purposes if necessary}, then held everything level and in place with a clamp/ladder system for 24 hours. It wasn’t until after the concrete was dry that we realized the clever clamp/ladder system had a fault. The only way to remove the ladder was to turn the entire apparatus on its side and slide the ladder off the metal rails. Oops! Luckily, it wasn’t a huge problem. More funny than anything. We removed the forms and cut the poles to our desired height. We added looped end caps to the top of each pole. String lights can be secured to the loops with zip ties. To be honest, we weren’t confident these poles would work out but, so far, they have been wonderful! They are sturdy enough not to topple or lean when lights are strung from them (or even during thunderstorms) yet they are light enough to move around. We haven’t had to tether them.

There are a few peeks at our patio tweaks. Can’t wait to share the final result next week!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

You first got a glimpse of the new wall planter in the kitchen here. Today I’m sharing how I filled and hung the planter. The gist? It was really easy! I installed the planter by myself. HH was away on business and the kids were tucked in bed for the night.

I ordered my wall planter from Wayfair but I’ve since seen it available via other online retailers. If you’re interested, my suggestion would be to google “BrightGreen” or “GroVert” to compare pricing and styles. As shown above, the living art frame holds ten 4″ plants. There are ten separate cell planters so you can customize the potting soil to each plant if desired. At first, I was leery of plants falling out of a vertical planter but the cell planters actually tip back to hold their contents.

The directions that came with the planter said to fill the planter before hanging it. Since I was working alone, I decided to hang the planter empty first {it’s really easy to remove from the wall} to make sure I had everything level and secure. It ended up working really well. The planter comes with a mounting bracket but no hardware. The instructions said the planter weighs ~35lbs when full. So I grabbed some drywall anchors from the {very messy!} garage. They can support up to 90lbs vertically.

Without an extra set of hands, I kind of had to guess where I wanted the frame then measure accordingly by making a bunch of pencil marks on the wall. Once I settled on the placement, I held the mounting bracket in its proper place with a small level resting on top of it to make sure it was level. {As you can imagine, this step took two hands leaving no hands for taking pictures – sorry!} I marked the two screw holes with a pencil on the wall – see above – and then double checked that they were level.

I screwed the drywall anchors into the wall with a manual screwdriver. Luckily, I didn’t have any problems hitting a stud but if I did I could have just screwed directly into it. I held the mounting bracket in place and used the accompanying screws to secure the bracket to the wall.

There’s the bracket in place.

I hung my empty planter on the bracket to check the placement. Perfect!

Knowing the placement of the mounting bracket was where I wanted it, I lifted the planter off the bracket and proceeded to fill the planter. I like Miracle Gro’s organic potting mix.

You’ve already seen the finished product but here are the plants I used. To be honest, I didn’t have the time or patience to think too much about which plants to buy. I had all three kids with me at Home Depot and I was going on day five of single-mommin’ it. To make things less easy, my local Home Depot had a very small selection of 4″ plants to choose from. At first, I was thinking of doing all succulents but there weren’t even ten 4″ succulents available so I ended up grabbing a mish mash of 4″ers. The composition was nice but I worried that the various plants wouldn’t survive under the same watering schedule.

I played around with the arrangement until I finally decided on this one. I planted each cell individually adding potting soil first, then a plant, then more soil if needed. It’s nice that the cells allow for individual soil customization. My succulents are happy in the rockier soil they came with.

After all the plants were potted, I gave them a good watering. The directions say to water the newly planted planter on a horizontal surface then let settle for 2-3 days before hanging. I couldn’t wait.

Needless to say, I had some dirt spillage. But it was easily cleaned up and the plants seemed to be snug in their cells so I left it on the wall. But you should follow the directions – just not that part about hanging the planter full right off the bat. Test it out empty first.

The planter sticks out ~5″ from the wall.

When figuring out the exact placement of the wall planter, I made sure the upper corner cabinet could be opened with no problems. I can still reach my fancy heirloom wine glasses. Whew.

As for watering the wall planter, it has a pretty innovative built-in irrigation system. You simply pour water into the top water chamber {see the sponge?} and it slowly disperses across a moisture mat all on its own.

There’s a small tray at the bottom of the planter to catch any runoff and there’s no worry of any water running down the wall. I’ve seen a bunch of DIY outdoor wall planters but the design of this planter’s watering system makes it ideal for indoor use.

All in all, it took me about an hour to completely install the living art frame. And it took me about 5 seconds to fall completely in love with it.

Now for the big question: How are the various plants holding up? I took the following unedited picture of the planter early this morning just for your viewing pleasure.

So far, so good! Even after 10+ days of being unattended while we were on vacation last week. I simply watered the planter very thoroughly right as we were leaving for vacation and the plants managed to stay alive while we were away. I can’t say what might happen over the next six months with my black thumb tendencies. The good thing is if one {or all ten!} of the plants starts looking weak/dead, it would be very easy to remove an individual plant and replant something else. I don’t think I paid more than $4 for any of the plants you see, so if some of them die it’s not a huge deal.

Still, if you’re thinking of trying this particular wall planter it might be a good idea to choose your plants more wisely than I did!

Would you ever try a wall planter indoors?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Have you noticed the abundance of gallery walls filling the design world lately? These days gallery walls are less about structure and perfect alignment and more about creating a unique, imperfect composition. Here are nine tips to keep in mind while creating a gallery wall of your own.

1 – Mix and match. Gone are the days of rows of matching frames. Use wood frames, metal frames, fabric-covered frames – heck, even unframed pieces are game. And don’t count out tabletop frames. If you find one you are particularly drawn to, remove the prop from the back of the frame, add a wall hanger and put that bad boy on the wall. Use larger frames to create a base arrangement then fill in gaps with smaller frames.

2 – Incorporate various mediums. Most people associate photographs and commissioned art with gallery walls but other artistic decor can be used as well. Try fabric remnants, petite shelves, sconces, prints, kid art, real/faux animal heads or antlers, mirrors, thrifted finds and decorative plates for an eclectic look.

3 – Vary the spacing. Back away from the tape measure. And laser level. {I’m talking to you, HH.} Instead of exact spacing, focus more on the overall composition. Not every frame must be the same distance apart from its neighbors. One slightly crooked frame can be just the thing needed to loosen up a stuffy wall.

4 – Go horizontal and vertical. Hang some pieces horizontally and others vertically to avoid too perfect arrangements.

5 – Let asymmetry be your friend. A perfectly symmetrical arrangement feels formal and final. An asymmetrical layout feels casual and effortless, like it has been gathered and hung over time. Look at the wall as a whole and take away anything that makes the gallery feel cluttered or busy. Asymmetrical arrangements can be easily added onto so they can evolve with you.

6 – Bigger is, well, bigger. Use the entire width and height of a wall for a dramatic effect. This is particularly useful when considering partial walls or walls that aren’t necessarily contained within a specific room – such as walls found in stairwells, nooks and landings.

7 – Layer and connect. Gallery walls can look lonely if they aren’t connected to a piece of furniture or an architectural detail. Creating a gallery wall just above – or even slightly behind – a sofa, chair, console, desk or flatscreen TV connects the wall to the room. Automatically, the wall becomes part of a dimensional space instead of just falling to the background. Resting a frame or two on the floor, a desk, a table or even a chair rail bridges the gap between wall and room.

8 – Find inspiration. If you’re new to mixing and matching, asymmetry and eclectic arrangements, browse the internet for inspiration. Use your favorite online gallery wall as a spring board for your own.

9 – Let it evolve. Just like rooms in your home, a gallery wall develops and evolves over time. A gallery wall is a visual story that should reflect your ever-changing loves and interests. Start with a basic arrangement and add to it as your heart desires!

images: Lonny

A few weeks ago I mentioned a last minute gallery wall above the fauxdenza that we threw together for the Tile Shop photo shoot. For being a totally spontaneous {i.e., unplanned and non-researched} project, it turned out pretty well and served the purpose of filling up the wall above the fauxdenza for a photo op. I guess it wasn’t totally unplanned. I had been imagining a gallery wall in the mudroom/dining room but hadn’t put any real thought into it. I was assuming it was something that would happen over time. But opportunity knocked and I answered.

We started out with a blank canvas. Well, pretend you don’t see those white pock-marks all over the wall. Those come later. I was a baaaaad blogger and didn’t take any pictures of the wall’s creation in real time. I had a good reason. I was in bed. Sleeping. Basically, I designed the wall quickly the night before the shoot then HH took over the reigns and actually installed the gallery wall. He practically forced me to go to bed. It was midnight and I was already crazy sleep deprived and needed some rest before the big day. At least, that’s what HH told me. I obeyed and went to bed. Yeah, HH is awesome. He knows me better than I know myself.

My “in-progress” images are simulated.

Before I hit the hay, I mapped out a spot on the floor in front of the fauxdenza to mimic the wall area above the fauxdenza. It happened that three rows of floor tile were the same height as the wall area above the horizontal planks on the fauxdenza wall but, if that happy accident hadn’t occurred, I would have just used masking tape or painter’s tape to map out a fake “wall” on the floor. I gathered frames, art, photos and scrap fabric from our attic {oh, the attic. It could use some organizing. It will happen.} and a few new frames from Target that I had picked up earlier in the day while shopping for photo shoot accessories.

After configuring, stepping back, reconfiguring, editing, stepping back and then nearly falling over from sheer exhaustion, this is the arrangement I ended up with. I was going for an asymmetrical arrangement that looked good as-is but could be added to in the future. I didn’t fret over keeping the same distance in between all of the frames. I didn’t measure anything. The entire process was pretty loosey-goosey.

I mixed white frames, wood frames, metal frames, a fabric-covered frame and even an unframed canvas to keep things interesting.

I was under the gun to have the wall ready for the photo shoot the next morning so I used framed photos that you might recognize from my previous house. There was no time to get new photos developed. This is also why there are no photos of Mabrey included. I do have pictures of her developed but none made it into the gallery wall…yet.

While I was coming up with the layout, HH ran to Lowe’s to pick up a bunch of 3M Command picture hanging strips. It was nearly 10 o’clock at night on a Tuesday and Lowe’s was the only place open.

At midnight, HH took over the installation of the frames and art so I could catch some zzzzz’s. You should have seen his reaction when I told him not to worry about the frames being exactly level or perfectly spaced. He’s an engineer, people. When it comes to hanging stuff on a wall, the words “unexact” and “imperfect” aren’t in his vocabulary. I didn’t watch him hang everything but I’m pretty sure the finished wall is an exact replica of my haphazard floor arrangement.

Why the 3M strips? Two reasons: 1) The wall that the fauxdenza hangs on is a block wall. On the other side of the wall is the garage. Drilling into a concrete wall would have been time-consuming and labor intensive. 2) Drilling into a concrete wall at midnight would have awakened all the sleeping little people in our house. I don’t know about you but when our little people are asleep, we like to keep them that way as long as possible.

The picture hanging strips are basically velcro strips that adhere to the wall and frames. They are super strong and can handle up to 16 pounds of weight. You stick one side of the velcro onto the wall and the other onto the frame so they will line up with each other. Then hold the frame up to the wall and press. You will hear a loud “click” when the strips line up properly and secure themselves to one another. Pretty sweet stuff right there.

FYI – Be sure to adhere the velcro directly to the frame – not the cardboard backing that holds the frame’s contents in. We had one casualty due to overlooking this important detail. When I woke up early the next morning, one frame had fallen and busted on the tile floor. Oops.

It helps to start with the lower frames and work your way up the wall.

There she blows.

Up close, from left to right…

It’s difficult to take non-glaring pics of the gallery wall because it’s directly across from a set of french doors. If it wasn’t BELOW FREEZING here I would have opened the doors and got a wider angled shot. I tried my best.

I absolutely love how the open ironwork of the pendant light lets you peek beyond to the gallery wall.

And because I know I would want the specifics if I were reading about a gallery wall on someone else’s blog…

A – IKEA frame, family vacation photo

B – IKEA frame, wedding photo

C – estate sale, abstract painting on canvas

Fun fact #1: The previous owner of our house painted the abstract art. I bought it at the Underdog’s estate sale before the house was officially ours. I’m so glad we finally found a place to hang it.

D – Ikea frame, Allposters.com print

E – Target frame, fabric scrap

F – IKEA frame, candid photo of Everett at 7 months old

G – Target frame, fabric scrap

H – West Elm frame, photos of Spain from HH’s high school trip abroad

I – IKEA frame, photo of Layne’s shadow kissing my shadow’s belly when I was nine months pregnant with Everett

J – IKEA frame, photo of HH and Layne as a newborn

K – Target frame, photo of me pregnant with Layne

Fun fact #2: HH gifted me a professional maternity shoot when I was pregnant with my firstborn, Layne. It was so much fun!

L – Target frame, fabric scrap

Fun fact #3: After failing to get this little round tabletop frame to stick to the wall, we decided it looked better just resting on the chair rail.

My favorite frames are the new distressed wood ones from Target. I’m pretty sure I need to run back and grab at least a half-dozen more. Megan, from The Tile Shop, said the frames tie into the reclaimed wood shelves in our kitchen. That must be why I like them!

The wall isn’t done but it’s done for now. I’d like to switch out some of the contents of the frames and, over time, I want to add to the gallery wall. {Don’t worry. I’ll share any changes I make.} As-is, it’s feeling a little too feminine and white-on-white for my taste. But it sure does make our house feel more personal and homey. Gotta love any project that does that.

I want to share a few tips for creating a unique gallery wall but think this post is already too lengthy to include here. So, look for my gallery wall tips in a future post. Coming soon!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Sarah and Lynn! Sarah is forgoing a significant other to better the relationship with her children while Lynn’s first date was at a now closed pizza joint.

I’m back with another giveaway for you! This one’s personalized just for your family.

Signs by Andrea offers personalized home decor in the way of rustic monogram, last name and custom wood signs. That, you may have already known. But did you know that the popular sign shop now offers special dates artwork? It’s a numerical graphic design of all the important dates {anniversaries, birthdays, etc.} in your family and it’s available as a DIY printable file, a professionally printed poster or a gallery wrapped canvas.

Note to self: Dana, remember that IKEA frames don’t come in a standard 11″x14″ size. C’mon, you should know this by now.

Andrea kindly let me give the special dates artwork a try. Creating the design was super easy. I included six dates {our birthdays and wedding anniversary} and just typed in our special dates on the builder site. The builder automatically created the design based on the style I chose. I opted for the printable file and an email containing a link to the artwork was sent to me instantly! I printed the artwork via Shutterfly with a gift card I had on hand.

I still need to get a properly sized frame but hopefully you get the idea. I love the black and white contrast and the meaning behind the numbers. HH likes knowing that the six most important dates he needs to remember will be hanging on our wall in plain sight. {HH doesn’t have the best memory.} Layne thought the new artwork was a jumble of nonsense until he recognized his birthdate. Then his eyes lit up when I told him what the rest of the numbers meant.

Now that you’ve seen it, are you itching to win a special dates print of your own? Wouldn’t this artwork make a great inexpensive yet meaningful gift? See giveaway and special offer details below.

PRIZE: special dates artwork printable download from Signs by Andrea {$9 value}. TWO lucky readers will win this prize.

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a valid email address. There’s no shipping involved so anyone with a valid email address can enter to win! One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “DATE ME!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Thursday, October 11th at 9:00 p.m. EST and TWO random winners will be announced Friday, October 12th.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking dates… describe your first date with your current significant other? I’ll go first. A college girlfriend set up mine and HH’s first date. HH and I were crushing on each other but were a little gun shy since we had both recently ended long-term relationships and weren’t looking for anything serious right away. So, it took a little nudging from my friend to get the ball rolling. HH and I attended a small private college in northern Ohio {i.e., the middle of a corn field} and drove to a nearby town for our first date. It was at a burger joint called Ralphie’s. Romantic name, huh? All I remember was that the food wasn’t that great but the company was. And still is! Thanks for the nudge, Cara.

BUT, WAIT!, THERE’S MORE: Now through October 10th, House*Tweaking readers can use the discount code “TWEAK2″ to score $2 off the original $9 price of a printable download. That means you get it for $7. It’s never too early to start Christmas shopping! Frameless, these prints would make wonderful stocking stuffers rolled up and tied with some ribbon.

Don’t forget to ‘like’ Signs by Andrea on facebook and follow her on twitter!

image: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

It was this time last year that we learned we were unexpectedly expecting. Wouldn’t you say it’s about time Mabrey had a proper nursery?

Mabrey’s room is teeny – not even 10′x10′. Normally, I wouldn’t think of painting a small room a dark color but it felt right and the room faces south so it gets a fair amount of natural light. I absolutely love the dark walls. It feels like a cozy cocoon in there. The enveloping mood is fitting. I like the idea of this being her little cocoon. A place for her to rest, prepare and grow her wings before she turns into a busy butterfly.

There’s something not quite right about sharing a nursery minus the baby, so I made sure to include Mabrey. Don’t worry. The pillow comes out of the crib when Mabrey is sleeping.

The paint color is a chameleon. It changes throughout the day and even from wall to wall depending on where you look. Sometimes it’s charcoal, sometimes navy, sometimes black, sometimes a tint of green. I adore colors with this trait. There’s less risk of me becoming bored with the wall color if it’s always changing. It’s a great defense mechanism for paint in our house!

To brighten the room and add contrast, I kept most of the furnishings white.

Floor space is limited so I enlisted the help of popular wall shelves for open storage and display.

Opposite the crib is the changing table and closet. The placement of the changing table near the closet is convenient.

Now that you’ve had a brief tour around the room, let me divulge more details.

The crib is new. Our old crib – one of the only baby things we didn’t get rid of in the midst of downsizing – had a totally different aesthetic. It was curvy and large and screamed country. It was obvious it would hog a lot of room in the nursery, so I bit the bullet and bought a white replacement with cleaner lines and a slimmer profile. It converts into a toddler bed {the old crib didn’t} so we’ll use it longer, too.

I DIY’d the art above the crib. It’s actually an old frame that I had in the guest/playroom of our previous home. {I bought it as a mirror but when it arrived, the mirror was shattered. The company sent me a replacement right away and told me to keep the mirror-less frame because return shipping would have cost them more than what they would get out of the repaired mirror. Seven years of bad luck? Myth debunked.}

I had HH put together six small scraps of tongue and groove leftover from our mudroom and screw them to the back of the frame. Then I painted them ombre ranging from white to light pink to coral to raspberry. I used two bottles of craft paint {a coral and a berry} and simply mixed them with the white trim paint leftover from painting our baseboards to get the various shades. I brushed the paint on with small foam brushes and left the tongue and groove seams exposed – partly for an imperfect look but mostly because I was in a rush. I love the raw pine seams. They make the art look rustic and handmade.

Before I brainstormed the ombre idea, I tried painting ‘I hope you dance’ on the pine boards but it didn’t turn out so well. I painted over it. You can see the faint cursive writing in the pink and coral boards. Thank goodness for Plan B’s. The ombre turned out way better than I had envisioned. I think it looks like an abstract sunset.

The cradle rocking chair is new. It arrived missing the assembly instructions but after contacting the seller I had directions emailed to me within minutes. Assembly was quick and easy. No tools {other than the included wrenches} required and I had it together in 10 minutes.

Until recently, I used a thrift wing chair for night feedings and while it was super comfy it took up too much space. The cradle rocker is perfect for the small room and surprisingly cozy with a pillow for back support. It probably wouldn’t be a good choice for long newborn feeding sessions – say, longer than 25-30 minutes – but it’s great for quick feedings and bedtime stories with older babies and kids.

Even after the baby phase, I see this chair growing with our family. It could easily become Mabrey’s go-to chair when she’s a toddler climbing up and rocking herself. Maybe it will follow her to college since it’s so light. Maybe it will make its way to the family room. The possibilities are endless.

The open shelves hold baskets that store extra blankets and clothes that Mabrey doesn’t fit into yet. They’re a little sparse but I’m sure I’ll fill them up with more pictures and plants as time goes on.

And baby makes 5. The little basket behind the frame is original to the house. I bought it at the estate sale. I put Mabrey’s hair clips and bows in it.

The wire baskets hold board books and burp cloths within arm’s reach from the rocking chair.

I know owls in nurseries are totally cliché but I couldn’t resist this guy. I put a mini pot of aloe in him. His spiky succulent hair reminds me of Mabrey’s crazy ‘do.

For a feminine touch, I added a pair of gold vintage-looking flower hooks. The lightweight blankets are perfect for warmer weather.

The changing table used to live in our previous home’s playroom {as toy storage} and in our previous apartment’s family room {as a media console}. It gets around. I’m working on a handmade mobile to hang above the changing table. Hopefully, it will add some much needed color to this side of the room. As soon as it’s done, I’ll share it.

Baskets and bins corral baby clothes that currently fit, diapers {cloth and disposable} and swaddling blankets. Three of the bottom baskets are empty. Plenty of room to grow!

The basket on top of the changer holds wipes, lotion, cornstarch powder and diaper rash ointment. I’m not much of a scrapper {and by scrapper, I mean scrapbooker} so pinning Mabrey’s hospital bassinet tag to the basket is a fun way to show it off.

I hung a large mirror above the changing pad to bounce light around the room. Mabrey loves smiling at and talking to her reflection after a diaper change. {Not to worry. Big brother Everett was spotting Mabrey.} This is another piece – like the cradle rocker – that I can see following Mabrey around into her teen years and beyond. At some point, we’ll probably rehang it vertically so she can primp.

I love looking back into the room. The mirror gives the nursery another dimension and makes it feel bigger than it really is.

In the bottom corner of the mirror I used stickers to spell out ‘I hope you dance.’ Like I said, I had originally tried painting this phrase on the frame above the crib but it looked awful. Still wanting to incorporate it into the room somehow, I thought adding it to the mirror would be a subtle personal touch. The phrase holds a lot of meaning for me:

*It was the song I danced to with my dad at mine and HH’s wedding reception. I love my dad. We’re really close.

*Literally, I hope Mabrey dances and appreciates her body.

*I studied ballet for 10 years and was really good. Then one year, under peer pressure, I suddenly quit to take on cheerleading. My parents could only afford one activity so I had to choose. I wish I would have stuck with ballet. Cheerleading wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I hope Mabrey doesn’t crumble under peer pressure and sticks to what she wants and enjoys – whether it’s dancing or conducting science experiments.

*In a broader sense, I hope Mabrey is active in living her life. I hope she tries new things, scary things. I hope she takes chances and risks failing in order to find her passion. I hope she chooses to dance through life instead of sitting it out.

I’m not sure how well the stickers will hold up to regular cleanings but I think the meanings behind them are worth giving it a go.

On the floor next to the changing table is a dirty clothes basket. I hang the wet bag for dirty cloth diapers in it too.

I was going to write ‘wash me’ in chalk but I couldn’t find any in the house. {I know it’s here somewhere.} Instead, I used more stickers to spell it out.

The door to Mabrey’s room opens up right onto the closet. We removed the closet door and I hung a curtain to make things less cumbersome. I still need to hem it. The only things in the closet right now are a box of disposable diapers, a babywearing wrap and sleep sacks for winter. Again, room to grow!

The trunk under the window was a wedding gift from my parents. It’s empty but I think it will make a nice toy chest in the future.

For the life of me, I can’t take good pictures of windows so forgive me for reusing the first photo to talk about the window treatments.

One of the first things we did when we moved in was add room darkening roll-up shades to all the bedroom windows. This was purely for function. In Mabrey’s room, I added long white curtain panels with a subtle chain pattern and textured wood blinds. The roll-up shade is still there, mounted within the window frame, for function but you can’t see it unless it’s down. By contrast, the bamboo shade and curtains are purely for aesthetic – although you could close the curtains or lower the shade if you wanted. Hung high and wide, they make the window appear much larger and the ceiling appear much higher.

To soften the wood floor, I bought a jute chenille rug in a chevron pattern. It has color variations throughout – from ivory to beige to tan to brown – and it makes a world of difference against the dark floors and walls. It’s soft, too. I layered a small sheepskin right in front of the crib for added texture. It’s also a good landmark in the dark when I go in to get Mabrey for her night feeding {or feedings, depending on the night}. I don’t have to turn on the light.

I think that just about covers everything. Many items we already had on hand but here’s a source list if you’re interested:

paint – Benjamin Moore dark pewter

ceiling light – IKEA {discontinued}

floor lamp – gift

curtain rod – Target

curtains – West Elm {discontinued}

bamboo shade – Overstock

trunk – gift

jute rug – West Elm

sheepskin rug – IKEA

crib – IKEA

ombre art – DIY’d from a broken mirror

cradle rocking chair – Amazon

wall shelves – IKEA

ceramic owl, wall hooks – Kirkland’s

hanging blankets – gift, Amazon

changing table – IKEA

mirror – IKEA

changing table bins & baskets – IKEA

laundry basket – gift, Target

red stripe pillow – West Elm {discontinued}

other pillows – etsy {discontinued from here, here and here}

stickers – JoAnn Fabric

all other accessories – from our attic!

What do you think? I have to admit…HH isn’t a fan of the wall color. He keeps asking me when I’m going to repaint. He can have his surround sound; I’ll keep the dark nursery thankyouverymuch. ;)

Lauren Liess wrote something that spoke to me when I was decorating Mabrey’s room. I don’t recall her exact words but it was something to the effect of a nursery really being a room for the parents, especially mom, since babies spend most of their time in there sleeping and eating – not paying much attention to the decor. When I’m in Mabrey’s room, it feels right to me. Like a room I would have if I had a house all to myself. I don’t know if Mabrey likes it as much as I do.

But she sure seems happy. Love you babygirl.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Rachael contacted me asking for help with her young daughter’s room. Here are her photos and email:

Congratulations on your little girl!! It must be very exciting to have one after having two boys. Decorating for a little girl will be very different than for a little boy! And that brings me to my question. I have a daughter, she will be two in July, and right now she is still in the nursery, but we are planning on changing the room to accommodate her ever-changing needs. She will be going into a twin sized bed, and I have already purchased the bedding, it is from IKEA, the ALVINE LJUV.  Her room is small, about 10×10, we have a white dresser we plan to keep in there but I wanted advice on paint color, on art work, bookshelves maybe, lighting, and window treatments. I thought this might be fun for you, making up a little inspiration board for a little girl, now that you have your own! I am very grateful that you have taken the time to read my email, even though you are probably very busy with a little one! xo, Rachael

Putting together a mood board for a little girl was enticing indeed. In a later email, Rachael attached several inspiration pics and specified…

Our budget would probably be around the $400-$500 range. We already have a very simple, plain, twin head and foot board for her. It’s a honey oak tone that I’m not loving, so we will probably paint it. I’d like to keep the chandelier. I’m not opposed to changing it with paint, shades, or etc. I’d like a new rug for the space, window treatments, wall art, paint colors FOR SURE. I’m not loving the green. But anything else can go or be moved, or changed. We don’t really use the glider, and we have lots of little storage pieces that were hand-me-downs. The windows are weirdly placed, b/c they pretty much touch the corner. I can barely get a paintbrush in that space between the frame and the adjoining wall. I think the windows are what make it hard to decorate around. I’m unsure how to hang curtains. When I stand in the doorway, I see two windows shoved in the corners with lots of empty wall space between them.

Another thing I should mention is that we live Canada. Cue the sad sound effects….So we can’t get a lot of the same items that I always see on the internet! Or even if I can, the shipping is out of this world. Etsy’s pretty good for shipping, but things like Pottery Barn and West Elm, that can be like $55.00 shipping on top of a $25.00 item. We are getting two Targets in the fall of this year, and your Home Goods is the almost the same as our Home Sense. And there is an IKEA about an hour and a half away, so not too bad. And we have Home Depot and Lowe’s and such. So it doesn’t bother me if your mood board is only American items. I can draw inspiration from it either way.  We’re also really big DIY’ers. We’re not scared of a little elbow grease (or ALOT!), and we don’t mind shopping at thrift stores, Craigslist or garage sales either. Thanks, Rachael

Here’s what I came up with for Rachael’s daughter, Violet.

First, I addressed furniture placement.

Violet’s room poses a few challenges…corner windows, odd bump-out/entrance, two doors. I suggest placing the twin bed {painted white!} in the same corner where the crib is now but along the longer wall. So, the head board will be on the crib wall and the foot board will be about in the middle of the longest wall. Since Violet is still young, it is best safety-wise to keep her bed away from windows. Place the little white night stand {the one next to the dresser in the before pics} next to the head board on the left – if you’re looking from the foot board. I suggest placing the dresser on the wall space to the right of the closet door. I find it helpful for dressers/changing tables to be close to closets.

Now onto the deets of the actual mood board. Rachael said she and her husband weren’t afraid of some DIY so to stay within budget there are a few DIY projects!

1 – Rachael already has the bedding – which I love! I’d pair it with plain white sheets for a clean look. For the walls, I chose an airy gray that has warm undertones that should go nicely with those amazing wood floors! Try Behr {Home Depot} Dolphin Fin. I think a white ceiling would keep things clean – try Behr Hushed White. OR a soft pink ceiling could be fresh and a tad girly – try Behr Frolic. {Rachael may not find these paint cards in store, but they should have the formulas in their computer to mix. Getting a few samples made wouldn’t be a bad idea to test them out in the room before painting! Check them in all lighting…natural, artificial, daylight, evening, etc. It’s sometimes difficult for me to choose exact paint colors based only on photos.}

2 – I saw Rachael already had a fabric banner and there were a few in the inspiration rooms she sent me as well. I’d place one – either the one she has or another - draped a few inches above the head board to create a focal point and a whimsical touch.

3 – For a modern take on the traditional bookcase, hang this IKEA LACK book shelf in white vertically a few inches from the window across from the room’s entrance. I’d place it so that the top of the book shelf comes just to the top of the window trim or a few inches below it.

4 – Hang a large coral colored mirror above the dresser. I couldn’t find an exact one to show Rachael but I bet she could find a round mirror at a garage/yard sale or even at a big box store in a different color and prime/paint it coral. The coral will be a nice contrast against the gray walls and above the white dresser. A happy pop of color!

5 – I like the idea of using this wall lamp above the night stand next to the bed. A great alternative to a table lamp in a child’s room! No toppling over.

6 – Two or three of these book ledges placed on the wall that the entry door opens onto will help create a cozy reading spot like many of Rachael’s inspiration rooms had. Place them centered above the bench. {see #7} Oh, and those children books aren’t a necessity but if you haven’t read any of the Pigeon books, you should. They’re hilarious! The great thing about these ledges is that Rachael doesn’t have to use them just for books. Display framed art or photos. I could even see a paper mache ‘V’ leaning on one for a personal touch ;) Rachael can rotate items as she or Violet become bored of them.

7 – A pair of these side tables in white placed side by side on the same wall as the book ledges {#6} would provide storage and seating. Top them with a bench cushion in navy for some contrast against all the light gray, white and pinks. If Rachael is worried about the rolling casters with a young one, this kid’s storage bench in pink and topped with a navy cushion is another option but I think the others would carry her longer, past her toddler years. Either one would work great for seating and storage! Update: I have a feeling Rachael and her handy husband may just DIY their own bench!

8 – To fill up that long empty wall, I suggest buying a trio of fairly large canvases – 24″ x 24″?? – from a craft supply store and DIYing artwork. Paint them with a larger scale floral motif that picks up on the floral pattern in the bedding. I love the motif and coloring of this Amy Butler wallpaper that Rachael could use as her inspiration. Hang the canvases centered between the corner with no window {where the head board would be} and the vertical book shelf hanging next to the corner window near the room’s entrance. Hang at eye level – not too high!

9 – So this exact rug would probably put Rachael over budget, but I think she could easily DIY one by painting gray stripes – in the same color as the walls, Dolphin Fin – onto this affordable rug. No or low VOC paints have a higher acrylic content that makes them slightly more flexible when dry and a good option for painting fabrics. I think 6″ stripes would be good but she can make the stripes as thin or think as she likes. Thicker stripes would lend a more modern feel while thinner stripes would give a cottage-y feel. Use one coat of paint for a worn, imperfect look or two coats for a more polished look. I think either way would work well!

10 – I know curtains can make or break a room but with these tricky corner windows, I think Rachael is better off going with a simple shade. Add detailing by hot glueing thick ribbon to it for a custom look. If she’s wanting room darkening window treatments to keep Violet asleep longer, then try mounting room darkening shades {Lowe’s sells Levolor ones that can be custom cut in store} within the window frames and hang the decorative shades outside of the frame.

And last but not least, I love the chandy that’s already in Violet’s room. I think it could be left as-is {white}, painted a soft pink or painted a bright coral color. So many options! Just depends on the look Rachael wants. I suggest living with it white for a while first and see if she likes it with all the other changes. She can always paint it later.

Paint + all the IKEA purchases brings Rachael to ~$300 which leaves money leftover for some of the DIY stuff: canvas wall art, thrift round mirror, bench cushion, added ribbon to shades, etc. I really tried to stay within Rachael’s budget and give her options that were readily available in Canada. I hated the idea of emailing her a bunch of American stuff only to send her on a wild goose chase. Rachael was really happy with the mood board and I can’t wait to see her take on it after she and her husband tackle some of items from a DIY approach. She promised to send after pics to share!

images: 1-3) Rachael 4) mood board by Dana Miller, linked within

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Emily who wants to use the featured painting below in her mom’s bedroom.

Our walls are bare. Naked. Empty. Boring. Eventually, I’ll get around to hanging stuff. I already have big plans {if only in my head} for a wall display near the front door to create an entryway of sorts. Until then, I’ll continue unpacking in between organizing, re-organizing and looking after the kids. I’m about halfway through the boxes in the garage. Ugh.

For those of you in a better place domestically, Tenth Floor Decor is graciously sponsoring this week’s giveaway. The founder of Tenth Floor Decor, Ross, created the small business after visiting an art gallery in Soho where he found pieces that he loved but could not afford. Tenth Floor Decor offers original, high quality oil paintings at a price point that’s more feasible to the everyday homeowner. See a few of my favorites here.

Are your bare walls crying for some art? Namely, a FREE original oil painting? See details on how to win one below.

PRIZE: any Tenth Floor Decor painting of your choice {retail value of $90-$300}

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a shipping address {no P.O. boxes please} within the U.S to enter. One entry per email address.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “I HEART ART!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Thursday, June 21st at 9:00 p.m. EST. One random winner will be announced Friday, June 22nd.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Share your favorite artist and why you are drawn to his/her work. I’ll go first. Ever since her studio tour was featured on Apartment Therapy, I can’t get Robin Luciano Beaty out of my mind. Her encaustic paintings feel like living, breathing, moving pieces of art. And her DIY’d artist barn isn’t too shabby either.

images: Tenth Floor Decor

There it is. Baby’s corner. It’s not much but it’ll do for now. {We plan on moving into the Underdog very, very soon…not that everything will be done by then but it’ll be livable.} Due to lack of energy and not wanting to repaint the wall back to white when we move shortly, I decided to leave the flat white wall as is. If it were my permanent home, I think I would have gone for a warm gray wall color.

The 5′x7′ herringbone rug is a cotton flat weave and I love it! The backside of the rug does not have the herringbone pattern. I purchased it about a month ago to put in the boys’ shared bedroom at the Underdog…but until we move I’m using it to define baby’s corner in our bedroom at the apartment. Nothing like stealing stuff from the Underdog to use in the apartment!

The cradle is an antique family heirloom and I slept in it as a newborn. I decided to leave it au naturel and not paint it. I actually quite like the wood tone. A few readers have commented on the crib’s spindles, worried that they might be too far apart. I assure you they are exactly 2 & 3/8″ apart. I measured. Three times. With two different tape measures. FYI – The mandatory safety standard recommends that cradle and crib slats be no more than 2 & 3/8″ apart.

I also caught some flack due to the sheepskin in the cradle. To be honest, it’s just for looks. A mama-in-waiting is allowed to try her hand at some photo styling, isn’t she? The sheepskin and throw pillow will get removed when baby is in the cradle. {Although a supervised newborn photo shoot on the sheepskin could be really cute!} Under the sheepskin is a white sheet and waterproof pad. Please, don’t take my words and images out of context and twist them into some kind of ‘yeah, everybody put sheepskins in your cribs!’ propaganda. THE SHEEPSKIN AND PILLOW ARE JUST FOR LOOKS.

On the floor next to the cradle is a woven basket holding the minimal, gender-neutral baby wardrobe I picked up at Once Upon a Child. I’m waiting to see what baby’s sex is before I buy anything beyond those few gowns, sleepers and onesies. The bag is Amy Butler’s Abina Oversized Tote in her Treasure Box Cinder fabric. I used all of my birthday money several months ago to purchase the bag. It was a total splurge for me. I’m going to use it as a diaper bag. I really wanted a diaper bag that didn’t look like a diaper bag. A bag that I could use beyond the baby years as an overnight or carry-on bag.

Above baby’s cradle I put together a loose arrangement of art and wall decor. I borrowed the canvas art from our living room. It was a purchase from the Underdog’s estate sale last year. I used a 3M Command hook to hang it.

To the left of the canvas art I finally hung Buck Jr. Buck Jr. is a cardboard trophy deer. Handy Hubby got him for me two Christmases ago. Up until this week, he was a set of one dimensional cardboard sheets. The boys and I had a good time punching out his pieces and putting him together. It was really quick and easy. I think he’ll find a permanent home in the boys’ shared bedroom at the Underdog. Until then, this deer will look over our newest dear.

And baby makes 5…

The floating ’5′ is a metal address number that I picked up at a local home improvement store for $6. It represents how many people our growing family is about to include. Upon seeing the newly decorated baby corner, all HH had to say was “What’s the five all about?” {Obviously, he doesn’t get the whole nesting thing.} When I told him that’s the soon-to-be number of people in our family, he had a moment. A ‘holy crap, you’re right!’ moment. According to our apartment complex’s guidelines, we’re allowed to use small finish nails in the walls without having to repair the holes when we move out. I hung Buck Jr. and the ’5′ with finish nails so nothing is required of me when they come down.

My favorite part of the lil’ baby corner is the red and coral mobile. It’s just the pop of fun, color and whimsy that I was looking for. I crafted it out of paint stir sticks, an embroidery hoop and paper for $10. A complete how-to coming next week! It’s light enough that I was able to securely suspend it from a 3M Command hook on the ceiling.

So baby’s corner is ready. I think. I have a few won’t-need-’em-right-away baby items {breast pump, cloth diapers, spare cradle sheets, extra changing pads, etc.} stowed away in a wooden trunk elsewhere in our bedroom.

As I mentioned, I spent less than $20 total on items specifically for the temporary nursery setup:

• metal address number ’5′ – $6 {The Home Depot}
• DIY mobile – $10 {details coming soon!}

TOTAL: $16

All other items we already had on hand or I borrowed them from elsewhere:

• cradle – family heirloom
• sheepskin – IKEA {borrowed from living room}
• gray geometric throw pillow – Etsy {already had on hand}
• woven floor basket – ?? {already had on hand}
• rug – Urban Outfitters {borrowed from the Underdog since we’re not living there yet!}
• Amy Butler tote – Amazon {already had on hand thanks to some birthday money}
• canvas art – estate sale {borrowed from living room}
• Buck Jr. – Cardboard Safari {gift from HH years ago}

Oh, and as you may have noticed, we don’t have a cute baby-in-belly name for our unborn child…we just call him/her ‘baby.’ I don’t know why. We called Layne ‘pumpkin’ and Everett ‘bugaboo’ when they were in my belly. What did/do you guys call your unborn babies?

Congrats to Courtney! She’s this week’s winner of the Miracle Blanket giveaway. Here’s the miracle moment she shared:

Mmmmm. Banana peppers & garlic sauce, need I say more? I absolutely love Papa John’s. Even more so now that I know they’re in the business of making miracles.

I had such a great time reading through all your big and little miracles. They made me laugh, tear up, think twice, feel grateful and smile. I think it’s true that we live in a world filled with miracles – we just have to be open and present to see them for what they are!

Here’s hoping you have a miraculous weekend!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking