*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Ashley – the first entry! – whose favorite kid-friendly item in her home is the living room pouf she recently made for her nephew to lay on.

I was first introduced to Alexandra Grenham’s amazing style via an Apartment Therapy house tour.

Her Boston home is full of kid-friendly furnishings and playful accessories but is far from childish. It’s a stylish space suitable for both kids and adults. Perfect for a young family of four. Alexandra is the creative director and buyer for Erie Drive, an online boutique featuring a blended collection of fun, practical and eclectic gifts. So when Alexandra contacted me a few weeks ago about a possible giveaway and linked to her AT tour, I had two immediate thoughts. First “Hey, I know that house!” and second “Yes! I would love to feature Erie Drive for a giveaway.”

Which brings me to this week’s giveaway. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite items available through Erie Drive. I would be happy to have any of these pieces in my home.

Sources: wooden alarm dock for iPod or iPhone // “You Undress” giclee print by Christopher Gray // Magno portable radio // flour sack towel set // Critical Cycles bicycle in cream

Would you like the chance to win one of these items? See below for entry details.

PRIZE: one item of choice from the curated collection shown above {Of note – The wooden alarm dock is not compatible with the iPhone 5 but Erie Drive does offer another version for the iPhone 5. The flour sack towel set includes both towels shown.}

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.

TO ENTER: “Like” Erie Drive on facebook then leave a comment on this post proclaiming “DRIVE ME!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Friday, April 19th at noon EST. One random winner will be announced later that same day.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking family-friendly style today…what is your favorite kid-friendly item in your house? A soft ottoman that does double duty as a coffee table? A bench that opens to reveal toy storage? I’ll go first. A few months back I bought a pair of floor poufs from West Elm. I’d been eyeing them for nearly a year but couldn’t pull the trigger…until they went on sale. I’m so glad I did! My kids drag the poufs all around the house and they look great in every room. In the boys’ bedroom, they are wrestled and jumped on. In the living room, they are the perfect lounge spot for reading or watching TV. Mabrey loves pulling to stand and climbing on top of them. HH and I like to prop our feet up on them at night after the kids are in bed. I love them!

BUT, WAIT!, THERE’S MORE: House*Tweaking readers can score 20% off one Erie Drive purchase now through May 15th by entering the discount code “TWEAKING20″ at checkout.

Thanks Alexandra!

You can check out more of Alexandra’s inspiring home tour right here. Follow Erie Drive on twitter and pinterest.

images: 1) Tara Bellucci for Apartment Therapy  2) polyvore collage by Dana Miller linked within

I bought a new coffee table. Technically, it’s a bench but the proportions were right. Our previous coffee table was almost five years old. It was West Elm and I found it at a Pottery Barn outlet for $40. It was originally red but, for the price, I primed and painted it white. It worked really well in our previous living room but it was too high, too round and too chunky for our current living room. I envisioned something longer, lower and narrower. I bought the bench/coffee table from Overstock although it looks like it’s currently out of stock and they’ve raised the price. I used a coupon and paid $171.58 total for it two weeks ago. The dimensions are working out perfectly and I’ve been having fun styling it.

With the help of Target and their new Threshold collection, I’ve put together three different coffee table looks for you. I took Mabrey shopping while the boys were in school one morning in search of tabletop accessories and, boy, did I find them. Candles, vases, figurines, bowls, hurricanes…you name it. You guys, Target is killing it right now. And that’s why I agreed to work with them. Everything I’m about to show you are things that would be on my personal wish list even if I wasn’t partnering with them.

Without further ado, look #1. POPPY & GRAPHIC

This is probably the “springiest” look. It’s a combination of graphic patterns, red-orange pops of color, gold and wood.

At one end of the table is a stack of colorful books, a pair of single stem vases, a gold dipped bowl and a small matte white bowl painted chartreuse on the inside.

At the other end of the table I put down the marble pastry board I introduced to you here. I topped it with a third single stem vase, a brass hurricane, a black and white canister and a chevron wood box.

I tossed a white pillow with gold embossed edges on the chair and added a punchy patterned pillow with sequins and now they are planning their wedding.

I stole a graphic black and white pillow from the boys’ room for the leather couch.

Cheerful?

A bright red-orange candle brings color to the marble slab vignette. And it smells uh-maaaaaazing. Melon-y.

I can’t get enough of the brass hurricane/lantern and wood box.

Shop the look: dipped bowl / lattice canister / chevron box / brass hurricane / embossed pillow / dot stripe pillow

For look #2 I kept a few of my favorites {the lantern and wood box} on the table and brought in other items. WORLDLY & ECLECTIC {a.k.a. PUT ME IN THE ZOO}

This look is more masculine with ethnic-inspired patterns, animal figurines, brass, wood tones and a little quirk.

I grouped a yarn wrapped gazelle figurine, the same brass lantern {this time with a neutral, less aromatic candle} and a pierced tin hurricane.

Near the middle of the table is a hand painted wood bowl and a thrifted wood sculpture. To achieve a “lived in” look I threw in an open magazine, fresh greenery, a small bowl of cashews and cloth napkins.

The other end of the table holds books, gold animal figurines and another snack bowl filled with cashews.

There is a diamond patterned pillow and sheepskin on the chair.

I threw down a chevron runner under the table. The same embroidered pillow from look #1 is on the sofa along with a Nate Berkus gold mesh & tweed pillow. Of all the pillows shown today, the gold + tweed is my favorite. I love you Nate.

Can you see how the seat of the leather sofa is starting to patina and wrinkle? I love it. Good leather only gets better with age.

The painted detailing on the wood bowl is an art form. Of all the non-pillow pieces I selected, this bowl is my absolute favorite.

The gold rhino and elephant are pure fun. Everett asked me if rhinos and elephants eat cashews. It does look like I’m feeding them cashews out of a fancy trough, no?

Shop the look: yarn wrapped gazelle / brass hurricane / silver lattice hurricane / wood bowl / snack bowls / brass animals / diamond pillow / gold & tweed pillow

Finally, for look #3, I decided to go au naturel. NEUTRAL & LOVELY

This look is casual and effortless. It’s all about matte whites, warm wood tones, piles of books & magazines and glowing candles.

On one end of the table I brought in a white serving platter and topped it with a natural wood vase, two curvy white vases and a silver tea light holder. I cut a few crape myrtle branches {from the store…still no sign of spring!} and stuck them in the vases.

In the middle of the table is a stack of my favorite home design books. The gold & wood box makes another appearance in this look alongside a ceramic tea light holder.

I brought back the marble board and used it as a casual serving tray. I filled a chip and dip server with salsa and tortilla chips. A squatty candle and stemless wine glasses round out the tray. Chips and salsa go with wine, right? I consume them together all the time. YUM.

Our new coffee table has a large open space under it. Here, I slid in a woven basket and a stack of glossies for my reading pleasure. I could get used to having stuff under the table.

On the couch is a simple striped pillow and sheepskin.

When I was trimming the crape myrtle, I thought the fallen leaves looked pretty on the white tray. So I left them.

The tea light holder has a super functional design. The silver top and suspended candle holder are all one piece that lifts up and out of the glass surround. It’s easy to set a tea light in, light it and then drop it into the glass surround. So cool. I think it looks like the tea light is sitting on a swing.

The cutouts on the ceramic vase make for a spectacular light show.

I have to fuss over the squatty candle for a minute. I’ve been around the candle block a few times over the years, ifyaknowwhatImean. I’m a bit of a candle whore. If it smells good, I’ll give it a go. But this candle? It has three wood wicks. Say what? Wood wicks. And, get this, they CRACKLE when they burn. It’s like a mini wood burning fireplace right on top of the coffee table. A mini-crackling-wood-burning-fireplace-that-smells-like-vanilla-dolce heaven. You guys. I could live off of this salsa/chips/server/wine/crackling candle vignette for the rest of my life and be very happy.

A cinder block wall in the mudroom and sleeping munchkins in their beds forced us to give 3M Command hanging strips a try. I’m not gonna lie. I was leery. But it’s been nearly two months since we hung our original gallery wall and nothing has come crashing down. Consider me a nail-to-adhesive-strip convert. Today I’m sharing how I use the strips to hang frames.

The mini gallery wall that I created above is actually on drywall – not cinder block – and I could have used nails in the wall. But I am so smitten with the adhesive strips that I decided to use them here too. I like that they don’t put holes in the walls {since I tend to tweak things around for a bit until I settle on a more permanent arrangement}, require NO measuring {hallelujah} and can be easily removed {great for renters or dorm residents}.

To start a gallery wall, I play around with an arrangement on the floor in front of the wall until I get the look I’m after. I like asymmetrical but balanced. I glance at the floor arrangement then at the wall, back and forth, picturing the arrangement on the wall while HH worries that his wife has gone mad staring at frames on the floor and a blank wall. Once I’m happy with the layout, I take a picture with my phone or camera for reference. {see above} This helps when it comes to eyeballing placement on the wall without measuring a single thing. I choose one frame near the center of the arrangement to hang first. {I hung the large wood frame in this layout first.} Then I reference my picture for hanging all the other frames around the first. Hanging stuff on the walls doesn’t have to be an exact science. In the end, I added one more frame to this layout after I hung my original layout on the wall.

For the adhesive strips, I wipe the areas of my frame and wall where the strips will touch with rubbing alcohol. This assures a clean surface to adhere the strips to. On most frames, I use three pairs of strips. On larger, heavier frames I use four pairs of strips. The label does recommend against using 3M strips above beds and for very heavy items or antique items that you don’t want to fall. I say use common sense.

I take two strips and sandwich them together adhesive sides out. {You should hear a nice crunching sound which tells you that the strips are catching one another.} I remove the adhesive backing from one strip and adhere it to my frame making sure I line it up with the edge of the frame so that there’s no hangover that might peek out from behind the frame on the wall.

I repeat until I have all my strips on my frame. On narrower frames, an overlap can make changing out the frame’s contents difficult but not impossible. The strips could be cut in half lengthwise but I am lazy.

Then I remove the adhesive backing from the wall strips and press my frame to the wall, applying constant pressure for 30 seconds.

When I’m hanging a completely new arrangement, I’ll use a little level on top of the frame before I press it to the wall. Otherwise, if I’m adding to an existing arrangement, I visually level the frame by lining it up with other frames already on the wall. If you aren’t confident in your eyeball-leveling abilities, then by all means, use a level every time.

Here’s where I would like to point out that once you apply pressure to the frame, it ain’t movin’. Be sure the frame is where you want it before you push. The 3M label says to remove the picture frame from the wall once the wall strips are placed and allow them to fully “set” for one hour. I never do this. I just leave the frame on the wall. I’m such a rebel. But you should do what the label says – even though I’ve never had a problem skipping this step.

Something else I discovered this week…the strips come in white or black. Since our newly moody walls are nearly black, I bought all black strips for the mini gallery and to tweak the existing gallery above the fauxdenza.

Using the white strips on dark paint isn’t the end of the world but when you look at the frames from the side, you can see the white strips more readily than the black ones. Use white strips for light walls and black strips for dark walls for a seamless look.

And that’s it!! No nails. No tape measure. No problem.

I will say, from my short-lived experience with the adhesive strips so far, I would not recommend using the strips on uneven, rough or bumpy walls. The strips need a really good flat surface to adhere to. The same goes for your picture frames.

I remove all picture hangers from the backs of the frames when I’m working with adhesive strips. This gives me a nice smooth frame surface. And don’t think table frames are out of the question. They can totally work!

I bought this table frame wanting to use it as a wall frame.

So I removed the table prop insert from the back so the frame would mount flush against the wall.

I’ll use tape to secure a picture in the frame. So feel free to get creative with your picture hanging! Don’t think you only have to use wall frames. In fact, the wood frame under the white fan frame was once a table frame too. Which brings me to this…

I tweaked the gallery wall above the fauxdenza. Some of the frames are empty but I wanted to share my progress in real time. Stuff happens so slowly and gradually here.

I removed the canvas art and two frames from the left side of the layout. They felt off. In their place, I hung a few more IKEA RIBBA frames and one more of those distressed wood frames from Target that I can’t get enough of.

Seriously, guys. These are my new favorite frames…and this post is not sponsored whatsoever. I bought several of these frames back in January for the photo shoot and I’ve since added two more to the mudroom.

There’s a picture of our very first house in Illinois. Lots of memories {and DIY!} in that house. We brought Layne home from the hospital to that house.

I have to show you a closeup of this one. On the left is Everett as a newborn. I took the picture on the right after Everett had his leg casted. Yes, he broke his leg when he was 16 months old. He’s that kid. If you’re thinking Layne looks happy about it, you would be correct.

On the opposite side of the gallery wall I switched out a few frames for the two table frames I mentioned already and added another square RIBBA on the far right.

Things are feeling more balanced with these tweaks. And now a bunch of pictures of pictures to take you into the weekend.

Everett asked me, “Mom, why are you taking pictures of pictures?”

Because your mom is crazy, Everett. Cray-cray mommy. That’s why.

Happy weekend!

FYI – If you’ve ever wondered how downsizing and moving with kids goes…here’s a little interview all about our experience.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Since our front door is still out of commission, we enter and exit through the garage man door or back french doors – both located in our mudroom. We use two large wardrobes and I set up a tidy little entryway in the mudroom to corral outerwear, bags, shoes and backpacks. I painted the walls dark and moody.

Things were starting to take shape but the empty wall was begging for some attention. Time for a mini gallery wall.

I picked up three non-matching picture frames from Target and paired them with three IKEA RIBBA frames that I already had on hand. I figured bright white, wood tones and a graphic chevron pattern would pop against the dark walls.

I came up with an asymmetrical arrangement and used my favorite 3M adhesive strips to attach the frames to the wall.

The frames are filled with family photos, a pen and ink of Layne as a baby that HH drew and vintage uniform patches from the gas station that HH’s grandfather used to run.

They welcome us home and bid us farewell.

Here’s how they look in the grander scheme. The french doors on the left look out onto our backyard and to the right is the laundry nook.

Get the look:

wall paint – Clark + Kensington flat finish in Besalt {Ace Paints}

trim paint – Benjamin Moore semi gloss White Dove

driftwood travertine tile – The Tile Shop

saddler bench – Wayfair

felt basket – Target

handbag – Amy Butler

jacket – Old Navy

wall hooks – Home Depot

RIBBA picture frames – IKEA

chevron picture frame – Target

driftwood picture frame – Target

bamboo picture frame – Target

Be sure to check in tomorrow to see the newly tweaked gallery wall on the other side of the mudroom! I’ll be sharing exactly how I use the 3M strips to install gallery walls.

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

Other really awesome bloggers are working with Target and sharing how they use Threshold in their entries. See them here and here. Good stuff!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

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

Last year I curated an event for Joss & Main which featured many items that would have worked well in our previous house. We were living in a temporary apartment at the time because the Underdog was under construction {and still is to some extent!} and unlivable. I had a lot of fun putting together the collection. So…I was super excited when the head honchos at Joss & Main contacted me again a few months back and asked me to curate another event.

What’s that? You want me to pretend shop from the comfort of my bed in my pj’s while my kids are sleeping? Yespleaseandthankyou.

The event is now live and you can browse it here! The theme is “Keep It Simple” and it’s a tad more masculine than my last collection because I tend to be leaning that way with our current home’s decor. I don’t know about you but a midcentury ranch feels masculine to me. Am I right? I also incorporated a few items related to our renovation like penny tile and a kitchen faucet. Above are just a few of the items featured in the event. If you’re interested, hop on over and peruse the entire collection for inspiration and easy shopping. I’m telling you straight up that I do receive a small commission from the event – any and all of which I promise to put towards my decorating fund since events like this and my writing contributions elsewhere are how I bring home the bacon now…when I’m not literally bringing home the bacon.

If you’re not already a Joss & Main member, you can sign up for free here.

Thanks for looking and shopping in advance!

image: polyvore collage by Dana Miller, Joss & Main images

Okay, let’s try a light-hearted Honest Monday, shall we? Christmas lights. I like warm white strands. HH prefers LED’s. My kids want as many different colors as possible. And blinking. Lots of blinking. Oh, the abrupt blinking. It’s like Christmas lights in GIF format. Sorry. Inside blogger joke. Anyhow, after a four-year boycott of exterior Christmas lights {the reason for which we don’t speak of around these parts}, HH decided it was time to give them another chance. The kids want lights on their house and who are we to deny them?

In an effort to try and please everyone, HH found LED color changing lights at Home Depot UPDATE: Meijer. This should show how often HH and I ‘talk with our faces’ as HH refers to it. I can’t keep up with him and he can’t keep up with me. Ahhhh! {I can’t find a link to them online but for anyone who might be interested they are the ‘color change series’ brand and come in strands of 35 lights.} These lights have four settings – off, warm white, multicolored, continuous switch from white to colored – that can be changed with the included remote control. You heard me right. I said remote control. LED’s + remote control = an engineer moonlighting as an elf.

HH hung seven strands PERFECTLY STRAIGHT around the front and sides of the house just at the gutter line. I said something about how nice it would look with lights along the rooflines as well but HH said climbing up on a wet metal roof to hang Christmas lights would be the end of him. Good point.

The white is a warm white. Not blue like many LED’s. We set them to white when we’re going for a classic, sophisticated look. Teehee.

Most of the time they’re on the multicolored setting. The kids like it best. We haven’t mentioned the blinking thing and I don’t think we will. I wish my pictures showed the true color of this setting. In person, they are much livelier and deeper in color.

I have to admit. The colored lights are growing on me. Life’s too short for white Christmas lights.

In regards to Christmas light hanging, I married my father. My dad takes pride in hanging a perfectly straight Christmas light strand. Until HH, I never met anyone else who put so much effort into lining Christmas lights up like soldiers. Layne spent the night with my dad a few weeks ago after HH had hung our lights. My dad happened to hang his lights the day Layne was visiting. He was outside for less than an hour when Layne went out to check his progress.

Layne: Wow! Grandpa, did you do all that just now?

Grandpa: Yeah.

Layne: Wow. My dad didn’t even put up that many lights and it took him THREE days!

There’s an ongoing family joke about this now. So maybe my dad is more efficient but HH’s strands are just as straight.

What about you? Do you prefer white or colored lights? Are you all business on the outside with a multicolored party going on inside? Have you ever tried color changing lights?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Layne has his first gymnastics meet this weekend. It’s the first meet for everyone on his team so it should be interesting. I’m predicting there will be some flub-ups from the kids and some giggles from the parents. I’ll be volunteering at the meet and all the volunteers were asked to wear a red shirt. I scanned my closet and discovered that I don’t own one true red shirt but I have several red-orange/persimmon/bright coral/modern red tops. I like to refer to the color as ‘poppy.’ Because that’s how it looks and feels. Poppy! And I’m totally feelin’ it right now.

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

It seems you all enjoy it when I open up and am honest about my thoughts on home decor, family and life in general. At least, that’s what I took away from this blunt post detailing my experience living without a bathroom door for three months. So, I’m declaring Mondays here on H*T ‘Honest Mondays.’ I’ll share my unedited feelings on something related to house and home, interior design, family, life, kids, motherhood, wifehood…or maybe something completely unrelated to any of those topics. Ha! Just whatever strikes me at the moment. I may divulge one truth or ten. I’m going to be spontaneous. I think it will be a great way to start the blog week. My hope is that for the rest of the week you’ll feel more familiar with the girl behind the posts. I am a real person! I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments section as well.

So, let’s cut to the chase. Today is Monday after all.

Truth: I could care less about surround sound systems. See that unsightly speaker in the wall behind the couch? I don’t like it. I may even hate it. And it gets worse.

There are two of them. They stare at me like two empty robot eyes. I had a welcoming entry all planned out in my mind for that wall. A console table. A nice mirror above it. Maybe a lamp. A vase. Fresh flowers. You know, something that says ‘Hi, welcome to my lovely home.’ {Of course, I’m talking after the front door is functional. Of course.}

But no. That wall most definitely doesn’t invite you into the house. It doesn’t make you want to see more. If anything it says ‘Hey. C’mon in. Grab yerself a beer, sit on the couch with yer hand down yer pants and watch the game.’ That’s what that wall with two large speakers says to me. Do you not hear it?

When HH first told me about the speakers, I didn’t ask a lot of questions. Obviously. All I got was something about speakers in the wall that would be painted to match the wall. I didn’t realize they would be nearly a foot tall and live right where my beloved – if only imagined – entry mirror was going to hang. Details. I didn’t pay attention to them.

After they were in, I was disappointed. To say the least. Even painted, they didn’t recede into the wall like I had pictured. They just looked like painted speakers. But I thought ‘HH has worked so hard on this house. He needs his man stuff. If a few speakers in the wall make him happy, then so be it. I’ll figure something out.’

But then a few weeks later, more speakers starting popping up.

Whaaaaaaat?! It’s like there was a surround sound mating convention in our family room. Seriously? I would go to bed delirious from dealing with a crying newborn all day then wake to find more and more of these little orb-like speakers popping up like ugly pimples. I finally confronted HH.

Me: ‘Those boob speakers are a joke, right? You can’t be serious. They’re ridiculous.’

HH: ‘No. What? You don’t like them. They’re soooo cool.’

And that, my folks, is where HH and I clearly do not see eye to eye.

I see three pairs of boobs or cajones looking at me when I sit on the couch. HH sees gloriousness. Electronics in boob form. Every man’s dream.

Tell me those don’t look like boobs.

And those?! HH says those can’t resemble boobs because boobs aren’t placed vertically. If anything, they look like two-thirds of a traffic light then. Still. Not pretty.

At this point, I’m furious. How could HH have not told me about all these speakers before he installed them? We had surround sound in our last home but not to this extent. He was going overboard. He kept saying it was all about the audio experience. He even said that this would be a good learning experience for me since at some point I’ll be helping others design/decorate their homes and that there will be a man who wants surround sound in the family room. I told him in that case I’d strongly discourage it.

And even if the speakers were completely invisible, I don’t get them. When I watch a show or movie in surround sound, I’m constantly looking behind me thinking there’s someone there. Or I hear Mabrey crying when she isn’t. Trickery. That’s what surround sound is to me.

If I lived alone I probably wouldn’t even have a TV – much less four pairs of surround sound speakers. But, if I lived alone then I would be…well…alone.

It took me a while to get over the robot eyes and boob speakers. It was rough. I couldn’t sit on the couch without glancing up at the damn speakers and cursing them for their similarity to woman parts, man parts and traffic lights. But I’ve finally accepted them. I would never have chosen this setup myself but it’s here now and I’ll just have to work around it.

HH felt a wee bit bad and compromised by recessing the boobs speakers under the TV. That way this pair of speakers won’t be visible once we install the tongue and groove plank around the TV and up the wall to the ceiling {after we finalize mechanical plans for artwork to raise and lower over the TV}. Still, we’ll have to use a grate just below the TV or something of the sort to allow sound to carry into the room from the speakers. Because, you know, it’s all about the audio experience.

I have a Plan B for the wall speakers behind the couch. I think I’ll have HH install wall shelves along the wall and I’ll place accessories just so to disguise the speakers. It’s no console table + mirror = perfection but I may just get a vase of fresh flowers in there somewhere.

As for the two pairs of boobs on either side of the mantel? Well, I’m stuck with those. I’ll continue to give them the evil eye. A la McKayla Maroney style. Maybe they won’t be so noticeable once we hang the large canvas art piece in front of the TV? Maybe. I’m not holding my breath.

And what happened to HH? He’s still here. I’m not mad at him. We see things differently sometimes – although not often. Four pairs of speakers got nothin’ on us. Not that I’m counting. Okay. Maybe I am.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking