My boys have been asking for a plant in their room. Seeing as how things can get rowdy in there on a regular basis, I’m thinking a hanging plant would fare best.

I came across this brass himmeli hanging planter on etsy. Isn’t the design perfection at its simplest? The modern style is a nod to Finnish tradition. The Swedish word “himmel” means “sky” or “heaven.” Prism-like ornaments were originally created to celebrate the winter solstice and bring good fortune but they’ve grown in popularity and now you’ll find them all over the world any time of year.

I want air plants. Like, bad. How adorable is this beaded planter? Each bead is dyed and strung by hand. It’s sort of the modern version of macrame hangers. I could see it hanging out in a small office or nursery.

Speaking of nursery…this mobile is would be perfect for a baby’s room. It’s so delicate and dainty.

Each of the items above is available through HRUSKAA, an etsy shop specializing in Scandinavian decor. The shop’s owner, Melissa, says that all of her designs are created keeping small space living in mind. She believes everyone – even those of us not living in McMansions – deserves beautiful pieces to display in their home. True!

Do you have any hanging plants in your home? Any suggestions for me plant-wise?

images: HRUSKAA

Mabrey scored a stash of new toys at Christmas. {I have yet to buy her one single toy myself. I find she’s just as amused with an empty paper towel roll as she is with sing-songy, seizure-inducing, light up toys.} After donating duplicates, I threw the new toys in metal baskets on a shelf in her room. Mabrey is pulling up, standing and cruising the furniture now so I decided it was time to store the toys down at her level for fear of her climbing to reach the toys.

That’s when I spied this canvas bin at Target.

Upon further inspection, the bin was sturdy yet collapsible and a good size – not too big, not too small. The three bands of color at the top reminded me of the ombre wall art I made for the nursery using an empty mirror frame, some leftover tongue-and-groove and craft paint.

On sale at $7 each, I bought two. I threw Mabrey’s toys in them and plopped them on the floor. It didn’t take her long to find them.

Now all of Mabrey’s favorites are at her disposal…although I wouldn’t put climbing shelves past her. But maybe this will deter her?

I absolutely love it when she disappears into her room and I find her playing. There’s something so simple yet miraculous about watching a baby play.

I laugh when I think back to when my oldest {now 8} was a baby. I would sit with him and show him how every toy worked and how he was supposed to play with it. Push this button, open this, shut this, match this shape to this shape. When it comes to playtime with Mabrey, I’m much more hands-off. I sit off to the side and just watch. I watch her figure things out on her own. Most times, she doesn’t play with the toys exactly how they are meant to be played with but that’s okay. She’s learning, experimenting, discovering. It’s really one of my favorite things to do right now. I could lie on the floor and watch her play all day.

See how the bins tie into the wall art above the crib? It’s not a perfect match but it works.

I also couldn’t resist adding this Hmong pillow cover to the nursery. It was an etsy purchase via From Past to Present.

It’s made from a vintage textile with hot pink embroidery detailing. It isn’t themed or babyish so it should follow Mabrey well into her teen years – maybe even beyond.

What about you? Any new additions to your house to help corral toys? Any new pillow covers you just couldn’t pass up? I’d love to hear about them.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

After receiving several emails asking about our GULLIVER crib, I thought I would answer in the form of a post.

You may remember that I bought the crib last summer shortly after we moved into the Underdog. I liked the crib’s clean lines, price tag {it’s only $100!} and versatility.

Now that we’ve lived with the crib for over seven months, I think it’s safe to say I love it. I assembled it myself and it was easy. It’s sturdy without being bulky or heavy. It’s perfect for a small nursery {Mabrey’s room isn’t even 10′ x 10′} or the corner of a guest/master bedroom.

Miss Mabrey and her friend, Miss Strawberry.

The crib is petite but still works with a standard crib mattress. It’s just about the smallest standard-sized crib you could imagine.

Baby jail.

Mabrey is nine months old now and has started pulling up on furniture…including her crib. We lowered her crib mattress recently and it took about thirty minutes to do but was relatively easy.

The white painted finish has held up well to playtime in the nursery. There aren’t any scratches to report but I think you could touch up with a white paint marker if you had to. The boys love playing with Mabrey in her room but they save rough play for their room. No jumping in the crib!

Zorro leaves his weapons at the door.

Mabrey is growing like a weed. Growing, inevitably, like all babies do. It makes me a little sad. Especially since she is our last baby.

The crib will grow with her. One side can be removed when/if she starts to climb out OR whenever we feel the need to convert her to a toddler bed that she can get in and out of herself.

Once Mabrey has outgrown the crib, I’ll probably save it for my sisters. They’re younger than me and haven’t started families yet. I don’t see any reason why this crib couldn’t last through several children. The color and style make it gender neutral. And, again, you can’t beat the $100 price tag.

If you’re looking for a simple, modest and inexpensive crib, the GULLIVER comes highly recommended by me and I’ve heard similar things about other IKEA cribs. Do you have any experience with a small-ish, inexpensive crib that you’d like to share with other moms out there?

FYI – I wasn’t compensated for mentioning the crib. I just love sharing good finds!

images: 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

1 – Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter Call me crazy. Or insane. Cruel. Strange. Trendy. Whatever. I did it. I painted Mabrey’s room a deep, deep charcoal.  It’s definitely not a typical paint color for a girl’s nursery. HH says it’s black. He’s not sure about it but it’s growing on him. I love it. I’ve always wanted to paint a room a dark color but kept tapping out at the last minute because I was scared. Mostly about what other people would think. But this time around, I don’t care. I went for it.

2 – GULLIVER crib The one thing we had leftover from our boys’ baby stages was a crib. I didn’t really want to spend money on a crib because we already had one. But the old crib, with its tall height and curvy legs, was hogging up the entire nursery which is super teeny to begin with {not even 10′x10′}. When I saw IKEA had a simpler design for less than $100, I jumped on it. The white is a crisp contrast to the dark walls.

3 – Tripod floor lamp I’ve been searching for a tripod floor lamp for our family room. I’ve found a million that I love but can’t afford. Think 100′s of dollars. Just the other day I was at Target buying *only* wipes and dishwasher detergent when I came across this version for a mere $50. {Somehow my quest for wipes and dishwasher soap led me to the lighting section???} I snatched up the last one. I’ve yet to put it together. I figure it it’s too flimsy or too wobbly {which I’m guessing it might be because of the inexpensive price}, I can return it. We’ll see. Oh, and the shade is actually white not blue like the image portrays.

4 – Cradle chair Up until now I’ve been using a thrift store wing chair in Mabrey’s room for late night feedings. It’s a comfortable chair for sitting but it doesn’t rock and the curvy, tall design takes up a lot of space literally and visually – much like the old crib did. And since Mabrey shows no signs of sleeping through the night anytime soon {seriously?! What am I doing wrong this time around? Both my boys were sleeping through the night by four months of age.}, I decided I deserved a more baby-friendly chair at midnight…and 3:00 a.m….and 5:00 a.m. Everything I’ve read about cradle chairs indicates that they’re a hit with small children, so this chair will easily carry Mabrey through her preschool years too. I like that it has a small footprint so hopefully it will allow more room for traffic flow and floor play.

5 – Alpaca throw I purchased this throw through Novica for a product review. I’ve never owned anything made from alpaca wool before. It’s much softer than the usual sheep wool. The handmade quality of the blanket is top notch. No unraveling or tears to speak of. And I adore the pattern. The throw is a modest size which makes it great for kids. I keep it folded on the couch. HH doesn’t understand mine and Everett’s love of blankets even in the heat of summer. The throw does shed a bit which is typical of anything constructed from wool.

6 - Vilas nightstand I bought a pair of these nightstands for our master bedroom. I have been looking for years {not just since we moved} for affordable, design-worthy nightstands for our bedroom. HH and I have never had legit nightstands. In the past, we used mismatched end tables that had once resided in our living room. I wanted something with a midcentury modern vibe and an open shelf for books. {We both like to read in bed.} This is a purchase that I’ve just ordered and haven’t received yet. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

7 – Jute chenille herringbone rug This 5′x8′ rug is for the nursery. {Are you noticing a theme here? Yep. I’m working on the nursery this week and next!} With all the deep, dark charcoal going on the walls, I needed something light in color and heavy in texture on the floor to soften things up. Normally, this rug would be out of my price range but I had $125 in West Elm gift cards lying around waiting to be used. I only ended up spending $140 of my own money. Sadly, the rug is on backorder until the end of next week but I went ahead and placed my order so that it will ship as soon as it’s back in stock. Can hardly wait!

Like I said, I’m working on the nursery. I was asked to participate in Kirkland’s ‘Ace Your Space’ campaign and it was just the fire I needed under me to finally start decorating Mabrey’s room. Mabrey was only two months old when we moved and we didn’t find out her gender until she was born, so this nursery has been a long time coming! I understand why some people choose to learn their baby’s sex before birth {preparation!} but I don’t regret the surprise at all. So while other ‘Ace Your Space’ bloggers might be focusing on entryway organization or a mommy command center for back to school, I’m focusing on the nursery.

I’ll be back later today to take you on a virtual window shopping Kirkland’s trip. I was surprised by the great pieces and prices I found. I hadn’t been to a Kirkland’s in probably 15+ years but remember it being a little too country for my taste. I was happy to discover they’ve modernized their inventory since.

Click here to see who this week’s giveaway!

Ever wondered what’s on my phone home screen? Well, I’m sharing it all over on Myers Maison today! Check it out.

images: polyvore collage by Dana Miller, images linked within

Today I’m sharing how I DIY’d the mobile in baby’s corner. It was super easy and inexpensive. Plus, it’s completely temporary so when we blow this joint {our interim apartment housing} we should have no problem taking it with us.

First, let’s talk supplies.

1 - embroidery hoop I bought a small one {~16″ circumference} at JoAnn’s for $1.

2 – double-sided scrapbooking paper I found this metallic gold 12″ x 12″ sheet at JoAnn’s for $1.

3 – paint samples I chose coral and red swatches {Martha Stewart’s Bergamot MSL019 & Maine Lobster MSL024} and had a sample jar of each mixed up at Home Depot in the Glidden brand. This was more than enough paint but I wasn’t able to find the colors I wanted at my local craft store in a smaller container. Also, purchasing the paint samples at the home improvement store made asking for 16 paint sticks more palatable. The two jars of paint cost me $6.

Of note: The paint desk employee informed me that Home Depot will no longer be carrying the Martha Stewart Living paint. However, they will have MSL formulas in their computer so they can color match them in their Glidden brand.

4 – small foam brushes I bought cheap foam brushes to apply each of the paint samples to my paint sticks. They cost me $2.

5 – 3M Command hook I always have a slew of these on hand. With a hanging weight capacity of 5 lbs, this hook is strong enough to safely support the light mobile from the ceiling.

6 – scissors I used these to cut the scrapbooking paper into circles.

7 – fishing line Another item I always have on hand to hang decor. It’s extremely durable and invisible. I used the fishing line to suspend the paper circles from the mobile and to secure the mobile to the adhesive ceiling hook.

8 – paint sticks Since I was buying paint samples, I kindly asked the paint desk employee if I could have 16 paint sticks. He was more than happy to let me take as many as I wanted because I was a paying customer.

I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to ‘borrowing’ paint swatches/sticks for DIY craft projects. Although they are free products, I’m assuming home improvement stores tack on the cost of that lost inventory to other items somewhere down the line. Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll have to pay for our swatches and sticks. Remember when you could put air in your tires at no cost?

To determine the number of paint sticks you’ll need, simply measure the circumference of your embroidery hoop in inches.

Mine was ~16″ around. Paint sticks are roughly 1″ wide, so I grabbed 16 paint sticks knowing there would be a little space in between each stick on the mobile. I ended up only using 15 sticks.

9 – pencil {not shown because my baby brain hadn’t thought of it yet} I traced circles onto the scrapbooking paper with a pencil.

10 – tape {not shown because I think Everett was playing with it} I used clear packing tape because that’s what we have on hand at the apartment for moving day.

11 – hot glue gun & glue sticks {not shown because I had it plugged in} This is what I used to secure the paint sticks to the hoop.

Once I had everything set out, I got to work.

I removed the inner embroidery hoop {the one with no tightening screw} from the outer ring {the one with the fastener} to use as my mobile base. Essentially, you could make two mobiles from one store bought embroidery hoop if you wanted.

I separated my paint sticks into two equal piles and placed plastic shopping bags under them to use as drop cloths. I reused my JoAnn’s and Home Depot bags…waste not, want not!

Using the foam brushes, I gave each paint stick two coats of paint front and back. I didn’t bother with the sides since I wanted a homemade, imperfect look. I thought the raw wood edges would give me that. I made sure to let them dry in between each coat.

Before glueing the painted sticks onto the hoop, I tied some fishing line onto my hoop so that I’d have something to hang the mobile from.

Once all the painted sticks were dry, I started hot glueing them to the hoop. I found it easier to place the sticks by applying the glue directly to the hoop…not the sticks. I chose to attach the sticks about 2″ – 2.5″ down from the flat end {not the end with the curved indentations that are meant to act as handles when used to stir paint} and left about ¼” gap between the sticks. I held each stick firmly in place for 10-20 seconds after glueing it. I alternated coral, red, coral, red, coral…you know what comes next.

Placement wasn’t perfect. I didn’t measure as I went along glueing. I just eyeballed it and figured I could make adjustments at the end if I ended up with a gap or two reds next to each other…you know, just hang that part facing the wall. Ha! Luckily, it all worked out and the worst that happened was that I had to squeeze in my last paint stick. In the end, I used 7 coral sticks and 8 red sticks.

I let the glue dry while I moved onto the paper circles that would dangle from the mobile.

To keep things simple {and to keep me from getting up off the floor!}, I used one of my paint sample jars as the template for my circles. I traced around the bottom of the jar and filled my paper with circles.

I cut out the circles by hand. An easier option would be to use a large circle punch but I don’t have one and wasn’t willing to spend $10+ to buy one. Yes, to me, cutting by hand for 10 minutes is definitely worth the $10 saved!

Using tape and fishing line, I attached my gold paper circles to the inside of the mobile. I found this step easier when I hung the mobile from something {in my case, a floor lamp so I could stay on the floor…still} which let me see how the circles were falling and vary their heights accordingly. Basically, I hung the circles at random distances from the bottom of the mobile for a loose, casual feel. Oh, and I didn’t use all the circles I cut out. After suspending 10 circles, I felt any more would feel too busy.

Then I hung the whole thing from the ceiling via a 3M Command hook and more fishing line. I tried taking a picture of this so you could see it in more detail but fishing line is invisible and the ceiling is white, so this is what I got…

Instead of looping the fishing line around the hook as you would if you were hanging something from a wall, I looped the fishing line around the back of the adhesive hook {yup, right where the adhesive is} and just in front of the actual hook part that juts out. That arrow is pointing to where the fishing line is tied since it’s not highly visible. You could always use a screw-in ceiling hook but, again, I was trying to keep things as damage-free as possible since we’re renting. The adhesive hook is working really well so far. I’ve had it up for over a week now with no signs of it pulling loose – even with the textured ceiling.

I said it before. I just love the playful pop of color and whimsy that the little DIY mobile brings to baby’s corner.

Of course, there are all kinds of ways you could tweak my design into something different:

• use even more paint colors for a happy, striped effect
• use a larger hoop and more paint sticks for something bigger…like a tween girl’s faux chandy
• fold/cut paper into different shapes
• leave the outside of mobile natural {not painted} but paint the inside a bright hue for an unexpected surprise
• add inexpensive cord lighting to create a pendant

Do you have any other ideas for alternative spins on my DIY paint stick mobile? I’d love to hear your brainstorming!

In other baby news, well, nothing really. I’m 38 weeks. I was 3cm dilated at my last OB appointment. Just last night I had several hours of regular contractions {about every 5-6 minutes, lasting about 1 minute}. I took a shower to see if that would stop things, thinking then I’d know if it was the real thing. The shower had no effect. We had my dad and his wife come to pick up the boys in case things progressed. I called my doula just to let her know what was going on but assured her that my contractions – while quite strong and regular – were not crazy intense and that I was coping well. She encouraged me to rest, so I did. I got some sleep off and on for a few hours with contractions still coming and going. Then all of a sudden at 8am this morning {nearly 10 hours after the contractions began} everything came to a screeching halt. HH is working from home today and I’m just going about my day, pretending last night didn’t happen.

The popular midwife adage is holding true for us: Firsts are long. Seconds are fast. Thirds are unpredictable.

FYI – Click here to see if you won the BrideBlu giveaway this week! I really enjoyed reading about all the creative ideas for ‘something blue’ on a wedding day. So much has changed since HH and I got married!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

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

I’ve been nesting. I’m sprucing up a little corner of our bedroom in the apartment for baby. Everything is gender neutral {we don’t know if baby is a boy or a girl}, temporary {we don’t plan on being here much longer} and budget-friendly {I can’t see spending a bunch of $ on stuff just for the short newborn phase}. I’ve spent less than $20 by using a lot of things we already had on hand and getting crafty.

Have a peek!

Reveal pics on the way tomorrow!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

It’s unofficially official. It’s likely we won’t be moved into the Underdog before baby #3 arrives. I’m due in early April but rumor has it this lil’ one could come as early as a week and a half from now. Yikes! While I’m doing my best to keep this bun in my oven as long as possible, Handy Hubby and I have decided not to put the added pressure of ‘we must move!’ on ourselves. If someone would have told us six months ago that we’d be bringing this baby home to our temporary apartment, we probably would have told them they were crazy.

We had every inclination to be moved into the Underdog by now but life has thrown us some curveballs as it does from time to time. {Not to mention that we were probably a little overzealous in predicting how long it would take us to complete the long list of projects required to make the Underdog livable.} For one, HH got a promotion at work that required him to travel extensively over the past several months. Some months he was gone for as much as 3 weeks out 4. And there’s no such thing as long-distance DIY!

Once we got the Underdog’s progress to a place where we could bring the kids along with us safely while we worked, we had a major setback with the flooring. What we had guessed would take us a couple of days ended up taking us a couple of weeks! Par for the renovation course. {The good news is we’re thrilled beyond belief with the results.}

Then came the whole preterm labor thing a few weeks ago that has forced us to refocus our priorities {especially mine} elsewhere.

So, we’re still here in our cozy lil’ apartment. And we’re entirely thankful for it! Downsizing and buying a fixer-upper has afforded us a teeny monthly mortgage payment {probably less than most people’s car payments} so we aren’t strapped to pay the rent for our away-from-the-renovation-dust oasis {if you can consider faux wood vinyl floors and primer white walls an ‘oasis’ that is}. Sure, we could have hired someone to finish up the Underdog in a timely manner {i.e. well before baby’s due date} for us but it would have cost us waaaaay more than to pay a few more months’ worth of rent. We’re hanging in there! We can see the light at the end of tunnel!

Which leads me to today’s topic and some pics…finally! Since there’s a very good chance we’ll be bringing baby #3 home to our apartment, I’m getting antsy about throwing together a little nursery in the corner of our bedroom. Our apartment only has two bedrooms – one for us and one for the boys. Luckily, newborns don’t require a lot of space.

Over the years, I acquired this antique cradle that has been passed down through my dad’s family. I think it may have been his cradle when he was a baby so that makes it 50+ years old. It was the cradle my parents put me in as a newborn too. It’s petite enough to fit into a small corner of our bedroom and it’s still sturdy after all these years, so it’s perfect for what we need – a temporary sleeping spot for our impending arrival.

It’s not what I would call ‘my style’ but I can’t see spending a bunch of money {or any money for that matter} on something else…something we won’t even need in a few short months. My first inclination was to paint the cradle but I haven’t decided yet whether or not that’s a good idea. For one, I feel like I would be breaking some kind of unwritten family law that says the cradle must stay in its original condition. For another, I plan on passing the cradle down to my younger sisters when they become mamas and I’d feel bad if they would have wanted the crib in its natural state.

The wood isn’t in bad shape – just worn well. What is an expecting, nesting mama to do? Whether or not I paint the cradle, I do plan on dressing up the corner of our bedroom for the baby. Maybe hang some stuff on the walls and make it more personal, celebratory. Nothing too difficult since I’m still taking it easy these days.

Oh, and I think I might have figured out why I’m drawn to geometric prints. It’s in my nature. The quilt in the cradle was mine as a baby as well. Notice the zig-zag, chevron-like pattern? My grandma has pictures of me playing on this very baby quilt as an infant.

You know the Dirty Dancing quote, “Nobody puts baby in the corner”? Well, I’m about to. Hopefully, that doesn’t make me a bad mom.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Ever heard of Houzz? If not, then you should check it out. That is, if you like tons and tons of home design and decorating inspiration.

Houzz offers a huge compilation of photos from professionals, designers and architects alike. You can search through the database by style, space {wine cellars, anyone?} or keyword.

If you create an account {free of charge}, you can save images that spark your interest in Ideabooks to look back on for inspiration when decorating your own home. You can write up little notes attached to your saved Ideabook images to specify what exactly about the space caught your eye.

If you have heard of Houzz before now then you probably knew all that. But there’s more. Product Picks Ideabooks.

I’ve been an avid Houzz follower for over a year now and didn’t know a thing about the Product Picks…that is until Houzz contacted me and asked me to create my own Product Picks Ideabooks. Basically, Product Picks feature items {instead of entire room shots} that can be incorporated into the design of spaces. Of course, I jumped at the chance to become a member of the Houzz contributing team! How couldn’t I?

You may have already noticed the link on H*T’s side bar to my first Product Picks Ideabook, A Gender-Neutral Nursery. It’s a selection of products that I put together that would be appropriate for a boy or girl. Not only is it relevant to parents who choose not to find out the gender of their baby prior to the birth but also to families who plan on reusing nursery items from one child to the next. I wasn’t given a budget to work with and a few of the items reflect that {i.e. crib and chair}, so it’s more of a ‘dream’ nursery to me. Still, it’s meant to inspire an overall look.

And, yes, I do plan on referring to my gender-neutral Ideabook for our own nursery. Maybe not item-for-item but as a loose reference. So, for those of you who have been wondering and asking how I would approach the design of our unborn baby’s {boy or girl??} nursery, there you go! I definitely want to incorporate pieces that can follow baby through to his/her older years, and I want to avoid a theme of any kind. I really want the nursery to fit into the rest of our home but be sweet and warm and cozy too. Of course, our nursery will have to be completed on a budget. As much as I looooove that freakin’ awesome chair, it’s not going to happen. Neither is the modern crib. I’ll be working with what I’ve got to tweak an old crib {already on hand…the only baby thing we have leftover from our boys} and secondhand chair {hint} into affordable, stylish options for us. Stay tuned…

I’m set to create a Houzz Ideabook monthly and I’ll be linking to them on my sidebar and probably giving you a heads up about them in blog posts. You can follow me over on Houzz too if you want. I’m crazy excited about this newest venture. It’s fun. I have free reign – no forced themes. I find it way more fulfilling than I probably should.

So now that I’ve spilled the beans about my newest gig, I have a quick question for ya. Any requests for future Ideabooks? It could be as specific as ‘striped rugs’ or as broad as ‘family living.’ Have at it, peeps.

images: Houzz