Wednesday, November 28, 2012

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?
* I am in need of a new alarm clock...

* A message to our little bun in the oven: "We love you, but HURRY UP."

* Every year I'm so smitten with Anthro's Christmas ornaments. She's particularly posh, don't you think?

* Surely you could find a worthy recipient for these hysterical socks.

* I'm 100% on board with these Peppermint S'mOreos.

What's your wish?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

thankful Thursday

What am I thankful for this Thursday?

* Puppy dog snuggles and kisses.

* A truly wonderful husband.

* Fall weather! (How lovely was today?)

* A healthy (especially Mom!) and happy family.

* An indescribable God. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

What are you thankful for?



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

nursery reveal (with DIY links)!

Kell and I are finally finished with our little cupcake's nursery! Or at least finished enough that we're not embarrassed to show anyone. I even tried out Kell's fancy new camera to take the pictures!

Read on if you'd like to see...

First thing's first: the door hanger!

(Sorry for the grainy image...It's from my phone. Follow me on Instagram! @mary_straton)

It's perched right on her door at the moment, ready for its trip to the hospital. I can't take credit for the design (actually, almost everything in this room is a copycat of some sort). A friend showed me one that looked similar, and I made it up as I went along. The bird is a Christmas ornament that I got from Anthro a few years ago, and the little bows are made of ribbon I got from the $1 rack at Michaels. The gold letters are tiny stickers; I only thought I had a steady hand until I tried to put those on...

Come on in!


I must confess: I can't take credit for the color scheme, either. I was totally inspired by this sweet little nursery, and wanted to re-create it somehow. You may remember my post about the wall color. We're still very pleased with it! It's sweet without being too sweet. Plus, Kell nixed pink walls for a girl LONG ago. (But I snuck some Behr Spring Song pink in there as an accent color. What's a little girl's room without SOME pink?)

Would you like to see a little more closely?

The valance I made (sort of) following this tutorial, except I did a scalloped edge and added some pink pom-pom trim with FabriTac. I also painted the E because 1) I couldn't find an acceptable gold fabric, and 2) I was apprehensive about cutting it out and gluing it on. The panels are just cheap white ones from JCPenney.


The puppy paintings actually are our beloved Olive and Charlie! This tutorial just uses a generic dog silhouette, but that simply would not do. I printed out some pictures of our pups, cut around them to make a stencil and traced it onto some canvases I'd painted Spring Song pink. Then I just filled in with some Liquid Leaf, and voila!


How do you like the bookcase? It's just a cheap laminate one from WalMart that I sanded and Kell primed and painted. The "back" was totally horrible, so I bought some foam board from a local art supply store, cut out this stencil, and painted it with Spring Song again. It took FOREVER, but I think the final product is worth it!

Onto the bed and bedding!


I ordered the bumpers and skirt from Serena & Lily after searching high and low for something that didn't look like a "set" (and not really wanting to pay for custom bedding - I have freakishly expensive taste in fabric). When it arrived, I noticed the pink on the skirt was way brighter than the rest of the room. Since I have a mental disorder, I decided the only way it would be acceptable is if I painted the pink part. So, I mixed the Spring Song with some fabric medium and painted away. You can't even tell!

This bunting above a crib was so adorable to me, but I didn't want the sharp edges of so many triangles for some reason (again with the mental disorder). Enter DIY Gone Wild again. I found this garland on Etsy and did my best to copy it, too. Again, a total labor of love, but just perfect for our sweet little girl.


Those of us with expensive taste know we are blessed and cursed. I adored this mobile, but $100 seemed steep, and I was convinced I could make something similar myself. At one point, I texted Harris and told her I was over it and ready to build a bonfire with felt and embroidery floss. She convinved me to keep going, and I have this mobile to show for it! Not nearly as detailed as the inspiration piece, but it will do. Plus, I ordered a part that makes it spin and play "You Are My Sunshine." Awww.


If you follow me on Pinterest, you know I love a gallery wall. I'd gotten it in my head that I wanted one above the changing table, so I started collecting things for it (enter this and this).

Dawn with The Pinwheel Press made the Avett Brothers print for me. You can't really read it, but it says, "always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name," from this song.


And what's a room for an Eleanor without her own little song lyric? A little gold pen and some more Spring Song, and we're in business!


Now all we lack is our little one! Just a little over three weeks to go! We cannot wait to meet her.

Have a great Thanksgiving, darlings! Wish List Wednesday is Thankful Thursday this week, so come back soon!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That it hadn't been so long since my last post! Do you forgive me?

* Aren't these napkins fun? I totally think we could DIY them...

* A win for the Dawgs this weekend. We need a pick-me-up!

* Let's keep some of these adorable coasters around the house for holiday parties!

* Have you seen all the fun scarves at Target these days? I'm particularly taken with this one.

What's your wish?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

to God be the glory!

We got some wonderful news about my mom today!

Her scan this morning looked wonderful; the oncologist even used the word "phenomenal!"

Thanks be to God for his faithfulness and his many blessings!

"The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17