Elsewhere

Sorry for the silence this week! It's been a rough one for me and my family. Nothing we can't handle - just been a little overwhelmed lately by life. In the meantime here are my posts for the week from over on Apartment Therapy Family:

Creative Solutions for Small Space Play

A Nursery Starts with Art: Inspired by Banquet Atelier & Workshop's Cactus Print

Happy Friday! xo, Lauren

Lovely Little Style: Handmade Collars

Wouldn't these collars by Claudine & Compagnie just make every outfit special? Each is handmade in Belgium and is available for ages 1-12. I think the blue one is my favorite, but of course it's sold out!

Lovely Little Things: Balloon Mobiles

I really have a thing for hot air balloons lately. They're whimsical, colorful, floating - what's not to love? These balloon mobiles from Made by Mosey have really stolen my heart. Made from a mixture of new and vintage fabrics in gorgeous color palettes, these mobiles can be purchased on Etsy or from the stockists listed on this site.

Lovely Little Room: Max's Sloped Space

Today's photos are from one of my absolute favorite blogs for eye candy: Katie's Pencil Box. Katie is not only a master of photography, but also of making those mundane moments of everyday life look like art. Her home is no exception. This particular room belongs to her son Max. He's quite the writer and photographer himself - I loved reading his letters to his new sister (whose space I'm dying to see)! And I'm always impressed when he takes photos of his lovely mama. I love that Katie was able to keep this room light, neutral, and true to her style, but still give it the perfect vibe for a growing little boy. You can see more of Katie's lovely home here and visit her blog here.

A big thank you to Katie for sharing Max's space with us!

Lovely Little Things: Matchbox Friends

Aren't these little matchbox creatures just the sweetest thing you've ever seen? These sleepy critters are handmade in Italy by atelier pompadour and sold on Etsy. Each comes complete with its own name, personality, and fun little bed. You can see more work by atelier pompadour here.

Lovely Little Links

Emily Meyer of Tea Collection has the luckiest daughter!

These little clowns would definitely be the life of the party.

Toilet paper rolls fit for a little king (or queen).

Perfect summer DIY.

The sweetest (and most portable) little dollhouse.

Pink dress + red tights + red shoes.

Looking for an inexpensive show stopper for your little space? Look no further than this DIY wall art.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo, Lauren

Lovely Little Things: New Ferm Living

I am just in love with Ferm Living's new Fall 2012 collection. Those gorgeous baskets would be perfect for storing toys and that cloud light is just amazing. Not to mention those completely adorable those little whale pillows! See more of the new collection here.

Lovely Little Swings

One: Wooden Child's Swing by La Clinica

Two: Wooden Swing by The Wooden Horse

Three: DIY Child Swing by pinjacolada

Four: Kids' Swing by Swingz n Thingz

Five: Baby & Toddler Swing by Solvej Swings

Six: Striped Child's Swing

Seven: Wooden Swing by The Wooden Horse

Eight: Filzschaukel Wool Swing by Mohr Cushion via das mobel

Lovely Little DIY: Play Kitchen Knobs

We found this little hutch on the curb and I couldn't believe that someone would just get rid of it! Solid wood, and so much character. I guess one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? It just needed a fresh coat of paint and a little DIY magic to make it into the perfect play kitchen for our little Violet. After painting it with a fresh coat of white paint, I decided the first order of business was to add knobs. I found these cute wooden ones at the Home Depot but wanted to make them a little more personal and fun. I'm really happy with how they turned out! When we installed the knobs we kept them a little loose so that Violet can turn them to 'operate' the stove or oven. Still to add: a burner, oven handle (and window?), dish towels, and art!

Here's how you can make the knobs yourself (it's really easy):

Step 1: Purchase frog tape, paint, and wooden knobs at your local hardware store in the sizes and quantities you need. I used leftover paint from our house trim, but you can use acrylic paint for this project as well.

Step 2: Use the frog tape to mask different amounts of the front of each knob. You could tape each to be equally divided, but I thought it was easier and more fun to vary the amount a bit.

3. Paint the untaped area using thin layers of paint. Two layers worked just fine for me.

4. Remove the tape (I think it is best removed while the paint is still slightly wet) and voila! Fresh and fun knobs perfect for your little one's play kitchen. Happy painting!

xo, Lauren

Handmade Wooden Teething Rings

I'm completely smitten with these handmade wooden and crochet teething rings. The creation of mother of three Nihama-Jana Ladizenska, they're available in a huge variety of colors and styles. See more of her lovely work by visiting her namesake Etsy shop here.

Lovely Links

Gorgeous, gorgeous nursery. I only wish I could see more of it!

Love the first three costumes.

A most adorable coat that I will never afford - Yowza!

I'll admit it - I don't like oreos. But I'm smitten with this cake nonetheless...

Definitely want to try this.

How to make a molded light plate - pure genius.

Adorable little craft.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo, Lauren

A Lovely Find: Birth Announcement

This birth announcement just took my breath away. It's the creation of Brooke Schwab of Brooke Schwab Photography. I love the softness, the whimsical handwriting, the pretty vintage dress - just perfect.

Lovely Little Things: Woodsy Modern

I almost forgot to share that I am a guest poster over on Buy Modern Baby this week! Go and check out my roundup of woodsy modern nursery pieces here. Thanks Esther for having me!

Violet's Bedroom

We've been working for what feels like ages on my daughter Violet's big girl room. It was a slow transformation from what I've dubbed a 'zebra bordello' to what we have today. (If you're curious you can see the before's over on my personal blog here). With a toddler running around we don't have much time, and our budget was tight, so we did things slowly and over time.

The starting point for the room was actually the rug. I had purchased it years ago on clearance from Anthropologie, and while I still love it, it no longer worked in the space for which it was originally intended. So rather than wasting a perfectly good rug, we decided to use it in the one unfinished space in the house - Violet's room. Working around this rug was a bit of a challenge for me. It definitely limited my color palette, as there aren't a huge amount of colors that go with chartreuse green. I was saved when I came across this lovely color palette over on Creature Comforts.

I was actually pretty excited to use pink, as I definitely did not use traditional girly colors in her nursery.   I knew that I didn't want the walls to be pink just in case she got a little older and decided she hated pink, so we went with a creamy neutral. That left me with the bedding and dresser to douse in as much pink as I pleased. I originally scoured Craigslist in search of an inexpensive antique dresser to paint like this one over on Making it Lovely. But when I finally found the right piece, I just couldn't bring myself to paint over that beautiful wood. Despite that I still felt that the space needed a pop of pink, so I painted a color block behind the dresser instead.

On the other side of the room I went in search of pink bedding. I hit the jackpot when I came across this lovely polka dot bedding over on House 8810. I gave Violet a billion pillows, because she loves to have pillow fights and make pillow beds on the floor. (Thanks to her Aunt Nikki and Nonny) I made two of them myself from linen that I purchased at a local fabric store. The sheets were purchased at Land of Nod and the larger sham came from Restoration Hardware (on sale). The smaller pillows were from Land of Nod, Etsy and Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie. At that point the room was starting to feel really traditional, and I prefer a combination of traditional and modern, so I mixed things up a bit with a modern bed from West Elm and bench (actually part of a closet system) from IKEA. I made the bench cushion myself - I purchased two-inch foam (on sale at 50% off!) from Joann Fabrics, used some left over fabric from my daughter's nursery, and pinned it all together. Eventually I'll get around to sewing it, but I ran out of time before we left for our vacation. It's holding up fine for now! :)

On the largest wall I went with a pull-down map that I found on eBay for $5. I had originally purchased it with the plan to paint over it, but the Mister convinced me to save it. (Luckily the colors happened to go quite well in the space). I'd been coveting this Up poster from Fine Little Day for quite some time, so that went up on the wall as well, as well as this Adventurers screen print from Fifi du Vie. These removable wallpaper decals from Love Mae jumped out at me on Pinterest and I thought they'd be perfect in the small space above the bench. The last wall that needed something was above the bed. I really wanted to use this Daydream wallpaper by Julia Rothman for Hygge & West, but I had hit my budget limit at that point. So I decided to freehand a similar mural myself ($2.80 for a paint sample jar from Home Depot) I went with a minty color for the simple fact that I'm completely obsessed with it at the moment.

I didn't have any particular theme in mind for the space - I just put together things that I love and that I thought Violet would love as well. Overall I'm pretty happy with how the space turned out, and Violet loves playing in there until we make the move out of her crib. (Very nervous about that!)

This post got a lot longer than I had planned, so I'll list all of the sources below and if you have any questions let me know!

xo, Lauren

Narrow Leg Bed - West Elm
Dottie Quilt - House 8810
Dresser - Craigslist
Bench - IKEA
Bench Cushion - DIY
Bench Fabric - Jo-ann Fabric
Zinc Letter 'V' - Anthropologie
Gray Sham - Restoration Hardware Baby & Kids
Pink Polka Dot Sheets - Land of Nod
Striped Pillow - Urban Ecology
Floral Pillow - Skinny LaMinx
Star Pillow - Hello Milky
Large Round Pillow - Land of Nod
Small Round Pillow - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Linen Pillows - DIY (Fabric from Joann Fabric)
Doll - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Dancer Bear - Lieschen Mueller
Map - eBay
Adventurers Print - Fifi du Vie
Bear & Antler Hooks - West Elm
Christy's Cottage Dollhouse - Melissa & Doug
Bedside Shelf - Michael's Craft Store
Umbra Horizon Crunch Cans - Container Store
Up Poster - Fine Little Day
Book Shelf - IKEA
Star Pillow - Colette Bream
Swallows Wallpaper Decals - Love Mae
Curtains - IKEA
Large Rug - Anthropologie 
Faux Sheepskin Rug - IKEA
Eleanor Frameless Mirror - Pottery Barn
Star Garland - DIY
Tissue Paper Tassel Mobile - FleurLux
Squirrel Lamp - Anthropologie
Gold Mushroom Lamp - Mokkasin
Handpainted Blocks - How Now Design
Gnome - MOMA Store
Terrarium Postcards - Quill and Fox

Lovely Little Room: Mountain Retreat

I came across this fun and colorful space over on Bara Barnrum - a Swedish children's blog. I was knocked off my feet by the fabulous fabric on the wall - a great way to make a statement without risking something so permanent as wallpaper. Just a little corn starch to put it up and easily remove it when you want to change things up! Paired with the clean white furniture and a few vintage pieces it's the perfect space for a little one.

Recipe for a Play Kitchen

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I'm hoping to start to work on sprucing up my daughter's play kitchen soon, so I've been scouring the web for inspiration and ideas. I've come up with a lot of great pieces that I could purchase and some that I could DIY:

I think that these candle holders could make adorable salt and pepper 'shakers'. Or I could find a cheap wooden pair at the Salvation Army and dip them myself. Every play kitchen needs a little art - this postcard by Leah Duncan  or this print by Tuesday Mourning would be great options. I am completely smitten with this cloud cutting board from Snug Studio. It's probably a little large and unwieldy for a little one, but luckily I have a handy husband who could probably DIY a suitable look-a-like. Leah Duncan also makes these gorgeous kitchen towels (which I may have to steal for myself), and they would go perfectly with this child's apron from Anthropologie. I also love Anthropologie's Calico Owl Knobs for the cabinet. 

Storage is a must for any kitchen. I love these wooden canisters, this cheerful yellow polka dot fabric bin, and Land of Nod's The Vines Have It containers. As far as dish ware, melamine is a must for little hands. This mint dish  set would be perfection. I could definitely see myself decorating these wooden pieces with a little paint. And speaking of paint, this DIY cork board by Handmade Charlotte looks fun and easy. And last but not least, every little kitchen needs its own toaster. This one by Plan Toys definitely takes the cake. 

Does your little one have a play kitchen? What are your favorite accessories? 

Lovely Links

Simple + perfect confections from this party.

In love with every inch of this shared space.

I could definitely whip up a party based on this cake alone.

Cozy sweater = cuddly creature.

The perfect little skirt.

Adorable DIY nursery mobile.

Have a lovely weekend!

Lauren

A Lovely Find: Monthly Baby Photo

This is one of my favorite monthly baby photo setups - the comfy white chair, the bright colorful blanket, and the chalkboard wall background - perfection. (Not to mention the adorable twins!)

Lovely Little Art: Jessica Swift

I just love these handmade screen prints by Jessica Swift. They'd look gorgeous framed and hung as a group in a nursery or child's room. I especially love this one with the gold lettering - just perfect!