Nursery Time!

So much to post, not enough nap time!

Jillian took some amazing pics of London's little nursery that I've been dying to share.

I (we, my mom, Shane and I) had the best time hunting and piecing it together London's nursery.
I'd have ideas, share them with Shane, he'd approve and my mom and I would search to find the perfect items at great prices. Teamwork people!
Home Goods, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Overstock.com, Walmart, Target are just a few of the places we bought items from.

Pic on the left: 

• The stripes were painted by my neighbor and friend Dan and myself. Click here for more on striped fun!
• The canvases above the crib were an inspiration from a baby decor blog (ontobaby, laybabylay...), can't remember which one.  My husbands graphic artist took the prints and made them into jpegs and I had them printed on canvas at Costco. The canvases are light weight and I velcroed them to the wall, so the peanut will be safe in her crib once she's sleeping in there.
• The crib is from Walmart and looks like many of the modern cribs I liked, but for less than half the price.

Pic on the right:

•  A cute curio shelf thingy I bought at an antique store in Hermosa Beach when I lived down there.  It was originally green has been used in many rooms of various apartments I've lived in.  We painted it white to soften it's look for the baby's room and it's a perfect nik nak holder.

Must say something about the beautiful blankie hanging on the crib.  That's a Bon Bon original.  My mom put a lot of work into it and it paid off.  We love it and it keeps lil Lo warm each and every night. 

Pic on the left:

• The glider is a must have in every nursery.  I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed rocking and nursing my sweet baby girl.  Won't get into the fact that it's still a loaner because the dumb company we bought it from has not delivered ours.  NIGHTMARE, but I'll keep this post positive.
• The awesome Baby Love Pillow was a gift for my shower from our friend Megan.  Click here to see the Etsy boutique it was bought from.

Pic on the right:

• The dresser was my first furniture purchase in college from an antique store in SLO.  We had it refinished to match the espresso and white mixed furniture we went with in the nursery.
• Shelves are from Pottery Barn and while they look great, I don't recommend them. They are more than a pain to hang. 
• Shelf items: Cute silver owl- West Elm, Rocking Chair on shelf- Pottery Barn, Frames-TJ Maxx, Piggy Bank was a gift from Nordies, Glass canister being used for baby's headbands-West Elm

These darling crowns were a little find at Bed Bath and Beyond.  Handmade knit hearts, a chalkboard from Michaels and the most darling Cynthia Vincent dress (my daughter has cuter clothes than me) hang from these hooks!

The day bed has been a huge hit.  Ever end up in a friend's nursery while she's nursing, changing the baby, or the babes are playing and wonder where you can sit and sip on a much needed glass of wine?  Well I have.  Thus the inspiration to have seating in our nursery.  Luckily, it's a spacious room and this fit perfectly.  It's also a great nap spot.  You can buy here.  The pillows are a sale combo.  The white ones were a steal from Pottery Barn, someone must have returned them and I snagged them way on sale, love when that happens!  The beige pillows are from Restoration Hardware and were also on sale, woohoo.  The Pottery Barn baskets underneath the bed will be filled with shoes, toys and other London stuff as she gets older! 

Lastly, this is our changing station/dresser.  Love the functionality of having a dresser under the changing station that we won't need forever.  The dresser is another buy from West Elm, click here.

Lamp is from Home Goods.  The London banner was decor for my shower and made by a college friend Rachel Golden, check out her facebook page for all kinds of hand sewn children items.  I love, LOVE, LoVe the chevron pattern right now and got the changing pad cover and bed skirt to match from this website. 



 

Happy Friday! 

XO,

S

30 weeks and now understanding why bloggers and mommies go MIA!

The beginning of this year has been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Is it really almost February?

We've had two baby showers, toured the hospital, started our every 2 week doctor appts. and more!

Last weekend was my baby shower hosted by my friends.

Dear friends from all different times in my life gathered to shower me and the babe with gifts.

I can't wait to share pics from the beyond perfect day!

Feeling very loved and grateful for the amazing women in my life!

The nursery is well underway, the walls are painted, most of the furniture is in.

The stripes were a bit of a challenge, but nothing our neighbor and dear friend Dan wasn't up for.

We bought him a cheap tool called a laser leveler and he was off to the races. 

Get yours here

He used this tool to create straight lines with tape.

This handy dandy tool has multiple purposes and can also be used to hang pictures at the same height on multiple walls. 

 Stripes with tape

Finished product!

Don't mind the blankets in the crib- I don't have the mattress yet, so I just put stuff in there to make it look good and get an idea.

Looking forward to my family shower this weekend and a work shower closer to my due date. 
Baby Ball is so loved and lucky already.

On another note, sleeping has been a challenge since the beginning of my pregnancy, but it continues to get more and more difficult.
At night, I pretty much turn into a jelly fish flip floppin around all night, putting pillows in weird places and just trying to get comfy and take a deep breath. POOR SHANE!

Between getting up to pee and switching positions, it's a wonder he gets any sleep at all.  
In a desperate attempt to help my sleep in any way we can, we recently bought these pillows and I just had to share because they are a slice of heaven.

Sorry about the sideways pic, I can't figure out how to rotate.

Can you say pregnancy brain?
You can purchase these at Bed, Bath and Beyond here!

Don't forget your 20% off coupon. 

Looking forward to blogging about the shower, the nursery and my growing belly in the coming weeks.  

XO,

S

Happy New Year, Recipes and More!

I can hardly believe it's 2012! 

Where did 2011 go?

With that said, I'm super excited for this year for obvious reasons. 

We've been busy doing lots around the house getting ready for baby.

We stayed local for the holidays and went to Mammoth for New Years with dear friends!

 

A fun group shot of us in front of a snow cat we took up the mountain for dinner.

Pretty cool, click here for info on where to call to schedule your adventure.

Grandma Bon Bon made us all beanies for the trip. 

Here's Peysie and Mase Face modeling them before they go out for walk.

<3 these lil peanuts to death! 

I've been trying to cook again, now that I'm back to liking all sorts of foods!

Two recipes I made recently were delicious and worth sharing.

White Bean and Hominy Chili

What's hominy?  I didn't know either, but you can find it near the Mexican food specialty items at your favorite grocery store!

Click here for recipe.

Gotta love Cooking Light Mag!

Shrimp, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

Click here for recipe.

You know it's a good salad when Shane considers it a meal and not a side!

This was so easy, tasty, light and healthy!

Current project-operation nursery.

Our awesome neighbor/friend Dan is helping me paint the room.

26 weeks

Me in front of a paint swatch on the nursery wall.

Getting a decent pic of the belly is no easy task.

Luckily I have a patient/loving photographer (thanks boos!).

More to come on the nursery, painting tips, pics and more!

I think that's all for now.  Still having spurts of insomnia and last night was a dozy, so hopefully this blog post makes some sense!

XO,

S

More Babies...

This past weekend, I made the journey to Santa Rosa to celebrate my beautiful friend Amy and sweet Baby Lucia on the way.  After an 8 hour drive on Friday, we went to a favorite winery- Mazzocco, where we got to see the Seaton and Cromie families, listen to live music, enjoy some eats and tasty wine!  

Saturday we had Amy's shower at her dear high school friend Lindsay's parent's house. Gotta love Nor Cal, where peoples families live close and have homes and wineries to host special events!  It was a gorgeous day and things couldn't have gone more perfect.  

Here are some photos and details from the shower. 

 Glowing Momma to Be

I'm tellin you, a little bit of ribbon on a Classico or capers jar makes the cutest flower vase!

My amazing mother slaved away making chocolate covered caramel pretzels for the favors.

(I helped with 6 out of 45 and they were a lot tougher than you would think)

Thanks Mo Mo, you are the best!

 Always a fan of the clothes line.

Knitted items by my momma!

Can't ever have enough CHEESE!

Perfect weather in a beautiful backyard. 

Couldn't have been more perfect!

Gifts galore.

-Diaper game-

We wrote messages on diapers for Amy and Luke to enjoy while they are changing sweet Lucia.

The food. 

Grammy's chicken salad croissant sandwiches

(I will try to get this recipe from the one of the hosts, as it's too yummy not to share)

Yummy green salad

Fruit salad

LA LA Love You framed print for baby Lucia's room made perfect decor. 

(Lucia Arizona- initials LA)

Get yours here.

The infamous fingerprint tree guestbook.

Always a hit, buy a variety here.

The hostesses and momma to be.

 

Let the countdown for baby Lucia's arrival begin!
She's going to be a little Scorpio like her Auntie Sam, yippee. 

XO,
S

Amy's turn...

Babies GALORE.

One of my DEAREST friends is having a baby girl this November.

I am honored to help throw her a baby shower for the little girl she's always dreamed of

Lucia Arizona Chiurco

Shower isn't until September, but I was in charge of invites, so here's a sneak peak at what's brewing.

Amy's nursery has a whimsical theme and will have little birdies, so these were just perfect. 

Invitations from here

For those that know my Ames, she LOVES LA!

So it's quite cute that her baby's initials are going to be L.A.

I designed these little stamps, so perfect!

Order your own customized stamps, here

More on this shower after it happens- fingerprint tree guest book, adorable gift ideas and more Bon Bon Knits! 

XO, 

S

Back from a blogging hiatus...

Life has been busy as usual, but I finally have something FUN to blog about!

Sunday, I helped host a baby shower for one of my oldest and dearest friends, Cyndi Horwitz. 
As some of you may know, I LOVE being creative and putting together events and this one was no different.

My love and excitement for Cyndi and her soon to be baby boy was perfect inspiration for a story book themed shower at Sonoma Wine Garden in Santa Monica. 

Here are a few shots by the talented Jillian of Jillian Rose Photography

 Farmer's market fresh flowers in mason jars.
Who knew spaghetti sauce jars were so cute once you soak off the labels and put them in the dishwasher?
Add a little ribbon and wa-la!

It was too much fun collecting books with items to match.
And the best part, the centerpieces made a great gift for Cyndi and baby from the hostesses.

One of my favorite party items is this guest book idea.
It's a fingerprint tree from an artist on Etsy.
I ordered the PDF and printed it myself at Staples (money saver).
And bought a frame to match Cyndi's baby furniture at Michael's (don't forget your 40% off coupon).
It's great decor for the baby's room and a memory from her special day.

 

Chocolate covered caramel pretzels for party favors. 

Delicious.

 Clothesline of baby items and baby pics of Cyndi and Brett.

Turned out even cuter than I imagined.

 A wonderful variety of food.

 Little signs for the food.
Used the corks from my wedding.

Lastly, homemade cupcakes by one of the mother's of a hostess.

Now to await the arrival of Baby H in August and finally learn his name! 

P.S. I'm starting a little side biz, Havin' a Ball Events by Yours Truly.  If you have a small event and need some creativity, you can hire me! 

XO,

S

Bachelorette Ideas

This past weekend I went to Vegas for my friend Olga's Bachelorette Party!

 Here's a few cute/unique bachelorette ideas:

Don't you have a penis cookie cutter?

If not, you can get one here.

Notice the brown sprinkles and the pink tip, heehee.

Cowboy hats for by the pool! 

Courtesy of Capture, Inc.

 

Next stop the chapel... 

Looking forward to celebrating Olga and Vince's nuptials in June!

Man this year is FLYING.

XO, 

S

The Art of Manliness...

Husband (Man) of the Year

Drum roll please...

Goes to

SHANER!

 My most manli man!

 As you might already know, I'm a little OCD and like things just so.  Our landlord promised new carpet on our one year anni at our place, so of course I had to have it, despite the fact that we'd have to move ALL our furniture in order to have it put in.  Side note, I loathe carpet and Shane loves it, not a reason for divorce, but definitely something I would recommend discussing before the vows. Shane is currently winning this war, so if carpet is what we must have, new carpet beats old.

While I'm in Michigan working, Shane is at home taking care of everything.  

 See all the stuff piled up outside? 

 That's pretty much the contents of our house.

Bless his heart.

Shane, I love and appreciate you so much!

Can't wait to get home, kiss you and roll around on the new carpet! 

Yippee...

XO, 

S