kentucky by shabbymama on Polyvore.com

this nursery is in the early brainstorm stages..the mom is so much fun..and i cant share the name..big secret but i like to put them up here so the mom and i can easily look at the brainstorm “board”…this idea is for the polka dot (I know i need to get off this fabric but i love it and these babies all live in different states!;;) on the drapes or as a roman shade under simpler panels… all of the furniture is white but i am thinking one accent little piece of furniture in red..there is a tad of red in the cowboy print that i really want to pull out in name letter, monogramming on a pillow or something..this will not be a cowboy theme room!;; in fact i love the amy butler (or is that joel newberry) modern accent fabric for something to modern it up) and i just love lois lenski books so i put that down there..and the banner etc..just for feel mainly although i do LOVE those counting cards from land of nod..looks like they have lots of brown in them and are a nice switch from letter flashcards…..love this javis davis bedding tool..check it out.

the other option is this bedding with the orange..which is very cute..the mom and i both love red or orange with light blue.so fresh..his name is NOT tristan.just put that there to show her how cute big choc or white letters of his name or monogram would be over the crib..we could use the white/brown polka dots simply as a throw pillow or band on drapes..the brown minky dot is available in a changing cover from babies r us..henry has one and we love it!

kentucky2 by shabbymama on Polyvore.com

[bedding from babyinstyle.com]

which do you prefer??? one is more modern one more vintage..i love baby boy stuff! so fun!

Yall that Nester is just soo smart, check this out..and she gives the best direction and thrifty advice..i am not much of a wreath or florals girl but i just love this..could it be letter?? ha!

anddd, I am proud to announce, I am blogging this post from my new HP Mini “netbook” and I just love it…now Henry and I can blog and chat while big brother is in school (most days we are just waiting around in the town where he has school since his PreK program only last three hours!)…this little notebook is so cool and reasonably priced from Verizon (they are not paying me to say this but maybe they should;;) seriously, love that 3G network;;; So hopefully this means i will be posting more (or working more and actually making some $$)we’ll see..still adjusting to life’s many wonderful changes;;

thanks for hanging around..

i just found this blog–Spearmint baby and it is simply wonderful… love it. And not just because they featured Henry’s nursery recently (thanks to the reader who gave me the heads up) but because they just have great ideas and post great ideas and wonderful eye candy..like this fab yellow nursery..i mean really..the ceilings!

and they are “live from New York” which makes for some great street shots and blogging ..so check it out..

thanks, Spearmint Baby!

well we survived. i am a mess of emotions. being only 6 weeks postpartum probably doesnt help. good friends and good coffee helped me through the afternoon. the most important thing is that the little man had a good day (after a shaky and tearful good bye)..i love his school and teachers so much..they were awesome..i was able to call the classroom and check on him and i was thrilled to see him leading the line to the playground when i went to for pick-up. he said “school sure was fun today”..really? well i am so glad.

and so it begins.. a lot of changes for our family, a new routine..for drew and for his mommy..i dont think i even realized how i would feel today or what a big deal this milestone really is for our family..

Dear Drew, you have no idea how much i love you and want you to love school and learning. mainly i want you to love life and feel confident in new situations. despite the tears today i hope this is the beginning of many wonderful new experiences for you…mommy loves you and i am so proud of you no matter what!

I hope you all had a great day and your little ones survived and will thrive this school year..all of this is so much more important than style and decorating..all of that is just a backdrop to the important stuff of life

WOW, this has been a crazy summer but so much fun thanks to great friends like these little guys (notice the little one with his sword tucked in his belt…so funny)

and our new addition (who is just doing great..such a sweet baby)

and now a new adventure begins with PreK for big brother EVERY DAY! so thanks for your patience as we make yet another adjustment in our lives as we get in to a school routine. BUT stay tuned, i also have several new cyber clients (and local projects) so i promise lots of new pictures (and ideas hopefully) coming down the pipeline in the next weeks!

More fall inspiration this monday morning..from the talented Debbie Dusenberry at Curious Sofa in Kansas City..i just love vintage globes..anwya,she is amazing..be sure and visit her site, blog and store if you are able.I was able to meet her at Round Top last year and she is such a neat person!
[image from curious sofa]

And of course a Heather Chadduck styled photo..this is the home with the framed chalkboard over the sideboard..little boy is named Henry;;; love it!

[image from cottage living]

And I leave you with my new wannabe BFF, Billy Reid..i just love his stores and style..i hope to do an entire post on him soon. This is a photo of his NYC store but I tell you, the one in Houston Galleria is great too! (notice the plates hung around the deer mount in this pic!)

[image from nymag.com]

Enjoy!

Some people get excited when they see hints of falls in nature..certain insects or flora and fauna, geese reports, etc..what gets my blood pumping??? when THIS catalog (among others) arrives in the mail.Oh how i love how the mags and catalogs style fall clothes and interiors..got this one today, not shabby PB, not shabby at all. I remember getting my September copy of Seventeen magazine when I was a teen and drooling over the plaid outfits in college settings..mixing plaids and ties and tights, layers layers layers..of course it was never cool enough for most of those looks for MONTHS here in Texas but it was fun to dream.. I guess i stil do it. Each season I get the Boden catalog and earmark and study it, try to replicate looks with polka dots sweaters and scarfs from Target but just never quite hit it..this year i am salivating over these things from Boden (actually the shoes have been on my radar for a longgg time)..
the plaid!

the print!

the color! and i just love the way Boden lines things with contrasting colors and fabrics..so fun!
and oh my this skirt..I WILL buy this skirt if i can get some baby weight off before you know, temps start getting hot AGAIN! love those boots too..
and when you have little people in your house it means you can dream even more..whether it is practical or not?? i know my big boy would be so cute in this (not to mention those baby pants at the top for Mr Henry!)..



I mean really, is that bowtie not so Southern Proper? of course in reality it is crocs and old john deere tshirts until oh say DECEMBER! (i mean we could wear seersucker but that would be tacky right after labor day right! ha, like crocs and jd tees arent..oh well!)

what inspires YOU and gets you excited about FALL????

[all women's wardrobe pics from www.bodenusa.com and all boy fashions from www.janieandjack.com except for the top image which is boden Baby... visit their sites at your own risk!]

Remember Hudson’s big boy room?? This is another online consultation I’ve been working on… Well talented mom (and his grandma helped too) have been sewing like crazy and pulling it all together…it looks so great I wanted to share an update! It is not completely finished, still waiting for artwork over the bed and a few little tweaks but all in all it is finished and so adorable for this HANDSOME and sweet little boy (oh I just love little boys so this room was a joy!)

First, the drapes (yes they made them!)..so cute! I love detail with the polka dot band (also on the bedskirt) and the red buttons!

The bed is so precious for a little boy with the dog fabric and plaid sheets (from Target) the polka dot and dog are from Premier Fabrics. And after considering various slipcovered headboards from Pottery Barn kids, Melia went with this brown one from, get this..WALMART.COM! i was shocked! But what a great value for a little guy who probably wont be in a twin bed long..
..she can give more details in the comments if you have any questions. Mom is also making a polka dot bolster to go against the headboard to cover the bottom workings and then it will be PERFECT..
and the cute dust ruffle which mom made and the blankets from TJ Maxx i think?!

Hudson’s mommy Melia has mad sewing skills–she makes precious children’s clothing..in fact, Mr Henry received some adorable things from her boutique i cant wait to use like precious burp cloths and several cute outfits including this elephant overall..love it!

and this too..so cute..and what a precious model Mr Hudson makes for mommy!

It was a pleasure to work with you Melia..you are so talented and have a beautiful family! Enjoy your new room Hudson!

Remember I blogged about these fab Aiden + Anais blankets here?? Well i ordered mine from baby Gap and also bought some in a boutique..well now they have them at TARGET..yep, same brand..same price too but different patterns..they have cute ones with pink too and they have baby sleep sacks which is great for my climate..the muslin/cheesecloth fabric is just perfect for a summer baby. and YES i was tempted to buy more but i resisted..apparently i have a baby blanket problem;;

Ok so we love Target BUT i have to ask, how does it make you feel when you spend $$$ on say Waverly fabric for custom bedding or sofa slipcovers and then see “bed in a bag” at Target in this same fabric a few months later?? (I know someone this happened to and she was NOT happy)it used to freak me out (like “oh, that’s at target now it must be less than) but now i get excited when i see the designers and cool products they snag for the masses..i noticed they even have little Paul Frank tees for boys now and darling rain coats too!

what have you seen at Target that impressed you designer wise?? Orla Keily, Thomas O’Brien, DWELL..i mean why go pay for copper pots at the Smith and Hawken store when you can get similar SMITH AND HAWKEN ones at Target..or shabby chic bedding (ok the fabrics are different..interesting though that her high end lines have gone bankrupt but she is still in Target) sign of the times huh?

Funny thing happened this week..i got two emails (and even a phone call) looking for a source on the houndstooth fabric on this Victorian chair from Fran Keenan’s home. Michelle, the blog reader who called, said she thought it was in a fall 2007 issue so i went to my stack! Sure enough, there in the November 2007 issue the sourcing says the fabric is “magazine street weave” by Diamond Baratta Design for Lee Joffa, available through Pacific Design Services 310/360-6418. So there you go, if you too are in love with little Ella’s room there is the source.. You might also find a budget version of this fab fabric here… Premier has large houndstooth prints in several colorways so check it out.. oh, and I also LOVE how they painted the walls in this little room!

[image from Cottage Living 2007]