My super stylish friend Windy sent me this image…we love it and have dissected and discussed..so fun! It is from talented designer Amie Corley.

We are excited because we hear she will have a blog soon. Amie is based out of St. Louis, MO..talk about Midwest Modern!  She is so talented and got her start via a contest at Elle Decor. Click here to see what Jonathan Adler has to say about her happy style!

So what do you think..does this room appear to be for a boy or girl???  Notice the chair is different in the various pictures..it is hard to find the perfect chair–I think these both look great. Windy tracked down the drapes at Anthropologie. We love the giraffe lamp. And of course the tree! and the monogrammed shams.

Be sure and watch for Amie Corley!

I love the happy colors and mix of pattern Robyn used on the banner. And y’all, their kitchen is SOO unique, what a backdrop!..notice the ceiling, the hanging windows, the door trim!..And of course the adorable family! Robyn sews in the cutest little basement and made all of this, even the cute baby shoes and hair flower! Good job mama!

Next, This amazing baby shower from the Cookie Mondays blog. This party is gender neutral..I love the yellow and the kraft paper accents..Oh how i love kraft paper!

..so much inspiration here..love the black ink on the coke crate AND the “naked” lampshades (Hey Missy didnt we sell a bunch of those for nothing?!)

Next, I just discovered the Jack & Izzy blog..she has a a darlin “Party in the Park” theme that is inspiring …love the circle banner..it’s all so clean and modern.

…but what really blew me away on her blog is THIS party by Suann Song where the little boy dressed up like IKE..as in EISENHOWER/campaign theme..hilarious…

and the favors…

PERSONALIZED STAMPS for each child..wow! This is unique..he is so cute! I LIKE IKE! (I couldn’t resist);;

And last but not least, this mama ALWAYS inspires…and reminds us what it is all about..not the stuff..not the banners and stickers but the PEOPLE!

I love the way she writes about her children.  Her post made me slow down and enjoy this week and my boys a bit more!…thanks Lisa! and thanks to all of the mamas + blog that inspire us…not to exhaust ourselves and feel inadequate..not the point but rather to enjoy a new idea and celebrate life! So take a fun idea but leave the stress behind..that is my theme this week…and if it doesn’t all get done, we’ll call it “editing”… well edited design is so chic!

[Pray it doesn't rain for Henry's shindig!..if it does, i will send pictures from our garage!]

I’ve been working on several nursery projects lately and while shopping I’ve come across some yummy eye candy. Like the SOFT knit dolls above from blabla..they are so fun! And this crib, from Layla Grace.  I LOVE Jenny Lind cribs but I have to admit I like this too.

Or this fabric by Jennifer Paganelli at Sew Mama Sew!  Not your traditional nursery fabric but I love this print and think it would look great on drapes or a crib bumper.

Oh and this slide by IKEA…so cute.

What is your favorite item right now to use when decorating for kids?

Yes, I immediately ripped into the box and then took their picture!

Thank you so much Emily, you totally captured my boys. 

{Henry Brooks, age 9 months}

{Andrew Payne, age 5}

I have a silhouette of Drew at age 3 from Karl Johnson and planned on getting one of Henry at the same age but I am thrilled to have these capturing my boys at this stage!  And the size is so cute..12″ square.  Oh and the background. . . french book pages! Of course I love  anything with old book pages..so add in my kids and silhouettes..its a lovefest for sure! And made by the hands of another mama no less. Very special. I found the perfect spot for them in our master bedroom. . . I’d never had anything in this spot before but they fit and look great in this little space.

Introducing the black from the silhouettes is making me love the black armoire in my master bedroom even more…it is directly across from the bed and I was ready to paint it grey after recently painting the marcia brady dresser blue.  BUT adding the silhouettes has made me like the black paint again..also I changed out the items on top..I had old suitcases up top and I love vintage suitcases but this arrangement is slowly taking shape. 

I think I want to collect more loving cups and loving the brownie camera, would like to add another 2 or 3 of those  although maybe not all in this one area..its getting crazy. But I am sort of loving it too!

Thanks again Emily for the lovely silhouettes of my boys..Y’all be sure and check out the Jones Design blog..her kitchen is so cute and you won’t believe what she is doing in her new home office..you do NOT want to miss!

Hi everyone! Grace here, doing my first guest post ever. I am thrilled to be here:)  Thank you Holly so much for the fun opportunity!

Today I’ll be sharing with y’all how I came up with the design for my son’s big boy room.  I am happy to say that this room was done on a shoe string budget.  I knew I wanted to keep the room classic, coastal, and fun.  The main focal point of the room is obviously the wall ledges. We did this to save space, and knew that the front covers of the books would be so much fun to display.  The rest of the room was what I call “decorate as you go, and hope it looks good.”

Here is the breakdown….

The Vintage maps I found on Etsy for I believe $10.00. The Virginia map is over 100 years old. Total score.

The check fabric on Harper’s headboard was also from a vendor on Etsy. I simply stapled it, along with some batting over his existing headboard. Easy peasy, took 30 minutes. The bedding is all stuff we had in our linen closet. 

The blue bench is from Wisteria and was on sale for $85. The ledges are from Ikea, and were $15 each.  My husband cut them down to size for a more built in look.  Again, this project took less than an hour. (side note: hubby is a genius in math, measuring, hanging, etc and can do it in his sleep). The art you see on the very top ledges were made by yours truly. The bamboo shade is from Overstock and was $40.

The white dresser was a Craigslist find for $60. It was already painted white, and had the same knobs, so I just left it as is. The lamp base was a gift from Pottery Barn Kids. The monogrammed shade I purchased from the Pink Giraffe for $29, which includes the monogram price.The oar was a baby shower gift along with the adirondack chair,  so zero buckaroos for those  ticket items.

The wood frames with mats were $3.00 each at the thrift store. And yes, the mats were included in that price. The surfboard hooks are from the Pottery Barn Outlet from years ago. I think they were $7 each.

See what I mean..shoe string budget all the way!

Hope y’all enjoyed the post!

Grace Sorenson

We’ll start with Christmas Eve.

awww,  baby’s first Christmas..five months and a whopping 17 lbs!  I have big boys!

Brothers…5 months and 5 years!  I can’t believe I have TWO boys, this time last year I was still in shock that I was finally pregnant again and now look what is sitting under my Christmas tree!  Life is good–not perfect but sure special with these two around.

I hope you have a great week!

Hard to be too stressed about anything when you have a little boy talking with a lisp because of his missing  tooth!

But just in case someone out there is feeling the pressure..remember I mentioned the article on Perspective?…well click here if you need to walk away from the stress for a bit….and thanks for sharing your thoughts Suzanne.  Seriously yall, I know you are busy but this is worth the time to read..please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Stocking update coming soon along with other mediocre decorations!

and, i have been a fan for what seems like a long time..how many years she has been in business i dont know but i would say i have wanted a little piece of her work for nearly that long… so you get the picture..i like her, i like her stuff.

well i finally got my necklace. today. in the mail.

and yall, i nearly cried. dont laugh, i am serious. now granted i still have some serious hormones raging on (Henry Brooks will be 3 months on monday, i cant use that excuse much longer;;;) but getting this necklace means the world to me. Why??? because it means i not only have ONE BABY but i now have TWO. TWO BOYS. My cup runneth over yall. I know you all love your children but there was a time when i thought i might never have one baby, much less TWO. During the lowest valley of infertilty i dreamed of days like this when i could really be comfortable in the place of motherhood..part of the club. today i have the necklace, i am part of the club. silly, maybe so. i’m okay with that.

why am i sharing something so personal. because i want you to do know i sort of believed some lies when i was experiencing infertilty. that i wasnt a “woman enough” if i was never able to bear a child. that something was wrong with me. yada yada..lies lies. and then after i had one wonderful baby boy, i still felt not enough. why? what if i couldnt have another maybe, i needed more to be enough right?…i couldnt order the necklace yet. how stupid would it look with ONE name on it..i needed at least two names. stinkin thinking one of my friends would say. and she is right. stinking thinking. because if whether you have one baby, two babies or ZERO you are still a child of God, his precious creation and you ARE ENOUGH. right now.

okay, enough with the gushy..lets get practical.
she has so many choices, they dont have to be engraved with children’s names..you could do a phrase, your initial, etc..i would love to have pieces made for Drew’s teachers with the school name..in fact, if i was Oprah, you would all be going home with one today. And her classic disc is awesome..it is BIG and at first i wasnt sure about that but i love it after wearing it a bit…it feels light. it is very humid and hot in Texas today and it feels so light. my friends know i like to accessorize but with a baby and our climate, not always practical. this necklace is perfect.

She also sent this and it is LOVELY..love it too.. and the earrings.oh the earrings…so pretty.

SO thanks Lisa Leonard, your package today reminded me about being grateful and content..life is sweet..not always easy but such an awesome journey.

“Oh God, You turned my wailing into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30: 11-12

lovin the “she” letters..and i always love girl rooms/ideas that arent pepto pink and glitter..

oh i love these putty grey walls, i actually would like to know all of these paint colors..arent they great?…..and this sign..oh the vintage sign..and painted bed..love painted beds for kids…just find one at a garage sale or thrift shop with good lines and then start painting!

love the metal rack and wheel..wheels are really popular right now..so vintagey and graphic..i have a client that actually bought a wheel/gear wall at Round Top last year..how cool is that..cant wait to have it mounted on the wall in her game room..

[all images from country living]