Notice anything new? Mmm-hmmm, you’re lookin at a brand spankin new design theme for velvet toolbox. I have been meaning to do a more elaborate redesign for a while now, but this quick switch up is gonna have to do for now.
I picked a design that was simple, clean and fun. I also find that this theme provides much larger real estate for the photos, which – let’s face it – is what most people focus on.
I hope you like it!
So yesterday, Adam and I ran laps…through all the rooms of our main floor. Barefoot. Why? Because we can, that’s why. And well, also because we finished installing hardwood floors throughout. We also finished priming the walls, painting the ceilings and installing potlights throughout (dining room chandelier will come much later, once we can afford it!)
The living and dining rooms feel larger, brighter and warmer now. Sadly, I think they will stay pretty empty for the next little while. Being on maternity leave, our decoration fund is ummm…non existent. Well, at least I can start planning the design and do all of the research!
The good news is, we have 6 extra boxes of hardwood flooring. We plan to keep 2 of the boxes for an upcoming project: gutting our wood fireplace (a major eyesore and not to code) and patching the walls/floors in the family room. The remaining 4 boxes are going right back to the store, and we’re hoping to use the credit to buy baseboards for the living and dining rooms AND decorative trim for the dining room ceiling, front entrance, stairway and upstairs hallway. Yup, that’s right, I’ve got big plans to pimp up the trim in this hizzouse!
Happy Monday! Hope you all had a lovely Mother’s Day weekend 
Less than 2 weeks to go before our lives change drastically and we’re now in the home stretch with the major home renovations. Our living and dining rooms are starting to take shape; the drywall is up, plastered and sanded, and we started priming the walls and installing floors over the weekend.
A few weeks back, we also painted the stairway and upstairs hallway. It’s really unbelievable what a coat of paint will do to brighten up a space. All that’s missing now is furniture, colorful artwork, a chandelier and some curtains.
Our goal is to finish the living room floors before the baby arrives. Anything else after that (moldings, paint, installing lights) will be a plus. Wish us luck, people !!
After nearly nine months, lil’ peanut is set to arrive any day now. As luck would have it, a brand spankin’ new room is ready and waiting for her.
This is what the room looked like before we moved in to the house:
And what it looks like now:
I can’t stop smiling each time I walk past the room. Smiling because I love the end result but also because I know how close I am to meeting my little daughter.
Sources
Here’s another decorating-on-a-budget project that can easily be done in a day (if you can sew).
I am by no means an expert in sewing. Actually, I’ve only sewn a few pillows in my lifetime (in a very amateur-like fashion) but I’ve recently decided that my goal during mat leave will be to improve my sewing skills and make this my new-mommy hobby.
All of the furniture we purchased for the nursery has a neutral color, so I thought it time to add some pops of color to the room with a pair of curtains.
To start, I bought several yards of pom pom trim in perfectly peach from an Etsy shop called Tin Tiara Trims. I first ordered the baby pompom size, but upon receiving it realized just how small ‘baby’ is (should have known better). I was concerned that the trim would not be visible on the curtains, so I ordered the next size up:
Much better.
Next, I found really pretty turquoise curtains at IKEA in cotton velvet:
The combination of turquoise and peach isn’t for everyone, but I thought it would add just the right amount of whimsy to the nursery. Call me crazy, but I feel like eating candy when I see the two together.
After pinning the trim to the underside of the curtain, I took a deep breath and started sewing. It took some time for me to get the hang of it (i.e. my stitch was all zigzags for the first curtain panel), but I survived and so did the curtain.
And voila, curtains were done and mounted onto a gold curtain rod (more pics coming in the next diy post, where I add vinyl decals to a roller blind):
Another project down. Yeeehawww!
Recently, I asked you all to vote on your favorite color for the nursery dresser. I received so much feedback on Facebook and the blog (thank you!!) but alas there was no clear consensus as you were all pretty much divided across all the options. Naturally, this left me more confused than ever.
I decided to do a bit more research online, and came across many many DIY bloggers raving about Annie Sloan chalk paints. What I learned was that a) chalk paint is thicker than regular paint and adheres to furniture without requiring sanding or priming b) it’s easy to apply and dries fast c) it can be sealed with a clear wax to protect the furniture from nicks and prevent the paint from chipping. I read some more and saw that a lot of people have been creating their own chalk paint mixtures using paint, unsanded grout and a bit of water.
I was sold on the idea (technically, they had me at ‘no sanding and no priming’).
Seeing as how the Annie Sloan paints were a bit pricey and that I wanted flexibility in the choice of color. I first decided to try the do it yourself version.
For those interested, I followed this recipe from Momtastic.
I first removed all the drawers:
That’s about all the prep I had to do, lol. Next up, I prepared the mixture using a light taupe paint color that I got from Benjamin Moore (sidebar: I wonder if they have a loyalty program… I practically live there) and painted away.
The chalk paint mixture went on VERY easily and left a very even finish (no streaks or brush strokes). But…unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with the color. On its own, it was nice, but it was way too light against the soft peach wall color. I needed something with more of a contrast.
So….I ended up switching gears and splurged on a can of Annie Sloan paint. Not because the DIY chalk paint didn’t work well, but because I found a color that I thought would be perfect for the nursery: Choco. It’s neutral, taupe-ish, and dark enough to contrast the walls but complement the vintage brass handles.
Take 2. This time, the color turned out wonderfully. Again, the paint went on very easily and dried so fast that I was able to start painting the second coat within 20 minutes of letting the first dry.
Once the paint was dry, Adam applied two coats of the clear wax (not safe for preggos!) and buffed it after each coat. FYI – we followed this useful video tutorial from the Simply Reinvented blog. Seeing as how we’re novices, we found this step a bit more difficult than it looked. We made sure not to put too much wax, as the tutorial suggests, but we noticed that the wax looked a bit blotchy in areas. No matter how much we buffed, it didn’t seem to improve. So we decided to just leave it as-is and consider it part of the dresser’s “character”.
As a last step, we installed the brass handles, which was a nightmare of its own because of course I bought handles that had to be inset into the wood – fun times for Adam and his routing tool. Not really.
Finalement, we have le dresser.
A final look at the before:
And after:
Lil peanut is set to arrive in another 7 weeks or so, and our amazing friends have been showering us with beautiful gifts.
As you know, I’m partial to anything DIY, so you could imagine my excitement when my sister in law threw me a surprise baby shower with a DIY activity as the main event. We were given wood blocks, colorful patterned paper, modge podge and paint – and we went to town, each creating a block with our own signature style.
Aren’t they adorable? Each one is so unique and special, and I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting activity for a baby shower. Thank you Tisha, Julie, Julie 2, Mom, Val, Ashley, Tiff, Steph, Lilly, Glenna, and Noa for each adding your personal touch to the nursery!
But the DIY gifts haven’t stopped there. This week, I received 2 more – I was absolutely floored by the level of talent demonstrated in each. My friends have mad skills, yo.
First, a handmade quilt made by my close friend, Yolande:
Yolande never fails to amaze me with her skill, design sense, and attention to detail.
This little embroidered message brought such a smile to our faces:
The underside of the quilt is equally playful:
And last but not least, an oh-so-soft and cuddly blanket made by my crochet-queen friend, Dima:
Thank you ALL for the love and effort. I bet you lil Peanut is dancing inside my belly right now, excited to meet you all and drool (literally and figuratively) over each of your gifts.
