And, it's a...

GIRL!

It only took 97397493 shots to take this, but my two rebels are going to be First Class Gentlemen by the time their baby sister arrives in late August (early September if you ask me)! We are absolutely overjoyed and in shock at how quickly this pregnancy is moving along. Here's to hoping we keep her alive, happy, healthy and don't ruin her life when she's 16.

Nursery Plans

YES! We are welcoming a sweet addition to our family, due August, 2016! Of course, my type A personality has been in full force planning the nursery (and staying within a budget).

I have to admit, with both our families out of town, I am grateful we moved when we did and have more space to house all the family when Baby W arrives! Having a "nursery nook" off the master will be very convenient, as well.

With planning the nursery, I really wanted all the investment pieces to remain neutral should we have both a boy and a girl, and if that ends up being the case, changing out smaller items like bedding and pillows.

Get ready for online shopping overload:

Crib:

After poring through online stores, this was definitely the most affordable, attractive-looking, and several of my friends swear by it. I do not plan on using the wheels. They look like part of  an office chair.

Mobile:

This was the first item I ordered for the nursery, and I was pleasantly surprised by the price point from Restoration Hardware. These exact mobiles were twice as much on Etsy and shipped from overseas. I love that the mobile is gender-neutral, simple, and has sweet bunnies for a boy or girl in the future.

Changing Table:

This piece from Restoration Hardware was definitely more than I had planned to spend, but the sad truth is, everything else on the market seemed like plastic, cheap, wobbly furniture.  Since I was SO good with the other items, I took the plunge. I was torn between the heirloom white and warm grey, but ended up going with white. It was actually less expensive and will be a classic addition for years to come. I even think using this on the patio for outdoor entertaining in the future will be useful.

Mirror:

I absolutely adore a French Louis Phillipe-style mirror, but some of these are costly. Tried and true Ballard Designs came through for me at a fraction of the cost.

Glider:

I had originally planned to purchase a less expensive glider, but I decided having  micro fiber material may not be comfortable in the dead of summer. We chose to bite the bullet on this Pottery Barn, 100% cotton glider. I know it's on the top end price-point wise, but even K agreed to pay a bit more for quality materials. 

Foot stool:

This beautiful foot stool was my inspiration from RH. I was able to re-create the look by finding a similar french footstool at a local antique store and plan on having it recovered for a fraction of the price. Stay tuned for the before and after.

Bassinet:

This was another long-awaited find. Bassinets can run up to thousands of dollars and you'll only get a few years' use out of them until you pass them down to your kids. As with all the major items in the nursery, I wanted the ability to re-purpose this, and the ivory seemed suitable for a boy or girl.

Chippendale Whatnot Shelf:

These small Chippendale shelves can run you some big bucks but I scored a great deal off Etsy and knew I had to move quickly for its price point. I can't wait to place little trinkets and cups on the shelves.

Chandeliers:

I like this chandelier for a boy or girl because it's not as frilly. My husband refuses to have chandeliers but I will ask for forgiveness later.

If we end up with a little girl, I think these are really cute and I like them for even later on when the room reverts back to an extra closet/dressing room.

Giraffe Rocker:

This was the second item I bought for the nursery from My Habit. I love that throws in some color to the white and neutral palette of the room.

Storage Baskets:

Animal Prints:

Aren't these animal prints precious? Plan is to frame them each in gold frames at the flea market and hang above the crib.

I originally saw these ticking baskets on Wayfair and then Joss and Main (owned by Wayfair) ran an incredible sale on them with free shipping, as well! I originally was going to wait to get them in blue or pink, but I find the yellow different and more versatile. If we plan to use them elsewhere in the house, they are neutral enough and don't scream a baby's nursery.

High Chair:

One of my favorite clothing stores also has a home line, and I fell in LOVE with this high chair from Zara!

I still need to find a rug (probably from Eatmans) and change out the heinous drapes that are in there now.

Sources
Crib:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002T1HH1I?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Mobile:
https://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod482172&categoryId=rhbc_cat377281
Mirror:
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/louis-mirror-wall/292563
Glider:
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/pb-kids-comfort-small-round-arm-glider/?cm_src=B%3Aproductsearch&lineid=1&catalogId=9
Footstool Inspiration:
https://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod395412&categoryId=search
Bassinet:
http://www.ababy.com/itempage.asp?CategoryID=&mirid=&itemno=18870
Whatnot shelf: Vintage from Etsy
Chandieliers: 
http://www.houzz.com/photos/38790051/Crown-Jewel-Chandelier-farmhouse-chandeliers
http://www.myhabit.com/#page=d&dept=home&asin=B012ELDDTM&cAsin=B012ELDDTM&qid=aps-12HSV2BM55HHFAJ96F89-1453749889806&sindex=468&discovery=search&ref=qd_home_sr_10_36
Rocker:
http://www.myhabit.com/#page=d&asin=B000UE16DQ&cAsin=B000UE16DQ&qid=aps-0JWWHZXD14K2H63FM7E0-1451834453399&sindex=0&discovery=search&ref=qd_sr_1_0
Animal Prints: 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/232640419/animal-nursery-art-baby-animal-nursery?ref=related-3
Baskets:
http://www.wayfair.com/Colonial-Mills-Solid-Ticking-Storage-Basket-CV13100-CV13100.html
Highchair:
http://www.zarahome.com/gb/en/decoration/furniture-%26-lamps/convertible-high-chair-c1294067p6910581-zhkidsgb.html

Zara Bedding

Literally, my favorite home trend and European fashion chain have collided.

Feast your eyes on these puppies, courtesy of Zara Home. If only I had seen these before sending Santa my list. 

Merry and Bright

Though we will be out of town for Christmas, I love getting into the spirit of the holiday and celebrating the season.

With a new house to decorate this year, I wanted to feel like we were somewhat "home" for Christmas even if we wouldn't be there the day of.

I love  using fresh greenery this time of year, especially with its heavenly scent that fills the house.

We hosted four couples for a dinner party Saturday and it was so fun working on the tablescape.

I can't tell you how nice it is to use your full leaves all year round in your dining room and not have to store them.

A little dark, but a gold pine cone wreath I purchased after the holidays last year from Home Goods. Our nutcrackers are collected from Germany and given to us by my in-laws.

Fresh greenery is gorgeous and delicious-smelling, but an absolute pain to keep still.

One of my favorite things about our new house is having a banister.Sadly, my domestic skills are limited to bow-making, but my sweet husband was determined to YouTube these things and I have to say, they came out beautiful. 

Our mantle needs some tweaking but it's getting there.

Blurry, but a peaceful and serene morning with my cup of coffee by the tree.

Our poor neighbor Mary Lou got stuck taking our Christmas card photo and Carter did not want his photo taken. Thank God we got a halfway decent one out of the 9495947 we took!

Weekend Finds

We were lucky to have a very low key weekend at home, with a visit to a neighbor's tag sale, consignment shop, and some good ol' fashioned silver cleaning.

One of my favorite things to do is visit tag sales and consignment shops. It makes your home feel warmer, more collected, and part of history. To me, outfitting an entire home in Pottery Barn feels highly manufactured and ordinary. You want the "you-ness" to come out in your home, not the "catalog" feel. I also love the idea of passing these treasures along to my kids, and to their kids. Decorator Alessandra Branca partnered with One Kings Lane to share her holiday style, and she talks about how important it is that your taste be a reflection of your own nostalgia. Khaner and I collect Christmas ornaments and trinkets from all our travels around the world, and I love we share in that collection and memory. When they all come out of their boxes and tissue for the holidays, we can remember where we were, what we did, and how much fun we had. These are the "things" that distinguish your home from being just a house.

My sweet husband woke up early with me and walked down the street to our neighbor's tag sale. He learned very quickly the Early Bird gets the worm as I hastily scooped up beautiful silver Revere and compote bowls. I love collecting silver bowls and trays for entertaining. To me, they are more "collected" and meaningful than registering for a matching set from a department store.

Scooping up these bowls made me realize my own bowls and Mint Julep cups were in dire need of some polishing.

I can't recommend Weiman silver polish and stainless steel cleaner enough. You can see the before and after cups here. It only takes a few seconds and some elbow grease to get these babies back to their shining pewter glory.

It has made me wonder why I didn't bother to clean these sooner.

I have to admit, they sure do spruce up the built ins. 

I hemmed and hawed about this beautiful nativity set I found while shopping in York, England this summer with my Mom. I almost walked away from it and my mom convinced me I would  have them for decades and love them forever. I am so glad I took her advice. The shop owner meticulously wrapped each figurine and they arrived unscathed in my carry on through Heathrow.

I had cabin fever during the NC State game and decided to check out Theives Market, a consignment store my friend Natalie had told me about. For those in Raleigh, totally worth venturing out there. They have a similar setup to Cheshire Cat and Antiques Emporium in Cameron Village - different vendors with booths. I scored this gorgeous and HEAVY silver tray for pennies on the dollar.

Khaner was furious with me for purchasing this brass Ginger jar lamp. I won't repeat what he called it, but let's just say he instantly asked about the return policy. I admit, the lamp shade is terrible and I did replace it yesterday (more to come).  I like it gives off soft lighting and I think the etchings in it are unique and beautiful.

What are some trinkets you collect in your family?

Family Room Built In's

Ever since we moved, I really have not been feeling our family room. Everything we need to do in there feels so overwhelming. We need a huge area rug (the room is 18x24 ft). We need the wallpaper removed and the walls painted ($$$). We need new sofas ($$$). I decided to take off bite-sized chunks of reno tasks, and the easiest and cheapest with the quickest gratification was the built ins.

Let me show you what the builts in looked like before I got my hands on them last night while K was on a business trip:

Sad state. The room is large but so dark. I plan to remove that dark blue wallpaper and paint the walls white, especially with the built ins, trim and molding being french gray. Don't mind my assistant. 

Such a mess..

I decided at least having decent books would help the sad, neglected college-like built ins. I ended up at Reader's Corner on Hillsborough Street. The owners thought I had lost my mind. The entire front of their store are all 0.25 and 0.10 books! I went hog wild, obviously.

I raced home from work and took advantage of the time I had before Khaner would be negotiating all his high school and college memorabilia sustain their home on the shelves. Since when is a fraternity PADDLE appropriate for a young couple's home? Never.

Ta da! Sadly, the 130 books purchased have still left about 6 shelves empty.

Much better. We need a few more photos for the shelves.

 Don't mind my tarnished Revere bowls and Champion cups - they all need some good polishing.

Ladies Lounge

On a very gloomy dark and rainy Monday, something to brighten your day:

Gorgeous hot pink roses from Trader Joe's has made the ladies lounge extra peaceful as well as cheery. I have loved sitting in there with coffee during the mornings and a glass of red after a long work day.