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Crafty Birth Announcements :: DIY

June 12, 2011 8 Comments

Even before Emma was born, I started designing her birth announcements already. Yeah, I’m THAT person. (Would now be a good time to tell you that I’m already gathering ideas for Emma’s first birthday party?)

Here’s what we sent out to friends and family to share our excitement about Emma’s arrival:

Emma's crafty birth announcements.

Here’s what I did:

  1. I designed a sash with the birth information and printed it on light weight vellum paper.
  2. I picked a cheeky photo of Emma from our recent family photo shoot and ordered 50 prints on Snapfish.
  3. Of course, the color palette for Emma’s nursery had to be represented. All materials and paper found at Paper Source.
  4. I glued the photo to the cards, cut the sash, wrapped it around the card, closed it in the back with scotch tape and repeated that process 49 times. (With a newborn on my hands, it took me forever to complete this project.)
  5. I was surprised that I figured out how to set up the file (in Word) to print the addresses directly onto each envelope.
  6. I used the Word templates provided by Paper Source to design the address labels and used them to close each envelope.
  7. Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

And here are the products I used:

Can’t wait to design the invitations for her first birthday party!

 

Filed Under: Baby, DIY + Crafts, Orange :: Turquoise :: Yellow Tagged With: , ,

The Kinderzimmer Is Done :: Nursery Decor

December 15, 2010 15 Comments

I’ve shared the inspiration board for Käfer’s nursery decor a long, long time ago and I’m thrilled to announce that our project has been completed two weeks before the arrival of our little baby girl. Can’t wait to hear what you think…

Our canvas - a plain and empty room.

Despite the pesky task of having to paint Käfer's room, Daddy was excited to get his daughter's nursery done.

When I looked for paint for the walls, I wanted to make sure to buy VOC free paint only. You know, no chemicals, no toxic fumes, none of that. I was excited to find this color at The Land Of Nod and after requesting a color swatch, I thought it matched my color palette perfectly. Well, unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be what I expected. Too bad I only realized that AFTER my dear husband and our wonderful friend Yuko had painted the walls. Yes, there is ‘pain’ in painting.

Original paint color on the right, first attempt to fix it in the middle, final color on the left.

With the help of a well-known home improvement store and its knowledgeable staff in the paint section, we managed to mix and fix the color (see photo above). And Paul and Yuko went back to the drawing, um, painting board and…painted again.

Our fearless friend Yuko.

After all, it turned out to be…yes, perfect. (We probably should have named our baby girl Yuko in honor of our dear friend who kept up with this.)

On to furnishing the room…I have a love/hate relationship with Craigslist. This time, I found exactly what I was looking for and the seller was absolutely easy to work with. I even managed to haggle a bit and got the dresser for only $60. (Mind you, it’s real, solid wood and none of that IKEA stuff.) My budget was $50 but I expected to find a piece of furniture that I’d have to sand, paint and purchase new hardware for. So with this dresser being in perfect condition and painted in the right color, I was ok to pay a bit more.

Found it!

I lined the drawers with cute polka dot paper from Paper Source.

Daddy at work.

And...we're done!

Looks cozy and fun, doesn't it?

Can't wait to play with our baby girl.

Every piece of wall art has a special meaning.

Plenty of diaper changes are awaiting this lovely dresser.

I found the 'California' hook by OldNewAgain on Etsy. Love that it came in turquoise!

I love these cute suitcases from The Land Of Nod. They come in a set of three and are surprisingly affordable.

The diaper changing station.

I used an expandable curtain rod to hang Käfer's tiny cardigans and jackets. The turquoise canvas bins hold bathing supplies, the beige one holds our girl's shoes.

I’m trying to remain humble but I’m not gonna lie: I’m loving Käfer’s room and cannot wait for her to enjoy it!

Sources (as far as I can remember): crib – Walmart; mobile – Babies R Us; metal bin for toys – Target; storage ottoman – Target; arm chair – IKEA; pillow – Cost Plus; curtains – IKEA; frames for art work – IKEA, Target; crib mattress – Target; crib sheet – Diapers.com; dresser – Craigslist; canvas bins – Target; T.J. Maxx; curtain rod – Bed, Bath & Beyond; suitcases – Land Of Nod; wall sign – Ross.

Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged With: , , , ,

Project Nursery :: Nursery Decor

August 1, 2010 3 Comments

With only 19 weeks into my pregnancy (let me translate: almost 5 months) and the pile of cash we had to spend on our move, we’re not even close to getting officially started with Project Nursery.

Nonetheless, I cannot tackle any design project without an inspiration board. Inspired by my love for California and all things beach, I created a cheerful yet soothing color palette. (Update: The final decor turned out a bit brighter and bolder than the initial color palette from the inspiration board.)

Burnt Orange (the sun) + Sky (the ocean) + Pebble (well, pebbles) + Cream (sand) = California Beach

The most important piece of furniture in Käfer’s room will certainly be her crib. Paul once said it’s certainly smart to do your research before making a major purchase decision but it’s even smarter to track down existing research so you won’t have to waste time doing it yourself. So I turned to my bible for all things DYI and affordable home (interior) design – the YoungHouseLove blog.

With a baby on their way as well, my favorite home-improvement-on-a-budget experts had of course done their homework and thus made it easy for me to add the perfect crib to our wish list.

The comfy IKEA POANG for some relaxed Mommy time is a MUST for me as well as a nicely sized dresser to store all her cute, little baby clothes. But that’s where Craigslist comes in…and my passion for stripping, sanding and painting furniture.

Stay tuned for the post about the completed nursery project. There will be a lot more to read about decorating our little girl’s room…

And in the meantime, feel free to browser our baby registry.

Sources: Curtains – Cost Plus, table lamp – Land Of Nod, cuckoo wall clock – Urban Outfitters, lounge chair – IKEA, pillow – Pier 1 Imports, poster – Etsy, cozie blanket toy – Amazon, striped rug – IKEA, countertop drying rack – Amazon, storage shelf – cb2, starfish pillow – Seaside Inspired, California wall hook – Etsy, metal hook – Urban Outfitters, knobs – Anthropologie, onesie – diapers.com, crib – Walmart.com, dresser – IKEA.

Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged With: , , ,

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