Mid-day Nursery Splurge

Just a quick Etsy share in the middle of the work day. No biggie, right?

I've been looking for something like this for a long time.. saw lots of beautiful work on Etsy, but nothing that really made the heart flutter, until I happened upon this a few days ago.

It's fresh and feminine and kind of italian paperie-ish with just enough whimsy. One very pleasant email requesting a custom color palette was exchanged, name and initials confirmed, and hopefully in the next two weeks these little lovelies will be hanging above a crib.

LittleLion Studio on Etsy. So far, so good.

Maxi, Stockholm-style

I have a thing about Kohl's. Mainly, that I hate it. I know it's popular among the bargain hunter set and as a self-proclaimed finder of the deal I should embrace its perpetually disheveled racks and celebrity monikered lines, but oh mah gad... that store kills me. Nothing ever really fits me, the fact that there's always 30/40/50% off everything makes me feel like I'm never actually getting a deal, and the cult following behind Kohl's cash is just a little too purple kool aid for my tastes. But sometimes I get a bag of well meaning purchases from my mama and maaaybe some of it turns in to a merchandise credit... sometimes.

So tonight I decided to face my nemesis in search of a new duvet cover and maybe a set of sheets for our bed. In search of serenity, I was.

Well, this is where the story gets humbling friends. There's no clever way around it really... I got past the "what parent allows their daughter to wear that?!" junior's department, the Lexus crossover driver populated Dana Buchman section, and even the mish-mash of jewelry, Simply Vera bags, and Jennifer Lopez fragrances... I could see the wall of linens ahead, but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted this...

Maxi dress, clean lines with a subtle suggestion of chevron, flattering racerback neckline, and if I dared to dream, it was a non-maternity dress that might just fit over my very third trimester maternity belly. There was a fleeting moment of doubt, some nervous lip tugging, and then I grabbed it in all four available sizes and headed for the fitting room.

This is what happened...

Yes, I tried it on with sunglasses. I was wearing zero eye makeup and I don't trust my un-enhanced reflection in dressing room lighting. 

Yes, I'm also making a Rachel Zoe face. I admit it! I make celebrity stylist duck face when I try on clothes. I'm ashamed, alright?!

But back to happy times.. this dress is a dream. It drapes beautifully, doesn't hug anything it shouldn't, has a sexy neckline and "shoulder silhouette" yet still works with a big girl bra, and comes up high enough under the arms to keep the "hey baby!" side boob under wraps.

And... I'm wearing a small. A SMALL! This from the girl who was a solid 6 pre-pregnancy and whose hips and thighs have plumped up to a healthy 8 post.

There I am folks. Just another deprogrammed Goldie Hawn to a scheming Kurt Russell, dressing up in another woman's clothes, giving myself over to my captor.

Best 40% off I ever spent... just please don't tell my mom.

Baby things

There is really nothing so enjoyable to me right now as spending quiet evening hours scouring Etsy for nursery finds or taking all of Saturday afternoon to stroll through the abundance of antiques and vintage in Old Ellicott City... a mirrored vanity tray here, a milk glass hobnail lamp there...

Baby girl's room is going to be a thing of curated, vintage and vintage-inspired beauty, I'm not even the least bit hesitant to say. It started with the somewhat exhaustive search for a classic crib that was feminine but not too girly, from a time gone by, but still modern... and then I had to find the perfect vintage-inspired fabric to have a crib skirt and blanket made.. which of course prompted the 20-sample search for the exact right shade of cream for the walls (not too yellow, not too peach, enough of a tint to not be white...).. and then came the dresser (a gorgeous painted piece I found on one of those Saturdays for a steal).. which made me think I could paint my old reclaimed bookshelf a light misty aqua to match the flowers in the fabric... which gave way to the possibilities of a coordinating pale lime for the rocker.. and you get the idea... if you give a first time mom a cookie, she's going to ask for a glass of milk...

Every effort and energy, creative thought and DIY I've always wanted to do or try, but never made time for in my own pre-maternal living spaces are now bubbling to the surface, and remarkably the motivation to do them all is in bountiful supply... I suppose this is what they call the nesting...

So here's my first attempt at a mood board, just a few things either currently taking up residence in or providing the inspiration for butterbean's boudoir... and yes, it very much looks like a first attempt, so be kind :)

Nursery by anawfulsweetness on polyvore.com