Emma's Sweet Pink and Grey Nursery

I am so happy to finally be sharing pictures of Emma's nursery! This project was so much fun to do. When Grace was born, we were living in a small 1 + 1 condo in the city and her "nursery" was actually the den! That being said I still managed to put together a sweet little space for her in the 8 x 6 foot room and if I can find where I stored those photos, I will definitely post them.

Now that we are in a house, I had a lot more creative freedom given the additional space we have to work with. My mommy style, doesn't tend to stray very far away from my personal style - I like classic, clean, sophisticated looks, with a touch of trend. Graces nursery was cream and pink and I had made her crib bedding from a beautiful toile fabric I purchased in the garment district. This time around, I chose to go with grey and a soft blush pink as my theme colors, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out:

I really scoured the web and sites like Pinterest and Project Nursery for ideas and inspiration. One of my favorite things in the room is her framed "E" monogram. The silver E is made of wood, and I found it at Chapters-Indigo for just $15! I felt like it needed something to accentuate it and so I removed the glass from a black Ikea mirror and spray painted the frame with a high-gloss white paint to create the look below:

Crib - Babyrama (Ajax)

Bedding - Carousel Designs

"E" - Chapters-Indigo

Frame - Ikea

I had come across a lot of nursery designs that had opted for "pom poms" in lieu of a crib mobile - an idea that I really liked. So I was thrilled when I found these silver and white pompoms at Michael's with a damask print that was a nice complement to the crib bedding. I dressed up a standard Ikea dresser by switching out the knobs with these pretty glass ones from Zara Home, and added a changing pad and mirror to give it double duty as a change table:

Mirror - Homesense

Lamp - Homeoutfitters

Piggybank - Winners

Dresser - Ikea

Curtain Rod (Umbra) - Homesense

Curtains - Homesense

Now although we are now in a house, and this is an actual bedroom as opposed to a "den". this room is still on the smaller side. I had initially hoped to add a glider (something we had absolutely NO space for in Grace's nursery), but when I went to try a few out, I found that the gliding motion actually made me nauseous!! Fortunately Ikea makes a really comfortable sitting chair that looks very similar to the Pottery Barn glider I was coveting but is much more small space (and budget) friendly. I relocated this pretty, nail head trimmed ottoman that we had in our living room to create a perfect space for nursing, and reading and cuddling with baby Emma. The pillow is a leftover from Grace's nursery covered in that toile fabric I mentioned earlier. The plastic butterflies were from a home-made "diaper cake" given to us by a friend. I think they add just the right amount of whimsy:

"The Sweet Life" wall hanger - Pottery Barn Kids

Chair - Ikea

Pillow - DIY

Diaper Bag - Marc Jacobs

Ottoman - Homesense

Rug - Walmart (2 sewn together)

Finally, I found the perfect grey linen hamper that I prettied up by sewing on this off-white bow that I got from the ribbon used to package a stroller blanket that I had purchased:

I am so delighted with how it all turned out. I think it looks pretty and sweet and it is a space that I think we will both love to be in. The bedding was a bit of a splurge, but I saved in so many other areas and with a bit of creativity still managed to pull of a custom designed look.

I'd love to hear what you think of Emma's space as well as your own ideas for creating a serene nursery for your little one.

Simple Gifting - Why I love Chapters-Indigo

I love buying gifts for girls - birthdays, Christmas, hostess gifts - I love the wrapping and the ribbon and the bows and the cards. Mostly I love watching a girlfriend/sister/cousin open up something simple yet special that they probably wouldn't have purchased for themselves.

About a year ago I discovered that Chapters-Indigo had expanded to include an amazing gift and accessories department with everything from luxurious feeling faux fur throws, to jewelry, handbags, decorative pillows and scarves. I have treated myself to more than just a few items, and this has become one of my favorite places to shop for gifts. 

A few days ago I found myself in need of a gift for a girlfriend's birthday and so I headed to out to Chapters-Indigo and I wasn't disappointed. Not only did I manage to get something for my friend, but with a huge sale on almost all of their gifts and accessories, I even got a few items for myself as well as a gift for another friend whose birthday is coming up in March!

Here's what I picked up for my friend Liz:

Liz has always been a "list maker" and "note taker" and so I was thrilled to find this beautiful gold leather bound notebook/journal - a throwback to the days before we recorded everything in our smartphones.

The leather is really soft and I just love the tassel closure. It's been even further reduced and you can purchase one - or a few for friends - online here. I think it would make a really nice bridesmaid gift or even a bridal shower gift for guests!

Papyrus makes some of the loveliest cards, and so I picked up this fun little birthday card as well:

I love how the little gift bags have real tissue paper sticking out of them!

For myself I picked up this faux fur neck-warmer that I think looks really great styled with this cream overcoat:

 You can find it for 65% off here.

I also found these really fun file folders that I will use for organizing my bills, receipts, things-to-do etc:

I envision one day having a super girly home-office space of my own complete with this filing cabinet from CB2,

 and lots of white furniture. I think the file folders will add the perfect touch!

Finally I picked up these china serving platters for myself and for another friend whose birthday is coming up in March. I love entertaining and I think these will be gorgeous for an upcoming afternoon tea I am planning: 

You can get your own at 67% off here.

I love unique ideas for gifts for girlfriends and I think it's wonderful that there are so many great options for affordable little luxuries at Chapters-Indigo. Fabulous!