Projects

This project was so much fun to work on! I got to help an old friend of mine from high school create a unique and personal nursery for her son, Cade. I’ve been working on designs to launch a new line of nursery bedding & decor and she happened to see a post I made of some designs I had created and so we began working together. My friend worked with me through the process to create the designs for the crib sheet, the crib skirt, the crib comforter, the black out curtains and the three little animal art prints above the crib. She did an incredible job of pulling the rest of it together, and my photographer said it was one of the most gorgeous nurseries she’s ever seen in person! ;)
 
 

The room for our baby girl, Quinn, is very small with no closets. I wanted to make the room feel open and bright, but functional as well. I love the girly feel the room has without being too frilly. The gold accents add just the right amount of pop. I handmade the mobile above the crib to add a subtle chicness to the room while tying all the colors together.  Most of the pieces I bought at Ikea. The accessories I either already had around my house or I bought discounted (mostly after the Christmas season). It just goes to show, you can make a beautiful and functional room in just about any size space on a very tight budget!

It was time for my little man to go from a crib to a big boy bed.  With the changing of the bed, a whole room makeover came with it.  I only had to make a few changes to transition the room from nursery to big boy room.  I added a dark wood headboard, a metal letter above his headboard, a gallery wall above his dresser, and a few industrial touches that we all love and will grow with him for years to come.
See my blog for more info: http://decoratingcents.blogspot.com/2016/02/modern-industrial-boy-room-reveal.html

Was in charge of dessert table project for my step-daughter’s baby shower with Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit theme.
Made the carrot cupcakes with liner and topper from Peter Rabbit Meri Meri Cupcake Kit. Cut just the top of gummy carrot for decoration.
Dipped strawberries in Orange Candy Melt and crushed oreo cookies to look like soil,they are placed in WIltons grass cupcake liner and a picket fence cupcake wrapper.
Acorn donut holes were made from donut pop-ems dipped in hazelnut chocolate & dipped in chocolate sprinkles with a pretzel stick in the middles
Madeleines store bought but I dipped them in chocolate and then sugar pearls
Customized a bakery bought strawberry shortcake with fresh fruit and customized Peter Rabbit sign
Customized small farm crates for the Lindt Chocolate carrots
Customed the Easter Peter Rabbit Sign with blue glitter and Letter B with Ivory Sugar Pearls
All the Peter Rabbit Signs came from an Easter Hunt Kit
Didn’t do any favor bags
 
 

I wanted to design a modern and elegant room for my daughter, Sadie. Somewhere we could go and have it be calming and sophisticated. I first started to brainstorm about the nursery while I was pregnant, so as you can imagine my ideas were all over the place! I kept being drawn to a pink nursery with white, gold and mint green accents. I don’t really categorize myself as a “Pink Person” so finding the right color pink from thousands to choose from (while pregnant) was exhausting! I finally came upon Valspar’s, Noble Blush as our winner! Phew! Once I was set on the paint color I moved onto fabrics for her bedding and accessories.
My first purchase for Sadie’s room was her light fixture From West Elm. I LOVE IT! It is so beautiful and casts the greatest shadows on the ceiling in the evenings. We also added a dimmer switch to accommodate those nighttime feedings. What a lifesaver!
I purchased the molding online and painted it the same color as the trim in her bedroom and we just nailed it up on the wall! It added a great touch to the room and was surprisingly really easy!  The monogram was purchased through Etsy, and was spray painted gold. The shelves and dresser are both from IKEA. We spray painted the brackets the same gold as her monogram. Cheap and easy! I loaded the shelves up with nicknacks I would find here and there. I found her mirror and at Pottery Barn Kids fell in love! Hanging it between the shelves and above her dresser tied it all together so perfectly!
Her curtains and rod are from Land of Nod and are soft and airy. Although they are not blackout curtains, I still think they fit the room perfectly (I might be regretting this as Sadie gets older).
Most of the art work in Sadie’s room was created specifically for her from my very talented friends and family!
I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our Sweet Sadie’s Room. We loved every bit of making it a reality!

When my husband and I found out in March of 2014 that we were going to be having a second child we were cautiously excited! After several early miscarriages, a new pregnancy was met with some serious trepidation. So needless to say, once we successfully passed the 12 week threshold, we were able to breathe a tiny sigh of relief and I was keen to start to transform what I had dubbed “The Sad Room,” into a new baby nursery!
As we did with our son, we planned to keep the gender of the baby a surprise. The way we see it, there are so few GOOD surprises at this point in life, and after our struggles, we could honestly say we didn’t care what we got, as long as it was a baby! The only reason I half considered finding out the baby’s gender,  was to plan how I would decorate the nursery. But that wasn’t really reason enough, so my challenge was to make something gender neutral that could be tweaked afterwards to suit a baby girl or a baby boy on a limited budget!
The one thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted a reclaimed wood accent wall, so this naturally steered me towards a woodland’ esque theme. My biggest priority for this project was to keep the actual cost of the project low since we had purchased our home within the year and taken on a relatively pricey renovation shortly thereafter. So, my mission was to create a beautiful gender neutral budget friendly woodland themed baby nursery!
Step one was creating the reclaimed wood accent wall. After much research, I figured the cheapest (and easiest) way to do this would be with wallpaper. Wallpaper can be pretty pricey, but I was able to find a fantastic deal from all4wallswallpaper.com For less than 100$. The nice thing about this wallpaper, is that it is apparently easy to remove, and honestly, it was quite easy to put up. My husband and I were actually able to do it in one evening and with zero arguments!
I decided to decorate the wall with various pictures I had collected. My colour scheme  before the baby arrived, consisted of natural woods, golds, whites and a touch of mint green. I figured if we had a boy we could play the room up with more gray and green and if it was a girl, could add some pink into the mix. The latter is obviously what I did once we knew Lola was a girl!
The bulk of the frames in the room and mirror on the wall were purchased at various thrift stores. The picture of Ernie and Bert is actually a needle point I purchased from a thrift store auction, which I thought was super cute, even if the colours didn’t necessarily fit into the rooms colour scheme. The ledge below the mirror and the ledge above the change table were both purchased on clearance from target Canada (RIP) for 7$ a piece. The mug on the ledge was mine, purchased from chapters, but thought it fit into the room well, and was a great little storage cup for soothers, and the cream faux flowers were purchase from Homesense for $12.99.
The crib (Sears) we had from when my son was baby as well as the dresser (Ikea), which doubled as change table. I really wanted the Pottery Barn cream furniture look without the price tag. The pink crib sheet as well as the pink change pad cover, are both Aden & Anais, and were purchased from Winners. After scouring multiple stores, I was lucky enough to find matching colours, and both for a fraction of the normal retail price.
The mobile above the bed I had purchased on etsy for my son when he was a baby. I had seen a very similar one at Pottery Barn at the time, but unfortunately when I tried to buy it, I was told they were discontinued. I then turned to etsy and was able to source one that was quite comparable, and for a lot less than the pottery barn original.
The moose canvas above the crib was actually made by me using a blank canvas, a little mod podge, some gold paint and a free printable i found on Pinterest.
I followed instructions for the project and I must say, it turned out quite well!
The hanging “Lola” name sign behind the crib is one of my favourite pieces in the room. The stick is actually a piece of driftwood that my mother found in front of our family cottage in New Brunswick. When i saw it, i knew i wanted to incorporate it somehow into the nursery. I found some really pretty card stock on sale at winners and thought the colours blended perfectly with the nursery. I figured if i could find the letters for her name I could easily mod podge the card stock onto each letter using the same technique as the moose canvas, which is exactly what I did. I was able to find light weight letters at Michaels for a few dollars each that worked perfectly. Once the letters were complete, I used a glue gun and some string that i found hanging around the house to secure the letters onto the stick. Because i planned on hanging the stick above her crib, I had my father in law come over to properly drill it to the wall so there wouldn’t be any fear of it falling. Safe to say that thing may never come out!
The dresser we purchased from Ikea when we had our son. It is the perfect size and height for a change table and provides the added bonus of deep storage drawers for diapers, clothes etc. For my daughters room, I updated the dresser a tad by switching out the original black knobs for gold ones which I also purchased from Ikea. I found them in the kitchen department of the store and I think all 6 may have cost me roughly $12. The ledge above, as mentioned was purchased on clearance from Target Canada as were the faux flowers. The little gold frame i picked up from the salvation army thrift  store and the picture within the frame was actually a card given to Lola from my good friend Catherine. I thought it was so pretty and fit in well with our woodland theme. The gold sconce above actually came from my childhood home. My mother had given me a few brass sconces as well as a brass chandelier and i thought one would be perfect in the room since there is no actual ceiling light. My father in law installed it, added a dimmer and voila! it was perfect! and free i might add!
The corner shelf I had purchased from Kijiji for my son’s nursery years before. I had considered painting it in the past, but am extremely happy I didn’t, as it fit in perfectly, size and colour, with Lola’s nursery. The gold frame on the top of the shelf was purchased on clearance for 2$ from Homesense, because it was missing the glass part of the frame. This really didn’t concern me, as I loved the colour and size. When I came across the “you, me, oui!’ picture from Chapters, I knew it would be perfect with its soft pink, cream and gold colours. The clock below is from Birks and was owned and passed down to us from my husbands Nona. I really loved being able to include this, as I love all things old and family related. below that, are a couple of elephant statues that I bought on clearance from Homesense and have used as bookends. I’m not totally sure that this was what they were intended to be since I found them in different sections of the store, but all the same, they work perfectly as that. The gold bowl below is Beaver Canoe and was purchased on clearance from Target. I thought it would be perfect to store hair accessories etc. Its currently used for shoes until Lola starts growing some actual hair. Lastly, is a picture of Lola and I the day she was born which I placed in a  white frame from Ikea kicking around the house.
The brass log holder I also found at a thrift store for $2.99. I thought it would be perfect for storing and displaying pretty swaddle blankets. The glider was purchased from Target in the US after MUCH researching. I adore the Monte gliders, but the price point was too steep, so after countless hours on the internet, I decided on the Charleston glider from Target. I am so happy I did this, as it is a beautiful chair and very comfortable as well. The side table to the left of the glider is perhaps the best deal out of the entire room. It was purchased from Target Canada for a total of $3.96! It was originally tagged for $60 i believe and then was suppose to be marking down to $39, however it was tagged incorrectly at $3.96, which they agreed to honour. Major score. The lamp on top was purchased from target on clearance for $14 as well as the poof I am using as an ottoman for $49. The rug I also scored at Target during a cross border shopping trip with friends for a total of $19!! It fit perfectly in the room as far as decor and size.
One thing i struggled with was what i would do for window treatments. I decided to wait until after we knew if she was a girl or a boy to put anything up aside from the blackout blinds. Once she arrived, i started looking into fabrics and different window treatment styles. I had a vision of a rectangular valance from the beginning, but my sewing abilities were limited, so I wasn’t sure how i was going to pull it off. I ended up finding some cute fabric on fabric.com which was pale pink with gold birds which i loved. The same fabric can be found on etsy. I also found a great pin on Pinterest, which showed you how to make a valance out of insulation board and with new sewing required. score! So i purchased my fabric, insulation board and a string of white pom poms to attach to the base of the valance. Now the process was a bit tedious, cutting the insulation board (what a mess) attaching the insulation board with a staple gun (had to add pins for extra security bc the staples kept falling out) and then hanging the valance on nails and having it not fall off (ended up adding some double sided tape between the valance & the wall) but in the end, it did work, and i was happy with it. Its not perfect by any means, but it covers the ugliness of the black out blinds when they are rolled up and the overall look was exactly what i was going for.
The ledge between the crib and glider was something I already had, and thought it would be perfect for displaying books. I loved the book  ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ as a kid, so I was really excited when I came across this larger sized copy in an antique shop for $4.
The crate below the shelf is an actual pop crate from the Soda Pop company my father’s family owned for over 100 years. I really wanted to incorporate it into the room for sentimental purposes, and the fact that it matched my reclaimed wood wallpaper was the icing on the cake. It is a perfect size to store stuffed animals and other baby toys.
The final touch on the room was the sign on her door. I purchased a gray and gold lined bulletin board from Target right before they closed their doors for good and then found a gold letter “L” at Micheals and glued it on the front.

For my daughter Ryan’s 2nd Flamingo Birthday Party, I wanted to have a party that was bright and cheery and fit with a summer theme since her birthday is in July.  I sew for my Etsy shop, The Dandelion Lane and I came across this beautiful blue and pink flamingo fabric and from the inspiration for her flamingo party was born.  I handmade all of the desserts including the flamingo cookies and cupcakes and also made the flamingo pennant banner and her party outfit.  I used fresh flowers to decorate my tables which is a cheap and easy way to decorate and it looks great.  I also bough a bunch of flamingo lawn ornaments for decor outside.  We passed out blue and pink cotton candy as party favors which was also a huge hit.
I wanted something for the kids to be able to do outside and blow up baby pools and sprinklers were perfect for their age.  They were thoroughly entertained for the entire afternoon.
My advice would just be to not be afraid to do things yourself.  You can throw a great party without spending too much money by baking your own cake/cupcakes/cookies and decorating with things like flowers!

Flower, flowers and more flowers! That was the theme for this 1st Birthday Flower Party. Everything from the front yard to the back porch had a little bit of pink added to it. Wooden flower cutouts were placed in the front yard and also used as a makeshift photo booth for the little attendees!
The pink pillows and pink flowers on the back porch continued the party theme outside. A pink lemonade station was setup along with a pink flower cookies for guests.
The chalkboard wall in the house was transformed to fit the flower party theme!
 

Most of my inspiration came from this musical wallpaper. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted it for the nursery. Along with that I love Restoration Hardware Baby & Child furniture with it reclaimed wood with rustic finish.
I decided to go with neutral and soothing colors with pop of few colors and few interesting decor pieces to add life to the nursery.

This baby shower was actually for 2 mamas to be! That’s how I came up with the theme – Mamas & Mocktails. I’m involved in a local women’s acting group and two of the girls were pregnant at the same time, with really close due dates. With their permission, we decided it would be easier to have a joint shower.
Both of our Mamas were having girls, but they didn’t want it to be too girly, so we opted for a black, white, and citrus color scheme.
The food was light and healthy and the only shower activity was a decorate your own wine glass, which doubled as a favor.
The majority of the decor was DIYed, but the florals were created by one of the mamas to be!

I have loved Audrey Hepburn since high school.  She is the timeless epitome of style, grace, poise, and good will.  All things every mom wants their daughter to grow up to be. I always dreamt of having a little girl, naming her Audrey, and decorating her room with some Audrey inspired style.  So that is what I set out to do.  One problem… the house we rent has this fabulous room with the yellow printed wallpaper already up.  Not exactly the black and white and Tiffany Blue color you might think of when envisioning Audrey Hepburn in her most popular film.  Also, I was trying to avoid pink.   So here I was with bold yellow wallpaper, an aversion to too much pink, and visions of Audrey Hepburn.
The first thing I found was this adorable illustrated print of Audrey Hepburn.  It was sweet and colorful.  I decided that the coral colors in the skirt went well with the wall paper and the inspiration for the room was ignited.  I added mint green as an accent color, and grey as a neutral.  So there it is.  An Audrey inspired room in yellow, coral, mint, and grey.  I am not sure if I would call this room traditional or modern, but most importantly it was unique and bold.
I had a dark brown Restoration Hardware crib left over that my son had outgrown.  It was not the ideal color for this room and I would have loved a white or grey crib, but let’s be honest, I was not going to fork out the cash for a new one, so this would have to work.  With such bold wallpaper, I kept the bedding simple.  My son’s old grey bumper, a white sheet, and a coral skirt with matching bows.  Here I encountered my next hurdle.  There were no simple coral crib skirts anywhere to be found.  I was walking in Target one day and came across a queen sized linen bedspread in the perfect coral.  Luckily my mom is an ace with the sewing machine (a skill not handed down to me).  I bought it, packed it up with my son’s old crib skirt as a go by, and shipped it to Grandma!  The bedspread came back as a crib skirt. Yay!
Again, I knew I needed a pretty simple rug in terms of color, but I still wanted it to be cute and fun.  I am absolutely obsessed with this grey rug from Land of Nod.  It is simple in color yet whimsical and girly.  The perfect find and a really good price in my opinion compared to other rugs at well-known baby decor stores.
If there is any one product all decor enthusiasts must know about, it is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  The color I used is called French Grey.  This miraculous paint is easy to use, covers anything and even paints on fabric.  That is how I turned a cheap, pressed wood, pine colored Ikea desk I had for a decade into what looks like a vintage writing desk.  I repainted the desk, no sanding required, except for some distressing at the end.  I also used the paint on a white burlap fabric to make an “A” on the pillow under the window and to write “audrey” on the burlap banner.  Both the blank pillow cover and the banner were purchased on Etsy.  The colorful pillows flanking the “A” pillow are from Target.
I wanted to make a mobile and incorporate all of my colors.  I searched Pinterest and recreated a dot mobile.  I purchased paper in the colors I wanted, bought a circle paper punch, and strung them on a thread hung from painted embroidery hoops.  A simple project to do in front of the TV while catching up on Real Housewives.
I also highlighted my nursery colors on the painted mason jars.  Just select the acrylic paint color you desire, apply, distress, and add flowers. So easy!
As mentioned above I believe Audrey Hepburn is a great role model as she embodies grace, elegance, and class.  Luckily, she also had some great one-liners.  I wanted her words of advice to be a daily reminder to my daughter about what is important in life.  “Happy Girls are the Prettiest”  I found this painted wood sign on Etsy and requested the artist to make it in coral.  “For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, for attractive lips, speak words of kindness, and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone”.  What great words lo live by.  I typed them up, edited my font and color, had it printed large at my local FedEx/Kinkos, and framed it.  Simple enough.
The rocking chair was from my son’s room so the only major piece of furniture I needed to buy was a dresser.  I chose one from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.  It helped me tie together the grey painted desk and the old crib I had, went with the rug, and fit the space, so it was a winner.  I bought a few other accents for the shelves and voila!  The room was complete.  I love it, it makes me happy, and I hope it makes you happy too.
A word of advice to first time moms…buy black out curtains.  These ruffle bottom black out curtains work great and can be found at Pottery Barn Kids.
 

Not too long ago I was planning a nursery. But as every parent knows, time flies by and soon enough you get yourself planning the kids college education instead. Sigh…
When we moved to our current house I was about 5 months pregnant. It was such a special time with the expectation of the new addition to our family of four plus our new house. We were experiencing lots of new beginnings, as well as a ton of design projects, like the nursery for the new baby. For my third pregnancy, we decided to surprise ourselves and not find out the sex of the baby. So, when I designed this gender neutral space, I used timeless artwork throughout the room and neutral colors. No blues or pinks. I also wanted this nursery to be a continuation of the design style of our new house. So I brought lots of white and rustic wood tones to this room just like we have throughout the rest of the house. But my main design goal for this space was to create a room that could be easily transformed from a nursery to a big boy bedroom.
Baby Victor came along on July 27, 2012. During a hot Summer night in 2014, while washing the dishes, I heard a loud thud sound and an instant cry coming from upstairs. Before the little guy turned 2, he had already managed to climb his way out of the crib. We gave it another try thinking that maybe it had been a lucky night when he managed to “escape”, but the very next night, we were faced with the same scenario. So out goes the crib and in comes the bed. I chose this IKEA bed because of its color, clean lines, and the bonus large drawers underneath it for the much-needed storage space. This bed is perfect for this room. We added some acrylic shelving next to the new bed for his favorite books plus a few new wall decals. A fun bedding from Dwell Studio plus some modern pillows and voila, we had a big boy bedroom for the “big” guy.
On the other side of the room, facing the crib and bed area, I designed a desk, dresser, and changing station. We custom made a desk using the same wood from the other side of the room and an IKEA’s old dresser that I used to have in my bedroom. Eliminating the changing pad when we were diaper free was all that was needed to have a full functioning desk for future homework sessions. Most of the decor stayed the same. How could someone ever get too grown up for a daily dose of Sharon Montrose’s gorgeous animal prints, right?
I adore his “big” boy room as much as I did his nursery.

The Giving Tree with a modern twist. The nursery is based on one of his mom’s favorite stories. The leaves have a shimmer of metallic that compliments the sphere chandelier. The little old man in the original story was replaced with a little boy. I painted a nursery a few years ago for this little boy’s brother. It was called Hudson’s Moon and Stars Nursery. This is the same boy from that mural. The quote was chosen by his mom.

I was so excited to create this space for our daughter when we moved shortly after her first birthday. I am completely in love with anything gold and pink and wanted to go with this theme. Bunny is a nickname I have called her and once I found the wall decals I thought that would be a sweet nod. Honestly I thought they were going to be incredibly difficult to put up but to my surprise, it went very quickly. My biggest advice, just go for it and don’t let planning on paper get you discouraged. Put them on the wall using painters tape to get a general idea first and then start your measuring and sticking!
My daughter loves forts and tents so I thought a teepee would be so fun. I used a combination of tutorials from Pinterest and came up with this one. Most of the supplies were purchased from Lowes and I just spray painted PVC pipes. I love the gold accents and pompoms. I added the pompoms onto the curtains as well to keep theme going. I can say that she plays in her teepee every day and am so glad she enjoys it!
I have been in love with the Rifle Paper Co print of Washington DC and I felt the colors fit our theme perfectly. We have been living in the DC Metro for a couple years now and I enjoy being able to bring our love for the city into the nursery.

Gabe’s nursery was inspired by a classical and peaceful Woodland nursery theme.  My husband and I incorporated woodgrain and wooden accessories in his room – as well as friendly forest animal artwork and lovies. We painted his room the color Dew by BEHR to give a peaceful feel.
Gabe’s room is very special because many of the furnishings were handmade by friends and family anxiously awaiting his arrival. I (Gabe’s momma) created the Woodland animal artwork, the cedar side table was made by his daddy, and the crib mobile animals were crafted by Gabe’s Nona.
Woodland Art prints available here! USE CODE “PIN16” for $5 off your purchase of artwork set!
Read more about the making of the cedar side table – Cedar Side table tutorial
 
 

I wanted something slightly girly with not too much pink for my baby girl’s room.  This room used to be our “office” and the walls were already painted this color.  I worked around the wall color to avoid painting again and it turned out just as I had hoped.  This room is pretty small and her closet is on the tiny side as well.  We knew we would need some additional storage, so we decided to add the floating shelves.  The baskets store things like bibs, socks, shoes and extra blankets.  I did a lot of planning for my boys’ nursery , so I had to give her room just as much love and thought.  It’s such a calm, relaxing space and I hope it grows with her.
I linked all of the products I could (on a mobile device – scroll all the way down, past the comments for the links; on a desktop, links are to the right of the photos).  Here are details on the rest:

Hairpin Table – found at At Home but replaced the top with a wooden circle from Lowe’s and stained with Minwax Special Walnut (this same stain was used in all other projects in the nursery too)
Dresser Knobs – Hobby Lobby spray painted gold
Name String Art – hand lettered by me and made using this tutorial
Other Artwork – made by me.  Floral artwork made using these vector images.
Lumbar Pillow and Boppy Cover – made by me and my mom using this fabric
Blanket – made by a friend
Quilt – made by my grandma using this tutorial
Footstool – made by me using this tutorial
Banners over mirror and above crib – made by me using paint chips and twine
Changing Pad Cover and Crib Skirt – made by my mom using a sheet from Walmart

Although decor and design are not normally my wheelhouse, prior to starting the nursery I got a really great tip from a design blog.  Choose one piece, however large or small, as your starting piece, and build the rest of the room around that item.  For us, that was the faux deer antlers by whitefauxtaxidermy.com with the mustard yellow antlers.  From there, the rest of the room fell into place!  Living in a smaller place, space constraints and storage were constantly on our mind.  The crib has storage below, and my husband built the wall hanging diaper rack based on a discontinued product I had seen from Pottery Barn.  Although we did not end up having room for a glider, the sofa is a pullout so that the room can still serve a dual purpose as a guest room when needed.  We think it is a pretty soothing environment to bring this little guy home to!

We moved into our new home last year, however we didn’t decorate Little A’s room straight away. He was in the middle of a bridge, from preschooler to big kid. A lot of his decor from his previous room seemed too baby-ish for him now, so we stored most of his nursery pieces and kept things simple, neutral and necessary (lots of toys!).
Fast forward to this fall, we finally created a large and dedicated play space in the basement and it was time to transition Aiden’s room into a big boys room. We asked him what theme he wanted for his bedroom and he said “Star Wars, I want the robots and starships!”.
Star Wars it is!
To bring his room to life, we teamed up with Pottery Barn Kids, Giant Tiger, and several Etsy Shops including Chloe Vaux, House of Print Shop, Dime Store Saint Design, Kali Laine Designs and Domestically Curated. With their help, the world of Star Wars exploded into Aiden’s bedroom and when he saw it for the first time he said in awe, “This is the COOLEST room in the whole world, right Mama?” And I certainly didn’t disagree!
To streamline Aiden’s room, we went through all of his toys with him and kept only the ones he really wanted and currently played with. We donated the rest with his blessing and moved most of the bulkier, bigger toys and building blocks to the basement play room. Now in his room, he plays with his action figures, puzzles and reads books – it feels like a calmer space. We displayed some of his special pieces and pictures on a top shelf and of course, memorabilia from the past five years is stored in a chest for him.
For the transition of his room, from preschooler to big boy, we focused on colours and accessories that were more refined – less bright and bold.  For instance, he had a play mat for cars that was really colourful and some primary coloured storage boxes – those were a great fit for our play room instead of his bedroom. You really do get a sense of it being his personal space as you enter the room.
We created more floor space, by putting his tall dresser into his closet which is deep enough to accommodate it. The less bulk in the room, the more it became a place to chill out. With that also in mind, we chose a grey-blue wall paint that hems the bedroom in and makes it feel rather serene.
He loves his new room!

Party Details told by Cristina
I will never forget, the gorgeous Baby Shower my sister Gaby threw for me when I was expecting my first child.  I had just moved to a small town in Maine and didn’t know a lot of people yet Gaby managed to put together a beautiful celebration in my honor with basically every women in town.  When she was expecting my niece, I knew I had to plan something special for her.  Her only wish was that she wanted something intimate with her closest friends.  An afternoon Baby Shower Garden Party was perfect for the occasion.
The Baby Shower planning began when I found the perfect invitation at Tiny Prints.  It had a blackboard design with a delicate pale pink font.  The color Palette of the party consisted of different shades of blues, pinks and yellows.  We mixed gorgeous Tissue Flowers with natural flowers to achieve a spring garden feel.  To honor my beloved sister we displayed a gorgeous photo of her on canvas next to the cake as well as a beautiful acrylic photo block of her on the main table.  It was a great gift and a way to preserve this special moment of her life.  We created a relaxed feminine atmosphere by DIYing a wavy tent above the dining table.  We served an array of mini desserts that included gorgeous floral cake pops designed by the so talented Vy of Vypassetti Cake Pops, darling Teacup and Flower Cookies by the fabulous Madgeline of Madgeline Cakes as well as cupcakes and cake balls displayed in Petite Blossom Cups.  My mirrored vanity came handy when it came to displaying the Charlotte Cake that I made for the party.  I loved the gorgeous Candy Kabobs the amazing Marie Dannetelle of Sweet Indeed custom designed.  My favorite part of the decor was the flower backdrop we created with Tissue Flowers and satin ribbon.  It was the perfect frame for the party photos.
Our dining table had a mix of floral partyware from delicate shabby chic plates and napkins to intricate cupcake stands, all available at the Via Blossom Shop.  We served a refreshing watermelon lemonade in our Champagne Flutes which is one of Gaby’s favorite none alcoholic drinks.
This memorable afternoon was captured by very talented Spencer of Lovely little’s Photography.
 

This is a nursery I designed for my daughter.  So fun being my own client ;).  I have three wonderful boys and when I was expecting baby number 4, I was hoping so badly for a girl.  My pregnancy was a tough one with lots of worries.  A couple of months before we found out the gender, I was in bed with the flu and pneumonia and just so sick.  I spent days and sleepless nights planning this nursery- I think it got me through!  Finding out we were having a girl and then watching the room come to life was incredible and such a rewarding experience. We are renting, so with that comes some tricky challenges to overcome, but I’m so pleased with the result and I feel like I can move the room to a new home and that the pieces can really grow with my daughter as she gets older.