Toddler Room Update with Michael Miller Fabrics

I feel like I'll never fully finish one room in my house because I'm always bouncing back and forth between projects (based on the mood I'm in and how much cash monies we have). 

So, taking a break from the navy bedroom, join me as we travel back to my toddler's room. You may recall that we are planning on setting up at least one twin bed in her room as soon as we get a mattress for it. 

Even still, I've yet to decide what to do with the back wall of her room--the one you see when you walk in. It remains totally blank. Welllll, then I read the latest Young House Love blog and instantly, I knew what I was going to do on her back wall. 

Drumrollll.........

A FABRIC WALL

Yep. A little something like this:

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Well, except I think those are all wallpaper. I'm going to use fabric. Why on earth would I get it in my crazy brain that this would be a good idea? Well, because I'm not going to hang wallpaper. Nope. I'm also not going to remove said wallpaper years later and curse myself for ever hanging it. Double nope. I'm also not going to pay for wallpaper.

So I spent a good amount of time looking at fabrics online, and I stumbled upon the Michael Miller collection at fabric.com. 

Y'all. I'm in love. 

My daughter's room has a whimsical-vintage-nature feel and these fabrics speak to exactly that. There are pages and pages of amazing fabrics. But here are a few of my favorites (whether they work in her room or not):

Wee Wander, Summer Ride in Melon (anyone seeing a little Schumacher inspiration here???)

Wee Wander, With the Birds in Sea

Wee Wander, Nature Walk in Grass

Helen's Garden, Enchanted in Cream

Cynthia Rowley, Oh Baby Animal Silhouettes in Blue

Wee Wander, Meandering in Seafoam

Les Amis, Fox & Trees in Peach

Rustique, Yes Deer in Navy

Les Amis, Sox the Fox in Aqua

Midnite Gems, Mason in Navy

That last one is not something I'd use in a little girl's room. But I am in awe over it. I need to find somewhere to use it in my house. This is not an option. 

But seriously, are you wiping drool off your face? I can't tell you how much I'm in love with all of these fabrics. I want samples of all of them. ALL OF THEM. Best part is they're all under $10 per yard. Get. Out.

Clearly I'm in decisive. But I've done the math and I can do this project for around $100. Not bad huh?

So what's your favorite?? Leave a comment and weigh in!

A Gray Bath - The Before

I've been told that you know a good hair dresser when you see one whose roots need a touchup.  They are so busy with clientele that they don't even have time to do their own.  I'd like to think the same can be said for designers...or at least ones who haven't hit the motherload yet.  If I had tens of thousands of dollars coming in every month, I could just hire someone to finish the areas of my house I'm not finished with yet.  But alas, I don't.  Which may or may not mean I have paint swatches on the wall in two rooms of my home for months. 

Confession:  I've had paint swatches on my master bathroom walls for over a YEAR.  Cue the gasp.  I'd like to blame part of that on finding out I was with child a week after those swatches went up. BUT now my baby is 8 months old.  I must find time to get to it.  Even if that means dropping the Little off at the in-laws for a few hours so momma can paint with no interruptions.  And I'm thinking next week might be the prime time.

The current walls have a beige base with a moss green faux finish on top.  I'm not saying all faux finished walls are a bad idea, but most "Hey, I could totally sponge paint that wall!" moments are.  The previous owners of this house must have had one of those moments.

It's a little hard to tell from the above images so here's a closeup. 

Our bedroom walls are a soft taupe, and our room is filled with all neutral pieces.  Since our tile is already neutral as well (and there's a lot of it), I'd like to add a little contrast with the paint and go gray.  This room if very open and gets a lot of light so going darker is not an issue, especially since a good half of the room is covered in tile anyway.  

I helped my mom redo her dining room a few years ago and absolutely fell in the love with the gray paint we used on the walls.  Just to be sure though, I purchased a sample of it (Mountain Smoke by Valspar) along with another gray to see which I preferred best.  Mountain Smoke was the obvious winner.  It's a warm gray that will compliment the veins in the existing tile and wood stain on the vanity.

My mom's dining room in Valspar Mountain Smoke

I can't wait to finally knock out this room!  I've always loved a gray bath...

After a new coat of paint, I think this room will be looking brand new and much more sophisticated!  I'll be sure to share the after photos when I'm done...which will hopefully not be another year from now :)

the tiny house movment

Have you heard about Tiny Houses? 

If you keep up with architecture and design buzz, you may have heard talk of them, or perhaps you've read articles about them--I think there's even an article circulating on social media about one. 

We recently watched a tiny house documentary on Netflix called "Tiny" (recommended by a friend), and it was then that I learned this is not a new concept. People have been doing it for years, but it's only now gaining more exposure to the public eye. 

This is a Tiny House: 

Image via the the Tumbleweed Tiny House Tour on the Tiny House Blog

You may think "that is a playhouse" or "that is a cute traveling camper" but you would be wrong. It's someone's actual home. And people are doing it all over the place. There are architects that specialize in tiny houses. You can buy a tiny house "kit." Who knew?!

A tiny home has all the amenities of a regular home: a kitchen, living area, sleeping area, work area, eating area, bathroom, etc--except it's all combined into a studio apartment type dwelling (or smaller), where use of space is the most important design motivator. Think of your entire home being combined into a space the size of your bedroom. 

Before you let your mind wander off into the realms of "how on earth could a person live there?" think about the appeal of a tiny home. 

1. It's minimalist living. In a world where more is more, bigger is better, and the possession of things creates your social status, it's only natural that some of us want to run the opposite direction of this lifestyle. It forces you to really look at how much space and how many things a person actually needs in order to live a simple life.

2. It's off the grid. Tiny Houses have the option of no address. Typically they are put on trailers and carried behind vehicles to whatever plot of land they chose to reside for the time being. Some use it solely for the purpose of being off the grid, while others see it as an opportunity to live in a variety of locations--so long as your means of income can travel, you can go wherever your car can pull you. How amazing would that be?

3. Fewer bills = living comfortably on low income. What if all you had to pay for every month was food, water, cell phone/internet usage, and the occasional personal belonging? How freeing would that be?! Just do the math really quickly. Subtract your house payment, cable bill, electricity bill, and water/sewage bill from your budget. What's left? See what I mean? Many tiny housers use this opportunity to take freelance work, or part-time work-from-home jobs. The never-ending cycle of working to pay for things we don't need is broken. You're no longer a slave to your mortgage. Some tiny housers don't even own a car. They either use public transportation, or rent/borrow a truck when they need to pull themselves to a new location. 

4. Lower carbon footprint. Even though I live in a brand new house in a neighborhood where brand new houses are still being built by one of America's largest builders, that's not our ideal situation. Buying new homes is not only terrible for land conservation, but it's terrible for the real estate market and the up-keep of inner city neighborhoods. I'm not trying to make a political statement here, so please don't read into what I'm saying. I know it's not as simple as buying pre-owned homes. Obviously we had our reasons for buying new. But a tiny house eliminates this issue all together. You can still have new, but without the waste and land-clearing caused by new development. Some tiny housers build on tiny spaces in downtown big cities, enjoying all the perks of being in a centralized location but without paying high dollar for your living quarters. Others buy a few acres out in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the closeness of nature. The possibilities are endless!

5. Closer relationships. For those that share a tiny space with others (I even saw one that fit a family of four and a golden retriever! What?!) you would have to learn to resolve your differences. Because you are all up in someone else's space all. the. time. I saw a poster the other day that read "small homes grow tight families." So true.

Were we not a growing family, I could identify very closely with the concept of a tiny house. But it would be hard to plan a tiny house not knowing if you would have 2 more kids in the next 5 years (totally possible). If my husband and I were younger with no kids, I could totally see us doing it. Maybe when the kids are gone?? Imagine waking up: 

"Hey, have you ever been to Montana?"

"No." 

"Let's go next week."

"Sounds good!" 

What a life!

If the lifestyle of a tiny house doesn't appeal to you, that's totally cool. But it has to be enough to inspire awe at how a person fits all their life in that tiny space, right? The outside of a tiny home, although intriguing, is not nearly as amazing as the inside. Take a look at some of these well-designed spaces. Every square inch of these homes are utilized to be as efficient as possible.

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Love the amount of natural light here!

Amazing, right? 

Do you think you could do it? I think the close-quarters would keep you out and about a lot, but I think that's part of the perks of a tiny house, especially if you have an on-the-go lifestyle. 

I hope I've given you something to chew on a bit. Maybe the 3,000 square foot home isn't all it's made out to be after all....

Until next time!

A Little Girl's Room ...with Ballard Designs

When I got my latest catalog from Ballard Designs, I couldn't help but notice so many great deals going on with their summer sale.  And on top of the good deals, they also had some products that were just too good to pass up, sale or no sale.  Inspiration struck, and I threw together a little girl's room design with my favorite findings.  

Many kid's rooms are not so subtle on gender specific themes--i.e. a girl's room must be pink and full of butterflies and a boy's room must be blue and have baseballs somewhere.  Not so.  A good design doesn't look like it came out of a bag, but rather was layered together to create a space that will last for many years.  It let's the child's belongings become the ornamentation, and the room be a backdrop for imagination and comfort.  Or at least those are the ones I like to design :)  Take a look...

1. Wall Sconce- $80.  I'd put them hanging on each side of the headboard for function and style.  They were origin

2. Ticking Stripe Headboard- $189, orig. $249. this is one of their current specials and the black ticking stripe got me.  

3. Bookshelf- $229. It seems there's never enough space for books and trinkets and iron is virtually indestructible.

4. Scalloped Sham- $35, orig. $49. This sweet scalloped sham is made of linen and can even be monogrammed. 

5. Coral Pillow Cover- $18, orig. $29.  Adding in a little color is always a good thing.

6. Rug- $75 for 5x7, was $99. This is actually an indoor/outdoor rug so it's great for kids and their potential messes.  The polka dot design adds a little fun and the reviews on comfort sold me.

7. Basket- $29, orig. $39. Stuffed animals and toys need a home too.

8. Pom Pom Quilt- $199.  This quilt isn't on sale but those pom poms are too good to resist.  

All of these items could be used for years to come, even in other areas of the home aside from the bedroom...which makes these deals even sweeter!

Dana's Summer Favorites

Last week Mallory shared some of her summer favorites with you, so now it's my turn (while I know you're anxiously await the progress of my navy bedroom)! 

Some of these I have already been enjoying, and some I have on my wish list to enjoy soon. Either way, I hope you can find a common interest in some of these, OR even better: try something new! 

Take a look:

1. Peaches and Heirloom Tomatoes. Some of my favorite summer produce. I've eaten a peach almost every day, and I made my first ever from-scratch peach pie. And heirloom tomatoes...y'all. Just slice one up, give me some mayo and salt and pepper and I'm a happy camper. Or, even better: a fresh caprese salad. 

2. Turban Headbands from Baby Beans and Me on Etsy. These organic knotted headbands come in all sizes from adult to baby and her Buy One Give One program--which donates a headband to a child with cancer--is just $15. Go get one. 

3. Fresh cut hydrangeas. A classic southern favorite--hydrangeas seem to announce the arrival of warm weather. Luckily I have a bush out front that I can collect from and then display in an heirloom silver pitcher. 

4. Jonathan Adler Navy Geometric Sandal for Toms. Loving these. Definitely on my wish list. And as always, the Buy One Give One doesn't hurt! 

5. Mommy and Me nail polish sets from Ella + Mila. Best part is they are vegan, fast-drying, and "5-Free", so goodbye harmful fumes!

6. Margarita. Patron. On the rocks, extra salt. Nuff said.

7. Ceramic Lantern from Target. Down here, most of our outdoor time (when not at the beach) is early in the morning or after sunset, to avoid sweating while just sitting still. This is perfect for evenings on the back porch.

8. Navy Diamond Outdoor Rug from Target. If you spend as much time outdoors as I do, you might as well make your outdoor space look good!

9. Aveda Foot Relief Cream. Summer equals flip-flop and barefoot weather, meaning your feet start to reflect being exposed to the elements. I put on this stuff nearly every night before going to bed. It's so good.

10. Baby Bum Sunscreen from Sun Bum. I discovered this the same day I won my mom-of-the-year award when we made it all the way out to the beach without a hat or sunscreen for my baby. I had to swing in a surf shop to pick up some sunscreen and bought this. Hands down, best sunscreen ever. It's purely zinc-oxide based (no other chemicals), and is good for you and the environment in lots of other ways, too. I even use it on my own skin, and thus far neither baby or I have gotten sunburned when wearing it.

11. Striped Rash Guard from Land's End. I have one of these and I cannot tell you how much I love it. I am motivated to wear one for three very important reasons: 1. I am pale and my sunscreen application is like a never-ending ritual. This is so much easier (and less messy). Put it on and you're good all day. 2. If you are near water they keep you cool--just take a dip wearing it and then you have a nice evaporative cooling system on your entire top half! 3. Living on the Gulf Coast has made me really appreciate UV protection--the long-term effects of sun-worshipping are not pretty (think "leather chest"). Plus, skin cancer is no joke. Respect your skin, people! 

That about rounds it up. See any familiar favorites? Any crucial elements that I missed? Let's hear em! 

Until next time...

Mallory's Summer Favorites

Summer has officially begun, and it has me pulling out my old favorites and enjoying some new finds!  

Cookouts, pool parties and endless hours of daylight are what the doctor ordered, and I'm so thankful to have sandy shores right in my backyard (or close to it!).  Now that the season is in full swing, I thought I'd share with you a few of my summer favorites:

1. Bib Necklace- This ivory beauty makes a statement with any outfit.

2. St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse- My go-to for getting a summer glow without all of the harmful rays.  

3. Margaret Elizabeth Teardrop Bangle- Wear it alone or stack with your favorites, this bangle reminds me of a cool dip in the pool.

4. Straw Hat- A pool or beach must-have!...and less than $15!

5. Metallic Print Glassware, set of 4- These gold gals will make any dinner party a little more glamorous and fun.

6. Black Espadrilles- A staple great for casual wear or a summer night out on the town.

7. Skinnygirl Sangria- Check your local stores.  Sangria is the essential drink of summer, and this one is already mixed and ready to enjoy.  Toss in some fruit (for presentation) and you are set!  

8. Parker Pom Pom Shorts- Pom poms and a fun print.  Need I say more? Freebird Collection knows how to do it right.  These are on their way to my house as we speak!

9. Summertime book- Curated by photographer Joanne Dugan, it's a "photography book about the essence of summer."  AKA happiness on pages.

10. Red Stripe Party Straws- These cheerful, vintage-inspired straws make any drink a little more fun.

11. Driftwood Bar Cart- For a party on wheels that can withstand the elements.   

12. Bell Jar Drink Dispenser- You can serve your summer soiree drinks in style with this elegant dispenser.

Happy 4th of July from the 3A crew!  Have a fun and safe weekend!