Evelyn’s Nursery

For me, there is not much more I enjoy than putting a nursery together for my little one as I anticipate their arrival.  It helps me to connect with them by creating a little oasis where I know they will create amazing memories. Evelyn’s nursery is something I have been dreaming about for some time, but it also posed a huge challenge for me since we were in the middle of moving and relocating during most of my pregnancy.  As soon as I found out we were having a girl, I started piecing together some of my favorite things.  I wanted a room that is soft and feminine and slightly sophisticated….but most of all, somewhere that she can dream and be inspired to imagine. Considering everything was sort of piece-mealed together over a few months of living out of boxes, it actually all came together better than I could have imagined.

There are so many personal and meaningful touches in her room, and I can’t wait for her to discover them as she grows.  The antique light fixtures were repurposed and custom-made by my parents–they were actually used at my baby shower for Grady originally as custom pieces there as well.  My husband and father-in-law personally built out the wainscoting in her room, which adds the perfect amount of white to go with her girly pink walls. The antique shadow-box shelf was built by my mom and my sister handmade the beautiful dream catcher that hangs on her bookshelf….I mean, how lucky can this little girl get?!  Then of course, there’s the Icelandic sheepskin I bought for my ‘future little girl’ during my trip to Iceland before I even conceived her.  So many things that all came together perfectly to envelope her with pure love.

Since the space is fairly small, it was a bit challenging to accomplish everything I wanted, but I think it has just what she needs during the first few years of her life.   I wanted to incorporate lots of beautiful texture along with several shades of pink/rose and cream/gold. I set up a cozy little sitting area where I hope she will read and learn, daydream and imagine, and simply discover what it is to be a little girl.  I love how soft it feels in there….and I have a feeling it will perfectly match her personality.  I can’t wait to find out and discover who she is within her own little sanctuary!

Links/Resources 

Crib

Changing Cabinet (RH Baby Brigitte Wide Cabinet)  – sold out similar here

Bookshelf

Side Table

Pink Stool

Bedding

Reading Nook Floor Pillow

Wall Tapestry

Wooden Name (we sewed/glued the name to the wall tapestry and hid the strings to create the final look I wanted)

Rug

Crystal Table Lamp

Giraffe

Llama Bookends

Dolls and Bunny

Gold cups/vases

Heart-shaped clock

Bow Hooks

Baby Photo Frame (received as a gift)

Bow Holder

Flamingo Plush

Large Cat Plush

Assorted Pillows from Home Goods and Target

Books from Amazon!  (girl/pink books are hard to find! These titles are some that I scoured the internet for)

Gold Baskets from Target

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A Pretty Little Sprinkle

Yay! I am so excited to have the pics back from the Baby Sprinkle my mom and sister hosted for us.  We are so thrilled to have these beautiful images to capture the day we spent celebrating our little girl.  It was really important to all of us to have a family-friendly affair with girly flair….and I’d say we accomplished just that!  Grady did not enjoy the event as much as we would have hoped and was extremely anxious the entire time, so that made it difficult for John and I to thoroughly relax with our family and friends….but we made the most of it and had a fabulous time!

My mom of course took it to the next level (as she does), but my sister and I were sure to help with the details along the way ( you guys know I can’t keep my fingers out of these sorts of things hahaha).  We went with simplistic — feminine pinks, touches of gold, natural greenery, and lots of bright lighting thanks to the beautiful venue.  Some of my favorite things that helped make the day extra special included a Balloon artist for the kids (and adults!); an activity area set up for the kids to keep them entertained (equipped with mess-free Crayola markers, jumbo faux wood blocks, a teepee, and a magnetic board with the alphabet); beautiful pink and gold dresses lining the fabric-tufted walls of the venue (so excited for these beauties to be added to her closet thanks to my mom and dad); hand-sewn gold strands of hearts as the back-drop to the dessert table (all hand-made by my amazing mom!); and gold and pink heart balloons lining the perimeter. Every single detail came together so beautifully and we feel so blessed to continually be showered with such love from family and friends.

After such a gorgeous day, we are reminded of the perfect blessing we have in this baby girl. We cannot wait to meet her and to share her beauty with the rest of you.

Links:

Venue:  The Addison 

Photography: Thompson Photography Group

Balloon Artist: Balloon Masterz 

Cotton Candy Favors: Cotton Candy Confectionery

Eucalyptus Garland: Fifty Flowers 

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Baby T #2’s Gender Reveal

We had the most magical day this weekend while discovering the gender of our next little babe.  To be honest, John and I would have been thrilled with either a boy or girl (especially since I am a big proponent of Team Boy these days thanks to G)…but when the confetti popped pink, it was just an insanely emotional moment to know we have been blessed with one of each. I have always dreamed to have a little girl of my own, so this is truly a dream come true for me.

We originally planned to do a super simple photo with just Grady, John,and myself to share with family and friends.  But after John and I started pulling everything together, we wanted our parents to be there with all of our closest ‘friends’ (really, they are more like family) for our special moment.  We threw it out there to everyone as a totally optional and small gathering….and in true fashion, they all showed perfect support and EVERYONE wanted to come!  So of course, we couldn’t NOT do something special to celebrate the occasion.

Since we did Grady’s gender reveal in the Oak trees outside, we thought it would be fun to do something different and do this one on the beach overlooking the ocean.  We ended up at a pavilion at Phipps Ocean Park and it was a perfect venue for our intimate affair.  It was a bit too windy to do the confetti box overlooking the ocean, but there was a beautiful shaded tree that worked perfectly just a few yards away that we were able to use.

Of course my mom was my savior and helped to take the event to the next level. She handmade the garland, centerpieces, cute Beach sign, and onesie cake (as well as the reveal box). I created some signage and banners and pulled together some fun pink and blue items for the table…and I think it came together perfectly!  We literally pulled it all together in just over a week after deciding to make it more of an occasion rather than just a gathering, and I honestly could not be happier with the way it turned out.  It was truly special:   A beautiful, breezy south Florida winter day with our loved ones.Life is genuinely beautiful when you take the time to celebrate the little moments.

I am so excited to start fully planning the arrival of our little girl! She is already so loved by so many and I cannot wait to share the beauty of the world with her.

It’s a Boy! A Gender Reveal to Remember

Since this is our  first baby, John and I really wanted to have some fun with the gender reveal of Baby T.  I did a lot of research on Pinterest and some other fun blogs.  Since gender reveals are a fairly new practice, it was difficult to find something that felt timeless and classic without being cheesy or baby-ish.  Luckily, I came across this great post where the family did a beautiful event outdoors with a soft peach and mint theme.  My mom and I immediately decided to mirror our event after this.

After deciding on the theme, the next step was to find the perfect location that could host a casual gathering with a beautiful scenery.  I decided to research locations by looking into photo-shoot spots used by local photographers (this was extremely useful and I highly recommend doing it if you are unsure about event locations in different areas).  John and I wanted something that would highlight the beautiful Florida sunset in a natural setting.  When we stumbled upon the Riverbend Park in Jupiter, FL, we knew we had found a gem, and the perfect location for our photo shoot and gender reveal.

Now, the real fun began!  My mom and I hand-made these fun invitations:

We used small circular glitter confetti and punched small circles into colored craft paper to create the confetti effect (this ties to the method of our reveal used at the event).

I have to give credit to my mom for creating all of the beautiful details for this event.  She took my vision and really made it come to life!

Here is a peak at the gorgeous park and setting:

The event started with guests arriving to Peach Lemonade and Mint Iced Tea refreshments.  All guests ‘chose a side’ and wore either a peach or a mint-colored fray pin to show their wish for Baby T’s gender. 

And of course, there was the PERFECT dessert table with the very important party ‘props.’ We made poppers filled with confetti that guests would eventually pop to reveal Baby T’s gender. I mean, check out how beautiful this set-up is!

Our guests enjoyed some catered Chipotle for dinner while our photographer snapped some shots of John and I.  Then the time finally came to find out Baby T’s gender!  John and I were both literally DYING to find out.  He was expecting a girl, but I had a very strong feeling it would be a boy.  All of our guests grabbed poppers and surrounded us as we anticipated the POP!  We were so excited to see mint green confetti flying at us confirming my beliefs of a little boy on the way.  We did actually have an early popper (but it happened behind us so we didn’t see it until the rest of the group showered us at once).  At the end of the day, the early popper really just made it that more fun, memorable, and spontaneous!

After all was said and done, having an intimate gender reveal party with our closest family and friends was such an amazing blessing. We had such a blast and have these memories that will last a lifetime.  Our little boy is already so loved and blessed beyond belief…we are absolutely floored by the outpouring of genuine love and support from our friends and family. We cannot wait to welcome Grady into this world, but are so excited for the coming months to enjoy the rest of this journey.  I am already onto the next project…..Grady’s nursery :).

Here are some of my favorite pics from our photographer from this magical day:

 

SOURCES / TIPS:

Photography: http://www.thompsonphotographygroup.com/ 

Pink Maxi Dress (BCBG) : http://www.bcbgeneration.com/Color-Blocked-Cross-Back-Dress/VDW66D30-675,default,pd.html?dwvar_VDW66D30-675_color=675&cgid=shop-dresses-maxi#start=17

White Lace Dress (Bebe): http://www.bebe.com/Sale/Dresses/Lace-Long-Sleeve-Dress/90376.pro?keyword=white%20lace%20dress 

Pink Glitter Napkins: http://www.swoozies.com/product/292772

Aqua Blue Napkins: http://www.swoozies.com/product/292983

Glitter Mason Jars: Quart Ball Jars from Walmart; Spray adhesive paint from Home Depot; Gold glitter from Michaels; Gold Metallic paint from Walmart

Gold Lettering Signs: Here’s a how-to on the process: http://jennycollier.com/diy-gold-foil-print/ we bought a laminator here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010JEJPC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010JEJPC&linkCode=as2&tag=httpjennycoco-20&linkId=YTYHTRHSE3CMEBXJ; and Gold Foil can be purchased here: http://lauramurraydesigns.com/foil/foil-by-the-yard/

Floating Frames: “At Home” design store 11 x 14 & 8 x 10 black frames, painted white

Poppers:  Push-pops: http://shop.pushpopcontainers.com/ ; Special Tissue colors cut into small squares: http://www.nashvillewraps.com/ ; + ribbon, gold sequins and clear white crinkle paper from the craft store

Team Boy/Girl Pins: Crepe paper sewn to safety pins: http://www.papermart.com/premium-colored-crepe-paper/id=36547