the nursery.

If the occupant is no longer considered an infant, can you still call their room a nursery?  I have wanted to share photos of Arlo's room since before he was born.  I kept delaying this post due to not being completely finished decorating, and while it's still not 100% done (will it ever be?) I have decided it's finally time to just share how it looks right now so I can always remember his first bedroom.  I would describe my style as eclectic and tend to choose natural and organic elements - handmade and recycled when possible, so his room is kind of a hodgepodge of vintage, new, and DIY projects.  While his is the smallest room in our house, it is also definitely one of my favorites!

When we started remodeling our house over two years ago, I knew that we would be using this room as the nursery, and choose to start painting in there first.  As I did with every single room in the house, I painted the ceiling, walls, window trim and baseboards, door and door trim, and closet shelving.  I wasn't even pregnant with Arlo yet, but always had a feeling that we would have boys, and choose a very subtle blue paint for the walls.  Together, Erik and I installed a switch for the closet light (formerly a pull-cord) and wired in a ceiling light above the changing table.  I love how it turned out, and I am so excited to finally share it with y'all.

Welcome to Arlo's room!

wall shelves:  hand built from scrap lumber by Erik, painted by me.
toys on shelves:  lamb with red heart sewn by me, cat and dragon crocheted by me.  I also made the bunting.  shoes are the ones I bought for the baby announcement photo!  the rest of items are gifts.
cloud wall clock:  made by me.  I ordered the wood from etsy, painted it and installed a clock mechanism.
rocking chair and ottoman:  yard sale find.
quilt on the chair:  hand made my my mom, but I choose the fabric and pattern.  free pattern available here!
side table:  bought secondhand, metal basket full of burp cloths made by me.  baby monitor is by Anglecare.
curtains:  I wish I could say I made them myself, but I was running out of time as my due date was approaching and ended up buying these from TJ Maxx. 

Crib:  this was my baby crib (it is 32 ½ years old)!  After I was done using it as a baby, it was kept at my Grandparents house in northern Michigan.  all of my younger cousins slept in it when they went to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  at first I was unsure if this crib was really "my style" for Arlo's room, and thought about painting it a fun color.  I am so glad I kept it original - I absolutely love it's vintage look.  we bought a new mattress, Little Dreamer by Moonlight Slumber (which I highly recommend!)  small cart at the foot of the crib holds the cloth diapers and a few books that Arlo can easily access.

crochet mobile:  Little Veggie Mobile - one of my original designs.  pattern available in my etsy store  :)

photo on wall:  gift from friend

birdcage:  I saw this in a catalog before I was even pregnant, and knew it would be perfect for a future nursery.  this was the first thing I ever bought for the room!  on it, I have displayed ultrasound photos, the pregnancy announcement I hung up at work, Arlo's birth announcement, a whale I crocheted, a bunny I hand sewed, and photos of Arlo that rotate as he continues to grow and change.

dresser/changing table:  found on Craigslist, and we paid a bit more than I wanted to because it fit in this little alcove so perfectly.  I think it cost $80, but it is solid wood and was already painted the exact color I was looking for.  there are maybe two inches to the wall on either side, and it's the perfect height for a changing table.  all I did was change out the knobs to solid bronze to match the rest of the hardware in the house. 
changing pad:  bought on Amazon but I can't remember which brand it is.  I know it has an organic cotton cover and is contoured on all four sides.  I sewed the changing pad cover myself, and made a couple of other ones so we have extras.
little basket:  don't know where it came from, but I use it to store baby lotion, diaper rash stick, flannel cloth wipes (made by my mom), and a squirt bottle with plain water to wet the cloth wipes.

inside the crib:  Arlo's favorite stuffed animal - snugamonkey!  also, an alligator I crocheted and little gnome doll I sewed.  the monkey and colorful caterpillar were baby shower gifts.  the flannel receiving blanket at the foot of the crib was one of many made by Erik's mom, and we have been using these since Arlo was born!

Arlo says "hi! thanks for stopping by!"

the closet:  not as organized as it was in the very beginning, that's for sure!  I keep most of his clothes in the dresser for easy access when we are changing him, but have the less frequently used items hanging up, as well as things I have bought for the next season so I can keep track of what I still need to buy as he grows.  also stored in here are sheets, blankets, shoes, some toys, hats, books for bedtime reading, his suitcase, and extra diaper inserts and wipes.  I also have quite the stockpile of disposable diapers (for nighttime use and traveling) on the top shelf as I scored a great deal online and stocked up a while back!

Thanks for coming along on the nursery tour.  Now if you'll excuse Arlo, it's time for his nap!

our first houseguest!

I haven't had a chance to write about it yet as I have had a very busy work week, but this past weekend was such a fun and exciting one!  Eriks Mom flew down from Michigan to spend time with us and we are so happy that she did.  It was a short visit but we had such a great time.  We ate a lot of yummy food, visited Duke Gardens, went yard sale-ing, and spent some relaxing time just hanging out at the house. She was our first guest in the new house so I was pretty excited to have someone try out the guest bed & bath that we had all ready for her  :)

A few instagrams from our afternoon at Duke Gardens:

lily pads, lilies (I think), lovely garden, lovely Lucy

Erik & I at the Gardens

Erik & his mama as we enjoyed a yummy sushi lunch before she headed back to Michigan

Since his Mom is so handy with putting things together (well she is handy with everything, really) we decided to put together the crib while she was here.  My family actually saved the crib I had as a baby and they offered it to me last year.  It traveled all the way from northern Michigan down to NC and I am so happy to have it.  I debated on buying a more modern crib, or even painting this one, but after it was set up I was glad I left it just how it is.  Vintage, a little worn, and exactly my style.  The very best part though, is the idea that this is where I slept as a tiny baby, as did my sister and nine of my cousins.  After I was done with it, my mom kept it at my Grandmas house and whenever she had the young grandbabies visiting that is where they slept (fortunately we were all a year or two apart so no one really needed it at the same time!)  Here it is all put together, just as it was way back in 1982 when my parents set it up for me:

My parents actually saved the mattress too, but that was something we decided to replace.  I have been shopping for a natural mattress made of organic materials as those seem to be the safest material-wise.  I didn't plan to start setting things up this early but it's pretty exciting to see things starting to come together.  And the sooner we have the big things done the sooner I can start decorating  :D

Thanks to Eriks mom for helping us with the crib and for making last weekend a really great one!

DIY felt bunnies + thrifty baby finds

At the recommendation of my husband who heard about it from a coworker, I recently started following a new blog, Going Home to Roost.  It is a very sweet blog about plant-based eating, simple living, and cute crafty things.  On it, I came across this adorable tutorial for a DIY felt "bunny with a baby" and after finding myself home this weekend with some spare time and all the materials required to make it, I decided to whip one up for myself!

Here is the version from the tutorial on her blog:

I didn't have pink felt so I used brown.  Also, my white felt began to fray so my bunnies look a little bit scrappy!  I think they still turned out pretty cute and will make a sweet little decoration in the nursery, maybe sitting on a shelf or hanging on the wall  :)

I also came across some more great finds while sale-ing this past weekend...  Strangely enough, after I recently shared my feelings that I think this little peanut is a girl, everything that I came across at a few different sales was for a baby girl....  I couldn't help myself, I went for it and at only $1 per piece, it didn't exactly break the bank.  And how could I say no to that sweet pink dress??

Clockwise from top left:  Gap Baby dress, baby's first "North Face,"  and several sleeper gowns that I can't seem to stop buying.  Plus two adorable blankets.  Everything like new or new, and only $1 per item.

If this baby is a boy, I am going to have a lot of stuff to hand over to a friend or coworker that has a little girl.  Either that or our little guy is going to wear a lot of pink, ha!  ;)

I am still shopping for mostly gender neutral stuff as we have another 6 weeks or so before we find out if this is a little baby boy or girl.  By that time though, most of the big yard sales for the year are over and it will be too late to find deals as great as these...  So when I come across these adorable things that look brand new but cost so little, it's kind of hard to walk away!

15 week update in the works, coming up soon! 

13 weeks

Since I usually post my weekly updates towards the end of the week (and this week I am even later than usual), I am now actually almost 14 weeks and just a couple of days away from the second trimester!  It is crazy to think I am 1/3 of the way to meeting this little peanut  :)

I am feeling great, with the exception of some poor sleep these past few nights.  Not sure why, but it could have something to do with changing my work schedule last week.  I started working longer shifts but fewer per week, and this means I need to get up earlier than usual to get to work on time.  So far though I love it, I am enjoying my last of four days in a row off, and it seriously feels like I am coming off a mini-vacation.

The only other symptom I had this week was some sharp pains in my lower abdomen/groin area that lasted only a few seconds and only happened a few times.  I remember reading something about round ligament pain recently, and after looking it up I am quite sure that is what those sharp pinches were.  I was actually kind of excited about it once I realized I was having a new pregnancy symptom, ha!

Here is a little photo recap of the last 4 weeks and end of the first trimester:

For the pre-bump photo I used one I had taken last year since I didn't do any "before" photos this time...

So here we are at 13 weeks, baby is the size of a peach, measuring in at 2.9 inches long and weighing in at about 0.81 ounces.  The teeth and vocal cords are forming this week, and this tiny peach sized baby already has fingerprints!

13 weeks + 4 days

I realize that with a dress on it's hard to see the tiny start of the bump that exists, but I had no desire for anything but a comfortable slip-on dress today.  It has been so hot out!  There isn't much of a change in the belly area, if anything I almost feel that it got smaller, is that possible?  I have been pretty active the past few days, walking a lot and even did yoga twice.  As well, my appetite is leveling off, I am not ravenous all the time as I have been in past weeks.  So maybe that has something to do with it...

One of the best parts of this weekend was my yard sale-ing adventure yesterday.  I found some amazing stuff for super cheap!  I was downright giddy when I got home, lol...  I walked away with around 30 pieces of baby clothing (including a yellow rain jacket, ralph lauren sweater, and several sleepers) for get this - 20 cents a piece!!!  The girl who was selling them was very motivated to get rid of everything and was only asking $1 for 5 pieces - some were complete sets too.  People, this price is basically free.  Everything I picked out was like new or in great shape and mostly sized newborn - 6 months.

The next great find was a piece of furniture for the nursery.  I found the perfect rocker and ottoman set in nearly-new condition for only $25 total (they were asking $30) and I later realized I probably would have paid a lot more.  It has a removable slip cover that is completely washable, and after laundering the whole thing it looks brand, spanking new.  I imagine this thing was around $200 new?  Maybe more?  It's really nice quality!  I set it up in the nursery with a few little crocheted items I made last year...

At that same sale, the lady was selling a brand new moby wrap for only $5!!  The current price on amazon is $48.  I have a similar wrap that I made last year but for $5 I was willing to pick up a moby as well, just in case mine doesn't work the way I want.

My last amazing find was a brand new fuzzi bunz cloth diaper, still with the original price tag of $18.95 attached.  I scored this for only 25 cents!!  I looked at the lady like she was crazy when she told me the price, but I wasn't going to argue with her!  ;)

We plan to cloth diaper so I am always on the look out for them at yard sales.  I am not opposed to used ones that are in great condition, but to find one brand new was pretty awesome.  I also came home with a lovely purple blanket for the rocker in the nursery ($2), a 12 pack of brand new cotton pre-folds for diapering or burp cloth use ($0.25 for all 12), a picture frame for the nursery ($1), and a few soft rattles with the tags still attached ($0.25 each.)  It was like the yard sale gods were smiling down on me yesterday, haha...

After buying the rocker and seeing how things look as I slowly add to the nursery, I am getting super excited to start decorating in there.  I know it is still early, but I can't help thinking about all the cute things I want to add to that space.  I must have walked by the nursery 15 times since yesterday just to see the little corner of stuff I set up.  Further decorating will have to wait a few weeks though.  Next weekend we are headed up to Michigan to visit with Erik's parents and attend my family reunion, all the was up in Alpena.  My next two posts (if I find time to do them) will be coming from "up north."  Hopefully I will be able to pop in at least once and just write a little about how the trip is going.  Until then..

12 weeks

This week was another exciting one for us.  We had our first visit at the Birthing Center, as well we shared the big news with our extended family and friends/co-workers!

The appointment was on Tuesday morning, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience for our first visit.  We saw a NP this time, and for future appointments will be meeting with the midwives.  From the time we got there to the time we left, it was an entirely positive experience.  I never once felt pressured into a test or procedure I didn't want, as well the NP was super friendly and spent over an hour talking to us and answering questions.  We heard the heartbeat via doppler, and we wouldn't be us if I didn't have Erik take a video of it  ;)  See below for a clip:




I thought I would get all emotional again and start crying, but as soon as the heartbeat came across so loud and clear, I suddenly felt like everything was exactly as it should be.  It was really there, and the anxiety of miscarriage is starting to quickly fade.  Of course I know that really anything can still happen and just because I have made it this far doesn't guarantee everything will be okay from here on out, but I know that the chances of miscarriage at this point are very, very low.

It was really neat to hear the little "blips" on the doppler that she said were movements from the baby.  I didn't know you could detect those with the doppler, that was a fun surprise.  All week now I have pictured that little one flipping around and having a dance party in my uterus, haha...

After the appointment we were too excited not to share the news with our co-workers since we were both working that day.  I had already printed up announcement cards in anticipation of the big reveal, and shortly after I got to work secretly hung them up for someone to discover...

It took a while for someone to notice it, but finally they did and of course everyone was very excited!  A few people told me they already had suspicions that I was pregnant, and others were completely surprised.  All week long there have been people congratulating me as the news slowly filtered out to other departments.  It was a lot of fun to share the news this way!

The next morning I e-mailed out the announcement to our extended families, and received back an overwhelming response of love and excitement.  Since I couldn't send out the same announcement I hung up at work (obviously they would know it was us coming from my e-mail address) I made something a little different, but used the same picture.

So this brings me to the 12 week update (and I promise no more pictures of our feet!)  Happily I can report I am feeling great now.  I had one morning this week of being a little nauseated but I really think it was from a poor night of sleep, and fortunately it didn't last long.  I think that I would be sleeping a lot better if I wasn't getting up so many times in the night to use the bathroom.  Who designed our bodies to have the uterus right next to the bladder??  ;)  I feel like mine has shrunk down to 1/4 it's original size, haha...

12 weeks - sorry for the grainy photos.  Poor lighting today + point and shoot camera = not great photos!

I took these photos in the nursery today.  The "birdcage" on the right side of the photo is a really neat photo display that I plan to eventually hang on the wall and use for displaying ultrasound photos, announcements, and other baby related things.

Baby is the size of a plum this week, measuring in at 2.1" long and 0.49 ounces.  Most of the critical systems are fully formed and baby is about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which the organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.  The fingers are starting to open and close, and the baby can curl their toes as well.  I found this one kinda cute - the reflexes are now developing and if I poke my belly he/she is likely to move around in response! 

I am not really having any weird cravings or anything, although lemon (and not just a slice - I am talking 1/2 the fruit per glass) in my water is still a necessity.  Sushi (vegan of course) with avocado, carrots, and extra ginger is something I have been eating at every opportunity.  Recently I requested we go out for sushi twice in the same weekend, which is a bit unlike me!

I guess from here on out it's really just grow baby, grow  :)

Little Veggie Baby Mobile

After some moderate success with selling my Bees Mobile Pattern on etsy, I decided to write another mobile crochet pattern!  It has taken me about a month to write the pattern, make the mobile, photograph it, and put it on etsy, but I finally finished.  Introducing, the little Veggies:

This pattern features four cute little veggies: Ethel the Eggplant, Carl the Carrot, Piper & Pete the Petite Peas, and Ruby the Radish, as well as Roux the Rabbit all hanging from a lovely wooden hoop.  

If you are interested, the pattern can be purchased here:  Little Veggie Mobile Pattern

As well, you can visit my etsy store and see all my items here:  the bird's & the B's etsy shop

Happy hooking!

Thrifty baby: take 1

It is no secret that I am quite the thrifty shopper.  I rarely buy anything unless it is on sale, clearance, or a fantastic deal.  I get far more excited than I should from scoring an inexpensive new treasure while yard sale-ing.  In fact, most of my favorite things in our house are thrifted items.  Well-loved (and well-made) vintage pieces are so much cooler to me than the stuff you can buy in stores today.  That being said, we did just spend a ridiculous amount on new custom-made living room furniture, because there are some things I just won't buy used (and we wanted to put our tax return to good use - ha!)  Rule #1 when buying secondhand - must be washable.  Couches, mattresses, rugs are excluded from my thrift shopping since I can't thoroughly sanitize the items.  Anything made from hard materials (such as wood or metal) or that can be put in a washing machine are fair game.

So it will probably no come as a surprise to anyone when I say that I want 95% of our baby stuff to come to us secondhand.  Yes this will save money of course, but even more important are the environmental benefits.  Think of how many babies are born each year, and all of the "stuff" each of these tiny little humans will go through in their first year alone.  If every one of these babies had all new stuff, think of all the CRAP that would go to a landfill after the baby used it for a couple months then outgrew it.  We already have a major trash storage problem in this country, the last thing I want to do is contribute more than I absolutely need to.  So sorry to disappoint you, we will not be creating that mile-long registry list at babies-r-us.  Can I register at local yard sales?  ;)

Since it is now mid-April, "yard sale season" is now really getting into full swing.  Even months and months ago before we even started trying for a baby, I knew we would be sometime in the next year, and this "season" would be the time to be shopping for baby stuff (and boy am I happy that time is finally here!)  There are some crazy good deals out there to be had... People with little ones seem fully ready to part with their no-longer-needed items, and will practically give the stuff away to avoid having to bring in back in their houses.  I will say that I am quite picky with what I will actually buy for baby.  It has to be in very good to like-new condition, and be fully washable.  I will save those more "well-loved" items at the sale for someone not as picky as me!

So after reading all that, aren't you excited to see what I have found already?  :D

 Books:

Pregnancy books: two were free, $0.25 - $0.50 each for others.  Skinny Bitch book was only bought because it was written by those two vegan girls, and it has already been passed on to someone else as I didn't care much for it...  A couple of these are a little dated (which explains their price tag of free) but still have some useful information.

  

Clothes:

 Every clothing item is in like-new condition and was only $0.50 each.
 

Ducks... So in love with these!!

Super soft blanket - only $1!  And two more outfits...

Cloth Diapers:

Some of you might find it strange to buy cloth diapers at a yard sale.  Trust me, when I thought about this I knew I was going to have to set my standards even higher than usual.  I actually planned on buying these new if I didn't find any that matched my expectations.  Fortunately I did - and at one of the first sales of the season!  These are in nearly-new condition with no stains and hardly any signs of wear.  I have always known that we would cloth diaper our babies, and I also know how expensive they are...  This brand Kushies is normally $12-$15 per diaper depending on where you buy them.  Are you ready for this?  I bought all 13 of them... For a whopping $10!!  Score.  Even if we don't love this brand (I plan on picking up several different brands to see which we like best) they can function as back-ups.
 

There are 6 diapers that fit babies 4-10lbs and 7 diapers that fit babies 10-22lbs.  If our baby is anything like Erik was at birth (over 10lbs!) we won't be using the smaller ones at all.  Seriously though, I hope we will!  :o

The first thing I do when I bring home new (used) baby stuff is wash it in hot water and dry thoroughly.

These are "all in one" diapers meaning there is no removable liner.  I don't know really the pros or cons of these but from the reviews I read people really seem to like them.  And see - clean and perfect condition inside!!

Bottles:

I came across these bottles (brand new in box) this past weekend at a church sale that had TONS of baby stuff.  I do plan to breast feed, but these will be good for the times that I am away and someone else will be feeding the baby my pumped milk.  I knew when I saw them that they were kinda fancy and not your typical cheap-o bottle.  Price check on Amazon: $13.49 currently with a list price of $25.  I bought these (never used) for only $3.

Blocks:

When I saw these at a sale yesterday they immediately reminded me of the old-school blocks I had as a young child.  Solid wood with a vintagy-feel, even though they actually came from Pottery Barn.  When I brought them home I used a magic-eraser to remove some crayon marks from a couple of the blocks (came off super easy) and then washed them all in a sink of hot soapy water.  Then once dry I proceeded to play with them on the kitchen table for a little bit, haha...  These will be super cute nursery decorations plus a really neat toy when the baby is older!  Pottery Barn sells them new for $54 (unbelievable I know,) I paid $3 for the whole set.  Niiiiice.
 

Savings breakdown:

Estimated cost to buy all items new:  (Average $12 per book, $10 per clothing item, $13 for blanket, $13 per diaper, $14 for bottles, $54 for blocks) = $360

I paid = $20.50

That is like buying everything for 94% off.

Good deal?  I think so.  Can't wait to do it all again next weekend!

Crochet Pillow Ball

I came across this sweet little crocheted pillow ball recently on Pinterest and knew right when I saw it that I would soon have my own (homemade) version.

Crochet Pillow Ball by lacasadecoto on etsy

I liked the traditional granny squares that this little pillow had, but thought it might be cuter to find something a little more fancy.  I came across this pattern in my search for the perfect square, and fell in love with it immediately...

Here is how I made my version of the granny square pillow ball:

First I made six squares following the above pattern.  I then single crocheted them all together, leaving one unattached on three sides so I could put the stuffing in.  These six squares essentially formed a cube, but figured if I stuffed it firmly it would make more of a round shape. 

Because this pattern makes squares with fairly decent sized holes, I decided to make a "liner" for the ball to keep the stuffing from coming out.  As well, I didn't want the stuffing to be visible through the holes.  I made the liner out of scrap off-white flannel fabric.  I didn't follow any kind of pattern really, just tried to make something in the shape of the "cube."

As you can see, the inside "liner" ended up being significantly larger than the granny squares.  I was trying to make it slightly larger knowing that the grannies would stretch, but I think I went a bit overboard.  Like I said though, I didn't follow a pattern, just made it up as I went along...

I had to really stretch the squares, but I finally made it fit!  I sewed up the edges, and just like that had my own crocheted pillow ball!

Total cost of project:  Well, free since I used yarn/fabric/stuffing I already had on hand.  Materials probably cost around $4 or less.  Compared to the one on Etsy for $30 + shipping I would say I did pretty good!  The yarn that I used is one of my favorites - Lions Brand Cotton-Ease.

Although it turned out a bit larger than I had originally thought it would (about the size of a large cantaloupe) I still think it will make an awesome nursery decoration on a shelf or chair.  I love it and am so happy with how it turned out!

Happy hooking y'all!  ;)