I blame this dress...

...for inspiring a crazy woman to start cataloging ideas for Claire's 1st Birthday already.

And yes, if you are keeping track, she turns just 3 months old this week :-)

And yes, the crazy woman is me.

Isn't it adorable though? It was a great deal today on zulily.

For the record, I do not want this year to rush by whatsoever. In fact, I wish I could press pause and freeze time with her with each passing day, but you never know when & where inspiration will strike and today there was no denying it. The colors, patterns and textures from the dress are perfect for a future Claire Celebration.

So if you are interested in my proactive party-planning ideas, check them out on this pinterest board. And if you have any ideas that fit the vibe, please share! I have nothing but 9 more months of time.

Our Baby's Nursery

I thought I'd reveal our nursery now that it is mostly complete! Good thing, since we are only 3 weeks away for our due date.

It came out pretty close to the original mood board I put together and overall I am very happy with the look. I can't wait until our little baby boy or baby girl gets to come home to his or her new space. I also uploaded it to Project Nursery if you want to check it out there.

I also want to share the sources for all of the great "stuff" to help provide ideas to others:

Furniture:

• overlapping-squares daybed, from west elm
• Gulliver crib in white, from Ikea
• Hemnes 3 drawer chest, from Ikea
• Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker, from Bobby Berk Home (free freight shipping!)
• Tall White Bookcase, from Target
• Wall Book Bin, from The Land of Nod

Accessories:

• Abacus, from cb2
• Woven Veneer Pendant, from west elm
• Dream Menagerie Rug, from anthropologie
• Jungle Friends-Bamboo Mobile, from petitcollage, etsy seller
• Hand Quilted Velvet Pillow in Orange, Round Pintuck Pillow in Yellow, Velvet Ruffle Pillow in Green & Hand Quilted Velvet Pillow in Turquoise, from urban outfitters
• owl lantern in light blue, from urban outfitters
• orange changing pad cover, from The Land of Nod
• Cutie Bear Print, from Delicious Design League
• Zebra & Giraffe Print, from OrangeWillow, etsy seller
• Illinois & Missouri Print, from qadesign, etsy seller
• Lime Green Ceramic Piglet Bank, from crate & barrel outlet
• brightly colored shelf bins, from The Land of Nod
• Aqua Glass Zinnia Knobs, anthropologie

And a Few Vintage Finds:

• Retro wicker changing table-circa 1981, mine from childhood. (Was brown, but my dad painted it white.)
• Aqua Mirror (found at the vintage bazaar)
• Green Lamp (found 5 years ago at a vintage shop in Chicago. New shade still being made!)

Grey Wall Color:

• Benjamin Moore Aura AF-700 "Storm"

Phew...so there you have it: Our Baby's Nursery! I searched online for months for nursery ideas, so I hope this helps someone else on their nursery decorating journey.

The Look for Less: Orange Side Table

To top off the nursery we needed something small near the rocker on which to set a book, a glass of water, etc.

I had been eyeing this Martini Side Table from West Elm for a while, but I wasn't sure about the $129 price tag:

After a little searching, I found this Sally Stool in melon, online at Target for only $49.99. I think it seems a little more "kid friendly" as well:

Better, yet I added it to the baby registry and used my 10% registry completion coupon to order it, which included free shipping. I hope it works out when it arrives!

Orange Fizz & Other Stuff

The nursery is almost complete so I hope to take photos shortly of the finished product.

One of the last finishing touches will be this awesome orange fizz clock coming my way from chiasso... at a deep discount from my sister since she works their as a graphic designer ;-)

And last night we added this cute, little white wall book bin from the Land of Nod, which we hung by the rocker for easy reading access:

And a few of these small, strapping storage bins in white, green and orange:

We're almost there!

Mood Board Monday - Aqua & Orange

Today I'm going to try out an idea for a new weekly post, Mood Board Monday.

It really will just be me, putting together a montage of things that inspire me or that I'm digging at the time. For this first edition, I'm featuring a mood board of the color combo aqua and orange. I'm loving it these days for anything from stationary to fashion to home decor.

Here are the sources of my inspiration...

Top (from left to right):
1. Blue Colander, Martha Stewart Collection for Macy's
2. Chicago Ork Poster, Orange & Blue
3. Old Aqua Wheelbarrow by deardaisycottage, on flickr
4. Vintage Enamel Blue and Orange Daisy Brooch, by bunnygoods, etsy seller
5. Orange by D Sharon Pruitt, on flickr
6. Orange and Aqua by wiccked, on flickr
7. Oranges in Turquoise Bowl by hedgiecc, on flickr

8. i love illinois, by qadesign, etsy seller
9. Real Simple Logo
10. Be Yourself. Flower Hair Pins, by jennifermagnesi, etsy seller

So there you have it. Aqua & Orange...not just for the Miami Dolphins anymore.