2 days til Christmas!! I can’t believe how fast it has gone!  I feel like I just put up all of my decorations….and now they will soon have to come down.  But trust me, my halls will be decked until new year!  These are just a few pics of our Christmas-y house.  Bam was quite the pest with the lights.  He just wouldn’t stop batting them around and getting all tangled up in them.  That cat…I still can’t help but love him!  I had a field day at West Elm a few weeks ago.  I went there looking for drapes and out I go with a bag full of holiday loot.  That store always gets me.  My favorites were these little Papier Mache Reindeer and Felt Ball Wreaths.  I’ve had a slight obsession with anything felt the past few months, and well, Christmas couldn’t be any different.  I’m sad they can’t stay year around!  But I guess that would take the fun out of putting them UP if they never came down!

Tomorrow we head to my parent house for our “Family Christmas”.  Since my sisters will be with their husbands families on Christmas day, we decided to make Christmas Eve “OUR” Christmas.  Holidays have gotten tricky now with all of us married.  Gone are the days of all of us going to bed early together so we can wake up to the smell of dad’s bacon and eggs and run to the fireplace to open our stockings.  I just love my sisters.  Now we are lucky if we all are together on Christmas.  But that’s just how it goes.  It’s a blessing we all have men to love and family to visit, right!?  I am excited to be celebrating this year for the first time with Rylee.  It makes me happy to think about Sam and I creating Christmas traditions of our own….memories for Rylee to have as she grows.  I REALLY wanted a “Babies First Christmas” ornament to add to the tree, but I just couldn’t find one for the life of me.  Maybe I will find one after the new year on sale somewhere! Ha! I still really want one….(if you’ve ever seen a cute one online somewhere, I’d love to hear where!) We are taking Rylee to a Christmas Eve service tomorrow night and I have her dress and hair bow all ready to go!  It will be her first time attending church. Kind of a big deal! Anyway…I hope you all have an amazing Christmas with the people you love!  Thanks for reading my blog and for all your sweet comments, always!

So thankful this year!

THE CRIB

 When I first started thinking about the nursery, I thought the big portion of my budget would be spent on the crib and changer.  I loved the look of the vintage inspired iron cribs but also liked the clean lines and simplicity of the more modern cribs like the Oeuf Sparrow.  Problem was that I couldn’t afford the asking price on most of the styles I liked. I was pretty torn on what to buy, until I spotted THIS crib on craigslist for $25.00!! Yes, I wrote that correctly.  It was love at first site!  I called the guy immediately and picked it up that same day.  Apparently it was one of those “storage wars” stories where the guy bought out a repossessed storage unit and re-sold all the things inside.   This crib was last to go and he did not see the value in it (lucky for me!!)  It was perfect!!! Sam reinforced the bolts, repainted it, and sanded the edges to still give it that vintage distressed look.  It’s dimensions are a little smaller than your standard crib size, so I had to order a custom sized mattress to fit.  A little price to pay in the grand scheme of things.  With the money I saved on the crib, I was able to order my dream crib bedding, the Matteo Tat Crib Set in greige.

For Rylee’s Shower,  my mom bought a few of these POM’S to add as decoration for the party.  I loved them so much I wanted to re-use some of them somehow in her nursery.  I decided to create a sort of paper cloud above her crib.  I didn’t have all the colors I wanted, so I looked up a tutorial on how to create them (I watched THIS ONE) and made a few of my own using my colors of choice.  It was easier than I thought…just a little time consuming.  I tacked them to the ceiling using clear thread and pushpins.  And although flag buntings are widely over used in baby rooms these days, I can’t help but still love them.  I would put buntings all over my house if I could.  I found the perfect quilt bunting at etsy shop Pieces of Olde.  Above it I hung a custom made crocheted garland with Rylee’s name on it….which I got from Re Rae’s Shop.  The large wooden letter “R”  hanging above the small dresser is from Grace Graffiti.  And that small dresser you see was on clearance at Home Goods!  It was an awful pea green color that we just sanded down and refinished using the same paint that we used on the crib.  It’s perfect to store Rylee’s hats and headbands, socks, tights and pajamas.

THE CHANGER

After the crib purchase I totally re-thought my plan for the room.  Since my crib was vintage, I also wanted some sort of antique changing table (or dresser turned changing table that is).  After scouring again on craigslist and finding nothing, we headed down to the Ocean Beach Antique District.  It was a fun day of sifting through old garb, but it wasn’t until our last stop at Vignette’s Antiques that I found the piece I was looking for.  It’s french styling, rounded legs, and scalloped bottom matched perfectly to other mini dresser I bought at Home Goods.  I measured the height and to my surprise it was 40″, pretty standard to most changing tables on the market.  And bonus, the price was right. Done deal.  Again, we repainted  the original soft pink color to the same ivory that we used on the crib and accent dresser, and swapped out the hardware.  All my major furniture pieces were bought at under $250!!  That never happens!

The peach cloud  mobile I found at The Butter Flying.  It’s one of my favorite pieces in the nursery.

The Sleep Sheep is from Pottery Barn.  (what a life saver that thing is!)

The white floor lamp was another repainted steal from Home Goods.

And the “Mama Bear. Baby Bear ” painting is one of my own.  Soon to be available as a print in my shop!

THE DECOR

I’ve been collecting these embroidery hoops over the last two years.  I never was quite sure what I wanted to do with them….until Rylee’s room came to be.  There is something child like and playful with all of them displayed in a cluster.   After I delivered Rylee, I ordered a special mini one from  a.e wilder with her birth date of August 19th stamped on. I added the little fawn clock from DECOYLAB to the mix too.  I always knew I wanted to use one of their many animal clocks for her room….and when I saw they came out with the fawn…I was sold!  Underneath the  embroidery hoops I hung Rylee’s favorite jumper (sorry, MY favorite jumper from Janie & Jack!) on a padded baby hanger I got from Out of the Closet Hangers.

Other hoops were purchased from :  pilli pilli / love, maude / you are with me / Lee Lee’s Closet

THE ROCKER

Ok….the splurge.  This was it.  I spotted this beauty on pinterest one day and tracked down the model:  Nurseryworks Empire Rocker.  It is aaaamazing, and probably my best investment.  Many nights have been spent rocking baby (and mom) to sleep on this thing.  The peach butterflies coming out from the window on the wall were from etsy shop Bug’s Loft.  And the burlap foot stool was a local vintage find.  I was convinced by a few people to buy blackout curtains versus regular (for obvious reasons). The grey blackout curtains I decided on were from Overstock.  They matched pretty well with the doily rug I got from Anthro.  Thank you Bam for so kindly displaying it for us below.  Haha.  I love that guy.

THE WARDROBE

Last but not least!  A girl needs a space for clothes!  Since we ripped out the closet (which now houses the crib) we needed to figure out how we were going to store and hang her clothes.  I didn’t need a lot of space since her clothes are so tiny….but I did need SOMETHING.  There was an awkward notch in the wall that served purpose when there once was a closet there….but now that that was gone, it just looked like a room divider that was not meant to be there. In comes smart husband with a brilliant idea.  He took that nook and built a mini closet.  Installing two bars for hanging, and three shelves for storage.  It’s pretty hidden from the rest of the room, so I didn’t think it was necessary to have some sort of drape to hide it.  In fact, I kind of liked the idea of leaving it open and hanging her cutest dresses and blouses there.  (I had already started quite the collection!)  The rest of the clothes I wanted “hidden”, I just put in her dresser.  I bought some cute wicker baskets for the bottom shelves that I use to store miscellaneous baby stuff that accumulates.  I realize now that there is a lot of that!

 Ok…there you have it!  Hopefully I haven’t missed any “where to buy” links.  If I did, feel free to email me!  I like to think that Rylee loves her room.  But let’s be honest, it really was just more for me to love….right now at least.  Maybe one day she will see it and appreciate it as I do.  Sigh…one day!  Right now, she really just loves her bunny, and that’s ok by me.

Nursery photos by Sarah Shreves

Sunday night before our ultrasound appointment the next morning, I asked Sam what his final guess was, boy or girl? He surprisingly got kind of serious and turned to me and said “A baby girl, hopefully just like her mom”. Tear! He knew from the beginning,  but I wasn’t so sure.  My mom came along with us to the ultrasound.  I wanted her there to share with me in this special moment.  She has been the most incredible mother, supporter and friend…and if I am just the half of  what she was for me, I would be doing something right.  She and Sam stood by my side as the doctor spread goo all over my belly and motioned around until she found a clear picture.  ”Girl” she said…..and then came my bout of tears and laughs and kisses. It is one of the most amazing things to actually see her squirming about inside of me on the screen (God knows I can FEEL her!).  The doctor assured me that although I am small for 5 months, that the baby seems to be growing healthy and strong, actually measuring a little big for where I am at! Such comforting news! The last time I saw her this way was at 12 weeks when she was just a tiny thing, the size of a lime.  Now, at just over 20 weeks, she weighs almost 11 ounces and measures about 10 inches from head to heel.  I got to see her tiny hands and feet and her big round belly.  Looks like she might have daddy’s full lips too!  We are so thrilled! Now I just need to force myself to control my spending, because shopping for a girl comes a little too naturally!

If anyone knows of any great baby websites (for clothes, decor, furniture steals, ect) ….do tell!  I would love to add to my ever growing list!  The hunt begins….

These beautiful photographs were taken from the blog Thoughts From Alice W. She too is expecting a little one, and I imagine her nursery will be just perfect…perfectly vintage.

Myka Haddad is one half of the event design company I love, Sitting in a Tree.  Her partner being none other than my friend Tori Hendrix. Myka’s incredible San Francisco loft was just featured on The Collection Event Studio Blog.  Tori commissioned me to create the bride painting above “Vows in the Valley” for Myka to have on her wedding day.  So fun to see how she worked it into her decor! What a dreamy space huh!?!

See the full post and more photos of her lovely home over on The Collection.  Photos by Edyta Szyszlo.

Ok ok…I’m ready.  Most of you guessed it from my hinting of a “BIG SURPRISE” on my post last week, but the rumors are TRUE! I have a baby growing in my belly!  Trust me, it came as quite a surprise!  Sam and I were not exactly “trying” but we really could not be more excited with the news.  While we were on Christmas vacation up in Colorado I came down with bad case of altitude sickness, so I thought.  Nausea, dizziness, headaches….which I assumed would pass when I got home to San Diego.  But when our flight landed and I was walking off the plane feeling just as nauseous, I thought to myself “what if….?”.  One quick stop at the drugstore later, we’ve got a double lined POSITIVE pregnancy stick. (5 actually, I just had to make sure.) I cried for a while, out of shock and happiness and fear and confusion…I had a lot of emotions running through me.  But once I settled down and thought about what just happened, I smiled, and thanked God for the plan he had, and has, for my life.  HE knows me better than I know myself, and I know this little baby will be the biggest blessing I have ever known.

This photo was taken at my first doctors appointment a little over a week ago.  I didn’t think they gave you an ultrasound on your first visit, but luckily Sam came with me to the appointment and together we were able to see our little “blueberry” on the screen.  We even got to see it’s tiny heart beat, which was just a faint flicker on the monitor.   It was all quite surreal.  Even now, it is still hard to believe I am actually pregnant.  Although I suppose I can “believe” it because I certainly feel all the symptoms.  I have a new found respect for all you mommy’s out there.  Working full time while fighting this all day nausea is, well, kind of awful.  The only thing that makes me feel better is eating. (which seemed ironic to me at first because in the past when I was nauseous with the flu or something, the LAST thing I wanted to do was eat).  I guess when your pregnant it is just the opposite.  So the last 2 weeks have been a food frenzy around here.  Sam was laughing at me the other night and said “I kind of like this Kelli!” Alluding to the large portion dinners and constant requests for take out.  One night, I ate a whole box of cereal between 10pm and 7:30am.  Now that was not a fun night, a bit embarrassing to admit actually!  Hopefully this will slow down after the “sick stage”.  I hear around the 14th week.  I am at 8 which means 6 more to go. uhhh. Lord help me.

Typical me, I have already started an inspiration folder for my dream nursery and tiny baby clothes that I WILL be buying. Haha.  Believe it or not, it’s even more fun than shopping for myself!  Here are some of the rooms I’m drooling over.

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Well, Black Friday had nothing on me this year.  Instead of scoring deals at the mall, I slept off my Turkey Coma and didn’t roll out of bed until 10:00.  I can’t remember the last time I slept that long.  It was marvelous.  The day after Thanksgiving, for me, is officially christmas time!  Which means shopping, decorations, Amy Grant and apple cider….yep.  It’s the best time of year.  Sam even hung our lights today.  Good husband.

I did a bit of online browsing for gifts.  I thought i’d share a few shops I found with some great gift ideas :

Hidden Birds Print / Fox Eraser Set /  Winter Rabbit Friend Notecard /  Foundling Print

Heirloom Recipe Box / Pine Wrapping Paper / Harry Had a Bad Feeling Print / Kirie Clock

]]> http://www.kellimurray.com/2010/11/26/turkey-coma/feed/ 5 http://www.kellimurray.com/2010/06/09/inspiring-workspaces/ http://www.kellimurray.com/2010/06/09/inspiring-workspaces/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:21:15 +0000 kelli http://www.kellimurray.com/?p=2395 I am in the process of decorating my home office…FINALLY…after about 2 years of living here.  Sad right?  But I suppose late is better than never.  I have gotten comfortable with my bare walls and lone computer desk.  It gets the job done but I am in desperate need of some inspiration. Here are a few workspaces I am inspired by.  Can you tell I am into the vintage industrial craze? However, I can tell you right now my office will NEVER be as clean as the ones pictured.  My creative process tends to get a bit “cluttered”!  I am loving all things Restoration Hardware.  I actually just gave in and bought the drafting table I have been obsessing over for the past few months (last picture).  I am anxiously awaiting it’s delivery so that I don’t have to draw hunched over on the floor anymore.  Although I am worried I have gotten so used to it that a big beautiful drafting table just might never get it’s use! (Nonsense!  It will be perfect.)

What workspaces are you inspired by? Any creative home office ideas you’d like to share!!?

INSPIRATIONS
Favorite Discovery:  Recently : Using a laser beam as an exercise program for my cat! Seriously try it.  It’s hilarious.
Favorite Place in the World: I have to say that home (Encinitas, CA) is honestly my favorite place to be. But a few of my favorite places to travel include Tokyo, San Francisco and New York.
Style Icons: Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Zooey Deschanel, Alexa Chung
Favorite Designer:  Monique Lhuillier / Miu Miu / Marc Jacobs
Favorite Movie: I could watch Princess Bride a thousand times and never get sick of it.  A few runners up would be Dirty Dancing, Away We Go and 500 Days of Summer.

CLOTHES
Jeans: Silence and Noise
Underwear: Hanky Panky
Watch: Nixon. I have far too many of them (my husband works there) Today i am wearing the all gold kensington.
Day dress and day bag: Free People dress / Vintage Chanel bag
Evening Dress: Sarah Seven / Alice + Olivia
Shoes:  Rosegold / Jeffrey Campbell

HOME
Inspiration: I am a blog-a-holic.  Coco+Kelley / Decor8 / Bloesem
Favorite Art: Ghostpatrol / Amy Sol / Thomas Campbell
Bedding: Anthrolpologie! (I have the cirrus collection)
Stationery:  Precious Moments was my first love.  I remember when I was in elementary school trying to re-create the characters. I guess you could say it was my first art inspiration.  I had dreams of becoming a greeting card designer…and actually still do!
Coffee table books: The Satorialist, Flee Market Style by Emily Chalmers,  BLK/MRKT Two
Flowers: peonies

BEAUTY
Perfume: Daisy by Marc Jacobs
Moisturizer: Laura Mercier
Mascara: Loreal Volume Shocking
Shampoo:  Paul Mitchell
Soap: St.Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter

HERMITAGE

Their selection is to die for.  They have something for everyone…from quirky illustrated patterns to soft and tonal prints. Pattern Tales is seriously calling my name.

ANTHROPOLOGIE

Another “go-to” for wallpaper.   (although I guess you could say they are a “go-to” in every department right!?).

There is just something about Sweet Pea…dark yet delicate.

STUDIO NOMMO

Studio Nommo works with illustrators and designers from around the world, to provide inspirational custom made, design-oriented wallpapers and wall stickers.  So much to choose from!

And lastly! If you are nervous about covering an entire wall with a bold pattern….why not frame it?  This is the route I might go for my living room!  Now it is a matter of finding some cool large scale frames! Oh my, a home is an endless process isn’t it?

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ADORABLE!

EVERY. SINGLE . THING.

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