Nursery Art Ideas

Harper was about 2 months old when people started asking us when we wanted to have another baby. I didn't know the answer to that question back then and I still don't really know it now. I feel like I get asked that same question on a weekly basis. And to be perfectly honest I am not really ready for another monkey. I really want another Mini Australian Shepherd but I don't think I can even handle a puppy right now. Our lives are hectic. We travel out of the state on a weekly basis. I feel like a chicken with its head cut off. And 19 month old boys are a LOT of work.

I spend half of my day chasing Harper around. But I absolutely love my time with him. I love cuddling up on the couch, taking him to the park, going on our date nights... It is so much fun giving him every little bit of my attention. We decided to wait for at least another year before we try for another baby. In the meantime we plan of spoiling Harper rotten and we want to do some traveling with Harper before our next baby arrives. Our dream is to move to Spain for a few months (6-9 months perhaps) and take Spanish classes. They say it is much easier to teach children another language when they are really young.   How cool would it be to teach Harper Spanish in Spain!? Now that is just a crazy dream and would take a whole lot of planning, preparation, and sacrifice. But once we have another little monkey it will be really hard to do a crazy trip like that.

In the meantime, I like to design our future nurseries in my head. I came across these awesome prints on Zulily and I am tempted to grab one and hold onto it until Huffman baby #2 arrives. You can find them here and they are only $19.99 (normally $42)!  

Which one is your favorite? What is the theme of your nursery? 

Harper's Blue and Green Boy Nursery

We call this room his "little man room" because we decided to go more classic and less baby. He was already 6 months old when we moved so it didn't make sense to me to do another themed nursery. I wanted something that he could grow with. Harper's sweet Nana gave him a giant giraffe for Christmas and it is the perfect final touch for his room. I still have a few more crafty projects up my sleeve for fun decorative pieces that I want to put on his bookshelf but I think it is pretty much as close to finished as it will ever be. It could be years before I have time to do daily craft projects again!

• The crib is by Baby's Dream and it is the Legendary Safety-gate Crib is espresso.
• The wall decal is by Back-40-Life. It is a wonderful Etsy shop with lots of fun decorative decals. The family that owns the shop is actually local. They are from Greenville, SC! 
• The bedding is "Master Blue" by Hoohobbers. We love the pale green, blue, and beige combo. 
• And we have a sleep sheep on his crib. I recommend this for every expecting mother. Harper still loves it every night. It is a cuddly plush toy that provides soothing sounds to help your baby sleep. We got the travel version because we are always on the road.

• The glider is by a company called, "Four Seasons." The green fabric was a perfect match so I was thrilled! And it is a slipcover. So if Harper decides he hates green one day, I can just change the cover and not have to worry about buying a brand new chair!
• Our sweet friend, "MiMi" made the window treatments for Harper's room. It was such a gracious gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mimi! I had a hard time finding pre-made boy valances. All of the cute ones were so girly. These couldn't be more perfect. 
• And I found the cute little owls at West Elm. They reminded me of Jonathan Adler without the huge price tag!

 

• I love the blue stripes on the one wall. We decided to do just one wall so it wasn't overwhelming. We used a metallic paint so it has a nice shine to it in the light!
• I found all of my artwork in the nursery on Etsy. It saved me HUNDREDS of dollars! Expecting mom's look here FIRST. Trust me. All of the Etsy artists custom do the colors to match your room perfectly. The "Little Man" print was found here. And the fox and owl print was found here.
• My mom bought the giant giraffe from Imagination Station in downtown Spartanburg. It is the perfect addition to the room and Harper LOVES it!
• I found my piggy bank and frames that are on the book shelf at TJ Maxx Home. They were CHEAP! I think the bank was $12.99 and the frames were all less than $8. 
• I bought the scripture that is above Harper's closet from Back-40-Life too! It was about $12.

• The changing table is the matching dresser from Baby's Dream. 
• I got a matching Hoohobbers hamper and had it monogrammed with "Clothes" & "Towels"
• Bird Ave. did his "Oh Baby" print. It is actually a little paler in real life. He matched the colors PERFECTLY for the nursery! Check him out here. All of his prints are adorable! 
• And the little animal watercolor illustrations were found here. I had them matted with a burlap and pale green matte.

• And this is the last little nook of Harper's room. It is actually right when you walk in his door. 
• I bought the white cube shelving system at Target.
• I bought the prints at this Etsy store! They CRACK me up!
• I bought the plastic container at Pottery Barn Kids outlet and the finger puppets inside at IKEA.
• The giraffe frame was hand painted by an incredible artist! 
• The lion toy on the shelf is made of cordorouy. I LOVE IT! And it is sooo soft. We bought it at Imagination Station too! 
• I found the airplane globe at TJ Maxx Home. 

I hope you all like Harper's room! It is my current favorite room in the house. 

Nursery Artwork SALE!

Exciting news! My favorite Etsy print shop is featured on Zulily today! I purchased some of Harper's nursery artwork from this artist and his work is really incredible. The quality of the prints is amazing. They are very bright and vibrant! Most of the prints are on Zulily 50% off! They start at $9.99. This is an absolute steal. Make sure you check out trafalgar's square sale before they sell out! 

I want to buy the dog print for Harper. His walls are pretty full but I think it could look great framed on his book shelf. And he loves to look in books, point to any dog, and then he barks. He will get a kick out of this print! 

Here are a few other favorites:

Wholesale Prices for Kids Clothing!

My friend Lucy introduced me to this amazing website Zulily! I love it! It's a new online store offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. They carry the best brands at the lowest prices.  Members enjoy savings of up to 90% off retail prices.You never know exactly what you'll find—the brands they offer change every day. It's like finding a treasure chest full of cute stuff. Membership is free and I know you'll love it too. The prices are sometimes cheaper than wholesale. They carry everything from maternity clothes, baby and children's clothing, toys, strollers, baby accessories, school supplies... you name it they have it!

It's like a ticket to an amazing sample sale. Only members can take advantage of zulily's low prices. Membership is free and you can signup HERE!

I bought an adorable outfit for one of Harper's birthday presents this morning. I can't wait to get it. Here are a few cute things I came across today:

And use coupon code Family10 to get an extra 10% off your order.

This is the Silly Goose French Blue Train Corduroy Overalls. Normally $68.00 on sale for $36.99! I REALLY want to get this one for little mister but I am trying to stay on budget.

This is the Silly Goose Trick or Treat Gingham Shortalls and Tee. Normally $68.00 on sale on Zulily for $36.99! I bought this one for Harper's Halloween outfit.

How perfect is this for a little girl's USC tailgate outfit?! It is made by Zunie and Pinky and is only $11.99!

Silly Goose Frosty gingham bishop dress.  Only $36.99. Originally $70.00!

Mud Pie corduroy romper only $10.99!! Originally $29.00. They have these in all different letters.

This adorable tutu is by Divas and Pearls (how appropriate!) and it is on sale on Zulily for $23.99!

This Lavender and Ivory Flower Crochet Beanie is also by Divas and Pearls and is on sale for $14.99!

Nine Moons adorable maternity top! In boy and girl phrases. Only $15.99 (originally $40!)

 Love this sign!!! How cute would this be in any kid's room!? It is only $9.99 (originally $28)

GORGEOUS Love Bird Nursery

I was a complete Facebook stalker weirdo when I came across photos of this nursery. One of my friends commented on the photos so they came up on my newsfeed. I decided to be one of those creepy FB people and send a complete stranger a message to tell her how much I loved her nursery. I also asked where she bought her bedding... it is seriously one of my favorite bedding sets I have ever seen. It is made by Carousel Bedding in Atlanta, GA. They are a fantastic company and their crib sets are absolutely adorable. They also have EXTREMELY reasonable prices on their custom bedding! You should check them out HERE!  

I would love to do a product review and check out their bedding quality. So if any folks from Carousel Bedding see this... hook a sister up! 

Anyways, Courtney was incredibly gracious and offered to take photos of the nursery for me and share all of the details about her fabulous room. Thanks Courtney for being so kind and sweet!!! I know everyone will love Baby Elle's nursery and I am sure expecting moms can grab so great ideas for their own nurseries! 

Courtney's Inspiration for baby Elle's nursery:

I wanted a nursery that was feminine and girly, but not covered with the typical animated cartoon charecters. I searched for weeks online and in stores to find something that was just right. Eventually I came across a site online called Carousel Designs which lets you create your own bedding using their interactive gallery. There were lots of cute fabrics to choose from, and many options to personalize. They also had great coordinating accessories! Once I decided on my theme, which I titled "love birds" (based on the name of one of the fabrics), everything else just came together. The green dressers you see were originally black with wooden knobs. We stripped them, re-painted them, stained the tops and added new crystal knobs. My husband handmade the armoire and changing table, and we stained the wood to match the crib and other dresser tops. One of my favorite accessories is the wall decal, which I ordered from Babies R Us. The pink circular "rag rug" is also another favorite.  I also found cute frames and nic nacs at TJMaxx. The cute lamp was a great deal at Kirklands. The pink canvas photo was bought at Target for a minimal price after I almost paid 10 x's more for the same type of print at a nice baby store. The picture of the changing table shows the diaper stacker bag and the changing pad cover which were some of the accessories I mentioned that could be purchased at carousel designs to coordinate with the bedding ~ My splurges were the custom made bedding, fabric for the chair & ottoman (plus cost to cover) and the rag rug. I also had to share a photo of the two framed pictures with the green mat because they were a special gift from my parents. They purchased these prints from an artist while traveling in Paris this past Spring. 

Vendor List-

• Owl Wal Decal- Babies R US
• The Rug Market Shaggy Rug- KidsRugShop.com
• Crib Bedding- Love Birds crib bedding by Carousel Designs 
• Crib- Just Kids in Sumter, SC
• Mobile- Kids Line Dena Happy Tree Musical Mobile 

She looked so cute preggo!

What a beautiful baby girl!

Packing List for the Hospital

I found this adorable hospital packing list on Lay Baby Lay blog!! You can download and print your own copy HERE!!

I think this is an awesome and adorable list. I am going to go into detail about a few of the items on the list and I have a few more suggestions of items that were helpful to me.

Slippers are totally necessary. I got the BEST pair of slippers for the hospital at Brookstone. 

You can find them here. They are the nap Luxe Foot Comforters. And they are irresistibly soft and comfortable.  The are made from double thick NapSoft Luxe material and filled with cozy blend of 50% duck down and 50% duck feathers. I actually call mine "duck boots." These are seriously the best slippers I have ever owned and my hubby thought they were so comfortable that he bought himself a pair. They are on sale for $14.99!!! You need these for the hospital ladies.

Underwear-  You may want to wear the mesh underwear provided by the hospital since lochia can sometimes be rather heavy after delivery and pads often do leak. Or you may be more comfortable in some soft, old undies from home. Either way, it's best to be prepared and bring a few pair with you, just in case. Comfort is key post birth! I wore the hospital undies for the first day and I thought they were extremely comfortable. I also brought about 6 pairs of granny panties which came in handy.

Nursing bra, pads, and tops-  These are especially wonderful for breastfeeding moms, but the bras are not a bad idea even if you don't plan on nursing. Nursing bras give you extra protection and support.While I was nursing I tried several different kinds and my favorite were the Medela Disposable Nursing Bra Pads. I thought they were more absorbent and better at preventing soak-through than most breast pads and I like the fact that they were extra-thin and discreet.

The going-home outfit  Moms-to-be, it's time for a reality check! Put aside those hopes of wearing your favorite pre-pregnancy jeans home from the hospital and opt for something loose fitting and comfortable. You will probably still look pregnant (it takes time for most women's bodies to shrink back to pre-pregnancy size), and if you have a C-section you will appreciate something loose at your waist. You'll also want flat, comfortable shoes. Lay Baby Lay recommends these comfortable yoga pants.

Baby going-home outfit- Don't buy a gown, you can't put them in the car seat if they have one on. And remember to buy "newborn" sized clothing. The 0-3 month clothing was HUGE on mister baby.

Nursing Pillow- ladies remember your Boppy or My Breast Friend. It is a lifesaver when you are trying to learn how to breastfeed!

Items to add to the list-


*Video camera
*Breastfeeding information- Bring a breastfeeding book or consider scheduling a lactation consultant to visit you after the baby is born. Some hospitals provide this service, but it's a good idea to double check with your provider and insurance company before the birth.
*Baby book or journal You may want to jot down some details in Baby's book while everything is still fresh in your mind. Don't forget to see if the baby book has a place for newborn footprints—you can have these done at the hospital.
*Cell Phone- don't forget the cell!
*Lip Balm- your lips will feel chapped and you will want to make sure to have some Chap Stick.
*Make-up- maybe it is not 100% necessary but I loved freshening up and putting a little make-up on before my first family photo.
*Pretty hospital gown- OK once again this is not a necessity but it was a total hit at the hospital. And wearing a pretty gown made me feel happy and cheerful. I had a local seamstress make mine (for $20!) but you can also find adorable ones on Etsy!