Pom-Pom Fringe Curtains

Here's yet another easy idea I'm stealing off the internet for Sophie's (and possibly the new baby's) room. Martha Stewart shows how to easily affix a pom-pom trim to sheer linen curtain panels for a whimsical and custom-made look. The best part is, if you don't know how to sew (raising my hand here), you can just use fabric glue! I can just imagine this in about a dozen color combinations.

images via Martha Stewart

Modern Colorful Mobiles

I love to entertain and am always on the lookout for unique decorating ideas. I've (over)done the whole pom thing for a few years now and was so happy to run across this tutorial today. I love using a variety of colors, but you can coordinate the colors to match your party theme. These modern colorful mobiles are a great way to maximize visual impact with minimal work!

images via Project Wedding

Using a Mirror in the Nursery

image via ohdeedoh

I love this nursery idea, especially when the baby is big enough to stand up in his or her crib. Not only will it enlarge the room, but the mirror will provide endless entertainment for the little one.

Toy Storage Limit

2009_3Q (107)
Originally uploaded by SaoSaoMama

Earlier today, I decided to return yet another wicker basket that I bought to contain Sophie's toys. I thought to myself, am I going to continue to buy baskets to contain her growing collection, or am I going to edit and limit the junk around my house?

Well, coincidentally, I ran across this post on today's Ohdeedoh and it totally mirrored my own thoughts: Limiting your kids' toys makes you more conscientious of what you're bringing into your own home.

New Parent Lesson

New Parent Lesson: If your kid doesn't fall asleep at her nap time, don't try to keep her awake thinking that she'll have an earlier bedtime. Nope, not going to happen.

Darren took Sophie out for a long walk around the lake, only to have her fall asleep halfway through. Note the way he has to keep her head propped up on the walk home.

Friday Goodness

Sophie's been getting primped and pampered lately. Yesterday she had her toenails painted when I had a pedicure and today she had her hair done. I hope I'm not turning her into a high-maintenance girl!

Hair BEFORE: I don't have the patience to keep growing out her bangs. They keep getting into her eyes and I can't stand disheveled hair on her.

Getting her hair cut.

A brief stop at the mall play area for some exercise.

Do you likeee my hair?

It's really hard to keep her bangs looking straight because her hair has waves.

We had a nice dinner "al fresco" to end the night.

I have a niece!

My sister gave birth yesterday to a baby girl! She already has a son, and now her family is complete. I've been spending a lot of time at the hospital in the past two days...I love holding her! Welcome to the world, Remy.

Black Doors/I love Springtime!

As I alluded to in a recent post, I finally took the plunge and painted all of our interior doors a high-gloss black. And boy, am I glad I did it! Even Darren, who was skeptical, agrees it was the most bang-for-our-buck renovation that we've done so far. It makes all the rooms look "decorated" and very chic!

Here is a standard, cheapo contractor-grade door before.

And here's a shot from our front door of a couple of black doors, after. Sorry I don't have more photos to share right now!

On a different note, I LOVE SPRING! Look at all the pretty flowers!

La Petite

In the spirit of Lonny, another hip online magazine has recently been launched. La Petite Magazine focuses on kids' fashions, decor and DIY. It's Australian, so you a lot of the resources don't apply here (unless you want to pay the exchange rate), but it's worth taking a look at for inspiration and ideas. Happy reading!

Sophie's Big Girl Room

Why, hello friends! I know I've been a horrible blogger in the past few weeks, posting once, maybe twice a week. And with pathetic entries, too. Well, I have a good reason (I promise). We've been so busy lately putting up two closet systems, emptying out our former office, and converting it into Sophie's big girl room. All the hard work paid off though, because I...am...in...love with her new room!

Here is the ugliness that was Darren's office before. And this is much cleaner than it usually looks.

Halfway done cleaning.

"S" is for....well, you know...
The industrial metal letter "S" is from Anthropologie. We had all of our interior doors painted a hi-gloss black last weekend.

Ta-dah! Everything is done except for the window treatment. I'm thinking of doing bamboo blinds or roman shades.

The absolute best part of her room is the bookshelf wall. Sophie's first words when she saw this today were, "WOW. Cool."

The "Van Gogh" above the shelves is actually an oil reproduction in a gold gilt frame, given to us by Darren's parents. It lends a whimsical and colorful touch to the room, and emphasizes the high ceilings.

This handpainted dresser was bought by my sister at a yard sale for about $20. I changed out the knobs for ceramic ones from Anthropologie.

She just can't get over seeing all her books like this!

And finally, no more stuffed animals please! They are the bane of my existence. I use these wicker baskets to corral them all.

My Daughter, The Batman

Batman and Robin wooden figurines, $10

Sophie is obsessed with Batman. She watches all the different Batman series, wears Batman Underoos, and plays with all things that have the Bat symbol. Combine that with her love of little figurines and I found her the perfect toy. I bought this pair of Batman and Robin wooden figurines from Fancie Fannies, on Etsy. They're great and really feed her imagination. She's already created multiple superhero scenarios with these two. Next, I'll be commissioning Joker and The Riddler from the same artist!

Score!

image via Pottery Barn Kids

I'm the queen of floor samples. From furniture to toys, I almost always am able to avoid paying retail for things we own. I don't really mind if they're slightly scuffed up--I tell myself it's "patina" or "character". I randomly walked into Pottery Barn Kids the other day and saw this shopping cart on sale, and it had been something I've wanted for a while. We have a plastic one at my mom's house, but this is sooo much cooler. From $45 to $19.97. Score!

Cream-Colored Bedroom

image via House Beautiful

I've been staring at this image of Ina Garten's Manhattan bedroom for a while now, mesmerized by the simplicity and tranquility of the space. I think I'll repaint the room a cream color first, then reupholster my headboard in a cream linen. Random thoughts (sorry!) for my design inspiration files.

Cherry Blossoms

Darren and I both took the day off from work so that our family could go see the cherry blossom trees in D.C. today. So far, it's been an annual tradition for our family and we try to go on a weekday to avoid the rush of crowds and all the bad things that go with it...unfortunately, after a parking dispute I felt like such a misanthrope by the time the day was over. I need someone to send some positive vibes my way after today...

Time to go home...you said it, Sophie.

Easter Weekend

We had an eventful Easter weekend. The weather could not have been more perfect and we were outside for much of the time. On Saturday, we went to an Easter egg hunt at Cox Farms. It was free, thus very crowded and chaotic. I've never attended an Easter egg hunt as an adult, and I didn't realize it was so competitive! Man, parents acted like the eggs were made of gold or something. The hunt started at 10am but when we walked in at 10:03am, almost all of the eggs were gone. A two-year old with no understanding of the game had no chance.

Luckily, today was relatively more relaxing. We had an early Easter dinner with Darren's family. Sophie got totally spoiled and did not eat anything besides jellybeans and chocolate. In the end, her favorite part of the whole weekend was a small Batman car that her uncle gave her as an Easter gift. Go figure!

Bodhi joined us at Cox Farms too. I think his favorite part was climbing the train.

Silent fight over a steering wheel. Note the fingers prying Sophie's hand off the wheel. To be fair, he was there first!

Sophie's main entree for Easter dinner was a cupcake. Or at least the frosting and sprinkles.