My little guy celebrated his first birthday yesterday! Where did the year go? The bigger celebration will take place this weekend, so I’ve been finalizing all the details. Like I said here, we’re not going over the top, but I did choose a blue and orange theme to stick with for the simple decor, favors, and treats.
So, here’s a sneak peek of a few things I’ve been working on…yes, those are miniature flags for the cupcakes and owl stickers! I’m so excited!
Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my front porch ideas! I made a decision and pulled the trigger yesterday – the rugs are on their way, and I have several yards of fabric to keep me busy for a while. I didn’t go with any of the three options I was thinking about. I came up with a fourth with my (and your) favorites from each of the other schemes:
I couldn’t give up the graphic navy fabric in option 1 or the pop of red from option 2, and I agreed with everyone that the diamond rug was the way to go. So, stayed tuned for front porch progress and thanks again for the input!
I loved Stephanie’s post last week about March Madness and since VCU nailed the win yesterday, it’s only appropriate to follow up with my recent design obsession — black walls with golden accents.
photo: Richmond Times-DispatchI’ve been squirreling away tear sheets of deep dark painted walls for a few months and with some new decorating opportunities in my future (more to come on that detail soon), it’s just a matter of which wall to paint! I’m really digging the combination of old world gold or warm honey wood with painted black walls.
photo: LivingEtc.com via Pinterest
photo: Aubrey Road via Pinterest
photo: Design*Sponge via Pinterest
photo: Garment House via PinterestAs for obsessions, add Pinterest to the list! I’m just getting started, but you can check out all of my pins in the Deep Dark Walls category.
Black walls — love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I don’t think we’ve ever highlighted sports here on Urban Nest, but there’s a first for everything! The city of Richmond is buzzing since two local teams have made it into the Sweet Sixteen amidst the March Madness. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but I do love to fill out a bracket and watch the close games…and tomorrow night I will be pulling for VCU and Richmond.
So, here’s a few things I’m loving inspired by the VCU Ram’s colors: black & gold!
Shelter Sectional from CB2.
Off-the-Bough earrings from Anthropologie.
Brass cubes and cylinders from Jamali Garden.
Decorative mirror from Ballard Designs.
Animal Wit & Wisdom dish towels from Sundance.
Z Gallerie Madyson pillow.
Last fall our front porch got a little makeover. Thanks to a rickety railing, our porch went from this:
to this:
We replaced the deteriorating iron railing with white painted wood, and while we were at it, we changed the door from bright green to a soft blue.
Now I just need to take down the winter wreath and get our porch ready for spring! I’d like to add 2 outdoor rugs, one under the table and chairs on the left and one under the porch swing on the right. I’m also planning to make a new cushion and pillows for the swing to freshen it up a little bit.
I’ve come up with three rug and fabric combinations that I really like, but I’m having trouble pulling the trigger on one of them.
I’m leaning towards option 2 paired with white impatiens and red geraniums… What would you choose?
With the first day of Spring quickly approaching, I realized this past weekend that I really needed to start preparing for my vegetable garden! It’s one of the items on ‘my list of things to do in 2011′ and I am very excited about all the veggies I hope to grow and cook with.
Here is the progress my husband and I have made so far. We cleared and 8 foot x 8 foot space and tilled up the soil and pulled out any weeds and random roots growing in that area. I wanted to enclose the space a bit with some 4 x 4s, and we ended up having many pieces of leftover wood behind our shed that we were able to put to use.
To finish it off, we went to Home Depot and purchased 2 more 8 foot 4 x 4s (which I forgot to snap a picture of!). We also got some topsoil/compost for the top few inches and most importantly – the seeds! I got a variety of things: lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, peas, zucchini, carrots, and a few herbs. I don’t consider myself to have a green thumb, so I hope this project goes well. Any advice is appreciated! I’ll be planting the seeds for a the couple of things that can withstand some cold weather, but everything else will wait until after our last frost. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and will hopefully have some pics to share of the fruits of my labor.
I’ve added a few new recipes to my usual rotation recently, trying to get out of a little cooking rut. One of my favorites is the lemon-raspberry muffins from Eating Well.
{image from Eating Well}
I’ve made these twice in the last 2 weeks, and they are delicious. The second time I didn’t have a lemon, so I tried an orange, and they were just as good.
I also tried two new recipes on Valentine’s Day, frisée & apple salad with dried cherries & walnuts and cioppino – yummy!
{images from epicurious}
We all loved the ciopinno, especially Violet. I added shrimp and crab meat to the stew and left out the fish. It was so delicious, and the salad recipe has become a regular around here. The dressing is especially yummy – I’ve used it to jazz up plain greens.
If your recipe repertoire could use a little spicing up, give one of these a try or share a new favorite you’ve found!
A year later I’m feeling the same way about this thing we call shelter. I’m reminded that shelter can be as luxurious as four walls, a roof and a bed. And that a comfortable home starts and ends with the security of love.
Remember this silly day? We broke down and gave the lion to our girl, Katy, who tore it apart leaving a trail of stuffing throughout the house for weeks. She treasures her stuffed animal security blankets and always has one in tow.
Shelter. Comfort. And security.
It’s a dreary, rainy day here in Richmond, but I’ve got sunshine on my mind. Next month I’m going on a cruise so I’ve been thinking about warm weather and summer gear. I realize I’m skipping spring and going right to summer…but I can’t resist purchasing a few new items for my trip! Here are some things I’ve got my eye on.
{ summer picks }
Laser cut, peep toe shoes found over at Urban Outfitters, sweet sailor shorts by J Crew, charming starfish necklace from Target, colorful tunic from Boden, Ruffle dress from Garnet Hill, and last, the key-per messenger bag by Fossil. Can you tell I’m into pinks/yellows this season?
What’s caught your eye this spring?
Our living room project is in full swing, and I am so excited that our built-in bookcases are gone! It may seem crazy to remove custom, built-in shelves, but our living room was just not the place these shelves. Here’s what it looked like before (upper right):
Here is what our living room looks like today:
Yay – no more empty shelves! The radiator is coming out today, and then we can clean things up and reclaim a good bit of floor and wall space. Stay tuned for more updates!
Despite all the design blog inspiration, online magazines, Internet storefronts — not to mention the emphasis on shopping locally — I am still a magazine junkie! Obviously I love the alternatives, but I still really enjoy flipping through the mail-order catalogs!
Well, the Spring editions are out. Here are few tear sheets from my recent stash…
Love these plates. Even just one would be fun!
{West Elm}
There is a painted black wall in my future…
{West Elm}
Love the look of this bathroom ensemble!
This woven metal headboard speaks to me.
Do you still get catalogs in the mail? What are some of your favorites?
This past weekend I took a trip up to Frederick, MD to visit some good friends and to attend a wedding shower. I love going to Frederick – it’s such a cute town with great shops and restaurants. Friday night we checked out Cafe Nola, which had amazing desserts and coffee. And Saturday the wedding shower was held at Sunset Hills Vineyard, which I also recommend if you’re in the area – great wine and great location in the rolling hills of Loudoun County, VA.
But…since I was in the neighborhood I had to make a stop at my favorite store: Lucketts! Lucketts is off route 15 just north of Leesburg, VA for those of you who aren’t familiar. It’s described as vintage hip with lots of treasures to look through.
I didn’t end up buying one single thing…I’m trying to stick to things I need. I looked for something to hang in my guest room, but didn’t find anything quite the right shape or aesthetic. I did, however, fall in love with these light fixtures – basically a wire frame with delicate birds and light bulb. Simple, but simply gorgeous, although I don’t think the pictures do them justice.
And I loved all the items in burlap. There were many pillows, like some shown above, and miscellaneous wall hanging/lamps.
If you have the chance, stop by Lucketts. You will not be disappointed! And I’m sure you will not leave empty handed.
I’ve shared most of Nathan’s room with you already, but I’ve never shown my favorite pieces in the nursery – the ones that family and friends have made for the little guy. Right now, these special pieces are on the comfortable if not stylish rocking chair, but I can just picture Nathan snuggling with both of these in his bed when he’s a little bigger.
My mom designed and made the quilt that pulls the whole color scheme for the room together. It is so soft and cozy – I’ve used it myself on some long nights spent in the nursery. I know Nathan will love his comfy quilt someday soon!
Juliet made the little grey pillow, including stamping a cool design using vintage letterpress blocks. The colors are perfect – I just love it! Nathan’s lucky to have treasures from these talented ladies in his room!
