Tag / decorating

by Bethe

Now to the important stuff: the nursery

This week I bought the very first item for Baby Right. I’ve been so good about not splurging on little girl items because (1) we’ve already been blessed with some great hand-me-downs, (2) I’m still not feeling well enough to want to go shopping most days, and (3) baby stores intimidate me.

Which is why God invented internet shopping. And blogs. Thanks to the combination of the two, I made my very first purchase for my little girl… crib sheets from Target (click on the picture to be taken to the original source).

Aren’t they cute? I’ve been looking for something really neutral, and these were just calling my name. And they were on sale. And I didn’t have to leave my house to buy them. It was love at first sight.

For those of you wondering about our nursery theme… we don’t really have one. We want it to be calm, relaxing, neutral. We want something that can easily grow with baby girl and give us a lot of freedom to change out accessories. Ironically enough, we don’t want it to scream “girly-girl” (even though I’m a pretty girly-girl myself). These are our inspiration photos (again, click on the picture for the link to the original post – the first photo is from a blog I love to follow).

We’re using grays and whites with pops of bright accent colors – probably orange and turquoise. We’ve been given an old dresser from my in-laws for a changing table that we’re going to paint and then use colorful knobs from Anthropologie (or a cheaper knock-off). And of course I plan to design a custom print for the nursery, along with baby girl’s very first quilt.

Time to get to work! Only 19 weeks to go before she arrives!

by Bethe

Decorating with Chalkboards

My mama kept a chalkboard in our kitchen when I was a child – we used it for shopping lists and spelling words and reminders. My dad taught my sister and I how to play softball by drawing diagrams on that chalkboard when I was in the third grade.

Who knew that my mom was absolutely ahead of her time when it came to decorating her house with chalkboards. For awhile I thought white boards were the wave of the future, but as usual, mama knew best.

Mr. Right and I are trying to carry the tradition to our own house by decorating with chalkboards. So far I have one in my laundry room:

And we’re pinching our pennies until we can turn this frame into a giant chalkboard/menu in our dining room. We tried to do it ourselves with plywood but it’s just too big, so we’ll be taking her to be professionally done at our local framing store. Soon. Until then it’s backed with burlap and I occasionally hang seasonal bunting on it to add a little color.

Until then, I continue to be inspired by some gorgeous DIY chalkboards I found online. (click on each picture to be taken to the original source)

Our marriage mentors have one of these in their kitchen that they post bible verses and prayer requests on. What a sweet way to keep the family on the same prayer page.

Or how about some chalkboard place mats?

A weekly menu (ps- don’t you love those green shelves?).

Chalkboards + bunting = bliss.

And then there’s this great endcap to a kitchen cabinet – perfect height for littles ones to enjoy. The second one is even cuter since it’s framed out.

 What about you? Have you found a unique way to use a chalkboard in your home or office? I’d love to hear about it.