DIY: You Are My Sunshine Subway Art

I love the look of subway art. I think it's such a simplistic way to display quotes, lyrics, or favorite sayings. When I was little, my parents would Since "You Are My Sunshine" to me before bed. It always, and still does, make me cry, but now that we're about to have our own little sunshine, it seemed fitting to make some subway art with the lyrics. 

I don't have a tutorial, per say, but I used Picasa to create each print. 

I downloaded a high resolution white jpeg image so that when I go to print out these images they come out clear and crisp. 

I edited that image and typed out the lyrics, changing the font, size and color on each until I had the finished product! 

I ended up with 4 pictures, two landscape and two portrait, which I think will look nice either over her crib or changing table. 

Feel free to print your own for your little one's nursery! 

Dresser Makeover Inspiration

I love the look of old, antique furniture that's been modernized. Whether you update the paint, knobs, pulls, or add Mod Podge to it, I think it can make such a statement! As I've mentioned before, our house is a colonial. Lots of window trim, chair rail and crown molding. Even though our home is more traditional as far as the structure goes, our (well, my) decorating style is very modern. 

Here is the dresser that we're going to be refinishing for Baby Brine's room:

We're going to paint it a white to match the crib and changing table. After looking at knobs and pulls online, I think our best bet is to fill in the old holes where the current knobs and pulls are, and replace all of them with knobs. 

I found these knobs and love all of them, so I'm not sure how we're going to choose! 

Gem Keepsake Knob-Cabinet Carat Knob-Pipeline Handles-Pressed Flower Glass Knob-Round-Cut Glass Knob-Depression Pink Glass Knob

And for more decor that I love....aren't these adorable?? I spotted something similar at a boutique in D.C., although much bigger. These probably wouldn't frighten her as much since they're smaller! 

 Encased Elephant Hook

View From Here Hook

24 Weeks!

Happy Monday, all! Here is this weeks bumpdate. I forgot to have my photographer (Hubs) take a picture last week, so that's why there wasn't one. 

Anyone else think I look smaller this week than I did two weeks ago?! That's the holidays for ya! 




How far along?: 24 weeks
Weight gained?: 10 pounds as of Wednesday
Showing yet?: Yes, looking smaller this week than I did 2 weeks ago, though! 
Clothes?: All maternity pants, mostly maternity tops (thanks to my mom for taking me birthday shopping this weekend for some new things!)
Cravings?: Nothing...
Adversions?: Nothing...
Sleep?:  This past weekend was bad in the sleeping department. Hubs and I switched sides of the bed and I'm trying to use the Boppy pillow as well as prop myself up so I don't roll onto my back. Still trying to find what works best! 
Gender?:  GIRL!!!
Movement?: Yes! She LOVES when I sing, which is ironic because she's probably the only one who does! I also feel her kicking when I eat. I think she likes the boost of sugar haha
Symptoms?: Stuffy nose, and feeling exhausted. I think it's due to lack of sleep, though. I also have to take breaks and I can't tackle my to-do lists like I used to! 
Wedding Rings on or off?: On! 
Belly Button in or out?: In, although it's looking shallow! 

Gliders & Rockers

Hubs and I are ready to finish up our registry this weekend, so in preparation, I have been researching gliders & rockers. Like most baby gear out there, these can get pretty expensive. Our biggest challenge is that most of them are pretty large and wide, and baby girl's room doesn't allow for a large chair. 

Since I'm going to be breastfeeding, I want one that is comfortable, easy to rock and/or glide, and won't damage our hardwoods. 

Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker-  I love the modern structure to this chair, but the white does concern me. I'm also wondering if it would provide enough neck/head support since it looks short in the back. 

Babyletto Madison Glider- This chair would fit the size criteria that we're looking for, but I wonder if I'd even fit into, let alone Hubs. The dimensions online don't look small and the reviews are all positive, plus the cost isn't bad for a modern looking glider. 

Nurseryworks Glider with Plywood- More out of our price range, but I love the look of this, plus it's narrow and sleek with a high rise on the back side. 

Dorel Rocking Chair- I can't believe Walmart sells a chair that looks like this. I love the look of this chair and there are options for slipcovers if you want one. I think we'd go with the Butter slipcover color if we got one. This chair also has a matching ottoman, so depending on size and space, we would probably end up ordering one to coordinate. 

Enchanted Coronado Glider- Another Walmart find, and this one reminds me of some of the Pottery Barn gliders. I like the Taupe Weave fabric, and I think this chair would be great to fall asleep in. It looks comfortable, and isn't that what you really need when it comes to a nursery chair?

Enchanted Cherish Glider- More sleek than the Coronado, I like this one but question it's comfort. Both Enchanted gliders have rave reviews, and with .97 cent shipping at www.Walmart.com, it might be worth it to see these in the flesh. 

I'll keep you posted on the final decision and any trail and errors that we come across! 

Maternity Fashion Woes

I've always loved clothes and fashion. Trying different stores, brands, styles, etc., has always been so much fun for me. One of the biggest "issues" with pregnancy are the heinous maternity clothes out there. I did a post back here that included a few small items that I'd purchased since I started to show. I feel as though the selection of maternity clothes just plain stink! 

Here are my chief complaints:

1. I have a naturally long torso, so adding a bump makes it even harder to wear pre-pregnancy shirts.

2. I've tried to add longer pre-pregnancy tops to my wardrobe, however nothing seems long enough to withstand my growing belly. Should I scope out Gap's tall section?? I NEED some insight on this before I spend too much money.

3. Winter maternity clothes are horrendous. Weird sweaters, awkward cardigans and unflattering long sleeve tees just top the list. I don't know if it's because my boobs are seemingly growing faster than my belly, but the space between the two seems to gather up all the extra fabric, and it certainly doesn't help accentuate what waist I have left. 

4. The "basic" maternity shirts are super thin and unlike most pregnant women, I am FREEZING cold, and end up wearing an ugly fleece over a majority of these shirts. 

5. The COST. The market for maternity clothes is outrageous. The only reasonable items that I can find are from Gap, Old Navy and Motherhood Maternity, and reasonable means on sale. And by on sale I mean only available in Size XL or XXL. 

6. Combine all of the above, along with the fact that you're gaining weight, going up 2 cup sizes in bras, and are hormonal, and you have an unhappy mama-to-be. I hate complaining, and if fashion is my only woe this pregnancy I consider myself damn lucky. I just wish there was a way to look good while being pregnant without breaking the bank! 

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated, otherwise, Hubs might be taking me for a shopping spree this weekend! ;)

Baby Brine Style: Nursery Edition Update!

Happy Monday, all! This weekend was a busy one in our household. Friday night, Hubs and I started painting the nursery! You can see the color pink we picked below (Tulip Petal, by Valspar)! We both had a mini panic attack when it first went up. The light yellow that was in the room made the trim look like hot Barbie pink. Hubs was even singing Barbie Girl....not exactly the look we were going for, but once dried and finished, we love it. We finished up on Saturday morning, and went to pick up the crib, mattress, and changing table in the afternoon. Sunday, we put together the crib and changing table. Now all we need to do is paint the existing dresser white, and we'll be kinda sorta ready....The crib, mattress and changing table are from Walmart, which offers even lower prices than Amazon on these pieces. They're Graco Sarah Classic 4-in-1 Convertible Crib, and I was a little skeptical of the quality until we put them together. They both are really nice pieces, and much larger than we imagined! Hubs and I have two complaints, though. 

1-2-3-4-5

1. Both the crib and changing table had some pieces that came in contact with a red waxy string, used to help pull out the hardware box. This left a light pink stripe on the wood, and it was  impossible to get off. We tried a Mr. Magic Eraser, soap and water and alcohol, with no luck. We decided not to return the pieces since we're getting a matching paint color for the dresser anyway, so we can use it to touch it up if need be. Fortunately, the back side of the changing table isn't visible, so you can't see it, and the crib is marked up but underneath the bed spring, so again, no biggie. All in all, I'd say for the price, definitely worth it! 

2. The nuts and bolts are huge, and there are quite a few of them that you use to hold together the crib. The crib doesn't come with any type of plug to cover these holes, so you can either leave them exposed, or find them at a local hardware store. We're going with option B- fingers crossed we can find them in the right size! 

The only thing we haven't purchased is the rug, as seen below. I'm glad I waited to do so, since after putting all the furniture in her room, I think we need a smaller one than I thought! 

Here are some pictures from our weekend, including the preliminary nursery layout. Enjoy! 

 Painting while pregnant = face mask....

Finished product- only took one coat! 

Changing table + dresser on the left that we need to paint

Crib- you can see the holes from here! 

22 Weeks: Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it's 2013. The year we'll get to meet our baby girl and become a family of three. This Saturday marks 4 months until my due date. While it seems like January, February, March and April will slowly roll on by, I think we'll be hitting D Day in the blink of an eye.

Sunday we hit 22 weeks. I enjoyed some much needed time off with Hubs, but getting back to work has been a struggle. I can't imagine how hard it'll be after taking off 12 weeks with our baby girl!

Last Thursday I had my monthly prenatal visit. I have to schedule my Glucose Screening for the 22nd. I hear some crazy things about the orange drink you have to consume before doing the test, so fingers crossed it goes smoothly and I don't need to do the 3 hour test...

Anyway, here's a bumpdate from Sunday. It's the same Steeler tee that I wore in my first post from when I was 17 weeks. It's amazing what 5 weeks does to your belly!

How far along?: 22 weeks

Weight gained?: 8 pounds as of last Thursday's appointment

Showing yet?: Yes, I am trying to decide if it's from the holidays or baby girl.... 

Clothes?: All maternity pants, still in some regular sweaters, though!

Cravings?: None, really...  
Adversions?: Nothing...

Sleep?:  Much better since my parents got me a Boppy body pillow!

Gender?:  GIRL!!!

Movement?: Yes! She's very active at night. The doctor kept finding and losing her heart rate last week because of how much she was moving around!

Symptoms?: Back pain, stuffy nose, and feeling like I'm already slowing down...

 

On another pregnancy note, I found this simulator that shows what happens to your organs once your uterus and baby grow. No wonder you get indigestion :)