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June 16, 2016
by This Old Colonial Home 8 Comments

Baby Shower Decor

I recently hosted a baby shower for my good friend who’s expecting a girl later this summer. Because I love my friend and am so happy for her … and because, let’s be honest, I just can’t help myself … I crafted/created a few little things in hopes of making her shower extra special.

First, guests were welcomed to my friend’s home right away with a festive porch.I can’t take credit for this. The flower balloons were a Pinterest find and the mama-to-be’s sister-in-law put them together. Aren’t they cute?!

Guests were further greeted by the front door with this little display.Get it?! ‘Cause it’s a baby shower! 😛 (And it actually did rain that day.) But seriously, how cute are these little rain boots with baby’s breath?!Once inside the entryway, there was a welcome chalkboard sign, framed sonogram picture, and favors. (I’ll get to those later!)There wasn’t a theme for the shower, but we did go with a pink, gray, and white color scheme. I kept envisioning a garden party style and even though the weather didn’t allow us to be outside, I was still able to incorporate that idea and the colors inside!I love the look of a long table with place settings. Even though these are paper plates, they still add to the decor! I crafted all of the centerpieces using mason jars and aluminum cans and wrapped them with a few different types of ribbon that I got from Michaels. I filled them with fresh flowers – hydrangeas, carnations, and baby’s breath.Did you notice my DIY banner in the background? Here’s a closer look.I made it using doilies, craft paper, twine, and clothes pins. I also made a little circle banner, which you can kind of see below hanging in the doorway. I’m such a sucker for banners!!Would anyone like a drink?I put together this little beverage area using my recently painted drawer. (See it here.) Guests could easily grab a cup, napkin, and straw and fill up with some pink lemonade. There was also punch, but I didn’t manage to get a shot of that or the food. But don’t worry, I did get a picture of the dessert table. 😉 (Priorities, right?!)The cake, which we ordered from a local bakery, turned out so adorable! We had way more sweets than we needed, but after all, little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice! (P.S. I also made the tiered platter using 2 plates, a candlestick, and some gorilla glue.)

And speaking of sugar …These are the favors I made for the guests. I colored in the ‘she’ in Hershey’s using a pink sharpie, and then added the ribbon and little tag. (I like puns!)

I’m so glad I was able to do this for my friend so her family and friends could shower her with so much love. We can’t wait to meet the little one!

August 3, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 6 Comments

A Sweet Makeover

Well I can’t show you the bathroom just yet, but I can show you the nursery! I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to before the baby arrived, but luckily he or she is still cooking … giving us a little more time to get things done (and putting my mind at ease)!

You may recall this is how the room used to look – reserved for guests.And here’s how it looks now – reserved for our little one. 🙂Since we don’t know what we’re having (aside from a baby of course), we went with gender neutral colors of gray, yellow, and white.

My husband took on the task of painting the room since I really shouldn’t be around the fumes. We chose the color Passive from HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams.

I wanted a little something extra in the room, so on one of the walls Jamie added the white stripes. (No, not the band!)I love how it turned out! Simple and subtle, but so cute!Now, let me take you around the room to show you some of the other details.

Here’s a little shelf above the crib that not only holds our video monitor, but also has faux flowers from my baby shower (see more about that here), a cute little giraffe from my friend who threw the shower, and a Beatrix Potter puzzle frame that came directly from the author’s hometown in England!This, of course, is the dresser/changing area. What I love most about it is the colorful gallery wall. But I’ll have more on that in my next post 😉Did you notice the rug?! We had a few issues purchasing it from Target. It kept going out of stock and then we had some shipping issues, but I’m so glad it ended up working out. It’s so soft and adds such coziness to the room. Those stars are just too cute!And this corner of the room might just be my favorite spot. I can already envision all the feeding, rocking, and reading to Baby M that will happen here!I’m so glad this room finally came together. As a mom-to-be, it was important to me to be able to create a space where our little one will grow, have dreams, play, imagine, and make memories!

March 31, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home Leave a comment

Shades of Gray

I’ve been wanting to paint our master bedroom gray, but little did I know how hard it would be to find the right shade. I picked up a few paint cards from Lowe’s. But I really didn’t like any of them once I had them on the wall.The problem with gray is it has so many different undertones – brown, blue, green, etc. I was really looking for a true gray without an undertone. After doing a lot of online searching, I then started looking at Benjamin Moore paints. After going through several options …… my husband and I finally decided on Cliffside Gray by BM. It looked to be the truest gray in the lighting in our bedroom.

Of course, once we actually got the paint on the walls it was a little darker and had more blue in it than I wanted, but it still looked nice. I think part of the problem was that our blue bedding was affecting the color.I hadn’t anticipated needing or wanting to change our bedding, but I had to do something so the room didn’t look so dull.

In between that search, we also planned on adding an accent wall using a stencil. I found this one called Marrakech Trellis from Cutting Edge Stencils.Jamie had painted the whole room in a matte finish. For the stencil I used the same Cliffside Gray color, but in a semi-gloss finish. This is a shot taken during the process.It was fairly easy, but painstakingly slow. The main thing I struggled with was getting each section to line up. But I love how it turned out! Here are some pictures of the transformation from when the room was all white to where it is today.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Did you notice the improved bedding as well?! Instead of breaking the bank by getting a whole new set, I made 3 simple changes. I added the white and gray chevron patterned sheets, which I found at Kohl’s for only $30 (after a 30% off coupon). I added the colorful pillow, which I found at Marshall’s for $17. And I simply changed the way I make the bed – pulling the comforter down and folding it halfway up to expose more of the sheets. I feel this helps break up the blue. Doesn’t the bed look so much more inviting now?!