#NurseryFail

[So cute and sweet, but LIES!!! All LIES]

You know when you see all of those adorable baby rooms on Pinterest and think, oh my gosh, so sweet. That just looks too good to be true! That's because it is!!! Beware! You are being lied to!!! Gasp! And you thought the internet was a beacon of truth. These sweet Pinterest nurseries only look like that until the child can move, then all bets are off. I have to admit I wasn't thinking about a moving, grabby, no napping monster baby when I decorated our nursery… I should've, ohhhh I should've… It was so sweet and cute for the first 3 months when I only went in his room to rock in the rocking chair. Needless to say we had some serious function issues and I have decided to share my knowledge with you now. You're welcome friends.

1. Forget the wool rugs. We love our gorgeous West Elm shag wool rug, it's beautiful and it was a killer good deal, but not only is it a shedding nightmare, it gets vomited and drooled on like ALL. THE. TIME. We are already planning purchasing a nice super soft cotton rug. This one tops the list.

2. Hang everything out of reach of grabby, grubby hands… and feet. I love our art work and I still think it was the perfect aesthetic choice, but maybe not hanging it so close to his changing pad. Like dude, I have been waiting to be hit in the head by one of these things and finally took them down the other day.

3. Cover 'dem windows. Our "blackout" curtains were a flipping joke and when our little guy refused to nap in anything other than a pitch black room we improvised. I was told by a friend to bust out dark plastic wrap a la "Dexter Style." We went more ghetto fab and threw every damn thing we could find over the curtain rod. BOOM. Black out shades only a college student could love.

4. Keep wattages wayyyy down. Our lamps are brighter than the surface of the sun and instead of buying the proper low wattage bulb, again, we just throw a whole bunch of shit on top of the light. Are you seeing a trend?!

5. Cords, cords, cords. Damn, my kid loves to eat cords!? What the heck!? You think oh my kid won't try to kill himself by getting tangled in cords or sticking his fingers in light sockets until he's a crazy toddler… Oh no, think like 4 months… They aren't very bright, think about how to hide cords and keep them out of reach when you first design the room to keep you from having to reconfigure the space!

So much for my beautiful nursery… But Honey Badger don't give a fu--- You get it.

In Pinning News…

So every few weeks I thought it would be fun to catch you up with my latest Pinterest obsessions because, as it turns out, I'm a superiorly talented pinner. I wish I could make it a job… Does that mean I should be an editor?! I think yes. Anywho, a few years ago I even won a Rachel Zoe Pinterest contest and besides my wedding day and the birth of my child, it's my proudest moment. You think I'm joking. I'm not.  My handwritten note from Rach is most definitely framed on my dresser… No shame. She's Bananas. BA- NAN- NAS. Moving on, here are my top pins from last week!

[I never actually had a sloppy joe when I was a kid. I mean, ew. But lately they sound delicious. I'm gonna share my own red lentil sliders recipe later this week.]

[Vegan Snickers Ice Cream Bars, literally one of my favorite things in the world pre-veg!! Can't wait to try these. The Minimalist Baker is my hero][This is my top repin of the past 2 weeks. I love the all white with the boxy gray coat. The black bag and nails are perf.][I'm currently obsessed with moving and buying a house. A house, hopefully, full of subway tiles]

[How much fun is this!? I want to make one in a fun color to hang on the all white walls of my new imaginary home!!]

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Home Sweet Rental

All Pieces Via Modani Except Orchid, Jute Rug, and Patterned Rug

After being introduced to Modani furniture, I thought it would be fun to create a look with their modern sofas. I aimed to decorate the space similarly to the way I would accessorize an outfit. Love that. I hate when I walk into some one's home and can't see a trace of them in their decor. I believe your house should be a direct reflection of your personal style!!!! So I loved this challenge because I decorate pretty much exactly like how I dress. Simple and basic core items like a chic neutral sofa = white tshirt and jeans, tons of colorful, fun pillows = arm party of bracelets, and an exciting rug or chair = a funky jacket or blazer… That's my side by side comparison… because I thought you might've needed that… because I'm just so tired and totally unsure of what you might want… Moving on. This room has made me want to redecorate my entire house starting with the living room. I love this sofa and the reason is two fold. 1. It's leatherette and can handle all kindsa baby drool/puke/poop/etc and 2. It folds into a bed. #winning I think my design is pretty self explanatory. Warm natural wood in modern shapes, a neutral sofa with crisp clean lines, and a ton of texture and color with the accessories. I love layers in a room, much like layers when dressing… They create dimension and a lived-in look. I LOVE creating a space that looks "collected" rather than purchased all in one day. Even though most of it was indeed purchased all in one day… okay, maybe a week... I'm impatient, what can I say!?

Be sure to check out their site!!!

Happy Decorating!

Blissful Tykes

photos via Kelsey Erin Photography | [StormTrooper Pillow] [Robot Sheets] [Ladder Bookshelf] [Rocker] [Kick Ass Dresser] [Rug] [Elephant Hook] [Yellow Hook] [Deer Hook] [Letter R Hook] [Lamp] [Trees Art Work] [Birdcage Art Work] [Blanket] [Crib]

Happy Due Date!!!!! October 2nd, the day The Captain and I have been dreaming about for months and months is here!!! Little did we know that the nugget would surprise us 8 days early!!! but I thought today was the perfect day to share the nugget's room with you!!!! It's still sort of a work in progress, but I've decided to err on the side of caution and add as I feel necessary. I am obsessed with his dresser and can't say enough wonderful things about Stephanie, it's amazing re-vamper. You must check out her Etsy site!! I love his wacky robot sheets and stormtrooper pillow, which was actually the first thing I bought for the room. Boy or Girl it was happening!!! This rocker took a while to decide on because I refused to do an ugly rocker and I also refused to spend more than 500. That's already too much, but you would be amazed how much some places charge for seriously unattractive nursery rockers. I feel like I could use 1 or 2 more pieces of art, but again, I want them to be amazing so I'm waiting until I see something I can't live without!!! I'm so excited to finally have the perfect place for my Circles and Squares birdcage print!!! And come on, look at that hat collection, I definitely hope to grow that focal point as well!

I love that I have a room Rocco can grow up with!! My dream is to one day make a living helping people design chic and funky bambino rooms that really stand the test 'o' time. No silly themes, just cool rooms! And because the world deserves to see my beautiful child here's another shot just for the heck of it.

Photo via Kelsey Erin Photography

Picture This…

Sooooooooo first let me apologize for being an incredibly unreliable blogger over the past few weeks. Sigh. I know, I know. All 13 of you have been super stressed not getting your BH fix. I'm so verrrrryyyy sorry, but damn, sometimes life is busy and crazy and busy. Over the span of 2 weeks we had 10 house guests. 7 people and 3 dogs, in case you were wondering. It was wonderful getting to spend time with family, but boy-oh-boy I was wrecked!!! I hate that the blog had to suffer, but I'm back and we are ready to roll… like rollin' with my homies. Ya dig? Moving on. I love pictures. I fill my house with them. Nothing makes me sadder than when you walk in someone's house and only a lonely wedding photo and their college diplomas grace the walls. Yuck. I want life! I want pizazz. I want to know you just by looking at the pics on your wall!! This is your home where you live!!!! Make it uniquely you, filled with photos and pieces that matter!

pics by Kelsey Erin Photography

This is our formal living area. I love this wall. Simple, yet a little funky. As you will notice, I sorta hate symmetry but I also love balance. I think one thing people are afraid to do is print massive pictures! 8x10's are so small!!! Give me a 16x20 any day!! They are perfect for anchoring a photo wall and really make an impact. Also, never underestimate the power of a pair of antlers, they never get old. Probably my favorite wall in my house! Full of my boys, my favorite kid, The Captain, and weird "art" work. I have a mix of pro-photography, home pics, and magazine clippings. I have been obsessed with my Kate Spade t-rex ad and my Alexander McQueen top hung in the meat packing distract since college, both are torn from magazines. So a super fun magazine ad paired with a killer cool off center mat looks baller… in my own wacky opinion. I 'm not so much a fan of matching frames… clearly, but if you are that can work too!! It's all about what most suites you and the photos you want to hang!!

So this wall is in my super girlie guest room. Loooove that room. I like how organized and clean this one is. The shelves are good ole Ikea and they do the trick nicely. I love how the Made By Girl print balances the shorter shelf. I tried to keep these frames simple, doing only black, silver, and white. I love using photo shelves and think it's super fun to stack and arrange the photos like you have amassed this huge collection over the years that has organically grown.

I think that's the trick with any kind of decorating… You never want to look like you bought the mannequin… Ya know, you don't need  everything to match! You want your home to look like you've spent years collecting pieces that give your space character! Have fun and don't put pressure on yourself to have that house you saw on Pinterest, instead create your own pin worthy home!!! How's that for inspirational!?!? Boom. Drop microphone. But then pick it up because it's probably expensive…

books. books. books.

I have a problem. A serious book problem. I am not a Kindle/iPad gizmo reading kinda girl. I want, nay NEED, to have book in my hands. I read The Help on my Ma's iPad and it was fine, but just not as fulfilling as ferociously tearing through a tree-killing paper book. I am obsessed, going into Barnes & Noble is one of lifes greatest pleasures and I have to try very hard to remind myself that I can get everything cheaper from them online or for Amazon. Patience has never been a virtue I possessed. I'm a big fan of pretty coffee table books. They are just so fun and interesting and make me feel like a fancy lady who has fancy coffee table books… You'll find stacks of them, literally, all over my house. Above is my formal living room, the vintage 70's lucite table is one of my most favorite purchases. I stacked it up with some super girly books, a pop of pink, and my favorite mug.  You guessed it, more books. My collection of random fashion, decor, and art books. I have more, but I realize I would look like a candidate for Hoarders if I didn't at least try to streamline my collection in our common areas. Yes, I have not one, but two Sex and the City movie picture books… dude, the movies may be giant piles of crap, but you can't deny the amazing clothes in both films. I bow to Patricia Field and her fashion mastery. This Ikea footlocker is one of the few Ikea purchases that I imagine we will have forever, it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture and it perfectly hides our obscenely large movie collection. Yes, I probably should be on Hoarders.  More fun!!! This is our tv console, good ole Expedit from Ikea. That's probably our next piece to replace, we want a fancier more grown up piece that has a similar vibe. I am obsessed with bookends and knickknacks… clearly I have a bit of an elephant thing. I hate uniform looking bookshelves. Sooooo boring!! I want to have fun odds and ends that really give it some life! We have been collecting these steadily over the last few years. I also like the books to be placed a bit haphazardly to create some charm. I sort of organize each shelf… sort of, a few travel books, my healthy eating reads, the books that I always go back to, and a few vintage finds that fill my heart with joy. I'm working on cleaning up the billions of wires behind it which is much of the reason I want another piece of furniture. I think being surrounded by books that make you feel happy creates such a personal and special touch to your home. We have a massive Expedit stuffed to the brim in our guest room, but keep the really special books out and near us at all times!!And finally, my very small but super special Pride & Prejudice collection. I am slowly building this up. Anytime I find an interesting or pretty version of Pride & Prejudice I buy it. New, used, antique, it doesn't matter. I've got 3 so far, but hope one day to have enough to fill it's own bookshelf… because you CAN NEVER have too many books. I feel like someone is calling Hoarders on my book loving ass, like right now…

Bridal Shower Mayhem

Weddings, ahhhh, Weddings. I dig a good wedding. Heck, I wrote wedding blogs for 2+ years. I love weddings. I've been in 5 weddings as a mostly-adult, but this marks the first time as a real bridal shower host. First, I was Maid of Honor [as promised in every yearbook since kindergarten] for my bestest bud when we were barely 21. I was still in college and broke as a joke, so I sorta threw a shower with my mom and the church ladies. Then was my little sis, again, super poor... I was planning my wedding too, so I don't remember how that shower went down. I know, such a jerk. After that was my dearest friend who had a surprise wedding. Yes, it was exactly as awesome as it sounds! So yeah, no shower. This year I was in two weddings. One AH-mazing affair in beautiful Negril, Jamaica and due to all of the travel, while I ended up being able to surprise my wonderful friend for the shower, I didn't get to help plan. So this July I had the opportunity to host my first real-life-grownup shower. My lovely friend Shirk Shirley got married to her Guido Prince Frankie. We had a mostly vegan shower-- what??? If I'm buying the food you best believe it's going to be healthy of sorts. Em, the ginger, hatched most of the decor ideas and the curly haired babe, Marilyn, did the drinks and baking. I, of course, made all of the food! Here are some shots of the day.Wine is the best! It was an absolutely lovely day! I made my famous pesto pasta!! I made enough to feed an army, we had leftovers for days. Here's the recipe. Serves 4 hungry people or 6 sorta hungry people

1 pound of pasta, I like Trader Joes brown rice fusilli

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped same length as pasta

1 pound of green beans, trimmed and chopped same length as pasta

Cook the pasta per package instructions. I like my veggies to have bite to them, so I throw them in with the pasta for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Now depending on how you like your veggies adjust this time. Strain and toss with pesto[recipe below].

For Pesto

Basil, about a 1/2 cup

Spinach, about 1/2 a cup

2 cloves of garlic, more if you are a big garlic fan

1/4 cup nutritional yeast [easily found a most markets and super high in B vitamins]

3 tablespoons of pine nuts

Veggie stock, salt, and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. Add all ingredients then add a tablespoon of veggie stock and blend. Add veggie stock tablespoon by tablespoon until creamy. It depends on your appliance and personal taste. In my Vitamix, I find 2-3 is plenty. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over pasta and serve with cherry tomatoes on top! YAY SHOWERS!!!!!