Instagram Obsession

After almost 3 years with my original iPhone 3, I recently decided to upgrade to the 4.  I used The Husband's one day and couldn't believe how much faster is was than my old model.  Plus, I kept trying to download apps that weren't compatible with my old model.  And I felt like treating myself.

One of the first things I downloaded was the Instagram app.  The new phone has a better camera, and I am constantly taking pictures of Baby H to try to capture her cuteness and send it to our family far away.  Let me say, I am totally in love!  With her and the camera app.  Basically you use it instead of the camera function that comes with the phone, and you can apply all sorts of filters and effects to make the picture look amazing.

For example:

 regular iPhone photo

 Instagram iPhone photo

 

more Instagram photos

 

The pictures come out square, and I haven't tried to print any of them out, but I read on Hollywood Housewife that the Postal Pix app is the best way to print them.  You can upload them right from your phone and the come printed in 4x4 or 5x5 size.  I am saving up a batch to send out for printing and plan on making some crafts like this one:

Instagram collage via Apartment Therapy

 

Both Instagram and Postal Pix are free apps, and I highly suggest you download them now, they are super addicting and perfect for snapping those holiday pictures!

Updated Spearmint Baby with Nursery Gallery

One of my favorite baby blogs, Spearmint Baby, just got a makeover!  The blog has a new look and feel, and some new navigation tabs at the top.  My favorite is the nursery gallery, complete with preview thumbnails of the entire post.  If you are looking for some real life rooms that really inspire, be sure to check it out.  To scroll through the pages, click "Older Posts" to see the other gallery pages.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Cool Product: Picky Sticky

As more and more of my friends have babies, I Facebook newsfeed is filling with pictures of their little ones as they grow up. Almost all of them do a monthly photo with a sign or shirt showing baby's age. Its a cute way to track their growth, and I often see the series of pictures displayed at the 1st birthday party.

I've seen a few tutorials online for making monthly stickers you can just stick to a white onesie or shirt, and they are super cute. But they all require a bit of time, and some of them require photoshop or editing software. So when I randomly ran across these Picky Sticky monthly onesie stickers, I thought they were a great idea. Each sticker is 4" in diameter and is made of transparent sticky paper, which when applied LOOKS like an iron-on transfer.

They come in boy, girl and neutral colors, and here is a sample of what the designs look like:

For just $14.99 you get a set of 12 stickers, and there are several color and style options to choose from. For a busy Mom, that sounds like a steal and they would make a great shower gift I'm sure!

PS - they are now offering belly stickers, year stickers and stickers for the 2nd year!

Inspiring Mood Boards

If you haven't visited Young House Love, you must check it out. These DIYers have turned their blog into a full time business and they post home improvement projects, inspiring mood boards and most recently they have added baby related posts. They have done some amazing project for their nursery, which looks like this:

They recently added a page with all of their mood boards, which you can now browse by color or room. Most are living and bedroom posts (with a few nurseries) and it is a great way to get started and see different variations of the colors you have in mind. Plus, unlike some web designers, they actually tell you where to buy all the stuff in the board!

Stop by and check them out!

Sensational Site Sunday: Better After

So I haven't done one of these Sensational Site Sunday posts in forever (read: at least a year) but I wanted to share a few blogs that have made it onto my daily reading list:

Better After: this blog combines the best before and after shots from all over the web. And endless display of inspiring projects!

KFD Designs - this blogger is a super talented painter and does some amazing things with furniture. I am really into furniture lately and am searching for a dresser to go with the nightstand I just did. One day I hope to be able to paint furniture like her!

Hope you all did lots of crafting this weekend! I had family in town so I plan on finishing some paintings this evening.

Designer Kids Buys on Gilt.com

I am a sucker for a deal. You know when you are supposed to hold something up and evaluate if you are just buying it because it is on sale, or if you really truly like it? I have trouble with that. So when my bestie invited me to join Gilt.com, a members only discount designer website, I was hesitant. I wasn't sure if I would be able to resist and I was afraid to get daily emails featuring amazing designer deals. I joined anyway, but I don't get the daily emails and I only visit when I have the time. Today was one of those days.....

The bestie texted me to see if I saw the cute kids art they were selling - I never knew they had baby stuff! So here is the deal - if I refer people that sign up for the email and make a purchase I get store credit. Maybe I can earn enough to do a good baby giveaway from the site! So if you are interested in being able to check it out (you don't have to get the daily emails) email me at customnurseryart at gmail.com or leave your email address in the comments section. Or, you can click this link to join via me.

Just to tempt you, here are some of the things they are featuring right now:

This quilted elephant wall hanging is $22

30x40" Bamboo blankets in a ton of colors only $38 - would make a nice shower gift for an eco-friendly mommy

This Avalisa wall art is usually $99 for 18x18 sizes - Gilt has them for $49 through 6/6

If you can get some of your friends to sign up and make a purchase you can earn credit too......which could also be used for the Alice + Olivia sale going on right now....hey Mom's need stuff too!

What I'm Reading Now

For Valentine's Day my sweet husband got me a gift card to Anthropologie. He remembered my facebook page saying "Dear Anthro - why does everything you sell have to be so cute but oh so expensive," and got me the card a few months later. It was really sweet but I still haven't spent it! I've gone in a few times but never find something I deem worthy of spending it. I guess that goes back to not wanting to pay more than $30 for anything!

What does all that have to do with the blogs I am loving right now? Well as I went on a quest to find the best thing at Anthro to spend my card on I came across this great blog:

http://anthroholic.blogspot.com/

Blogger Kim shares new arrivals, review fit and let's you know when stuff goes on sale. Plus, she posts an outfit of the day that I just love to check out! Her blog led me to this one:

http://www.thechloeconspiracy.com/

Where Chloe shares another OOTD and lets you know when and where to score a good designer sale


For home decor, I am currently loving:

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/

and

http://betterafter.blogspot.com/

and

http://gorgfabgoodies.blogspot.com/


Lastly, for a good quick pick me up when your mind is mush from working all day:

http://www.hollywoodhousewife.com/

Isn't it funny how I am sharing the blogs I am reading right now, not the books? I guess that's what happens when your book club cares more about the appetizers and cocktails everyone is bringing than the book - but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Sensational Site Sunday: Sweet Little Ladies

For years I have been sitting behind a Mom at church with adorable kids in perfectly coordinated outfits. Come to find out, she makes most of her little girls' clothes and they are ADORABLE. Lucky for you, she just started an Etsy shop - Sweet Little Ladies - and her creations are now available for purchase.

Reminiscent of Anthropologie, her collection of sweet tops, skirt, aprons and the fabulous "Fancy Pants" can be mixed and matched to create an outfit perfect for the most stylish tot. At prices ranging from $15 for pants and $40 for a skirt and top set you can look like a million without spending it.

All items have professionally finished seams and high-quality construction. They'll hold up well through much fun and many washes. Andrea can custom-make anything seen in the shop, in whatever size or material is desired. Amazingly, turn around time on custom orders is about 3 days. You can convo her through Etsy, or contact her directly at sweetlittleladies@gmail.com.

Bonus - to celebrate the opening of her shop, she is offering free shipping for the month of November. AND, starting tomorrow, one of my lucky readers will have the chance to win a pair of her old-fashioned "Fancy Pants!"

I'm Blog-Famous!

I am excited to announce that I was featured today on weeDECOR.com! They contacted me last week about sharing my artwork and featured some of my favorite pictures and a little write up today. Jump on over to check out the article and while you're at it, check out their amazing site.

They feature the freshest nursery decoration & baby room design ideas for discerning moms. Get ideas for wall decals, wall stickers, nursery decals, hanging nursery art, nursery themes, girls rooms, boys rooms, and other nursery decor. Check out their daily articles or search the archives at the top for more design ideas.

Thanks everyone for your support, I was super busy this weekend (worked on 7 paintings!) and its all from word-of-mouth!

Sensational Site Sunday - FantabulouslyFrugal.com

Raise your hand if you don't like a bargain.....I didn't think so! I know I am a sucker for deals so when I stumbled upon Fantabulously Frugal, I was pleasantly surprised. The web is littered with tons of coupon clipping mom sites, but most of the deals posted really don't apply to me. Enter Lisa, blogger at Fantabulously Frugal. She is a 20 something girl that loves a bargain and loves to share. So, if you are looking to save a buck while still being fabulous, check out her site for shopping discounts and freebies that you actually want.

Hope everyone is enjoying their extended weekend!

Ready to Maroon Out

Um, thanks Kat for the email alerting me to TeamColorsCouture.com. This great website combiles cute clothes in your school colors from all over the web and sends you directly to the retailer's site. I just logged on to Urban Outfitters and purchased this little number for only $39! Maroon, fitted, strapless, what more could I ask for!

Husband, if you are reading this - I used a coupon code. And hopefully this will end the "what am I going to wear to the game this weekend" fashion fits!

Sensational Site Sunday - SpearmintBaby.com

What do you get when you combine cool, modern style with parents that split their time between a NY apartment and a house in near-by NJ? Spearmint Baby!

With several posts a day and tons of contests, this blog is full of fresh, fun, modern ideas for decorating baby's space. From party planning ideas to DIY projects there is something for everyone.

For some great design ideas, check out her "Featured Nursery" section for some truly gorgeous rooms from professional designers and real life mommies. Here is one of my favorites - so serene!

She has 23 posts on mobiles alone - click here to go right to them - many with DIY instructions!
And, to add to the excitement, I was featured on the site this week! Many thanks to my fellow bloggers for their support!

Don't have a kiddo? No fear, they also post grown-up decor on SpearmintDecor.com. Enjoy!

Sensational Site Sunday - Dirt & Lace Designs

I added a few new features to the blog this weekend and I have DirtandLaceDesigns to thank for my new blog button! After looking up the steps to add a blog button - with HTML code so you guys can share it - and knowing I didn't have time to try to do it myself - I decided to enlist the help of a professional. Stephanie of Dirt and Lace Designs is new to the blog design world and was kind enough to install my new button for me. If you are looking to beautify your blog check her out. Her prices are VERY reasonable and let me tell you - dressing up your blog is definitely worth it. Just think of how much more fun it would be to have a cute, personal design! Not in the market for a new blog design? Stephanie also has an adorable T-Shirt website called Dirt and Lace Shirts where you can get personalized name tees and even adorable birthday T's to celebrate your little one's big day.

Picture this design on a T paired with a pink tutu......so cute!

I want to thank all of your for sharing my blog with your friends and family. If you want to help spread the word even more you can now add my "Custom Nursery Art" button! If you are on Blogger, just add an HTML gadget, paste in the code below my button and presto - it will appear on your blog and anyone that clicks it will jump on over to mine!

I also added a search box down on the bottom left, so you can search my blog for anything special you are looking for. It not only searches post titles but content as well. Sadly, Pottery Barn gets like 35 hits.....maybe I have an obsession!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Update: Stephanie is offering my readers 15% off any design package they purchase between now and Wednesday. Just be sure to mention you heard about her through my blog!

Sensational Site Sunday - Funny Bones

Sometimes I just feel overwhelemed with all I have going on and I don't really want to do anything that takes mental effort. When that happens, there are a few websites I like to visit for a quick little break and some laughter. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

• Best of Craigslist - Nominated by fellow Craigslisters, these ads are sometimes serious but always funny and range from humorous missed encounters to rants from your local grocery store clerk. They change pretty frequently so there is always a new laugh.


• Texts from Last Night - Pretty much how it sounds - people can send in funny and random texts they received the night before - not always clean but always funny. Makes me glad I am no longer in college and not up late anymore though.....


• Dlisted - If you love The Soup and Chelsea Lately as much as I do you will love this blog. This gossip site mixes news with sarcasm and the blogger is super funny. Beware - not always tame enough to view at work!


• I Hate Green Beans - This is a new one on my list - thanks to the Sister-in-Law. Great Bachelorette recaps + funny rants

Enjoy! PS - I have been a busy little bee and will have quite a few new paintings to show this week so be sure to check back!

Sensational Site Sunday - etsy.com for Wall Decals

I am on a big time decorating kick at my house. Based on the blog you may think that my house is decorated to the top, but you are sadly mistaken. While most of the house is fully furnished with pieces that we picked out to last a lifetime, we have very little decorations and almost NOTHING on the walls.

So, the popularity of my monogram canvases got me thinking - why not do a monogram of my own in the bedroom. So I turned to Google to search for a decal I could stick on the wall. After attempting to paint some shapes on my highly textured walls in the bathroom I decided a decal would work better than me trying to paint it myself. I ran across the website Three Hip Chicks, they have a great selection of wall monograms and I think I am going to order this one in red:

The bed and the bedding in the picture are similar to ours and I think it will look great with my Tuscan inspired theme.

Anyway, back to the Sensational Site Sunday. I found the monogram decals I saw on websites to be a bit pricey so I also checked out Etsy.com. Although they didn't have what I was looking for they had a HUGE selection of nursery and kid's room decals for some really great prices. Here are some of my favorites:

From Byrdie Kids Graphics - only $48 for the set - custom orders welcome!

From Seller Janey Mac - available in multiple color choices

If you haven't visited Etsy.com yet you must check it out. They carry almost everything you can imagine - from jewelry to kids items to special shower gifts - and most of the prices are really great! Search "nursery wall decals" to see some of the selections I found. They even have some grown-up decals that would look great in the kitchen, over the fireplace or in the laundry room.

Sensational Site Sunday - MommyLabels.com

A few weeks ago I received an email from a Mommy friend of mine about a great site, MommyLabels.com. As a mother of two little girls, Shannon (the founder) quickly learned that when your child goes to school, mother’s day out, the church nursery, day care, the park, or practically anywhere, EVERYTHING must be labeled or you might never see it again! With little time to actually go out and shop, she turned to the Internet to help find some cute labels for her girls’ things but couldn't find exactly what she was looking for. So, she started making some designs of her own. After over a year of testing various types of label materials on her children’s things she finally found the most durable labels out there. They make it through months of dishwashing (even more most times)! They are tough but cute labels that can keep up with the day to day rigors of life with a little one. She has spent many hours drawing and designing fun, traditional, preppy, sassy, and whimsical designs. Organized by boy, girl and family designs there are TONS of designs to choose from and you can even search to help narrow it down.

Here are some of my favorite designs:

Bonus - there are some really cute names listed if you are pregnant and still haven't decided on a name! So, hop on over to MommyLabels and check out her selection of waterproof labels, mini labels, bag tags, gift stickers and return address labels - I promise it will make your life much more simple!

PS - See a name design you love on her site? I would be more than happy to paint a replica for any room! Name signs are perfect for the nursery and even look cute with the family last name for over a doorway!

Sensational Site Sunday - Rustoleum.com

This Sunday's Sensational Site is a little random I know. But the other day when I was grabbing a picture of my favorite spray paint off the site to use on another posting I came across their idea section full of cool kid's room projects! You can click on each item and it will tell you what product and what color was used to make it.

I like this brown, pink and orange color combo. Paint makes everything look new again and is an inexpensive way to change your look. So, jump on over to RustOleum.com and check it out!

Swanky New Site + Coupon Craze!

All of us have a friend that plans perfect parties. When book club is at her house, there are appetizers made with brie and fancy toppings, homemade cocktails and cute little napkins and appetizer plates. If you do not have this friend, you are this person. I, on the other hand, make dips like Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip and serve Carlo and Rossi Sangria from the jug - while passing it off as my own fabulous sangria creation.

So, for those of us that are not naturally the Hostess with the Mostess, there is a a fabulous new website that can help you pull together all the details. From invitations to favors, Swanky Chicks has it all coordinated for you. Founded by a fellow Ag, this hip site brings together everything you need to throw the perfect baby or wedding shower, give the perfect gift and pick up some cute Greek Life gear for your lil' sis. There are even baby shower theme packages that coordinate everything for you. Easy as 1-2-3!

And, as a special bonus, Swanky Chicks is offering my readers 10% their purchase. Just enter the code custom10 at checkout and enjoy some savings that are sure to turn you into a swanky hostess.

Sensational Site Sunday - My-Stationary.com

A few months ago I posted about jazzing up the traditional wooden name letters and April at My-Stationary.com is the perfect person to help you out with that. If you are not so crafty she offers a huge array of design choices and at $5 a letter they won't break the bank. Don't see the letter or color combo you need listed? Just email her and she will work with you to create exactly what you are looking for.

Another cool offering are these baby mobiles. I am always on the hunt for something different and fell in love with these when I saw them. Sure, traditional mobiles are cute and provide music, but I have always thought the white plastic arms were kind of cheesy. Perfect for over the changing table or rocker, these sparkly designs are sure to delight baby and keep them entertained. Plus, each one is hand made to order in your choice of 4 colors so it is sure to match your room perfectly!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Have a cool baby or decor related website you want to show off? Send me an email at customnurseryart (at) gmail (dot) com and I might just feature it on Sensational Site Sunday! If we can do a link exchange and both benefit from it - even better!

Sensational Site Sunday - TinyPrints.com

The Husband and I are not quite to the point where are friends are having babies yet. We attended 14 wedding last year (for real) so we have a few more years until the baby boom starts. But, I have received a few birth announcements in the mail this year, and all of them were adorable. First off, I love getting anything in the mail that looks like an invitation or card. You know what they look like, you can tell the difference, that thick envelope, your full name written out or printed in script. So fun. So, back to the announcements. Both of them were so stylish, with modern designs that weren't too "baby."



Being interested in design and art, I naturally turned them over to see where they were from and both were from TinyPrints.com. Then I remembered that I also got a Christmas Card from there. Now I am probably way behind the times on this one, but this website is great! The birth announcement designs are so fresh and modern, but sweet and simple at the same time. Like this one by DwellStudio (no wonder I liked it!) for only $1.49 a card!



Or, if you are interested in a photo birth announcement, check out this sweet monogram design for only $1.74 a card. Its even available on recycled paper for you eco-conscious parents. TinyPrints is dedicated to top quality custom service and promises that their pictures will never print out blurry. Each card receives inspection by 4 people, from designers to proof-readers, so they are sure to come out perfect even if you put them together at 2 am. Plus, they can even ship your envelopes to you before your cards, so you can get those ready before baby comes and have only less thing to worry about.




In addition to birth announcements, they offer holiday cards, graduation announcements, and even save-the-date cards and wedding invitations for as low as $1.64!

If you sign up for their emails, you can get an extra 15% off your order. Or, just google "tiny prints coupon codes" when you are ready to make your purchase and you will find a ton of coupon codes good for free shipping or 10% off. Now get to shopping!