Hot Air Balloon Mobile

One of the projects I lined up for the nursery was the Hot Air Balloon Mobile I found over on Jess's blog. She has a great tutorial, so I thought I'd give it a shot! It was so easy to make and I love how it turned out!

I used the same felt that Jess recommended from The Felt Pod (found here) in Salmon, Buttercream and Aquatic Blue. The quality of the felt was amazing (way better than the rectangle sheets that you can buy at Michaels or JoAnn's. But, I did use the rectangle sheets for the white, off-white, and brown pieces. 

I got the embroidery thread in coordinating colors from JoAnn's/Michaels, the wooden pieces used to hang the mobile and the filling from Ben Franklin Crafts, and the screws (that go into the wooden block so you can hang it) from Lowe's.

I didn't really do anything differently because Jess's tutorial was so straightforward and easy to follow. The mobile is currently hanging in our living room on a random hook that the owner left in the ceiling (probably for a plant) and I love it so much I don't even want to take it down until I have to when we move this summer. :)

The colors are perfect for the nursery (although the coral looks a little more red in my pictures than it actually is) and I can't wait to set it all up for Little BK so she can look up and see the colorful balloons floating around. Yay!

Total cost breakdown:
Felt - $21 ($18 with shipping for the colors and $3 for the white, off-white and brown)
Thread - $3
Wooden block and dowels - $3
Filling - $2 (I spent $8 for a big pack but I barely used any of it, so let's say about $2?)
Screws - $1
Total Cost - About $30

I think that's pretty amazing considering that mobiles on Etsy are expensive!

I love love love how it turned out. :) What have you been working on lately? Have you ever attempted a mobile? I was intimidated at first, but surprised at how easy it really was! (Seriously, check out Jess's tutorial if you are thinking about making any kind of mobile!)

Have a great weekend!

A Dresser for the Nursery - Progress

I bought a dresser for the nursery about a month ago for $100 on Craigslist. I'd been looking for a while to find the perfect one, something similar to this one, this one or especially this one. I knew I wanted a long dresser with plenty of storage (for all those cute little socks and onesies!) and some kind of interesting detail. I found just that with this beauty. 

She's solid wood, dovetailed and in pretty darn good condition. I love the detail along the top and the bottom and the inlaid wood. Along the bottom, there is even a little bit of brass detailing. 

I'm a little on the fence about the hardware. They are swinging pulls and I'm afraid they might be a little noisy? I'm definitely not into the round ones in the middle, but I think I might stick with the long handled pulls. They just need some gussying up. We will see. 

The top had some scratches, but nothing a little sanding couldn't cure.

 

On Memorial Day I got to work and started sanding. And then priming. After taking off the hardware, it took me a good 4 hours to get the whole thing sanded and primed (with a few necessary prego breaks in between). 

Next step is paint! I decided on a coral color called Youthful Coral from Behr and I'm ready to go. Can't wait to get the first coat on!

Have you been painting any furniture lately? Dressers? Nightstands? What colors? Please share!

Weekly Bump Photo (Week 27)

27 Week Interview

How far along? 27 weeks (holy cow... only 13 to go already?!)

Baby’s size? Rutabaga (I'm not even entirely sure what this is)

Days until next doc appointment? Monday for an extra ultrasound

Total weight gain/loss? 13 lbs

Maternity clothes?  Yes, please.

Stretch marks?  None so far.

Sleep:  I think this is the part where I say it only goes down hill from here... tossing and turning a lot. 

Best moment this week:  Laying in bed with Z and watching her move in my belly. It's so surreal and seriously the coolest thing ever. 

Movement:  Tons. I felt like she was moving all day yesterday. I've started to recognize four different types of movements - 1) the kick/punch - the regular little kicks I feel; 2) the moving positions - where she's just moving around in general in there; 3) the hiccups - little consistent rhythmic beats, lighter than the kicks; 4) the slide - her foot/hand/knee/elbow scrapes along my belly. Definitely the weirdest feeling out of all the movements and the most uncomfortable, but I love it at the same time.

Food cravings:  Not really right now.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  You guessed it... still can't eat eggs... I'm OK on other things, besides random things that I'm not in the mood for.

Have you started to show yet?  Yes, getting more uncomfortable...

Missing anything?  Sleeping well. Moving around easily and without having to think about it.

Gender: It's a girl!

Labor signs?  None yet

Belly button: Moving towards a half innie/half outie

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or moody most of the time?  I can admit it, I was a little moody this weekend. But for the most part, very happy and excited!

Weekly symptoms:  Ugh, leg cramping.

Looking forward to: Seeing baby girl in the ultrasound next week and getting ready for her to join us in three months (holy cow!).

Nursery Ideas for Little Miss BK

I had so much putting this together (especially since I finally figured out a non-photoshop way to make a mood board)! I've been so excited to put the nursery together every since busy season ended so I started a secret board on Pinterest with all my nursery finds. I've finally narrowed them down to what I can envision for Little Miss BK! My main inspiration is this nursery from Jess at Craftiness is Not Optional. I love the colors - aqua, coral and yellow - and I loved the subtle hot air balloon theme. I'm not really into "themed" nurseries, but I do like having the hot air balloons in there a little bit. I'm more of a geometric/stripes/polka dots kind of girl. :) Mostly, I just want it to be a bright, colorful fun space for Little BK (and mainly me, I guess) to enjoy! I also have some big plans for some fun projects too! I'll explain more...

1. Curtains with pom pom border - I have my yellow pom poms and my IKEA Vivian curtains, now I just need to get sewing!

2. Loving this mint wall paint by Dwell Studio. I've also been crushing on this Sea Glass color by Martha Stewart which is a close match. 

3. This is my inspiration dresser from One King's Lane, but it's a tad out of my price range (I think when it was online, it was $1,000+!). Don't worry, I already got a dresser much more reasonably priced from Craigslist, which I'll be sharing soon!

4. Some pretty knobs from Anthropologie to spruce up the dresser!

5. My Mama is giving me her rocking chair that my Daddio got her when I was born, so I'm really excited! It's a wooden rocker very similar to the picture above, but I'll need to get a comfy cushion to go with it - like this one perhaps?

6. Love pillow - I have some plans to craft this one up. 

7. Hot air balloon mobile - I'm planning on using Jess's tutorial to make this mobile too!

8. Yellow chevron rug from Urban Outfitters.

9. Chevron pouf - I'm going to try my hand at making one of these pouf ottomans (maybe using this tutorial), and I actually got some fabric already (see number 12!)

10. I couldn't do a nursery without including a print from my favorite artist, Katie Daisy! The You Are So Loved print is perfect.

11. I've loved this crib for a while, simple and white but with a touch of vintage charm.

12. I bought this Waverly fabric from JoAnn's the other day for 40%! I'm kind of obsessed. The colors are perfect and it's actually outdoor fabric, which will be perfect for the ottoman!

13. Hot air balloon print - this one is dainty and cute. I love the colors and how it will carry the "theme" without feeling to "themey."

14. Be silly print - I like this saying a lot. Something fun to remember, and perfect colors.

15. A fun way to add another pop of color in the room with this yellow Stella floor lamp from Urban Outfitters. I like the aqua too!

The only problem is we will be moving sometime in July... so I can't really set anything up yet. :( But, I will be starting on projects and sharing with you as I go! I'm so ready to get started!

PS - Three months till my due date!!!

Babymoon Reading List

Honestly, I don't read very much. I don't seem to have (or make) the time in everyday life. But, get me on a relaxing vacation, and I'm all about it. On our Arizona Babymoon I read four books! That's probably more than I've read in the past year altogether. Sad, I know. It was so much fun to relax and get lost in some great books, so I thought I'd share what I read with you (It was quite the variety, too!). I also started reading on my new (to me) kindle, which is flipping awesome. I love it - way better than trying to read on the kindle app on my ipad. 

The Night Circus

This book was good, but at the same time I feel like I need to read it again to fully "get it" and pick up on all the intricacies. In a nutshell - two illusionists are pit against each other to the death... with a couple twists, of course.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Loved this one. But how could I not when I love Mindy Kaling so much? She's hilarious. Reading this book is like listening to her talk. So funny. In a nutshell - read about hilarious stories from Mindy's life, including The Office!

The Great Gatsby

I wanted to re-read this one before I saw the movie (hello, Leo!) and was glad I did. I remember reading it in high school and that is mostly wasn't very happy. In a nutshell - a dude tries to get back together with his lover from five years ago. It doesn't end well.

Gone Girl

I had heard the hype on this one and decided to take the plunge and read it since it had, you know, 10k+ awesome reviews on amazon. Why not, right? SO GOOD. In a nutshell - I can't even tell you because there are so many twists. Just read it. 

Name of the Wind (currently reading)

This one my sweet hubby suggested I read. It's one of his fantasy books that I don't usually like, but I thought I'd give it a try since he said it was so good. I'm about 25% in so far, and it is pretty good. I'm just waiting for the promised love story though... :)

That's it! Quite the variety, no? What have you been reading lately? This reading binge, along with my kindle might have gotten me motivated to keep this up! :)

Arizona Babymoon

First of all, sending big hugs and lots of prayers to those in Oklahoma... Mother Nature can certainly be a B sometimes... 

I thought I'd share a little about our Arizona "Babymoon" trip with you today. We stayed at my parent's house in Goodyear, AZ (Thanks Mom and Dad!), which is pretty awesome. There's actually not too much to say about our trip other than we achieved total relaxation. It. Was. Glorious. Ten days of sun, pool, and reading (I read four books!) as well as some pretty tasty food. Here's a few pictures of our trip!

Where we were parked for most of the trip... by the pool!

Our first stop - In n' Out! Tasted SO good. I think by now you all know how I feel about burgers and fries at this time in my life. :)

My view for the ten days we were there. We could move the umbrella into the pool too to keep it shady.

 

Prego shot!

Beautiful sunsets!

I did a little shopping for Little Miss BK - so much fun. Of course I had to get her her first pair of converse! Also, did you know H&M not only has a baby/kids section (that's where I got the chevron romper on the top right) but also has some maternity clothes! 

I also went to this place called the Brass Armadillo, which is a huge (and I mean huge) antique mall in Goodyear. I probably spent about three hours or more walking through every aisle and looking at every booth. I'll do a post later this week about some of my cool finds. I didn't purchase much since we didn't have much room in our suitcase, but I did purchase this vintage map of the Atlantic Ocean for $20. I love it! I'm not sure where it will go yet... possibly the master bedroom or maybe even the nursery? We'll see...

We played a lot of cribbage too. Zach won overall (and I was not happy about it. Competitive much? YES). We only had one poolside tragedy the last day of our trip... the five, ten and two jacks were mine dang it! :)

Our one big outing was to the Wildlife World Zoo where we saw a ton of animals. The cool thing about the zoo was that it felt a lot more relaxed than a regular zoo - you could get a lot closer to the animals. They even had a couple different spots where you could walk underneath the cage to the leopards. I think you could even reach out and touch them if you wanted (there were a couple layers of chain link between you and them, so still safe). Unfortunately, we went during the middle of the day, so the leopard was in the shade instead of on the overhead hang out. 

Baby giraffe!

Albino alligator!

Ostriches! (Remember our other ostrich adventures?)

Camels!

The zebras were my favorite! It was so cool being so close to them!

Antelope!

Rhino!

Chameleon! I so bad wanted him to change colors, but no such luck. He did use his super fast tongue to get a bug though - that thing is fast!

Me and the huge tiger! Such huge paws.

The peacocks were just roaming around on the paths... I was a little freaked out because Zach wanted to get closer to them, but for some reason I remembered that they could get violent (I don't know, is that even true?!) so I steered clear.

They had a Kangaroo path where the Kangaroos just roamed free. You had to stay on the path, but could still get really close to them!

Albino Peacock!

We got to catch up with some friends from our Arizona days and meet their 130 pound Great Dane named Ole! Only a year old and he was so huge, but such a sweetie! Seriously, biggest dog I'd ever seen!

We had such a great time in Arizona. We can't wait to go back - which will be next summer for Zach's graduation (with the little one too!).