Well, that about sums this post up!  We had this striped brown and cream flatweave cotton rug from Target in our bedroom…but our dogs sleep on the floor in there and we have wwaaayyy too much traffic in that room for a flatweave cotton rug that you cannot vacuum.  Yes, we could go shake it out, but we’d have to do that every day, twice a day.  So we moved it.  I had it in my office, but the same deal; little pieces of paper from the hole-punch and random thread pieces would get stuck all over it.  Plus it kept bunching up under the desk leg and office chair.  So we moved it again.  This time to the laundry room to wash it, and that’s where it stayed.  Until my genius husband suggested it going in the bathroom.  If you’re anything like me you hate a cold bathroom, especially a bathroom floor.  It fits PERFECTLY in there from wall to wall.  And I love the graphic striped pattern it brings in.  *My husband, the decorator.*

It still gets a little bunchy, but that doesn’t bother me as much as it did in the bedroom because it’s easy to put back in its original location…and you might notice that we even took the bathmats out (and now they’re on either side of the bed) because we don’t need them anymore.  This is something I probably never would have thought of on my own – another piece of evidence to show that having someone to bounce decorating ideas off of can be very helpful!  A fresh set of eyes and opinions might be exactly what you need – and don’t discount your husband’s decorating skills – you never know, he might come up with something good a few times out of ten!

Sorry for the blurry webcam shot – I just don’t always feel like whipping out the nice camera, downloading and editing photos, uploading and formatting, linking and…well, you get the idea – quick and easy, that’s what I need these days – THANK YOU PHOTOBOOTH!  At least I am posting, ha! And yes, my daughter is trying to crawl out of her bath because she sees me fiddling with my laptop…

And no, my bathroom is dark brown, not black…but I am dying to paint SOMETHING black, whether it be a room or an exterior!  Will someone please let me pick a black paint for you??

Image via Apartment Therapy

Pretty, pretty please?  Okay, how about chalkboard paint?

Image via Apartment Therapy

Okay, back to the bathroom; I thought I’d point out that cute little green and white baby potty in my bathroom.  I can’t get over how cute my little girl looks while sitting on it.  She’d hate it if it wasn’t for that stack of Wild Animal Baby magazines we put right next to the sink – because of those she’ll sit there forever.  Nothing happens while she’s sitting on it (she’s only 18 months!), but it’s just for fun and for practice. 

She cracks me up…so I’m sorry if I over-talk about her potty, but it’s just precious (to me!).  Here she is, assuming the ‘reading a magazine on the toilet’ pose, with her baby blonde hair combed after a bath.  So sweet!  And I did wrap her in a towel so I could post this online. 

Anyway, the cute little potty, I bought it from Diapers.com because 1) their shipping is FAST! and FREE! and 2) I had a 15% off coupon sent straight to my e-mail because I have a customer account.  All great things when you live in Likely.  Plus the potty is too dang adorable and I thought it would look cute (and not take up much space in my teeny bathroom) sitting in its own little corner!  It’s the Hoppop Torro Potty in Lime. It also comes in blue (Aqua) and pink (Fuschia), but my bathroom is already brown, green and white so I thought it would look good.  Well, as good as a baby potty could.  If it’s going to have to be out, it might as well look good!  Right?

Fascinating stuff, right?    Anyway, this is another baby product that gets the thumbs-up from me.  It’s small, cute and was cheap!  But I also like it mainly because she actually LIKES TO SIT ON IT!  We’ll see how it goes after she actually learns to use it.

If you’ve been following my Tweets or the Likely Design page on Facebook, you might know that I have a fun new (real life) design project in the works — a daycare playroom!  So in my search for some inspiration for this project, I clicked my way over to HGTV and saw that runner-up Design Star Dan Vickery’s new online show has debuted!  It’s called “Kid-Sized Design” and there are only a couple of web-isodes up so far but after seeing Dan’s celebrity nursery design from Design Star I was curious.

Remember this room from Design Star? So sweet and cozy!  I really thought it was finished well.

Those boat-mobiles were very creative!  I could see why they decided to give him a show about designing for kids (well, really for adults, right?).

And here are a couple of shots from rooms from the show…

A little sparse (rug? more storage furniture? teeny tiny side lamp? they couldn’t change out that ceiling fan?)…but at least it errs on the side of not enough furniture instead of too much.  And the main feature of the episode was that storage valance above the window, not the room itself.

Better, but I’d like to see more.  There are a couple of 4 minute videos to watch, and you might come up with a couple of good ideas from each, but I’d love to see the floor plans, resource lists, etc.  The “Dan Cam” (which is right in his face) is a little strange, but it’s only the intro and ending.  Here is my favorite video from the bunch:

Dividing a Shared Kids’ Room

And here are links to the rest:

Boys’ Room Headboard Storage

Girls’ Room Window Treatment

Kids’ Room Design Tips

Nursery Design Tips

So, had you forgotten about Farm Boy Dan and his online show? Me, too, but I’m glad to see he’s back and working on something fun like kids’ spaces!  Plus he does have the design education that others lacked, so I’m sure he’ll bring it.  And if that doesn’t work out, he always has his modeling…

{images via HGTV.com}

Last December, Glenn and I (ok, mostly Glenn) painted our kitchen cabinets white.  It happened to be on the day that our daughter turned 4 months old, and so we decided to immortalize the day on our living room wall.  We rolled a little of the low-VOC paint on her little foot and stamped it up on the wall by the front door.  I love seeing it as I dash out of the door, and everyone likes to comment on it when they come to visit.

Strangely enough, later in the day my dad called to tell me that his mom had died that morning, so it’s also a nice way for me to think of my Grandma from time to time.  Miss you, Grandma M.!

So what did we do on the 1-year anniversary of that day?  Well paint another footprint, of course!  Now we have 2 growin’ footprints on our wall from when Harper was 4 months and 16 months old…and I’m hoping that this giant new footprint means that she’ll be tall – just like her daddy’s family!  But then again I’m only 5’3″ with a size 9 foot…I know…I’m a hobbit. 

I am so excited to share an adorable little nursery project with you today, not because I designed it (because I didn’t – I wish I could take credit for it!), or not only because it is darling, or hand-crafted with special little details, but because it is the bedroom of a sweet little girl whose mama is an old friend of mine!  And as you can see a very artistic and creative friend at that!  But if you knew Janet in high school, you would know what an artist she is!  A good example showing that whatever profession you choose, you can still be an artist (Janet is a nurse!).

A big thank you to Janet (and Reese!  And Matt!) for sharing her little nursery project with us – I absolutely love it!  My favorite part has to be the hand-painted details; two tones of yellow in two different finishes and don’t forget the hand-painted ‘R’ (yes, that is painted directly on the wall!) with glitter accents, a painted border and a wooden frame tacked to the wall.  I’m sure it is something that little Reese will be so proud of when she starts to learn her ABC’s!    Here is what Janet had to say about it:

“As for the “R” – I modeled it after a font I found at Pottery Barn, but I decided to draw/paint it free-hand since I wanted it so much larger. The brown and blue frame is painted as well, and Matt cut and nailed up the final white frame around it all.  The R is painted with the same color as the stripes, and has a few glitter accents. It was very fun!!”

And here’s the break down to make up a sweet little nursery, just like Reese’s!  Thanks for sharing, Janet!

Paint

• Primary wall color – Dutch Boy ”Honey Bear” – Flat finish
• Stripes - Dutch Boy ”Just Enough Yellow” - Semi-gloss finish
• “R” – Painted the same color as the stripes with glitter accents. Framed with blue and brown paint (color, brands unkown) used left-overs that a friend had.  Matt finished it off with the white trim.

Furniture/Decor

• Crib – hand-me-down from Reese’s four little cousins
• Bedding – Baby Martex CoCaLo bedding – Australian Animals (I think this has been discontinued) – From the Baby Depot
  • Note from Lindsay – it’s called Down Under and you can buy it here!
• Rocker- a baby-shower gift. From Target
• White Dresser – Bona Vita “Peyton” Dresser/changing table combo – from The Baby Warehouse in Petaluma
• Credenza – given to us from the Funeral Home where Matt works – Don’t worry – it was in the lobby – It fits in there perfectly and is decorated with all her favorite stuffed animals.
• Martha Stewart’s Tissue paper pom-poms – from Michaels
  • LOVE these!  -Lindsay
• Pictures (above dresser)- White frames from Aaron Brothers -a little collage of pictures we had taken at the house when Reese was two weeks old!

If you have a room you’d like to share, please e-mail me at lindsay[@]lindsaychristensendesign.com!

And P.S. – sorry for the interruptions throughout the background of the post – I’m tweaking the blog template and those boxes should be on the right – thanks for your patience!!

I’m just gonna get right to it – How do you get a shower in when there is no one there to help you??? Harper, at 17 months now, is taking one nap per day, Glenn goes to work at 6 AM so I am left to get the both of us ready for the day alone! When she was little, it was easy – she hung out in her bouncer or her Exersaucer…now that they’re mobile what do you do?

Put up the baby gate? Pop in a DVD? Let them wander the house alone? Lock them in the bathroom with you? Have the dogs babysit? Bring them in the shower with you? I did that one yesterday. If I don’t, Harper will stand at the shower and cry…and get soaking wet! One time she even managed to crawl in…clothes and all. She loves her Old MacDonald Baby Einstein DVD (she loves the puppets and songs), but I think she’s getting bored with it…and I’m just wondering what other options I have!

I would shower at night, but mornings (before she’s awake) are the only time I have to get a workout in. I just wanted to throw it out there and get some suggestions, as the thought of jumping in the shower in a few minutes is stressing me out!

Thanks!

I open my inbox this morning and what do I see?  An e-mail from baby GAP with the cutest little girls dressed in the cutest outfits!  I really love having a girl, and now that she’s mobile and turning into a little girl (no longer a squirming little baby), there are so many options for adorable outfits!  I love the eclectic, non-matching, a little wild looks for little girls…especially things with stripes.  If only Harper would grow some more hair now…

(All photos linked to collections!)

I think Harper needs a pair of Wellies…and maybe mommy needs a pair to match. 

Too stinkin’ adorable!

I love baby leggings.  Even in the winter with boots!

And sweater dresses.  Longer shirts are great!

How cute are the stripes with polka dots?  And the little Converse shoes!

Did I mention that I love having a little girl to dress up?

Harper just got a ton of new clothes for Christmas, so she’s good for a long while, but I can’t help but look!  A girl can never have too many clothes, right?