My sweet baby boy Sylas is already 7 weeks old! *Sniff.  And with a new baby comes a lot of ‘stuff’.  But I like stuff…maybe a little too much, but I also like sharing info. about my stuff and why you need it.  Haha.  So here are a few items that I’ve been using with my second baby that have made my life easier over the past few weeks.  Most I didn’t have with my first, so if you’re a new mom, mom-to-be, or need a shower gift idea, these are my latest baby obsessions.  Enjoy!

a. Muslin wraps by aden + anais.  I use these for everything: swaddler, burp rag, blanket, car seat or stroller cover, etc. They’re huge and thin when unfolded, but fluffy and warm when folded up.  Plus they’re so soft and cute – obsessed!  I have the 4-pack with stripes, polka dots, stars and a white solid.

b. Nosefrida.  Yes, it’s a nasal aspirator that uses ‘your own’ suction with: i.e. you suck out the snot with your mouth.  It looks gross, but it works AMAZINGLY! Much better than those bulb thingies.  And no, there is no possible way you’ll get snot in your mouth, there are filters and a long tube in between.  It’s awesome.

c. Moby Wrap.  This is the only thing on this list that I had the first time around.  But it’s my go-to shower gift because every new mom should have one.  It’s the only truly hands-free carrier that I’ve found and Sylas (and Harper did, too!) falls asleep in it immediately.  It’s comfortable and I love having him close.  But I mainly use it when he won’t let me put him down and I NEED to get something done.

d. Miracle Blanket. Sometimes Sy is soooo tired but restless and this calms him down.  The boy loves to be wrapped up like a burrito. It makes it simple with the flaps and he can’t escape.  Beware of imposters – this one works!

e. Burpy Bib.  Another aden + anais product that I love.  It fits perfectly over your shoulder as a burp rag for now, but it has a button so that it can be a large bib for him later.  I love the muslin fabric and the print.

f. Fold ‘n Stow Swing.  Yes, we had a swing for Harper, but we hated how big and bulky it was and how much room it took up!  We specifically requested this one for him because of the fact that it folds almost flat and can be stored in a small space.  Thankfully he is starting to love the swing and will nap in it every day.  Not a fan of the bright animals, but I had to sacrifice form for function here.

g. COLIC CALM. Saved my sanity.  The boy cries.  A lot.  I don’t remember Harper being this way, but she didn’t sleep at night as well as he does.  It’s amazing how different babies, even siblings, are.  This apparently remedies gas, hiccups, upset stomach, colic (whatever that means), etc.  It’s a mix of herbs that is all natural and FDA approved, and has great reviews so we gave it a shot.  It seems to be helping so I’m not asking questions.  $19 is a small price to pay for a happy baby!  But if you’re going to buy it, beware – the liquid is BLACK (from vegetable charcoal), so keep your aden + anais muslin wraps away from it.  The black gummy smile is kinda cute, though.

h. Sleeper.  We had a bassinet that Harper used, but we’ve switched bedrooms since then and there’s no room for it now.  I’m too lazy to get up to Sy’s room in the middle of the night so he sleeps in this in our bed.  The nightlight is handy, too.  Hopefully within the next few months he’ll be sleeping in his own crib in his room, but for now this is nice to keep him close.

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}

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!!

In my recent post “Busy, busy…LOTS of stuff coming!” I just realized that in my hurry to post it I forgot the most important part!! The video of me spray painting Harper’s changing table and side table! Oops!!

So here it is…me spray painting Harper’s furniture in less than 2 minutes! Because it’s in fast forward. I like how Glenn and Harper go run some errands while I’m working.

And here is what the finished pieces look like!!

Update: I’ve also added the video back to it’s original and intended home here.

I wanted to title this post “Harper’s Nursery,” but I really don’t feel like she is a baby with a nursery anymore.  It is turning into a little girl’s room.  She just turned 1 last Friday, and I can’t believe how fast she’s growing.  I guess it’s technically a nursery — she still needs her crib and changing table, but she is rapidly turning into a little girl right before our eyes.  She plays in her room, with her toys.  It is her very own room.  She is getting more and more independent every day, plus she’s mobile and has a hilarious little personality starting to shine through.  I think her birthday gave me the little motivation I needed to finish her room like I wanted it, and I finally got it all set up and photographed today.  Enjoy!!

If you’ve been reading, you’d know that I’ve been busy painting things for her room – including her changing table, a side/magazine table, a wall shelf, and her dresser. Here are some “before” photos, and you can see the finished product in her room photos!!

Here is the entire room from the doorway:

So as a refresher, here is what it looked like when we first moved in:

And here’s a shot of it that I took today (at almost the same angle):

Lots of new details!

So here’s the breakdown on Harper’s room:
Crib: IKEA
Crib bedding: Olivia by Dwell Studio for Target
Recliner: La-Z-Boy
Blinds: Home Depot
Rug: Target
Bookshelf: Way Basics
Dandelion Wall Decal: Etsy
Pom-poms: Michael’s by Martha Stewart
Changing table: Hand-me-down
Baskets: Wal-Mart
Dresser: Thrift Store
Side table: Hand-me-down
“H-A-R-P-E-R” Wallpaper Letters: Land of Nod
Lamp Set: Fred Meyer
Wall Shelf: Hand-me-down
LOVE Print: Oh Brooke

This is my new favorite room in the house! What do you think of Harper’s room??

After reading a very sweet comment from a reader, I headed over to her blog to check it out. From there I immediately bookmarked it and followed her on Twitter!  The blog is called {ohbrooke} and it is just gorgeous!  She’s doing some fun things with it as well, so head on over there and check it out.  After you read this post, that is.    The point of mentioning Brooke and her blog is to talk about the print that I bought from her shop!  I saw it and thought it would be PERFECT for Harper’s room!  It’s a graphic print that says “Love Is How We Got Here” in various shades of tan with a heart behind it.  How perfect is that for a little girl’s room?  Plus the colors are the same ones that I used in her room.  It arrived safely, with free shipping at quite a bargain!  It fit wonderfully into an IKEA Ribba frame that I had ready for her room, and I think it is just so cute in there!  Because yes…love is how we got her.  I mean here.

Here is the print hanging in my daughter’s room.

And here is a close-up of the print, which is linked to Brooke’s shop.  Enjoy!

So here’s another set I put together!  Last month I talked about my daughter’s nursery, which, like all rooms in my new house, is still in progress.  But I have a wish-list, so here is her room with a few things added that I hope to purchase one day soon.  Enjoy!

Neutral Contemporary Nursery – by pearllinds on Polyvore.com

I found this how-to on a cute ‘lil design blog and I thought it was such a great idea for a gift or to decorate a little girl’s room.  Thank you, Lindsay!

Make a silhouette!

One of my favorite rooms in my new house is my daughter’s room.  She doesn’t use it yet, but it’s very calming and pretty.  The photo below is my inspiration room – it’s not exactly the same, but I used similar paint colors (I added a picture rail – no wainscoting) and fabric palettes.  There’s a little pink (her bedding is the adorable Olivia by DwellStudio for Target) and a little more pattern (I love these wallpaper letters – they’re so sweet!) but I didn’t want a theme room, and I thought that a room like the “Cameron” would be a room that both adults and my little daughter could appreciate!

My daughter's nursey inspiration

My daughter's room (in progress).