Matryoshka Doll Nursery

As of today I am 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant, and according to my check-up yesterday our little princess will be here any day now!  

I've been fascinated with Matryoshka Dolls (Russian Nesting Dolls) for a couple years now, so when we found out we were having a girl I thought it would be a perfect theme for her nursery!  It wasn't an easy theme to work with, but I did manage to find some very adorable items...thank you Etsy.

I began working on Samantha's (we had her name picked out before we even knew she was a girl) nursery for a couple months now and although I doubt she'll actually be sleeping in it anytime soon (she has a co-sleeper in our room), it's pretty much ready for her!

Matryoshka Doll Wall Art: Etsy Collective Creations and Moss and Twig Prints
Matryoshka Pillow Plush: Etsy PETUNIAS
Dresser: IKEA Hemnes Dresser in Gray-Brown (Craigslist)
Dresser Drawer Knobs: eBay Flying Bulldogs
Curtains: Tuesday Morning
Wall-Mount Hanger Holder: The Container Store
Suitcases: Land of Nod
Crib: Fisher Price Charlotte Crib
Rug: Ross
Mobile: DIY (fabric from Spoonflower)
Frame: Hobby Lobby (painted white)
Matryoshka Bunting Banner: Handmade by Veronica (my friend)
Bedding: Target

IKEA Tolsby Frames

I love IKEA!  Not only do I love their products, but their prices are just amazing.  When I came across their latest bit of awesomeness, I just had to share.  I couple years ago I used IKEA's TOLSBY frames for my son's Robots and Rockets Birthday Party, and have come across many parties in the last couple years that have also used these versatile and inexpensive frames.
TOLSBY frames where originally only sold in white, but now they come in 4 very cool colors, blue, red, green and orange.  Isn't that awesome?!  They're still only $0.99 per frame, and I have a feeling they'll be popping up as party decor very soon!

Our Bedroom: Craigslist Finds

One of the rooms in our home that needs some TLC is our bedroom. We literally haven’t done a thing to it since we moved in. When we're home we spend most of our time in the living room or backyard, but I would love to have a place of my own to relax. Hubby has his office, with all his gadgets, cable TV and even a couch. JD has his very own bedroom with more toys, puzzles and books than we can count. I on the other hand have no where to hide relax. So this weekend I finally began putting together all the pieces to create my very own get-away (while keeping hubby in mind of course). All of our bedroom furniture, except for a lovely wing back chair I found at Habitat for Humanity a couple years ago is from IKEA (HEMNES Collection). Although I really considered getting a new bedroom set, I wanted to challenge myself to work with what we have. I began my search for a few items to add to our bedroom last week and I wanted to share my awesome finds!

 This 6 drawer IKEA HEMNES dresser retails for $279. This just so happens to be the finish of all of our bedroom furniture and is actually discontinued in this finish, so when I found a listing for it on Craigslist I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. We paid $125 for it and it's in great condition. I plan on using it as a TV/media stand and the two small drawers are perfect for jewelry, watches and other knick knacks.

Other then hoping that I didn’t add a bunch of girly frill to the room, hubby only had one request...he wanted a ceiling fan. When we bought the house our bedroom actually had a ceiling fan, but it was the ugliest most dangerous looking ceiling fan I'd ever seen, so we removed it. Ceiling fans can be pretty expensive, so once again I began my search on Craigslist. I came across so many fans, some actually reminded me of the one we had thrown out and others were really nice, but ridiculously over-priced. On Monday I finally came across a listing for a brand new ceiling fan I had admired at Home Depot. I talked the seller into selling it to us for $65, half off the retail price!

Spring Cleaning & Organizing

It's that time of year again! Every Spring I get this overwhelming desire to clean and organize. This weekend I plan on tackling JD's very messy room. JD has managed to acquire so many toys in the last couple years that we honestly even have unopened toys stored away. So tonight I'll be stopping by IKEA and picking up a few much needed storage items! I'm really excited about using the VESSLA storage crates. These large crates are stackable (when used with lids) and they have casters, so they'll be easy for JD to wheel around his room. The RIBBA picture ledge is one of my personal favorites, they're perfect for frames and storing books, click here to see. The BYGEL hooks (placed at toddler height) will make it easy for JD to hang up his sweaters and backpack, instead of hanging them on the door... which drives me crazy. Have you started Spring cleaning yet?

 

RASKOG Kitchen Cart

I love IKEA! Sometimes their designers come up with products that I can almost swear were created just for me. I came across the RASKOG Kitchen Cart a few weeks ago and I've been giddy ever since. This cart is a cook, bakers, crafters, and organizers dream come true, for only $49.99. Personally I would love one in every room, but I doubt I can come up with a good enough reason for hubby agree. So, I think I'll just stick to one for now. Here in California the gray cart seems to be the only one they have in stock (which I'll take), but I'm hoping that the turquoise cart comes to town soon! What would you use it for?!

Getting Organized: Kitchen Drawers

I can't believe I haven’t blogged for over a week! It's not because I don't have anything to blog about, I do! I’ve just been so busy. I went back to school a few weeks ago after taking a couple years off, so I now find myself studying instead of blogging and pinning. With so many things to do, I've been trying to make our everyday life a little easier at home by getting organized, and the kitchen was the first room on my list. I have to admit I dislike our kitchen for so many reasons (we're going to start working on changing that soon), but I'll give it points for being functional. All of our lower cabinets are actually drawers (which I love), but this also means that things seem to just get thrown into them, as you can see below.

So a couple weeks ago I went to IKEA and bought a bunch of plate and utensil organizers and emptied every single drawer in the kitchen and started organizing!

Now all of our kitchen drawers look like this, I love it! Even JD gets excited about helping us put the dishes away because he can clearly see exactly were everything belongs.

If you're looking to get organized, I totally recommend stopping by IKEA. They have really great organization collections for every room in the home.

Circus Inspired Toys at IKEA

I'm a huge fan of IKEA and I'm always in awe of the super cute and inexpensive designs that I come across on my monthly (sometimes weekly) visits! Last week I stopped by the children's department of IKEA and came across their new line of circus inspired toys. Most of them are so new I couldn't even find them online, but I assure if you stop by your local IKEA you will not be disappointed. These toys are not only a great addition to a circus or carnival inspired party, but a great addition to any child's toy collection!

CIRKUSTÄLT Children's tent

$19.99

SAGOSTEN 
Elephant Air Pillow

$24.99

LEKA CIRKUS

Rattle, assorted designs

$3.99

LEKA CIRKUS

Mobile

$9.99

IKEA Party Supplies

I love IKEA, but I especially love IKEA during the Spring because they have an amazing collection of not-so-typical party supplies. Last month I drove to IKEA in Covina, CA just to get a sneak peek of the Spring/Summer garden collection (which wasn't available at my local IKEA yet) and came home with a bunch of items I will be using for JD's birthday party. Here are a few of my favorites!

1. SOCKER Planting tray $4.99
2. SOCKER Planter marker $0.99 / 2 pack
3. SOCKER Plant pot $2.99 / 3 pack
4. TOLSBY Frame for 2 pictures $0.99

Semi-DIY Side Table

This weekend I had a bunch of little projects to work on, but the one I enjoyed immensely was turning this IKEA BRATTBY kitchen cart into a side table for our living room. This kitchen cart was one of the first pieces of IKEA furniture we bought 5 years ago when we were married. It has functioned as a kitchen cart in our tiny back house rental, then an entryway table in our apartment and now a side table in our new home. Here is how I (we, my daddy and JD helped too) did it!

Materials:

1. Miter saw - to trim down cart legs after removing the wheels 
2. Medium Sandpaper - to lightly sand the cart before painting 
3. Spackling paste and spatula - to fill in any holes and imperfections
4. Trim kit roller tray and paint brush - to paint cart
5. Drawer Knob
6. Paint & Primer In One- Color: Valley Mist