little nest's nursery: before & after

well, we're in week 36 and the nursery is finally done. we had some strong contractions 3 nights ago that lasted about 30 minutes and then again last night for about 45 minutes. i was fighting some major hot flashes and nasty nausea, too. i just wonder how early this baby girl may come. i'd really like her to hang out in there until at least 37 if not 38 weeks--for her sake--but if she's anything like her brother & sisters, she's stubborn & will want to do things her way. ;) 

but the waiting...it really is no fun at this point. 

is that a contraction? 

am i leaking fluids? 

do i have everything packed that i need?

are we ready for another?

i have to say, having the nursery ready has helped. but now i'm not sure what i should be worrying/obsessing about. i'm sure there's something. oh man, what if i'm forgetting something important. now i'm worried about what i may be forgetting to worry about. i can feel my sanity slipping away.

so this nursery isn't your typical baby girl nursery, i suppose. and when people have asked what we were "doing the nursery in" i really wasn't sure what to say: southwestern modern eclectic? bohemian southwestern with a modern twist?? i don't know-it's just stuff i like. let's start with the room pre-rummage sale...

oh baby. 

how's this for before pics...

yes, that is chairs on top of bunk beds & a log in the middle of the room. funny how quick a room can  get completely out of control. remember, this is the same room that less than a year ago we had ready for foster care. {more on that here.} and well, once we were surprised by baby #4 in october, it become an exceptional storage closet for these past 7-8 months. 

the rummage sale we had last month really helped clear out the room. but then there were still things that needed decided & done. like, for whatever reason, deciding whether to leave the room turquoise or paint it white felt like the biggest decision of my life. i changed my mind so many times that i know i drove hubs crazy. 

final decision: paint the walls white.

so that meant we needed to start patching walls and prepping for paint.

next big question: to keep the twin bed in there or not...

"no, it'll take up too much room."

"yes, it'll be nice to have a spare bed."

well, the whole "why not have an extra bed--for me or anyone else" argument won. we decided to keep it in there...at least for now.

just out of curiosity, is anyone else so ocd about planning/decorating that they make diagrams???

no? okay.

also, that one wasn't even the first one.

ONTO ALL THE AFTER PICS!

little nest's nursery:

baby girl's little mobile i made. i found all of these items in a craft tote i had. i played around with the draping and loved the end result. simple & sweet.

remember the diy yarn hanging i made back in february?? it finally found its' rightful home in the nursery.  

and the black crosses? washi tape. easy to put on. easy to take off. easy to change later. i have so many ideas for the future. also, it gives a cool graphic design to work on developing baby girl's eyes.

this was my great grandma edna's rocking chair. we lived with her when i was first born & her home was my first home. she rocked me in this chair & now i'll rock our baby girl in it. 

see that angel snow globe? big sis kennedy thought baby sister needed it more. i think it was a great addition.

next biggest decision of my life: to keep the current curtains or switch with the white ones in the girls' room. seriously, y'all don't know how often i thought about these things.

remember the yarn-wrapped antlers from grandpa project...also from back in february?? he thought they were fitting considering her name.

oh, did you catch that artwork made by my baby sis? 

i collected all the artwork the kids have done for baby sister & i during the pregnancy & now have it displayed in baby girl's room. i love having that little touch from each of them as part of welcoming her home. 

and yes, i suppose i should share her name now: 

we can't wait to meet baby olive. officially & fully: olive deering. 

we love her so.

live simply || jewelry edition

so, according to one of my past posts, i have been all about simplifying...and, goodness, it feels good. maybe that's silly, but it's true. weeding out the quantity to keep those fewer well-loved pieces in my home & wardrobe makes such a huge difference in living out peace & order.

i did a major cleaning out of my closet (having capsule wardrobes thoughts) this past fall, which lead to going through all my shoes, which brought me to reorganizing & deciding to sell a lot of my jewelry (and purses and scarves) and now...my wardrobe is so much lighter & brighter. i just love it! i think deep down we crave simplicity. at least, i know i do. we live in such a culture geared towards having it all or always needing the next big thing that it's hard to just be content. 

and now with this new little life on its way (ONLY 15 MORE WEEKS PEOPLE), i am craving order, cleanliness, and well, just less in general. for now, my hands are sort of tied with the whole nursery situation. there are so many larger items (bunk beds, a twin bed, chairs, etc) in that room that i can't really get in there to do much prepping. (grrr) i suppose i'm waiting for some decent weather so i can pull out what's in there for a rummage sale. the waiting is killing me. so until then, i will organize and clean everything else in the house. 

knowing myself...i love to thrift which means i often need to purge. i think of it as a revolving door. new items in = old items out. step 1 to not becoming a hoarder. thankfully, when hubs sees me selling stuff i just got last summer, he has stopped asking questions. i love the feeling of new, fresh & different...and can't help but become inspired by new ideas. by selling unused items, it gives me a means & makes room for those new-to-us items.

i believe your home should inspire you. as william morris said, 

"have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." 

yes, you should be surrounded by things you love. one of my favorite sayings:

a home should feel collected, not decorated.

that has stuck with me because that's what i want. a home filled with items that have meaning. items that belonged to my grandparents. a home filled with pieces from travels. a home that reflects our family. not just a house, but a home. 

i have previously posted the below couple of inspirational images, but since they specifically related to my jewelry display inspiration, i decided to include them again here. i supposed as far as style goes, i fall somewhere between simple & clean and bohemian & eccentric. minimalist bohemian, maybe?? it's a thing. i googled it. 

(also click here for my feelings on google.) 

source here

source here

here's where i was starting from. i know, its a hot mess. real life here yo. i made that necklace board maybe last summer(?) and remember posting about it on instagram. i covered a cork board i had with fabric and pinned the trim with gold thumb tacks. it didn't take long to make but it took an strange amount of endurance from my thumb. i decided it would work better in our daughters' room & moved it in there. they love it. 

from there i started the sorting out process. sometimes giving myself a limit helps. like "pick my top ten favorites necklaces" and so on. if i can't remember the last time i wore something...it normally goes. of course there are exceptions: grandma's ring, that blingy necklace for special occasions...blah blah blah. now, mind you, those items that call for the more rare occasion or maybe aren't in my normal rotation but i still love (maybe they were a gift), i decided to remove from my main jewelry display area. i have a special box for those items and they are stored within reach...just not in plain view. clears up a lot of space physically & mentally when looking for pieces to wear. 

all of my jewelry display boxes, jars, containers & such are thrifted. i paid $.25 to $1 for most items. scoring them from goodwills & rummage sales. the mirrored tray, thrifted, as well. vintage textile on the wall, thrifted. most of my (favorite) necklaces and some of my bracelets are also vintage & thrifted. i love thinking about where they came from. the life they lived before me. giving them new life now. the circle of life. cue lion king music.

be bold leather bracelet by farm girl paints & shop here

lesson:

you can sometimes do more with less.
sometimes limiting yourself is freeing. 

let's make our lives easier for ourselves already.

***disclaimer: since these pics were originally taken, we have since repainted the bedroom (yeah, you guessed it--white). i have also slightly rearranged the tabletop...naturally. current glory below:

also, it's february 18 which means it's my mom & baby sister's birthdays. if you have a sec, wish them a happy birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love you guys.

oh & as of february 15, the blog is officially one year old! yay!

xoxo




all you need is less quote source here