Figuring Out the Bed Situation

AKA The Nursery to Big Girl Room Transformation

While I am busy collecting images, dreaming of gathered silk and endless strands of pearls, and wishing I had about $10K to do this bedroom (hello, vintage Chanel necklaces framed in shadowboxes would be more than lovely!!), I have one little thing in the back of my head... a bed.  We are going to need a bed.  Since our sweet little girl is potty-training (YAY!), she will need to be able to get in and out of bed.  Taking a flying leap over the crib side rails is not an option here. Haha :)

Her room is the smallest bedroom in the house at about 10' x 11' which rules out anything larger than a standard twin.  (I was in a double bed by age 3 and a queen bed at 12, so I am not used to smaller beds.  Here's to hoping she doesn't fall out!!  Fingers crossed!)  I suppose if there were no other furniture in the room, a larger bed might work, but we want some statement furniture pieces as well.

Here are my top two ideas (and yes, they are at opposite ends of the design spectrum) and my pro/con list for each.  (Slight Rory Gilmore reference there, lol!)

IDEA ONE

Okay, so I love the idea of a trundle bed.  And I love the look of daybeds too.  I found this super gorgeous one at Posh Tots, my favourite eye candy mini-me site. 

pic from Posh Tots

Pros:

Light pink/gold option

Trundle Daybed

Only one side to fall out

Love the intricate detail and vintage flair

Looks expensive

Would go with existing paint job, which is NOT CHANGING!!!

Fit for a princess

Cons:

$8,200 price tag

Too many roses (they remind me of the Princess Bride)

Not enough glam (Swarovski rhinestones are extra!)

Too shabby-chic for me

Fit for a princess, but maybe not a Chanel princess

Here is a similar option at $5,700.  

I think I may like it a bit more than the one above, 

but I am not quite decided on that.

IDEA TWO

Again, how much do I love Posh Tots?  My second idea is a more modern take, with padded upholstery, nail head details, and luxe suede found here (ignore the fact that it is blue!):

 

pic from Posh Tots 

Here is a close up in black faux leather (again, ignore the black):

pic from Posh Tots

Pros: 

Sleek and modern

Could be pushed against a wall or left out

Double as a modern chaise/couch in the future

Nail heads!!!!

Upholstered, so no tears over bumped heads

Did I mention nail heads!!!!

Image this in a classic black/white boucle tweed!

Cons:

No trundle (although adding one would be okay)

Maybe too boyish?

Can we inject enough glam into it?

$3,120-$3,365 (faux leather - suede, respectively)

Girly-girl factor is lacking

So lots of things to think about...  I should mention that I am not trying to recreate a whole "31 Rue Cambon" style.  Gild, lions, etc., is not what I am going for.  I am aiming to pull together a very cohesive look using blush, ivory, white, black, and soft golds (with possibly some silver/steel thrown in as well), and of course, utilizing the logo.

Cross your fingers for me!  I am working on an idea board for this room, and hope to finish it this week.  :)

Cake & Contest

 My Millenium Falcon cake has received so many great comments and reviews that I decided to enter it in a fun contest hosted by Pure Joy Events!  It is a Party Tutorial Contest and any DIY tutorial for anything party-related (like invites, cupcakes toppers, etc.) is eligible.  So I have linked up my cake!

 

The contest is open til March 31st!  You can enter here.  Good luck!   :)

How to Dye Coconut

Supplies:

coconut

water

food colouring (or gel)

measuring cup

something for stirring

Directions:

1. Add food colouring to water and stir to mix.  I used several drops of red to get a red-tinted water.  (I was going for a bright pink final colour.)  Add enough coconut so that it is tightly packed together in the water.  Stir to evenly coat.  I used a disposable wooden skewer to stir.

2. Keep mixing and stirring until the coconut has absorbed the water and food colouring.  If you need to add more colour, do it right away for even coating/absorbing.  This will give you evenly coloured coconut. 

3. When you are happy with the colour, drain off excess water and gently squeeze coconut in paper towel.  Lay the coconut out to dry on fresh paper towels, turning every few hours to keep the pieces from clumping together as they dry.  I swapped the paper towel after an additional 24 hours of dry time.  It took 2 days total to dry completely.  If you need it done faster, you could try drying it in a low oven (175F or so).

 

If you want more variation in the colour shades, do the following before you drain the water:  Remove half the coconut with slotted spoon and follow drying instructions above.  Add new coconut to the water and allow to absorb.  Drain as per above instructions.  The wettest coconut will have absorbed the most colour, while the most recently added will have absorbed only a little. 

 

Linking up with some great parties!

The Nursery is About to Be Reinvented...

Here is a sneak peak:

Chanel

+

Mod Podge

+

Bling

=

Craftiness coming in the next few days so stay tuned! 

My Very First Award!

I may or may not have danced in my chair when I got a lovely comment and The Versatile Blogger award from Jamie at The DIY Home Sweet Home Project.

Yay! Thanks, Jamie!! What a wonderful surprise!! :)  Here are the rules:

Here's how to play along:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award, and 

let the giver know you accept the award!

Okay, here we go:

About Me:

1. I obsessively want to decorate everything! When I get a room finished, I am tired of it and want to start all over again.  Well, maybe it's not that I am tired of it but that I enjoy the process, resulting in me wanting to redo it all!  Case in point: I am starting to collect ideas for my daughter's room to turn it from nursery to toddler...  And yes, I have already bought something, and have several DIY ideas floating around in my head.

2. I like country music alright - meaning I could take it or leave it.  However, I am totally in love with the soundtrack from Country Strong.  Have almost worn out my CD (not sure why I haven't imported to iTunes yet hmmm).  Currently listening to Summer Girl!

3. I have flipped a house with my sweet and handsome hubby.  We moved into our first house (after an apartment) 3 days before our first was born and left it 17 months later.  It was so bad when we first walked through that I almost refused to walk in the door.  But my hubby had a vision.  More on that to come!

4. I love to read; I always have!  I have boxes and boxes of books from my childhood and teen years just waiting for bookshelves to be built in the basement.  This year I want to read 100 books - I just finished #17.  Which leads me to #5:

5. I just got a library card lol!  And I am so excited with myself about it too.  Haha!  I had one when I was in elementary school but not since.  So in the past two months, I have happily trudged off to the library with kids in tow and walk out with full arms.  Maybe one of these days I will remember to bring a large tote bag.

6. I am currently potty training child #2.  With my first, I tried to potty train right after he turned 2 due to the input of several "well-meaning" older women ("What? He's still in diapers!  Mine was dry through the night at 20 months!").  After several accidents and lots of crocodile tears, I decided he wasn't ready and I put it off.  He was just not interested.  That turned out to be the best decision!!  I waited until one month before his third birthday and thought we would give it another go.  One long holiday weekend later, he was trained!  Yep, 4 days and that was it!  So I have taken the same approach with our daughter and so far, it seems to be working well.  :)

7. I am about to start a party styling / event planning company.  After hosting, prepping, and being in charge of several events (one coming up on Sunday!), I decided to take the plunge.  I am excited about the prospect of being able to do what I really love on a more frequent basis!  I especially love girly parties - bridal, baby shower, kid parties - but I really do love it all!  My most recent parties I did were a surprise 65th, a Christmas party, and now this upcoming surprise 40th.  I have done corporate anniversary parties, a Gilligan's Island-themed party, and women's retreat parties to name a few more!  Lots of excitement here for me!  :)  Plus I am planning to sell party printables as well...


And now for 15 recently discovered great new bloggers (these bloggers may be old pros, but they are all new to me!) in no particular order:

1. Remodelaholic
2. Me Oh My
3. I Heart Naptime
4. Plush Palate
5. Copy Cat Chic
6. Life, Love, & the Pursuit of Shoes
7. Made by Lex
8. Cupcakes & Cashmere
9. Parlour
10. Ladybug Blessings
11. Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
12. Stories of A 2 Z
13. Passionately Artistic
14. Type A
15. The Budget Babe

Thanks and Welcome!

Wow!  I never knew so many people liked loved Star Wars!  Haha!  The cake I made has received lots of features, so I made a new page to say thanks to all who featured me!  Go visit as many links as you like!

Also, I wanted to say hello and welcome to all my new followers!  I have had this blog for over a year, but never really got into it until a few weeks ago.  I am always so excited when I log in and find a new follower has linked up!  So, welcome one and all! 

I can't wait to show you all some of things I am working on!!  :)

Pasta Salad with Dill & Crab

When I was little, every Mother's Day was spent at a nearby private golf & country club.  They always put on a big buffet for holidays, and the dish I remember most of all was a crab and vegetable salad that had tons of fresh dill in it.  I always got a huge serving of that.  Chef-carved roast beef, fresh waffles with everything, or pasta-to-order?  No thanks.  Give me my crab salad!!

I don't remember how many Mother's Days we spent there, but one of the last times we went, I remember that the crab salad was absent.  That must have been why we stopped going.  Would make sense, anyway.

I have seen a similar salad in grocery store deli counters and it is usually labeled "Neptune Salad".  It isn't quite the same, but still tastes good.  The main difference is the salad from the country club had real crab (and not from a can), and Neptune Salad is made with imitation crab.

Here is my version, made with pasta, for under a whopping $1 per serving.  (Most items you probably already have in your fridge or pantry.)

Ingredients:

2 packages imitation crab

2-3 stalks celery

1/3 cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1-2 cups Miracle Whip

4 TBSP fresh chopped dill

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2-3 stalks scallions, chopped

1-1/2 cups elbow pasta

pepper to taste

celery salt to taste

olive oil

Directions:

1. Put Miracle Whip in a mixing bowl.  If you like a light flavour, go with 1 cup.  If you want your pasta creamy, use closer to 2 cups.  Mix in the dill, scallions, and parmesan cheese.  Set aside.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Drizzle 3-4 TBSP olive oil over the pasta and toss to coat.  Add black pepper (I use approx 1 tsp) and celery salt (try 2 tsp to start), tossing to coat.  Set aside.

 

3. Chop celery, cucumber, and black olives.

4. Add sauce to pasta and incorporate fully.  Add vegetables and olives.  Mix thoroughly.

5. Tear imitation crab into bite size chunks and gently fold into mixture.  Stirring too hard could cause it to break apart.  Serve!

Notes:

Sometimes I drizzle extra oil over the finished mixture and gently fold in.  Recipes like this should always be done to taste, so make sure you are testing the flavour as you go along.  This recipe get better in flavour over time.  Just check the moisture level before serving and add in more oil or Miracle Whip if needed.  Good right away, great in a few hours, amazing next day!