baby's room makeover / inspiration

/

i am finally getting started on the baby's room (should i be worried that his due date is just over 2 months away?) i had a mini freak out last weekend about how i had no direction for the room, no color scheme or ideas. so i thought about it all weekend and pretty much figured out exactly what i want to do. so now i'm going from freaking about about having no ideas to freaking out about having none of the things for my ideas, and having time to get everything done. you feel me? here is where we are going with everything. i'm hoping to have it done a month before his due date- giving me just over a month! here we go!

first of all- i have been dying to do a geometric wall. since the baby really only gets one wall (the other side of the room is the 'office', one wall is all windows, and the other wall is the closet) we are painting the background in a geometric pattern. jarman actually got it done last weekend and i love it. it is quite a bit brighter than the walls above (i can't help myself with bright colors). 

i definitely want to have a sort of open closet, with a bar underneath the shelves that we are putting in there.

source

source

i am loving the plus sign trend right now- i'm thinking i'm going to use it in the curtains for the room. i'm super diy. i bought 4 cheap white ikea curtain panels and an going to paint black plus signs on them. hopefully it turns out- wish me luck!

i am also loving the copper trend- i want to have accents of it in the room. the clothing rack underneath the shelf will probably be copper, and the curtain rods.

source

source

i love natural wood cribs with colored slats. since i'm not going to buy a $600 crib, we are going to improvise by painting an ikea cribs slats.

and finally, the color scheme- bright neony yellow, teals, navys, mints, and black and white. and probably a little bit of orange. like i said, i can't help myself with bright colors.

entertaining / dream cake

/

we threw my cousins a little combined birthday party this past weekend and bobette and angela came up with this super easy and pretty and delicious cake.

we call it a dream cake in our family- and for good reason. all it is is layers of chocolate cake (you can do a box or your favorite chocolate cake recipe), with thick whipped cream in between. they tried out a 'naked' dream cake for the first time, and didn't put the whipped cream on the outside of the cake, so that you could see each layer. they topped it with pink and orange rock candy and a simple homemade sign and voila- the easiest birthday cake ever.

fashion / summer staples to fall favorites

/

last year i did a couple of posts about how to transition your favorite summery items into fall in just a few short steps (see here and here). this past weekend in st. george my aunt angela and i came up with a few more outfits that show these same tricks.

IMG_6942_edited-1.jpg

angela got this bright jumpsuit over the summer and we obsessed over its simpleness and fun colors. to create a fall feel, we first added dark accents of black and put on the deep purple lipstick. for fall accessories we used that awesome floppy black hat in the shape that we can't get enough of (see my instagram for my other favorite hats in the same style). for shoes we would pair this type of flat that mimicks the lip color (i still can't get enough of the d'orsay style shoes!)

ps. follow angela on instagram for more fashion and design tips!

currently obsessed / grilled pizza + cheese plates

/

over the summer my aunt introduced me to trader joe's havarti and hard salami on crackers and got me hooked. since then i have been trying to get new cheeses (along with the havarti of course- you really can't go wrong with it), and jarman and i have started a tradition of having a cheese plate after church on sundays (and lots of other days of the week). our second favorite was fresh goat cheese with honey and figs on crackers or crostini's. 

our second favorite thing to snack on is grilled pizza. i don't know why we ever cooked pizza a different way- grilling it is so quick and easy. we followed this tutorial online and it was not very difficult. basically you roll out your dough and prep all your toppings before you go out to the grill. you put olive oil on one side, then lay that side on the grill for 2-3 minutes. then you flip, coat with olive oil, and put on your toppings as fast as you can. then close the grill and let the cheese melt and boom. delicious charred pizza. and i say charred in the nicest way possible.

our favorite combinations have been: prosciutto, fig, caramelized onions, and mozzarella cheese topped with an arugula salad. also fontina and fresh mozzarella with roasted yellow squash topped with grated parmesan (a three cheese if you will). and lastly fresh mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and balsamic glaze. next i want to do a bbq-y mexicany one with corn and beans. i love that you can pretty much put anything you have on top and it's delicious. oh, and use trader joe's dough- it's delicious and only $1.19. we get a few of them and freeze them, because obviously we make pizza quite a bit these days.

the best non-maternity maternity items for fall

/

recently i have been craving switching out all of my summer items for fall ones. of course, the heat makes me think twice about this- i am constantly sweating hot even when it's just a normal day. there has been a recent heat wave in san diego making things even worse. however, i have managed to create fall looks, without wearing too many layers or hot things. here are my staples:

1. military vest - so far this has been my favorite item i have gotten for fall. i found mine at tjmaxx for $30. it cinches in the back so i have a little definition, and my belly pops out the front just a little bit. i got another black silky vest too. each has helped me transition, without making me too hot.

2. blue striped dress - well i actually bought this over the summer, but i love it so much that it will for sure come with me in to fall. this dress cinches right around the waist defining my belly (it also defines the booty pretty well, but that's besides the point). i love this dress because i don't have to wear anything underneath or over it, and it's super comfy. i seriously wear it at least once a week.

3. wool hat - i have worn a hat every day this week. not only because i hate doing my hair, but it makes me feel so much more put together. this olive green one is the newest addition to my collection.

4. maxi dress - so i don't have this actual maxi dress, but the moment i saw it in anthro i about died. it is very flowy- it would fit even the biggest belly. it has an adorable geometric pattern in my favorite green and orange fall colors. up until now i have avoided maxi dresses because they make me so hot (anything that covers the kankles right now is a no-no), but i'm totally ready to wear them now.

5. chambray shirt - i finally hopped on the bandwagon and bought a chambray shirt (it helped that it was on sale at marshall's for $10). i love wearing mine with the sleeves rolled up over a cute tank or tee. 

6. high-low skirt - like i said in my previous maternity style post, i have been loving wearing skirts over my belly. pleated skirts look the cutest like this because the define the belly without clinging too much. this orangey one would make a perfect addition to any fall wardrobe.