Baby Shower Prep

I hosted a baby shower this weekend, it was so much fun to decorate for the party.

Made some of Martha's famous tissue paper pom poms. Not gonna lie, took me a couple of turns to get them just right.

Stack of onesies

Real pacifiers mixed with pink plastic favor pacifiers were tied on to some $1/roll gross grain ribbon.

Flowers were $6.99 - $8.99 at Costco, the lilies finally bloomed and they smell amazing and they are HUGE!

We played the "My Water Broke" game. You freeze a plastic baby in an ice cube and then pass them around to all the guests. Whoever "frees" the baby from the ice the fastest wins! It only took our winner 15 seconds.

Problem was when I was prepping the babies for the game they kept floating to the top of the tray, they wanted to escape!

Look at them trying to swim away- I ended up defrosting the first round and only filling the tray part way so that the babies froze at least partially in ice. Once they were some what secure (after about two hours) I finished filling the tray to the top completely covering the babies with water. When the time came to play we cracked them loose and put them in little dixie cups to pass them around for the game. I like a game with a sense of humor and watching this go down was pretty funny.

Stayed tuned for more pics tomorrow.

Hooty Who

Owls are everywhere in home decor these days, check it out.

Calico Owl Knob $12

Hoot, Hoot Single Switch plate $18

Anthropologie Double Switch plate $24

Mirror Image Rug Owl $98

Anthropolgie Owl door stop

Creature Kingdom Hook $20

Two's Company Owl Umbrella Stand $139

Silly Owl Crib Set by Litto Kids $270

Dwell Studios Owls Sky Fitted Crib Sheet $36

Dwell Studios Owls Sky Boudoir $34

Owl and Branch Vinyl Wall Decal Etsy $19.00

Vinyl Wall Art Decal Etsy $145

Alphabet Wall Art for Kids from Etsy $14

Cap it Off

When I first saw this image from Coastal Living magazine I remember thinking, I've seen that totally unique artwork before! The artist behind these portraits is Molly B. Right . Back in my HGTV days I remember seeing her work at the communal printer in the production office. One of my co-workers was researching a show that was going to feature her amazing and offbeat artwork. To me it was the most creative technique I had seen in art in a long time. Bottle caps as art, say what? Yes, those are bottle caps strategically placed to create a portrait.

The work is has a "magic eye" quality to it, up close you see all the details and texture and then when you look at it from varying distances it appears to be something completely different. Angie Hranowsky is a fan.

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Molly starts out painting a portrait on a sheet of metal and then she starts to glue the caps on top of the portrait.

A close up shows the detail of the bottle caps and the layering it takes to make the image complete. Right takes special care in affixing each cap so that no glue seeps out and shows.

Super close up- look at all those vintage bottle caps! The caps themselves are collectible pieces, produced between the 1930's - 1970's.

Sometimes she will add a transparent layer of glaze to enhance the colors and texture of the piece.

Each portrait measures 4'x5'

They can weigh up to 70lbs!

Right's interpretation of Botticelli's Birth of Venus

An iconic religious motif. The tradition of religious figures in artwork depicted on wood or metal motivated Right's work and as she explored working with other materials. Can you imagine collecting all those caps, sorting through them and then mapping out the design and placement? Phew! It is exhausting just thinking about it.

Bonnie Brae Master Bath is Done!

Remember this dysfunctional, outdated master bathroom?

We have re done the entire thing!Voila! The new master bath!

Here is what we did:

1. Demolished the entire bathroom, shower/tub/steam, cabinets, tile, counter tops, brass fixtures.

2. Re-wired and re-plumbed the entire space.

3. Installed new radiant floor heat

4. All new cabinets in an antique white finish were installed and fitted with glass knobs and contemporary hardware.
5. All of the flooring and shower tiles are travertine. We cut 16"x16" tiles in half and created a brick pattern on the floor and shower walls.
6. The shower floor is 2"x2" travertine tiles

7. We added a little sparkle with a round glass tile detail and travertine bullnose trim.

8 . The double shower heads, and all fixtures are all brushed nickel finishes.

9. We added granite counter tops and combined them with the glass and travertine detail on the back splash.

With the addition of metallic mirrors and contemporary lighting, we created a modern space by combining contemporary and traditional styles throughout the space.

Bottle Service

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Unfortunately, not all of us have a wine cellar but I like this idea for wine storage: out in the open, easily accesible, and built in to the counter.

Favorite Product! Sophie the Giraffe

You can't argue with a toy that has sold over 30 million pieces. Sophie the Giraffe has been around since 1961 when Monsieur Rampeau in France came up with the idea to make a soft rubber teething toy in the shape of an easy to grasp giraffe.

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SOPHIE is still “traditionally” produced to this day, a process that involves more than 14 manual operations. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree.

Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint, and is completely safe to chew, just like a feeding bottle teat. Her soft texture and numerous chewable parts (ears, horns, legs), make her perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums during teething.

She ain't cheap at about $20 a pop and you know you are going to lose her more than once but the kids seem to love her! She would make a great shower gift.

Mural Much?

We took on a DIY mural project in a nursery in Denver that we are working on. WE LOVE THIS PRODUCT!!!

We found this mural template from http://www.rosenberryrooms.com/

As you can see, it is a forrest. This family wanted to add some fun and color to their space without going overboard on the kid stuff. This ended up being the perfect touch.

Here are some progress photos as well as the steps it takes to do one:

This photo is my friend Cara, diligently painting branches.

1. Place the panels on the wall with painters tape exactly where you want them.

2. Trace the outlines with a ball point pen, the beauty is that you can add or subtract whichever areas you wish. We wanted more branches, owls and birds, so we added to ours.

3. Paint!!! You can do whatever colors you want, all it takes is a little acrylic paint and you are a muralist!
This photo is with the leaves and owls added.

Coming later.....The finished room. We actually used this as a jumping off point for the rest of the space. The little birds gave us some inspiration to add some more birds and accessories that go with the mural.

This is a great way to add some fun to your child's room without a big expense!