Look-A-Likes for Less: Retro Ruched Swimsuits

Carmen Marc Valvo® Retro one-piece available in Coral Pink and Black $167 at Victoria's Secret.




Jersey Lomellina® retro bandeau tank available in Black, Faded Pine, and Dark Slate $115 at J. Crew.





Merona® Bandeau Shirred One Piece available in Red, Ebony, Blue, Yellow, Ceramic, Brown, Dark Blue, and Purple $34.99 at Target.



All three swimsuits are ruched retro style one piece swimsuits with twist-front bandeau tops and removable halter straps.

Look-A-Likes for Less: Colorful Queen Anne Chairs

Queen Anne Upholstered Side Chair for $249 and Queen Anne Upholstered Armchair for $349 at Pottery Barn.




Sheffield Side Chair at $149 Home Decorators.

Some Updates

The shades I ordered for the chandelier in my dining room arrived last month. They're nothing fancy, but I think they fit with the rustic finish of the chandelier.





JCPenney Set of 6 Chandelier Shades in Linen Sand.



JCPenney Spindle Chandelier.



I found 16 fabulous Rosanna Kings Road appetizer plates at Home Goods. Actually I found 8 at one Home Goods store then raced over to another Home Goods near my house to see if they had more of the same pattern, and luckily they had 8 more so I snapped those plates up too. I've included a couple photos of them with my white dinner plates. I think if I add gold chargers the gold crowns on the appetizer plates will really pop.






Rosanna appetizer plates $4.99 each (purchased 16) at Home Goods.





Peanut seems to be growing faster everyday so I put together a little inspiration board for her "big girl" room. Let me know what you think. I decided that once she's old enough, we'll get her a twin bed and just skip the toddler bed stage entirely.





Hopefully, we'll be using her crib for baby #2 in a year or so. I've already purchased fabric and sent it off to an etsy seller who will turn it into crib bedding for baby #2. It should work whether baby #2 is a boy or a girl. The fabric at the top is for the bumper, the beige fabric in the center is for the crib sheet, and the striped fabric at the bottom is for the crib skirt. There will also be cord trim along the bottom of the crib skirt, but i forgot to take a photo of it prior to mailing it to the women sewing the crib bedding. I'll post photos of the finished crib bedding once it's completed. I'm also considering painting the white crib a metallic champagne finish that would coordinate with the fabrics in the room. Thoughts?





As soon as I know the gender of baby #2 I can start working on the artwork for the nursery. When I saw this wall of silhouettes I considered making my own stencils and trying to replicate the look on an accent wall in the nursery. Instead, I decided to buy a oval wood plaque from Joann Fabrics which I'll paint a silhouette on similar to those on the wall in the photo below.



Photograph courtesy of A Passion for Home.




Oval Pine Plaque $2.79 at Joann Fabric and Craft Stores.

More Easter

Photograph courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Southern Living.





Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.




Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living.





Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living.






Photographs courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Waiting for Wonderland

Some of my friends and I are going to Alice In Wonderland this Saturday. I can't wait to see Tim Burton's take on this story; it's always been one of my favorite stories. For ideas for throwing an unbirthday party celebration check my earlier post. If you want to incorporate a little wonderland into your world check out the Marie Claire website where there they've compiled some Alice In Wonderland inspired products including cups and saucers fit for a Mad Hatter's table and the Urban Decay eyeshadow book reminiscent of a children's' pop up book. In fact, there are quite a few Alice In Wonderland inspired beauty products. I guess that speaks to how stunning this movie is.






Photographs courtesy of Marie Claire.




In order: Thanks So Much, Absolutely Alice, Mad as a Hatter, and Off with Her Red! from OPI.




Organix rejuvenating cherry blossom and ginseng shampoo.