Our Daughter's Nursery

Where did the last month go? Hopefully you were spared the late winter cold that ravaged our house and prevented me from doing almost anything except laundry and the occasional spring project planning--that is when my hands weren't cuddling a sick little baby!

Speaking of baby, the time has come to finally reveal Astrid's nursery. It's a room that makes me happy and I hope that, when she's able to articulate it, it does the same for our daughter.

When we discovered we were expecting, I got to work brainstorming a nursery that combined new purchases and existing furniture for our little one. I've long been a fan of purchasing pieces that could serve several purposes, moving from room to room and proving to be worthy investments. This room was no exception to that principle: the antique pine dresser, a bamboo etagere, a delicate footstool and a mid-century modern Saarinen tulip side table all found their way into Astrid's room from other spaces elsewhere in our home.

(don't worry: all stuffed animals are taken out of the crib when our girl is sleeping!)

Astrid's room itself has a naturally cozy feel thanks to its dormer window and slanted walls. I wanted the walls to envelop her during sleep and play, so I opted for Benjamin Moore's "Levingston Green" (Adam loved this choice as well). It played off my choice fabric for the window shades, Parlor Textiles' "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red. After splurging a bit on the fabric, I saved money by sewing the roman shades with my mom during an early-fall visit. The red and spring green color combo felt fresh and clean.

A simple crib skirt, made from Robert Allen's "Plaid Ikat," paired nicely with the Parlor Textiles print as well as a beautiful handmade gingham-print knit blanket that my mom made for the baby (pattern from this book, if you want to make one yourself!).

Books have always been an important part of my life as well as my husband's life, so we were sure to carve out a corner of the room for reading as well as nursing.

Children's books are so vibrant and interesting like little pieces of artwork and, because of this, I didn't want to hide them in a bookcase. Instead, I transformed a vintage carved wooden pelmet (originally used for a window) into a book ledge that prominently displays each.

Opposite the book ledge is a matte green metal leaf mobile from a talented artist on Etsy, Comometalworks. Astrid's just started noticing the mobile and I love how it captures her ever-fleeting attention.

Finally, in the dormer window niche, Adam precisely and carefully hung 26 vintage-inspired animal alphabet cards from Martha Stewart's craft line with easy-to-find bulldog clips. Funny story about these cards: I bought these way back in 2008 while Mom and I were awaiting the news that my niece had been born. I squirreled them away ever since!

(all photos via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Astrid's room is a blend of new and old, pattern and solids, present and future.

If you're curious, some sources for items in Astrid's nursery are:
Wall color: "Levington Green" by Benjamin Moore
Trim color: "White Dove" by Benjamin Moore
Rug: Jute Natural Area Rug from Wayfair
Shade fabric: "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red from Parlor Textiles
Crib skirt fabric:
Crib: Union 3-to-1 convertible crib in white
Antique pine dresser: Craigslist
Linen slipcovered glider: Crescent glider in linen from Overstock
Metal floral mobile: Jungalow mobile in green from Comometalworks on Etsy
White Saarinen tulip side table: Design within Reach
Tote bags (used to hold blankets and as a diaper bag): Boat and Tote bag from LL Bean
Coat rack: vintage French hat rack from Etsy
Wall plaque (above crib): Bestmade Co.
Bunny lamp (on pine dresser): Heico rabbit lamp from Fawn Shoppe

Our Master Bedroom in Progress

Hello again, friends. In the last week, our little family of three trekked to Maine with my mom to celebrate the impending arrival of my cousin's baby girl while spending time with my extended family there. That said, I lost track of the time and simultaneously lost momentum on my house tour update here!

Today, though, I'm back to offer a glimpse into our "in-progress" master bedroom. As incomplete as it is, I'm happy with the direction it has taken since this post from 2013.

Hello, It's Me (and a Bit More of Our Living Room)

Hello, it's me. It's been an awfully long time, hasn't it? A whole summer, in fact, which was never my intention.

In the three months since my last blog post, I've vacillated a lot between recommitting myself to regular posting and quietly receding into the blogging sunset. Life's been hectic at best and, in particular, the job that I started in the spring turned into an intellectually-challenging role that often zapped me of my energy and creativity. I wondered often if I should just pack it up and close this chapter of my life as a blogger. 

In recent weeks, though, something changed. On my way to and from work, I started making lists of the next project I wanted to undertake around the house. My mind started configuring new plans and considering the details of things outside of my job, which hadn't happened for months. I would come home and, instead of nodding off halfway through dinner, I would walk around the house and scan each space for inspiration with what felt like a new set of eyes. That new perspective--and perhaps also a new appreciation--makes me feel fresh and new and ready to return to writing here.

When I was unemployed, I felt a constant joy and resentment for our home. I loved it and was tremendously grateful for it, but I also felt physically and mentally trapped by its walls and what it represented financially. Overwhelmed by the burden to "do this and do that" around the house while Adam worked, I needed to legitimize every hour, every minute.

Well, now that I don't have nearly as many hours or minutes, I think I love my house even more. It's true--absence does make the heart grow fonder, which is why I wanted to invite you all to see the changes that have been made to our living room in the last few months.  

You may remember that I wrote about my quest to find the perfect slate for our fireplace surround back in May. When that search stalled, I opted to paint the brick.

I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I do, but I do.

I found the antique bench, now placed in front of the hearth, sometime last winter for $30 and had it reupholstered recently in Tilton Fenwick's charming "Gideon" stripe in mint/red.

 It took me awhile to decide how to approach our living room built-ins. I slowly relocated books from elsewhere in the house to the shelves here, now giving the space purpose, color and literary clout.

The seat of my favorite antique side chair, an auction find from Connecticut, has been reupholstered in sumptuous coral velvet too, accenting the color elsewhere in the room. 

Now, you're probably wondering where the sofa shot is...

The sofa is in process, as a matter of fact. It took me months and months (far too long, really) to decide which directly I wanted to go in, but I opted for a stain- and fade-resistant Sunbrella solid that I'm excited to see soon. 

I'm still working out the rug situation. We perused the natural rug options at a local carpet store but were mortified at the prices for the custom-sized and bound pattern we liked. Back to the drawing board, I suppose!

(all via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

Bit by bit, inch by inch, the living room (and life in general) is coming together.

P.S. An extra-special thank you to those who emailed and checked in after me in the last few months. 

I sure have missed you all. 

Our Guest Bedroom {A Long-Overdue Reveal}

Hello, friends! How have you been? The past few weeks have felt like a blur as I settle into my new job during the weekdays and work on our living room during the weekends. That said, I finally have an exciting reveal worth sharing here on the blog: our guest bedroom!

I made it my mission--just as the year started--to rework the space so it more accurately reflects my evolving style.

Peeks into Our Finished Basement Changes

Remember all the way back in January, when spring sunshine seemed like a million years away, when I shared my DIY tasseled curtain project? At the time, I planned to share a sneak peek of the changes we'd started to make to our finished basement...but the sub-zero temperatures kept me from the space entirely.

Now that the weather's more cooperative, I snapped a few pics of the basement that I wanted to finally share!

Our Vintage Jadeite Bathroom {The Reveal}

This reveal is about three months in the making but, today, I'm proud (and relieved!) to show off the results of our vintage jadeite bathroom redo.

I first posted the plans in November, and at that time it was our goal to have the space completed for Christmas houseguests. Well, our visitors came and went while the bathroom languished. We struggled with uncooperative plumbing, speciality parts (the complexity that comes with working with original 55 year-old fixtures) and post-holiday exhaustion. But, today, here we are!

Decking Our Halls for Christmas

In the past three days, it has snowed twice (!). The freshly-fallen snow has created an ideal backdrop for pictures I've been intending to take and share of our holiday decorations. These pictures are so special, because they represent the first Christmas we're celebrating in our house.

I'm so excited to share them with you!

Prepping the Jadeite Bathroom for Holiday Guests

Call me crazy for taking on a room redo this time of year, but Adam and I are tackling our charming vintage green bathroom just in time for Christmas!

We will be hosting my parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece for the big holiday for the first time. As a result, I want to get the cutest bathroom in our house functional (it's the only bathroom in our house that isn't!). The bones of the space are really special.

While the 'befores' leave plenty of room for improvement, let's talk about my plans for the 'after'.

Fall Comes to Our Front Door (Thanks to Terrain)

Let me preface this post by stating that I never win any contest, giveaway or raffle I enter. Ever.

But about two weeks ago I got lucky...no, not like that. I'm talking about winning something.
I got an email from the über-popular Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo announcing that I had won her recent $200 Terrain gift card giveaway! What the what?!?

Needless to say, I was thrilled. Awestruck. Dumbfounded. Excited! My winnings went a long way to bringing fall to our front doorstep and, today, I'll tell you all about it.

My Den: The Big Reveal

This post has been a long time coming; but instead of expounding too much about it, I'll let the finished space speak for itself. Our den is finally "complete"--whatever that means. Elements in the room will definitely change over time but, for this moment in time, it feels very 'us'.

Take the full tour and be sure to share your thoughts! I'd really love to hear them.

Gardening Goals This Autumn

This is a banner day here on Meet Me in Philadelphia. For the first time I am delving into the topic of gardening, a topic that I've never known much about but always appreciated from the sidelines.

This is our first autumn as homeowners and--as any good gardener knows--this season is prime time for garden clean-up and the ideal time to prepare for beautiful results the following spring.

So, let's gab about the fall garden, shall we?

Reflections on Home Buying and Homeownership (3 Months In)

(a beautiful sight from January 30th)

Three months ago today, Adam and I became homeowners. It was a blustery January day that represented a threshold we were crossing as adults and would mark the beginning of a thirty-year journey in our home.

While I am by no means an expert after only one home purchase and three months of homeownership in my past, I’m a reflective person who attempts to learn something from every life experience and have already committed a lot of time thinking about what I wish I had known before diving into this next phase in our lives. Home buying is uniquely stressful and uncertain, filled with second guesses, emotion, and a lot of money. I hope that a few of the thoughts I’ll share today will help readers contemplating buying a home or relatable to those more experienced home owners out there.

So, here's what I've learned...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

After the intense happenings around the nation last week, it seemed necessary to decompress over the weekend and spend some much-needed quality time with Adam. Saturday was a pleasant, sunny day and we took the nearly cloudless sky as an open invitation to explore our new neighborhood and appreciate the blessings we have, including each other.

My Craft Room Revealed

The phrase "craft room" is a 4-letter word for many high style bloggers, but I hope you show you all today that a craft room can be stylish and useful as I reveal mine!

Recently 'Round Here

Progress isn't always pretty, but it's usually incredibly satisfying. The last few weekends have been spent 'round here getting dirty and dusty in the name of homeownership. We are loving every minute of it. It certainly isn't happening quickly, but we're already enjoying the fruits of our labor. 

Decorating Our Home, One Corner at a Time

Welcome to my favorite spot--a single decorated corner in our mostly-empty living room. 

Planning Ahead: Decorating the Den

Hi, everyone! I want to thank you all from bottom of my heart for the incredibly sweet and supportive comments you posted regarding our soon-to-be house! I'm so glad you all like it too, because you're going to be seeing it featured on the blog quite a bit!

Since the house is nearly 3,100 sq. feet and there's only 2 of us for now, Adam and I have decided to prioritize the rooms we'll be using in the short term--that means our bedroom, a bathroom or two, the den and eventually the kitchen. Of those spaces, the den is the room that needs only aesthetic changes. Here's what the room looks like now (from the MLS listing):