I published the first part of my house tour about two months ago now, and after looking at lots of interior design blogs today, I realised I never shared the second instalment - Lilia's nursery.
I went with green, white and pink colour scheme as I thought it would be very difficult to get away from pink with a girl, which has proved quite right. All our interior walls are painted a soft stone grey, so we just did one light green accent wall behind the cot.
I love sticker wall decals - I think they are the best thing ever invented for kid's rooms - they are modern and inexpensive and relatively easy to put up and remove. You can find some lovely ones at De Waal Art and at Pink and Posh .
My Mom made up the candy-stripe curtains for me, which I'm hoping will last beyond babyhood.
Don't you just love this little dress? It was sent to us by friends in London and it really is one of my favorites! I found the embroidered hangers at Biggie Best, I think they are also a really good gift for baby showers.
These ballerina pictures are something of a family heirloom - they were in my Mom's room during the 1960s, in mine in the 80s, and I had the mounting and frames updated so Lilia could have them. They hang just above the changing table.
Just a little detail shot of some cute shoes that are displayed on the changing table (ever since Lilia got too big and too squirmy to be changed up there!)
More shoes (knitted by my husband's gran, so another heirloom!)
With details, I've tried to put some little birdie accents up, but lots of little hearts have also crept in, which I also love. This little 'daddy's girl' heart was given to me while I was still pregnant, and it's turned out to be 100% true!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
A few things from the weekend
Pic: Design Mom |
Well Monday passed me by in a blur, so here are a few things from the weekend, even though it's well into Tuesday where I am.
- On Saturday I made Lilia a tutu like the one pictured above based on a tutorial on Design Mom. We bought some tulle netting to use as a mosquito net when we went away for our summer holidays in December and I have been wanting to make a tutu up for ages. It really was very easy, and involved not a stitch of sewing. I can't wait for her to be walking so she can wear it, I think it will look great over jeans this winter for a birthday party or two!
- We went rather large on Saturday evening at Madame Zingara on Saturday night. It's a Cirque du Soleil/dinner theatre type show. And it was all going so well until someone ordered tequila...ouch.
- I've been looking for wedding dress designers for a friend who needs a dress in a hurry. It's been so long since I've looked at wedding sites, it was really fun. If you are in that space at the moment, have a look at I want that wedding for some lovely things.
- Even though I've been doing this Mom thing for a year now, I still cannot get over the sheer amount of continuous planning that is required to make sure everything runs smoothly. With all the public holidays this month and weekends away, birthday parties etc, I am finding that I am putting reminders in my diary so that I remember to even do the washing!
Hope you have a lovely week and here's hoping it all goes smoothly...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Paris
No, I'm not kidding!!
We have booked to go to Paris in September for a week and will then take the TGV down to Aix-en-Provence for a few days.
I am so excited, but the entire prospect is so far removed from my daily life at the moment I'm struggling to believe it is a reality.
We've been intending an overseas trip for a while now - actually since we got married and only had a brief honeymoon. The trip is supposed to help ease the blow (or to celebrate, depends how you look at it I suppose...) of my 30th birthday in July.
Actually, I’m not really dreading turning 30. My 20s have been a great decade, and I’ve pretty much achieved what I set out to in terms of qualifications, and in my professional and personal life. I’ve had great opportunities to travel and done some things that I didn’t ever dream would happen.
But I’ll save all the navel-gazing for another post when I’m feeling all introspective.
For now, I’m going to dream of walks on the Ile-St-Louis, of lavender fields and small Provencal towns, shopping at Parisian markets and sitting at cafes...
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
How much is too much?
Pic: Emily Ley |
I've been giving lots of thought lately to how much it is possible to take on as a Mom.
I'm finding more and more that as I take on more to do, I totally underestimate how long it will take me to complete everything. And yes, I am a perfectionist and Type-A personality who has to have a clean house and fresh linen and 'a place for everything, and everything in it's place' before I go to bed each night. (It's exhausting living with me, believe me!)
Now that I've taken on a part time job for a short while, as well as trying to stay on top of other freelance leads so as to have something when my contract ends, I'm finding I'm either running around like a headless chicken, or trying to squash in all my chores so that the week runs as smoothly as it used to when I was staying at home.
But if I'm not able to spend good, quality time alone with my daughter, I feel the onset of mommy-guilt, as well as being an all-round grouch.
The reason I'm writing about this is because yesterday, in one of my headless-chicken-drop-off-the-dry-cleaning-buy-birthday-presents-get-groceries moments, I was so distracted and in such a hurry that I reversed into another car in a parking lot. Can you believe it. Who does something that stupid?
I do. That's who.
It's an incredibly embarassing and incredibly expensive mistake. But I'm trying to use it as a lesson. To live more slowly. To realise that if we don't have dishwasher salt, the world isn't going to end.
But the hard part comes in - I've been offered some freelance writing work in the evenings in April, on top of my 3 days a week, during a time that I know is going to be very busy socially. I have accepted, as I want more than anything to write, and earn a living from it, and don't want to turn down this great opportunity. But I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew.
Ta-Dah!
So what do you think of the new design? Pretty nifty, hey! A thousand thank yous to Joy Kelley at How Joyful Designs. She's a star.
Well, anyway, back to business.
The above pic was taken by my husband when we were in Namibia over Easter 2010. We had a bit of a tradition going before Lilia was born to travel somewhere every Easter weekend - we did Washington DC, the north of Scotland, Venice (where we got engaged!) and Namibia. It wasn't planned, but just happened that way, which I suppose is the best.
While I very much have travel on my mind at the moment (more on that a little later, hopefully tomorrow...can't wait to share!) my big plans for this Easter are to plant primulas in the garden, attend the sunrise service and organise Lilia's very first Easter-egg hunt.
Funny how Easter was such a non-starter for me when I was younger, and Christmas was the main event. Now, I love this time of the year when the weather starts getting a little cooler and crisper, and it feels like everyone takes a little breather after a crazy first quarter of the year.
And you? Any big plans for the upcoming holidays?
Monday, March 19, 2012
Seeing around corners
Why is that whenever you think everything is ticking along nicely and that it seems like a good time to take on something new, that it is that exact moment when all the curve balls start flying?
Anyway, what can you do. That's life I suppose.
On a brighter note, here are a few links to some lovely things I came across this weekend. I'll share some exciting news soon...so watch this space.
• I was browsing Etsy over the weekend in an attempt to do something about the mountain of gift buying that I'm going to have to do over the next few months for birthdays of all ages, baby showers and new babies, and came across jewellery designer Genevieve Motley's shop. I just love her style, so cute, and her jewellery is really reasonable, great for a small gift for a friend. I have my eye on a few pieces for 'gifts' from me to me too!
• I suppose I'm giving the secret away, but I'm planning a little bit of a redesign and refresh on this blog and came across How Joyful Designs by Joy Kelley (also through Etsy. That place is so dangerous). Aren't her designs beautiful?
• I know everyone on the planet is watching it at the moment, but we finished the last DVD of Downton Abbey on Saturday night (what we do for fun now that we're parents!). I thought there was a series three out already, and was distraught (ok, that might be a little strong, I was disappointed) to hear that it's only in production now.
• During our bedtime routine over the past few evenings I've been reading Winnie the Pooh stories to Lilia before she goes to bed. I've got a copy that has the old-fashioned drawings (before they were Disney-fied...) and it's been such fun rediscovering the stories. I notice my voice becomes all posh when I'm reading out loud, but Lilia doesn't seem to mind. Luckily I have many years of practice ahead of me.
Monday, March 12, 2012
A few things from the weekend
We spent a lovely weekend in the bushveld with very special friends - think champagne, game drives, afternoon swims and a little bit of madness and laughing around the fire after dinner on Saturday night. It really was food for the soul!
Being away just helped to put everything in perspective a little bit, after we had eventually packed and eventually gotten in the car and out of Johannesburg.
Things have been mental (for lack of a better word) around our house the past two weeks since I started working. The ever shifting and ridiculous deadlines have meant that I just haven't been able to find the 'off' switch, and only get into bed after midnight as there is always just so much to do. And that means I've become not such a nice person and a very distracted Mommy.
But if I get nothing out of this whole working-part-time experience, at least it has helped me realise where I do need to be putting my energy and focus and to maybe just turn off the ambition for a little while. After all, the beauty of a wife and mother is in her being, not in her doing.
Sorry, I got a little distracted from the usual 'weekend that was' formula I follow on this blog.
I am looking forward to things getting back to normal (as much as they can) chez du Plessis, and am also looking forward to finding more time for blogging.
See you in the week,
xxx
Labels:
A few things from the weekend,
Mommyhood,
weekends away,
Work
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