Polka Dotty, Realized

Our room for two is finally finished and it's lovely.

Eloise's room, which she will soon share with her new sibling, has been cleared of clutter, cleaned top to bottom, reorganized and redecorated. With the exception of Eloise's bed everything moved around and we now have the room set so that both kids will have their own 'space' (aka sides).

My original vision was for a gender neutral black, white and pale blue room sprinkled with lots of polka dots and I'm quite pleased with how it all came together. I also decided to add in black and cream toile since, why not, and I used toile fabric to make Eloise a new duvet cover and recover a stool. I made a gallery wall above the Expedit (excuse me, Kallax) which holds books and toys in pretty canvas bins, put up a few polka dot pom-poms and am in love with my "piece de resistance", the polka dot wall. At first I thought the polka dots should all be measured out and perfect but then I just decided to wing it and am happy I did. The installation took me all of 20 minutes and the result is GORG. You have to check out Polka Dot Wall Stickers on Etsy, they were inexpensive and work just beautifully (we also used these decals on lampshades for our Kate Spade inspired installation).

The turquoise IKEA Raskog cart is perfect as a diaper caddy and I can't wait to put my new wipes warmer into service (a wipes warmer is seriously my favourite baby gadget). We've stocked up on the cutest newborn diapers from The Honest Company to get us through the first few weeks of poop explosions and all of our Kissaluvs and Bummis covers are washed and ready for use. New soothers have been sterilized, bottles & pump are prepped and baby clothing is washed. We. Are. Ready.

Loving Colourfully

When my partner Devon and I put our heads together really good things happen. I guess that's what you call a partnership, we're just super fortunate that ours not only works, but works exceptionally well.

Last week Smitten took part in a wedding event where we were tasked to present a trend for the 2014/15 wedding season. Our trend was inspired by Kate Spade and we called it "Loving Colourfully", a spin on the Kate Spade motto "Living Colorfully". Our vision was for a striped and polka-dotted food + beverage table filled with lots of pink and green florals, fun treats and quirky yet sophisticated details. We brought a super talented florist on board, paired with a great caterer, collaborated with the best balloon guy we know and thankfully had my Mom to help us with the sewing. Although there were times when we didn't think we'd be able to pull it all together the way we wanted everything turned out in the end, not as we imagined, but better.

This Kate Spade ad served as our inspiration:

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And this is how we interpreted it:

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By the time set up was complete what we saw was an incredible presentation full of fun, colour and joy. It was all very Smitten and very much a product of the work Devon and I create together. Yum Yum! 

Psst... want to see more? Check out these images on Pinterest.

Polka Dotty

So here it is, my vision for our room for two. And it's dotty.

Since we're not sure if Baby 2 is a boy or girl, I'll be de-girlifying the room initially to make way for some gender neutrality. We'll keep the same pale blue for the walls (Benjamin Moore Sea Foam, a colour I just love), bring back our white Bloom Alma Mini crib for the baby and maintain lots of the pieces we already have. 

The biggest project is going to be making the back wall the focal point of the room, using polka dot decals to create what looks like wallpaper. We'll move things around to give Eloise and baby a bit of their own 'space' and I'll build Eloise a reading nook on the opposite wall using lots of pillows (darling pillow; fox pillow)and the mosquito net currently hanging above her bed. An inexpensive polka dot rug from IKEA and a rolling utility cart in turquoise will give the room some pop and I'll try (I really will) not to overdo the polka dot thing with linens. Those Kate Spade pom poms though might be a must. 

The vibe for the space will be "fresh new baby, fresh new room", and I think crisp black & white with pale blue is just perfect. We can always add more colour in later but right now I'm ready for a change and more than anything, I want to scale back on visual clutter. It doesn't help that toddlers and children are basically hoarders but this is where under-bed storage comes in.

Just for Me

This Christmas I found it hard to put together a wish list that wasn't made up of practical items. Shelving for our kitchen, a desk chair, closet organization and a deep saute pan are all things we actually need, so they took priority. After seeing my list - even adults in our family are required to send around a Christmas list - my Dad asked what I really wanted. To be honest, shelves for the kitchen are something I really want, but if you're still wondering, Dad, I have a few more ideas that are (mostly) just for me.

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A fun umbrella for rainy days, a chambray tunic to fit over top of maternity pants (and a growing bump), some pretty gold bracelets, a luxurious candle in a favourite scent, a set of effervescent stemless champagne flutes, black booties with fabulous fringe, and a stylish (and still super comfy) desk chair for all those endless emails. Merry Christmas to me!

Good Day Sunshine

The days are getting lighter, longer and warmer and I am totally energized by the weather of early spring. The fact that the sun wasn't down until eight o'clock last night just makes me happy.

We've been spending our days outside with friends and it's hard to keep Eloise indoors when we're home. All she wants to do is play in the yard and I can't blame her, I'd rather be enjoying the sun than sitting at the computer working. Don't worry, I've been lenient with myself in the past week as it's a crime to let a sunny day in Vancouver go to waste. Every time I'm outside The Beatles' Good Day Sunshine plays in my head.

Speaking of spring, what about fun spring fashion? Brights & neons, florals, stripes and dots, the offerings this spring are as joyful as the weather. Here's what Eloise and I will be wearing until summer comes around. Aren't those shoes from Zara delightful?

Don't you just love the spring?

All That Glitters

I have a new affinity for the colour gold. It's pretty trendy in home decor right now and thanks to blogs like The Glitter Guide, Kate Spade and J.Crew and magazines like Matchbook, gold is certainly having a very pretty resurgence.

I wrote the other night about an amazing glitter deer head that my friend Marjorie made, well I had to make one for my own. This was such an easy project! I couldn't get my printer to print a deer head silhouette the size I wanted to I just free handed it, added the glue and lots of gold glitter. Looks like I AM putting my degree in advanced arts & crafts to good use after all!

not bad, right?

Here are a few other gold items I'm coveting ...

{dwell studio}

{j.crew}

{mitchell gold + bob williams}

{kate spade}

{anthropologie}

{design within reach}

All that glitters is gold!

I Love

{tequila is not my friend}

I love this Kate Spade tote. Its cheeky saying is all truth and I think this would be a very fun bag for girls' weekend trips or a great bachelorette gift for a bride.

Vegas anyone?