Monthly Baby Pictures

I love different ways people do monthly pictures of their baby. Seeing them grow is amazing. So when baby J was born I had a hard time deciding what to do. I knew I wanted something more elaborate than a hand written paper next to her, but I also didn’t want it so over the top that it was a pain. And  I wanted the pictures to be about her, not the cutest most pinterest-tastic faux chalkboard or something.

So what I’ve been doing is simple:

Blocks + baby + blanket

I’m putting her in a white onesie, to keep some continuity in her outfit (easy to find in any size!), and using her adorable quilt my aunt made. Then it’s just next to the wall in her room, snapping lots of my rolly polly girl.

I like that the things staying the same means you can really focus on how she’s growing –

Look at the change in head control!

One thing I am finding-once they’re rolling around you probably want to tape the blocks together! I spent a lot of time restacking them this month!

Inexpensive Art, take 2

One of the most complimented things in baby J’s room isn’t art exactly, but it pretties up the walls so I am counting it.

I knew I wanted some sort of mirror for her room, and I loved the idea of one with an ornate look to it.

I looked at ones like this one at Ikea:

but black wasn’t quite what I wanted, and $40 was more than I was hoping to spend when there was painting involved. I kept looking, stalking Home Goods, checking thrift stores, and never finding quite what I wanted.

Then, by total chance I saw a feature in the home section of the paper that included one from Bed Bath and Beyond.

That was perfect.

And $16.99.

Which meant with one of those coupons you can find all the time it was super cheap.

It’s girly and sweet and I love it. It gets so many compliments. It’s sold online too

It’s not huge, but that meant it was easy to hang (a nail plus a few command strips for safety), and baby J loves to smile at the baby in the mirror.

 

Easy Birthday Gift for a Guy

My husband turned 30 this year. I wanted to do something fun, but he (like most men) isn’t the easiest to shop for. He likes sports, beer, more beer, and more sports (and graphs. he really likes graphs)… I wanted something that he’d love-30 is a big number!

After agonizing over my lack of an awesome present I finally came up with what was the best-recieved gift I’ve done since I got him a beer fridge (a beer fridge that’s decked out in the logo of his favorite sports team. Like I said, sports + beer)

I hit up the beer store, and emerged with 30 cans of craft beer (he’s a big fan of cans for some reason? And a lot of breweries in our area can), and early on his birthday morning I set this up on the coffee table

 

It was a fun surprise, and he loved it.

(Also, I was 8 months pregnant, so I got the entertainment of loading up a cart of beer with a giant baby belly)

Another view:

It’s easy, even with microbrews it isn’t expensive (and if the man you’re making it for is more of a Bud drinker it’s super cheap! It’s cute, and something you know he’ll actually use!

Inexpensive Art, Take 1

When you start getting a baby’s room ready you realize you want to put up ALL THE THINGS. And buy ALL THE THINGS. And that can add up. Quickly. But there’s some awesome and affordable things you can do too. Which is cute, and means you don’t have the same Target print as 508403 other moms.

One thing I found while getting ready for baby was some awesome embroidery, both finished and unfinished, that my Grandma had made.

This adorable kitty vignette?

It was my pillow case as a child. Which is pretty, but 1. babies don’t need pillows and 2. it had my name embroidered on it. I found a cheap frame, and then glued some scrapbook paper onto the matting.

It’s fun, cute, and adds a little of my Grandma (who passed away when I was 18) into the baby’s room.

Nursery Preview

Darling baby was born June 12th, and baby J makes my world pretty amazing. Here’s a bit of her room:

The blanket was in my crib 28 years ago!

I know everyone has the Ikea spice rack bookshelves, but that’s because they’re so darn cute!

A few of the details: the mobile, some wall art, the chair I redid, and the changing table and curtains (complete with kitty!)

I’ll post more details on what I did in her room soon!