Digging

Mark Hatfield's abstract paintings.

Herringbone Table

A friend just forwarded me this awesome table that Sarah Summers created as DIY project. It was recently featured on Design Sponge. Now, I have enough DIY's and other tasks that need to be completed prior to TBD's arrival, so sadly I won't be able to add this to the list.  With a brass base this would look pretty fabulous in our living / dining space (perhaps something to put on the concept board with one of the rug options below). Love that I'm discovering all of these great DIY projects in my 7th month of pregnancy. Great timing right?

Area Rug Roundup

I'm working on putting together a concept board for our living room. Scott loved the board I did for the Baby's Room so much that he decided I should do one for each area of our house. Now some areas are simpler and therefore don't need boards, but I've tired of the orange in the living room, so I think putting a board together for my new grey / wheat scheme is not a bad idea.  I've been looking for more muted area rugs to replace our crazy colored ethnic rug and I came across a whole bunch from Home Decorator's Collection. They are a great source for inexpensive rugs and furniture. And they have a whole new line of bathroom vanities that are done really well.  Here are just a few that I happened upon and liked in the neutral range (they have tons more if you like a pop of color). The great thing about putting together a concept board is that I can test out the options and see which works best.

And the Winner....

of the Cutting Edge Stencil giveaway is.....

Maryann!

Congrats and have a wonderful weekend.

Photo courtesy of DJ Bass.

Friday Filaments

One of my favorite to-the-trade sources Arteriors has come out with some great new stuff recently. I'm really digging their new lighting collection, much of which is by Laura Kirar.  She has such a great eye - modern yet classic with a funky twist.  Wishing I had a bigger house purely for the opportunity for more lamps, pendants and sconces!

Spoonflower

I discovered Spoonflower through Jenny's blog Little Green Notebook. What a cool site!  You design your own fabric and they will custom print it!    At just over 16 bucks a yard, that's not bad for custom.  Now I'm trying to come up with fun ideas for custom fabric. In the meantime though, you can order from previous designs. Here is a smattering of some of my faves.

I'm thinking shower curtain of this natural ephemera?

GIVEAWAY REMINDER

2 more days to enter the Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway!
Here's a little teaser:

You like me!

You really really like me...

Thanks to all of my dedicated readers, I have reached the 100 mark for followers on blogger.  If you are liking what you see, please mention the Eagle's Nest on your blog, twitter feed, or Facebook and be sure to let me know about any cool content that might be of interest.  And comment back here if you have any specific posts or subject matter that you'd like to see more of!

Mani in a box

Even though I strive to be an aesthete and fashionista, I am just not one of those gals who goes for a weekly mani and pedi (granted in my marathoning days, it probably would have been a good idea).  I'm all about the quick fix, and I do too much gardening, dish washing and other manual labor to make a manicure a worthy investment.... not to mention that I'm too impatient to let it dry fully so I inevitably mess it up between the salon and car.  Recently, however, a friend introduced me to Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. These are like the updated version of good ole Lee Press-on nails.  They're like stickers for your nails, but they stay on way longer and are made of real nail polish.  I tried them out and they are super easy to use and look pretty good methinks (better than I'd do with a brush and bottle of polish). 

 The color shown here is Red-y for Trouble (please ignore the green written reminder on my hand - yes, I'm sophisticated like that).  The color I chose is actually one of their tamer colors. There are yellows, blues, along with patterns like fishnet and leopard.  Not sure if I can get into those.  Perhaps they need to introduce a few more "classic" colors to the line?

GIVEAWAY: Cutting Edge Stencils

Lately, I've been a bit obsessed with surface decoration.  From the awning stripe on the baby's ceiling to my plans to do a faux bois wall in the powder room and a chinoiserie in the bath.  Well, Cutting Edge Stencils to the rescue! Have you checked out this website before?  They have some amazing patterns. And when you don't want to commit to an expensive wall paper, this is the way to go. They even have How To Vidoes on Youtube that make the process that much easier.  Cutting Edge Stencils has agreed to give one lucky reader their stencil of choice (up to a $50 value).  Just visit their site and comment back with your favorite stencil.  Extra entries for those who like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook.  Here's a sampling of some of their wares (well, my faves anyway).

And some installed applications.

The fine print

- All entries must be followers of the Eagle's Nest
- Must live within the contiguous United States
- Giveaway closes on Friday August 26 at 4pm PST.

Friday Filaments

I was perusing The Brick House and came across Morgan's DIY of Lindsay Adelman's chandelier. Industrial yet refined and delicate.  Something to try at our place?

And some other options from Lindsay's website - DIY instructions and parts lists included.

Kissaluv

Generally speaking I like being green - I compost, I drive a pretty fuel efficient Honda Fit.  But I tend not to go overboard or try to be too preachy, and a lot of the time my greenness stems from my own selfishness (composting = free fertilization for my yard and better fruits and veggies, driving a fuel efficient vehicle = saving on gas). 

So a couple weeks ago I did a ton of research on cloth diapers.  Friends had been touting the benefits for a while so I thought I'd see what all the hype was about (admittedly other friends had been horrified by the idea that I would attempt such a thing).  The initial thought was that cloth diapers are clearly better for the environment - duh.  The thought of hermetically sealing (using a diaper genie) all those non-biodegradeable diapers and then throwing them into a landfill I find rather appauling.  The biodegradeable ones aren't much better since they get covered with other trash and the chances then of decomposition become slim to none. Yes, I generate trash, but I liked that in this instance I had a choice.  Cloth diapers are also supposed to be better for your baby. No absorbent dry-feel chemicals that trick the baby (and you) into thinking the diaper is dry or can go a little longer without changing. Hence, less diaper rash and a baby that is much more aware of when it needs a change.  This is also beneficial when potty training later on down the road. 

Originally I thought I'd go with a cloth diaper service (We are lucky in LA that this still exists in the form of Dy-dee Diaper Service). Back when we were babies over 30 years ago, many parents still used cloth diapers from diaper services. Our generation was on the cusp of the change to disposeables.  A service seems handy because you don't have to worry about washing the diapers yourself and my logic was that their washers and driers must be must more efficent than my dinosaurs from the 80s.  But after doing more research, one of the main benefits of cloth diapering and washing yourself is cost (and remember, money is one of my main motivations for being green).  After an up-front investment in one-size re-useable diapers you're pretty much all set except for the occasional disposeable swimmy or disposeable travel diaper (yes, it's hard to go on a trip and carry around a whole bunch of soiled re-useable diapers).  I read Young House Love's post about cloth diapering, and after that I was even more convinced, granted, they made it sound like a dream. 

So I began my research. Who knew that the world of cloth diapering was so vast?  There are diapers with the traditional foldable cloth insert plus a water-proof cover, various washable inserts, semi-all-in-ones, and all-in-ones.  People have opinions on velcro, snaps, leakage, softness, you name it.  And who knew that the technical name for velcro is aplix?  I found Diaper Pin to be the most comprehensive site when it came to reviews of the different brands.  And the names of the brands are pretty amazing in and of themselves with the likes of Fuzzibunz, BumGeniuses, Bummis, Whammies, and Wet Happened.  In the end I've decided to try the  Kissaluv's Mavel One Size All-in-ones. 

I can't say that I'm looking forward to changing diapers, but I am kind of excited about the idea that these diapers come in multiple colors that I can select to match TBD's outfits. 

Also, this little magic wand will come in very handy. You attach it to your toilet water feed and use it to rinse off the diaper (especially the solid stuff) prior to putting them in your hamper / bin (and yes, hampers are next on my list of items to research).  We actually have our Toto washlet hooked up to the water on our toilet, so ours will now be a wonder toilet that washes diapers, as well as heating, spraying and drying your tush.  \

Prenatal preview

A little glimpse of the baby's room thus far.

And the new guest room.

 The perfect fit niche behind the door.

 A little vignette with some found objects.

Digging

This ASOS bag.  Although really at this point I should be looking for bags that accomodate diapers, bottles and wipes.

Missoni for Target

Yup - the Missoni for Target line launches in less than a month.  I already have 2 reminders on my calendar to log onto Target.com  to check out the wares and maybe make some purchases (trick of the trade - don't even try to go to the store - things sell out too fast and they don't always have everything - purchase everything online first and return later).  Here is a little sneek peak.

Nesting

Our bed room needed a little freshening for summer.  Don't worry, the birdie bedding is still around, but I'm loving our new window pane duvet set from IKEA.  Has a tailored masculine feel that is a nice counterpoint to our chinoiserie panels.

On the walls...

Well, Danika's still got me inspired with her Chinoiserie painted wallcovering. As I mentioned, I might do something similar in our upstairs bath.   I love the idea of a tonal version of this Paul Montgomery trellis and birds, but I'd rather do something organic so I don't have to measure things out.

For the powder room that is currently charcoal grey, what about doing a rendition of this Fornasetti malachite wallcovering in a sort of white wash paint?  Is it too much?  Will it look like a rash? 

Perhaps a faux bois would be the way to go. Here are two versions one more rustic and one more abstracted.

Happy Birthday

To me!

Aren't these floating egg candles by Ecomonster cool?  Well, a bit labor intensive, but still cool.

Friday Fun

Well, we know that Scott had put on a little sympathy weight with the baby....

Beach inspiration

From Lizzy's visit a couple of weeks ago.  El Matador, Malibu (definitely my favorite beach in Socal)