Even though I recently shared our home tour for this year (upstairs + downstairs), I already have an update! Knowing that our house photos with Anna were around the bend, I finally bit the bullet and framed two special pieces of art… but they arrived the day after our photos were taken!! I still wanted to share them with you, because I love them, and hopefully this story will also serve as encouragement!

Though we’ve made some progress since moving in with getting things on the walls, there were still two pieces that remained tucked away. They were both non-standard sizes, which meant I couldn’t just go out and buy a frame at Target or Michael’s. I knew custom framing was in my future if I was ever going to display them properly, but having gone that route before, I was already cringing at the expense. A few months ago, though, my ears perked up when I started to hear about a few online custom framing companies, including Framed & Matted and Framebridge. I looked into them both, and ended up going with Framed & Matted – I thought their frame options were prettier, and their prices slightly more reasonable. Want to see what I ended up with?

First, I framed a “You are my sunshine” print from (the now-defunct) Yeehaw Studios. For this one, I chose the Landon frame and a white mat. It took me six years to frame this little gem (!!!), but it was worth it – I love seeing it in our kitchen every day! This one was $67, including shipping.

Second, I framed our wedding invitation! Y’all, I can’t tell you HOW HAPPY it makes me to have this project completed. From the minute I laid eyes on our beauty, I knew I wanted it hanging on the walls of our home. I’m still in awe of the work Magpie Paper Works and MM Ink did to bring it to life, and I love having this reminder of our wedding in front of me every day. For this one, we chose the Blair frame in gold, also with a white mat, and it was about $100. The invite is now hanging in our living room gallery wall, but the glare made it impossible to take a good photo – so here’s a detail shot!

Yay!! Lots of happy developments with our walls lately, from these two new pieces to the travel quartet I talked about in our tour. I think they’ve emboldened me, as I now have big plans to add art to our downstairs hallway, our upstairs hallway, and the loft. I’m thinking my November goals will be heavy on art projects, as baby girl’s due date ticks ever closer!

Let me tell you about my friend Stephanie, who recently moved back to the Triangle after living in DC for several years. Since she’s been here, the list of things she’s done, places she’s been, and people she’s met is mind-boggling. In fact, I’m positive she has more local friends than I do. (This is not surprising or upsetting, as I readily admit I am an introvert who prefers fewer, very closer friends over a larger circle.) She and I only recently met in person after being online friends for several years. Perhaps this emboldened me, because when she posted about a local book club she had joined, I inquired.

Stephanie, bless her heart, not only told me about the book club, but went one step further: she invited me to START an articles club with her. Even though it was a little outside of my comfort zone, I was instantly enamored with the idea. Both she and I had read about the concept on A Cup of Jo last year, and Steph had successfully hosted one with friends in DC. After a flurry of back and forth emails, our new version is taking shape!

And here’s where you come in: you’re invited! Yes! The first one will be on Tuesday, November 10, in the evening, in the Triangle of NC. We’ll meet about once a month (we are considering keeping it on the second Tuesday of the month). One gal will email out three articles to the group – perhaps themed, but not necessarily, and about topics that feel relevant to our age group: maybe friendship, career, work/life balance, children, or relationships. Then, we’ll gather and discuss them over appetizers, dessert, and drinks.

In addition to meeting new friends, Stephanie and I are both very set on actual discussion, so we’re hoping to attract ladies who feel the same way! :) If that sounds like you, and you’re available, shoot Stephanie an email – she will be rounding up RSVPs. Just as a note, depending on the level of interest, we might have to cap attendance, as the space where we’ll be gathering is not huge.

Whether or not you live near by, what do you think? Does an articles club sound like something up your alley? If so, take Stephanie’s example and reach out to someone about starting one – you just might be surprised! :) And feel free to leave links to articles you’re itching to discuss in the comments!

Nursery plans! Out of the blue, my buddy Lisa asked me several months ago if I had ever thought about what I would want a future nursery to look like (we take lots of long car rides together and have time to talk about everything). I was a bit taken aback, as, unbeknownst to her, I was already pregnant! The answer I gave her was “not really,” and I wasn’t just trying to avoid the topic – it was true! Though I had collected some inspiration over the years, a nursery wasn’t something I ever had a set vision for.

Things stayed that way into the first several months of my pregnancy — I saw things I liked, and even designed the following board which used some of my favorite colors, but nothing ever felt quite right.

Then I stumbled across this nursery, and instantly fell in love. We didn’t know yet whether we were having a girl or boy, but I knew I could make it work either way.

Jessie gets the lion’s share of credit for my inspiration above — we will be using the same buffalo check fabric, the same light fixture, and similar crib bedding as she did. However, since our room is for a little lady, we’ll be adding a few horse accents — I was completely horse crazy when I was younger, and my Dad grew up on what is now a horse farm. (Actually the oldest continuously working farm in Connecticut! I love having that heritage as a part of her space.) I also think the toile and floral patterns make the overall look a bit more feminine in our rendition.

I seriously considered wallpapering one wall once I stumbled across the adorable Collette pattern from Sandberg Wallpaper, but alas they have discontinued the blue colorway:

from this blog

They still carry a lovely black colorway, but it’s not right for this room:

After total inaction for the first six months of pregnancy, the last week or so has been a whirl of progress! My Dad painted the walls (Benjamin Moore Simply White), we’ve assembled the crib (the same Jenny Lind beauty my sisters and I used as babies, unearthed from my parents’ attic!), and we’ve purchased a light fixture, a blue toile crib skirt, and a lamp. Next on the list? Switching out the light fixture, choosing a glider, deciding on window treatments (should we do drapes or a pelmet box like this?), ordering bedding for the twin bed that will also be in the room, and deciding on artwork. I am hoping to scrounge up some vintage photos of my family’s farm and horses; I also love the print from Minted in my inspiration above.

I’d also like to settle on a room layout. Here are the three options we’re considering:

Option 1: Not sure if having the crib and bed that close together is ideal, even though no one will be sleeping in the twin most of the time.

Option 2: Same issue with the bed and crib, though there might be a little more wiggle room.

Option 3: This layout allows more room between the beds, but I don’t know if having the crib so close to the door is a good idea?

Just as a note, the door on the right-hand side is a little mini door to our attic storage. And as a reminder, here is the room “before:”

I think that’s about all I have to report for now! I’d love your thoughts and feedback, including on my current decisions, if you’d like:

— Drapes or a pelmet box in blue buffalo check for the window?
— Room layout 1, 2, or 3?

Thanks, friends!!

Welcome back, y’all! You’ve had a peek at our first floor, so let’s head up the stairs to the second. It’s still less-finished than our first, but it’s definitely coming along!

Things look pretty much the same in our loft. I do have big DIY plans for art for the wall over my desk — hoping I can get it done before the new year!!

Speaking of art, I’d also love to add a piece of some sort over the guest bed. I’m not sure yet what would fit best with the still life photos we already have, but I’m thinking maybe a landscape painting.

Alright, here we are at our last two photos of this year’s tour! They might be the least interesting, but to me they represent the greatest amount of potential. In fact, they’ve already changed quite a bit since these photos were taken! For one, the beds have been swapped, so that the queen bed is now in the blue striped room and the twin bed is in the “cactus room” (which will be baby girl’s room). As of this weekend, baby girl’s room has also been painted, her crib assembled, and Mr. Cactus has been moved to a new home :)

I think my next blog post will be about our plans for the nursery, so you’ll get a better idea of where these rooms are headed! In the meantime, thank you all for your kind comments, and don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions about sources!

Once again, all photos except the first one are by the lovely Anna Routh, first shared in our home tour on Southern Weddings.