Baby's book nook

We were able to start and finish another DIY project for the baby's nursery this past week.

Since I've been wanting to hang some bookshelves in there to house all of the children's books we have accumulated, Chris whipped together two of these pictured below for me: 

When I say "whipped together", I literally mean just that!

Using scrap wood and nails he already had in the garage, he was able to make two of these in just under an hour.

This guy is getting good!

The next step was to distress each shelf which I had the pleasure of doing.

Using a hammer, a chain, and basically any other hard object I could find in the garage, I beat the shelves up a bit to give them more of a rustic look.

Lastly, I stained the shelves with the same gray stain we used on the top of the changing table and then added a top coat of polyurethane.

Here they are hung up in the nursery:

Since the shelves are pretty heavy to begin with and the books add even more weight, we used this hardware to ensure that these things won't fall down.

If you don't have the time or ability to make these shelves yourself, 

you can find similar ones from this Etsy shop.

The books are a combination of gifts from friends and family and garage sale finds I have picked up over the past few months.

Below the shelves, I have some stuffed animals in this wire hamper that I picked up last year from Home Goods.

It's only a matter of time before our dog Rosie gets her hands on these!

So for now, I'm enjoying seeing them nice and clean and with their heads still attached.

I'm just waiting for a few more things to be completed in the nursery but as soon as it is finished, I'll share a look around the entire room!

In the meantime, you can check out the progress we have made in this room

  here, here, here, here, anddddd here.

PS- If you haven't entered the giveaway for a chance to win a Rewined mimosa candle, give it a try! 

It ends Friday at 12 A.M. and I'll announce the winner on Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by :)

- Caitlin

Reduce, reuse, rewined.

If you are a reader of this blog, then you already know that I love to take one man's "trash" and turn it into a "treasure" with a little up-cycling and re-purposing (just click here, here, and here to see what I'm talking about).

So, it is no wonder that I really love the story behind Rewined candles:

via

 Such a cool idea, right?

Pictured below in my kitchen is Rewined's mimosa candle, which really does smell like the cocktail (think fresh squeezed OJ).

I guess since I can't exactly enjoy a mimosa right now, the next best thing is being able to smell the aroma of one!

Want one of your own?
Enter below for a chance to win a Rewined mimosa candle like mine (must be a U.S. resident):


a Rafflecopter giveaway What if you don't win the giveaway?
No sweat.
Use promo code REWINEDMIMOSAPICKETFENCE for free ground shipping on all orders that include a mimosa candle through the end of April.

Thanks for reading!
- Caitlin

Friday Fashion Fix: my White Plum purchase

Even though I've been clothes shopping a lot less these past few months, that doesn't mean I haven't indulged in some virtual window shopping. Recently, I was browsing Jane.com, a website that I have posted about before that features daily deals on everything from things for the home to clothes and accessories.

When I saw this top below on the website, I went ahead and bought it.

I was surprised to find out that it is billowy enough to fit my now 34 week bump and will also be perfect for this summer post-baby bump.

The blouse comes from White Plum, which has lots of affordable clothes that are cute.

Here are a few of my picks from the site:

Jessica Day Dress

Half Moon Bay Dress

Pheonix Aztec Maxi Dress

Newport Beach Tunic

Catalina Flats

FYI: it's 30% off the entire store with the code APRIL30 if you order before the end of the month!

Happy shopping & Happy Friday!

- Caitlin

Rowin' and growin'

I apologize in advance for the onslaught of nursery posts but that is primarily what our world is consisting of right now! The latest project for baby's room was turning an oar that I had into a growth chart.

I started by taking a yardstick and marking the inches with a pencil.

Then, I used this white Sharpie paint pen to mark the lines.

Next, I used the same pen but in blue to mark each foot.

Lastly, I added some hardware so that I could hang the oar on the back of the door.

Here it is hung up:

I know it will be a while before I start marking his height but I think it adds a cute DIY touch to the room.

Here are some other growth chart ideas I've seen:

A Harvest of Blessing

Cozy. Cottage. Cute.

i.meesh.u

Have a great day :)

- Caitlin

The best things in life are free (and come from the beach)

There's no denying my decorating style has a little bit of a beachy flair to it (just look at our nursery).

I try to keep it to a minimum in our house as we don't exactly live at the beach (it's about 15 minutes away), but touches of it sneak out here and there.

Driftwood is one way to add a rustic beach vibe to the home and the best part is that it's free!

Just take a stroll along the beach and you'll probably find some really cool looking aged wood that can be used in all different creative ways.

Just add hooks and a piece of driftwood can become a coat/key/hat rack:

Etsy

Simply prop up some driftwood against a wall to add some rustic interest in a room:

source unknown

It can also be turned into a clothes hanger like in this nursery:

The Happy Home

You could even do this DIY project and turn driftwood into candle holders:

The Gold Jelly Bean

In our home, I've hung this piece of driftwood above the built-ins in our kitchen nook. It came from a weekend Chris and I spent at the beach in Montauk, NY with my parents a couple of years ago.

Check out how my friend Tara (whose awesome apartment I have posted about here) turned a piece of driftwood into a necklace holder that I shared on Instagram:

 Unlike me, she actually lives not by the beach but ON the beach.
Lucky duck!

Hope you are able to enjoy this beach-like weather we are getting today in the Northeast!
- Caitlin