Trick-Or-Tweet

No, I don't want you to smell my feet.  But something good to eat?!  Yes, I'll take two.  One for me and one for baby~

Looking forward to September leaving us and October's cooler weather and fall colors!  I just love this time of year.  Football, weather, scarves, and holiday decorations!  Don't get me wrong!  I LOVE the warm weather, but there is just something about the turn of the season to Fall.  It reminds me of great memories.  Holidays with family, birthdays, my engagement to Kevin....oh and let's not forget that extra hour of sleep!!!

Here are a few Fall items we have been working on to bring in the new season!  Check us out on our facebook page:    http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nest-Boutique/174353755933625  or email us at iheartthenest@yahoo.com for a price list.

I'm lovin' it!

So in case you didn't catch the finished nursery from my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nest-Boutique/174353755933625#!/pages/The-Nest-Boutique/174353755933625, take a look at some of the photos below.  I really enjoyed painting this nursery!  I liked that it was something, different...for a lack of better words.  The shape of the tree is not something that I typically would have picked at a glance.  Boy was I wrong!  I'm lovin' it!  And I loved the colors!  That's the reason why I love this hobby; it allows me to paint outside the box! 
Congrats Seana and Adam!  Garrett is adorable!  I can't wait to see him in person and hear about all of the great moments since his grand entrance! 

spunky monkey nursery

I'm working on a nursery that is so fun!  I love it!  She is using the "Ben" bedding collection from Serena and Lily for their sweet baby boy.  LOVE, LOVE the aqua and orange color scheme.   She also painted the back wall of the room a dark teal/blue color that just makes the colors in the room POP!  I am painting a tree near the crib inspired by the tree pictured below.  Her husband also found these adorable wooden monkeys and an owl to hang from the tree.  Can't wait to see it all together and show you all of the extras in the room.  Orange Crush super fabulous rug on top of the list!  Everything just flows without being matchy, matchy.  -LOVE-  On a side note, she is due TODAY!  Must get the room finished ASAP!
 

Similar colors in the nursery

The Bedding "Ben" from Serena and Lily

http://www.serenaandlily.com/Rooms/Nursery-Ben

Inspired Spunky Tree



DIY refinishing furniture

I've been following some really great home designing DIY blogs.  I could look at these blogs and ideas for hours....if only I had more time to work on my projects!  Check out these do it yourself instructions for refinishing furniture that I found on Pawleys Island Posh's blog http://pawleysislandposh.blogspot.com/  My prior blog post showed an example of one of my pieces after following her instructions (minus that bottle of wine...at least for the next 6 months!)  wink, wink!  I wish I had my Before photos...still trying to pry those from my sister.  But you may have remembered the After photos.  Here's another peek.  Be sure to check out some of the other blogs that I follow.  Sure to give you an inspiration to start that project!

Step 1

move dresser outside and take drawers out

Step 2

lightly sand using an electric sander. 

The more you sand the better, but I just did it lightly to get all the shellac finish and wax off because I'm not that strong and my arms started hurting before I got off the dark stain

dust off

Step 3

paint the entire thing using a pretty medium thick coat

Not exactly dry brushed but not globbed on either

Step 4

drink a glass of wine while it's drying

You'll find you actually have time for more than one glass but I wouldn't suggest it as it may interfere with the next several steps

Step 5

take a piece of sand paper and with a very light hand rough up your paint job a bit

It's especially nice to remove all the paint in the corners or crevices

dust off

Step 6

Go ahead and pour another glass to enjoy during the next step

Step 7

Using a lint free white cloth (you can buy them at Home Depot or Lowe's in the painting section) dip into a can of briwax in dark walnut

Working in one section at a time, wipe the corners and crevices with wax

then wipe the rest of your section following with the grain of the wood

take a second rag and wipe away any excess.

Continue with this method until you've finished the entire piece

I find it easiest to work from the top down and to do each of the drawers while they're still free standing

Step 8

Finish that bottle of wine while it's drying
*******

A shade of Robin Egg Blue

I love the shades of Robin Egg Blue.  It brings a sense of peace and relaxation.  I helped with some of the extras in Lori's nursery.  I loved the color she picked out for the wall.  A light gray-blue-green color.  Her baby's bedding is white with slashes of red in the pattern.  We decided to leave the walls alone, and spruce up the room with a few extras.  I really loved her color scheme.  We decided to refinish an outdated nightstand and replace the lighting in the room!  Yep, another chandelier in store for me!  This is the first time I actually refinished a piece of furniture.  With a little advice from a highschool friend and a bunch of googling....this project turn out fabulous!!  I really love the new nightstand.  It makes me want to refinish every piece of furniture in my house!  I will admit that the sanding part is NOT fun!  My back is somewhat sore.  But You Can Do It!  Just put your back (or elbow) into it!  Next time I will invest in an eletric sander.  The next blog will be a "how-to", so you folks can try it at home! 
As far as the chandelier goes, the room needed a pop of red.  So the chandelier was painted red!  I love the cute white shades with the miniature red balls (for lack of a better word) hanging from them!  Lori originally sent me a photo of curtains with larger (balls) hanging from them, so I knew she would like the shades on the chandelier!  It really came together quite nicely!  She decided not to find out the sex of the baby, and I think this color scheme was perfect for just that!  A real nice surprise Clark!  Ok- yes I'm tired!  Enjoy the pics!  And be sure to check out our other goodies at The Nest Boutique~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nest-Boutique/174353755933625

HOME: the Perfect Nest

Lately, Kevin and I have been working on some home improvement projects.  There seems to be 100+ projects we want, or should start.  Slowly we have tried to improve our home, rooms and yard with "mini projects".  Why stress ourselves out and our wallets with everything all at once?!  I've been most impressed with our guest bathroom.  The bathrooms in our home were so outdated.  Next year we will tackle the master bath.  But take a peak at the hallway guest bathroom.  We found this great sink vanity at a Celadon Warehouse sale.  What a great find at a 1/3 of the price!  It has a rustic feel to it.  The vision was based around the sink vanity and everything else fell into place.  One of our great friends, Kendall helped us replace the old vinyl floor with slate colored tile.  It looks great!  Thanks Kendall!  Next we had the new commode and sink vanity installed (with help of course).  Kev is handy, when it comes to calling the experts!  ;)  Next I found a great sale on the shower curtain at pottery barn that I really loved.  A decent shower curtain was one of the hardest finds!!!  But even harder I think, was picking out a color for the walls to blend with the shower curtain!  I'm sure Home Depot's paint department hated seeing me at 10:45pm!  So indecisive!  All-in-all, I am very pleased!  Lastly, I just added little touches: wooden bird cage given to me by my MIL, beautiful hydrangeas from our yard, towel and magazine baskets from Marshalls (love discovering affordable, great finds there), old mirror from our garage that was once over our fireplace (so glad I held on to it...Kev is always trying to give things away).  We propped the mirror on the vanity instead of hanging it on the wall;  I really like the look.  Thanks to good friends and great finds....it turned out great!  Just try it, one room or project at a time.  It will make you much happier with your Home, your Nest.  And be smart with your purchases...it doesn't have to cost a fortune!    And do it with the ones you love...it brings a sense of accomplishment and teamwork as a couple! 

adorn your NEST

I know, I know.  It's been a while since I've blogged!  Can you tell the weather is getting warmer here?!  I love beach and boat weather!  I hope everyone had a beatiful Mother's Day!  Kevin and I took our families to brunch for Mother's Day.  We were lucky because my Grandmother was in town visiting too!  It was great having both of our families together.  We will cherish these moments. 

More recenly I've been working on ideas and inspirations for two of my best childhood friends' nurseries!  It has been so much fun reconnecting with these ladies!  We have just laughed and picked up where we left off!  I can remember giggling for hours on end with Lori (the girl is hilarious) and having skating recitals with Seana in our garages....and charging our neighbors to watch us!  HAHAH!  Great memories!  It's so hard to believe that we are old enough to be married...and now babies?!  As they say, time flies when you're having fun~

I am so excited to share these two nurseries with you after they are completed.  Seana is having a sweet baby boy.  Her bedding is so spunky and the colors are so vibrant!  We decide to paint a playful design tree near the crib!  Can't wait for you to see the color combos!  Lori has decided to make the sex of their baby a surprise to everyone...even themselves!  (how is she doing it?!)  We are working on sprucing up the room with the extras including a refinished nightstand...AND the lighting~!  I am so excited to get another opportunity with a chandelier!  Her colors have a soft grey/blue with a punch of Red!  Love it ladies!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make your nurseries my canvas. 

I found a book about decorating nurseries that I just ordered from Serena and Lily.  It's called, "Nursery Style 101."  I can't wait to get it in the mail.  Briefly the book breaks down 4 steps that go into designing your nursery.  Step #1-Define your Style (Classic, Vintage, Modern, Ecletic).  Step #2-Choose your Palette.  Step #3-Furnish your Room.  Step #4- Adorn your Nest.  I love how the book describes Step #4!  "Now it's time for pure fun. Selecting the artwork and accessories for your nursery is another chance to infuse the space with personality and make your mission truly one of a kind. Remeber to stay true to what you love, to what inspires you and holds meaning for you.  You'll spend oh-so-many hours staring at these walls. Make sure you'll be gazing at something you love."  I could not have said it better myself!

Photo of 4 generations in our family from Mother's Day 2011:  Sweet, isn't it?!