February Makeover: Bookshelf Organization with Chasing Paper

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Ever since I finished Elle's nursery in 2012 I've always wanted to wallpaper her bookshelf and make it more dynamic. But with the busyness of becoming a new mom, making over her bookshelf quickly became one of my last priorities.

Along came Chasing Paper....They have changed the way wallpapering is done. With a simple measure, peel and stick - you can transform your walls, your tables and even your bookshelves. I chose a pastel illustrated book pattern by artist, Samarra Khaja. It matched the decor of Elle's room without being overly matchy. I also loved how the imagery filled in a lot of the white space that was bothering me so much.

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I simply removed all of the shelves from the bookshelf, measured, peeled and stuck the paper to the back of the bookcase. In hindsight, I should have removed the flimsy cardboard backing of the bookshelf and pasted the wallpaper the cardboard while it was lying down on a hard surface. The really tricky part of hanging the wallpaper was the give of the cardboard, which made it difficult to hang the paper straight. It took me several times, but the great thing is that you can re-stick this wallpaper a lot and the adhesive doesn't ever seem to wear off.

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Four sheets of paper later, and voila! We have a transformed, colorful bookcase.

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Try it for yourself. I was able to do this project in under two hours.

Elle's Nursery

Earlier this year I had a list of home improvement goals, and for the first couple of months I was doing great at attacking them. Then along came baby and a baby room became number one priority. I had SOOOO much fun conceptualizing her nursery, pinning things on Pinterest, putting together her inspiration board, and of course, shopping for all of the decor. I even found my inner-DIY girl, and created a rad polka dot wall. WOOT!

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I wish I had been better at taking before photos, but I will say I have some pretty awesome after photos taken by my friend Mike Olbinski.

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I had a lot of help from friends and family in creating this space for Elle. And having the hands of people that I love help create a room for my baby girl makes me love the nursery even more. My friends painted the walls and a cute growth stick.

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My father-in-law repainted my cedar hope chest that I had when I was a little girl.

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My sister-in-law created a mobile, the pennant you see on the crib, and these SUPER cool balls of string.

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The nursery has a couple of second-hand pieces. I found an old rocking chair at a thrift store and had it reupholstered. I also found a colorful oriental rug at a consignment store in Sedona. And my favorite find, was a mid-century modern credenza that I'm using as a changing table for now, but can't wait to put it in my living-room one day. =)

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I was so excited about putting the nursery together I completed it about two months before she was born. And up until I went into labor I would sit in her rocking chair and just dream about what it was going to be like to meet her. Now that she is here, I look forward to spending time with her in this happy room, and I think she is going to love growing up in it.

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My advice to people creating a nursery, make it a special, happy place because you're going to spend MANY hours there.

Baby Room Inspiration

Happy Friday! I'm officially six months pregnant today, and that means it's definitely time to start working on my baby room starting this weekend! This was definitely not one of my 2012 Home Decor Goals, but hopefully, that won't stop me from doing some other home improvements too.

So, of course, fashion is always influencing me, and I've decided to follow the summer color trends by designing her room in coral and a minty teal with metallic accents. Thanks to the fabulous technology of Polyvore.com, I can show you an inspiration board. I think I would be lost without this step for any creative project.

We have already found our crib, a mid-century credenza for a changing table, a rocking chair that is being reupholstered, curtains and picked out paint. Now, it's just down to putting it all together.

Wish me luck! Can't wait to show you pics when it's done! And, feel free to follow my nursery finds on Pinterest! I couldn't resist creating a baby board. http://pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/baby-time/

Dwell Studio for Target

I love reading the magazine Dwell, and now I'm in love all the more because Dwell Studio has designed affordable bedding for Target. Not only have they done this for our bedrooms, but also nurseries. Cool, huh!?

Contemporary Nursery

These days I seem to be surrounded by pregnant women. It's crazy! There has to be something in the water. Now, Ryan and I are no where near being ready to be parents, but I came across these cool pieces of contemporary decor and thought they would be super cool for a kid's room or nursery. I love contemporary design and bold colors. I'm not much of a traditionalist when it comes to the look of children's rooms.  Basically, pastel pinks, blues are not even a discussion point for me. So, these items would fit really well in a bright colored room...