Baby Lifestyles February-March 2012 Magazine Issue

Baby Lifestyles LAUREN HALPERIN

Publisher, Creative Director

TARA STEINLE Managing Editor

ELLEN FELDMAN, KIMBERLY MISH Contributing Editors

LOLA STEEVENS Sales Director

AUSTIN “Mr. Z” RAPPAPORT Website Architect

MICHAEL GUSTMAN S.E.O. Management

Visit Baby Lifestyles online at www.BabyLifestyles.com for inspiration, real baby showers, birthday parties, nursery reveals, hot products, news, updats, contests, giveaways, and more

Would you like to contribute to Baby Lifestyles? Email our editorial staff at Editor@BabyLifestyles.com Submit your baby shower, birthday party or nursery to Baby Lifestyles at www.BabyLifestyles.com For information about advertising in Baby Lifestyles Magazine and online, contact Lola Steevens at advertise@babylifestyles.com Follow us on Twitter: @BabyLifestyles1

Baby Lifestyles is published bi-monthly by Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All contents ©2011 Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All rights reserved.

On the Cover If you’re a fan of the children’s classic

“The Velveteen Rabbit”, then you’ll love this gorgeous baby shower inspired by the tail...er tale on page 134.

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CONTENTS February/ March 2012

PAGE 142

PAGE 116

PAGE 124

PAGE 30

PAGE 74

PAGE 106

IN EVERY ISSUE

7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 9 HOT PRODUCTS 147 LAST CRY

STUFF WE LOVE

9 HOLIDAY CARDS 13 DIY ALPHABET ART 15 DIY POM NURSERY NAME 19 DIY BLOOMING HEART 21 DIY PEARL ONESIE 24 DIY STENCIL ART 26 DIY VALENTINE CAKE RECIPE

NURSERY REVEALS

52 MODERN GIRL NURSERY 56 MAKI’S NURSERY 64 SWEET RETREAT 69 COLORFUL HOME 68 GREEN PROVENCE 74 BURST OF COLOR ROOM

BEHIND THE DESIGN 78 CAROUSEL DESIGNS

PHOTOGRAPHY

34 BIRTH STORY 88 PHOTOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE 106 UNDERWATER FANTASY 6

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CELEBRATIONS

30 LEAP YEAR BABY 96 FAIRY BALLERINA BIRTHDAY 100 ENCHANTED GARDEN BRIS 116 VALENTINE SHOWER 124 END OF THE RAINBOW SHOWER 134 VELVETEEN RABBIT SHOWER 142 LORAX BIRTHDAY PARTY

Instead of starting of the first Baby Lifestyles magazine issue with my resolutions for 2012, I thought I’d let you know a little about who is running the show instead!

I married my high school sweetheart on our ten-year anniversary. I’ve already begun planning a sweet sixteen anniversary party to

celebrate sixteen years together. Yeah, we’re those people.

I own two thoroughbred horses which I ride

hunter jumper style at 3’. I ride up to five days a week for two hours, first thing in the morning…before I’ve even sent out my first email of the day.

My other kids also have four legs and fur. I’m mommy to three Lhasa Apsos, one of which we adopted last spring.

I’m an avid marathon runner. The picture is me and Tara posing with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy at mile 9 during the 2012 Walt Disney World half marathon. We ran in Tinkerbell costumes and took over 100 pictures during the race.

The happiest place in my home is a spare bedroom upstairs that my husband graciously let me convert into an arts and crafts room. In my little haven, I scrapbook like crazy and bedazzle anything I can get my hands on.

If the day of the week ends in a ‘Y’, there’s a good chance I have a sushi craving.

If I could have any super power, I would want the ability to talk to animals.

So happy spring is approaching!

Lauren Halperin Publisher & Creative Director

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We Heart our Contributors

Brittany Schwaigert GreyGrey Designs

Brooke Mayo Brooke Mayo Photography

Glory Albin Glorious Treats

Celebrating 2012 means presidential elections, Olymics, and Leap Years!

It’s important for all babies to learn how to swim. Brooke took pictures of a swim class for this issue.

If you’re looking for a special Valentine’s Day treat at your baby shower, Glory has you covered.

Gwynn Wasson Gwynn Wasson Designs

Melissa Becker and Kellie Roberts Icing Designs

Jaime Costiglio That’s My Letter

With a background in graphics, Gwynn championed Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, coming soon to a theater near you.

Fall in love with your baby as you fall in love with this duo’s Valentine’s Day party.

The best nurseries are the ones where parents get creative. Get inspired by Jaime’s nursery wall art tutorial.

We Heart our Contributors

Jennifer Billingsley Honeycomb Events & Design

Jordan Kojo Designs

Kristeen LeBrot Kristeen LaBrot Events

The best myth of St. Patrick’s Day is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Jennifer created a baby shower with this treasure in mind.

Jordan came up with a great tutorial to personalize your baby’s nursery room.

Kristeen took the classic Velveteen Rabbit story and created a sensational baby shower for a lucky mom.

Rebecca Lopez The Crafy Sparrow

Shelley Smith House of Smiths

Vanessa Punkin Pattern

Dress your baby girl up for her first Valentine’s Day in a DIY creation Coco Chanel would be proud of.

See how one little girl got to be a Decorate your Valentine’s Day party with Vanessa’s beautiful fairy princess ballerina for her blooming heart of flowers. birthday.

Be Mine Valentine Cards for Kids

Dr. Seuss Classics

Paattrriicckk’’ss SStt.. P Daayy C Caarrddss D Hot 2012 2012 Irish Irish Hot Greetings Greetings

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Jaime That’s My Letter was inspired to create alphabet card wall art after seeing the vintage alphabet canvas art sold at Restoration Hardware. Deterred by the $320 price—and the fact that it only came in pink—she shows us how you can produce your own custom alphabet card art for a fraction of the price in the colors you choose.

MATERIALS:

- alphabet cards - saw tooth hangers - block of wood - stamp ink in brown

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- paint in color of Martha Stewart Rainwater - Minwax stain in cherry - #3 black carpet tacks

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DIRECTIONS:

Step 1:To fashion a distressed, vintage look, NAME distressed the edges of her alphabet cards using brown stamp ink.

Step 2: Layout out the cards in order and cut the wood to the size of the finished layout. “I used 3/4" plywood scraps cut to 9.5"w x 12.5"h.�

Step 3: Remove the cards and paint the front and sides of the wood pieces with two coats of paints. Sand the edges of the wood to distress. Apply Minwax cherry stain.

Step 4: Line up the alphabet cards and nail them into the wood using #3 black carpet tacks.

Step 5: For hanging, add a saw tooth hanger to back of each panel.

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Do It Yourself Yarn Pom Personalized Nursery Banner

When looking at her son Burke’s big boy room, one of Jordan’s of Kojo Designs favorite decorations is his pom pom name pennant which hangs over his crib. Made of fun colored yarn, discarded fabrics and a little craftiness, she shows you how to create your own name pennant which will be perfect in a nursery or as a decoration at a baby shower.

MATERIALS:

- yarn in your palette - a pom pom maker - floral wire or craft wire - coordinating felt sheets in 9x12, cut in to dime sized circles

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- coordinating grosgrain ribbon (3 yards were used in this pennant) - a hot glue gun and hot glue

Optional materials - fabrics or Goodwill-bound t-shirts in your palette

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DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Start making pom poms. “Each letter takes about twenty pom poms.” Here are a couple tutorials for using a pom pom maker to make yarn pom poms and jersey pom poms.

Step 2: Print full page-sized outlines of letters that spell your name or word of choice. Bend floral wire or craft wire in place to match each letter outline.

Doubling up the craft wire will give you a solid base for your pom poms. Helpful Tip: “Use a fairly basic font- since you'll be bending wire to match your printouts and don't want a ton of loops or serifs.”

Step 3: Tie your pom poms onto the wire letters all in a row. “Switch up the colors so that you will have an even mix of your color palette.

The pom poms will be a little wiggle-y at this point, don't worry about that.”

Step 4: Cut out a stack of dime sized felt circles that match your palette. You will need one circle for each pom pom.

Step 5: Once your entire letter is covered in pom poms, secure the pom pom in place by hot gluing a felt circle to the back of the pom pom. This will also glue it in place on the wire. When you're finished, the back of your letter will be lines of felt circles. “My pom poms were close enough together that the felt circles touched each other in the

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shape of the letter.� Repeat this process until you have a whole name or word of pom poms.

Step 6: Attach a loop of grosgrain ribbon to the top of each of your letters with hot glue. If your letter has two 'tops' (like my "u"), attach two loops.

Step 7: Thread another piece or grosgrain ribbon through your loops to make a pennant. Use two coordinating colors of grosgrain if you please.

Step 8: Hang your pennant and admire your color coordinated, custom room decor!

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Do It Yourself A Heart of Blooming Flowers

You loved your baby before they arrived, so celebrate how much they already mean to you with this beautiful Blooming Heart decoration. Whether making an appearance at your baby shower, decorating baby’s nursery, or adding extra love to your Valentine’s Day party, Vanessa from Punkin Patters shows you how to make a heart decoration that will wow.

MATERIALS:

- Cardstock in various colors and patterns - Foam in a heart shape (you can cut a round piece to this shape) 20

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Two sheets of craft felt Push pins of 1” A flower craft punch Ribbon for hanging

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DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: To prep the flowers, simply punch out of the cardstock with the punch and bent slightly in on itself to create a dimensional look and put your pin through the center.

Step 2: Cover your foam heart with felt by tracing the heart onto the felt. Cut two pieces, one for the top and one for the bottom, and affix with push pins (or glue if you like). Measure the sides of the heart and cut strips of felt for sides. Attach felt to the sides, making sure the entire foam heart is covered with felt. “Don't worry if it's not too accurate, this is just to hide the foam so you can't see it between the flowers.”

Step 3: Start adding your flowers. “I wanted a somewhat crowded look to the flowers, so I placed mine fairly close together.” Make sure you distribute the patterns and colors well so you don't get clumps of one pattern or color.

Don't forget to cover the sides.

Stetp 4: When you've covered the heart, turn it over and add a ribbon for hanging. “I tied a little knot in the bottom for decoration. You can attach the ribbon to the heart with push pins or glue.”

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Photography by Rhiannon from Raw Canvas Photography

Do It Yourself Valentine’s Day Faux Pearl Baby Girl Onesie

What is your little girl going to wear this Valentine’s Day? Whether paired with a tutu or a pettiskirt, a great craft to do f or your baby’s first Valentine’s Day outfit, look no further than Rebecca of the Crafted Sparrow, who created beautiful pearl and rosette onesies that would make even Coco Chanel smile.

“I think this red, gray, & black one is my favorite because I love the feathers I put with it. Although the pink felt ball one reminds me of a cupcake's frosting, and who doesn't love a cupcake!”

MATERIALS:

* Onesie in the size and color of your choice (stick with the solid colors) * Puffy paint in choice of color to coordinate with onesie * Fabric or ribbon for the rosette 22

* Glue gun * Piece of heavy cardstock or cardboard * Needle and thread * Optional – clothing snaps or velcro

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DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Before you start putting paint on the shirt, you may want to "map" out where you are going to place your strands of faux pearls. “I used a white colored pencil to lightly draw the strands out ahead of time to be sure I was doing each strand straight and as even as possible. When everything is dry and set, I then took a damp cloth and wiped the white lines that were still showing off.”

Step 2: Place a piece of cardboard or cardstock inside between the layers of the onesie. This will give you a firm surface and keep it from leaking through to the back side. It will also give you firmer surface to work on.

Helpful Tip: “I also taped back the shoulder flaps if the onesie has them before I start the painting. That way they don't touch the paint until it's dry.”

Step 3: Start with your first row of beads. “I made this onesie with multiple strands...smallest to largest on the bottom. “I like to do graduating strands that go from small to large beads. But you can do anything you want. Make them all small, or big...or www.BabyLifestyles.com

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alternate.” Once you are done with your strands of beads or pearls you will need to let it sit and dry it a safe place for 24 hours.

Step 4: Create a rosette in any size or color to coordinate with your onesie. Helpful Tip: “Bright colors look great against black onesies with white pearl beads.”

After the rosette is made, attach it to your onesie with a needle

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and thread. Make sure to sew it on tight enough to withstand washing and wearing. “After you make them fabulous, wash in cold turned inside out and line dry them.”

Optional: To change out the rosettes periodically, try large sew-on snaps.

Show off how darling your baby looks in her custom onesie!

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Do It Yourself Stencil Nursery Wall Art

When it came to making wall art for daughter Eleni’s room, Destri of The Mother Huddle says creating custom stencil art quick, easy, and took only a few supplies to pull it off. Forget stenciling, this personalized art project can be made with simple fabric, paper and spray paint.

“Spray paint therapy is the best,” she said. “The best part of this project is that you can customize it to match the room it will be used in. You can make it for a boy or a girl, and you can customize it to fit the theme and colors of the room.” For Eleni’s room, Destri chose an alphabet, but this easy to replicate stencil technique can work with any word, including your baby’s name.

• alphabet stencil • spray paint (use bright white if you have a white mat) 26

• scrap fabric or paper for the letters, you can even use one sheet • glue stick • frame

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Step 1: Start with a clean stencil. “Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be limited to just the alphabet, there are a lot of fun stencils that this project would be fun for.”

Step 2: Begin spray painting.

“I did multiple light layers of paint until I reached the coverage I liked. Let the paint dry in between coats.” Helpful Tip: Destri likes to put anything she is spray painting in a box as it helps to contain the mess to the box.

By doing this, you also won’t have to worry about anything blowing onto the wet paint.

Step 3: Once the stencil has dried, turn it over and glue on the paper or fabric. You can use small or large sheets of paper or fabric. “I had little swatches of fabric that I cut to fit over the letters. Just put a little glue around the letter, then stick on the fabric or paper then rub to seal.”

Step 4: Add a frame and you have a piece of personal art to hang. So many possibilities with this one!

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Ombre Swirl Valentine Cake From the runways to shower curtains, the gorgeous graduated layers of ombre colors are popping up all over the place.

For Glory of Glorious Treats she wanted to bake a cake with great texture on the outside of the cake, without creating time consuming fondant ruffles. Not only did her delicious cake include rose-like swirls on the outside, it also featured pink ombre shading on the inside, making it the perfect dessert for your baby’s first Valentine’s Day celebration!

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INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE: Your favorite boxed vanilla cake mix.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAKE: Step 1: Divide the batter as evenly as possible between five bowls and add your color. To color her cake’s batter, Glory used Americolor gels in soft pink, electric pink and touch of electric purple in only the darkest layer.

Step 2: Line your pans with parchment paper and grease and flour them to prepare. Add the batter to prepared cake pans.

Bake and fully cool the cakes. Helpful Tip: If you do not have five matching cake pans, bake the layers separately.

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING: 1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) butter (salted, or unsalted) 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter) 6 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (best quality available) 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or milk.

FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS: Step 1: Prepare a batch of American Buttercream Frosting.

Divide the frosting between four bowls, with one bowl having a bit more than the others. “The one with the most will be the lightest color, because it's used for the top as well as one row of swirls.” Glory colored the frosting with Americolor soft pink and added a little electric pink for just the darkest color.

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ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS: Step1: Layer the cakes, starting with the darkest on the bottom, and frost with a very thin layer of icing between each layer. Helpful Tip: Because I didn't want too much frosting between the layers to detract from the colors of the cake, I brushed each layer of cake with warmed cherry jam. Along with any other flavor of jam, you could also use a simple syrup, orange juice, or omit this step.

Step 2: Frost the outside of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Smooth as well as you can, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Place the entire cake in the freezer about 10 minutes for the icing to set, and the whole cake will firm up, making it much easier to decorate.

Step 3: Prepare a piping bag with a #21 Wilton tip, a moderate sized open star. Fill piping bag with the darkest color icing.

Remove cake from freezer, and start along the bottom of the cake, creating rows of swirls. For each swirl, start in the center of the "rose" shape and pipe in a spiral around the center, about 1 1/2 rotations. Continue along the bottom of the cake, creating rose-like swirls.

Step 4: Repeat with remaining colors of icing. “You may find that there will be some areas in each row that don't get fully covered, to fill in the little empty spaces just squeeze in some icing, in a curved shape—like a "C"—to mimic the rest of the swirls a bit. “For the top of the cake, I used a combination of swirls and some "C" curves for a looser, wavy effect.”

5. Once fully frosted, store the in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Froggy Leap Year Party

By Brittany Schwaigert

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There is one kind of birthday party that you can only have every four years--a leap year birthday party! As 2012 is a leap year, Brittany of Grey Grey Designs decided that to celebrate all the leap year babies in style on their ‘holiday.’ Here’s ‘hopping’ this inspires you to have a party on February 29 which you can only celebrate once every four years!

Her vision was a birthday party for Leap Year kids to celebrate turning four…or one. As a mom to boys who love slimy and gross things, she knew a leaping frog party would be right up their alley.

Brittany started with a monochromatic green color palette and used oversized flowers as a backdrop because they reminded her of lilypads. In addition, she found green votives that also had the same look. For the front of the table, she used simple chipboard letters and glittered scrapbook letters to spell the word “leap.”

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“I love the idea of having all green food and drinks and I knew boys would love that too. Since my son is abig fan of pistachios, I added pistachio pudding, or “Lilypad Pudding”! I garnished the pudding with these small frog candy melts that I made using a mold from Wilton.”

Another addition to the hopping dessert table were chocolate and mint marshmallows. A great miniature fork display provided cute bite-sized treat for the kids. “Kids love things that are individualized.

It makes them feel special!” She wrapped each fork with a pipe cleaner to give it extra color. “Green olives would also be a cute touch on these little forks.” She also added coconut M&Ms to the table, and called them “Frog Eggs.”

“Paula of Frog Prince Paperie made these great drink wraps for me, which I used with green sparkling juice. I added some glittery scrapbbook paper behind them to make them look extra special.”

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!

“Have you ever photographed a birth?” asked Brittany to photographer Alyssa MarieMartinez a few months into her pregnancy. “No.” Alyssa replied with a slight consciousness of where this conversation was headed.

Alyssa soon after accepted an offer to photograph Brittany’s second birth of her baby girl. “I love taking on new challenges with my photography but let me honest, I don’t think I have ever been so nervous to photograph something!”

Alyssa did research on other photographers that shoot births to make sure she knew exactly what to get, especially being that she had never even been inside the room during a birth before. “Did it seem strange to me at first? Yes, but this is one of the most special days in a person’s life after a wedding. Why wouldn’t anyone want to remember this incredible moment being unfolded?!

I have to say this was one of the most remarkable experiences I have ever had so far through photography!”As the night of September 4th grew late and baby Mabel was still not ready to come out. By then we were aware that her birthday would for sure be September 5th, Labor Day. The time finally arrived for this precious little girl to enter the world.

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A Nursery to Make You Smile

By Tara Steinle

Christine of Just Bella Blog has a style that’s modern and classic, but with a contemporary twist.

With a love for mixing old and new with new pieces, thrifty finds and even a few pre-loved hand-medowns, she created a modern minimalist nursery for her daughter Alice.

“We didn’t know the gender of our little babe so I really wanted a room that would work for either a boy or girl. I’ve always loved the teal, gray 52

combo and added pops of yellow to keep it fresh. They’re such fun, bright colors that I feel really work for either a boy or girl.” She chose Sarah Richardson’s Escarpment from Para Paints or its soothing hue with green undertones.

The first piece Christine purchased was the Jenny Lind Crib.

“I’ve loved that crib long before I was even pregnant and am so happy it made it into the room. It such a classic, timeless piece and

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my favorite part is seeing how Maskros pendant light, as it casts cute and tiny Alice looks when pretty patterns and shadows across Alice’s nursery. “At only she’s in it.” $79.99 it makes such a big impact She then chose Tula Pink Rain- in the room. The key to great drop fabric for the crib skirt, which shadows is installing a dimmer was the jumping off point for the switch.” colors in the room. “I used coordinating fabric from the same line The “You are My Sunshine” print and, along with my sister’s help, was a happy accidental detail, as made a baby quilt that matches it matches the shape of the pieces in the chandelier almost perfectly. the crib skirt.”

It wasn’t until it was even in the As guests enter the room, they room that Christine noticed the are immediately drawn to the similarity. “I also love the old and vintage books--Alice and Wonderland especially--and the wood carvings.” The artistic number word artwork canvas set was an easy and inexpensive DIY project.

“I got pieces of canvas on sale at Michael’s and wrapped and stapled fabric around them. The fabric was IKEA’s ‘Nummer’ fabric and was only $3.99/meter!”

The last and most difficult piece to choose was her chair. “But it was worth all the effort. I have logged many hours sitting there enjoying and feeding little Alice.”

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Nursery by the Numbers

By Tara Steinle

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With two parents for architects and designers, Baby Cataldo was going be residing in a fabulous room. “Both of us have a similar design style - we love blending modern, clean lines with pops of color and texture.” As soon as her parents Anthony and Naomi knew to decorate for a girl, they jumped right into the design. “It’s a labor of love for us since we both went to school for design and thoroughly enjoy envisioning an idea in the form of a sketch or concept and seeing it through to completion by doing it all ourselves.”

The color scheme they went with is a Salmon/Coral with a warm Grey. “We knew we wanted a room that was in keeping with the contemporary feel of the rest of our house but also had ‘just enough’ feminine touches so it would feel comfortable as our little girl’s room.” After coming across an image of a nursery with grey walls, white furniture, and dusty pink accents, it struck a chord.

Using the warm grey as the base was an easy decision from that point on, but they knew they wanted darker furniture for a more contemporary look and a slightly Naomi knew she didn’t want the deeper accent for the room. typical baby girl’s room aesthetic with pink, pink and more pink. The details are the things Naomi They found inspiration from other loves most about the room and are nurseries online, as well as their also the items that took the longest weekend trips to Architectural sal- for them to finish before unveiling vage shops and favorite retailers. the room to their friends and family.

“At the beginning of our design process, we ruled out a lot of what The cast aluminum “&” sign was we knew we didn’t want for the found at a local architectural salroom to be based on a specific vage shop. It was part of the origicharacter or animal theme, which nal “Baltimore Opera & Company” allowed us to focus on creating a sign on their building. “We purmore graphic element to the chased the “& Company” portions, room--the number wall-- as the installed the “Company” in our dinmain feature.” ing room and knew we wanted to 58

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use the “&” in the nursery in some way. While putting together the collage art wall, this piece worked so well in the arrangement, we knew we found the right spot.”

Naomi then decided that they would hang painted white letters spelling baby girl’s name from the rails of the piece to really bring it all together! The monkey and giraffe on the wooden swing were spotted in a children’s toy shop in Prague, CZ. “We found out Naomi was pregnant a week

after we booked our trip to Prague so not only are they cute but they remind us of our first vacation as a soon to be family of three!”

The white ceramic and painted wood owls are also among their favorite items in the room. “We love owls in the nursery but didn’t want it to feel like ‘owl overload’ so we added just a few around the room.” The ceramic owl was found in a local antique co-op shop, where they loved the shape

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and size, but not the finish. Originally a mix of yellow, brown, and orange glaze, it got a quick sanding, priming, and spray in gloss white. “Anthony actually made the other two owls. He cut them from some scrap wood from our basement renovation and painted them by hand. They add just the right amount of personality to the room!

They had a hard time looking for mobiles so when they happened across this seed pod mobile at Baltimore’s Artscape Festival, it 60

was instant love. “Each of the colored spheres are actual plant seeds from Barbados that are colored with a natural dye and attached to aluminum tubes.”

The number wall was a concept Anthony and Naomi had seen before, sometimes with numbers and some with letters. They loved the idea but wanted to recreate it in a way that was both personal and unique to them, and also so that it didn’t overtake the small room. To create the wall, they simply added

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some white or black paint to the samples of the wall color and adjusted as they liked, using some gloss finish on some of them so they catch the light in the morning and add more dimension to the wall. But to start, they decided to use numbers that are special to them; birthdays, ‘lucky’ numbers, important numbers. “Seeing ‘our’ numbers on the wall helps make the room feel special and cozy. We think of the special places or events linked to them and are reminded of some great memories. It

gets us excited to be able to point to the numbers on the wall and begin teaching our little girl to count while recalling why they are meaningful to us!”

To balance out the number wall, they chose to do a collage art wall. Because of their budget, they used frames they already had and painted all the non-metal frames white to unify everything.

“We see this wall constantly evolving with new photos, prints, and artwork, but to begin, we

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have one of our favorite sono- other parents is to really look for gram images of our little ‘Maki’.” images of other rooms that inspire you. There’s no right way to decThey also loved this owl alphabet orate a nursery, you should be print we saw on an Etsy shop. “The creating a space that you feel colors were great and we loved the comfortable in!” subtle owl, it was also a nice balance to the numbers on the adja- Readers will probably notice the cent wall. We received some really ‘Maki’ on the wall. Anthony and beautiful cards from friends and Naomi decided to only share her relatives at the baby shower and name with the world after she was instead of just throwing them away, born. “We had been calling her we cut the front off of our favorites ‘Maki’ as a nickname throughout and framed them on the wall too! the pregnancy. It comes from the We bought the tree and bird name of one of our favorite sushi printed paper when we were plan- rolls that came to mind the day ning our dresser make-over and Naomi shared the news! Now that since we didn’t use it there and still she’s here, her name is Gabriella.” loved the print, we added it to the wall as well.”

Crib - Graco ‘Lauren’ crib from Walmart.com To break up some of the rigid lines Bedding – Guava Ground and and add some pops of color, they Pink Lemonade Ground from picked up some very inexpensive Garnet Hill embroidery hoops, painted them Dresser - Hoppen dresser from white, and then put some leftover Ikea with Zinnia wrapping paper curtain fabric in them. from Paper Source Chair - Little Castle Glider with “We love that each wall and cor- ‘Vera’ fabric from BuyBuyBaby ner of the room has an element Mini Chandelier – Kristaller from that allows the overall feel of the Ikea room to be contemporary, creative and cozy. Our advice to www.BabyLifestyles.com

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Modern and Earthy Baby Nursery

By Tara Steinle

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At 30 weeks pregnant, Kristine of The Painted Hive ended up in hospital, where she stayed on sojourn for the last two months of her pregnancy. “Giving it a sweet name derived from old French makes it sound so much more appealing! I had many offers of help to get the room done though I felt it was something I needed to do myself. I’m a selftaught interior decorator so I relished in doing it all myself.”

When she was finished, her daughter Charlotte had a perfect neutral space with nothing too flashy or poppy. “I find it hard to define my style. It’s comfortable, earthy, neutral, textural and real.

It’s an eclectic mix of subtle vintage and modern cottage with some provincial elements. I drew on elements I love then pulled them all together.” The design adage of ‘form follows function’ is needed nowhere if not in a nursery! So Kristine started with what was practical, then built around it to design this tiny room. “Being so teeny tiny, about thisbig, it made it a tricky little space to decorate.”

To give the room dimension, charm and crispness, Kristine

dressed the walls with simple white board and batten. She retained the original Dulux Chalk USA paint color on the wall because it was already a warm-neutral color. “I’m too fickle to commit myself to a certain color so always tend to lean towards muted neutrals. I chose warm tones in this instance so the room feels cozy and inviting.”

The wardrobe doors, which Kristine considered generic and old, had to go. Kristine gave them a facelift in the form of chalkboard paint and custom alphabet decals. After they were removed, she painted the metal, beige areas with black enamel spray paint and the rest of the doors got two coats of chalkboard paint.

“After a few days curing time I attached alphabet decals which I had custom made in Poor Richard font. They remind me of a classroom blackboard - I really love them!”

After finding her crib for a steal of $40 on eBay, Kristine debated about what color and finish to make it. She eventually landed on a subtle, warm grey, using acrylic paint so it would be safe

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when Charlotte grew and started putting her mouth on it. Finishing it with a subtle glaze and light distressing, she also replaced the plastic castor wheels with an antique porcelain set taken from an old Edwardian chair. “I knew from the get-go that I wanted an original antique to use as the change table. Eventually I found a reasonably priced gorgeous old mid 1800's cedar chest of drawers on eBay. I adore the patina and proportions. We keep all the change-time paraphernalia in the top drawers so it's com-

pletely accessible when needed though otherwise kept neatly hidden away.�

The window in the room sits slightly to the right, so to create the illusion of symmetry, Kristine hung the curtains centrally, covering the frame and allowing it to visually center. To add a lovely organic feel to the room, she made the mobile using handcarved timber birds and laser cut metal leaves. For a personal touch, she even added some twigs from her backyard. Fun a funky touch, she created the ceil-

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ing light fixture from an old zinc basket and a lamp stand from a repurposed brake fluid drum.

Upon entering Charlotte’s room, the vintage gallery art wall becomes visible. “I love the visual interest of a gallery wall and knew early on that I wanted to incorporate one. Most of the mismatched vintage frames are from thrift stores, others I already owned.” She decided on birds to keep with the theme of the mobile, filling them with free printable art.

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Source and Price Guide Linen Curtains: IKEA $90 Textured Blackout Roller Blind: Lincraft $80 Antique Chest: eBay $300 Cot: eBay $40 Rocking Chair: eBay $100 Lamp Stand: DIY Project $5 Lamp: Sokol $110 (wholesale) Cane Storage Baskets: Kmart $14 Wire Basket Ceiling Light: DIY Project $15 Wicker Waste Basket: The Reject Shop $10 Fitted Ticking Sheet: Target $15 Throw Blanket: Spotlight $20

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A Sweet and Colorful Baby Nursery

By Tara Steinle

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Like many parents, Sarah from Pewter + Sage’s favorite room in her home is her daughter Maura’s nursery. “We spend so much great family time here. We love playing in her room, we enjoy quiet time together right before naps and bedtime here and I've logged countless hours nursing and rocking her here.” But besides the love she experiences in the room, it’s also the best example in her home of her current decorating style. “I did something differently with this room from a design standpoint when I started putting it together as well; I really went for it.”

A mix of hand-me-downs and new items, it’s also full of gifts from all the special people in Maura’s life. The bedding was a present from her grandma and aunt. There are also personal items of Sarah and her husband which she had saved over the years, adding that special vintage and personal touch. “My aunt painted the Muppet's painting for me for my 3rd birthday. There’s also one of my copybooks from first grade and a pair of my baby shoes!”

Some antique finds (like 19th century hand-colored botanical lith70

ographs give the room a bit of sophistication, while old school paper chains (that Sarah made for Maura's first birthday party last month and decided to hang from her ceiling afterward) keep it all light and fun and whimsical.

The walls started off cream, but were painted Benjamin Moore (Natura) Heaven on Earth and brought the color up onto the angled part of the ceiling to accentuate the height. Sarah’s sister-in-law and mother-in-law were generous enough to get us the crib bedding she wanted as part of their shower gift! It’s Sophie Nursery Bedding from Pottery Barn Kids and inspired the color palette in the room.

“We did one of the big no-nos of nurseries and went with a used crib! One of our best friends just moved their 2 1/2 year old to her toddler bed and offered us their crib. After checking the model online and making sure it was safe, we decided to take them up on it.”

She decided to put up Alphabet Cards above the crib, as this wall had the height.

One of Sarah’s splurges were floor-length patterned drapes. After seeing them while flipping through

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a catalog, she changed her mind about what she was going to do for window treatments. “I love the pop of the pink drapes against the blue walls. And they've got this great large scale floral pattern that plays nicely with the small stripes, dots and flowers in the bedding.”

As a gift for her third birthday, Sarah’s aunt painted the Muppets for her. She liked the fun and bright colors they added to the room, so they were the starting point for her shelf vignette. “In our basement there's a big tupperware tub labeled "Sarah's Childhood" - its full

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of old stuff of mine that I rescued from my parent's house when they were moving a few years ago.

That's where I found copybooks from first grade, where I practiced my spelling words. I also found a pair of my old baby's shoes that my mom had saved. The little wooden dinosaur toy was a gift from one of my good friends when she first found out we were pregnant. In the bottom right hand corner you can see just a bit of one of the cute illustrated greeting cards I bought in PEI.”

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On the right side of the shelf, Sarah started with this children’s book called "When Pigasso met Mootisse", mostly because of its yellow cover which helped to balance out the Muppets painting, but also because it was a gift for one of her birthdays, when collected children’s books just for their art. “I took the other greeting card by illustrator Julie St-Onge-Drouin of Ketto, mounted it on some striped scrapbook paper and framed it for here. And there's the "Z", the last alphabet flash card that wouldn't fit in the grid over the crib!” www.BabyLifestyles.com

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The Colors of Spring Nursery

By Tara Steinle

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Wanting something fun and girly, with modern and vintage accents and without a real "theme", Nicole from Nicole Faby Photography, put together this bright and colorful room for her daughter Sloan. “I was inspired by colors of spring and summer aqua water, pink flowers, and yummy yellow golden summer light.”

Nicole had her heart set on a yellow crib for her daughter. When she was pregnant with her son, Luke, she had just moved into her house. “I did not put the proper thought into his room and he

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ended up with a very cute and sweet pottery barn baby blue room. But it was boring, and so not very me! I wanted this room to reflect my dreams for our little girl!

Full of sunshine and color and happy! I think this crib exudes all these emotions!” It may have taken ten cans of spray paint and four separate spraying sessions, but Nicole got the crib of her dreams.

“Lucas was a pacifier child. I am embarrassed to admit how long how he them I bought an obscene amount and lost just as many! I knew this time around we needed

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a better system for storing them.”

With a little ingenuity, Nicole transformed a jewelry cabinet into a pacifier storage cabinet. “When she is done with pacifiers it can be used for its actual purpose.”

Nicole wanted items that could transition from baby to toddler and one day pre-teen and teen.

One of her visions was something fun on the ceiling. Originally, she wanted to wallpaper it, but it was too much of an undertaking when she was in her second trimester.

She instead used fun and colorful vinyl stickers. “I love the pops of color they provide.”

Curtains and yellow damask pillow: This Little Home Pink and teal flower pillow and Owl Pillow: Perfect Chance Memories Custom Crib Bedding: PLJ Design Vinyl Flowers ceiling: Urban Walls Frame: The Organic Bloom Jewelry holder used for pacifiers: Urban Outfitters Swing Shelves: DIY my own idea Soda Crate/Shutter/books: Vintage Flea Market Finds Mirror/trashcan: homegoods Rug: Ikea

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It’s quite uncommon to see two men in the baby business where women dominate. But Jonathan Hartley and Allan Sicat have learned to embrace their uniqueness in the industry. With backgrounds in the military and business world, this dynamic duo leverage their operations and technology focus, combine that with the creativity of their design team and produce a winning result of gorgeous crib bedding.

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At its core, Carousel Designs is a family business. My parents started this company in 1988 and my siblings and I grew up working here before going on to college. Jonathan’s parents started the company in 1988, and he and his siblings grew up working there before going on to college.

“When Allan and I took over in 2007, we kept the name because we respect the tradition and legacy of the company and also because we like what the term “carousel” brings to mind U variety. We strive to help expectant parents create their perfect nursery, and we try to have something for everyone.

Both Allan and I hope to pass similar experiences on to our own kids, maybe as they grow older getting them involved in the business in some way.”

As they anticipated fatherhood, Jonathan and Allan were inspired by how their wives—who were both ex-

pecting their first babies-enjoyed spending time in the design studio, playing with fabrics and creating custom crib bedding for their nurseries. They knew that if they could provide the same experience online, they could give prospective parents the ability to design the perfect bedding and visualize their nursery before making their purchase, they could offer real value to our customers and make sure that every mom gets exactly what she wants.

After graduating West Point Military Academy with the same major, the two purchased the business from the Hartley family in 2007. “After we got out of the army we decided it was the right time to take over the business," Jonathan said. "I wanted someone like Allan and he had moved his family to Georgia. It seemed like a good idea."

Like many things, working side by side with your best

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friend is a blessing, but can also be a challenge. “There are times that we agree and times that we disagree on certain things,” Allan said. “But at the end of the day, because we have shared experiences, like going to West Point together and serving in the Army, we understand each other’s values and respect each other’s opinions. We’ve also been business partners 80

for going on five years. At this point we probably know each other better than anyone other than our wives!” Both of their wives are also now involved, with Allan’s wife, Leah, leading the marketing efforts and Jonathan’s wife, Sara, assisting with designing, making it a real family affair.

With Jonathan's experience in technology and ecommerce and Allan's background

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in business operations and finance, they set out to make sure that Carousel Designs provided expectant moms with the absolute best experience in decorating their baby's first room. “Our unofficial motto is, “Mom gets what mom wants,” Allan said. “We offer a variety of styles, from modern contemporary looks to more traditional patterns and themes.

We really want every expecting mom who buys from us to

feel like she got exactly what she was looking for.”

They’re not only the brains behind the operation, they are also clients! When Jonathan and his wife Sara were expecting their third son, Hank, last year, they created a custom crib bedding set that has since become a pre-designed collection for sale at www.babybedding.com. It’s called Blue and Green Giddy Dot. “When you’re designing

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your third “boy” nursery, you have to get creative!” Parenthood keeps them busy. Allan has a five-year-old daughter and a 17-month son to keep him very active and Jonathan is father to three little boys, ages 6, 4, and 10 months which keep him on his toes.

And while other baby bedding companies began to slowly, but surely, send their production overseas, Carousel Designs resisted.

Besides being unwilling to compromise our commitment to quality, we also offered our customers unmatched personalized service and the ability to custom design their baby's bedding — neither of which is possible unless your product is made right here in the U.S.A. So we stayed focused and concentrated on being the best at helping the discerning expectant mother outfit her perfect nursery.

Carousel Designs offers more than 100 pre-designed 82

collections and over different 300 fabrics on their website.

Visitors might have a specific need in mind when they arrive at the website, but they’ll spend hours mixing and matching a variety of fabrics and textures.

“We find that parents generally like to take one of two different approaches to decorating their nurseries,” Jonathan said. “Some use their crib bedding as a design focal point, so they choose bright, vibrant patterns that really draw the eye, like our new Lime Solar Flair collection. Or, they might have other nursery décor that they would like to be the focal point for the room, so the bedding should be complementary. If this is the case they might choose solid colors or simple, neutral patterns, such as our new Light Pink Linen crib bedding.

But what truly sets Carousel Designs apart from other bedding companies is

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their Nursery Designer online design tool. It gives you the control to see all the fabric components of the nursery without ever having to step foot in a fabric store. “No other baby bedding company has a tool that allows parents to design their own crib bedding, see it online, and choose other elements of the nursery to preview the room prior to purchase,” explained Allan. With few clicks of your mouse, you’ll be tinkering with paint

colors, fabric swatches, furniture finishes and more, taking all the guesswork out of what is often a stressful project.

With their new 3.0 technology you can mix and match fabrics and component styles, change the color of the nursery walls, choose a crib finish and pick flooring to design a virtual nursery. “Bedding is important from a design standpoint,” Jonathan said, “but another décor item that many parents feel “completes” the

room is window treatments.”

The Carousel Designs website even allows you to upload your design choices to your Facebook page in case you want some input from your style-conscious friends.

Jonathan and Allan always find it exciting when celebrities choose to outfit their baby’s nursery with their baby bedding, and from the list of Ivanka Trump, Selma Blair, Jason Bateman and more, they should be getting used to the feeling. Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch debuted her nursery on “The Nate Berkus Show”. She chose to use the Carousel Designs Nursery Designer to create custom baby bedding for her nursery, but it’s very similar to their Black & White Dots & Stripes crib bedding collection. Interior Designs Little Crown Interiors also used the Nursery Designer when they decorated Laila Ali’s nursery with gorgeous custom crib 84

bedding. Most of the textiles in her room, including the fabulous blackout curtains, were made by Carousel Designs.

More than an Americanrun company, Carousel Designs is committed to keeping jobs here in the USA. While many other baby bedding companies have sent their production and manufacturing overseas, Carousel keeps the jobs here so they can control the quality of their items and be flexible to the demands of their customers while supporting American families.

“For us, being made in the USA is a huge advantage,” Jonathan said. “It’s the only way that we can have complete control over our production process and maintain the highest level of quality. It also means that we can offer unparalleled flexibility to our customers. Because all of our products are made in our facility in Georgia, we can offer turnaround times of 3-5 days

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Boxer Laila Ali’s nursery featuring Carousel Designs bedding.

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for custom bedding compared to an industry standard of 6-8 weeks. We’re also proud to contribute to the economy by providing jobs to local workers.”

Over the years, Carousel Designs has supported foundations and research organizations that work toward finding cures for illnesses that afflict our children, including the Rally Foundation. This nonprofit empowers volunteers across the country to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures.

Atlanta Braves catcher and three-time All-Star Brian McCann, along with his wife, Ashley, are actively involved in raising awareness and helping to raise funds for the Rally Foundation and serve as spokespeople for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. At the 86

Foundation’s 4th annual Benefit Bash in Atlanta with host Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann and Mizuno Big League Players, Carousel Designs was thrilled to be able to contribute crib bedding for the silent auction portion of the event with all proceeds benefiting the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

“As a veteran-owned business we understand the importance of selfless service and we greatly appreciate the sacrifices that members of our armed forces make on a daily basis,” Jonathan said.

As West Point graduates, Carousel Designs has a special place in their hearts for organizations that provide assistance to U.S. military service members and their families. They regularly provide products and financial support to non-profit organizations that reflect our values and that are working to make the world a better place.

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“We heard about Operation Shower in early 2010 and became active supporters shortly thereafter,” Allan said.

“When we heard about their mission of providing amazing baby showers to spouses of deployed service members, we knew we had to get involved. Both from a business and from a personal standpoint, our two organizations are a perfect fit and we feel good about supporting this wonderful cause.We both come from military families and we’ve served ourselves, so we understand what these moms are going through. During what should be a joyous time in their lives, they may be enduring a separation due to deployment. It’s tough, and we want these military moms and their families to know how much we appreciate them.

Sponsoring Operation Shower events and donating our products to these deserving moms makes us feel great. It’s a

small way for us to show how much we appreciate all the sacrifices military families make for our freedom.”

Carousel Designs is already planning for the future.

What does a parent do when they’ve created the perfect, most beautiful, nursery for your precious baby, and the unthinkable happensUthey grow up!? With their recently launched Kids Bedding line, Carousel Designs now offers a full line of twin, full, and queen bedding! Their duvet covers, pillow cases and shams, and bed skirts will help transition your little one as they grows out of their crib but you don’t want to completely redecorate their room.

“The past few years have been an amazing journey,” Allan said. “Jonathan and I are proud of where Carousel Designs is today and we look forward to what the future holds!”

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Shelley from The House of Smiths had gathered some really beautiful items to display for Aubrielle's fourth birthday funfilled-fairy-extravaganza.

Guests kept asking if the flowers were real or not, because they looked so perfect! “I'm a huge fan of live flowers at parties. I think it really sets the tone at an event and a flower arrangement done the right way, really makes the rest of your decor, pop! These were done by my amazingly talented sister-in-law Karlie.”

Aubrielle’s party took place during lunch, and the birthday girl knew exactly what she wanted to serve her little fairyfriends. These ballerinas dined on a dancer’s diet of ham and

cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, lemonade...and pickles. “Yes, it's a bit odd, but Aubrielle loves pickles, so I had to work them in! I found a tall apothecary jar, skewered some large pickles with kabob sticks and they were added to the decor too!

Shelley knew she wanted to do something cute on the lemonade glasses the "fairies" would be drinking from. She used her custom round sticker labels on the fronts of small canning jars, and topped them with a gray striped paper straw and cute flower cutout lids.

“I had Aubrielle and each of her fairy-friends sit in this cute yellow thrifted chair I found in

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front of a polka dotted piece of fabric that I hung from the wall.

It was the perfectly adorable, inexpensive backdrop for a lot of our photos.�

After our lunch, the fairies were ready for our their activities. They included Find the Jewels, Fairy Freeze Tag, Fairy Ballerina Dancing and of course, crown making!

The land of fairy sweets had candy, pink doughnuts, flower shaped sugar cookies, home-made flowering cake pops, a white chocolate coconut cake and fairy favors. To create these magic wand cups, Shelley took the cups, filled them with

some of the crinkle paper and centered a 'fairy favors' sticker on the front. Then she used her scissors and carefully twisted the sharp end into the top of each lid to make a circular hole to put our little wand through.

Fairy Makers: Frames: Orange Blossom Shop Invites and labels designed by Brightside Prints.

Gray striped paper straws from Queen Bee Market Balloons from Polka Dot Market and Balloon Maniacs Tutu - Target, Leotard - Danskin, Bow - Children's Place, Wings - Party City

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An Enchanted Garden Bris

by Jose Gratiol

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This Brit Milah was held in Aventura, Florida. The room utilized many unusual sizes and configurations for the tables. Long rectangular acrylic tables, tall acrylic barstool-height tables, rounds and squares. There was a central lounge area with a grand centerpiece.

Moss bunny rabbits in two sizes played amongst moss balls, cymbidium orchids and topiary trees. Green and white were everywhere, making this indoor Brit feel like you were in a garden.

Flowers: Jose Gratiol Event planning: Flornaments Planners Benches and acrylic chairs: Bubble Miami Dessert table: Frida Getzel

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Newspaper Announcements Announce your baby to the world with a completely customizable nuewspaper!

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Photographer Brooke Mayo captured these incredible pictures during an Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lesson. “My daughter started when she was 6 months old,” Mayo said.

“She went daily for eight weeks for ten minutes per day, up until she was a year old.” Babies in these classes learn to float, flip over and swim and then float again until they reach safety.

Each lesson is one on one with the instructor and focused on teaching the children survival swimming skills. Unlike traditional swimming lessons, these lessons focus on water safety and each lesson is tailored to the developmental needs of the student. For more than 45 years, ISR has been teaching children from six months to six years its Self-Rescue technique. To learn more visit: www.infantswim.com."

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A Pink and GoldValentine’s Day Baby Shower

By Melissa Becker and Kellie Roberts of Icing Designs

Tell baby you love them already with a scalloped gold tablecloth hanging a pink, hand-glittered je t'aime letter garland across it. Large and miniature hearts were punched from glittered gold paper, then glued to lollipop sticks. The small ones were placed in a pink vase, where they sparkled. The larger hearts were added to pink ribbons to create a three piece cake topper for the white ruffled cake.

Miniature cupcakes were topped with je t'aime, j'adore and l'amour ruffled cupcake flags. Gold glittering heart cookies in various sizes shimmered on a white tray and apothecary jars looked sweet filled with white and pink meringues. “We love using apothecary jars to add height and color to our tables.

They can be filled with a variety of things from candy to cookies and meringues always look lovely in them!�

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Over the Rainbow St. Patrick’s Day Baby Shower

By Honeycomb Events & Design

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If you can’t wait for the green days of spring, a great way to kick off the season is with the greenest of all holidays, St. Patrick's Day. If you’re pregnant this season, you will fall in love with this upscale, modern baby shower. Based on the Irish legend that you'll find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, this theme is a reminder that nine months of pregnancy brings about it's own precious treasure.

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“With this new golden vision dancing around in our heads we decided to use gold coins and other gold accents through out the shower,” said Jennifer. “We also wanted to bring in a few fresh and vibrant floral arrangements but decided to keep it modern by only using green and white plant life.”

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The dessert table highlights a sugary treasure in bite-size magic with a lattice pattern backdrop framing this green fantasy. Moss covered pebbles surround the "treasure chest" of gold coins and intricately decorated shamrock rattle cookies sparkle with just a hint of gold shimmer. Lucky cake pops also get the green and sparkle treatment with shamrock sticks and a sprinkle of dazzle. Refreshing basil infused limeade was the perfect refreshment for a palette cleanser. Layered green tea and ginger custard mini desserts were a beautiful end to this dessert rainbow.

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When playing games at this Golden Treasure baby shower, what activity would be more perfect than a treasure hunt? Fabulous moss topiaries with golden stems are the holders for the “Treasure Hunt” banner sign.

Shamrock clues led the way towards the pot of gold.

Clue One read: “I can end a drought, with what comes out my spout.”

If you were to attend a Golden Treasure baby shower, guests should leave with trinkets of gold to remember the day. For a twist on the traditional pots, crafted cones in a custom stand were filled with gold coated Jordan almonds. The "potted" favors finish off this delightful pot o' gold moment.

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Pot Pot of of Gold Gold Leprechauns Leprechauns Party Party Styling, Styling, Graphic Graphic Design Design and and Party Party Printables Printables -- Honeycomb Honeycomb Events Events & & Design Design Photography: Photography: Sarah Sarah Anderson Anderson Photography Photography Flowers: Flowers: Samantha Samantha Farrington Farrington Wood Wood Cake Cake Pop Pop Sticks: Sticks: Etsy Etsy seller seller WoodCandyWoodCandySticks Sticks 132

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A Velveteen Rabbit Baby Shower

By Krista Mason Photography and Kristeen LaBrot Events

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"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

---The Velveteen Rabbit ---

For this gorgeous baby shower, the theme was chosen because The Velveteen Rabbit was the mom-to-be's favorite book as a child. It was the perfect gender neutral theme for mom Janae, who did not know baby’s gender.

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“We had tons of details!” said event planner Kristeen of Kristeen LaBrot Events. “I loved the napkins that I had custom made.

The favors were a huge hit. I designed labels for vintage style soda pop bottles that said ‘Janae's about to pop.’”

Kristeen designed the invitations herself. They were printed on a soft cardstock and sewn to pieces of burlap with a button accent. The guest book was a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit, where guests were asked to leave a love note for baby.

Little rabbit touches were everywhere, but by far, the biggest detail was on the cake. “The cake designer from CAKEGoodness picked up the design from the Anthropologie glassware we used.”

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Wanting a fall-garden feel, cotton bolls were also added to tie in softness of a rabbit’s tail to the theme. Flowers were chosen by Fujiko’s Flowers not only for their bright colors, but their different textural attributes. Amaryllis, Cockscomb, Dahlias, Dusty Miller, Hydrangea, Ranunculus, Scabiosa, Roses and Balsa Wood Flowers were used in a mix of vintage Depression Glass and birch wrapped containers.

Over the center tables was a decadent chandelier that was m ade up of paper doilies.

Janae welcomed a baby girl in late December named Josephine.

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Vendors Photography: Krista Mason Photography Event Designer: Kristeen LaBrot Events Florist: Fujiko’s Flowers Cake: CAKEGoodness Graphic Design and Soda Bottle Favor Labels: Kristeen LaBrot Events’ Etsy Shop Rentals: Elegant Event Rentals Linens: Stephanie’s Linens

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Lorax Themed Birthday Party

By Gwynn Wasson Designs

I’m the Lorax, I speak for the trees.

On March 2, Dr Seuss’ tale of the Lorax will be returning to movie theaters. It is the story of the man who ‘speaks for the trees’ and lives in a psychedelic forest that abounds with bizarre wildlife until greedy capitalists, personified by the evil Once-ler, descend upon the forest and start to fell the beautiful trees 144

in order to turn their foliage into a completely useless clothing item: Thneeds. At this Lorax-themed birthday party, Gwynn Wasson created colorful Truffala Trees and kept the theme of preserving natural resources close to the heart.

Gwynn used items that were either ones she already had, up-cycled items or recyclable items. An up-cycled green nubby cotton rug served nicely as a table cloth and gave

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the feeling of soft grass. As Instead of paper plates and napkins and plastic cups and cutlery, she used bamboo plates and cutlery and cotton napkins. An easy change, she used cardboard straws instead of plastic ones and added orange Lorax mustaches to each for a touch of whimsy.

The Truffula Trees are the brightly colored stars of the story and make up the forest that is home to The Lorax and the other animals. Gwynn

recreated these light and fluffy Truffala Trees in red, orange, pink and purple out of feather boas and birch twigs.

Her brightly colored dessert table had vividly colored treats and cupcakes with icing flowers, Lorax and Barbaloot cookies and cake pops. Vibrant gerbera daisies added color pops on the green table and more reminders of the beauty of nature. Recycled glass milk jars held orange juice and were tied with a purple ribbon.

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Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better.

It's not.

As an educational game, Gwynn created “Relay Recycling.� She discussed the value of recycling with the children and split them into two different teams, with each getting a bin with various items. Each team 146

got to sort their items and run them one at a time to the appropriate bins. The first team to finish wins if their items are correctly sorted.

Staying true to the environmental themes of the book, Gwynn created a potting station where children could plant seeds and then takes them home. For favors each child was given a small pot and a

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packet of seeds as they can plant their own "Truffala Tree".

- Party Styling, Graphics and Party Printables by Gwynn Wasson Designs - Cake Pops - Mom's Killer Cakes and Cookies - Cookies - All Things Exquisite - Small Icing Flowers - Cupcakes By Christy - Striped Straws - Polka Dot Market www.BabyLifestyles.com

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“I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.�

~Robert N. Munsch~ Photo by Christi Falls