DIY 'Confetti System' Ornaments

I've always loved Confetti System's party decorations, but have never been able to afford them. When I came across their new ornaments over at West Elm it was no different. They're gorgeous and I was all set to buy one of each...til I saw the price tag. $12 per ornament? I guess twelve dollars doesn't sound like much, but add up the cost of purchasing all all five ornaments and you've got a whopping $60 on your hands. Now I'm not saying they're not worth every penny, but we're currently penny pinching here at the H-Haus. So I decided to have a go at making them myself. My first attempt was the pyramid-shaped ornaments. Here's how I created them:

Little Adventurer's Room

Art - Land of Nod
Wallpaper - Anthropologie
Rug- Crate & Barrel
Side Table - Urban Outfitters
Armchair - World Market
Basket - Urban Outfitters
Model Sailboat - shoretrader on Etsy
Display Box - oh, albatross on Etsy
Full Moon Poster - Urban Outfitters
Swing Arm Sconce - onefortythree on Etsy
Mobile - Amazon
Crib - muu

Play Felt Pumpkin Patch

Violet has been a bit bored with her usual toys, but we're trying to save some money at the moment. So rather than run out and buy her some new toys, I decided to get creative. I just put up a felt pumpkin patch for her to play with and I'm excited to see how she likes it!

Felt is so easy and inexpensive - just cut it out and it sticks to itself, and when Halloween is over or she gets bored with it I can just cut out a few different things and it'll be like a new. I have a few other ideas I want to try out too - I love what YHL did with Clara's train and while we don't have space for a mounted board I may try experimenting with fabric or oilcloth.  I also recently wrote a post about small space play for Apartment Therapy that has a lot of fun ideas. It's hard squeezing in the time to get crafty with being back at work full time, but I'm going to try to figure it out!

Update: Kid Approved!

Citrus Sweet

New idea board over on Apartment Therapy!

Mama + Baby

a pretty striped top for mama . a lovely linen dress for baby

Washi Tape DIY

This is how I'm going to make all of my birthday cards from now on! Via Omiyage Blogs

Trash Cans and Poop*

[My super cute kid at the fair the other night]

*Disclaimer: This post will contain the mention of both trash cans and poop.

Trash Cans and Poop.

That's how the headline from my evening would read. I'll start by saying that I was really loving two-and-a-half. It's a great age. My kid is pretty much completely potty trained during her waking hours, she can tell me how she feels, and she is no longer shoving rocks/plants/dust bunnies into her mouth at random.

Or so I thought.

Michelle Morin!

Just discovered that one of my favorite artists, Michelle Morin has a blog! Love discovering lovely new things...

20 More DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

Is anyone thinking about Halloween yet? The air has been getting that crisp cool feeling around here and I find I'm already thinking about Violet's costume. Last year I rounded up 20 DIY Halloween costume ideas for your little one and it was a big hit, so here are twenty more  do-it-yourself Halloween costumes for you:

1. DIY Cloud Costume via Sarah Illenberger

Click through to see more...

Violet's Room on Apartment Therapy

Violet's room is over on Apartment Therapy Family - click here for the full post!

Violet Says Vol. 2

Violet is saying so much now and what I'm finding the most amazing is how much she has been listening. I know this because my own words have been flying out of her mouth like crazy. For example, she often gets upset if she wants to see more of something and can't. Like red stoplights (she only likes the red light - there is to be "No geen ever, ever gain!". I'll often try to appease her unhappiness by saying, "Keep your eyes open, we may see another one" Well just the other day she came up with this one:

[Man walking his dog across the street talking on his cell phone]
Violet [pointing]: Mommy - me pet woof!
Me: Sorry sweetie, that man is talking on his phone so we can't ask him
Violet [Instead of bursting into tears]: Me keep me eyes open Mommy. Nother woof comin'. Mommy keep eyes open too.

Wow. Just wow.

And back on the subject of red lights:

Me: The red light means stop, the yellow light means slow down, and the green light means go.
Violet: Blue light? (Her favorite colors are red and blue)
Me: There is no blue light sweetie.
Violet: Daddy take blue light!

Basically anything she is missing she claims was stolen by her father. No idea where she came up with that notion.

And just the other night I was putting her down in her big girl bed. I read her a book, patted her back for a bit, and went to close the gate at the top of the stairs. She stood up and said, "Stepmutha lock doohr Cindawella!"

Two is my favorite age :)

Starry Starry Night

Guest posting for Dina's Nursery Design Series over on Honey + Fitz! Check out the full post here.

The Prettiest Blocks

These hand painted blocks from Cuppa Color are just gorgeous, aren't they?! And best of all they can be used as magnets too. See more color combinations here. xo, Lauren

Modern Safari Nursery

Here's my latest creation for Houzz.com - a modern safari nursery. Check out all of the details and sources here.

Mending Fences

You may notice some changes around here. I decided to separate my blog into two separate ones before I was hired for the Apartment Therapy position, but with that, working full time, and working for Houzz.com, it was just all too much. So I'm back to just one blog. Sorry for the craziness and confusion - welcome to my life! That's about what it is at the current moment :) Thanks for sticking with me!
xo, Lauren

Oh the Places She'll Go

I completely smitten with this world traveler-themed party from One Charming Party! The colors, the map, the little banner - perfection. Head over here to see more ideas.

Lovely Little Shop: The Wooden Horse

I wrote about one of their swings last week, but The Wooden Horse has so many amazing handmade toys to offer! Their push-carts are amazing and come in a rainbow of colors. And if you've always wanted a Baltic Rocking Horse for your little one but just couldn't afford the price tag? This little guy is a lovely (and much more cost-effective) alternative. Check out all of these and more at their Etsy shop right here.

My Kid Likes the Roundhouse Kick

I saw this diagram from How to be a Dad some time ago, and while I thought it was pretty funny, I can now fully appreciate its genius. Because, you see, it wasn't until recently that I was able to experience many of these positions first hand. We 'co-slept' with Violet using a co-sleeper when she was an infant. She didn't move then and she wasn't actually in our bed - just in a little bassinet attached to the side of it. When she was a few months old I moved her into her crib and never looked back. Although there have been times when I've wanted to nap with her, she always made it an impossibility. She's the type to get a bit manic and thrashing (quite like her mama) when she gets tired, and it's virtually impossible to get her to fall asleep without trapping her in an un-stimulating (read not fun) place like a crib.

Then we flew to Australia. The combination of sleeping ON me (quite literally I was her bed) for most of the trip and the chilly winter nights in Australia sans heat (it doesn't cold enough in Queensland to really require heat, but the nights are very cold - especially for a toddler who won't keep her covers on) convinced us to let Violet sleep in our bed every now and then. I mean, we were on vacation right? We could change things up a bit. Well, needless to say the practice has followed us home. She asks almost every night to 'seep Mommy Daddy's bed', and while I usually refuse on weeknights, I often give in on the weekends. In a way I really enjoy it. I love being able to snuggle my baby and watch her all sweet and peaceful in dreamland. But then she performs The Roundhouse Kick closely followed by The Neck Scarf, and my visions of snuggly family sleep time disappear.

Because only one of us is sleeping. (And it isn't me.)

xo, Lauren

One Lovely Thing: Mayasri Crib Bedding

I was so delighted when I received an email in my inbox from Mayasri. Their vibrant Indian-inspired crib bedding is simply stunning. Each set consists of a fitted sheet, bedskirt with lining and a soft cotton voile quilt. The Indian inspired designs are printed on 100% cotton using non toxic dyes. They are made in India (the quilt is hand-stitched!) I think the biggest problem would be deciding which color to choose...