Growing like a Woodland Weed

Remember the woodland growth chart from a previous post? The other weekend we put it on the wall in baby girl's room, next to where she'll lay her head in a little while crib. I love it! 

Here are some of the things I want to hang in the corner over the chair and ottoman. I've got a few more little things to add (like maybe some prints I bought on our recent babymoon in St. Augustine), but I'd love to get some of these on the wall soon!

Palladian Blues

Today I was off work for the 4th of July, and Luke and I painted the baby's room! We used Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue, and I can now safely say that nearly my entire house is blue...just the way I like it!

Thursday night we moved all the guest room furniture out and the baby things in. I tested out the paint on our butter-yellow wall... it was a perfect pale blue-green.

This morning, we went on a walk and then we got to work. Luke did the cutting in and I did the rolling. 

And voila! Our beautiful new baby's room! You can see the mismatched chair and ottoman I picked up at the Jr. League garage sale and had recovered. I painted that little desk a glossy white and got milk glass handles for it. 

This painting is by my mom--it is of my playhouse that Dad built it for me when I was little. The playhouse used to be pink. Funny enough, it's now Palladian blue.

(Here's the playhouse today! Back in action!)

Here I am cooking dinner at the party kitchen:

We put together the Ikea dresser a few weeks ago, and hung the shelf over it...baby girl's "wardrobe"!

Brooklyn Industries: Storytelling Campaign

I found this a while back and forgot about it. I just love the photocollage that Brooklyn Industries did as part of a recent campaign. Love the idea of telling a story, showing a history, crossing boundaries of time.

I'm live! I'm really live!

Well, my portfolio is FINALLY live, and I'm so excited, and I'm so glad to have it wrapped up. Many thanks to Jeff Williams for awesome photography and to Warren Moore and Tony Legrone for transforming my site design into something fluid and functional. 

Check it out, and tell all your friends! I'd love to talk to you about a potential project or need you might have, or what it is that I do. sarahrobinsmpowell.com

Paperwhite Studio

Lately I've gotten a super head start and been fiddling around with ideas our birth announcement. I really want to use calligraphy on a photo. I took a wonderful class with Deb Warnat last fall and I need to brush up on my skills. 

Anyway, I discovered Paperwhite Studio a while back and then forgot the name of it, even though I could visualize the website in my mind. This morning, I remembered the name! Her website and her lettering work is beautiful. I especially like some of her logos.

Fairies

Today my co-worker Janie sent me this awesome link where you can order a Fairy Door! How magical! It made me think about when we were little and mom would build fairy houses with us in the trees. We used twigs and shells and little stones, and covered the beds with moss. They were very complex and completely enchanting!

Mom has a book on fairy costumes called Fairie-ality. They are the most beautiful things you've ever seen, made of feathers and leave and flowers, and you wish every one of them was made for humans. 

Here is the cover and some spreads from the book. 

And now there is a companion book on Fairy style! Here are some magical photos from Fairie-ality: Style:

The baby's room

I've been gathering ideas about what I want little girl's nursery to be like: cheerful, lighthearted, restful when it needs to be, a little Scandinavian, and a delight to the eyes. Here's my inspiration board. I already have the alphabet print and the pendant lamp (given to me for free) and the Pottery Barn bumper and sheets (thanks, mom!), and we're planning on buying the crib and dresser from Ikea. 

Sources:

fabric swatches: all by Waverly, from left to right: Tonga Pina, Parterre Grass, One Wish Mint Julip, can't remember!, Pinwheel Parade

paint color: TBD aqua!

vintage alphabet print: by lovelysweetwilliam on Etsy

bedding: Pottery Barn Brooke Nursery Bedding

pendant: Ikea Knappa Pendant Lamp

crib: Ikea Ikea Hensvik

dresser: Ikea Hemnes 8-drawer dresser

A while back I finally ordered this West Elm rug I've been eyeing for weeks. 

Several weeks ago at the Junior League yard sale, we bought a cute little tufted armchair and a small ottoman with a top that lifts off for storage. I'm having them recovered and I think I've finally decided on the Waverly Pinwheel Parade fabric! I want to trim it in some kind of piping that has aqua and maybe some green in it. 

The other day I had to order this Woodland Growth Chart. It's removable, so you can take the pieces off and reposition them as often as you want.

I love these knobs from Anthropologie. Would love to get some for the Ikea dresser. But the question is, should they be hand-painted or the color of sea-glass? Maybe I'll mix them all up together! Hobby Lobby can sometimes be another good source for hardware. I think some of the pieces look contrived, but they usually have a few winners. 

And I think these embroidery rings are such a great way to make a lot of impact on the wall without breaking the bank. 

Left: Little P's nursery via Ohdeehoh. Right: Norah's nursery via Design Dazzle

There's a baby, and it's a girl!

Well it's been a while since I've last posted. We found out around 14 weeks ago that I'm having a baby! Now, it was a surprise baby, for sure. But since the initial shock and panic have worn off, I've begun to realize that there will be nothing else more wonderful. What a wealth of blessings she will be to us. I'm so thankful.

And we found out Monday that she's indeed a GIRL! Of course, I've known it all along. The ultrasound just confirmed it! Even Luke finally conceded last week that he believed, deep down, it was a girl. But I still cried when we found out. It was so overwhelmingly true, and she is so absolutely perfect and beautiful, and the whole experience was like getting your ultimate wish come to life!

I'm about 19 weeks right now. Here are a couple of pictures of me at 18 weeks. Starting to feel a little like I have a water balloon in my belly. Almost halfway there!

And here is an ultrasound photo of the wonder child, beautiful thing.

La Femme D'Argent

My mom sent me this video, sent to her by my great-aunt. It's a 35 mm film of San Francisco filmed in 1906, 4 days before the earthquake. It's just incredible seeing the pedestrians and cars and buggies, and some of the same architecture that is there now. I love the history here.

Here is some more descriptive copy:

This film was "lost" for many years. It was supposedly the first 35 mm film ever? It was taken by camera mounted on the front of a cable car.

The number of automobiles is staggering for 1906. Absolutely amazing! The clock tower at the end of Market Street at the Embarcadero wharf is still there.

This film, originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles EssanaySilent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot.

From New York trade papers announcing the film showing, to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on historical record, even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!).

It was filmed only four days before the earthquake and shipped by train to NY for processing.



or see it here on YouTube