Lula's Nursery Ideas: Charleston Cottage



I've been designing Lula Mae's nursery in my head since December.  Now that we know baby Johnston is a GIRL, these ideas can come to life.

I wanted a room that was functional for me as a new mom and a room that would last several years without having to be re-painted, re-designed, & re-furnished for every milestone in her life. 

While searching for cribs and trying to decide between the 431578 different ones, I came across "The Hope" crib.  This is a custom crib designed by 'Little Crown Interiors' and was specifically designed to raise awareness for Breast Cancer.  For those of you that know me, you will appreciate my squeal over this fabulous find.  The crib also comes with a plaque that they mount to the crib and you can customize a quote or whatever you would want it to say.  I had already come up with a quote that would be in memory of my mom and in honor of our first daughter.  I had this whole thing planned.  After mentioning the crib to my husband, he agreed that it was a little pricey but that he would pick up a couple extra shifts at the hospital because he knew how much this crib meant to me (Isn't he just great!). 

Just a little fun fact... Did you know that Laila Ali has this crib for her daughter? 

A couple weeks later, Cham and I were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner and talking about the baby.  When the crib came up in our conversation I expressed my hesitation about spending that kind of money on something that cannot be used forever.  Why couldn't we just get a non-fancy crib for Lula and donate the difference to the Susan G. Komen?  Wouldn't that make more sense?  VOILA!

After that conversation, I started writing down all of the things I liked about the crib; its color, scalloped edges, dedication plaque, shape of legs, etc.  I was determined to replicate this 'designer' crib into something that would fit into our lifestyle.  Why can't we just buy a white crib, paint it pink, and get someone on ETSY to make a plaque to attach to the bottom? Sometimes I am such a genius (only kidding)!!

Theme: Charleston Cottage

Colors:

I wanted her room to be very colorful.  My idea is that every piece of furniture would be a different pastel color: pink crib, white dresser, green upholstered glider,  & turquoise changing table/night stand. I want her bedding to be in Amy Butler and everything in the room to play off of her vibrant colors. 

Color of walls:

Artwork:

I picture lots of whimsy in her room.  I know her monogram or name will most likely be on the wall somewhere (what's a Charleston cottage without at least one thing monogrammed?)  I want to create a whimsical alphabet to be framed and hung on the wall. I also want a growth chart that can be removed and put in a house if we ever

moved.  I've already ordered her bow holder & cannot wait to see how it turns out!

Window treatments:

I'm going to con my dad into making cornices for the two windows in her room.  They will be padded and upholstered in matching Amy Butler fabric. Long curtains will hang inside. 

Lighting:

A chandelier will hang in place of the fixture which is there now.  An accent lamp will provide soft lighting in the corner. 

Bedding:

Fabric: Amy Butler: Soul Blossoms & Love

Her crib skirt will be made out of tiered ruffles and I am hoping to create a quilt for her.  Pom-pom, minky, and chenille pillows will adorn the crib.

Projected project completion:

May 1, 2012

It seems the joys of being a mother are endless and she hasn't even arrived yet.  I know she won't remember the color of her room or ever know how many hours Cham and I put into getting everything together but she will know one thing, how much she is loved.

We cannot wait for your arrival Ms. Lula! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Baby Johnston... Pink or Blue?

We have been anticipating our anatomy scan since the day we found out we would be parents!  How can one plan if they dont know the sex?

The anticipation has also brought along anxiety.  It seems that there are so many more clothing options, hair options, room options etc. for girls and this alone made me very intimidated about having a son.  I am determined to have the best dressed child on the block. What would I do with a boy? How do you style their hair? Do boys like dolls? Will he pee on me when I change his diaper?  I dont know anything about sports; is male cheerleading considered a sport? 

Growing up in a house with just my father, who I must say was a better parent than most who have a mom and a dad, made me really want a daughter.  I never had another female other than myself under the same roof.  Dads are cool and all but I want to play Barbies, dress-up, and dolls.  I want to show her how to put on make-up and teach her all of the girlie things that I missed out on. 

Cham and I have always said that we would both be happy with either a boy or girl, as long as they were healthy. 

We were supposed to have our pictures taken today which is why we were waiting to announe the sex of the baby. but as schedules change and things come up we decided to go with plan B; photographer Emmalea.  So here's to our future as a family of 3.

Drumroll Please............

Big sister Layla



Anatomy Ultrasounds



It's a Girl!!!! It's a Girl!!!!  It's a Girl!!!! 

Big sister Jaydyn

Her first profile picture

Her first romper





Her first book

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Lula kept putting her buttocks towards the Ultrasound probe so after 45 minutes of chasing her around in my belly, she threw her hand over her head. Can we say drama queen!

Naming your child is very important. You can go with a safe name, one that might be questioned, one that no one can spell or pronounce (like mine), the one that your child gets made fun of for, or one that describes you/family/your heritage etc.  Intimidating!!!! 

I've always loved the name 'Emma' as it is part of my name, it was also part of my mother's.  My parents decided on 'Emmalea' by combining 'Emma' and 'Lea' my grandmothers name.  When I mentioned the name to Cham, he didn't really go with that idea as he said "everyone names their child Emma."  Of course he also understood that he really didn't have a choice.  This made me start searching names as I had always just imagined my daughter's name after my own.  Who doesn't love a Southern name?  One that would have been used on "Gone with the Wind."  While surfing through baby names one day I came across:

'Lula' (LOO-LA) - Lady, Princess         'Mae' (May) - The month; named after the Greek    
 (this could be the explanation of                                    goddess of Spring.
  her 'drama queen')

I've always liked the name 'Mae' as it just sounds so southern and sweet. Plus, Mae was Cham's grandmother's name. So Lula and myself will both be named after our grandmother's. 

Lula Mae Johnston (Doesn't that just have such a sweet ring to it)

Did I mention, she'll be a KD legacy!

If our excitement could be bottled up and sold there would be no reason for anyone to work ever again! We are beyond thrilled to meet Lula and her arrival cannot get here soon enough! In the meantime, I'll be monogramming all of her clothes! lol

Love is in the air

Valentines Day is dreaded by some. To me, it's a day to celebrate LOVE whether your married, divorced, single, widowed.. you are loved by someone regardless of your marital status or age.  Oh how I love the spa "sweetheart" packages, the dinner reservervations made 2 months in advance, chocolate roses, edible arrangements, and all of the other special gifts one receives on Valentines Day.  Who doesn't love receiving gifts, right?

From the time I can remember, my dad would always but me roses, candy, take me to dinner at my favorite place, and buy me several Boyd's bears.. as he said I was his only Valentine.  This year, I was blessed to have two valentines; my father and my husband.  Although my dad was far away vacationing in Key West (our favorite spot to vacation in the summers growing up) he was close to my heart & even sent me a Valentine post-marked "Key West". Being my first Valentines Day with my husband, I wanted to make it a special one.  With the news of the baby, Jaydyn's recent 5th birthday party, the opening of 2 practices, and everything inbetween, I was exhausted by the time February 14th rolled around. 

Here is what I came up with...

 I love the idea of coupon books! They are extremely fun to make and to receive.  I used to make these for my dad for Christmas. They include coupons for home cooked meals, cleaning the house, mowing the law, etc. The one I made for my husband included 1/2 hour massage, toe-nail clippings (he know's I despise this), get of of jail free, get out of washing dogs once, no vacumming for you, and some other sweet things I'd rather not mention.. lol.

a little birdie told me that you are looking for a Valentine... How about you "CHEWS" me...

To stick with the theme of Valentines Day, I got the Orbit Strawberry gum, plus it's pretty delicious!

And Cham wondered why I wanted to go to Moto's so bad?? Honestly, I was craving Sesame Chicken with extra shrimp sauce!

One would assume that pop rocks were easy to find, indeed they were extremely hard and I finally found them at The Dollar Tree. Who would have known!

You are one Hot Tamale!

 Isn't Dove chocolate the best?

This is my favorite gift of all! Nerf guns are so much fun and this one even has a laser for accurate aim!!

Always a kid at heart!

For the last gift that I gave Cham, I cut 50 pieces of cardstock in pinks and reds.  I wrote reasons why I love him on each paper and sealed them in the container.  He is to pull one out everyday morning.



Gifts are gifts but one which comes from the heart and requires a lot of creativity means more to me that any diamond or box of chocolates.

I thought I would include a picture of Jaydyn with her Valentine cake pops that she handed out at her Valentines party.  Their were 16 children in her class and she was able to write all of their names on her own! We couldn;t be more proud of her!

XOXOXOXO