#momlife Monday; Baby's Nursery

Happy #momlifemonday! Today I'd love to discuss preparing for baby... specifically baby's nursery. 

So you're pregnant for the first time... and you're experiencing crazy changes. You order all these books to read about pregnancy and what to expect... and learn the ins and outs of pregnancy. That's great. But did you learn what to expect from a newborn? Or what to expect from the first month of parenting? Probably not. 

My sister for example studied up on pregnancy. She read what was happening to her body and what would or could happen during the birthing process. Honestly... She terrified herself. I tried to tell her to stop focusing on being pregnant and focus on being a new mom; but alas pregnancy hormones made her hearing very selective. 😉 

And then she wasn't pregnant anymore. 

She had a new baby at home and no idea what to do or what to expect. 

And it became overwhelming. 

I totally get that. But IMO the best way to not get overwhelmed is simply to be as prepared as possible. Understand what you're going to feel the first day after having the baby, the first 2 weeks, the first 3 months, etc. These are the pivotal times where your hormones are whacky and you're over-exhausted and the last thing you have time for is to sit and read a book about how to sleep train and feed your baby. 

So here are some of my tried and true tips to preparing for Baby! 

1. During your pregnancy develop your sleeping plan. I personally used this book; but skimmed a few different plans. I recommend you, study a few different options, pick one you think would work best for your personality, and focus on trying to implement it with your newborn as early as possible. (I'd say around week 3 is when it's plausible to begin)
2. Have the nursery ready around 34 weeks. If you can! I know it's asking a lot but to not have the stress of finishing a nursery in your final weeks of pregnancy will be a nice relief. My daughter's room wasn't complete when she was born at 36 weeks and it drove me nuts. It was small stuff, but seemed like a big deal in the moment. So safe yourself the stress, and your spouse the nagging, and just get it ready ahead of time! 
3. Have a plan for feeding and an understanding with yourself if that plan doesn't work. For example; I had my heart set on breast feeding my daughter. I researched the benefits and would do anything to give her the best start. But my body never produced milk. I went to lactation nurses and tried everything under the sun. I felt like I failed her by not being able to feed her naturally. It was devastating. I had never considered bottle feeding and using formula; but ultimately I was left without a choice. And that was something I had never considered...  Then with my son I produced enough milk to supplement a formula and breast milk diet. But he had such GI issues that he couldn't digest the breast milk I had. I was told to stop attempting to breast feed and my son was put on a formula intended for feeding tubes. Ultimately, the proteins were already broken down so his body didn't have to do it. I wasn't prepared for that either. But in both situations, my children got exactly what they needed to thrive. It wasn't about my emotions and preconceived opinions; it was about what was best for my baby. And that should always be number one. 
4. Don't stock up on newborn diapers. Truly. If someone wants to gift you diapers, ask for size 1-3. My first was so tiny she was in preemies to start and by the time she grew into her newborn diapers she was ready for size 1. Both my sons wore newborn diapers for 2 weeks max... and I think I am rounding up there.  
5. Invest in the car seats. For the first few months having the ability to carry baby in from the car to the house in her car seat will be a necessity. No one wants to wake a baby to bring them inside... so let her sleep and have the carrying car seat. Then when it's time to upgrade to a 5-point system, get the good ones that can grow with your child and keep him as safe as possible for as long as possible. 
6. Save $ where you can. Babies are expensive little people. They require a lot of time and resources. And they deserve it. But be smart. I bought my Bratt Decor crib for my daughter on Craigslist at literally half the cost as a new one and in pristine condition. I also bought each of my mamaroos at a discounted price either from Craigslist or open box buy at BuyBuy Baby. You can order a new fabric seat for about $20 so no germ issues because what new parent isn't a germaphobe?! 
7. Speaking of germs... keep antibacterial around your house. I kept antibacterial on the changing tables, kitchen counter, and by the front door. Of course I want every visitor to wash their hands but it's also nice to have antibacterial readily available all the time. Personally, once I had a child, my home became a "no shoe zone." I know some people find it annoying, and that's okay. I don't mind annoying people. Think about all the dirt your shoes go through; walking through people's spit in the parking lot, stepping in dried dog urine on the side walk; walking in and out of doctors offices and public bathrooms?! Omg. The germs on your shoes. Now do you want those germs brought into your home, on your floor where baby does tummy time? Or on the carpet where baby is learning to crawl? Ugh. No. Be annoyed; but I have a no shoe sign at my front door that I found on Etsy that says it all; "since little hands touch our floor, please take your shoes off at the door." Done. And done. 
8. Make the baby's nursery a space YOU love. I personally would never feel comfortable in a room decorated with cartoons and primary colors, so why would I do that for a nursery? The baby isn't going to notice or care, so make the space an extension of your style just geared for a child. I DO recommend having color in the room, though. Babies aren't born with the ability to see color, but surrounding them with color helps train their eyes to accept it. An all white or ivory nursery is actually crippling to their development. So make a space you would be happy to be in at 6am.. and 9 pm... and 12 am... and 3 am... you get the idea... 

Below I've shared my son's nursery. I created this space to satisfy my own desires for what I want in his room, but made sure the staple and high price items are able to grow with him and his personality as it develops. For example, the crib is a convertible that will convert to a full; which I always recommend, and the walls are a light blue, but neutral enough to go in a variety of design directions. 

I've linked the resources under each photo in case you're interested in them for yourself! What are your thoughts on nursery design and preparing to be a mommy? I'd love for you to share! 
-xo

Bin | Blanket | Chair (custom from Thomasville circa 2013) | Lumbar Pillow | End Table | Blackout Curtain | Plant | Rug

Blanket | Bin | Bamboo Tree | Crib & Dresser | Rug | Box

The CLOFTICE; a sneak peak

The Official Style On Pointe CLOFTICE

Three day weekends are amazing... and exhausting. I tend to forget how much I love having 4 hours in the morning with just the baby and myself until preschool is out. With today being MLK JR Day school was closed and I had the three kids home with me. We invited another family over for a playdate this morning which was lots of fun. 7 kids. 2 moms. 30 degree weather. Needless to say, we stayed inside and the house was a disaster when they left... but they had fun and used up lots of energy! It's crazy how much we take outside play time for granted. When I lived in Florida we would play outside in increments because of the heat; now it's the complete opposite where after 10 minutes we're freezing our tails off! Talk about a 180!

Anyway, this afternoon I was able to spend a little time in my "cloftice" ... I know a "cloffice" is all the rage; but I took it one step further by putting my cloffice in the loft. Hence, we have, the cloftice. 

If you are unaware, a cloffice is a duel purpose closet and office. It's pretty much genius. If you have a spare room in your home to use as a personal office, why not making it multipurpose by using the perimeter as a closet. Being surrounded by shoes and purses makes working a little easier. IMO... 

The official closet part gets installed next month, but atleast I unpacked the boxes that had been in the space and cleared it out to start using it. I've linked my rug, desk, chair and chandelier below. I highly recommend all of the pieces. (The Jonathan Adler desk is not as sturdy as some; but it is great for a laptop and small things and a major bonus is that it looks beautiful free standing in a room 🙌) 
I didn't realize until linking these items; but they can all be found via Wayfair.com. If you haven't used Wayfair for your home furnishings--you're missing out. Mayfair's sister companies; ALLModern, BirchLane, Joss & Main, and Perigold are truly my go-to's for home styling and even event decor. Just a heads up... it's worth checking out! 
Can't wait to give you more updates on the house! 

-xo

Rug | Desk | Chair | Chandelier

Christmas Recap

Christmas Foyer 2017 with a guest appearance by Buzz Lightyear 😂

I can not believe it is already 2018... The end of 2017 flew by in a blink of an eye. I've been ridiculously swamped, but I'm back and ready to pick up where we left off. Thanks for sticking with me! I'll give a quick recap on what's been going on and am anxious to share some progress pictures!

We were able to move into our new home on Thanksgiving. Literally.
I actually made our Thanksgiving feast at our old house and drove it to the new home for our first meal here. Talk about crazy! 

Shortly after my entire family got hit with illness. My daughter and I ended up with pneumonia and spent the better part of December hibernating and trying to restore our health.Thankfully I was able to do all my final Christmas shopping online (Yay for Amazon Prime and Nordstrom! 🙌) 

The house still has some minor touch ups and tweaks, but overall is everything we've dreamed of. It was a bit unusual to move in and decorate for the holidays immediately. I actually didn't order certain furniture pieces because I had Christmas trees in their place. 😉 But now that the festivities have wrapped and our Christmas decor is packed up I am working on finishing the home esthetically. In the meantime, I am so thrilled to share a few pictures of our new home from the holidays!! 

I hope you all had a fabulous season and I wish you the very best year yet in 2018! Thanks for joining me on this ride and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

-xo

chandelier: Jonathan Adler | tree: King of Christmas | Rug: RugsUSA | 
Stockings: PotteryBarnKids | stool & coffee table: Wayfair

Ornaments: Amazon & Target | Bench: AllModern | Stockings: Pottery Barn Kids

Reindeer: Target | Brush Tree: Target | Lanterns: Pottery Barn | Lights: Restoration Hardware

Starlit trees: Restoration Hardware | Sleigh: HomeGoods | Lanterns: Pottery Barn | Lights: Restoration Hardware | Stars: Homegoods

Unwrapped gifts: Santa | Wrapping Paper & Bows: Target | Tree: King of Christmas | Ornaments: Target  & Amazon

Wrapping Paper & Bows: Target | Tree: King of Christmas | Ornaments: Target  & Amazon

Starlit trees: Restoration Hardware | Sleigh: HomeGoods | Lanterns: Pottery Barn | Lights: Restoration Hardware | Stars: Homegoods

Pajamas: Leveret | Keyboard: VTech

Fall Favorite: Blush & Animal Print

I am seeing my favorite fall trend all. over. the. place! Blush & animal print.

I wore this combo to a charity gala this past weekend and received so many compliments and questions that I wanted to share the details. 

Bardot Midi

This beautiful dress is by Bardot and available at Nordstroms for under $120. 

I paired it with nude heels and a Sole Society leopard print clutch. My specific one is sold out but I've shared two below that are on point and won't break the bank!

Cheetah fold over 

Leopard Pouch

I've also worn this combination with a millennial pink cable knit sweater and leopard print Sam Edelmans this week that I will share soon. But what I love even more, is that I am seeing it in HOMES. 

It makes sense doesn't it?! To replicate your favorite closet pieces into your home? Your living space should always represent you and be a foundation for how your home makes you feel... so make it pretty and polished, or wild and colorful, or a monochromatic oasis... whatever it is that represents you.

Randi Garrett Designs

Randi Garrett Designs updated her master bedroom for fall and I am loving it! Check out her blog here for more shots of her blush and animal print glam fall room!

What are your favorite trends from your wardrobe that you would want to incorporate into your home? I'd love to hear!

-xo

Labor Day Sales

Have you done any home shopping this weekend? Being in the final stages of the renovation it is finally time to start buying the pretty stuff. I took advantage of some great sales over at,

• Lulu & Georgia (buy more save more deals)

• Pottery Barn Kids & PBTeen (also buy more save more)

• RugsUSA (additional 20% off even 70% off items!)

Also, Becki Owens put together her list of the best Labor Day Sales to take advantage of and I've shared them below. If you are in the market for anything for your home these sales can. not. be. missed... and if they are, you will regret it. 😖

• 30% off ALL Rugs at Serena and Lily 

• Save up to 30% off at Pottery Barn with their Buy More Save More with code: SAVEMORE

• Save up to 30% off at West Elm with their Buy More Save More with code: HUGESALE

• 15% off at Crate and Barrel  with code: SAVE15 (Great Opportunity to grab dinnerware for upcoming holidays!)

• Extra 40% off sale at Anthropologie

Some of these sales end tonight and some last through Wednesday, but if there is something you love I'd jump on it now. When things sell out the sale price is GONE. Happy Shopping and Happy Labor Day!

- xo

Kitchen Inspiration

I've written previously that my husband and I are in the midst of a total remodel. We are finally wrapping it up and I am so anxious to share the final photos with you! But for now, I have lots of "inspiration","construtction zone", & "progress pictures" to share.

Today I wanted to post what the kitchen is eventually going to be. The lights, the cabinets, the backsplash and counters... really the details. I made most of these selections almost 2 years ago 😳 and still am happy and in love with the choices. I think thats a good sign. It means the decisions I made were right for me, my style and my wants. That's what I think we all want in our home. Something that is timeless for us as individuals. It's not about fads and trends... it's about what will make you happy in your space. If the house is a flip, or one you only plan on being in for 1-3 years, then I will recommend to follow the popular options; but otherwise, it's all about making the home a reflection of the owners. 

💜

So, back to my kitchen. I say "my" kitchen on purpose. It is not "our" space. My husband doesn't cook. He grills. Outside. The outside living area is his... with my design input... but his space. The kitchen- she's mine, all mine. 

I love a white kitchen. But I also love color. I think it's my eternal struggle. I want it all. I love the clean white fresh look... but I want fuchsia and magenta and mint to make small appearances. It's probably a reflection of my south Florida art deco roots.

Since we made the home open concept, it was important for me to make the primary wall cohesive and beautiful. I moved the range to the center of the visual wall and built two windows to flank it. On the outer side of the windows are two stacks of cabinets; both have an appliance garage and then glass uppers above with prairie details.

I love appliance garages. I think they're magnificent. Seriously, why would you choose to see your toaster oven if you don't have to? Or how convenient would it be to tuck that crockpot into it's own little nook every other day? My condo on South Beach had a built in corner bread box and I used it to hide my toaster, so I'm pretty sure that's where my obsession began with disguising kitchen appliances. 😆

The kitchen island should be a statement whenever it can be. This one will be just with size alone. It is a 10' x 7' single marble slab island. When drawing it out everyone said we would need to go with a manmade top or have a seam in the island. We looked into book matching marble pieces but both Joel and I were adamant we wanted one piece... with no seams. And we really were not willing to spend the money on book matching.
Thankfully, we found it. Locally! Walker Zanger had a beautiful white and gray marble slab called Breccia Argenta. It is exactly what we were looking for... a white marble but with a lot of movement so when it ultimately has a stain or evidence of human-use, it isn't an eye sore. Seriously, a white marble kitchen island with 3 children ages 4 and younger is not the safe choice. But I love white marble... and I love my kids even though they're messy and hard on things... so we found the perfect slab to suit our family.

To break up the white and play off the charcoal veins in the island counter top, I chose a Mariana Soapstone for the perimeter counters. Soapstone is a soft material and people love it or hate it; I love it. Plus it pairs beautifully with the Caitlin Wilson wallpaper I chose for the picture window wall in the kitchen. Like I said, I like a white kitchen, but I love color!

Caitlin Wilson Wallpaper

This leads to the cabinet pulls. I've vacillated on this part; between a solid black to coordinate with the black hardware throughout the house, or a crystal lucite look. I decided to go with black. The great thing about cabinet pulls is that they are super easy to switch out and don't need to be very expensive. It's something you can find at a local hardware store or get fun ones from Easy and switch out in no time! 

I found this image on Pinterest a couple years ago with no link back to products and finally found a handle match a few months ago. 

I could find some that were very similar but they all had an arch and I was not interested in that. I like 90 degree angles. This comes in a couple different sizes and multiple finishes. 

Cabinet Pulls

Now for the lighting... 

I am going to show what I have selected, but my husband isn't thrilled. He's very stuck on the chains and would prefer a solid rod extension instead. I don't find the need for it. Plus, I believe the chain brings a more casual feel and a rod makes it a bit too formal for a family kitchen. Anyway, I love these lanterns because of the double layer framing of the light. It's simple, yet fresh; classic, and unique. 

Lantern

So, what do you think? I can't wait to share more of the progress pictures and then obviously the final product! I feel like this kitchen will make me a better cook... here's hoping! 😂

-xo

Selfie with Surround

I like to show up to the worksite everyday. It doesn't always happen because of my other schedules, having the children, and just life in general... but it's something I try to get done. 

Yesterday I got there around 2:00 pm and everyone had wrapped up for the day. I was doing my walk-thru, checking trim install, and measuring for mirrors. I love the fireplace surround and took a picture of it, and then decided to take a selfie with it. (#millenialproblems 🙈) 

The fireplace surround is a mosaic of 4 complimenting 3 x 8 tiles in a subway lay. I love that there are various textures ranging from raked to polished and some glistening specs of silver that reflect so nicely in the sun light!

All the items I am wearing are still available and some are on sale, so I've listed below. 

shorts | shirt | shoes | necklace

These shorts are currently on SALE, and sizes are limited but check to see if yours is available... and you can easily size down. 

I LOVE this shirt and it is currently on SALE, here , and available in 8 colors for under $30! What I love most is how versatile it is; I'm wearing it with shorts and sandals and can easily transition it to leggings and boots for Fall. Truly a year-round item!

These shoes are so comfortable and only $27 on Amazon. You can never go wrong with Sam Edelman shoes! 

This Jook + Nona necklace is so easy to wear with everything and anything. I chose the "love" tag but there are other sweet options, as well. And it would make a nice gift 😉

-xo

Where Charlotte Began (The BEFORE Pictures)

I have been working on a remodel in the Charlotte area for awhile now. It all started while we were still living in Fort Lauderdale and decided that we wanted to plant roots in Charlotte and raise our babies here. So we started looking for homes online and got in touch with a local agent. We explained what we were looking for and listed our credentials. One day she called us with a house that had just hit the market. She walked it with us on FaceTime and we decided to fly up the next day to see it. 

As soon as we pulled up to the house I wasn't impressed. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful home... but it just didn't speak to me. However, before we even stepped foot in the house I asked about the one across the street with a For Sale sign. My husband shrugged and our real estate agent quickly said, "you don't want that one." Honestly, that response sparked my interest more.  As we were walking through the home we flew up to see it became very obvious it wasn't a good fit for us. There were too many things that we would want to change and yet not enough wiggle room to buy it and fix it up to our liking. I kept thinking about that house across the street... so I asked to please see it. 

The original exterior.

By the time I was off the phone the agent had gotten us into the house I liked across the street. It was a very awkward lay out. Very dated and closed off. The kitchen was long and tight and there was barely any natural light in the home. All the windows were narrow and tall and every room had a door. The dining room was closed off with a pocket door leading into the kitchen. That pocket door was in the middle of the kitchen wall creating a tight walkway and lots of wasted space. There was a bay window in the kitchen but the placement created a useless space because if a table was there it would block the side door and entry to the laundry room. 

Going up the main stairs even I felt the need to duck. There was a jack-and-jill bath built directly over it that created an entry way and foyer that maxed out at 7'6". Upstairs there were 4 bedrooms and two jack-and-jill baths. No master. A saving grace? There was a huge bonus room over the garage. There was also a massive third story attic that was unfinished. 

My husband said, "no." The real estate agent basically said "I told you so." And I said "wait..." I think Joel looked at me like I was crazy. I stood in the single entry door and started explaining quickly. We put in double doors, we take out this wall and this wall, we rip out the stairs and rebuild a sweeping staircase on the right side. We can remove these columns and raise this section of the floor to make it all level. (Here comes the good part...) We rip out the fire place and put in a full wall of glass sliders and move the fireplace 'here'... I kept going... and going... 

It just flowed naturally. I didn't think too much about it and just said what could be. It made sense to me. Up stairs we would remove the two bedrooms on the back of the house and create a master with en ensuite. It gave us the best view of the golf course. The front two rooms would stay but we would give each their own bathroom with the side closet spaces and utilize the wasted unfinished storage spaces. This would allow us to open up the foyer and make it a grand two story one. 

My husband followed along enough to say we'd think about it and call the agent tomorrow. As we were leaving I called and spoke to the dentist. My son had finally fallen asleep and the dentist was telling me he may lose his tooth. The one he just cut the month before. The cute little bottom tooth just left of center.  While I was on the phone with him the babysitter called and said the tooth had fallen out. I was hysterical. I didn't care about any house at that point. I know a part of you may think I'm crazy and that "it's just a tooth..." but as a mom it's never "just" anything. 

I'm a stay at home mom. I was the primary and only caregiver my children knew other than my husband. It's my job to keep the kids safe and healthy and happy. And now I am away for the first time, really away out of state, not out to dinner down the street--and my son is not safe, not healthy, and not happy. It was horrible. I couldn't get home soon enough. 

When we were on the plane and I finally stopped dwelling on my baby at home, I grabbed the air sickness bag. Joel looked at me again like I was crazy. But then I grabbed a pen. I sketched out our home. He asked me how I remembered the layout from the 10 minutes I was in it. I said because it's going to be our home, and it's going to look like this. 

We made an offer the next morning and were under contract that week. 

And then the fun began... 

💥

Below are the pictures of the home from when we bought it! 

The foyer view when you walked in. This was actually taken more from the coat closet angle. When you walked in you  looked directly at a wall (you can slightly see it far right in photo)

The view from the top of the stairs into the foyer. That was the foyer light. You can see the single front door below the wall. Behind this wall is a jack-and-jill bath. 

This was the dining room. It was completely enclosed. That door way is a pocket door leading into the kitchen. And this picture was taken from the wall backing up to the foyer. 

This was the great room. It was a sunken room with 4 pillars lining it behind the sofa. (Take note of the built ins and television wall... it becomes something great! )

This fireplace was blocking a great golf course view. The first day we went in the house I knew it needed to go... preferably to that wall pictured on the far right 😉

Kitchen view. That is the pocket door leading into the dining room. And you see the other wall with another pocket door leading to the foyer. Can you tell how narrow the kitchen is??

One of the four bedrooms upstairs. 

The two bedrooms on the back side of the house each had a built in desk backing up against the jack-and-jill bathroom walls. This was all removed and those rooms and bathroom would be converted into the master bedroom and ensuite.

The second bedroom on the back side of the house. This window eventually becomes a door from the master bathroom onto the balcony! 😲😀

This was the bathroom between the two back bedrooms.

This was the jack-and-jill bath on the front of the house. See that window? It's the same one you see centered on the second floor in the exterior front view. It's deceiving as that it leads you to believe it is a foyer window, but no, it's a bathroom...

Bonus room over garage. In the far left corner where you can't see... is a second staircase. It started at the side entry door in the kitchen and landed you in this bonus room. I removed it... It was more important to me to have the laundry room upstairs and a mud room at the side entry 🙌

Original view of back exterior.

Back yard view. I feel like this is about half way down the yard. It is truly such a wide open green view. I love it.

Side of house. The side entry is far right in the picture. The garage doors and layout will change because although you can't see it.. there were marks all over the support where cars had hit it trying to pull in and out. Needless to say, I have three kids all in carseats and drive a large SUV... and my husband would like to keep it looking nice as long as possible... so even the garage bays have changed!

In my next post I will share progress pictures and explain some of the major changes we made. Can't wait to hear what y'all think! 

-xo