the haystack needle

nursery inspiration

I spent Sunday with my friend Sue-Anne sewing baby bloomers. Her sister AnnaLynn just had a baby boy, Sullivan, and the two families share the same brownstone in Fort Greene (one 7-month-old, one 7-week-old, Molly dog, and a whole lot of cuteness in that house!). I checked out the nursery AnnaLynn created for Sullivan and was blown away — it looks so amazing in there! For the crib, she handmade the crib bumper by sewing fabrics she found at Purl Soho (the inside fabric is a Heather Ross design.) Above the crib, she framed prints from one of my favorite stories, Where the Wild Things Are, in gilded frames. She stenciled the ceiling with patterns by Lotta Jansdotter (love this look!!). 

Across the hall, Sue-Anne added some new art on the wall in Elliott's super cute nursery. She took three vintage frames and stretched fabric inside to create a canvas. Inside, she's planning to hang favorite trinkets, like this knitted E she found at Anthropologie. Sweet and simple — I'm so inspired by both nurseries. (In fact, I'm likely going to copy Sue-Anne with that frame idea.) We're painting a wall in the nursery this weekend — so excited to get started pulling it together!

recent baby purchases

Happy Friday to you! I've been wide awake since 4am (sleeping is getting harder the bigger I get), so I'm excited to have a relaxing evening later. I thought I'd share a few recent purchases for baby (and me, let's face it!) that I'm really excited about. 

+ kraft bunting: I'd had my eye on this vintage animal bunting for some time and finally decided to find a spot for it in the nursery. 

+ diaper bag: I became obsessed with this diaper bag back when I spotted it in the So Young Mother booth at the New York Gift Show (remember these lunch boxes?). It's a bag I would honestly want even if I weren't about to have a baby. What makes it extra baby-friendly: the laminated pockets and changing pad, cooler bag compartment, insulated bottle pockets, and I personally love how the messenger strap can detach and convert to be worn as a backpack. Dan appreciates its lack of pattern and overall unisex style. We found it at the local shop Mini Jake if you're in Brooklyn.

+ baby journals: I've been poring through this breastfeeding book, as almost all of my friends have had problems breastfeeding. I thought this nursing baby journal by Loralin Design would help me feel more organized to track feedings when the baby arrives. I actually bought the entire baby journal set — they're small soft journals you can easily tote around. I'm planning to use the Special Moments journal to track all the funny things that our little one says once he or she starts talking (and I'm imagining there may be some funny moments in those early days when Dan and I are figuring everything out.) 

Have a great weekend! Thanks for following along on this journey with me.

xo Jen

auggie crib bedding

I feel a real sense of accomplishment as I got a lot of apartment projects done this past week with the huge help of Dan's dad (who was in town and heads out today — sad to see him leave.) We also checked off buying the baby's crib and a daybed for the nursery. Both are all set up, and I'm planning to refinish the daybed with milk paint (to give this effect, except with dark blue and gray paint colors). Next up, dressing the crib with a mattress and bedding.

I've been obsessed with the Canadian company Auggie ever since I saw their booth at the Gift Show. I absolutely adore their textiles, especially the cross-stitch quilted textiles for baby — so much so I'm rethinking my original plan to skip crib bumpers. On my wishlist: one of their fitted crib sheets. (I'm also thinking of silkscreening some solid organic crib sheets, since I heard you need a few on hand.) And I'd love to adopt one of Auggie's baby quilts in turquoise for the stroller and just to have around in the nursery. Besides textiles, their site also sells an amazing line of vintage Winnie the Pooh and Babar framed prints. I've been a huge fan of Pooh, and the print above is by far my favorite. The price is unfortunately out of my budget, so I'm keeping my eye on Etsy and eBay to see if I can score some vintage Pooh print for less. 

Besides the simply lovely designs of Auggie, I love how they're a smaller independent company, which makes it feel more personal and special to me. 

Images: Auggie

ink + wit mobile

A friend of mine was looking for a mobile for her nursery. Ink + Wit's Rainy Day Animal Friends Mobile is still at the top of my list for sweetest mobiles. I love how it's simply made with bamboo and felt. And I'll never tire of the woodland motif (perhaps another reason why Anthropologie always delights me.) Ink + Wit's designer, Tara Hogan, is embarking on a big renovation of her barn to create her dream studio. I will be following along as I daydream often of working away in a barn somewhere. Doesn't that sound amazing? 

dwell sleep sacks

 

I had a date yesterday with my friend Lara and her 5-month-old star, Hayden. Such a sweet lunch. I plum forgot to take photos as I was so smitten with her little guy's smile. Lara and I discovered we both love owls — and she showed me photos of Hayden in a sleep sack. Babies look so cute all snug in a sleep sack. And low and behold, I just stumbled upon a sleep sack with owls, and one with paper dolls! Both are from Dwell. Insanely adorable.

rikshaw design

Last week I had a sweet visit with the oh-so-lovely Melissa and Angela of Ruby Press. One of their new clients, Rikshaw Design, absolutely bowled me over with these hand block-printed designs. It was one of those moments when you're sad to be size grownup as this line is for the kiddos: diaper pouches, bib sets, crib bedding, twin bedding (new), and adorable stuffed elephants. Wow. I may not be familiar with the diaper pouch market, but I'm willing to put a wager on these diaper pouches from Rikshaw being the cutest. I just love the bohemian style of the entire line. The kids market has sure come a long way.

Also, I thought the story behind Rikshaw was interesting. The creator and designer, Catherine Fitzsimmons, used to work as a visual merchandiser for Ralph Lauren and then a textile buyer for Pottery Barn. She traveled to India where she fell in love with the tradition of Indian block-printing. And so, Rikshaw Design was born. 

 

Another kid thing I've had my eyes on: I'm super excited to see Where the Wild Things Are. Did any of you see it over the weekend? I'm hoping to catch it this week!

{photographs from rikshaw design}

party flags + garlands

I'm opening this Monday with a peek at lovely work by Llubav. I can't resist a garland of felt party flags. Could these garlands be any sweeter? Sure, a garland looks adorable in a nursery — but I'm thinking I may hang one over my next home office space. Nothing like creating a party where you work.

And for upcoming parties, Llubav designed the perfect party flag stationery. By the way, her site itself feels like popping into a treasure. Llubav has a blog as well, which is another dose of eye candy. (I love the wedding album cover she made!)

{top two photographs by 3photographers}

p.s. I have a big announcement today — stay tuned!