– my Target finds (mentioned here) that I’m still obsessed with –
– enjoying floral arrangements from an earlier photoshoot in our home –
– a sneak peek at my custom office chandelier from Sullivan + Phenix –
– upholstering a bench of Christian’s grandparents –
It’s been a few weeks since I posted my last Friday’s Five, and I had so much fun taking these photos! I typically try to post on CBL 4-5x a week, but with a two month old… 3x a week has been all I’ve been capable of lately. I do have help a few days a week but until he’s older and on a more reliable schedule, this is where we are.
I’ve continued to put the final touches on some of the rooms in our home. We’re waiting on a few last deliveries that are finally arriving, praise be! With that, Christian keeps telling me to stop “tinkering” with different rooms. I keep rearranging bookshelves, looking for nooks to hang the remaining art we haven’t hung, switching lamps around… I need to just leave things alone. It just feels so good to finally be in a space that doesn’t feel like I need to apologize to those who visit for “the mess!”
While the days are busy working from home, finishing home projects and taking care of a babe… I still prioritize two things each day. To pause and snuggle with Hudson, really soaking it up. I know a year from now I’ll want to remember those cuddles, his smell, the coo’s. And to do something for myself. That might be a walk, exercising on our treadmill, a face mask, organizing a closet – anything. That alone and quiet time makes me instantly feel a little more balanced and connected to myself.
How do you make time for yourself each day? I’d love to hear. Thanks so much for reading and have a beautiful weekend – XO –
I was planning on waiting until Hudson was out of the newborn phase to share our tried and true, but so many of you have requested this post so I’m going to share what we are really loving so far!
H is 8 weeks old and the below are some of our must-haves:
Comotomo Bottles | We have a few different kinds of bottles but these are my favorite. They have fewer pieces to clean and fit into our bottle warmer perfectly.
MAM Pacifiers | My SIL said babies “choose” a pacifier. We have all these cute ones that I’ve tried to get H to like and nope, he like these glow-in-the-dark ones. We continually go back to them, so he has indeed, chosen.
Burp Cloths | We have been given so many adorable burp cloths, but I continually reach for these. They are so soft and the perfect size.
Boon Bath Tub | Hudson has always liked baths and I credit this tub. He is able to sit up in a comfortable position without slipping. And as my mom once said, “be careful… wet babies are very slippery!” It sounds ridiculous… but they are.
Doona Stroller | Wow wow wow. Where do I begin? This single piece stroller/car seat combo is incredible. It’s small and compact, making running errands as simple as possible. Hudson also is known to take some of his naps in it because he loves how cozy it is.
Baby Shusher | People told me to get this and I thought it was so dumb and a waste of money. Fast-forward a month into H’s existence and I bought it. I was wrong – it’s actually the best. I always take it with me in case of a public meltdown when the sound machine isn’t nearby. It helps calm him in fussy fits… it is in fact, the greatest.
Lounger | We use this lounger every single day. On the bed, on the sofa, in a bassinet for a short nap, Hudson loves this thing. Honestly I wish they made it in my size.
Pampers Diapers | We have tried a few different kinds and Pampers is the best by far. Less blowouts, the line that shows if the diaper is wet or not… they are just the most functional. This was a recommendation by a friend with twins (and OBGYN!), and she’s right. After enough outfit changes, we use the Baby-Dry diapers.
Amazon Baby Wipes | On that note, we have also tried lots of wipes and these are our favorite – also recommended by a mom friend.
Keekaroo Peanut Changer | A gift from my manager, this changing pad rules. If there are any accidents, you just wipe it down and move on.
Socks | I love how soft these are. For a splurge, these are also amazing!
Fleece Halo Swaddle | The hospital we had Hudson in actually let us go home with this one and I feel like he sleeps more soundly in it because it’s so warm. I don’t mess with DIY swaddling. Stick with the zip up or velcro. Know thyself.
Taking Cara Babies | I have Moms on Call and 12 Hours by 12 Weeks, but the Taking Cara Babies course has by far been the piece that has given us the biggest results. After taking this course, I instantly felt like I could pick up on cues from Hudson. Worth the time and money, 100x over.
These are my favorites so far for 0-3 months! Let me know if you have any must-haves that weren’t on this list. I’d love to hear. Thanks so much for reading and sharing – XO –
As of this week (!!!), the main level of our house is almost complete. It feels so wild to actually say that, but I have spent countless hours working on this space to try to make our first home feel more mature than our previous apartments. Knowing we will be here for *hopefully* quite some time, I’ve been mindful to choose and invest in timeless, versatile and classic pieces that can be moved around room to room. This is especially helpful if we were to ever move in the future into another home… pieces could move around!
Now I’ve shifted to finishing our basement and patio that have sat mostly empty since we moved here in July. This means in addition to the dining room and nursery reveal, I have a living room, bedroom, den + kitchen + breakfast room (this is one large space so I’ll be sharing all of this together) and office reveal coming very soon!
In Target news, we bought two of these egg chairs for the patio and they’re even more amazing in person (photo here). I bought two of these giant poufs for the sectional that’s going in the basement and they are soooo comfy. I found this vase and this tray at Target this week and can’t believe how expensive they look in person. I love them!
I have a match striker on my wish list. This floor lamp is really speaking to me… I’m wondering if Christian would let me splurge. Also… what is y’alls thoughts on firewood racks. Helpful? Not helpful? We have a giant stack of firewood on our patio but I’m thinking… what does one do with the rack during the seasons that firewood isn’t necessary?
Now that we are in a home larger than our former apartment, I actually need more coffee table books. I recently bought this one and have my eye on a few more. Do you have any favorite design books?
I am so excited to share Hudson’s room with you guys! It’s probably the most special room in our house because it was my first time looking at cribs, rockers, baby toys, etc. A completely new kind of project but so much fun.
I worked on this space with Pottery Barn Kids… and no one does a sweeter nursery than Pottery Barn. They have so many beautiful children’s pieces – everything from cribs and bookshelves to swaddles, play mats, travel cribs, baby carriers – the list goes on.
The crib, dresser and glider are all Greenguard Gold Certified. This means that they are made from sustainably sourced, chemical-free materials. These products are screened for more than 10,000 chemicals that are known to pollute the air in your home. This is something I hadn’t considered until I started reading about it and now I can’t stop thinking about it! When you look at items on the PBK site you’ll see little stamps showing you what is fair trade and Greenguard Gold Certified.
I’m breaking down where every single item is from below. I also wanted to share my vision for the room before we started! This room is at the end of the hallway upstairs. My thoughts were that it would remain the nursery for all of our children. I wanted all of the big items to be gender-neutral, with a few splashes of blue throughout. This way when Hudson is old enough to sleep in a bigger bed we can move the Babar art and blue rug with him and leave the rest for the next baby.
Pottery Barn has so many gender-neutral items that it made pulling this room together so easy. I love how we carry the animal theme throughout the room not only with stuffed animals and art, but also with books, play mats, this quilt, organic bedding and changing pad covers.
I spend so much time in this little room. It’s such a happy place to walk into each time I feed Hudson and get him dressed for the day or bedtime. I know there are going to be so many memories made here, and I can’t wait to watch him grow into it.
I get a lot of questions about the different art and gallery walls in our Georgia home, so I wanted to put a few photos together with my tips and advice when choosing custom framing.
When we were in Europe this summer on our babymoon (posts on that here, here, here and here), I bought an Hermés scarf of a map of Paris as a souvenir that I could frame in an acrylic frame in our living room. I took the scarf to a local framing shop, only to find out the cost of framing it was more than the actual scarf. And the scarf was Hermés. Yowza!
I did a little research and discovered a few things. For acrylic frames, Etsy had much better prices than my local shop. I bought this frame and framed the scarf myself for less than half the cost I was originally quoted.
For smaller custom framing, Framebridge had the best prices. I sent off the above map of Paris and three Babar prints (featured below) we bought on our trip for Hudson’s nursery. I picked out custom framing for each piece online and they were mailed back to me so beautifully, you would honestly think it cost double of what it actually does.
As for gallery walls – the key in my opinion is laying out the pieces on the floor and measuring. First, measure the space you’re working with. Tape that off on the floor (or use paper or something to create boundaries so you know what you’ve got to play with). Move the frames around within the space until you have a layout that works for you and then go for it. You can get hardcore with the measurements if you’re into that or you can wing it. I typically… wing it. Christian is hardcore measurement man. It’s whatever strikes your fancy!
A cheater tip is to put a tiny piece of toothpaste on the pack of a frame where the nail should be. Hold it to the wall where you want it to go. When you remove the frame, you’ll know to put the nail where the toothpaste is. This was always my strategy until Christian came along and took over. But it rarely failed me!
acrylic frame | all other pieces from Ballard Designs and will be in a full room reveal soon!
gold frames | full nursery details will be in tomorrow’s blog post!
And onto the staircase (below!). I knew when we bought this home I would want black and white framing up the staircase. I worked with Framebridge and uploaded five black and white photos from different adventures in California into these frames and couldn’t love the way it turned out more. So crisp and clean and a nod to some of our West Coast memories.
Another custom framing element I wanted to talk about was this chalkboard. For over 10 years I had a tall, thin chalkboard I used in every house/apartment I lived in. My mom made it for me in college. We would write to do’s, grocery list items, the week’s menu, etc. on it. In this house, I just couldn’t find the right spot for it and ended up giving it my sister.
My mom and I had the idea to frame a chalkboard to make it look a little more polished. I had this frame made locally for around $200 and bought chalk paint and plywood. Looking at this now, I might need to throw one more coat of chalk paint on it, but we’ve used it constantly. The cool thing about this is that you can customize the size to whatever wall you’re putting it on!
Bonus points: when nieces/nephews/friends kids come over, it’s a hit.
Let me know if you have any framing favorite sources – I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading, and you can see more home features in the “home” category of this site. XO –
We have been working on this dining room transformation for several months, so I am so excited to share these photos with you guys! I partnered with Pottery Barn to create this moody and romantic space that I hope will create memories and spark candlelit conversations for many years to come.
Originally the walls were painted navy blue and I loved how the darkness worked for the space. The bottom half of the walls are wainscoting. I thought a moody floral wallpaper on the top half of the walls would have a nice masculine/feminine balance.
For me, the showstopper in the room is this gorgeous Scarlett Crystal Chandelier. When it was hung, it instantly elevated the entire room.
When looking for pieces for this room, I instantly fell in love with this Avondale Cabinet Buffet and then chose all of the other pieces around it. It was delivered to our house and wow. It was even more beautiful in person – so well made and sturdy. Both Christian and I love it! From there we chose this dark wood Banks Table (comes in two sizes) and Faith Display Cabinet.
I knew I wanted a contrast between the table and chairs. But I was still a little nervous to go with white. I thought they would look beautiful, but I didn’t want to be the person fearing guests would spill on upholstered furniture. After speaking with one of Pottery Barn’s designers from their free design service, I felt like if we went with Sunbrella fabric we could have the best of both. Watch this demonstration on Sunbrella. It’s kind of mind blowing!
The wallpaper finished being installed while we were in the hospital with Hudson (this train never stops moving, people!), and everything really came together. I love that this is one of the first rooms you see when you walk through our front door. It’s dreamy!
By popular demand, I’m sharing what I packed for the hospital! I polled you guys on Instagram if you wanted to see the items we used or both the items we used and didn’t use, and everyone said both. So here we are.
If you’re one of the 5 or fewer men that read this blog occasionally… you might want to skip the below. This is a post for the ladies and could be read as TMI if it doesn’t pertain to you! That’s your warning.
I used my MZ Wallace bags for the hospital and per usual, they were amazing. These bags weigh nothing, can be wiped down easily and hold SO much. I love, love, love them and plan on using them for Hudson’s diaper bag as well with a ToteSavvy insert.
For Me | Packed and Needed:
Two pairs of comfortable pajamas that button (for feeding)
Blankets – our room wasn’t cold, if anything it was warm so I definitely didn’t need this
Socks – I opted for slippers
Pads – hospital provided them
Squirt Bottle – hospital provided and I liked theirs better
Perineal Cold Packs – hospital provided “padsicles” that are way better than these. They taught me how to make them for the first few days home. Soak a pad in water and then fold up, ringing out excess water. Layer them flat with wax paper between layers and stick them in the freezer. These end up being much more absorbent than the cold packs.
Snacks – I had brought all of these snacks because I had been told I’d be starving, etc. I barely touched them. I felt like the hospital was always bringing me food and water. Christian also hopped out to pick up food a few times. We barely touched the bag. That being said, I did arrive at the hospital 8cm dilated, so we didn’t have a lot of chill time prior to delivery. Better safe than sorry, but I just wanted to be honest that we didn’t up needing this!
**This being said, hospitals will feed you but some do not necessarily feed your partner meals. Christian has employee privileges at the hospital where I delivered so he could go to the lounge or grab food quickly nearby. BUT, I didn’t realize this and thought it might be helpful to know!**
And there you have it! We stayed in the hospital two nights, and I definitely packed too much stuff. But even looking back, better to have it and not use it than need it and have to send out for it.
When we left, the hospital sent us with a swaddle, pacifier and lots of things for me – extra squirt bottle, mesh underwear, pads, etc. Take these! They have plenty and they can’t repurpose them from your room. You’ll use them at home.
I hope this list will be helpful to you if a hospital stay is in your future! This was my first time ever spending the night in a hospital, so I certainly learned a lot. I’m immensely thankful to the doctors and nurses who made our stay so comfortable. I look back on Hudson’s delivery as the most wonderful experience (more on that here), and feel endlessly grateful for our time there.
If you packed something that’s not on this list that was helpful, please let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading and sharing. And you can see my maternity must-haves here! XO –
Before I share Hudson’s full nursery with you guys, I wanted to share a peek into his custom closet that was designed by The Container Store. I have loved my closet transformation so much (video tour here), so I was definitely excited to update this nursery closet into a more functional space.
Before it was installed, the closet was simply one shelf and a hanging rod. Below I’m sharing a “before” photo from another closet upstairs with the same layout. Considering baby clothes hang less than two feet… that’s a lot of wasted space. With the Elfa Decor closet, we now have multiple shelves, drawers with dividers and floor space for a significantly larger amount of storage.
While I have the Avera Custom Closet line downstairs, the Elfa line is such a great choice for babies and kids. As they grow up and their clothes take up a different amount of space, you can move the shelves and drawers around, continuing to customize the space to meet your needs.
AND The Container Store currently has an Elfa sale (30% off!) going on through the end of February! So if you want to start the year with a fresh, organized closet, there’s no better time to get a deal.
Depending on your space and budget, The Container Store Custom Closets has so many options of what you can do to organize your closet or small space. And trust me, once it’s updated you’re going to think, “why didn’t I do this years ago!?”
Thank you so much for reading – and the nursery reveal is coming next week. Can’t wait to share it with you! XO –
With New Year’s Eve around the corner, I wanted to share a few blog posts from 2019 that I would totally wear on NYE if I had some snazzy plans. You can also see some of 2018’s here and 2017’s here!
The blog posts with outfit details are linked underneath each photo – but let me know if you can’t find something. And wow… if some of these photos aren’t motivation for this postpartum body to get on the treadmill (it was a push present request), I don’t know what is. In January and February, you’ll find me and Hudson in the basement. On the treadmill. Watching Real Housewives.
I hope y’all have a fabulous and safe New Year’s! And whether it’s in sweatpants with pizza or in sequins with a glass of champagne, I know I’ll be spending some time looking back on the year. The highs the lows – you’ve got to have both in order to appreciate the most beautiful moments, you know?
And after being so glad to say goodbye to 2018 (blog post here), 2019 has been a much happier year filled with joy, new experiences, milestones and a whole lot of gratitude.
I hope you’re leaving 2019 with some happy memories, and if not – girl, I’ve been there. That’s one of the best things about starting a new year. Starting over. Who doesn’t like a fresh start?
Thank you so much for being a part of CBL and for your support, love and grace. The whole family appreciates you more than you know! XO –
Christmas Eve has arrived in the blink of an eye, can you believe it!? December has never breezed by faster, and we are so thankful to spend our first big holiday close to family… with family. And we can drive!! Christian does have to work some so I’ll be on my own for part of the week, but I think we got this.
I’ll admit there wasn’t nearly as much lying on the sofa watching holiday movies as I thought there would be (we still have time in January, right!?), but nonetheless it has been a very special season in the Barnes house.
I was behind on all of my Christmas shopping, didn’t get baby Hudson one thing (he racked up on his birthday, so I think he’ll survive) and only managed to get Christian one gift. But that’s the beauty of growing older and wiser. What do I need? Nothing. We feel extra thankful this year, and to be able to easily spend the week with aunts and uncles and cousins… it’s pretty wonderful.
I hope you will take some time this week to really reflect on all the blessings that 2019 brought to your life. And if it wasn’t your favorite year (I’ve had a few of those too… let’s not forget this post), let’s celebrate that it’s coming to an end. Nothing but new adventures and opportunities in 2020.
Isn’t it fabulous closing out one year and starting another? Nothing like a fresh start.
Happiest Holidays to you and yours. May it be full of reminiscing on old memories and making new ones. Thank you so much for reading and being a part of this special year. I am immensely grateful for you guys. Truly. XOXO –
– loving these black candles (similar candlesticks here) –
– seeing so many beautiful faces in our Christmas cards this year –
It’s the weekend before Christmas! WOW, this month has gone by in a flash more than ever. I barely got gifts for my nieces and nephews in time, and Christian only has one gift from me. One. I don’t feel great about it… but honestly it was the most I could do this year. Next year I will start planning earlier, for sure!
I can’t get enough of this MacKenzie-Childs nativity scene. My sister uses the one we grew up with, so I knew I would want one for our home now that we have Hudson. I love how creative and whimsical this one is, and I know we will love putting it out year after year.
As the year is coming to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you. To thank you as you’re reading this post for taking time out of your busy day to visit this blog, read these words, look at the photos we take and share with you. You are why I love my job. You are why I’m able to work and also be home to feed and take care of Hudson. You allow me to wake up and be excited about what I do. Thank you for being here and being a part of Carrie Bradshaw Lied. Truly.
I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend and get any of your last-minute shopping and buying taken care of! I plan on watching a Christmas movie with our first fireplace fire and wrapping the few items I have been on top of. I mean, you do what you can, right!? What is your go-to Christmas movie? Mine is probably While You Were Sleeping and The Family Stone. Some of my all time favorites are shared in this post.
I can’t believe that next week is Christmas. I know I have a three week old, but I am so behind on gifts for family. So much so that it is top of list today to get some of those orders in before it’s too late!
I’ve shared gift guides in the “holiday” page of this site (at the top in pink), including picks for her, for him and friends. Today I wanted to share a few picks for the home decor lover and why.
Shop the pieces by clicking directly on the collage or finding its associated number at the bottom of the collage!
I shared here that I can’t get enough of our SodaStream. I love it and use it far more than I thought I would. This would be such a great gift for anyone who is a Diet Coke fan. Some help to break the habit!
This tumbler can be used as a vase and adds a pop to any arrangement. I also love, love our tea kettle and think it makes such a kitchen statement.
I’ve shared how much fun we have with our Furbo. A great pick for the pet lover!
I have this coffee table book and love it. I was recently at a Dirty Santa party and there were two coffee table books in the lineup. They were some of the most coveted items at the party reminding me what a great gift they are.
This blanket is so incredibly soft, it is bound to be your favorite. And it’s 25% off right now!
We love board games, and I think it’s such a fun gift for an individual or family. Our most reached for games are the ones above.
If you have given or received any great home gifts, I’d love to hear what they were! Thanks so much for reading and sharing. If you’re also behind on your gifting… get on it this week, girl! XO –
