A brand new baby

Arthur's room featured on babyspace ...

2010-08-24T23:24:00.000+02:00

http://www.babyspace.net.au/2010/08/room-for-baby-peachy-keen.html

I feel so proud !

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Arthur is growing so fast !

2010-08-24T13:16:00.000+02:00

We're on holidays at my parents !

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Summer holidays !

2010-08-06T21:38:00.000+02:00

Summer getaway in South of France ...

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Meet our son !!

2010-07-17T14:14:00.000+02:00

Arthur Germain Georges, born on June, 30th at 1.33 am.

Our world is no longer the same !!!

More pics on my other blog HERE.

A "Margaret sling bag" with Liberty

2010-06-16T08:58:00.000+02:00

Once again, I invite you to take a look at my other blog to see my latest sewing project. Have fun ! (only 12 more days to go before meeting Baby - officially !)

A super easy DIY box pouch (with Liberty fabric)

2010-06-12T16:41:00.000+02:00

Find the (great) tutorial here.

You can read the entire post about it on my other blog : Noces de Coton

DIY stenciled laundry bag and embroidered fish softie

2010-06-11T19:07:00.000+02:00

As I'm getting ready for my upcoming hospital stay, I realized I could use a laundry bag (not just a random plastic bag) : I assume people will use the bathroom when they visit me and the baby, and they will see all my stuff in there, so let's stay elegant with nice accessories ... Does it make me a weird perfectionist ?

This was my first experience with fabric paint, and I think I'll do that again very soon !! It's so simple, and gives a nice personalized touch ... and with the Liberty fabric, it's a real girl bag !!

I've also stitched a little fish and made a softie with it : I'll probably hang it to the stroller to entertain the baby. For now, I've attached it to my "baby bag" (awsome gift from my mother, thank you so much !)

Happy friday night everyone !

Stitching and sewing : my first quilted baby blanket

2010-06-09T09:46:00.000+02:00

Nope, still no baby !! He/she can be here anytime now. I'd been lying if I told you I wasn't getting a bit nervous about the whole labour thing ... Anyway, I try not to think about it all day long. How can I do that ? By staying busy ! Well, as much as I physically can...

I've prepared my luggage for the hospital (another post about that subject later this week, if I'm still at home of course ...), and even if I already made 2 blankets (see here, and here), I wanted to sew another one, a bit bigger, and with a quilt look. I've also incorporated some stitching (I started stitching a few weeks ago, OMG, I'm a real pregnant Martha Stewart now !!).

The quilt pattern was very simple : 7x7 fabric squares (including 5 stitched ones - I've used this free cupcake embroidery pattern). Some polar fleece for the back, some machine quilting on a few squares, and a blanket stitch for the border. And of course a few hours of work ...

And here's the result. Without showing off too much, I'm kinda proud of myself, as it's my first incursion in the quilting world !

A closer look at the cupcake stitching :

I love this blanket, it's so soft and warm, I bet the baby will like it too ... And I hope he/she'll keep it for a long time. And as I obviously couldn't stitch his/her name, I wrote "Baby" and "2010", so it's kinda personalized ... and he/she'll know his/her mama made this just before his/her birth !! I'm sort of getting tired of not knowing if it's a HIM or a HER !!! We've been picking names and some are so cute, I wish I had boy and girl twins so that I can use them !!

I've also made some hooded baby towels, with matching bibs (among other things since my last post - back in May, I feel so ashamed !)

I hope you like these new homemade baby accessories.

I'm sorry if I don't write very often during these final pregnancy weeks (some of you have been wondering what was going on around here, thanks for your kind emails by the way !) but when I'm done sewing, crafting and shopping for baby stuff all day long, I usually just fall asleep, without taking the time to write about it ! I promise I'll get back to a more regular rhythm soon.

I'm still enjoying your blogs everyday though (check out this cute blog I've discovered a few days ago) !

Have a great day !!

Back from the countryside !

2010-05-16T17:57:00.000+02:00

I might have noticed that I have been MIA this week. No, I didn't have the baby yet (only 6 weeks to go though ...), but we've been away for a few days with some friends in their beautiful countryside house.

But I managed to stay productive during our getaway. Here's a peak at my new project :

And the great thing about it is that I can work on it in the car ...

... by the pool ...

... or by the fireplace !

That's right, I started stitching ! Another mum-to-be-craft I wanted to discover .... More about that next week. By then, enjoy a great sunday night !

Thrifted table for the nursery : from random wood to fun turquoise !

2010-05-09T20:21:00.000+02:00

Hi ! I hope you had a great week-end !

We're back from our friend's wedding. It was a beautiful day, and the bride and groom were gorgeous. I even managed to stay at the party till 1.30 am !!! I feel so tired now ... But it was worth it !

Here I am with my darling sisters ...

... and with my big belly !

This week I've been working on a little table for the nursery. It's not the first one I picked (see here), but a new one I've found at my favorite thrift store, for 5€ I think.

So, after sanding (ouch, my back !!), applying some primer and 2 coats of white paint, I've decided to add a fun touch by using turquoise chalkboard paint on the top. I'd bought the paint a long time ago, but didn't get a chance to try it before. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Here it was before : great shape, but with damaged wood ...

During the project ...

And here's the result (with my little Egmont rabbit lamp on it) :

With the light on ...

Just to give you an idea of the atmosphere at night ... Great for night breastfeeding !

And since my paint brushes were out, I also gave an old random plastic tray a new look with some black chalkboard paint (I feel so foolish not to have taken a "before" picture, it had some weird flowers on it !) ...

I don't know what's with me now, but I can't help picturing everything with chalkboard paint on it. Is it serious doctor ?

DIY paper pom poms for the nursery

2010-05-07T14:15:00.000+02:00

I guess you've already seen these paper pom-poms on different blogs, especially for weddings ... I've been thinking about adding them in the nursery. They seemed a great way to complete the fairy/fun look I've initiated with the fabric garland (thanks Spearmint Baby for featuring it by the way !).

For the tutorial, see here. They're so easy to make !!

And here it is .... before :

And now, with the pom poms :

What do you think ?

This week-end we're off to a friend's wedding. I've known the groom forever (he's my best friend's brother). I can't wait !

A DIY Carribean inspired baby sleeping-bag ...

2010-05-03T19:58:00.000+02:00

Check out my other blog here to see more pictures of today's sewing project. Enjoy !

Nursery progress - What a difference a chair, a garland and curtains make !

2010-05-02T20:32:00.000+02:00

I'm officially 7 months pregnant and our June deadline is getting closer ...

The Baby is kicking so much all day long now, it's so funny to see my belly moving at the same time !! My back still hurt, and sometimes I can barely walk because of water retention (Thank God I'm having the Baby in June and not in September !) ... But it's still a great time in our life, and I'm so grateful for this wonderful experience so far !

So, as we're getting ready for the Baby, the nursery is getting ready too. Since the last post, we've added :
- orange curtains (from Ikea, see here), I love the blue/orange combo, I think it's pretty sophisticated and it gives a great personality to the whole room ...
- a white armchair (from Ikea too), it was previously used in our living-room,
- a DIY fabric garland, see below,
- and we also relocated a sheepskin throw from our living-room.

Making the garland was so easy : I just cut fabric triangles with this kind of scissors, and I sew all the triangles with bias. And voilà ! Pretty simple huh ?

I love the atmosphere of the room, it's very relaxing, yet joyful. I particularly like the sitting area, it'll be perfect for breastfeeding or just cuddling Baby ... Until now, I use it to read and get some rest.

We still have a few things to do and the nursery will be Baby-ready !

A DIY papercut framed sonogram

2010-04-13T14:41:00.000+02:00

I've written about a new papercut project in Noces de Coton (apparently, I can't stop papercutting lately...). I made it yesterday to embellish my baby's 2nd sonogram, I might do a similar one with an actual picture of him/her this summer. I think it's the best I've created so far ! Feel free to take a look here.

Spring inspired DIY papercut ...

2010-04-12T11:35:00.000+02:00

Check out my other blog Noces de Coton to see yesterday's craft project : 2 little frames with papercut. I hope you like them ! More to come soon ...

Have a great monday !!!

Nursery progress - A DIY colourful canvas

2010-04-10T13:13:00.006+02:00

Remember my "to do" list about the nursery ?

Still to do :

~~# Add curtains~~ : done, pictures to come in a next post

~~# Paint a canvas~~ : done : see below

# Sew more baby blankets (first one here)

~~# Sew another crib bedding~~ : see this post

# Add a comfortable armchair (I plan to breastfeed, so I'll spend a lot of time on it)

~~# Add more shelves, above the bookcase~~ : done, pictures to come in a next post

# Add more family pictures

So here is the new painting, hanging above the changing table. It matches the crib bedding (the "real" blue is a little lighter). I've hung it high enough so the baby can't touch it when he/she's on the changing table.

It took me less than 3 hours to paint it and for about 25€ (canvas + paint), it gives a "dramatic" look to this area.

We rent our apartment, so we can't change the walls' colours. This big canvas is our alternative to new paint or wallpaper ... and we can change it as soon as we want to create a different look.

What do you think ?

Nursery progress - Adding a clothes rack in the closet

2010-04-01T21:02:00.001+02:00

In order to avoid any clutter when the baby's here, we probably should anticipate and get things organized straight away ... We all know how it works : baby's birth > lots of gifts > lots of storage need > potential risk of big mess ...

We already have some storage in the nursery, with half a closet (the other half is dedicated to my own clothes) and the vintage chest or drawers (also known as the changing table).

I want to keep the lower part clear for the diaper genie, big bags of diapers, a clothes hamper, etc.
The other stuff we'll need like lotions for the baby's sweet little bottom will be hidden in the closet.

But we still need to hang some baby clothes somewhere. So I've replaced one of the shelves with a clothes rack (total project cost : around 6€ - Time spent : around 10 min). Basically, I've put one of the shelves away and just screwed a rack from our local DIY store underneath the last one.

And voilà !

A cheap & quick but necessary closet adjustment. I can't wait to shop for/with the baby when he/she's here : either for a boy or a girl, this will be so much fun ! I can already hear the Pretty Woman soundtrack when I picture myself picking up my daughter's first "fancy dress" (for my aunt's wedding in August) or my son's first jeans (I wonder if I can find a tuxedo for a 2 month old around here ...) !

A DIY aqua & green crib bumper and a matching blanket

2010-03-31T17:50:00.000+02:00

In addition to the first one (see the last post), I've made another crib set, including a bumper and a blanket.

I wanted to use the same turquoise fabric than the crib skirt (on the back), and another pretty fabric I've found on Quilthome.com (you should check them out, their fabric are amazing, with good prices and the shipping - international shipping from me as I live in France - is quite fast).

As I'm due in June, I wanted to create a summer inspired nursery, with a touch of vintage (hence the differents items from our childhood, and the thrifted decorations). I love the aqua/green combination, I think it looks great for a gender neutral nursery, and I'm definitely not afraid of using blue even for a girl. And I think this colour combo does create a sunny / summer look.

Here it is with the matching blanket.

A closer look at the green fabric by Kate Spain.

I love that the back of the bumper and the crib skirt match.

And here's the matching blanket (I've used a polar blanket from Ikea for the back). Of course, it won't be used IN the crib at the beginning.

I've added some pom-pom to get a fun & less conventional look.

Do you like it ?

Nursery progress - The first pictures !

2010-03-30T10:44:00.000+02:00

Today I enter the 3rd trimester. Yep, 6 months pregnant and looking forward to the next step ... the actual mum & dad thing ! Still 3 months to go. But it's spring, and those 3 months should be sunny and joyful (and hopefuly with less acid stomach issues and other pregnancy painful disorders ...).

Anyway, we've been working like crazy on getting our home ready for the baby. We live in a 2 bedroom condo, so the baby will get his/her own room. It used to be our home office/guest bedroom, so we've had to reorganize a lot of things in the other rooms of the appartment to get it empty.

Here's a peak of what it looked like until recently :

Check out here to see what happened to the bookcase.

And here it is now, the room looks so much bigger :

Bookcase : Expedit - Ikea
Crib : Gulliver - Ikea
Wall shelves : similar ones can be found at Ikea

It still misses some storage baskets on the lower part of the bookcase, either this one, or this one.

The porcelain teddy bear piggy bank was thrifted for 3€ and spray painted in white.

Here's how it looked when I got it :

And here it is after a few coats of paint:

Much better, don't you think ?

The cute Bambi toy belonged to my mum. I used to play with it when I was a little girl during summer holidays at my grandma's. The cookie vintage iron box was thrifted.

I'm thinking about having some music in the nursery, hence the Ipod.

More about the elephant softie here.

More about the DIY lampshade here.

I'm so in love with these shelves. It creates a great display for less than 15€, and I'll use them to display books when the baby gets older.

3 golden frames (cheap ones from our local DIY store), with some songs and lullaby lyrics I've printed on the same paper than our wedding stationery. And of course Sophie !

From left to right : the DIY family puzzle block, a little leather purse from my grandma's (also something I played a lot with), 2 books also from my grandma's, and 2 thrifted brass owls (3€ for the 2 of them).

From left to right : a DIY fabric ball, 2 frames from Habitat, a thrifted brass horse, my first Kusudama flowers project.

The DIY cardboard deer head will not be above the crib (kind of creepy from the baby's point of view ...). I sew the bumper and the crib skirt, and I'll make another bedding set soon (I'd like to be able to change it once in a while). More about the thrifted rocking horse project here.

The fabric is Del Hi by Valori Wells. I think it works well for either a boy or a girl.

The back of the bumper is Flights of Fancy by Paula Prass.
I love the crib skirt fabric (a silky turquoise) : it adds a glamour/luxury accent to the whole crib, and it reflects the light.

I've also made a fabric garland to add some fun to the crib.

The changing table is a thrifted chest of drawers. The frame above is another DIY project.

Here's my next project. More sanding, painting ... sigh ...

Still to do :
# Add curtains
# Paint a canvas
# Sew more baby blankets (first one here)
# Sew another crib bedding
# Add a comfortable armchair (I plan to breastfeed, so I'll spend a lot of time on it)
# Add more shelves, above the bookcase
# Add more family pictures
# And other fun projects ...

I'm a "stay-at-home-mom-to-be", so I have plenty of time to put together a nice room for our baby, but I need to take it slow, because my back hurts quite a bit.

But what do you think so far ? Do you like it ?

Before & After - The 4€ thrifted rocking horse

2010-03-23T19:42:00.000+01:00

I hope everyone had a nice week-end. We've spent ours with my parents and my sisters, and I spent some time in my father's workshop (he's building a wooden boat in there, so he's fully equiped in DIY tools!).

Remember this baby I've found last week ?

I wanted to give it a fresh new look, and to get rid of the blue/white/red drawings.

So after sanding it, applying a coat of primer and 2 coats of white paint ...

... and after drawing a chevron pattern on the seat (I seem to be in a chevron phase, see this project for example)... Here it is now, brand new !

For the chevron zig-zag : first I've painted the pattern using masking tape in a light grey, then I applied some white glossy spray paint over it to get a very subtle /almost invisible (and gender neutral) effect. I might add some colour in the future, but I need to see the horse "in action" when the nursery's done before making a colour decision ...

So, what do you think ? Do you like this new white modern look ? Do you have a rocking horse at home ?

***

Oh, and a very happy birthday to my baby sister Gaëlle, who's turning 21 today ! Check out my other blog for fun pictures of my beautiful sister : here, here, and here (enjoying cocktails in our garden last summer - at the end of the video) !

Here we are yesterday at our parents', before blowing out our candles (21 for her, 28 for me). We usually celebrate our birthday together, because mine is March, 10th.

Here is my mum, and my other little sister, Gabrielle. All 3 of us have different hair colour, and I'm the only one who hasn't got beautiful blue eyes ... And usually I'm not this "chubby", I'm enclined to blame my unborn child for this ... Hopefully, in 3 months (ok, maybe 4 or 5), I'll look better ...

2 new great thrift finds !!

2010-03-19T17:56:00.002+01:00

I'm a thrifty mood this week, and as I got lucky on wednesday (see last post here), I went back to my local-French-goodwill this afternoon.

And guess what I've found !!!!

Yep, that's right !!!

I've find another rocking horse, very similar to the 1rst one (even if it misses the back of the seat). I couldn't believe it (I should play the lottery this week ...).

My mum is thrilled to get her own rocking horse for the baby ! She's going to paint it in her own colours, and Baby will enjoy it with his/her grandparents when we visit - especially with grandpa as he had horses when he was young. This little one is definitely already spoiled !

And I also found a cute ceramic elephant. I'd already thrifted this one a few weeks ago.

And this is today's find (6€)

After a few glossy white spray paint coats ...

I LOVE IT !! I might use it as a bookend in the nursery. Bonne soirée !!

Another great thrift find for the nursery : a rocking horse

2010-03-18T18:02:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I went to the French equivalent of Goodwill (one of my favorite place for treasure hunting).

Going there is a real adventure. It only opens on wednesday and friday afternoons, and on saturdays. You need to get there at least 10 min before they open the doors, because at 2pm, it's crouded and everybody literally runs inside !! And all the good items are gone in like 10 min .... so it's kind of a sport for me.
Usually I go directly to the lamp section, and then to the other decor items and the furniture (you can see some of my finds here).

I almost never go to the baby/kid section.
But yesterday, after finding another lamp, I've taken a quick look in that area and suprise ! I ran directly into that baby (angels singing) :

And yes, I got it for only ... 4€ !!!

After checking on the Internet, I've discovered that it's probably been "inspired" by this famous Baltic Rocking Horse,"in production for more then 50 years". The difference is that the original one costs around 150$. I think it's safe to say that I got lucky on that one ...

One great thing I love about it is the back on the seat : it's safer for the baby, and he/she might be able to use it before his/her first birthday I guess. Meanwhile, it's going to look great in the nursery.

I'm already working on it to give it a more modern look, using the nursery colours. I'll share the result with you of course (probably next week, I'll paint it over the week-end).

Here's one last pic of my new treasure :

That baby is one lucky guy/girl : I wish I had a rocking horse when I was a kid !

Pregnancy update - 10 days until 3rd trimester !!!

2010-03-18T15:36:00.000+01:00

Hi !!!

Our sunny holiday's been great !! It felt so good to enjoy a summer week in the middle of March ! My only problem over there was water retention (I know it's very common during pregnancy, especially with hot weather) : by the end of the day, I could barely walk ... I hope June won't be too hot, I don't want to have Dumbo legs again !

Today, I'm 10 days away from the 3rd trimester and I'm so looking forward to the finishing line of the pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant but we just can't wait to finally meet our little prince / princess in June.

He/she's kicking so much, mostly when I lie down. It's almost like a signal : everytime I lie down, it's party time in there !

Here I am during our vacation, check out this big-almost-6-months-pregnant-belly : I think it's huge !!!

Picking up some volcanic black sand ...

Life's hard !

Oh and here's the hubby : pretty darn cute huh ?

I have new stuff to share about the nursery. I'll post another message in the next few hours, stay tuned !

DIY - A chevron papercut artwork with animal shape

2010-03-05T21:53:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone !

I won't be very productive on my blogs next week, because tomorrow I'm heading toward the sunny beaches of Guadeloupe (Carribean island) : our last trip before Baby ! I can't wait, although I'm not looking forward to the eight hours flight to get there ...

Before I go, here's a little papercut artwork I did today for the nursery.

I love chevrons, and I'd been thinking about adding some in the nursery. So I thought I might cut a chevron pattern out of paper (I've been doing a lot of papercuts lately, see here for example) and frame it for a cool/almost free/gender neutral DIY artwork.
I'd already tried a small one last night using basic white paper (I mean, between 4:30am and 5:30am .. terrible night, couldn't sleep ! Again ... see here).

For this one, instead of having a simple chevron pattern in my Ikea frame, I've decided to add a little animal shape (to give it a cute "baby's room" look), and to match my new lamp.

To make it, I've cut some white glossy wrapping paper, and I've add some fake wood adhesive (already used here) in the back. I'll write more about the how-to when I get back. You can really have fun with this technique !!

Have a great week !!

Nursery inspiration - Happy turquoise

2010-03-02T12:28:00.001+01:00

I absolutely adore these nurseries. Great colours for either a boy or a girl !
I wish mine turns out this good !

Source

And check out those beautiful fabrics ! (I might order some of them soon)

Source

(I've already ordered those last three, I'll share more about it during the week)

Source

Great for girls

Source

With a pop of orange

Source

Aqua + green/lime/yellow : great combo

Source

Another DIY bib with another shape

2010-03-01T16:17:00.000+01:00

I've tried another pattern this afternoon, and and like it ! The bib is reversible, and I've used one of my favorite polka dot fabric (already used here), and some velcro on the back.

DIY reversible baby bib with bias

2010-03-01T11:10:00.000+01:00

A little bib try this morning, with biais tape and my first applique attempt. It didn't turned out so bad, but I still need to practice, especially with the bias technique !!

Green polka dot DIY bib

2010-02-28T19:01:00.001+01:00

Today is a special day for us : I'm officially 5 months pregnant, and beginning my 6th month ! I can't believe I'm in the 2nd half of the pregnancy ... Until now, it's all been great : no morning sickness, YES !!! But I've been exhausted through the 1rst trimester, my back hurts quite a bit now and I'm having the worst time sleeping, but I can't really complain. I think it's the price to pay for not having been sick in the beginning ...

In today's sewing session, another bib (I'm so in love with this green polka dot fabric, I think it looks great for either a boy or a girl).

I've been trying different patterns, I'll publish my favorite one next week.

2 new homemade baby bibs

2010-02-27T10:47:00.001+01:00

Made with terry-cloth on the back ...

For more diy bibs, check here !

Have a great saturday !

My baby projects so far ...

2010-02-26T13:03:00.002+01:00

As I said in my first post, I've already created a few things for the baby, you can see them in my other blog www.nocesdecoton.canalblog.com. As we don't know the sex of the baby (and we don't want to know until the birth), I try to make everything "gender neutral", I'll write soon about the nursery style and the colors / fabrics involved !

A bird mobile (I'll sew other birds with new fabric, stay tuned ...)

A colourful and cosy blanket (once again, I'll sew more ...)

A baby sleeping-bag

My first softie

My second softie : a baby elephant

A family portrait block puzzle

A cardboard deer head

1rst bibs, burp cloths and washable wipes

Thrift find : a (small) brass rocking horse !

A thrifted lamp redo

What do you guys think ? Have you done similar projects for your kids ? Feel free to share !!

Right now, I'm working on other sewing projects : bibs, crib bumper, ... Stay tuned !

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog !!

2010-02-26T11:21:00.002+01:00

My name is Marianne, I'm 28, I've been married to a great man named Laurent since 2008.

I'm a French blogger, and you might know me from my other blog : www.nocesdecoton.canalblog.com (about home, DIY and crafts), which is written in both french and english.

Well, ever since I found out I was pregnant with my first child in October, I've been making a lot of things for the baby, and I figured out that my other blog shouldn't be all-baby-related. So today I've decided to create another blog, dedicated to our baby to come !

"A brand new baby" will be about pregnancy, crafting, sewing, nursery ideas and of course ... BABY (expected in late June, can't wait !). I'll write mostly in english.

I hope you'll enjoy your visit, and I can't wait to share my inspirations and my projects with you !