Ode to Water

The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. (Isak Dinesen)

I can't remember where I first heard this quote, but I love it. What is it about the water that is so comforting? I always feel more at peace and simply content when I am near the water. One of the reasons I love Chicago so much is because there is a juxtaposition of frenetic nightlife and culture against the calm of Lake Michigan. (And because I know some great people out there!) I was deleting some images from my huge file of pictures this evening and plucked out a few of my favorites- featuring peaceful bodies of water.

Chicago at night

Chicago again- on the Architecture Boat Tour

St. Maarten

Coronado Beach, California

Maui, Hawaii

Maui, Hawaii

La Jolla, California

Nursery Mural

I have been hard at work on the nursery mural and wanted to share the progression. It is still not done, as I am working on the clusters of flowers at the base of the tree, and I am majorly slowing down due to pregnancy. I was sitting on the floor to paint the other day and found it almost impossible to hoist myself back up!!! Here's hoping I finish soon- after all, baby is due to arrive in less than 7 weeks!

First order of business was making sure I laid out the measurements for where I planned to place the crib and glider in the room. That way I could lay out the mural around these pieces. I picked out some paint color chips at Lowes- as a lover of color, I could stand there all day debating over color choices!!

Made sure to find lots of inspiration for my tree. I wanted to have a lot of images with me to work from.

Olympic Paint is a chemical free brand of house paint. As I painted I made sure to open up windows and turn on the fan for extra ventilation.

As I began working on the tree, I decided I wanted to incorporate some more colors into the mural and what better way to do this than by adding some flowers. I love these graphic style flowers- they are my inspiration!

Here is the mural in progress. For some reason the walls look very grey, but they are more of a dusty blue color.

Beginnings of the flower clusters at the base of the tree. Still deciding whether I want to add some more colors and how far I want the flowers to climb up the tree!

Our new glider arrived from Target and rug from Pottery Barn kids. So far, very happy with the purchases!!

Setting Up Shop

I am finally transitioning my art supplies down to the basement and setting up a little space to work. Believe it or not, I have been working out of my living room for the past year. Luckily my husband hasn't seemed to mind the art supplies that have overtaken our house... or at least he hasn't told me that he minded :)

I have a really really small space to work with, as well as a pretty small budget. Keep in mind, this space is still a work in progress.

We were originally using these Expedit storage shelves from IKEA for books. I am slowly transitioning the books out and replacing them with my art supplies.  I am totally in love with this shelving system from IKEA. It is affordable and VERY easy to assemble. We also have a smaller set in our living room. Check them out here.

The "Itso Bin" from Target fits perfectly in the IKEA shelving system. Each bin is only $8-10 (depending on whether you buy a solid or a pattern style). I plan on purchasing more bins to store away some odds and ends.

Fun corkboards that I found at Target! They were about $8 for the set of 4.

Found this little red file cabinet at IKEA. It has a lot of drawers with bins that house a lot of different sections, so it's ideal for managing all of the decorative supplies that desperately need organization.