A Simple Kind of Life

14 June 2011

Mission: Mirror - Success?

A few days ago I posted about a wooden lattice mirror that I'm loving for the nursery.

The problem was it's $249 price tag. Trying to be the fiscally responsible mom-to-be, I decided I would need to search for the closest alternative and settle for a less expensive version.

I've been scouring the internet for the last few days with the help of my mom who has been sending me links to mirrors she has found. Here are some of the alternative we found:

via CSNMirrors - $56.00

(Target was selling the same mirror for $80)

via Ebay - $39.00

via Overstock - $105.99

via CSNMirrors - $125.89

I went back and forth and with Jordan's input, we decided to purchase two of the first mirrors from CSN ($56.00). Since they are only 2 feet wide we figured we could hang them side by side above the dresser/changing table. I almost purchased these mirror a handful of times in the last two days, but just couldn't get myself to do it. I wasn't 100% satisfied that I couldn't find something better or closer to what I wanted. I even considered buying the Overstock one and hanging it horizontally.

That's when I started looking around the internet again. I can't even remember what brought me here or what I googled, but I found myself on Pronto.com and somehow I stumbled upon this:

via Lighting Showroom - $180

Lighting Showroom has the same mirror for almost half the price - $180.00. The only catch is that this version of the mirror is an 'antique' aka distressed version.

I'm not crazy about the distressed look for the mirror, but is it something I can tolerate in exchange for getting the mirror at half the price?

13 June 2011

Personalized Wire Hanger

In my Wedding - A Closer Look post from November, I shared resources for some of my favorite details from our wedding. One of these details was my custom "Mrs DeMaio" wedding dress hanger seen below.

I ordered this hanger from Anna Hartshorn over at LilaFrances on Etsy. I absolutely love it and to this day we have it hanging on the wall in our master bedroom. The picture above makes me so happy when I look at it.

Once we found out we were having a girl and decided on a name, I knew I wanted to order another hanger from Anna - this time with Lucy's name. For $15.00 (+SH) I ordered the Original Eight Inch Personalized Wire Hanger for Infants. It's a smaller, more 'childlike' version of the wedding dress hanger.

I ordered the hanger on April 12, and today it arrived in the mail! (It takes 8-10 weeks for the hanger to be completed and shipped so if you'd like to order one be sure to plan ahead.)

Needless to say, I couldn't be happier with what I received.

We still need to decide where we want to hang it in the nursery.

Be sure to check out Anna's website and Etsy shop to purchase one of your own.

Crazy Love Found a Home

Remember I made Jordan this wood stained art as a first anniversary gift?

Well almost a month later, we finally got around to hanging it this past weekend.

Since it was his gift, I let Jordan choose where it would hang. He decided it would be a cool idea to hang the piece in our entryway at the bottom of the steps. I haven't really given a proper tour of the entryway (although in a townhouse there isn't much to it.) But it mainly consisted of a long blank space of wall.

Not anymore.

This is the view when coming down the stairs.

Love that the piece sort of greets you as you come down.

One more thing crossed off the to-do list!

12 June 2011

Baby Showers in Pictures

I had two baby showers - one thrown by my mother-in-law and one thrown by my mom.

DeMaio Baby Shower - May 22, 2010

Walker Baby Shower - June 5, 2011

My mom had various mementos from my childhood scattered throughout the house along with a tag for each. This one below was my christening outfit along with a vase my grandparents sent when I was born.