Pepper Design Blog

A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

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Master Bedroom: A ‘New’ Salvaged Chair

July 14, 2011 by Morgan

I found this little gem at an antique/thrift store going out of business (best combination ever) and thought it would work great in our master bedroom. While the structure of the chair is my favorite part, the icy blue upholstery is in great shape and works beautifully with the rest of the room’s color palette.

Maybe she’ll receive new fabric some day in the future?

It fits the corner of our bedroom perfectly! More recently it has become a catch-all for every piece of Kevin’s clothing (who needs a dresser when you have an over-sized chair?) but it’s also a great spot to put on shoes or lay out the next day’s outfit.

The jury is still out on the color of the wood… I actually love the light pecan stain but there are enough blemishes that this piece might need an allover sanding and a slightly darker finish.

Or maybe all of those little nicks and bruises provide character? That might be the lazy answer.

I borrowed the nursery’s glider pillow for the photos, but I’ll have to hunt out a fabric for the future.

I’ve found that salvaged furniture is a great way to add well-built pieces to your home (they just don’t make furniture like they used to. at least not in my budget…), but it’s rare to find pieces in good shape. Do you bring thrift store furniture into your home or is the cleaning/refurbishing just too much work?

- posted on July 14, 2011 Filed Under: Home, Renovating Adventures Tagged With: Accessories, Bedroom, Furniture, Home, Thrift Store Finds

Favorite Baby Products, 3 to 6 Months

July 13, 2011 by Morgan

Hi everyone, my apologies that I’ve been MIA these last few days. It’s been a whirlwind of work and catch-up after a busy weekend, but I think that I am almost back on track.

On Saturday Liv turned 6 months old! Just around Olivia’s 3 month birthday, I shared my favorite products for those very first few months – and now I’m back again with a round-up of favorite baby products for the 3-6 month age range.

Squeaky teething toys and soft foam books aside, these are a few items that have been helpful to have around the house. By no means are they necessary – in fact you could easily do away with all of the above – but if you’re on the search for helpful baby products (or want to share your own!), this post is for you.

1. Bumbo: The Bumbo is a deep seated rubber ‘chair’ that holds babies upright so that they can safely observe all that is going on around them. We introduced the Bumbo right about the time Liv began holding her upper torso up comfortably and boy what a great change! She could now sit on the counter as we cooked meals, worked on the computer, or even as I was getting ready in the morning. And she was happy as a clam observing all first hand. (That white plastic piece above is the attachable tray – helpful when baby gets big enough to stretch up and out).

Would you like an orange?

2. Angelcare Movement Sensor & Monitor: We sleep soundly each night with our sensoring monitor. The Angelcare system registers both sound and breathing through a small pad that’s placed just under the crib mattress, and if it doesn’t register small chest movement after 20 seconds, a loud beeping goes off.

3. Jumparoo: We don’t have traditional door frames so a compact jumper (that fits in the door) wasn’t an option. While this particular Juparoo is quite large and in charge, it’s the best Liv entertainer out there. She LOVES to jump!

4. The New Basics: This book is a modern A-Z reference guide with answers to every question you might have about babies & toddlers. It helps dispel common myths and concerns (what foods to introduce when, for example) while offering practical guidelines and suggestions to parents. I like the Cohen’s conversational writing style even if I don’t agree with every idea he shares.

5. The Ergo Baby Carrier: I love the Moby, but Liv’s big enough now to sit comfortably in the Ergo. Wow I can’t speak highly enough of this carrier – it’s comfortable on the hips, distributes weight evenly, and fits both 6’3″ Kevin and 5’3″ me well.

6. Double Bike Trailer: Now that we’re training for RAGBRAI, Kev and I love to head out for a good family ride. This double wide stroller holds a car seat comfortably and Liv hasn’t complained once, even though she’ll often be back there for hours at a time. It’s like her little chariot (not much to complain about there, I guess).

Take me on my ride now.

7. Woven Towel: With all that you have to carry around with a baby for a trip to the park or beach, a humongous towel or picnic blanket is the last thing I want to add to the mix. I love this super thin towel that opens up to seat four but rolls easily into the diaper bag.

8. Miracle Blanket: We have many a friend who relied on this swaddler to settle down a fussy newborn, and it has become our go-to daytime nap swaddler. We didn’t end up needing it until we were looking for a warm weather version of our favorite fleece nightime swaddler, but the Miracle Blanket is ideal for squirmy babies that keep themselves awake! Liv falls fast asleep when she’s all bundled up (we literally put her down awake with a binky and she’s out in two seconds).

Liv playing on the travel towel and later napping on the beach in her cozy Miracle Blanket (4th of July) .

9. Travel Bed: With Liv swaddled up for naps and overnight, she doesn’t move much while sleeping. This bed has proven to be invaluable on our many weekend trips and it folds up to fit nicely. On the rare occasion it’s not with me, I’ve used a dresser drawer (on the floor and padded with blankets) as a substitute (works great ;)).

And that’s the round-up! I’m sure I’ve left something off of the list… If you have any favorite products or secrets – do share!

- posted on July 13, 2011 Filed Under: Family & Friends, Favorite Baby Products, Home Inspiration Board, Motherhood, Olivia, Taylor Rose

Weekend Fun + a Shabby Apple Review

July 8, 2011 by Morgan

Since this blog is a digital journal of sorts for Kev and I to look back at over the years, I’m having fun throwing in a few ‘Weekend Fun’ posts here and there to see what kept us busy when. What’s even better is that it’s a virtual reminder of Liv’s (fast!) growth. It’s amazing what a short couple of months mean in baby-time. She’s still so teeny tiny but she used to be this and this teeny tiny. Time flies.

Back to photo journaling…

Visiting Balboa Park in San Diego is one of our favorite weekend activities. On this particular weekend we walked the beautiful grounds and then visited the Stickley exhibit at the Art Museum. Gustav Stickley is an especially important character in the Arts & Crafts furniture and home building movement and you can see plenty of Craftsman style homes here in San Diego that were influenced by his style of architecture.

I perused Balboa Park in my new Da Vinci dress by Shabby Apple. They had offered to send me a dress to review here on the blog and I was pretty hesitant at first. What if I didn’t like the dress at all? What if it didn’t fit well or just wasn’t my style? To my great relief the Da Vinci dress fit perfectly (a true-to-size fit) and and the jersey knit is incredibly comfortable. I’ve worn it on numerous occasions over the last couple of weeks because it has what I’ll call a ‘forgiving fit’ in that the waist line can be worn across the hips or a bit higher above the waist so that the top slouches. All post-baby imperfections are safely concealed.

If you’re a fan of this blog then you know that I love Shabby Apple and I think their goal of making everyday, attractive, modest women’s wear is awesome. Did you know that they also have a full line of kids and baby dresses? Shabby Apple, I’ll review a dress for Liv next! ;) (we’re practising standing above, not posing! promise) Check out these links for bridesmaid dresses, swim wear and jewelry.

Shabby Apple is currently having a store wide 20% off summer sale! Not sure if you can stack these, but you’ll also get 10% off if you use the code: pepperdesign10off and don’t forget to like them on Facebook to receive regular promotion updates.

In May we attended my brother’s college graduation at Notre Dame. So proud of you, Andy!

Memorial Day is our little neighborhood’s favorite holiday, complete with a parade, relay races and basketball tournaments. Kevin turned a piece of his architecture project into an impromptu float and won a first place award. Poor boys had to carry that huge structure nearly a mile on their shoulders!

This past July 4th weekend Liv discovered the sand and the ocean for the very first time. I know, it’s a crime that we live in San Diego but we don’t visit the beach more often. But that’s what summer is for and we’ll have to make up for lost time!

Family from Arizona and friends from all over joined us for a full sun-filled day at the beach (early afternoon until fireworks – Liv was such a trooper!).

Happy weekend to you all! Hope you enjoy this one and don’t forget to capture it for future memories.

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- posted on July 8, 2011 Filed Under: Weekend Fun

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Welcome to my little slice of the web where I practice finding family, career, homemade & inspired balance on a daily basis. This is where I capture my happy moments, and I'm honored that you're here to join us. Home + creativity + good eats + journaling + life as a working mom. Read more...

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Welcome to my little slice of the web where I practice finding family, career, homemade & inspired balance on a daily basis. This is where I capture my happy moments, and I'm honored that you're here to join us. Home + creativity + good eats + journaling. Read More…

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