Idea Board: Butterfly Nursery

Alyssa recently emailed asking for my help with her nursery, she wrote:

"I really want a nursery that is classic and simple. I like light neutral colors on the walls and white furniture. As far as accents go, I’m thinking either birdies or butterflies, in a very subtle way. I also like soft yellows, greens and pinks."

While I love birdies, I feel like bird nurseries are everywhere so I decided to go the butterfly route. I'm not a fan of heavily themed rooms where everything from the bedding to the trashcan is matching so I would personally pick a bedding that doesn't have butterflies in it and add in a few subtle butterfly accents. I'm in love with this Buttefly Mobile and these Butterfly Mirrors from Pottery Barn Kids. I think this Mini Shade Chandelier in green would be perfect for the room and I would try to find a similar table lamp. I would also make a couple of these Ruffle Pillows in green and pink. I hope this inspired you Alyssa, I can't wait to see what you come up with! Thanks for giving me a break from all things boy!

Butterfly Nursery Idea Board

Sunshine Paint by Serena & Lily
All A Flutter Print by Sugar Fresh
Butterfly Applique Nightlight from Pottery Barn Kids
Ruby Bedding from Serena & Lily
Ruffle Curtain Panels from The Land Of Nod
Evan Chenille Braided Rug from Pottery Barn Kids
Presidio Glider from Serena & Lily

Project Nursery: Paint

We're making progress!! The nursery is painted and it's exactly how I envisioned the room looking. The colors go well with the Mod Dot bedding and Mr. Designs by Vanessa is ecstatic that we won't have to re-paint lol! The paint definitely makes things feel more real, in just a few months our little guy will be enjoying this room...I can't wait!

Before & After

Our Nursery

Holly E. Photography Review & Giveaway - ENDED

Holly E. Photography features lovely scenic photos from across the globe and I'm excited to announce that they are sponsoring a giveaway for my fabulous readers. Holly has been to some pretty cool places and documents her travels with gorgeous photography. The lovely Holly recently sent me a beautiful fisheye photo of the Mohegan Bluffs to review. The photo has a very cool metallic, three-dimensional look to it because it's printed on Kodak Endura Metallic Paper. I'm in need of a beach vacation and this photograph will have to help tide me over until my next trip to the beach.

Buy It:

Holly E. Photography is offering 20% off all purchases during the duration of this giveaway when you use the promo code "designsvanessa" in the notes to seller at checkout. A purchase is not necessary to enter the giveaway.

Win It:

Holly E. Photography is generously giving away any 5x5 photograph to 1 lucky winner. This giveaway is open worldwide. For a chance to win, you must do the following:

Required:

1. Visit Holly E. Photography and tell me which 5x5 print you would pick if you won.

Optional/Additional Entries: (Please leave a separate comment for each entry)

2. Subscribe to or follow my blog. Current subscribers/followers count!

3. Follow the Holly. E Photography blog. Current followers count!

4. Fan Designs by Vanessa on Facebook. Current fans count!


5. Follow Designs by Vanessa on Twitter. Current followers count!

6. Tweet the following (can be tweeted daily): Holly E. Photography Giveaway @designsvanessa - http://designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com/2010/03/holly-e-photography-review-giveaway.html

7. Post my button on your blog or site (just copy and paste the code you see in my sidebar).

8. Enter another giveaway on this blog.

9. Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post on this blog.

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Do this by April 20th and you are in! 1 winner will be picked randomly. Please make sure that you leave a way for us to contact you or we won't be able to get this fabulous prize to you. Winners who I am unable to contact and who don't respond within 48 hours of being sent their winning email notification will forfeit their prize and I will draw another name.

Project Nursery: Paint Colors

Who knew that picking paint colors for a nursery could be so difficult! There are way too many options but yet finding the perfect matching shade seems impossible. It's also difficult to imagine what the room will look like based off a tiny little paint swatch. After many hours of staring at those little paint swatches, we've finally picked our colors! We will be using Serwin-William's Gray Matters as our primary color and Watery (a light bluish color) on an accent wall (all no-VOC). Painting will commence on Wednesday so wish us luck!

The Shower Hug Review

Belmama & Cherub generously sent me the Shower Hug to review and it couldn't have come at a better time. Let's face it, when you get pregnant your boobs get huge and they hurt (do I have any male readers left?). This product gave me instant relief and it's something that you don't know is a necessity until you try it. It is super soft and very easy to use, it quickly wraps around your body attaching with velcro. I hope to breastfeed and from everything that I've heard, I'm sure that I will get a lot of use out of the Shower Hug.

You can wear the Shower Hug in or out of the shower for a little extra support and it acts as a warm compress to soothe tenderness. I love that it shields you from soap and chemical residues found in many toiletries, a major plus for breastfeeding moms! The Shower Hug can also be worn around your hips/lower abdomen to provide recovering c-sections moms gentle support. This is a very thoughtful gift for any expecting mom!

According to the website, the Shower Hug also provides soothing relief to women who experience cyclical breast pain, mastalgia and those recovering from mastectomy, augmentation, reduction, reconstruction and lifts. It comes in 2 different color choices and many different size options from A-F. The Original Shower Hug retails for $29.95 and can be purchased HERE. Check out Belmama & Cherub's other fabulous products HERE.

Project Nursery: Rugs

I'm in love, love, love with this hopscotch rug from CB2!! The only problem is that I'm leaning towards painting the walls a greyish color with a bluish grey accent wall. I figure that the grey walls will tone down this super colorful room, but will a grey rug be too much grey? I'm also not convinced that it will fit in with my woodland creature motif, but it is just so dang cute! I was also contemplating doing a green shag rug, which will definitely bring in more of a nature feel to the room. That might actually be better because our furbabies tend to claw up rugs that aren't shag, not that they'll be allowed in the nursery. Maybe I'll just have to wait and see what the room looks like after it's painted. Decisions, decisions...

Hopscotch Rug from CB2

Par Shag Rug from CB2

Spring Loves

My Spring Loves:

warmer perfect weather in AZ
blooming flowers
flip flops
breezy nights
strolls around the neighborhood
green grass
eating outside
kites
easter
chirping birds
lounging in the park
spring cleaning
fresh air
packing up my winter clothes
open-toe shoes
april fools day
craft fairs
love in the air
coloring easter eggs
spring fashion

What are your spring loves?

Spring Sunshine Print by Karen Faulkner

The Spoiled Mama Review & Giveaway - ENDED

I'm excited to announce that The Spoiled Mama is teaming up Designs by Vanessa to offer my readers a chance at winning a $50 gift certificate. The Spoiled Mama specializes in pregnancy, postpartum, baby and breastfeeding products. This fabulous company generously sent me the Pampered Mama Gift Box, which came in a beautifully bowed box. The gift box includes a 4oz bottle of cocoa & shea tummy butter, 2oz bump gloss stretch mark oil and 14oz sugar scrub of your choice (I tried Mojito Mama and loved it). What a perfect gift set to give to any expecting mama, she'll appreciate your thoughtfulness when her belly is stretch mark free!

I'm very conscious about what type of products I use (or don't use) on my body and being pregnant has only heightened my awareness. I love that these products are made using organic materials that are free from Parabens, Phthalates, Synthetic Fragrances, Harsh Surfactants, Artificial Colors, and Petroleum Derivatives (whew that is a mouth full). I also love that they insure all testing is cruelty free. So, would I recommend these products? Definitely!

Buy It:

You can purchase The Spoiled Mama products here (a purchase is not necessary to enter the giveaway):

The Spoiled Mama
The Spoiled Mama's Etsy Shop

Win It:

The Spoiled Mama is giving away a $50 gift certificate to their shop. This giveaway is open worldwide. For a chance to win, you must do the following:

Required:

1. Visit The Spoiled Mama and tell me what you would buy with the $50 gift certificate if you won.

Optional/Additional Entries: (Please leave a separate comment for each entry)

2. Subscribe to or follow my blog. Current subscribers/followers count!

3. Blog about this giveaway.

4. Fan Designs by Vanessa on Facebook. Current fans count!


5. Fan The Spoiled Mama on Facebook. Current fans count!

6. Follow Designs by Vanessa on Twitter. Current followers count!

7. Follow The Spoiled Mama on Twitter. Current followers count!

8. Tweet the following (can be tweeted daily): The Spoiled Mama Giveaway @designsvanessa - http://designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com/2010/03/spoiled-mama-review-giveaway.html

9. Post my button on your blog or site (just copy and paste the code you see in my sidebar).

10. Enter another giveaway on this blog.

11. Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post on this blog.

12. Join Designs by Vanessa's mailing list.

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Do this by April 15th and you are in! 1 winner will be picked randomly. Please make sure that you leave a way for us to contact you or we won't be able to get this fabulous prize to you. Winners who I am unable to contact and who don't respond within 48 hours of being sent their winning email notification will forfeit their prize and I will draw another name.

Project Nursery: Bedding

Project Nursery is slowly progressing, we now have bedding for our little guy!! My awesome mom bought the fab Skip Hop Mod Dots collection for us and it was recently delivered (thanks mom!). It is so much cuter in person, I just love the colors and the pattern!

Next Up: Paint Colors & Closet Organization

Zutano Itzy Bitzy Review & Giveaway - ENDED

Zutano, one of my favorite baby clothing companies, is teaming up Designs by Vanessa to offer my readers a chance at winning a $75 gift certificate to their Itzy Bitzy Boutique. The Itzy Bitzy collection is available in two sizes to fit 4-8 pound and 9-13 pound babies (0-3 months), these pieces would make the perfect coming home/first outfit for newborns. I absolutely adore how colorful and unique their products are, definitely no boring baby items in this shop!

Zutano generously sent me the most adorable lions cub short sleeve wrap onesie along with a matching baby blanket to review. I was so excited to rip into this package and was blown away by the outstanding quality of their products. Both are incredibly soft and the wrap onesie allows easy access to a newborn (so I've been told by many veteran moms), not to mention that they are just plain cute. I can't wait to put our little guy in this outfit, it definitely won't be his last from Zutano! I already have my eye on these:

Buy It:

Through the month of March, 10% of purchases go to Doctor's Without Borders (such a great cause)! Purchase Zutano products online HERE (a purchase is not necessary to enter the giveaway).

Win It:

Zutano is giving away a $75 gift certificate to be used in the Itzy Bitzy Boutique. This giveaway is open worldwide. If you've won a gift card from Zutano over the past 6 months you are not eligible for this prize. For a chance to win, you must do the following:

Required:

1. Visit the Zutano Itzy Bitzy Boutique and tell me what your favorite item is from this shop.

Optional/Additional Entries: (Please leave a separate comment for each entry)

2. Subscribe to or follow my blog. Current subscribers/followers count!

3. Blog about this giveaway.

4. Fan Designs by Vanessa on Facebook. Current fans count!

5. Fan Zutano on Facebook. Current fans count!

6. Follow Designs by Vanessa on Twitter. Current followers count!

7. Follow Zutano on Twitter. Current followers count!

8. Tweet the following (can be tweeted daily): Zutano $75 Gift Certificate Giveaway @designsvanessa - http://designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com/2010/03/zutano-itzy-bitzy-review-giveaway.html

9. Post my button on your blog or site (just copy and paste the code you see in my sidebar).

10. Enter another giveaway on this blog.

11. Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post on this blog.

12. Join Designs by Vanessa's mailing list.

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Do this by April 14th and you are in! 1 winner will be picked randomly. Please make sure that you leave a way for us to contact you or we won't be able to get this fabulous prize to you. Winners who I am unable to contact and who don't respond within 48 hours of being sent their winning email notification will forfeit their prize and I will draw another name.

My Latest Addiction: Gilt

"Gilt Groupe is the premier members-only website for fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. We provide access, by invitation only, to coveted brands for women, men, children and luxury living. Each sale lasts 36 hours and we have new designer sales every day. Our buyers hand-select every piece of merchandise we sell. Shopping on Gilt Groupe is a rush. Get addicted."

Yeah, thanks a lot Gilt, I'm officially addicted when it comes to shopping for baby stuff! I literally plan my schedule around their sales and I'm refreshing like a mad woman minutes before the sale starts. Hmm just writing this, I sound like I need to join a shopaholics anonymous group lol. I've always had a love for fashion and just quality products in general but I also love a good deal.

How it works is that once you receive an invite link, you register (no charge) on their website and then you can see what sales are coming up. Right now Maclaren and Crate & Levi products, among other things, are on sale. Each sale only lasts for 36 hours so if you really want something from a specific company you need to act fast before they sell out.

Here is an invite link: http://www.gilt.com/invite/mylink24588

In honor of full disclosure, I get $25 for every first purchase made but once you sign up you can send out your own invitation link and get the same deal. Here is my recent loot from Gilt that I got awesome deals on:

Petunia Pickle Bottom Organic Sling

Maclaren Volo Buggy
Crate & Levi Frog Puppet

Idea Board: Modern Bird Nursery

Lara recently emailed me asking for my help with her nursery, she wrote:

"I'm thinking a blue-gray (fairly light) wall color with white crown molding and possibly a white chair rail. White furniture. Then pops of bright colors - red, yellow, dark blue, orange, etc. I want a subtle bird/nature theme. I'm thinking a white branch or tree on the wall and little bird/nature tchotkes. I want clean, bright, modern, cheerful..."

This nursery is right up my alley and very similar to my own modern nursery plans so it was fun coming up with new ideas. Chair railing reminds me of a traditional room so instead I added a stripe of gray to the room for a more modern effect. I hope this inspires Lara, I can't wait to see pics of her finished nursery!

Modern Bird Nursery Idea Board

Gossamer Garden Curtain from ModCloth
Luca Glider from Giggle
Gustave the Adventurer Bird by Tweeling
Birdcage Lamp from Urban Outfitters
Hand-Knit Bird Mobile from Giggle
Dwell Studio Convertible Crib from Target
DwellStudio Dot Fun Bedding from Target
Modern Art Prints by dekaAnimals
Yellow Table Lamp from ModCloth
Par Shag Rug from CB2

Lullabelly Review

Lullabelly generously sent me a prenatal music belt to review and this is by far the coolest pregnancy gadget that I've tried out. The Lullabelly is a soft belt that you wear around your belly, it has a built in speaker that you can hook up to your MP3 player so both mom and baby can bond over the same tunes. Baby and I were jamming out to Dave Matthews Band above (I told you, I have more of a 20 week bloat than a bump at this point). My husband has been trying to convince me to add his favorite 80's rock bands to my play list but I think our baby already has a preference for my favorite band.

Developing babies start reacting to sounds outside of the womb at approximately 20 weeks, the perfect time to start introducing music. Not only is the Lullabelly a great bonding tool, it also offers many other benefits for baby. Playing music for your baby can have positive effects on fetal brain development, prenatal learning, reducing stress levels during pregnancy and improving baby's sleeping habits after birth. You can read more about these benefits here. Having worked in the mental health field for several years, I know first hand of the many benefits that music therapy can offer. It makes sense that music would also be beneficial for developing babies in the womb.

So, would I recommend this product? MOST DEFINITELY! It is now available in 5 colors (I hope my little boy doesn't mind that I'm wearing pink) and you can buy it HERE.

Half Baked

This baby is officially half baked today, 20 weeks down and 20 more to go! He's the size of a cantaloupe and I can feel him moving around on a daily basis now, such an incredible feeling!

I'm SO Crafty I Make People from Mutha Crafter

Bebeloosh Reusable Snack Bag Review

The fabulous Bebeloosh Mini sent me a set of 2 blue bird reusable organic snack bags to review. Not only are they super cute but they're also very durable so they can realistically be used over and over again. They are made from 55% recycled hemp and 45% unbleached organic cotton, which would explain the durability. They are large enough for a whole sandwich or just lots of little snacks. I love that I don't have to pollute the environment when using these snack bags. I highly recommend these eco-friendly cuties!

Buy It HERE. Win it HERE.

Baby's First Phone Call Review & Giveaway - ENDED

My friends and family members are so excited for the arrival of our new baby and I know that they will all be expecting phone calls when he's born. So many veteran moms have suggested designating someone to make all of those phone calls while we bond with our baby. While that is a great suggestion, it might be awkward for the designated caller to call someone on my list that they don't know. I also thought about sending out a mass text message, but that just seems so impersonal. I would love to be able to individually call each and every single friend and family member myself but I know we'll be busy recovering from delivery (yikes!) and getting to know our little guy. This is why I was so excited to hear about Baby's First Phone Call, a service that call your friends/family and allow them to listen to the personal message that you record right after birth.

Baby's First Phone Call recently sent me a gift certificate and set me up with an account so I can enter in my phone list ahead of time. When our little guy is born, we will just have to make 1 phone call to the number they give us and they will do the rest! Such an awesome service that I'm excited to use!

Information from Baby's First Phone Call:

What It Is

Baby's First Phone Call is an automated call tree that allows you to notify all of your friends and family of the arrival of your bundle of joy without the hassle of making dozens of individual phone calls, or leaving some friends and family to find out second- or third-hand.

How It Works

With Baby's First Phone Call, you set up an account before your baby is born – when you still have a moment of time to yourself – and enter the names and phone numbers of all the people you want to notify when the baby arrives. Then, after the baby is born, you make a single phone call and leave a personal voice-mail message of any length with all the details you want to share.

Not only can you tell your friends and family when your little bundle arrived, you can share information such as the hospital and room number you're in and whether and when you'd like to receive visitors.

Our system places calls to each of the phone numbers in your account. If the person answers the phone they hear your happy message. If they don't answer, the message is left on their voicemail or answering machine. In either case, there is an option for them to leave you a return message that you can pick up at your convenience.

It's really that easy! You're doing all the hard work; let us make spreading the good news easy for you.

Use Baby's First Phone Call to notify your book group, your friends from Lamaze class, your co-workers and your extended family. Now you have the perfect way to send a personal message with your joyous news to everyone in your network!

Buy It!

Baby's First Phone Call offers a variety of call packages to suit your specific needs. Visit their packages page to learn more.

Win It!

Baby's First Phone Call is generously giving away 4 gift certificates for $50 to my lucky readers! This giveaway is open to US residents. Please note that at this time only 10 digit numbers can be entered into the system, they will be expanding to international calls in the near future. For a chance to win, you must do the following:

Required:

1. Visit Baby's First Phone Call and tell me what you like about this service.

Optional/Additional Entries: (Please leave a separate comment for each entry.)

2. Subscribe to or follow my blog. Current subscribers/followers count!

3. Blog about this giveaway.

4. Fan Designs by Vanessa on Facebook. Current fans count!


5. Fan Baby's First Phone Call on Facebook. Current fans count!

6. Follow Designs by Vanessa on Twitter. Current followers count!

7. Follow Baby's First Phone Call on Twitter. Current followers count!

8. Tweet the following (can be re-tweeted daily for extra entries): Baby's First Phone Call Giveaway @designsvanessa - http://designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com/2010/03/babys-first-phone-call-review-giveaway.html

9. Post my button on your blog or site (just copy and paste the code you see in my sidebar).

10. Enter another giveaway on this blog.

11. Join Designs by Vanessa's mailing list.

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Do this by April 1st and you are in! 4 winners will be picked randomly. Please make sure that you leave a way for us to contact you or we won't be able to get this fabulous prize to you. Winners who I am unable to contact and who don't respond within 48 hours of being sent their winning email notification will forfeit their prize and I will draw another name.