Category: Family

Toddler Room Design

by mandimlee, posted in Family, Home

My little Ruby, who is almost 3, has the best room in the house.  Just before she was turned 2, her little bro arrived which meant she was being kicked out of the nursery and moved into a big girl room.  Which she didn’t mind at all.  And the transition to her new room and new bed was much easier than expected.

I didn’t really have a plan for how the room would unfold, I just knew I wanted a cute little house bed and a little canopy/tent to curl up in. Once I had a starting point, I slowly added things from there.  I love all the little special places in this room – the canopy tent to cuddle, the rocking chair to read and I loved how the DIY bookshelves and closet turned out.

More details with pics and links to shop below.  And linking my Pinterest board here  if you want more inspo.  And coming in a few weeks, I will share Leo’s black and white nursery.

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House Bed.  DIY.  This was a pretty simple project.  The painting took some time or maybe it just felt that way because I was like 9 months pregnant.  Anyways, linking a DIY Tutorial here and there are lots of house beds for sale on Etsy as well.  Here is the link for one I thought was cute on Etsy and they can customize in terms of design, size and paint colour.

Ruffled Blackout Curtains.  Pottery Barn Kids | These don’t seem to be available in Canada anymore but they are still available on the US site so that is what I have linked.  I looked forever for these and they were all too sheer.  These were perfect for our floor to ceiling windows because they are blackout and I love the girly vibe.

LED Indoor Twinkle Lights.  Amazon | Not that you can see them in the pic, but we lined the top part of the bed frame with these twinkle lights. They run off a remote control and are perfect for story time.  They are also great for Christmas mantles or to add above a headboard for a little Christmas magic.

Artwork, Rug and Decor Items.  HomeSense | I love heading to HomeSense to pick up all the little decor things.  They have great artwork, lamps, pillows and wall hangings for kids there.

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And if Ruby isn’t in her bed, she is curled up under this canopy.  You can also hang this above the top of the bed and use it as a canopy for the bed.

Canopy.  Amazon | This is only $50.  We added twinkle lights we found on Amazon on the inside too.  These are smaller and were perfect for the small canopy.  I also used them to add to some of my indoor wreaths at Christmas.  Some of the sets, there are 6 in the pack, needed the battery replaced soon after we put them up but other than that they were a great buy.

Nest Cam. Amazon| We have used Nest as a baby monitor for both our kids and we love it.  You can see your babes from any device from location (we love spying on them when we aren’t home) and you get alerts when there is movement.  And now that we have two its nice because I can see both of them on screen at the same time.

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My last project in this room was to create a space for books. There wasn’t space in the room for a piece of furniture so I love how these wall shelves perfectly filled this empty space between the door opening and the closet.  I found this idea on Pinterest and they are just $10 IKEA picture ledges.  You can fit about three books across and 3 deep on each shelf so most of our collection fits. I used the 55 cm long shelves but they also come in 115cm if you want something longer.  It would actually look cute to combine both lengths if you have the space.

Cradle was made by Opa/Grandma and the rocking chair was from my childhood, I just added a fresh coat of white spray paint (or 4 coats rather,

Next week I will share Leo’s black and white nursery, so be sure to sign up for email alerts if you want to be notified when that post is live.  You can sign up at the very top of the site.

Happy Shopping

♥ mandi

 

 

 

 

Summer Basics For Your Little Lady

by mandimlee, posted in Family

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If you are looking to top up your little lady’s closet with a few more basics, then this post is for you.  If you haven’t read my post about creating  basics wardrobe your your little, then head here.  But essentially its all about starting with basics that work together.  Choosing a similar colour palette really helps with this.  You can see the theme in Ruby’s closet is pink and grey with a little blue.

Here are the basics I have used in Ruby’s wardrobe.  Most of these she has and wears but a few are look alikes (where noted) because sizes seem to sell out so fast at The Gap/Old Navy.

And if you need some basics for your little man, check out this post including 10 mix and match summer basics from Gap/OldNavy.

1. Dotted T-Shirt Dress. The Gap | This T-shirt dress is on sale for $10 right now.  Yes its white and maybe not the most practical but it’s too cute.  Plus there is nothing oxy-clean won’t get out.

2. Blue Ruffle Sleeve Tee. The Gap | I love ruffle sleeve tees, they add a little something extra to a basic tee and they look really cute under overalls.

3. Blue Stripe Bubble Shorts.  The Gap.  These are on sale for $12.  We have these in a pink plaid and they fit really cute.  Also its one of those piece that are wearable for daycare but can be dressed up for a visit with the grammies too.

4.  Grey Ruffle Sleeve Tee With Wolf Graphic. The Gap | Love the little wolf graphic on this.  Only $12 with 50% off discount.

5. Pink Ruffle Hem Shorts.  The Gap | Love these too.  We don’t have them yet, but they are in my shopping cart.  And they are on sale for $13.

6. Green Peplum Tank.  The Gap | Ruby has a few of these peplum shirts because they go with everything and they are on sale right now for $10. Comes in grey too. And they are grat through the Fall with a cardi.

7. Denim Cut-Offs.  The Gap | We have these and they are a really nice stretchy denim, comfortable.  I love to twin with Ruby in these and they are only $15 on sale right now.

8.  Bunny Mesh Cap.  Amazon.ca | This hat was a bit of a splurge for me at $20 but it’s so cute and Ruby wears it almost everyday.  And it will definitely fit her for a few years.

9. Pom Pom Sandals.  The Gap | On sale for only $15.  Not for everyday wear but these are the cutest.  Ruby also has a wide foot and these actually fit her.

10.  Pink Chuck Taylors. Foot Locker | Ruby lives in these.  They are great for playing, super cute and washable.  If you sign up to VIP (email) at footlocker they will give you a $10 off coupon for a purchase of $50+.

 

11. Pink Denim Overalls.  The Gap | These are under $20 with discount code. The straps aren’t adjustable so you will want to size up.  Ruby usually a 2T and we ordered a 4T and they fit perfect.

12. Denim Overalls.  The Gap | These are a classic and the straps are adjustable so these should fit for a couple seasons.  I like to roll the cuff up on these and pair them with a girly ruffle sleeve tee. Around $20 with a discount code but there are only smaller sizes left.

13. Grey Peplum Tank.  The Gap.  On sale for only $7 and it comes in a few colours.  I love grey because it works with everything, especially pink, there is alot of pink in Ruby’s closet.

14. Grey Dotted Tank. The Gap | I love this shape for a tank because it still covers her shoulders.  And this is on sale for $8.

15. Coral Button Tie Tank.  Old Navy | I love these little tie front tanks with a pair of cut-offs.  It comes in a beautiful mint green as well.

Happy Shopping

♥ mandi

 

 

 

 

Summer Basics For Your Little Man

by mandimlee, posted in Family

I love buying clothes for my kids – an almost  3 year old girl, Ruby and almost 1 year old boy, Leo.  And yes, buying for Ruby is a little more fun, obviously.  But by the time my second came around my shopping habits had evolved.  And I got a little bit smarter.

It sort of happened by accident to be honest.  As my first went off to daycare, I wanted things she could wear that she could play in and spill on while still looking fashionable.  So I ended up building her a basics wardrobe and then we added some more special pieces for weekends.  It seems pretty obvious now as I write but it was such a different approach to shopping for me.  I used to buy pretty much everything that was cute and on sale but many things were barely worn.  I guess there are only so many shirtdresses, skinny jeans and strappy sandals a baby needs…..

Anyhow, the idea of a basics wardrobe is an approach I have started taking with both my kids and its  also something I am trying to do with my own wardrobe (struggling a bit with myself).

Lets start with boys because shopping for boys is always a little bit harder.  Especially since everything has dinosaurs and fire trucks and that’s just not our thing (at least for now when he doesn’t have an opinion on the matter).  Seriously why do all boys clothes have dinosaurs on them!!!

Here are some of the basics that I have used to build Leo’s wardrobe.  Everything is from The Gap or Old Navy.  I only buy when things when I have a discount code so watch your emails – usually 40% at The Gap, once in a while 50% (in fact right now The Gap is 50% off).  When buying I try to buy things that I can mix and match with the other items in his closet.  Sticking to a similar colour palette makes this easy.  We like greys and blues.   I also like fabrics that will wash well and have some stretch to them so they will last more than a couple months.

Stay tuned for a separate post on girls shortly.

summer basics for your little

1. Striped Pocket Tee.  The Gap | A basic striped tee works with pretty much everything. We don’t have this tee buts its in my cart and waiting for it to go on sale.

2.  Striped Tank. Old Navy | My little guy is sweaty, so sweaty, so I bought this tank moreso for the practicality of it.  But it actually looks super cute with these camo shorts.   It comes in a  bunch of other colours and its like $4 on sale.

3. Long Sleeve Raglan Tee.  The Gap | Leo had these in a few colours.  They are great for cooler days in the summer and will take your little right through winter.  These are also on sale for like $10 right now.

4.  Basic Blue Button Tee.  Old Navy.  This is also a fav at our house because it works with everything.  And its on sale right now for less than $10.

5. Tropical Print Tee. Old Navy | This is one of our favourites, its such a soft fabric and a  vneck is the cutest on a squishy little guy.   It comes in a few other patterns, but this one is the only one we really liked.

6. Cuffed Terry Shorts. Old Navy | Leo wears these all the time.   They come down just below the knee and are cuffed so they are perfect for a crawler.  They also come in a light grey stripes and are less than $10.

7. Camo Pocket Shorts.  The Gap | We have a few of these pairs of shorts.  And we have the pant version as well and the knit fabric is are knit so super comfortable.  And I love me some camo. They are a little less than $10 with a sale code.

8. Plaid Roll Cuff Shorts. The Gap | We don’t have these but have a similar pair of cuffed shorts.  These also come in lots of different colours but I like the blue because it goes with so many of the shirts we have – alot of blue.  These would also be cute dressed up with a pair of suspenders and a white button up shirt.

9. Red Dino Shorts.  The Gap | I know I said I wasn’t into dinosaurs, but for some reason I am okay with this print.  I think because its a more grown up fabric and the print is subtle – I don’t know – but I love these.

10. Distressed Denim.  Old Navy | I ordered an 18-24 and they fit just perfect – my guy is 11 months and 25 pounds.  Distressed skinny jeans on babies isn’t super practical, I know, but they are so cute.  And the distressing is ‘repaired’ which is functional for crawlers.  Cant wait for Fall for Leo to rock these with his kicks when the days get a little cooler.

Happy Shopping

♥ mandi