For our nursery, we wanted our small space to feel clean, bright and yet invoke a magical feeling, but as we didn’t know our baby’s gender it was important to keep the space as neutral as possible. Our goal for the room was to give Sterling a room that he would love to grow up in.
We started with the search for white furniture that would provide as much storage as possible (small space problems). When I came across the Baby Knightly Wyatt 3-in-1 convertible crib at West Coast Kids, I knew I had struck gold. I loved the simple and smart design of the solid wood crib, the brass metal accents and of course the storage trundle. It also has the ability to convert into a toddler day-bed and a full size bed, meaning we’d only be investing in one piece of furniture that would last for a longer period of time.
Our nursery has two large windows and gets tons of natural light and we knew we wanted our only real wall to be an accent wall, but were unsure if we wanted to paint or wallpaper. We came across Rocky Mountain Decals on Instagram, a Canadian company that specializes in easy to install and removable wallpaper. Trevor and I fell in love with the Misty Mountain wall mural and thought it would be the perfect neutral backdrop for our little explorer. The installation of the mural was easy, a simple peel and stick application and took Trevor a few hours to put up. The fact that its effortless to remove is also amazing, as when Sterling grows we can update his accent wall to a different one of their fantastic murals or papers. Check out this video of the install of the mural.
Once we had our accent wall picked, I began to look for accessories and decor that fit the mountain theme. When I found The Butter Flying (again on Instagram), a Montreal-based brand, I loved the idea that the mobile would be the clouds. These hand-made mobiles were so delicate and beautiful, adding the perfect amount of special charm. The Butter Flying and I have teamed up to offer you 10% off The Butter Flying’s Etsy shop by using the coupon code 10HAPPY.
When it came to planning Sterling’s linens we wanted to make sure that the pattern or print would make sense against our Rocky Mountain Decal mural. We soon fell in love with the playful Bison pattern from Little Unicorn. We picked out the Brushed Crib Sheet and Brushed Muslin Cotton Quilt and a bunch of their swaddle blankets (Tropical Leaf, Lemon and Bike Family seen here) to wrap him in while he sleeps.
Flooring was one of the final details for the room to help ground the space and add an element of warmth. We have hardwood floors throughout our home and I wanted to have a plush rug for Sterling to play on. Lorena Canals available at West Coast Kids is an amazing line of machine washable rugs that specialize in creative and fun prints and spaces meant for nurseries. We never know what will end up on our rugs with a cat, dog and baby so it’s important for this to be durable and easily machine washable.
Sterling’s room is small, so we needed to make sure that we picked things that complimented the space. The Keekaroo Peanut Changer has been the ideal for us, sitting perfectly on top of his dresser, thus taking up no real estate on our floor. Our Peanut is slip resistant and made of a material that won’t allow fluids to penetrate. I also love how easy it is to wipe clean (because accidents happen), without adding any laundry.
Around the room the decor that can be found are wooden toys, classic books and his future accessories (shoes and hats) that give the room that fashionisto feel.
Playforever Midi Race Car Bonnie
Cloud B Sleep Sheep Smart Sensor
A Little Lovely Company Light Box
Converse Infant Chuck Taylors, Everything is Mama by Jimmy Fallon, Your Baby’s First Word will be Dada by Jimmy Fallon
Shoes: Mally Designs, Dino: DIY
I am absolutely in love with our nursery and I hope Sterling will love it too. Check out the other room reveals in our home: Kitchen & Living Room.
I received products compliments of and/or in collaboration with West Coast Kids, Rocky Mountain Decals, The Butter Flying, but all opinions are 100% my own. If you are interested in working together in please contact me (barbara.ann.solomon@gmail.com) or Krista at Shine Influencers (krista@shineinfluencers.com).
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It’s been just over 2 months since our son blessed our family and filled our home with an indescribable love. When I got pregnant I got excited to prepare for a family shoot and knew there would be only one photographer I wanted to capture the love and craziness of our family.
Scarlet O’Neill is a Toronto-based wedding photographer, whose work has been featured basically everywhere. I found her while working with Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay and fell in love with the way she documented love stories. I knew that she would be the perfect person to share this special time with.
Linen & Swaddle Blanket: Little Unicorn
Our day together was filled with laughter and sharing stories. Here are some of my favourite photos we shot with her. And don’t forget to follow Scarlet on Instagram for a beautiful feed filled with wedding and lifestyle inspiration.
A quick update about Sterling at 2 months old: he’s beginning to smile, he loves to splash in the bath, cuddle during story time. He’s travelled (like a pro) to Florida and enjoyed 10 days in the sun exploring Miami.
Thank you Scarlet for capturing our family perfectly. We absolutely love these photos.
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It’s been a month since my son, Sterling Emerson surprised us 2 weeks earlier than expected. In those final weeks of my pregnancy, I had a lot of plans in the works, from appointments, meetings to blog posts. So when labour started for me, I sat there in the hospital sending out emails notifying everyone to expect a delay.
My due date was January 18th and during the month of December I was in a lot of pain, finding it difficult to move especially in the evening and overnight. It was January 4th at midnight and Trevor and I were watching one of the late night talk shows, when he had fallen asleep. I was unable to get off the couch without his help at this point, so I woke him up so we could make our way to bed. Upon standing up, my water broke. Shocked, Trevor and I agreed that I should shower as he finished packing our bags, prepared snacks, loaded the car and took care of Monkey and Taco before heading to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital around 2 am and checked in with the maternity ward. I was told to relax and try to nap in the assessment room or go for a walk around the hospital and check in with the nurse every hour.
By 9:30 am they moved me into my birthing suite, where my amazing nurse Louise explained to me that I was only 1 cm dilated and they were going to hook me up to an IV and give me Oxytocin which would stimulate the uterine muscles giving me more intense contraction.
By 2 pm, I got to 3 cm and it was time for the epidural. From there, thankfully, things moved along much quicker and within the next hour and a half I had gotten to 8 cm. For me the epidural was crucial, the contractions had gotten so intense and I was beyond exhausted. With the help of the pain relieving drug I was able to nap and regain my strength for the next phase of labour.
Just after 4 pm our families had arrived and Louise told me that we were almost ready to start pushing. With continuous encouragement from Trevor, I pushed for 15 minutes and at 4:53 pm, 2 minutes before sundown, on the coldest day of the year, our son was born. Sterling weighed 6.9 lbs and was absolutely perfect, those first few hours with him are ones I’ll never forget.
I am so grateful for the amazing nursing staff at Trillium Health Partners, who took care of every worry, anxiety and complication that arose during my labour.
Photography by Trevor Negin
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Life gets chaotic, busy and at times overwhelming.
As you can see if you follow me on Instagram, I’ve been around, just a lot less, and I haven’t been keeping this blog up-to-date over the last couple months (sorry). But I’m currently taking a moment to reflect, regrow and recharge (self-care will be a topic I focus on in the future). Now I can get back to the things that I love. Lately, I’ve been practicing yoga and meditation, reading, painting and naturally Netflix binging.
Growing up, my mom and I always watched “our shows” together. From American’s Next Top Model to Law and Order SVU, every genre was hit and this was the time we often talked about school and everything going on, in both of our busy lives. When we heard that Netflix was bringing back Gilmore Girls, the two of us began planning for our girls night to watch the series, as mother-daughter opportunities don’t come often enough.
As November 25 got closer, our date-night plans became larger-than-life when Netflix sent us everything we needed for the perfect Netflix and Mom date night to watch the highly anticipated revival of Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life (thanks Netflix). In the kit was everything to get us in the Gilmore mood, from the girl’s favourite snacks Pop-Tarts, Red Vines and buttery popcorn, to trivia games, a Dragonfly Inn scented candle and of course, a giant mug for all of the coffee we’d consume binging the series, plus so much more.
My mom and I spent last Friday night cuddled-up on the couch watching Winter, the first episode of the four-part revival, that had just started streaming on Netflix. Exhausted, we promised to wait to watch the next three parts together, over the course of the next few weeks to ensure we make the most out of this mother and daughter bonding-time.
Have you watched the revival yet? If so, no spoilers!
This post is in partnership with Netflix.
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I’ve always said that the best furs are those that have a story along with some meaning behind them. I’m not for buying new furs, but special pieces that carry meaning to your family are important to cherish. This fur beret belonged to my father’s mother, Reva. I just picture her wearing it during the winters to stay warm, looking beyond effortlessly chic.
Photography by Trevor Negin
Dress (worn as a top): H&M, Skirt: Joe Fresh, Knee high socks: Roots, Platforms: Vagabond, Fur Hat: Vintage, Moto Jacket: Danier
Reva and Irving Solomon
Dress: ASOS Blazer: Banana Republic Necklace: Cuba Shoes: Browns Glasses:Versace Tote: Roots
Weather is something that will always effect a fashion lover’s life on a daily basis.
At times it’s so hard to imagine when leaving the house at 8am what it will be like outside when your arriving home around 11pm.
So it’s always best during spring to bring layers, even on humid days, we can get some cool nights and may need a light jacket.
Dress: Club Monaco Belt: Club Monaco Shoes: Nine West Sunglasses: Michael Kors
Necklace: Dominican Republic
This is Mother’s Day 2012, I recently had a date with my Grandmother (the beautiful blonde in the image below)
and she’s fallen in love the 2012’s hottest trend Ombré.
Happy Mother’s Day
My Grandmother in the middle, and my mom on the right <3
Oh, and my dad ran the Sporting Life 10k Mother’s Day morning!
Dress: Mendocino Sweater: Banana Republic Scarf: Banana Republic
Earring: H&M studs (DYI neon) Headband: H&M Shoes: Kimchi Blue
When leaving home on the weekend early in the morning I always dress in layers,
one never knows what the day has in store, and nothing worse than wearing a great summer maxi and freezing.
Oh, and the beautiful brunette in the leopard is one of my style icons Deena Markus
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