Happy Easter Printable + Pastels

The other day I got down to business during art time with my toddler and decided to share the results with you, just in case you wanted to join us and have a Happy Easter print for your fridge!

I'm totally teasing, it's no masterpiece but it's a little bit cute and reminds us to celebrate the joy of Easter all the same:

To print: just right click, save to your desktop, and print.  Or, if you'd like me to send you the high resolution jpeg, just shoot me an email (inspiredwhims@gmail.com) and I'll send it to you asap.

Hope you enjoy!  Easter is late this year, so you'll get to keep it up for a couple weeks.  He is risen indeed!

Now, on to pastels.  It's sort of funny...I'm not a pastel-loving girl at all.  Except, for during Eastertime.  Not certain why that is.  Perhaps a saturated color addict like me still needs to ease into color again after a long white winter.

Here are a few pretty pastels that I've pinned on Pinterest.  After all, even pastels deserve a little love now and again!

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From these inspiration photos, my favorite pastels are the mini pink fridge, the bouquet of flowers, and the light yellow medallions in that last room!  How about you?  Do you like pastels?  Which pastel colors are you most drawn too??

An Ikea Bird Mobile Fix-Up: A DIY Fail Turned Win

Ever walk through a store while shopping to decorate a particular room, have something catch your eye, and say to yourself, "I just need to tweak that a tiny bit and it would be perfect for the space..."?

Well, that exact thing happened to me and my friend when we stumbled upon this cute KLADSAM mobile at Ikea.

We thought it would be perfect for the "Fly Away with Me" nursery we were shopping for....that is, if the bird was a different color.  Frankly, any color other than florescent yellow would have been a win since our room design concept was so colorful and bright (see inspiration board below).

I quickly told my friend to buy the mobile since it was only $10, and convinced her that we could easily use some Rub 'N Buff that I had on hand at home to make the bird a glamorous metallic gold.

Seemed easy enough, right?  I mean, I've successfully used Rub 'N Buff on everything...until now.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

At this point, I'm thinking - gee, I'm glad I only have to cough up $10 to cover the cost of this miserable attempt at color-coating an acid yellow bird.

Lesson learned, Rub 'N Buff does not work on ALL surfaces...just 99.9% of surfaces I've encountered.   

Thankfully, a little scrapbook paper and Mod Podge picked up where the Rub 'N Buff left off.  And now, we're here...a much happier and promising place.

Exhibit C:

Exhibit D:

Thankfully, I think we got somewhere good on the second attempt.

Second lesson learned, never give up on a DIY fail.  There's usually a solution out there, no matter how much you've messed something up.

Just keep polishing and the project will likely eventually shine!  Now getting your usually photo-shy kid to move out of your photo frame when you're in a rush to get project photos taken and head out the door...that's another story.  At least she's cute!  I mean who doesn't wish they could still dress like that??

(The nursery reveal will be soon hopefully!)

Gluten Free + Dairy Free Blueberry Power Muffins

That's right folks, these drool-inducing blueberry muffins are actually good for you!  Don't write them off because they're gluten free, dairy free, and amazingly low in sugar.  They truly taste like the real deal - and, I'd argue - even better.  They're moist, full of blueberries, and only about 200 calories for a full-sized muffin.  And, the best part, you'll actually feel good after you eat one...powered up, not full or bloated, ready to go!  (makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup almond flour (I use Trader Joe's brand almond meal)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
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3 large eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp vanilla
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2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (I used organic frozen berries...let them set out in the fridge for a few hours to defrost a bit)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease muffin pan for 12 muffins, or use muffin liners.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir wet ingredients (except blueberries) with a whisk.  Pour wet mix into dry mix and stir until well combined.  Fold in blueberries.

3. Pour into muffin pan/muffin liners.  Bake for approx 28 min.  Let cool for a few minutes in the pan before dumping out (if you remove too soon, muffins baked without muffin liners may fall apart).

Serve or keep in an airtight container for several days.  Enjoy!

(Nutrition facts per muffin: 205 calories, 11 carbs, 15g fat, 7g protein, 192mg sodium, 7g sugar)

Try them out and let me know what you think of them.  Kids and adults love these suckers...I promise!

A "Superhero Room" that Doesn't Disappoint

Rarely are designers super stoked to work on rooms with a superhero theme, but this case is super different...you see, when one of your favorite 3-year-olds asks for a superhero room, you deliver!

This room belongs to one of my daughter's best buddies - her friend Austin.  When his mom asked me to help decorate his more grown-up "big boy" room in preparation for his baby sister's arrival, I couldn't resist.  Not only is his mom one of my best friends, but this little guy has a place near and dear to my heart.  Austin is full of energy, smart as a tack, a genuine sweetheart, and well, 100% little boy.  Oh, and did I mention that he loves superheroes? :o)

We started off with pretty much a blank slate that looked like this...

We had a few things to carry-over from his old room (a.k.a. the nursery) like his dresser, blue bookshelf, the decorative letters that hung over his crib, his red reading chair, city streets map rug, and a few accessories.  His mom is extremely good at picking things out that follow my design guidance - she can read my mind when it comes to styling - so over time we collected enough other furnishings to put together his space.

To be honest, we originally set out to give his room a generic big boy space look without a specific theme.  Boy colors seemed cool enough to us...but we're not 3-year-old little boys.  Themes can be tricky and cliche and overdecorated at times, so when he settled on his must-have superhero sheets I was a little worried about pulling it all together.  But, I must say, it turned out quite well.  What do you think?

Pretty darn cute, huh?  I think my favorite parts are the sheets (yes, I admit it...), the hanging orbs, that kick-butt great-lined Ikea mirror, and the chalkboard with the fine custom lettering (wink! wink!).

The saying on the blackboard really brings it all together: "Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a Superhero!" - Marc Brown (the guy who wrote the Arthur books)

Sources:
Headboard - Walmart.com
Faux velvet curtain panels - Ikea
Bedside Tables - thrifted
Captain America Sheets - Pottery Barn Kids
Superhero knobs on bedside tables - Pottery Barn Kids
Duvet Cover - Land of Nod
Letters over bed - crafted with craft store letters, fabric, and decoupage 
Large window frame chalkboard over bookshelf - crafted
Rug - existing, from Ikea
Red chair - existing
Guitar pillow - existing
Dresser - existing
Blue bookshelf - existing
Mirror - Ikea
Framed superhero prints around mirror - crafted from old birthday cards
Decorative orbs - Homegoods, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's (hung with gardening twine)
Laundry hamper - TJ Maxx
Wall hooks - Homegoods

(if you want specific sourcing just let me know via the comments section below)

Please tell us what you think of the super cool Superhero space!!  We're working on his baby sister's nursery too, so you'll see that soon...

A Little Yellow Warmth to Beckon Spring

Anyone else completely tired of winter weather like I am?  Our Boston winter has been brutal this year - long and ever so cold.  The snow doesn't bother me, but the temps far below freezing everyday does start get to you after a while.  I'm craving some warmth, a day at the park in the sunshine, and some grass between my toes (preferably before summer hits us full force).  You in?

Perhaps these cheery images with bright splashes of yellow will help persuade spring to arrive sooner rather than later...

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Just like that picture, our snow has lingered and lingered, on roofs and on the ground.  Somehow that yellow door makes it way more tolerable though. :)

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As most of you know by now, yellow simply makes me smile.  How could that amazing faceted lamp and donkey art not add a little pep to your step?  (I call him "Churro" the Burro by the way...)

I bought these happy tulips for myself at Trader Joe's yesterday.  It's hard to pass up on the smile of spring that flowers offer, especially when they're only $3.99.  That pretty white pot - from Ikea I believe - is from a dear friend who let me adopt it before they moved away.

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Hello sun-shiney yellow tunic from Boden USA.  How I'd love to wear you and subsequently stop traffic...

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I saw this art with the perfect splash of yellow and immediately fell in love with it.  When I look at it, I can feel the sun on my face.  I think it may actually give you a dose of Vitamin D each time you soak it in.

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I'm super jealous of Jenny Komenda's recent thrift store find - a pair of these sunny yellow velvet chairs.  Only $50 for the pair, by the way!!  Her full-house remodel is coming along beautifully...she always finds the most perfect ways to interject beautiful color into her spaces.  Check out all her decorating adventures on Little Green Notebook.  It's one of my all-time favorite blogs.

Ok spring, will you please arrive now?  Your warmth is just about required at this point.  (Thanks in advance!)

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock/Lucky Clover Hair Clips

This is a throwback DIY craft project that I attempted again for St. Patrick's Day this year.  Last time I made them, my little hair model was only 1 1/2 and now she's 3 1/2!!  You'll see below how much she's grown since then...

Materials:

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Hair Clips (found in the jewelry section of my local craft store)
Green grosgrain ribbon, mine was approx 1cm wide
Decorative felt shamrocks (likely sold at your local craft store)

Instructions:

1. Open hair clips up for working with. (otherwise, they might get glued shut!)

2. Hot glue grosgrain ribbon to outer sides of clip.  (Be careful not to get too much glue on the clip so it doesn't ooze out and interfere with the clip closing properly.)

3. Run a little hot glue along the cut edges of the ribbon, so it doesn't fray.

4. At this point, you can simply hot glue a felt shamrock to the ribbon (see pic) and call it quits, or continue with the all-ribbon option below...

5. For the all-ribbon option, cut a 2" piece of ribbon and fold into a "V".  Place a small dot of hot glue at the base of the "V" inside the fold, then press in place while the glue cools.

6. Now glue the very top edges of the "V" together as shown below with a thin line of glue .

7. Invert your top glued portion, folding it down toward the center and tucking it in - this forms one segment of the shamrock.  It should look like this...

8. Repeat the above steps two more times (or three more times for a 4-leafed lucky clover!).  Hot glue each shamrock segment onto your ribbon-covered hair clip.

That's it for the all-ribbon version!  See how cute it looks on my ever-growing little hair model...

Who knew at 1 yr and 5 mos that we'd end up with curls like that now??  Yes, I promise, it's the same child...

Wishing you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day!  (It's my mom's birthday...that's why the day is super special to us!!)