We are so excited to officially announce our Fall Virtual Class schedule! We have something for the whole family, from Mommy and Me classes to balloon garland tutorials and, of course, Christmas tree decorating classes!
Please see the schedule below, and stay tuned for how to buy tickets! We can’t wait to celebrate with you all soon!
If you’ve been following us for a while now, you know how much I love playing with traditional seasonal and holiday colors, and that’s especially true for the fall! Instead of a traditional autumnal palette of oranges, browns, and burgundy I love mixing it up. Last year I created a fall tea party with pink, green and gold pumpkins and this year I wanted to design a table that was inspired by one of our favorite paintings “Pastel Me a Story” by Carolyn Joe!
I have a lot of chinoiserie in our home, so I definitely wanted to incorporate that in the tablescape, as well as some pinks and light greens to tie in with my painting. I collaborated with Cavendar of Dream Creator Designs who designed the most incredible upholstered and velvet pumpkins with this color palette. I cannot get over how perfectly they coordinate – they completely transformed the look of the table and brought my visions to life. Plus the quality is impeccable and the stems are actually real pumpkin stems!
I paired the velvet pumpkins with some chinoiserie vases and jars and, of course, some fall florals and the foundation of the table was complete! To bring the whole look together, I brought in some blush candlesticks, sage green napkins, gold flatware, and place settings which consisted of my favorite glass beaded chargers, a simple white dinner plate topped with a chinoiserie salad plate.
I love how bright and colorful this table is. It still screams fall thanks to the adorable pumpkins from Dream Creator Designs but it still coordinates with the style and design of my home! The perfect combination!
It’s no secret that I am a major fan of anything chinoiserie. We have incorporated chinoiserie ginger jars in numerous rooms in our house, have an entire guest room designed around blue chinoiserie ginger jars, and of course many, many tablescapes, including this 4th of July tablescape and this garden party tablescape. I literally can’t get enough! It’s so classy and sophisticated and, of course, adds that pop of color that I’m always looking for.
So when we started brainstorming ideas for our bathroom remodel in our new home, I knew I wanted a chinoiserie inspired navy bathroom. I put together this inspiration board to help with the planning of our reno. It embodies everything that I am looking for…a sophisticated, bold, and colorful southern vibe. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Stay tuned!
(P.S. Like something in the inspiration board below? Just click on the product within the image you will be directed to the source!)
I am a major over researcher. If you know me personally, you know that I will spend an immense amount of time researching the tiniest things. It can be a problem sometimes – ha! So when it came time to create our baby registry, you can imagine how long it took me to craft the perfect registry with all the items I thought we HAD to have for Crosby to thrive – hahah. The stroller alone was probably 8+ hours of research, the car seat was way more, and goodness, the amount of reviews I read on baby monitors is unreal.
So now that we are 5 months in with our sweet baby Crosby, I wanted to provide you with an honest review of some of the major items on our registry. What do we actually love and what we would pass on next time, all in hopes that it will save you a little time in your own registry research!
We absolutely love this baby monitor. You can choose between a wall mount and a floor stand. We opted for the wall mount and then also bought a travel mount which has been perfect for us. The camera can move easily between the wall mount in Crosby’s room and our travel stand, which we bring to my parents house, the mountains or anytime he is napping in another room. It’s super convenient and easy to use.
We LOVED LOVED LOVED these the first few months with Crosby. He slept and napped with one every day. They are lightweight which is super nice but have also doubled as a burp cloth, blanket to shield the sun in the stroller, cover for his car seat and much more. I highly recommend at least one pack of 3 of these! They are so versatile.
Another huge hit in our house that has been perfect for us. Crosby started using this at about 2 months or so and has been a great place for Crosby to hang out. It’s very portable, folds up flat, and also allows him to sit at 3-4 different angles depending on how tired he is. He’s still using it at 5 months. He loves to sit in it while I’m cooking dinner and we also use it on the highest setting now that he’s exploring solid foods. He’s not quite ready for a high chair but this allows him to sit up and eat as well. Definitely recommend it!
This was our #1 favorite baby product in Crosby’s first three months. He took a majority of his naps in this and was the best portable product for us. I don’t know what we would have done without it! I do recommend buying a second cover for it though. Those early days you never know when your baby will spit up, so it’s nice to have an extra cover ready to go at any time.
We didn’t start using this until the 2-3 month mark but I really wish we used it earlier. This is the simplest swaddle ever and Crosby always slept really well in it. We had the Snoo for him, so we didn’t need many other nighttime swaddles but this was perfect when he was sleeping in his crib or napping in other places.
We love our playard. Crosby slept in this regularly in our room when he was transitioning from his bassinet in our room to his crib in his own room. We use this all the time for traveling and is incredibly easy to set up. It is a bit on the pricier side when it comes to playards so honestly I’m not sure it’s that much better than the cheaper ones but we have definitely loved it.
I could go on and on about this car seat for days. Definitely do your research because the car seat is one of the most important decisions but I am personally obsessed with this carseat. The main thing that sets it apart for me was the arm on the car base that attaches to the floor of the car to further stabilize the baby in the event of an accident. It feels super safe and is very easy to use with our Nuna Mixx Stroller,
We love this stroller. It’s very sleek and smooth and definitely feels like a luxury stroller. This stroller cannot be adapted for more than one baby which I was fine with. I don’t love the way some of the single to double strollers work…the idea of two kids sitting on top of each other isn’t my favorite, mainly because I want our kids to be able to see each other and interact. I decided the Mixx was good and didn’t spring for the Nuna Demi Grow which would have allowed me to fit 2 kids one day. I still agree with this, but now wish that we had just splurged for the Demi Grow so that if we have another baby with us, we at least have the option to fit 2 kids.
The Snoo is the holy grail of bassinets. It is a smart bassinet that rocks the baby to sleep and adapts the sounds and movement based on the baby’s mood. If the baby is getting fussy, it will rock him/her faster to help soothe her, etc. It’s fabulous. We love it and can’t get enough of it. A lot of people are concerned that it will be hard to wean the baby from the constant rocking motion of the Snoo to the crib. We didn’t personally have this problem as Crosby went from his Snoo to a pack and play and crib with no problem. There is a weaning function on the Snoo that assists with the transition as well. This is a pretty pricey bassinet but they do have sales on most holidays. You can also rent it from Happiest Baby on a monthly basis.
We have this but definitely didn’t get good use out of it. I used the bags to store breastmilk in the freezer but I didn’t take advantage of the pumping system. For me, it was just as easy to pump into normal bottles and then pour the milk into the storage bags. Cool product for sure but I wouldn’t buy it again.
Obsessed with this nursing pillow. I read a lot of reviews that people prefer this to the Boppy Nursing Pillow. We didn’t use the Boppy Nursing Pillow so I have nothing to compare it to, but the My Brest Friend was fantastic for me and Crosby. Very comfortable for both of us, easy to wash, overall it’s great.
Bottles
Man, this is a hard one. I thought for sure Crosby would love the Comotomo bottles because I hear everyone does. For us, the bottle process was pretty tricky and very hard to find a bottle that Crosby would take. He would not touch the Comotomo or any other bottle that I registered for but luckily we found these Dr. Brown Bottles. They are the only ones that Crosby will drink from.
We use this daily and like it a lot. It doubles as a sound machine and a night light. The only thing we don’t like is that the one we got is not Alexa compatible. Our whole house is run by Alexa so this annoys me a bit. I understand that the Hatch Baby Rest Plus is Alexa compatible so next time we will get that one.
This was another great place that Crosby enjoyed lounging. This was key for us from about month 2 – 4. Starting around the 5 month mark, Crosby started rolling and getting a lot more mobile so he would try and crawl out which stressed me out a lot, so we stopped using it as much. But for months 2-4 it was amazing. Another great place like the BabyBjorn bouncer for Crosby to lounge. Highly recommend.
We used this less than 5 times. I just found that when Crosby wanted a bottle, he wanted it that second, so I didn’t have enough time for it to warm. We were breastfeeding a majority of the time anyway, so bottles weren’t used as much. As for the sterilizer aspect, most of our bottles and products could go through the dishwasher and then in the early stages I would sterilize it in boiling water. This seemed a lot faster to me than what the Bottle Sterilizer could handle due to spatial constraints. Wouldn’t recommend.
This came in immensely helpful during Crosby’s first 5 months. He lost a lot of weight after he was born and has always been in a lower weight percentile, so I loved having a scale at home that I could use to monitor his weight. We found it to be pretty accurate as well and oftentimes would be within an ounce or so of what our doctor’s said. We also use this as his primary changing table. Crosby is very tall for his age so he is quickly getting too tall for the changing table aspect which is a bummer. I’m not sure what we will use once he fully outgrows it. Overall we would but this again but I am a little bummed that he’s growing out of it so early.
I absolutely love the idea of these monthly subscription play kits. I did not register for them but I majorly wish I had. When I was registering I wasn’t thinking as much about the toys and developmental items that Crosby would need, so as soon as he was born I started stressing out about whether he had enough colors around him and things to play with to help his little mind grow and develop. Of course, I started days of research and loaded up my Amazon cart. If I had subscribed to Lovevery, I would not have worried at all. I will definitely be buying this for Crosby going forward!
Designing a baby boy’s nursery is something I have dreamed about for yearsss and I’m so glad it’s finally coming to life!
Earlier this year, we shared our vision board for Crosby’s nursery and are now excited to share the final product! This is my favorite room in the house to spend time in – especially in the evening. I love playing with Crosby on the floor with the dim lighting while we wind down before books and bedtime. They are some of the sweetest and most memorable moments with our little guy!
We are forever grateful for these sweet newborn photos by Jackie Cooper Photo. She perfectly captured our new little family of 3 and we will cherish these forever!
We are so overjoyed to introduce you to our new little bundle of joy, Crosby Nicholas Haaf. Crosby was born on February 24th at 11:54am. At 7lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches, he is as healthy and happy as can be. Mom and Dad are both doing well and excited to start this next chapter as a family of 3!
We will be on family leave until September so we can soak in every cuddle and smile. Thank you all so much for your love and support. We can’t wait to jump back in this Fall!
We are so excited to welcome Baby Boy Haaf this February! And, of course, I can’t wait to decorate the sweetest little nursery for our little man! I’ve been dreaming about this for years and when I came across this Melissa and Doug giraffe at Pottery Barn Kids years ago, I knew I had to have it. This was the inspiration and foundation for our entire nursery.
Below is our inspiration board that we are using as we put together our baby’s first little room. Can’t wait to share the final product with you all!
We are so grateful for our sweet friends Luisa and Douglas with Luisa’s Secret. They are some of our best friends in Dallas and they flew all the way out to Vail to spend a weekend of pampering (highly recommend The Sonnenalp for a spa day!), skiing (for the boys only), delicious restaurants, and of course, lots of photos with us.
I cannot get over how amazing these photos came out. She perfectly captured our love and excitement for our little baby boy in the most romantic and snowy backdrop. It was the most freezing day ever (thank goodness my dress hid my Uggs -ha!) but it was so worth it! We will treasure these forever!
If y’all have been following us for a while you know how much I love decorating Christmas trees! Especially for so many of you, our sweet Clients! This is my favorite time of year and the amount of time I spend designing trees in my head and dreaming of new ideas is unreal! We love working with each of you to design the perfect holiday scape that brings your Christmas visions to life and coordinates your home decor with your holiday style. We get so many questions about colors, styles, whats on trend vs. what’s not, but the number one question we get is whether to use real or faux trees.
I know the real vs. faux tree is a much debated topic and I totally understand the appeal of a real tree:
The Christmas Aromas – The smells of a freshly cut tree just screams Christmas and fills the entire home. For so many of us it brings back so many childhood holiday memories.
Tradition – There is a lot of nostalgia and pride that goes with selecting your own tree from a tree farm or a nearby forest. Plus you get to create new memories with your family while picking out your new tree each year.
Environment – This one could go both ways, but many believe real trees are better for the environment.
I always grew up with real trees. Many years we would pick out our main tree from a local tree farm and then cut down our own miniature trees for our room from the mountains; however, as we’ve gotten deeper into the design industry and started our own Christmas decorating business, I completely understand why so many people love faux trees. In fact, they have now become my preferred type of tree. And here’s why!
Easier to Decorate – In general the branches and needles are stronger and easier to manipulate. You can bend the branches in different ways to create a fuller look and hold your ornaments and decor in place. This is the main reason I prefer faux trees. Plus, if you get a higher quality tree, they really do look real!
More Consistent in Size – You always know exactly how tall your tree is and whether it will fit in your space. Plus they are generally more proportional.
More Cost Effective – If you plan to use your faux tree year after year and store it in a cool and dry place, you will generally save money over the life of your tree.
Ease of Maintenance – You don’t have to worry about watering it everyday to make sure it lasts the entire season. You can set it up and take it down any time you want without worrying about it dying and potentially even catching fire.
Real vs. faux trees is such a personal decision and no matter what, either will look absolutely beautiful in your home this holiday season. But for all the faux tree fans like me, I’ve rounded up all my favorites for you this holiday season (just click on the specific tree below to be linked to the site). These all have top ratings and I have either seen or decorated most of these in person! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about any of them specifically! Happy decorating!
If you’ve been following us for a while now, you know how much I love playing with traditional seasonal and holiday colors, and that’s especially true for the fall! Instead of a traditional autumnal palette of oranges, browns, and burgundy I love mixing it up. Last year I created a 
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