From the beginning the hubs and I decided we’re not going to go nuts with the nursery. We want to save money on things and keep it as simple as possible.

That’s not to say we won’t buy cute things here and there but hopefully we can try to use what we have, buy what we need and splurge every now and then. Plus I’m hoping that I can make things for the nursery as far as decorations.

This is what I have so far!

At our baby shower, Jess made a beautiful-hand made banner! (She had other decorations that she made as well) I couldn’t get over how beautiful it is so I had to bring it back home with me!

I didn’t quite know how I would use it but knew I would find a way.

I took the “O” and added letters to make our son’s name. Oooh, surprise! Now you guys know Boram’s name. We have been debating over this and the hubby’s name for a while. We found ourselves (without thinking about it) calling out for Olly. And since we’ve done it so much, we decided that it’s meant to be.

My little Oliver. :) My son.

I thought that this would be adorable to put in a cute frame (from Ikea, cheap… cheap, CHEAP) and I added a scrapbooking paper circle (like the sun) with a blue backing that looks like a sky. Easy. I also love that it’s a memento from our shower.

At our shower, we played a game where everyone drew a picture of what our son will look like. Everyone was asked to be creative and we got to pick the winner! We chose Jonathan, who is a toy designer, because it was just too adorable.

Jonathan also made is another picture at the shower because I loved his pictures so much. Isn’t it adorable?

I just had to buy mini frames to put them in. I’m hoping to buy more of these frames from Ikea. They have so many bright colors and I’m planning on putting most of the drawings people made into different frames and hanging them on the wall.

I’m planning on making my own mobile, using crochet amigurumi. I’m wondering if there are other things a nursery would have that I could make. Any tips?

What do you think so far?

I’m waiting till I frame everything, then put them up on the wall. I have to say that I love these pictures so much, it reminds me of all our friends who love us and especially little Oliver. <3

photo via That's Shanghai website

My favorite expat magazine, That’s Shanghai, has a section on DIY treatments this month. I was flipping through the pages and it got me hooked. I’m a huge fan of LUSH and natural treatments so I thought I’d share what the magazine’s recipes! 

I have extremely dry skin and they have a little concoction for it. “Mix half of a mashed avocado with 1/4 cup honey, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse”. I have been told that avocado does wonders for your skin both on  your skin and eaten. I’ll use half the avocado for this and the other half for some homemade guacamole. I’ve heard honey is amazing for you skin and I often make a mask of honey, fine sugar and olive oil as a scrub. Sometimes… I accidentally eat it. YUM. 

I use the sugar, honey, olive oil scrub as a lip exfoliant as well. Sometimes when I put on lipstick (especially red lipstick) I use it to soften my lips and get rid of my dry chapped areas. I add a dash of ground cinnamon if I want to plump up my lips a bit. I don’t know exactly why that works for me but I tried it as an experiment and it got my thin lips to plump a bit. Plus.. It’s delicious. (I’m sensing a theme here!)

The Strawberry foot scrub sounds heavenly. I always have strawberries in the fridge, olive oil and brown sugar in the pantry so this should be easy to whip up. Puree strawberries and olive oil then add brown sugar and massage into feet. I might also add some honey to that since I love honey on my skin. I think soaking your feet in a tub of hot water (as hot as you can stand) for at least 15 minutes, then using this scrub would be most effective.

I sometimes make bath soaks that feel amazing and is SO EASY. I take organic powdered milk, oatmeal (not the quick cooking kind), dried lavender, dried rose petals or buds, dried chamomile or chrysanthemum flowers, epsom salt and whatever dried flowers or herbs you like. Rosemary is also wonderful. I put it all into a large jar with a secure lid and use about half a cup at a time. Draw a warm bath and use a cheesecloth or cut panty hose to keep everything inside so it won’t clog your toilet. It feels and smells amazing. If I’m not in the mood for a bath, I use the cheesecloth in the shower to rub over my body and I almost get the same effect. I love how my skin feels afterwards.

What are some of your homemade remedies? I seriously use that sugar, honey, olive oil scrub all the time. (Especially on the lips) I sometimes make the scrub and bath soak as gifts. I find pretty jars, ribbons and make a homemade tag with instructions and ingredients. If I can find a small wooden spoon, I attach it to the jar and it is such a hit amongst my friends.

I’m really excited about the food scrub! I may have to try it out tonight. 

Delicious Coffee Syrups by abeautifulmess.typepad.com

I’m not a coffee drinker but I imagine these would be heavenly in not only coffee but club soda! These would make fantastic housewarming gifts with a DIY spin. I know I’d appreciate these endlessly and how cute are those labels?

Via: Craftzine