This post is sponsored by Bali Blinds. All opinions are my own.

Today I'm sharing some photos of Emmett's nursery! He's not actually sleeping here at night yet, although I have put him in the crib for a couple naps. If you're thinking it looks familiar, it's because I used the same stuff from Ian's nursery in our old apartment...just rearranged in a different space (thankfully, a bigger room this time, without the ugly carpet!). I still love all the nature-themed decor that I collected for Ian, and we're trying to save money for bigger house projects so I figured I should be frugal and use what we have (especially since we have two boys--I probably would have been tempted to get some new decor if we'd had a girl). I was also fortunate to work with Bali Blinds on a new window treatment for this room! Since it's a nursery, I chose a blackout Roman shade, with cordless lift for safety. 

I'm super happy with the shade! Check out this post on Bali Blinds for detail photos and more information on choosing blackout window treatments. You gotta see how well it blocks the light...and how lovely this grey fabric is up close!

I like the room overall too...it's simple but cute. That tree bookshelf is my favorite detail!

Also, if you haven't seen yesterday's post yet, I'm giving away a video baby monitor! A necessity if you have a baby on the way, or a super nice gift for a friend or family member who's expecting (enter here).

Room sources: Crib / Glider / End table / Table lamp / Deer art / Moroccan pouf / Wood play gym / Rug (it's washable!) / Ceiling light / Roman shade / Cardboard deer / Tree bookshelf / Baby swing / Dresser / Mountain art  / Bear art / Stacking tree toy

Thank you to Panasonic for partnering with me on this post. All opinions are my own.

Last week, I posted my all-time favorite products for newborn babies, including a video baby monitor. You can get really inexpensive audio monitors, so a video monitor with all the bells & whistles is not technically a necessity...but it's so nice to have. If you're currently in the market for a video baby monitor, then you are in luck because I have a really great one to give away at the end of this post! It would also make an amazing baby shower gift if you have a friend that's pregnant.

The Panasonic Long-Range Baby Monitor is new on the market. It's the first video baby monitor to use Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technology, providing up to 1500 feet of secure, interference-free range (that's more than 4 football fields--double the range of comparable monitors!).

The cute crib sheet is by Rookie Humans, by the way.

Aside from the extra-long range, the Panasonic Long-Range Baby Monitor features long battery life, clear night vision, 2-way talk, and the ability to play lullabies & white noise. You can pan, tilt, and zoom for a clear view of your baby. The monitor minimizes background noise, so you can hear even the quietest baby noises clearly. My favorite feature is the customizable smart sensors & alerts, which detect motion, temperature, and sound changes in the room. You can set the parameters of when you want to be alerted, and it will play a sound, light up, and/or show a notification on the screen when those conditions are met. For example, overheating can increase the risk of SIDS, so you can have the monitor alert you if the room temperature rises above 75 degrees, etc. For nervous parents (I'm one of them!) this monitor gives you so much peace of mind and confidence that your baby is safe, so you can get sleep yourself, or get household tasks done during naps.

Sound like something you'd be interested in? Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win one. It's also available for purchase from Panasonic.com/baby, buybuyBABY.com and Amazon.com for $149.95.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post contains some affiliate links, and I received some of these products for free. All opinions are my own.

I haven't been blogging much this month because I'm trying to really soak up this time with Emmett as a newborn and Ben on paternity leave (it's been awesome!). But today I thought I'd pop in with a list of my favorite baby products that we've been using a lot over the past few weeks. These are the things that we loved with Ian, and still love this time around. A lot of baby products sound helpful or look cute, but are ultimately unnecessary. In my opinion, a designated changing table, nursing pillow, baby detergent, standalone white noise machine, and diaper pail all fall into this category. I bought some of those items for Ian, but eventually found that it was easier to just use the floor, a regular pillow, free & clear detergent, an app, and the garbage can. Some people might disagree with me on those, but overall I've learned that you pay a huge markup for baby-specific items, most of which you don't need anyways (plus then they take up room in your house). But the baby products below are all worth it to me. They may not be MUST-haves, but they're certainly nice to have!

1. The best nursing cover. I tried a few different styles of nursing covers...these are my favorite by far. The 360 degree coverage makes it so much less awkward to feed your baby in public. And it doubles as a car seat cover for blocking the sun (and nosy strangers) when you're out and about.

2. Cute & comfy onesies. As precious as little outfits with button-up shirts and knit cardigans can be, I prefer putting my babies in basic onesies. They're easy to put on & take off, comfortable for baby, and they'll wash up easily when he inevitably spits up or has a blowout in them. You can find baby onesies in lots of design-y patterns, or with punny sayings on the front like this one from The Neighborgoods.

3. The Ergobaby carrier. I have a number of different wrap carriers, all of which are cuter and more lightweight than the Ergo. But even though I prefer how the wrap carriers look, I hardly wear them outside of the house because it's such a hassle to get them on! I'm sure I could get better with practice, but the Ergo is just so easy to use. And it's comfortable too.

4. A video baby monitor. We love video baby monitors. They give us so much peace of mind, as well as the freedom to hang out in the backyard or another room where we couldn't hear our kids otherwise. Plus it's just fun to check in on sleeping babies...without the risk of waking them up by sneaking into their rooms! Some baby monitors (like the WiseNet BabyView Eco) also have features like two-way talk, sensing room temperature, and playing lullabies. Definitely worth the expense in my opinion!

5. The DockATot. This one might be controversial, as it's currently not recommended to sleep with your baby in your bed. However, co-sleeping does have a lot of benefits and makes breastfeeding at night waaaay easier. If you're considering it, the Dockatot makes co-sleeping safer and more comfortable. It's breathable, washable and hypoallergenic. It also works as a spot for baby to rest during the day.

6. Sleepsack swaddles. We used these when Ian was a newborn, and I am loving them all over again with Emmett. They're more secure than a swaddle blanket, much easier to use, and the zipper is convenient for nighttime diaper changes (I forgot how much newborns poop!!!). You can swaddle your baby with arms in or out.

7. The Puj tub. Bathing a newborn is nerve-wracking...nothing like holding a fragile baby when he's wet and slippery! The Puj tub helps make the process more manageable. It fits in the bathroom sink and cradles your baby in a secure position. And it's foldable, so it's super easy to store or bring with you for travel.

8. A car seat mirror. This is a super inexpensive purchase that you will get a lot of mileage out of...literally. When you have a newborn, it's reassuring to be able to check on him while you're driving and make sure his head isn't slumped forward. As your baby gets older, he'll be able to see you in the mirror and feel secure. Ian still likes his car seat mirror, and we got the same one for Emmett.

9. Cloth diapers...but not as diapers. I only use disposable diapers for my babies' butts, but cloth diapers are perfect for so many other things. They make soft, gentle washcloths for bathtime, burp cloths for spit up, etc. Super useful and inexpensive.

10. A jogging stroller. I hardly ever run anymore, but I still prefer jogging strollers because they can handle any terrain and are so easy to maneuver. Regular strollers with small wheels seem to only work well on sidewalks or asphalt, and I like being able to push my stroller wherever I please (on the grass at the park, up and down curbs, etc.).

Hope this list is helpful! I'd love to hear from other parents...what are the tried-and-true products that helped you most through the newborn stage?

Thanks to Framed & Matted and Simply Rosie Images for gifting me the products featured in this post. All opinions are my own.

If you're into home trends, you may have seen that Pinterest named "big art" as one of its top predictions for 2018  (see the full list here, if you haven't already). I feel like large scale art has already been popular for awhile...but it's a trend that I hadn't jumped on yet, for two main reasons. One, I hadn't found an art piece I loved SO MUCH that I wanted to commit to it in a big way. And two, big art typically comes at big prices. So until now, I've stuck with smaller pieces (a gallery wall in our living room, a pair of prints in our bedroom, etc.). But I really LOVE the idea of a big art piece that makes more of a statement! So when Rosie of Simply Rosie Photography offered to send me an art print from her new print shop, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out some large scale art. Rosie was actually our wedding photographer, way back when (almost 8 years ago now, crazy!!!) and her photography is beautiful. Her shop is full of lovely nature prints, from blooming flowers to graceful horses to majestic trees. I fell in love with this ocean print, and I knew it would be perfect for the blank space above our guest bed.

Be sure to check out Rosie's print shop--you can get 20% off this print or any other ones with the promo code simplyrosie. This week only!

For the frame, I worked with Framed & Matted. They do a really quality job, and you can get frames in custom sizes, not just your standard store-bought options. They have 14 different frame styles (I went with the Addison Natural) and 30 mat colors, which you can even layer if you want. If you want to get your piece matted, the largest art size is 38" x 30", which makes the frame 41" x 33". That's exactly what I did! My frame arrived within a week, and it came with instructions on how to mount my art and hang it (super easy). I would definitely recommend Framed & Matted. They were so easy to work with, had a really fast turnaround, and they even offer free design assistance!

I am loving this print in our guest room. It's peaceful and serene, plus it's getting me excited for our upcoming Hawaii trip!!! I think an ocean print is the perfect way to "dip your toe" in the large scale art trend. Nature will never go out of style, and beach colors are SO pretty...deep turquoise fading into soft, creamy white.

Really though, choosing the art itself comes down to personal preference and what tugs at your heartstrings (maybe you'll choose photos of your kids or your dog, your favorite flower or your favorite vacation spot). There aren't any rights or wrongs when it comes to art. But there are some tips and guidelines for getting the scale right!

1. Orientation - Pay attention to the overall space where the art will go. If it's a tall, narrow wall, you should look for art in a vertical/portrait orientation. For horizontal wall spaces, like over a sofa or bed, your best bet is horizontal/landscape art. Essentially, your art should match the proportions of the wall space it's going on.

2. Size - If you're hanging art above a piece of furniture, the rule of thumb is to have the width of your art be 55-75% of the width of your furniture. So for a king size bed like ours, your art should be 41-57" wide. That means our print is actually on the smaller side for this space. With the headboard being fairly tall, I don't think we could have gone much bigger...but if we had more vertical space to work with, a bigger piece of art might have looked even better. if you're unsure, you could always put some painter's tape on the wall in the dimensions you're considering, so you can visualize it. 

3. Placement - Lastly, a common mistake people make when hanging art is putting it too high on the wall. It doesn't matter whether you have standard 8 ft ceilings or soaring 18 ft vaulted ceilings...art should be hung at eye level. That means the center point of your art piece (not the top or bottom edge) should land around 5 ft above the floor. If you're hanging art above a tall piece of furniture, like our headboard, it might go a little more than that...but you shouldn't have to crane your neck if you're facing it.

Hope those guidelines are helpful! Do you have any large scale art in your home?