Daylight Savings Time Miracle

You guys.  Our toddler stayed in her room until it was time to get up, despite the time change - something that hasn't happened in years.  It's a miracle!  
| This post was not sponsored but does contain my Amazon referral link |

A mom friend had recommended the Ready to Wake Clock to us when we moved our daughter to her big girl room and it's been amazing! She stays in her room now until it turns green in the morning and after "quiet rest time" (she's dropped nap, but still has a time in the afternoon to play quietly and look at books in her room).

And probably the biggest BONUS of all - we actually got to sleep in this morning and take advantage of the time change!  First time in like 3 years.  She just played quietly in her bed until the clock turned green and was none-the-wiser that she was there for an extra hour.  

Parenting win!  

New Items in the Etsy Shop!

I've recently added some new items to the Etsy shop, including Hand-Etched Birch State Ornaments and Monogram Cross-Cut Birch Ornaments.  I think these are some great additions to the shop and I hope you love them too.  

And don't forget, I'll be sharing an exclusive coupon code for my Etsy shop this week with my newsletter subscribers!  So if you haven't already, please sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the button below.  I promise I'll never send more than one email per week and will never share your information.  Thanks so much!  

Cape Cod Inspired Toddler Room

It's been a long time coming, but we've finally moved our little one up to her "big girl room"!  Decorating and organizing this space has been a challenge since it's such a tiny room.  And while arrows, deer, and gold polka dots are all the rage right now, we wanted to get the biggest bang for our buck and go with a timeless, classic theme that our daughter can grow into.  | This post contains affiliate links |

We decided to go with a blue, white, and yellow color scheme (which always reminds me of Cape Cod) and just a few decorative touches that can easily be changed out as our little one grows and tastes change.  Keeping everything pretty light in the room helps make it feel just a little bit bigger too.  

The bed and dresser came from Ikea and were very reasonably priced. In fact, these were my first purchases from Ikea EVER (gasp) and I was very impressed with the quality and sturdiness of them. While not shown in these photos, we have under-mattress bedrails that are typically on the bed so she doesn't roll out.

The bedding was one of the most reasonably priced quilt sets I could find and came from Amazon (*at the moment it's listed for double what I had paid, but Amazon pricing can change often so hopefully the price will come down again soon). I just love all the different blues, greens, and creams in the bedspread! It keeps with the Cape Cod color scheme and adds a country touch.

The "love you to the moon & back" sign was made by me and will be coming to our Etsy shop soon ;)  

This little dormer was the perfect spot to tuck the dresser in as well as some decorative touches like the wooden oar, which was a freebie find. The custom name puzzle is from Amazon, and both the lamp and the curtains are from Wal-Mart.

We also added this Personalized Alphabet Printable from my Etsy shop as well, and our daughter loves finding the letters from her name in it.  

This Moon Bed was a custom creation from my brother and sister-in-law as a gift for our baby shower - it makes the perfect spot for snuggling up with a good book and some stuffed animals. The starfish watercolor painting is by New England artist Jen Scully of Mack & Ro. I love how it compliments this corner with the "moon and stars" theme but also fits in perfectly with the overall coastal vibe of the room.

What's New England without a farm? This little Pottery Barn table was a yard sale find (score!) and makes the perfect spot for a barnyard scene. The wooden barn is from Melissa and Doug but the animals are Little People (all yard sale finds again). The woven rope basket to hold accessories for the farm adds a coastal touch. This rope basket is old, but I've linked a very similar one here.

This room has a very shallow alcove and to make the most of the space I built custom book rails in it for storage and display.  I debated on putting one more rail down lower but decided against it since I know our toddler would try to climb it like a ladder.  Instead, I made a custom narrow wooden crate to sit on the floor and hold her heavier books that I didn't want to put up on the wall.  

The book rails make for great storage that doesn't take up a lot of room, as well as gives us a chance to show of some of our current favorite books (including some fun New England-themed ones).  

And last but not least, possibly the most important addition to our daughter's big girl room, the Ready to Wake Clock! I was a bit skeptical at first, but this clock really has been a lifesaver (and no, this is not a sponsored endorsement). Our daughter used to get up between 4-5AM everyday, but once she learned that she needs to stay in bed until the clock turns green she now sleeps to the decent hour (6:45AM) that we set her clock to (thank goodness!).

I've tried to link all my sources for the room but if there's anything I'm missing that you have a question on, please send me a message.  

Giving Back

About a month ago I decided to start something new for Birch Landing Home - after all, every little bit helps and we want to be a part of it!  

Starting this year, we will be donating a percentage of our profits at year-end to charity(ies) of our choice.  The charities will be chosen at the end of each year.  

We all need to remember (myself included) to give back more when we can, and I hope we can inspire other businesses and individuals to do the same.  

More information about how we plan to give back can be found here.  

 

Easy No-Hardware Valance for Blinds

Wooden blinds are a great window treatment option, but finishing them off can be tricky, especially if you don't want to hang curtains too.  Today I'm sharing my easy, no hardware-needed solution for dressing up the blinds.  

All you need is a thin piece of wood or trim (about 1/4" thick) painted to match your blinds and adhesive velcro - that's it!  I cut down our trim board myself, but if you don't have a saw you could ask your hardware store to cut it to the width of your blinds when you purchase it.  

For velcro I used Scotch Indoor Velcro Squares.  They have a 3 lb weight limit which is more than enough needed for our project, but I made sure to use three velcro tabs per window for a secure hold.

To hang, I just put the adhesive velcro tabs along the top assembly of the blinds and pressed the trim board on top securely.  That's it!  

 

This makes for a quick and professional finish to the blinds but still allows you to easily take it down to access the mounts for the blinds for window maintenance and cleaning.  

Coming Soon: Signs!

Coming (soon I hope) to the Etsy shop - signs!

I've been wanting to add signs to the shop for forever but ornaments have been keeping me too busy.  For now I'll be listing an occasional sign in the shop here and there, but after the Christmas ornament rush you can expect to see a lot more!  Designs will mostly be New England-inspired and some nursery/children's room designs (like the one pictured).  

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

Newsletters are where it's at now and I'm jumping on the bandwagon ;)  

Please feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletter in the form below.  I manage the list myself and don't share your information, so you don't have to worry about getting spammed.  

I plan on sending out one email per week, tops (we all get enough emails everyday already, right?).  In the weekly newsletter I'll share a summary to some of my latest posts, any giveaways I'm hosting for the blog, as well as what's new in the Etsy shop and exclusive coupon codes.  

Thanks so much for following along :)  

Custom Ornament Orders

Don't forget, I can make custom Christmas ornaments too!  Here is a custom one I made for my husband's business, Build Interactive.  

If you're thinking of ordering a custom ornament this Christmas season, please do so soon.  As we get closer to Christmas it gets harder to take on custom orders.  
You can always contact me through my Etsy Shop or the contact form on my blog for more details.  Thank you!