Ranunculus

Ranunculus - my favourite flowers. Via Sweet Eventide.

Books

Speaking of stripes, here are some fantastic manifestations in books. All via Wary Meyers.

Stripes

I guess you can never start too early? Our little man's closet already has four pairs of striped pants (and I sprung for a striped maternity dress for myself this week too!). T-shirt available at Estella and onesie available at Nature Baby.

Bassinet

Yesterday a phone message greeted us upon arrival home from the office indicating that our bassinet (which awesomely clicks into our stoller - a generous present from my mom) had arrived for pick up. Naturally, I was in our car within minutes on my way to pick it up. This am, Greg surprised me by setting it up on the landing outside our bathroom while I was showering. Obviously I cried upon discovering it there. It was one of those weepy, yet sunshine-y moments when all you feel is bliss. It is utterly amazing to think our little man will be meandering about town in this little unit in a few short months.

Crafting

Becoming a mama has reignited the crafting bug on me, and the Purl Bee is my favourite source for project ideas. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at swaddling blankets (above), bibs and fabric balls.

Maternity Clothes

For all the other expectant mothers out there, I thought it appropriate to share the benefits of the hours of web-trawling I have done to find fashionable and affordable maternity clothes.

I admit it - before this babe came along shopping was a breeze. Stores generally carried my straight off the rack size, limited alterations were required (aside from my routine $8 jean hemming at our neighbourhood tailor) and finding clothing that fit my style and budget was fairly easy. Welcome pregnancy and all of a sudden shopping, not to mention simply getting dressed in the morning, has become a challenge. However, I have found a few tried and true sources for maternity clothes that I like, can afford and fit well.

My sources:

• ASOS - This British site is fantastic. If you shop nowhere else during your pregnancy, I recommend that you shop here. Shipping is quick and free, and prices are available in Canadian dollars. You can also watch each style on the runway, which is very helpful when anticipating how the fabric will flow and fit. I've bought three dresses from here thus far, and am debating which ones from their line will be my next purchases. French Connection even sells a maternity line through ASOS. Right now, I'm loving the Breton Stripe Jersey Dress, Swallow Print Tunic and Layered Sleeve Shift Dress.
• American Apparel - I literally live in black leggings and long sweaters when I'm not at the office. American Apparel has a great variety of slim fit maternity clothes, and the most adorable onesies for baby.
• Joe Fresh - Though Joe technically doesn't have a maternity line, I personally find their cuts and sizing to be very maternity friendly (particularly in the second trimester). Joe's plethora of long striped t-shirts has been a great score. And further, what could be better than scoring a new top for $10 while simultaneously picking up your weekly groceries?

Image of Kitted Waist Seam Dress, one of my ASOS picks and the dress I'm sporting this Easter Sunday, via ASOS.

Dwell

The April 2011 edition of Dwell is my favourite to date (Greg's mom kindly gifted me a subscription for Christmas). I'm completely in love with this Finnish home. It offers so much inspiration in thinking about how we'll plan and roll out our family home.

Open Letters

I love these genius open letters! Image via Honestly...WTF?.

Snowsuit

On a morning that greeted us with spring snow (ugh!), fittingly the sweetest little grey snowsuit arrived. My heart melts just looking at it. It is amazing to think that next winter a little body will be swaddled in that poofy down. Naturally, buying this book is next on my to-do list.

Toys

After taking a few trips to Babies R Us in the past weeks, I'm in shock about the possibility of mass amounts of colourful large pieces of plastic infiltrating our home (for safety, space, and aesthetic reasons). In an attempt to keep our baby toys as educational and natural as possible, here are some of the great alternatives that I have found made of wood and real wool.

P.S. This kid-sized kitchen is a must-have when our little guy is older.

Sauce

Last May, while on our honeymoon in San Francisco, Greg and I enjoyed lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge in the Castro. Since then I've been dreaming about the squash dumplings with spicy sesame soy sauce that I ordered. Oddly, it hasn't occurred to me until now to search for a similar recipe for the sauce to enjoy with homemade dumplings here in St. John's. Here's to hoping that this version is just as delicious. Image of Samovar via Yoga Journal.

Colour

So true. Via Gold Rush.

Oranges

I am officially obsessed with oranges (like seriously I cannot get enough). It's kind of out of control. It seems I've traded both my sweet tooth and my salt tooth (yes, I have both) for a citrus tooth. Image via Citrus Trees.

Friends

Helmut, two friends are already waiting for you in the nursery.

P.S. Aren't Blabla's knit toys beyond beautiful?

Layette

I've been spending the past few days researching the ideal size of a baby's layette. Thankfully many moms online have shared their views on how many onesies, blankets and other clothing a little one actually needs. In an effort to avoid clothing that never gets worn, I'm taking this advice seriously. For safety reasons, Greg and I have decided to eschew bumpers, comforters and pillows in the crib and will be going with only a crib sheet. With that decision made, I'm now feeling overwhelmed with deciding which sheets to choose for the nursery. Above are some of my favourites from Dwell and Giggle.

Spring

After a long (long!) winter, there's been some reprieve in St. John's this week. Greg and I enjoyed the most beautiful pink and gold sunset last evening (viewed from the corner window in our soon-to-be nursery!) and meandered throughout Churchill Park (stopping for dinner) and along Rennies River Trail tonight. I feel refreshed and revitalized. Isn't it funny how spring can be so therapeutic (even when it is still quite chilly outside)? Image of Rennies River by Peatkau.

Discussion

Speaking of babies, aren't these two just the cutest? Cue heart swooning! Image of Greg (on the right) and his twin brother, Chris, gossiping circa 1972.

Nursery Inspiration

Since finding out that we're having a sweet boy, I've been devouring Ohdeedoh, Wee Textile and similar blogs for nursery inspiration. Our plans are well underway with a clean lined white crib waiting in the basement for assembly, grey paint swatches stuck to the little one's bedroom wall, and visions of handmade buntings and mobiles, and a painted red vintage dresser. I know for certain that we want a soft rug for baby to play on in his room, and a storage unit to stash toys when they're not in use. We'll also have a reading corner (complete with our repurposed poang chair) and soft toys. My timeline for completion is the end of June (ideally!). We shall see how we do with that. Images via Ohdeedoh, Project Nursery and Ohdeedoh.

News

Please know that I've been bursting (bursting!) to tell you, but finally now is the perfect time to announce that Greg and I are expecting our first child! In late summer, a bouncing baby will be coming home to Circular; I'm half way to our due date of August 24. We cannot wait to welcome our sweet baby boy (yes, we found out on my birthday that we're expecting a little boy) and show him all the love, care and support in the world. I hope you'll join me here on Horizontal Stripes for the second half of our journey into parenthood. xo

Ehlert

I adore the illustrations of Lois Ehlert (of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom fame). Do you have a favourite illustrator?

Pictogram

These movie poster re-makes are brilliant. See more here.