'Baby Babble'

“I can’t make another trip to Baby’s R Us,” I thought. “I just can’t.”

I stared back at my pregnant cousin, who had just revealed that another close family friend would be expecting. My cousin’s cheeks were flushed from delivering the good news. Eight months pregnant, her baby shower was only two weeks away. She would host the shower alongside her older sister, who was coincidentally seven months along.

In less than a year, I had been to four baby showers for some of my closest friends and family. Never mind the weddings.

Familiar with the routine, I asked my cousin about her impending shower and she quickly rejected my mentioning of a baby registry. “No, Sophia,” she said. “I want you to pick something out. I trust your taste.”

Oh, boy. I now had to come up with an ingenious gift list. And fast.

My first thought drifted towards the nursery from what she had once described: a haphazardly-painted room with unopened boxes of baby furniture mounting in a corner, hardwood floors in need of a cushy rug and bare, bland walls.

Not that I suggest my cousin transform the nursery into a ‘Winnie the Pooh’ or ‘Thomas the Engine’ themed baby room. The room should be multistage – unless you want to redecorate the room frequently. And incorporating different colors, textures and objects is the best way to do so.

Drawer pulls for under $10 in decorative butterflies and lions can be easily taken down once a child outgrows them. Storage baskets with removable liners can store diapers now and school books years later. A wooden toy chest could be used in a similar fashion.

But what about those must-have baby essentials?

Sure, everyone remembers to buy the teddy bear or princess bedding. Not everyone thinks to buy extra bed covers (see left) for the crib. Babies are neither mess nor accident-proof. I tend to look for organic cotton – some babies have sensitive skin and develop rashes from synthetic fibers.

With babies also come guilty pleasures.

For some, it’s strapping a newborn in an outfit with their favorite NFL team. For others, it’s reminding others that ‘Grandma is no. 1’ or ‘Daddy is the best.’ For me, it’s the cute factor. A set of onesies stuffed in a box like cupcakes (above right) or a bucket with a hat, onesie, bib, T-shirt and socks that are rolled to look like flowers always elicit ‘aww’s.’

Now that I have my list, it’s time to do some online shopping.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of msn.com, blissliving.com and decorinnovation.com

'Ironing It Out'

A recent trip to my girlfriend’s New York City apartment made me realize that even the most successful professional needs help ironing.

“Do you like this dress?” my friend asked, wearing a black babydoll dress.

“Um, yeah,” I said, looking up and down at the wrinkles on her dress. “But you’re going to have to iron that.”

“Really?”

“Really,” I said. I could hear the groan escaping my friend's lips.

“Didn’t you take a class on this?”she asked, which I knew was an indicator that I was soon about to iron my girlfriend’s cotton frock.

She was alluding to my studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the three hours I once spent reviewing how to properly iron a men’s shirt according to my wardrobe stylist instructor.

Ironing is an art in itself and perhaps a skill that so many women outside the fashion industry, like my girlfriend, leave to their dry cleaners. As I evenly spread the underskirt of her dress on her bed and started to iron (not surprisingly, there was no ironing board in the apartment), I relayed some of my ironing tips to her.

For the busy professional or time-pressed housewife, this is some of the advice I gave:

- If you don’t have an ironing board and the fabric you need to press is especially delicate (ie. Silk), use a towel or drop cloth underneath.

- Always iron on the wrong side first, then on the right side. Use a press cloth when ironing the right side. The press cloth protects the fabric.

- Iron away from you. This prevents wrinkles.

- Always press. That’s why it’s called pressing! Do not slide the iron from place to place. It will take much longer to get rid of wrinkles.

- Allow the area you just pressed to cool. If it’s not cooled, moving the fabric could recreate unwanted wrinkles.

- Never iron over buttons, zippers, snaps and hooks. Doing so might ruin them with the heat.

- Leave seams last for ironing. Flatten them out, ironing on the wrong side. Using too much moisture may shrink the seams and cause ripples.

For more helpful tips on ironing, send an e-mail to master@besthomefashion.com.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

'Mould It Yourself'

Make a headboard (above) using metallic tape

Draw dimension to your wall space with easy-to-make molding for a fraction of the cost. To echo the ongoing metallic fashion trend, all you’ll need for this project is some metallic tape. Add a little imagination and in minutes you’ll have your own stylish wall décor.

What you’ll need:

A pencil; yardstick; metallic tape; scissor; level; miscellaneous materials (photographs, postcards, for added decoration)

Here’s how:

1. Use a pencil to mark the desired spot for the molding, a yardstick to make the measurements and a level. With this project, there are many options to choose from – create a lone metallic frame, set two frames side-by-side, or stack then vertically. Keep the boxes about 6 inches apart.

2. If you plan to paint the inside of the frame before applying the metallic molding, do so after marking the dimensions.

3. Measure and the cut strips of the metallic tape accordingly. Trim the edges at a 45-degree angle, much the way you would trim wooden molding for a wall.

4. Now for the tricky part: Start at the corner of the tape and once lined with your markings, peel the tape backing away as you stick the tape onto the wall. Take special care in lining up the right angles.

5. Erase any visible pencil markings.

Still not enough? Tacking or hanging various knickknacks from the space within the molding (see above photo) for more 3-D depth. These items might include photographs, playbills, artwork, flowers and pottery – whatever leaves your mark.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photo courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com and rosebrand.com

'What do your curtains say about you'

What do your curtains say about you? Are you neat and utilitarian like your linen curtains? Do you follow a hectic schedule, and therefore toss curtains aside for blinds instead? Or are you posh, but a bit high-maintenance – kind of like your silken curtains that hang from its valence?

Read on to match your personality with your ideal set of curtains:

Classic and Conservative

No frills. No ruffles. You tend to gravitate toward classic lines and excellent tailoring. But when you do experiment, you opt for solid colors in neutral beige, olive greens and burgundy. A solid floor-length curtain with hidden rod pockets would be your best bet: timeless, machine-washable and easy to open/close.

An All-Around Aristocrat

There is no such thing as being a little high-maintenance. You find solace in rich and luxurious fabrics with no expense spared. After all, you can’t put a price on good taste. A jacquard curtain fashioned with clipped threads is reminiscent of the jacquard looms and its popularity among French royalty in the 1800s. Intricate and delicate, jacquard is also a weighty fabric that needs little additional styling.

The Shining Luminary

You’re always leading the way, whether it be in your social or intellectual pursuits. And your actions are of constant inspiration to others. A solid curtain in any shade will not do. A heather mélange curtain shines in the light, creating drama and adding texture where it should. In rich colors like chocolate, olive and navy, this curtain is bound to impress.

A Wild Child

Fun, flirty and you have a little bit of a wild streak. Experiment is how you like to go when it comes to style. Décor is no exception. And that’s why you would most like a zebra-striped curtain with a wavy, diagonal stripe. The pattern is playful and quirky, but not overpowering where a room would look like it was on an African safari.

Whether you’re cool as a cucumber, simple or glamorous, there's a curtain that meets your every need and personality.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of decorinnovation.com