Design: Throwback of My Apartment

Earlier this year, I was featured in a popular Decor magazine called Casa e Jardim from Brazil.

I don't believe I ever shared all these photos on my blog....so I wanted to post them today.  The photos were shot earlier this year when Noah was much younger & wasn't standing or walking yet...hence, why the coffee table is styled so nicely in the pic below! Ha! These days, the apartment is not as nicely decorated because having a toddler changes everything! Simple things like a glass vase are now considered "armed & dangerous." haha 

This apartment holds so many memories but one of my favorites was decorating it.  I hope my home decor will inspire you! Please feel free to pin these pics!

area rug by madeline weinrib 

| Art by Jen Ramos  

| zig zag blk & white ceramic vase by Emilia Ceramics

small spotted rug by Caitlin Wilson

desk by west elm

blue abstract art set + gold frames via  Jen Ramos

 indian chief art by jenna snyder-phillips

pillows are old by cb2 and west elm

| velvet sofa by Jayson Home

-pic by jen ramos

Real Life: Balance

Being a mom & running a business is HARD work. There aren't enough hours in a day to do both as well as I'd like. I admit it. There are days I wish I had my nanny even longer, but then I'd never spend time with my son. It's all about perfecting balance I guess.....& that, I am still working on. Today I looked down at my little guy & he was wearing this t-shirt I designed. Says "mom & dad are my heroes" .... It made me smile. ...that maybe he thought I was doing just great... That in his eyes, I was HIS HERO.  

It made all this hard work today...feel a little better.

Follow more on my instagram.

T-shirt from my shop -  Cocoa & Hearts

Real Life: A bit about Noah

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA. Being a mom & dealing with things like finding a nanny, working, marriage, & clients it can get pretty busy. Since being a mother has taken a lot of the space on my plate, I may as well write about it. Where do I begin? I thought I'd write about Noah & what I am discovering being his mom. Noah is now 13 months old, a toddler!  He is a very curious & active boy...As a mom it's nice to discover our children's personalities. Here are a few things about him I wanted to share:

He smiles 80% of the time
He is very friendly, even with strangers.
If you aren't looking at him, he will call out to you.
He loves bananas & watermelon.
He is very social.
He is courageous.
When we are in his music class he floats around the room smiling at everyone.
He loves to knock down a tower of blocks.
Loves to go outside in his stroller.
He doesn't mind when I put on his shoes.
He's not a messy eater.
He enjoys helping with laundry & folding it. (Well he doesn't know how to fold quite yet but he  is entertained by trying).

He likes music & art.
He's never really used a pacifier.
He likes feeling a loose blanket underneath him before he sleeps.
He falls asleep pretty quickly.
He doesn't mind if people are talking, when he's tired he will clonk out.
He's pretty well-behaved when we take him to public places.
He seems to adapt pretty well to new situations.
He is not a big giggler.
He laughs when I tickle his neck.
He doesn't mind being scared.
He doesn't like vacuums that much.
He's a good eater.
He cooperates well when I am cutting his nails.
He enjoys going out in his baby carrier.
He's on a schedule.
He falls asleep around 7:20pm every evening. 

I have to say I am looking forward to the next phase, where I get to hear him speak & try to put words together! Have a great weekend!

-images by jen ramos

REAL LIFE: "Our Day" Together

Hey guys! Hope you're having a good end-of-week so far!  My day is busy & dealing with some in-law family issues, but mostly all is well.  I posted this on my instagram, but also wanted to share it on my blog. Scroll down to read... 

One day a week, I am home alone for 10-11 hours straight with my son. It's one day a week because I still work & run my business (from home).. the other 4 days. Every week on "our day" together...I wonder if I can make it through the entire day without collapsing. Maybe because I'm an older mom & don't have as much energy or maybe because my mind wants to do MadeByGirl work or maybe just because being a MOM is hard stuff! 10-11 hours straight devoted completely to someone else... when it used to be "just me", is definitely something new Moms have to get used to. I'm still getting used to it. There isn't much freedom on the day I spend with him because my time is his. I like freedom, but it is a sacrifice I've made to raise this beautiful boy.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it and tell you BS......It's exhausting being a mom! On the day we spend together (all day).... I wish I could just sit down uninterrupted for 20 minutes straight ....doing nothing. But I can't. I don't know how other moms who have more than 1 child do it... Props to you, really. I am TRULY grateful that I have a (p/t) nanny 4 days a week..(while I work), because at my age (42), it's def challenging. But, I'm ready. Exhausted, but ready for the challenge. Today on our day together I took him out in his stroller... Getting an 11 month old ready to go out into the cold, is a job in itself. Moms, you know what I mean. He doesn't like to put on his coat... So... a little bit of crying & resistance happens. Once his coat is on & he knows we are headed out, I know I have like 4 minutes to hurry & put all my layers on before he starts getting agitated again!!

As I sit here... Going thru all these "mom-moments" I can't help but love him & still be grateful for him. Being a mom is hard. So, YES....I appreciate Moms with more than one child & nannies MORE THAN EVER now.......you are all HEROES.


 -post & photo by jen ramos

Experience A Cup Above

Coffee is my thing.

I used to be a coffee-shop fanatic, until I discovered Nespresso.  I realized how much money I was spending on coffee +  time wasted in-line waiting for my tall decaf soy latte with a splash of mocha on top! Oooh, long name!  Nothing wrong with name brand coffee shops but there's something magical about making your own cappuccino in the comfort of your own home.  After receiving my first machine, citiz & milk  as a gift from a friend,  I was HOOKED on Nespresso.  The ease & the taste of the coffee was way better than the coffee shops I had visited.  For the last few years I've been a loyal customer of this amazing brand.  So, Nespresso asked me to share my daily coffee routine & to try out the newest machine in the VertuoLine range, Evoluo.  The new machine launched last month and is featured in their new �Experience a cup above� campaign with George Clooney.

To those who don't know me, I work from home. Working from home is definitely an interesting & challenging experience. I tend to work on turbo-mode and then take a break during the daytime to spend time with my son for a few minutes.  I usually hang out with him while I make myself a (much-needed) cappuccino & pair it with Sprinkles cupcakes or a gluten-free bagel + pumpkin butter spread.  I eagerly look forward to these moments & feel relaxed & at ease being a work-at-home-mom.

During the middle of my work day on my break, I'll  enjoy my coffee with a bagel.  It's one of my favorite things......but my son loves colors, so cupcakes get him EXCITED!  He then goes back to his sitter & I get back to work, checking email, posting photos on social media like instagram & painting.  Being an artist, my home studio can get a little messy.  Even still, I'm not afraid to bring my coffee into the mix... I'll even use it as a prop for photo shoots.  Of course, I'll drink it afterwards.   I love painting & sipping on my cappuccino, I feel like the two things go hand-in-hand.  Working at home has it's challenges & the one day my sitter isn'tt working, it's hard to leave the house & walk into a coffee-shop with a stroller etc. (even if I wanted to).  So having a high-end machine like the Evoluo, which brews espresso and large-cup coffee, is VERY helpful.

Below:  Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair in Pewter

In the last few days, I've really enjoyed my work breaks, because the new Evoluo machine has been wonderful. You see,  I love milk (soy milk) in my coffee, so I got the bundle with the Aeroccino (milk frother).  This machine is quieter & more beautiful than my previous one.  It also maintains the gorgeous crema, which is what you see in my glass cup in the photo.  Nespresso machines use Nespresso capsules and brew high quality coffee , they are easy-to-clean & offer some great varieties in their Grand Crus like the new Limited Edition Swiss Chocolate for the holidays, yum!!!   One thing I learned while trying the new Evoluo is that Nespresso only selects the top 1-2% of coffee from the finest coffee-producing regions for their Grand Crus! Nice.

I love my coffee at home & drinking an iced version on the weekends with my husband after dinner is like my dessert sometimes.  He'll even add a scoop of coconut milk ice cream on top!  I swear.  So now you know how I  "Experience A Cup Above."

Above: Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair

-post + photos by made by girl
-this post was created in partnership with nespresso - thanks!

REAL LIFE: OUR (TOO LONG) RV TRIP

Traveling with my family last week was not easy.  I'll be the first to tell you that being in such a small space with my husband (for too long) is not always a good idea.  I love him, but damn.... we can get on each others' nerves in such tight quarters!  I also discovered on this trip that RV'ing (as they call it) just isn't for me.  I guess I'm more of a city girl who likes to dress chic & sip on cappuccinos.... I ADMIT IT.

Nonetheless, I decided to go because I thought it would be a good idea to experience the back roads, farms, fruit markets and the beautiful animals we don't see in the city.  I guess you could say, I wanted to be rugged for a bit.  On this trip, I realized I'm too much of a city-girl to go rugged more than 4 days. Our trip went for 9 days. Tooo long.

In the meanwhile, we also traveled with our 7 1/2 month old son.  He wasn't a handful, he was ACTUALLY two.  We had to make stops every time he was to be fed & changed. To be fair, he has a good temperament and isn't a huge crybaby but he certainly got irritated being in the car seat too long.  Car seats are wonderful & horrible at the same time, right?  Because he's still under 2 yrs old,  he has to face towards the back of the vehicle, so he doesn't get to see much out the window. Like a friend told me recently, when you take kids with you, it's no longer a vacation but a trip.  Don't get me wrong, I thank God for the time off, but hoping for a vacation next time.

All in all, the sights I saw were as beautiful as any movie & the places we visited were SUPER fun. I learned a few things along the way, if you decide to  travel in an RV + baby, it will require a few things:

• patience
• a good amount of baby clothes
• if you're traveling in the cold, pack warm attire
• Organic baby food to-go like Ella's Kitchen or Happy Baby
• portable baby tub like Puj - that folds & hangs to dry easily
• a comfy car seat that is easy to remove like the nuna PIPA
•  Pre-fill bottles with water or pedialyte to carry around if you're child is thirsty
•  Do not plan too much, because trust me, most of the trip will be spontaneous and you may be disappointed. 
• have lots of possible destinations as back ups, in case plan A fails.
• download cartoons or kids learning videos on an ipad or whatever for your child to watch during his/her traveling time in the car seat. 
• always charge phones, iPad, etc. 
• With an RV it's better to opt for plastic dinnerware because renting the ceramic dishes etc. like we did, wasn't a good idea. Why? because with every bump all you could hear are dishes & I was fearing the cabinets opening. Although the dishes are in a safety box, still...it was annoying for the baby to hear as he slept.
• bring plenty of bottled water for everyone - which baby can also drink from. 
• Forget bringing your entire wardrobe. Almost all RV parks have laundry & while you are there you can do a quick load. 
• if it's cold, I'd suggest bringing a small portable heater. You never know when you may need it.
• stay organized, put things in specific places so you don't spend most of your trip wondering where you're shoes are etc. 
• Do not overeat. Not for anything but... being on the road too long with a baby you will be sitting around a lot. The kitchen should be used to cook meals. We used it almost every single night. 
• We decided to cover the cloth RV seats with towels we bought at a Walmart after i spilled some water on one section then sat down on it. Got up to discover i had a dark spot on my jeans from the dirt that collects on the RV cushions. Gross. So, cover those things up! This is perfect when you have to place some baby items on the seats. 
• Use the main RV bed as the baby changing station. But make sure to never leave your infant alone!

-post by jen ramos