baby girl’s nursery

Posted on 2.12.2016 by sarah

Like with any second child, our baby girl’s nursery (and her scrapbook) is lagging behind. Way behind! We’re getting into ten months after her arrival, and I’m just now finishing her nursery! Jack’s nursery was completed months before his due date but not this one! I could not make up my mind!! It took me months to find a game plan, and even then I was unsure.

Around month five, I finally got my sense of self back and started planning Meredith’s space. She’s been living in it for five months without complaints, but I didn’t like the half done walls, a mirror still on the floor, and space that didn’t feel like a little girl’s room. It was time.

I have all the big ticket items; crib, dresser, rocker. It was the little items that were throwing me for a loop. There were also items that I hastily said yes to, and regretted later. Like the striped painted wall, which was cheaper than wallpaper (trying to follow a budget). I hated looking at it; it was all wrong; the color, the look, etc. I wish I would have spent the extra money for what I wanted in the first place.Meredith’s room was based more on a color and feeling than any actual theme. I went with blush pink hues with green and gold accents. I wanted a comforting, elegant and playful space Meredith could transition well in as she grows.The wallpaper accent wall is my favorite part of the space. I love the look against the light wood and white crib. The room looks brighter and more alive than the painted striped wall. Win-Win! The mirror just makes the statement, too! I was so nervous to put a hole in that pretty paper, but I’m glad the hubs did.

Next to the crib is the rocker. Any mom will attest to needing this the minute they get home from the hospital, and I was no exception with both babies. I wish I would have thought about this room long before Meredith’s arrival because I would have purchased the West Elm glider in a different color for the space. The Graham Glider in dove grey was available in the store, so we bought it right up. I would have had to wait 6-8 weeks for a pattern or another fabric choice. Another reason to start on your nursery early! This space has been great for reading, nursing, and snuggling. I’m sure I will spend many more hours happily looking down at my baby girl or out the window during those early morning feedings.
These little shelves are super cute in this space, too. I think it’s the jelly to my wallpaper peanut butter! I love it! I needed a space to have books and this displays them well. Plus, how cute is Meredith and Jack’s pictures on the top shelf. Eek.These two pictures are perched on the top bookshelf and my heart skips a beat whenever I look at them.

Above the changing table was hard. I switched the design numerous times and finally picked simple pieces I loved.The knob in the collage is for Meredith’s wipes. It works well and is really sturdy.I added new knobs to the closet doors and painted the back of the closet wall in a blush pink. The bins are perfect for keeping all those babies accessories.This space is so stinking cute! I can’t handle it. I’m very jealous of both my babies rooms, as they have the latest and greatest things in their rooms. But… isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? We think so.

Happy Weekend Friends!

girl’s nursery design board

Posted on 11.02.2014 by sarah

We’re waiting for our countertops to be finished and installed, but this doesn’t mean I’m not without distractions. I have a baby girl in my belly, and I get to decorate a room to celebrate it!

I made this same type of mood board back before we had Jack, here. It was a fun way to gather up the pieces month by month to make a nursery and what we now call Jack’s room. We would budget for one or two pieces a month, so it didn’t feel like a hefty expense, and we had something to look forward to each month! We plan to do the same with this nursery space. This mood board is a little more tech-savvy than the cut-and-paste version last time, but it serves the same purpose.

Source list: artist in kiev knob – anthropologie, dresser – west elm, 3 spouts basket sand camel – target, baby peacock mirror – wisteria, let them be little – easy, malibu chandelier – serena & lily, ribbon mobile – etsy, cool mint 582 – benjamin moore, organized girl’s closet (minus the pink everything) – the container store, rug – urban outfitters, crib – baby mod marley 3-in-1 convertible crib.

I have to say planning a girl’s room is much harder than planning a boy’s. There are SO many options, yes, but I also have that underlying voice to make sure it’s not too feminine so she grows up strong. Maybe I’m putting too much thought into the underlying effects of paint color on my baby girl’s self-worth and self-confidence. Just maybe. But I want her to be strong, independent, and know she can do anything she puts her mind to. Plus, the amount of accessories little girls can have! I can barely remember to put earrings and my ring on during the weekends!! Luckily, I expressed these concerns to a dear friend one night, and she calmly, more matter-of-factly said, you’ll teach her those things and she’ll accessorize you!

Simple as that. It made me smile and tiptoe off that edge of nervousness.

Back to the room, I plan on painting the walls Benjamin Moore cool mint 582. It’s a great pastel creamy-goodness, and I think our little girl will love it in the daytime and sleep well (hopefully) in it at night. I plan on applying some gold polka dots on an accent wall, as well. After thinking of these two colors; gold and mint, the other items above just came together!

I’ll keep you posted with the progress!!

nursery reveal

Posted on 7.10.2013 by sarah

I know most of you have been waiting patiently for the Big Nursery Reveal! for a while now! It’s so exciting, no!?! I’m only kidding. I’ve been the one waiting to finally reveal the nursery because that meant I could finally say it’s finished!! And that is it, my friends! All I need is our baby boy to complete the space! Okay, maybe I’ll add the first letter of his name to one of the walls! We’ll see.

As I said in this post here and here, we went with a gender-neutral wall color and palette made up of natural woods and whites, then added some personal touches and gender-specific accessories. I wanted a calming place to have our baby rest his head and a place we can transition easily when he’s older. When ever I say that, I always think of those bridesmaid dresses they always say you can wear again, in the back of my closet, yep, still haven’t worn them. Maybe better thinking is Baby #2 will enjoy the space next while Baby #1 moves into another room all together. Yep, I’m a perpetual planner.

The bumper pad will be forgotten, due to the pediatricians new advisories against them in infancy. I may add one later when he gets a little older to protect his arms and legs but for now, it will stay open.

I’ll try to give a detailed list of all the goodies at the end.

Lastly, the other man of the nursery! We’re taking bets if he’ll sleep in our room or the nursery when the baby comes!

Source List: Wall Color – Benjamin Moore Pashmina (Affinity Collection) in Natura, Crib – Wal-Mart Parklane 3-in-1, Crib Skirt & Boppy cover – Handmade, Sarah Watt’s Collection fabric, Crib Mattress and Changing Pad – Nook, Ceiling fixture – Birds Nest Hanging Light, Serena & Lily, Sheepskin Rug – Amazon, Senegalese Storage Basket – Serena & Lily, Glider Chair & Ottoman – West Elm Graham collection, Floor lamp – Urban Outfitters, Orange side table – west Elm Martini table, Giraffe Bust – Anthropologie, Pouf – Handmade at City Craft Dallas, Dresser – West Elm Patchwork dresser, Animal Portraits – Berkley Illustrations on Etsy, Animal Portrait frames – Ikea, Changing table topper – Pottery Barn Kids, Rocking Bird – West Elm, Orange nightlight truck – Target, Leaf tray with nooks – Crate & Barrel, “XO” – Thrifted Canton, TX, Framed “baby Toms” – Vintage Bloom Photography, Pottery barn wood gallery frame, Shelf – West Elm Reclaimed wood 2′ with silver branch brackets, Worm – West Elm, Aesop’s Fables – Vintage from the hubs grandma, Yarn Rhino – Target, St. Louis Cardinals banks – Hubs/Gifted from childhood, Silver ABC bank – Mine/Gifted from Childhood, Diaper Pail – Ubbi from Buy, Buy, Baby, Rolling Storage Crate – Senera & Lily, Framed Baby – Vintage, Ha. My father as a baby, in Pottery barn wood gallery frame, Framed baseball – vintage single baseball by Shawn St. Peter on Etsy in Pottery barn wood gallery frame, Framed Arrows – Gotcha Arrows and Heart By ProjectType on Etsy in Pottery barn wood gallery frame, Wooden Alphabet – Bookhouathome on Etsy.

nursery gliders

Posted on 6.28.2013 by sarah

When looking at varieties of gliders, I thought I had it nailed down to comfort and design. I set aside a pretty huge chunk of my budget for the nursery to get something nice, classic, and modern. Here were my ideas.

serena & lily – presidio glider

west elm – graham glider

monte – vola wingback glider

dwell – myles glider

That was until I was driving to the grocery store and saw a garage sale! I just had to stop. They had a lot of vintage pieces displayed, including tables and chairs. But it wasn’t until I parked and walked up to the garage sale, that I saw this gem! It had some of the components I wanted; rocking ability, high back for my sleepy head, but also a unique mid-century look. For $15.00, I got this rocking chair… and an ottoman! Double Score! I brought it home and cleaned up the mountain of dust on it, and it looked better already!

It looks pretty nice “as-is” but I had other ideas for this rocker. I wanted more padding in the seat and backrest, as well as have the wood sanded and lightened a bit.

That night, I googled my rocker and found a couple great ideas googling Bentwood Rocking Chairs, that caught my eye.

source

And then I found this picture, which completely made my day… one of my favorite arts (That’s Picasso folks!) in a Bentwood rocker! Awesome! It was a sign from the gods, it was meant to be! Ha!

source

Luckily for me (well sort of), I’ve been holding on to one of my patient’s business cards; he has been refinishing wood and upholstering furniture from his home. I called him and had him assess the chair. He was on board with my ideas of keeping the wood finish (no crazy paint, here) and adding a better seat/backrest. I was super excited (and nervous) to see his handy work! For $120.00, and $35.00 for the fabric, I think I did rather well! Here’s the final look!

It turned out wonderfully. Well, sort of… besides trying to get the guy off the idea that a one week turn-around meant two months, with no returned phone calls, and a lot of chaos in-between, AND still an imperfect chair … The back he upholstered is already coming off. (tears and frustration.) Plus, I talked to a lot of moms that said having a glider and using minimal energy to rock, is the best thing at 2am, hands down! So, my garage sale find is now in my living room, and we ultimately invested in the West Elm Graham Glider and ottoman because the others would take 8-12 weeks to deliver and I don’t think we have that much time! You win some, you lose some!

nursery closet

Posted on 6.24.2013 by sarah

Since the baby showers, this kid has amassed a bigger wardrobe than both of his parents combined! So, I really wanted to freshen up the closet space in the nursery, simply with a layer of paint.

At first, I wanted to do stripes, but painting when you’re pregnant isn’t that much fun, especially edging in small spaces… So, I kept it simple with one color. Maybe some weekend I’ll get my energy up to do stripes but not now, it’s going to have to do. Here’s my semi-before (a.k.a. Sarah forgot to take a before picture photo.)

I picked Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Gray HC-146 in Natura, no VOC paint, so I don’t disturb the bambino while I paint. It’s a water-based paint and I recommend spending the extra penny to save yourself from the fumes. I loved the color contrast from the actual nursery to the more gender specific color hidden in this space. Plus, a splash of color when you open the closet is always fun!

Painting the closet also helped me organize everything, too! Now, I just have to figure out when to clean all his clothes for his arrival. I’m getting super excited to meet this little guy.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

nursery art

Posted on 4.24.2013 by sarah

I’ve been thinking about the nursery walls lately but making little progress actually purchasing the wall art, until now!

Have you seen these? I don’t know about you, but I think these prints are adorable! They are handsome but playful. I found them on Etsy and saw them again on Senera & Lily a couple years ago. I’ve had them in my “favorite” section on Etsy since then but never knew quite where to put these creatures until now! All that time has passed, and I cannot think of a better location to put these wonderful animals than the nursery.

Actually last year, I tried to persuade one of my friends to put it in her nursery, but she had other prints in mind for her baby boy. Honestly, I’m glad she didn’t because now I get the chance to use them! I picked out six 5×7 prints (it was hard – there are so many to choose from) which I plan to frame and display on right side of the nursery window as you walk into the room. I already have a faux paper layout of my idea set up in the nursery and am looking forward to putting up the real thing soon!!

I’m so excited about these prints. I tried to pick animals the baby/toddler will be able to relate to and am excited for when he can point to them and give their names and sounds. So fun! I’m happy to see the starting point of my nursery walls and have ideas of a gallery wall above the changing table, a shelf above the rocker and maybe some family photos dispersed throughout. I’ll keep you posted!

let there be light

Posted on 4.08.2013 by sarah

The father-in-law was here, the father-in-law was here! Easter weekend was spent with my in-laws at our house. They were nice enough to fly down for the extended weekend and help us with some house projects!

The husband and my father-in-law spent time switching out FOUR fixtures, two receptacles, and fixed a toilet! It was so motivating to have them here; it made me want to do even more!

The first fixture in the dining room was probably the hardest. They had to head up to the attic because I wanted them to place a fixture directly above the dining table and get rid of the center chandelier in the middle of the room. Now the space serves as both a living room and dining room instead of one big dining room. Below you can see the old chandelier in the middle of the room, reflected in the mirror.

I chose a 3-jar chandelier I got from West Elm (go figure). It worked perfect in the space. It doesn’t look too formal for the table, and I’m so pleased with the size!

Then, the pair moved on to the kitchen. In our little kitchen nook, there was a big ceiling fan, which was nice, but I want the space to have a more structured spot for eating and entertaining. Plus the big ceiling fan wasn’t that aesthetically pleasing.

I decided on Ballard‘s Eldridge Pendant. I kept the existing placement of the electrical box (the guys were happy about that) but had them swing the chain to center the light over our little farm table. At first, I was a little nervous I got too big of a fixture for such a small space, but as I look at it daily, it really works with the space.

If that wasn’t enough, they moved to the nursery. There was a very dated fan in the nursery that needed to go!! I wanted some sort of chandlier or pendant for this space depending on if it was a girl or a boy. With a boy in my belly, I went with Serena & Lily‘s Birds Nest Hanging Pendant which my father-in-law affectionately called the waste basket. Here’s the before picture of the nursery.

And the nursery light after! I’m in love with the nursery light, and at night it makes a wonderful design on the ceiling! Again, I was worried about how big it was for the space but it worked perfectly! I absolutely love it! I think it looks a little more boy-oriented and again love the wooden look that accents the wood on the crib and the woods on the dresser!

Lastly, we used our white kitchen fan to replace the current light in the guest room. The guest room had a fluorescent light in the room from the previous owners who used the space as an office.

All I had to do was clean up the fan, and I bought four new light globes for the fan to make it a little more modern. It felt good to reuse the light and get the old nasty fluorescent out!

It’s absolutely awesome to have that all off the to do list and all those lights off the ground and in there spots! I’m so thankful no one electrocuted themselves or fell through the ceiling! A big thanks to the husband and father-in-law for your extended efforts and work throughout the weekend!

nursery progress

Posted on 4.05.2013 by sarah

I feel like we’re ahead of schedule on the nursery, yet we have so much to do!

Luckily, my friend said “seriously, all you really need is a crib (or somewhere to lay him), bouncer seat, diapers, a couple swaddle blankets, and you’re set. The rest is all for you.” Her boy has made it to year one already, so she must know something!

With that, the nursery is coming along. We got the crib, nook mattress, and crib skirt up and ready!
This past weekend, I picked up the dresser from West Elm. I am so thrilled with the different woods. I think it complements the wall color and crib, too. When the dresser was assembled, I got excited and dressed it up with a changing table topper and pad, rocking bird, some baby items, and my husband’s bank from when he was a little guy. So cute!
baby gear
I picked out a couple more fabrics (Sarah Watt’s collection) for pillows and had a boppy cover made out of the crib skirt fabric! The husband thinks bear fabric looks girly with the flowers but I think it’s adorable for a pillow!

Here’s the light fixture, I found the birds nest hanging lamp on Serena & Lily but bought it on Craigslist for 1/3 of the price. I love craigslist! I can’t wait to see it up! The pouf in the background was a DIY project and will act as the ottoman when I decide on a glider!

I also bought this giraffe bust from anthropologie! I think he’s so handsome and love paper mache animals, proof here! I just need to figure out where this will go in the space.

The nursery looks a little plan but I’m glad we’re making progress! I’ll be back when the new light fixture is up, when I pick out more accessories and maybe have some wall art! This is so fun!

crib skirt

Posted on 3.11.2013 by sarah

Our crib has this weird in-between space while the crib is set high for an infant; I felt it needed a more finished look with a crib skirt. Standard crib skirts were too long for this crib, so I had to find an alternative approach. Luckily, my favorite blogger also went with this crib for their wee-one here, so I followed some of their recommendations for crib skirting and mixed a few in of my own.

I started by cutting the panels about three inches longer than the actual width I needed. So, if the space was 10,” I added 3″ to the measurement and cut the panels 13″ long. I did this for the length as well.

After cutting the panels, I pinned about a 1 1/2″ hem on each side.

Then it was off to the sewing machine to sew all the edges into place. Seriously super easy!

After sewing a panel, I then used velcro to adhere the crib skirt to the crib. If I would do this again, I would buy velcro for both fabric and metal. The velcro instructions stated to use an iron on each piece for 90 seconds. It worked really well, though it was awkward trying to use the iron on the crib metal.

Finally, it was ready for assembly. Match up the velcro and you are done!

I repeated this process two more times for the side panels, and it worked really well! Obviously, I know I still need to get my mattress in there! Hopefully by the time we get the dresser and the glider, I’ll also have the mattress.

In case you’re curious about the fabric, it’s from Sarah Watt’s collection. I fell in love with her collection featuring a wildlife-looking motif, and love the look of the faux wood tree rings. Others in her collection are birch trees with deer, fox, pine, and bears! So cute!

Otherwise, I hope this helps anyone else having the same issue as I had with the weird in-between space. Honestly, it was way more fun picking my own fabric than choosing a crib skirt out of a catalog! I suggest it to everyone!

crib

Posted on 3.06.2013 by sarah

The hubs and I have done many projects around our house to help improve the aesthetics and versatility of the spaces we cohabit. Never before has a project been more momentous than this one. Well, maybe our windows (pictures coming soon) or the visions I have of a new kitchen but… this one is up there. Making space for our kid! What?

This weekend, an important piece of furniture was assembled in our guest room, now called the nursery. My dad was generous enough to spoil us (and his future grandson or granddaughter) with buying the crib and mattress for our little bean. I wanted a modern looking crib with clean lines and storage for blankets and crib sheets. I also wanted it to be semi-affordable as I know the mattress and other kid stuff can get pretty pricey. We decided on the Parklane 3-in-1 crib for $300.00. Holla!

Our second choice was the Oeuf crib, which also had the wood/white modern look we were wanting but with no storage and a hefty price tag of $1000.00, I was much happier with our choice. We then plan to purchase the pebble pure mattress which boasts a price tag even higher than the crib! I told my dad I would pay for half of the mattress. The pebble top is also the mattress pad which can be taken off and washed, too.

The assembly of the crib was a smooth one. Boston (and Otis, not pictured) were happy participants in the process. They might have thought we were assembling their new crate. Ha. We only made two minor mistakes while assembling!

We are really pleased with our selection, and it makes it that much more real when you have a crib set up right across the hall from you! I peek in on it daily. I know this momentous occasion feels small in it’s time, but I’m sure I’ll be reading this exact post when he or she is moving out of our home into his/her college dorm or first apartment. I’ll probably be balling, too!

Oh, and don’t worry the dog crate and other things will be out of the room before the baby gets here.

spaghetti on bath night

Category Archives: nursery