So the nursery that Baby H will never sleep in is pretty much as finished as it's going to get. Now that we're moving there isn't really any point in putting all the finishing touches on it since we'll be moving when little girl is only a few weeks old. I'm considering this room a "trial run" and plan to set it up pretty much the same way when we get to Alabama.
One week after we found out we weren't moving to Fort Rucker we decided to paint Baby H's room. I LOVE the way it turned out.
What girl doesn't love Tiffany Blue?
Cloth diaper storage. The bear on top was sent to me by my sister and nieces when we were going through IVF. She's dressed in a Tinker Bell costume, which is perfect since I did hints of Peter Pan (my favorite!) around the nursery.
Wall collage. I found thrift store frames, painted them and filled them with fabric scraps. The Peter Pan print and sign are from Etsy. Eventually a crib will go under this.
I was going to make white eyelet curtains but am holding off on that for now since the window in Alabama will likely be a different size.
The co-sleeper will be in our room when it's closer to her arrival. I have some Peter Pan lithographs I need to frame for that empty wall, too.
Bow board
The awesome early 1900s dresser we got for $95.
The lamp we upcycled (it was black and had an ugly shade on it before) and the glider I got from another military wife for $75.
Her closet! This clothes only go up to six months. I would say she's more than prepared. :)
I made a framed fabric collage for the wall in the nursery using scrap fabric and thrift store frames. I love the way it came out! I'm not really doing a themed nursery but I am using a few accents from my favorite fairy tale, Peter Pan. Not just the Disney version but the actual story by J.M. Barrie--it's always had a special place in my heart and I've always wanted to use this story for inspiration in my nursery, whether we had a boy or a girl.
Thrift Store Finds!
Painting and Priming...
I glued safety pins on the back so I had a way to hang them on the wall.
Print from Etsy
Hmmm...need more frames.
The pink sign is also from Etsy and it says, "You that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you Peter Pan, that's where I'll be waiting." -Tinker Bell
Fabric Collage Complete <3 The H is for our last name, not her first, since we won't name her until we meet her.
Quilted Pinwheel Pillow I made last week
While Mike was in the field I decided to start a baby quilt. The only problem was that I didn't want to be chained to my sewing machine for the next several weeks so I decided to attempt a hand pieced quilt. I wasn't sure I'd have the patience for it (I've only ever machine quilted) but I've found that I really enjoy it! Again, I went through my fabric scraps and cut out enough 3x3 inch squares to make into twenty 9 Patch Blocks. It was a slow start and my first block took me nearly an hour to complete!
About two weeks later I finally finished all twenty blocks!
I've started to piece the top together but it will take awhile. I'm sewing multiple larger pieces together, making sashing, lining up points, etc. I will be sure to post a picture of the quilt top when it's finished! I think I may take the hand sewing all the way and am seriously considering quilting it by hand too! It's so nice to sit in the sunshine and work on something for my baby girl. <3
I've been nesting since I found out that we're not moving. I've been so inspired (Yay for Pinterest!) to make my own nursery decorations. I decided to give these Fabric Pom Poms a try. They're so cute and CHEAP to make! It's definitely a learning process and they look nicer with each one I make. I ran out of fabric on my first one so the two sides ended up being different fabrics (Fail.) and I also placed the fabric too far apart (Another Fail.) You'll see what I'm talking about....
My little helpers. Quidditch and Figaro
Supplies needed:
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Fabric scraps
Styrofoam ball or newspapers and tape
Fishing line or ribbon
Step One: Find or make a ball shaped base. You can use a Styrofoam ball or you can use old newspapers, crumple them into a ball shape and cover the entire ball with packing tape, saving even more money. This is what I did.You can make the ball as big or as small as you want to.
Step Two: Tie fishing line or ribbon around the ball. I suppose you could add this at the end but I think it helps support the ball's weight if you tie it around the entire shape. I didn't take a picture of this step but all I did was tie it around the ball and secure it it in place with some hot glue.
Step Three: Cut your fabric circles. You will need a LOT of these and it's better to overestimate so that you have enough to cover the entire ball. I was using scraps so it's hard to estimate the exact yardage that I was using. I used the roll of packing tape as my stencil and it seemed to be a good size for the circles.
Step Four: Start gluing and placing your circles onto the ball. Fold the circle in half and then in half again so it's wedge shaped. Add a dab of glue along the open edged to keep them together. Then add more glue to the point of the wedge and stick it on the ball. Continue to add them, placing them close together, all over the ball.
With a little bit of patience (this step takes a LONG time!) you will eventually end up with something like this:
My first attempt. I ran out of fabric so the other side looks completely different. FAIL.
My third attempt. MUCH better and I think it looks cuter when the fabric is mushed closer together.
I can't wait to see how they look hanging in the baby's room! :)
As disappointed as Mike and I are about not moving to Fort Rucker...it means we get to start on the nursery! We had a busy weekend that consisted of painting, upcycling an old lamp and making decorations. We bought a gorgeous antique dresser last month--early 1900s and refinished in a shabby chic look. We still need to order the crib and get something to store my cloth diapers in but we're already making major progress.
Originally I had thought that I'd like to do a shabby chic nursery with pale colors, kind of a country cottage look. I was stuck on that for several weeks but I recently found other inspiration on Pinterest during a bout of insomnia. I saw these gorgeous nurseries and fell in love.The bright pops of color are much more "me."
Inspiration:
First step: Pick a paint color. I knew immediately what color I wanted on the walls:
Because what girl DOESN'T like Tiffany's?!
I think Home Depot's Color Match Technology did a great job.
So our little girl's room is painted and looks so beautiful. I found a glider/ottoman on a re-sale site on Friday for $75 and originally thought that I would re-cover it but as it turns out, it looks pretty awesome with the blue walls! It's so comfy too-the lady I bought it from actually replaced the bottom cushion with a Tempurpedic one and the arm rests seem to be a great height for nursing too--score! I have already spent some time in the chair, imagining what it will be like to rock our little girl to sleep and reading her bedtime stories. After all the years of not knowing if this was ever going to happen, it's enough to make me cry! Speaking of crying, have you HEARD this Taylor Swift song? I had my phone on shuffle and it came on while I was fixing my hair. Luckily I hadn't done my makeup yet or I would have had mascara all over my face! I can't wait to meet our baby girl.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this entry, I've also started on some decorations for her room and Mike and upcycled an old lamp that was just sitting around our house. I love the way it turned out and it was so easy! I forgot to take a 'before' picture but it looked very similar to this lamp. Black base with metal scroll work, cream colored lamp shade.
We took the lamp shade off and Mike taped off several inches on the cord as well as the switch and spot where the light bulb screws in. He hung some plastic draping in the garage and sprayed it with two coats of metal primer (Available in a spray can at any home improvement store). We let it dry overnight and then it was time to spray the color on. I chose "heirloom white" so that it wouldn't look stark white and I ended up loving the way it turned out.
I also bought a new lamp shade with the intention of covering it to match the color scheme of the nursery. The good thing about having a former sewing business? I still have a closet full of fabric to use on this type of project. Learning how to re-cover a lamp shade is really easy and there are several video tutorials online to help you out. Basically all you need though is some fabric, a glue gun and whatever embellishments you want to add to the lamp. For the lamp shade I chose a cheery yellow with white polka dots with a grosgrain ribbon trim. It does take some time to get it carefully stretched and pulled over the shade so that they aren't any bubbles or bunches of fabric---oh and be sure to iron all the creases out of your fabric beforehand too. Total cost of this project: Around $15, the majority of which was the cost of the new lampshade. It was fun to make, gives the room a personal touch and now we don't have a lamp just hanging out in a random corner of the house, it has a new purpose.
Finished project!
Okay, I guess I'm going to have to make a post another day about the decorations I've started making. I've got plans to make a huge batch of cookies for Mike, who leaves for training tomorrow, and I also want to take some next door to my neighbor whose husband deployed today. Until next time...
