Transition

Well, I got some unwanted exercise last night - four sets to be exact.

Transitioning to the nursery seemed completely effortless until my first awakening at 1:30 am.  Mattie Jane's pitiful cry woke me quickly out of a deep slumber and a really interesting dream that I was disappointed I couldn't finish.  I climbed the stairs up to the nursery to find that all three pacifiers had fallen out of the crib (and they say bumpers aren't good for anything).  In a matter of seconds I gave Mattie her pacifier and placed the extras in arm's reach - we were good to go.

Until 3 am 
Then 4:30 am
And finally 6 am

Would Social Services come and get me if I strapped the pacifier to my baby's face?

Hopefully tonight will be better.  I'm not gonna give in and bring her back downstairs.  If anything, I may have to suffer through taking away her pacifier all together.  Lord, help us if that happens.

It wasn't too long ago that I took Evan's last picture in his crib...

 
Mattie Jane has officially taken over and posed for her first pictures in what is now her crib...

Taking Our Bedroom Back

New baby monitor.  Check.  Extra pacifiers.  Check.  Dark drapery.  Check.

We're finally getting our bedroom back.  Mattie Jane is finally heading upstairs to the nursery.  This would've happened much sooner, but a month's worth of coughing and congestion combined with pacifier-falling-out-of-mouth induced wakefulness got me out of bed several times for many nights.  Having to climb steps AND take the risk of waking Evan was not going to make this situation any better so I decided to wait a little longer.

Mattie finally seems to be over her upper respiratory issues and her eye/hand coordination has dramatically improved enabling her to find her pacifier and pop it back into her mouth on her own.  I've actually had four to five consecutive nights of undisturbed sleep.  Amazing.

Robert and I can finally get back to watching our recorded shows without white noise interfering with our hearing.  We've had to resort to only watching sports or bad reality tv - anything that doesn't require much volume to know what's going on - like Lizard Lick Towing or All Worked Up - basically anything on truTV.  It'll be nice to watch an actual movie.  The last one we saw was almost 6 months ago.  Devastating and sad.

But we'll both miss one thing for sure - turning over and seeing that little baby head propped up with a huge grin spread across her face.  Who can't happily greet that in the morning?  Even if it is 5:30 am...

Mattie's Nursery Feature

Mattie's nursery was featured on Apartment Therapy's children's design blog, Ohdeedoh today.  How fitting since she will finally be here tomorrow.  Check out the nursery tour here.

Y'all Ready for This?

I've been procrastinating for the past week on getting the nursery completed because I had one project left to complete - the crib sheet.  Not only would be this be the first crib sheet I've ever sewn, but this would be the first thing I've EVER sewn on my own. I didn't even own a sewing machine up until this week (thanks, mom, for the early Christmas gift).  So I literally had to teach myself how to use a sewing machine before I could even begin.  I found that threading the machine was more difficult than the actual sewing part, but I'll save everybody from those boring details.

In just under an hour (and I'm sure this can be done a lot quicker once you know what you're doing) this is my finished product and I am more than pleased with it.

Of course there are imperfections in the stitching and the fit isn't perfect either, but the average person would never know.  It looks great in the crib - as does the crib skirt which I made completely sew free! 

And with that I can now reveal the finished nursery - please excuse some of these pictures.  The nursery only has one window so the lighting is poor.  Maybe one day when I acquire a more advanced lens and an external flash I can produce better indoor photos - until then, this is what you get.

What do y'all think?

Here's What We're Working With

These are the key components of MJ's nursery.  Obviously accessories are not included here other than a few art prints.  But based on my own personal challenge to achieve a budget friendly design that is both modern and stylish, this is the cost breakdown.

1. Gulliver Crib - IKEA - already had
2. Confetti Forest White Fabric by thebline - Spoonflower - $36 for 2 yards 
3. Berry Chevron Fabric by thebline - Spoonflower - $36 for 2 yards
4. Hot Dot in Sky Fabric by Heather Bailey - Etsy - $7.50 for 1 yard
5. Hemnes Dresser - IKEA - already had
6. Art Work x 6 - Feed Your Soul -  Free Download
7. Wooden Shelves (painted white) - IKEA - $6 for 2
8. Snille Visitor Chair - IKEA - already had
9. Scalloped Accent Table - Wal-Mart - $25
10. Regolit Pendant Lamp - IKEA - $10
11. Bentwood Rocker - Craigslist - $20
12. Zinnia Path in Spring Fabric by Paula Prass - Etsy - $13 for 2 yards
13. Leather Pouf - Target - $20
14. Expedit Bookcase - IKEA - $69

Let's quickly revisit the final cost of the fabulous nursery Sarah put together for me - also excluding most accessories her total cost was roughly $3500.  The total cost of my nursery ended up being a modest $250.  My cost includes all art work and wall hangings.  I may have an additional $30 - $50 in other accessories which still brings me in under $300.

How 'bout that for budget friendly?  I'll be posting pictures soon.

Wall Flowers

I am not sending the message to MJ to be a wall flower - I'm simply digging the beauty these big blossoms add to the decor of her room.  I currently have these hanging over the crib.  They are safe and make a nice, bold statement on a rather drab colored wall.  And these only took me about 20 minutes to make.

My friend, Amanda, referred me to a blog called Made that I absolutely adore.  The author of this blog has several tutorials listed ranging from sewing projects to craft projects to demonstrating techniques.  I came across her tutorial for the wall flowers and immediately knew I wanted to incorporate them somewhere in MJ's nursery.  How I was going to do it was the question.

In the beginning I had planned to hang a pendant light over the crib in lieu of any artwork on the adjacent wall.  But somewhere along the line I decided to move the crib to the other side of the room which exposed even more wall behind the crib.  I felt that wall really needed something more - and here enters wall flower idea.  I also decided I wanted to frame the flowers rather than hanging them freely.  That's my need for structure coming out in me, I think.  I found a frame at Goodwill for $2 and painted it white.  After painting it I noticed a crack running along the top side - but honestly, it was that much more appealing to me.  The flowers are made using napkins.  You literally fan fold the napkins, scallop the edges and secure in the middle with a twist tie.  From there you simply separate and pull up on each layer of napkin forming petals all around.  They really are incredible for the little amount of time that goes into making them.

I will share a few other wall art ideas I put to use later.  I'm now working on the crib skirt which I'm really excited about.

Recovered Rocker

With only five weeks until my due date I am scrambling to get the last few things completed in MJ's nursery before her arrival.  My goal for this nursery was for it to be as budget friendly as possible while still having a basic design in mind to follow - reference here.

I feel like I have accomplished what I set out to do.  Initially I made a list of various items I was planning to purchase such as bedding, an upholstered glider and artwork.  But to add a more personal touch I decided to do a lot of these things myself.

The first DIY project I took on was finding a rocker to recover.  I've always liked the bentwood rockers that seem to show up on Craigslist quite a bit.  I came across one selling for $20 and it appeared to be in pretty good shape.  My plan was to paint the chair, but when I got it back to the house I realized it was in fantastic condition - the finish was almost flawless.  Even though the maple colored wood is not my favorite I decided I could work with it.

The next step was finding a fabric to recover the seat and back of the chair.  I already had my bedding fabrics picked out so I knew what color palette I was working with.  I decided on Paula Prass' Zinia Path in Spring.  The colors were perfect and I felt it would bring in just the right amount of femininity I was looking for.   What do you think?

I have a few more projects to share over the next few days - hopefully the nursery will be ready for its big reveal in the next couple of weeks.  I think I said that about Evan's room and I still haven't finished his bed yet.  That's also on my things to do this week list.

Nursery Design on a Budget

My friend Sarah, the designaholic (although she's certainly not in denial about that fact), took the time to put together various design elements to produce a fabulous nursery for MJ.  As we all know, the more money you're able to spend the more fabulous your designs can be - generally speaking of course.  The good majority of us however live on a budget and have to be somewhat realistic in our design choices.  As much as I would LOVE to just snap my fingers and have all of Sarah's findings make themselves at home in MJ's nursery - well, it just ain't gonna happen - I can quickly hang that one up.  But I have decided to challenge myself by following Sarah's design as closely as possible only finding budget friendly alternatives.  Here are the main components that Sarah chose:

 John Robshaw Textiles - Kochi Kashmir - Blockprinted Linens - Fabric
johnrobshaw.com

IKEA | Bedroom | Chests of drawers
$179 - ikea.com

Walmart.com: Baby Mod - Nursery Storage 4-Piece Bundle, Espresso:…
$356 - walmart.com

Shop Designer Rug Collection | Serena & Lily
serenaandlily.com

Weathered Wood Table Lamp | west elm
$179 - westelm.com

IKEA | PS MASKROS | Pendant lamp
$90 - ikea.com

Shop Beautiful Leather Moroccan Poufs | Serena & Lily
serenaandlily.com

GULLIVER
$100 - ikea.com

Custom Presidio Glider for Baby Nursery or Kids Room | Serena & Lily
$949 - serenaandlily.com

curvee shelf - Storage - House Eclectic
houseeclectic.com

Rubie Green East Village fabric
rubiegreen.com

scalloped mirror
pbteen.com

The grand total of this nursery design is roughly $3500 - and this excludes the extra accessories.  I wouldn't be able to afford to give birth to MJ if I threw down that kind of money for her nursery.  Luckily, we already have the crib and the dresser which Sarah included in her mock up.  I've already acquired a few alternative pieces, but I will reveal the budget friendly nursery in its entirety when I have completed my search.

Let's also keep in mind that Evan's big boy room is currently underway too - so I can't put enough stress on the word budget.  Not to mention the guest bedroom.  The rest of the house is somewhat in order - needs some more accessories here and there, but the major components are there.

OK - it's on.

Something to Fill the Gap

A certain vacant spot on Evan's nursery wall has been bugging me the past couple of weeks. I think the last wall art project I did has brought out the beast in me because I find myself wanting to fill every hole. I'm sure it wouldn't seem like a necessary fix to any one else, but knowing that doesn't resolve the nagging issue either. I needed something small and simple.

I gathered all my random art supplies from past projects and decided to do an easy animal art piece. With decorative paper, spray adhesive and a small canvas I came up with this:



No claim to fame, but it satisfied my need and that's all that matters. On to my new office!

Silhouette Gentille Silhouette

Evan's nursery has been somewhat finished for awhile now. There are certain touches that I've been meaning to make, but just haven't gotten around to - one being the vacant wall space above his changing area.

I decided a few months ago that I was going to make a silhouette of Evan's head, frame it and hang it up above his dresser/changing station. I finally got around to doing it and I really love how it turned out. I'm now not certain that it is large enough to fill that vacant space, but I will definitely find a spot for it.

Here is the picture I used to make the silhouette:

And here is the framed silhouette:

I thought about doing the traditional black silhouette on a white background, but I wanted to add more color to his room and I like the idea of a patterned background.

I laughed when I first looked at the finished silhouette because it looked a lot like my brother, Todd. Genetics are amazing, aren't they?