Ok, while there are approximately 1 million other/different things I would do to this room, this is where it is now - Connor is 19 months old, and this is his second nursery! The house we are in is a "temporary" house, so I haven't done much anything to paint, spruce up, or make permanent major efforts to rooms in this house. However, I wanted to share some DIY wall decor projects with you, and while this isn't the most high design nursery, it's comfy and cozy for us!
The bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids, and I happened to find the set on eBay after it was discontinued for a big discount. There are exactly ZERO images of this set anywhere online, and I can't remember the name of the set to save my life... I liked it because of the blue (which there are a few shades, I was most into the turquoise when I chose it) orange, and green. But, mostly the blue and orange.
At first, I only had the orange paper lantern, and it was intended to function as a nightlight. This was nice in theory, not so in application. 1. The light was too bright and the orange made it look kinda creepy. 2. The cord made the lantern hang at a funny angle, and I was just too paranoid about cords hanging ANYWHERE near the crib. After the Dr. Seuss First Birthday Party, I used a yellow and blue paper lantern to add to the orange to give it a little more oomph. And, I liked it!
The black and whites were taken by Tanja Pack of Kara's Mom Photography when Connor was only 11 days old. She did an amazing job! She was very professional, had totally reasonable rates, and came to our house - so perfect for a newborn, and a new mama who is nursing! To see our newborn session, click HERE. The frames were 75% off at Target, and just happened to match the crib and changing table perfectly.
This is a wire metal shelving unit with adjustable shelves that I've had forever. It was used for storage in my home office, pre babies, and I had the cover sewn before Nolan was born. I got the inspiration from Land of Nod. They used to have a circus tent cover for a wire shelving unit. They dont' carry it anymore, but I wanted something not circus-y and with a flat top so that I could put things on top of it.
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| Land of Nod Under The Big Top Organizer |
So, wall decor is always an issue in baby/kids rooms I think. Drives me nuts, so I decided to paint my own personalized wall art. I used the whale from the Pottery Barn Quilt as a guide and drew a freehand sketch on a canvas purchased at Hobby Lobby. I then used acrylic paints - a light blue for the background and navy for the whale. His name was done in orange, and I used orange for a few accents, following the whale on the bedding almost exactly. Since the sides of the canvas were unfinished, I found a ribbon in the dollar bin at Michaels, and hot glued it over the staples that were showing on the sides of the canvas. I had planned on painting his stats after he was born, and as you can see, still haven't gotten around to THAT project, but its on my list for 2011!
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| Ribbon detail with orange, blue, gray and tan circles |
The changing table was a gift from a friend's dad who had gotten it from a house he was working on. It was perfect! In great shape, good, solid wood, and it just so happened to match the crib perfectly! The changing pad cover was a Target find, and coordinates with the green and white polka dot trim fabric on the accent pillow and quilt. The yellow ceramic lamp was a Goodwill find, and I added a new(ish) shade.
Finally, a newer addition to the decor, large cut out letters spelling Connor's name. I found this great striped scrapbook paper at either Michaels or Hobby Lobby (it's been a while, so I can't remember which) but it was originally intended to cover a small nightstand. I had planned on covering the two sides with two sheets each, and one sheet over each drawer. Before I had a chance to complete said project, we moved and the nightstand found a new home in another room.
So, I had some paper that was perfect colors, and now nothing to do with it... so here's what I came up with!
To make these, I used Photoshop for the stencils. I found a font I liked and printed out full, 8.5" x 11" sheets with one letter each. In Photoshop, make a new layer. Select the text tool and your font and type in your letter. My font size ended up being about 900. Once I had the font I wanted, I highlighted the layer, and right clicked and selected "Blending Options." When the dialog box comes up, choose the last one, "Stroke" and change size to 1 px and color black. This will save you ink when you print the letter. I cut out each letter, then traced onto a piece of carstock. I used spray adhesive to stick the cardstock to the back of the scrapbook paper - spraying the backs of both the cardstock and the scrapbook paper and letting them dry to a tacky finish before adhering them together. This will ensure that the two layers do not peel away from one another. I cut with scissors and an exacto knife and placed a piece of scotch tape on the back, face down at each spot I wanted to use tape to stick the letters to the wall. This is so that when you pull the letters back down, you don't rip the cardstock.
I know the photos aren't the best, but I had to send my DSLR back to Fuji to get some Auto Focus issue worked out, so for now it's cell phone pics for a while! Sorry!
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