Menu Wednesday

What.a.weekend.  If I had one word to explain the events that took place around our house it would be a simple four letter word....

You go, girl!

Fun, flirty and feminine.  Those are the three words that have inspired me in planning our new nursery for our little GIRL.  It is still so surreal to say that!

One of my favorite things to do in planning stages is to make an inspiration/mood board to see how everything looks together.  I used Microsoft Publisher and Pic Monkey to make this one and am so proud of how it came out.

Details on each number are listed below.  Enjoy!

New Digs

It's about that time to start talking about one of my favorite topics...decorating!

We are in the process of cleaning out every corner, nook and cranny in our house to get ready for "The Great Swap Out" (I kind of feel like I am living in a real-life episode of Hoarders, Burried Alive at the moment)!  I looooove being creative and creating spaces (especially for the little ones) that are fun, colorful and most importantly functional.


Everett's Toddler Room Transition:

Bumpdate - 20 Weeks

Welcome to the second installation of my Bumpdate..."bump update"...get it?  It thought it was pretty clever.    If you missed the first one you can click here to get the 411 on all of those crazy pregnancy questions you know you want answered!


Here are a few more questions that people have recently wanted answered...

Bumpdate - 14 Weeks

Welcome to my first bump update!  Below are a few of my most FAQ regarding "the new kid" as Mike likes to say.  Enjoy!

  

Not quite sure what my face is doing!?!?

Nursery Update–COMPLETED!

 

 

It seems like just yesterday (I know I will be saying that a lot in the coming months/years) I was finding inspiration pictures for our nursery (see inspiration board below).  Now I am happy to say that it is finished! 

 

 

If you missed any of our previous update posts check these out to see how we got to the end:

FF – Nursery Edition

Nursery Update - Seeing Stripes

Nursery Update: #2

Nursery Update – Organization

 

Now, everything is in place and ready to go.

 

 

The coolest, most unique part of the nursery is the handmade tree bookshelf.  I found a picture on Pinterest (see below) way back when and simply showed Mike and said…”Can you build this for the nursery?”  He probably wished he would have said no, but he didn’t and built this from scratch just by simply looking at the picture.

 

 

I LOVE how it turned out and am so impressed; it would take me 8 years to even decided how to make it.  He really doesn’t think it’s a big deal, but I think he rocks. 

 

 

There was a lot of taping, mapping, measuring, cutting, screwing (lol, sorry) and staining, but here is the final product:

 

 

Luckily, it is bolted to the wall pretty well if our little bundle of joy decides to use it as a climbing structure…who am I kidding…when our little guy uses as a climbing wall.  Hopefully he’ll love it as much as we do!

My nana also made these awesome floor pillows for lots of reading and relaxing to come. 

 

• Toy Storage

I also found this cool vintage basket to use as a toy basket (to start out – I know we will have multiple toy baskets before long).  I originally bought it to use as a trash can, but love the way it looks in the nursery!

 

• Changing Station

Our changing station is complete with the changing pad, waterproof pad (for you mom) and our wipes dispenser.  Notice, not a wipe warmer – which I heard from a few friends was totally unnecessary – but this keeps the wipes accessible and moist (ugh, that word) with just one touch and looks pretty cool.  I love it!

 

 

• Closet

The closet has been ready for a few weeks, but I did want to share a cool “peek a boo” picture idea.  My mom brought down this picture of me as a baby, and although I didn’t want to hang it in the room, I did want to incorporate it somewhere, so I hung it in a spot in the closet and think it’s so fun to see every time I open it up.

 

 

• Homemade onesies

We eneded up with some plain white onesies somehow and decided to make some personal touches to them!  I used Steam-a-Seam to adhere the designs to the onesies and simply sewed them on afterwards to add some detail. 

The anchor was my idea – my college mascot was a “Tar” which is a sailor, so this is my nod to Rollins while Mike made the tree onesie as his signature piece.

 

The coolest part?  He sketched out an exact replica of his tree bookshelf creation to put on the onesie.  Look closely – it’s the exact same design.  So cool!

 

 

PS-He was wearing his “tree shirt” while putting it all together as well.  I think they will definitely be two peas in a pod for sure!

 

Now all we need is a baby!

 

Nursery Update–Organization

 

Hi all and HAPPY FRIDAY! As our nursery comes close to completion I wanted to share with you some of our organization systems that I have devised after reading some other online testimonials from new moms.  I have no idea if this will work but I figured I would try to be a little bit ahead of the curve when starting out.

I’m sure there will be some rearranging after my upcoming showers (tonight and tomorrow!) but this post will give you the gist .

 

Dresser:

 

 

Top drawers:  personal items (nursing pads, ointments, diaper cream, lotions, etc) and burp cloths/bibs.

 

 

Middle Drawer:  0-3 month clothing

 

Bottom drawer:  3-6 month clothing

 

Hint: Why take time folding things that don’t need to be?  Just like my underwear drawer (sorry, TMI) and workout gear, these PJs are just thrown in to an organizing basket (see below) – no need to be nice and neat…a sleepy baby won’t care!

 

 

Skubb @ Ikea

I found my drawer organizers from Ikea – $7.99..can’t beat that!

 

Closet:

 

 

We added a second shelf to the closet for more storage and I purchased 2 large and 2 medium sized mesh baskets from HomeGoods and 2 plastic bins from Target for miscellaneous items.

The mesh baskets are housed on the second shelf and contain the following items:

 

As Baby A grows into larger sizes, I will phase the smaller clothes out and the bigger clothes into the dresser as needed and then fill the mesh basket with the next size up.

Oh, and don’t worry, there is plenty of Gator stuff in the Team Apparel basket!!!

We also have a spot in our hall closet dedicated for diapers and wipes along with one of the lime green baskets in the top of the closet.

 

 

As far as the hanging clothes go, I saw samples of these cute hanging organizers on Etsy and decided to make my own.  They are a little rough around the edges if you look closely, but for $1, I’ll take it!

I printed out a template of all the dividers that I found online on regular printer paper (could use cardstock also), found a set of cardboard coasters from the Target Dollar Bin, traced the hole placement and cut out with scissors, asked Mike to spray paint the coasters gray and then using spray adhesive attached the labels to the coasters.  Voila – simple and cheap – my kind of project!

 

 

Tip-

Don’t forget to use ALL of your closet space!  We hung hooks on the inside of the closet for easy access to miscellaneous items.  We have two Baby Bjorn carriers that are hanging nicely and out of the way!

 

 

 

 

Other fun updates:

 

New crib sheet!  Sweet stars – love!

 

 

A calendar for all of the firsts that happen!  I will of course have a baby book, but as all new (and old) moms will tell you, they started it but then life happened and it’s half filled in.  When a co-worker gave me this Maurice Sendak calendar (one of my favorite authors) I knew it would be perfect in the nursery for quickly jotting down things like first smile, rolling over, etc. 

That way when I finally get around to filling out Baby A’s actual baby book (probably when he’s 15), I’ll have the right dates!

 

 

 

Homemade abacus.  Mike made this from scratch using one of my $1 thrift store frames.  We figure it will be good for keeping track of dirty diapers in the beginning!

 

Only a couple more projects (and weeks) to go!  Have a great weekend!

Nursery Update #2

 

Well, there are two things I know for sure…

1.  This whole baby thing is actually going to happen.  Hitting 30 weeks and only having 10 weeks left is crazy to me!

2.  I am in love with how the nursery is turning out.  I love to just go in there, turn on the light and sit.  It puts me in a relaxed mood…I’m hoping it will do the same for our little one, too!

 

Here are some of the updates/additions we’ve made since the last nursery post (found here):

 

1.  Crib, Artwork and Mobile:

 

 

We purchased our crib (a gift from my dad) from IKEA.  I love the grayish-brown color and also how sturdy it feels.  It is simple, yet classic – my favorite combination.

Our crib mattress was a Black Friday purchase (along with our monitor) at Babies R Us for 50% off.  I can’t wait to get some sheets on it!

 

 

As for the mobile…I made it!  After loving some that are sold on Etsy.com, I researched how to make them and decided to save a few (or a lot of) bucks and make it myself.  I will have a tutorial coming soon, but the gist of the project is that you take colored strips of scrapbooking paper and sew them together using a sewing machine, attach to dowels and hang.  SUPER SIMPLE and under $5 to make; versus spending anywhere from $25-$50 on Etsy.

As for the nod to Where’s Waldo in the corner, I found the striped “laundry basket” at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.  It could turn into toy storage, but either way, I love the pop of red!

 

 

The prints above the crib came from on Etsy.com (see this post for more info) and I just painted the matting inside the frames (which we already had) for a bit more pizzazz.  I also added bit of yellow and white chevron duck cloth I found at Hobby Lobby (love) behind the larger print to add some visual interest and pattern.

 

Boppy and Boppy Covers:

 

 

I am also the owner of a Boppy pillow and two ADORABLE covers made by my Nana.  I have heard great things about Boppys as well as My Brest Friend (which I am registered for) when it comes to nursing, but I wasn’t too impressed with the Boppy cover selection. 

With so many adorable fabrics on the market, I knew that Nana could whip out a few covers in no time if I provided the pattern and supplies.  Boy was I right – she is so stinking talented and had these puppies whipped out in about an hour total…maybe not even that long. 

The best news, I found the insert at Once Upon a Child for $10 (in great condition) and only needed 1 yard of fabric and a zipper for each Boppy cover.  The pattern I found on Etsy for $2.50.  So, instead of buying it all brand new; which would total around $40-$50, I got the pillow, pattern, supplies and TWO adorable covers for $25.  Score!  Thanks Nana!

 

The Nook:

 

As for the rest of the nursery, we have created a nice little nursing/reading/relaxing nook with some mood lighting and fun details.

 

 

Again, using frames we already and free digital prints I found online we created a small collage of kid friendly pictures.  Much like the ones above the crib, I used fabric as a mat (brown gingham) for one frame and also painted the matting and frame of another (all supplies I already had on hand – no purchase necessary!).

 

 

Another cool wall art idea that my mom actually purchased for the nursery the weekend we told her we were expecting are these “wall saucers”.  I don’t know their actual name, but they are a cool 3D edition to the corner that adds a fun and whimsical element. 

They are made by a company called Umbra and can be found online or at Target (that’s where we found these!) for around $20.  They offer lots of different shapes and sizes and are SUPER easy to put up and can even be relocated if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

Another personal touch we (I) added was this precious pillow.  Mike’s dad gave it to me a couple of Christmases ago and said that it was Mike’s from when he was younger.  The best part – Mike actually made it.  He’ll probably kill me for showing it, but I thing it’s so cute for the nursery!

 

Lighting:

 

 

One problem that I was having with our repurposed changing table was the space.  I originally had a table lamp next to where the changing pad was going to go.  Then, in looking at lots of pictures of changing tables, I realized that I needed that space to have easy access to baskets of diapers and wipes. So… the table lamp had to go.

The solution?  A wall lamp!

 

 

I found the wall lamp above from Ikea for around $20.  It was easy to install and takes up ZERO space on the changing table.  Perfect!

The only problem that that it is a bit bright from what will be the baby’s viewpoint on the changing pad.  Mike actually discovered this and makes a valid point.  I think we’re going to try to make some sort of diffuser to block some of the light…we’ll keep you posted on that idea!

 

 

Now there is space for the diaper basket next to the changing area which I found at Burlington Coat Factory (who knew they had awesome stuff) for around $6 and eventually a wipe dispenser as well.  I love the rustic feel of the basket with the metal and burlap.

 

 

 

Accessories:

We have just a few knick-knacks in there for now located on a small accent table.  One of which is an adorable lime green owl my mom found and some adorable books from my friend Leigh (these were her boys’ favorites) flanked by a wooden salamander and T-Rex that Mike and I plan to paint and personalize.

 

 

Most of the accessories will transfer over to the bookshelves once they are completed, but are resting on the table for now.

 

So cozy!

 

Diaper Bag and more…

 

 

I was also so excited to receive my diaper bag!  I found it online right before Thanksgiving for 30% off and free shipping!  It is made by Babymel and got pretty good reviews on Amazon.  I love the red stripes (can you tell I’m into stripes) and the cross body wear-a-bility. 

I also ordered a travel changing pad and wipes case from Etsy.  These were not on sale, but rather a “to me, from me”.  It thought I deserved to look fashionable while changing diapers!

 

As for the rest of our nursery “to do” list we just have a few more DIY projects and we’ll be finished:

• DIY tree bookshelf
• DIY wall abacus
• closet reconfiguration and shelf addition (more storage needed!)
• DIY clothes size dividers
• curtain treatment (a surprise that I’m so excited to reveal!)

 

Thanks to a handy husband, Pinterest and Etsy our nursery is taking shape and is (almost) ready to welcome our little boy…he’ll be here before you know it!