The Nursery Reveal (Finally!)

Well, its about time right?! Now that my little baby boy is 4 months old I'm finally starting to get the hang of things! Plus I'm a perfectionist and I can't get the pictures right...something about the blinds and the curtains being squashed most of the time but what the heck, here it is! The pics look fuzzy b/c they are each over 5MB and blogger is smushing them.

I went back and forth on color choices and I really wanted my curtains to be in the Circusy fabric you see on the Pillow shams (on daybed) but it was a little $$. So I took the advice of my G-town girlfriends and headed to Mary Jo's. THAT PLACE IS AMAZING! It was between the red and this chocolate brown that I loved but I went with the red! I had originally wanted to find red and blue fabric but I figured I could still paint the walls blue. Real original right? Baby blue walls? My husband called me at work and told me I had to pick a paint color within the hour b/c the painters were there. So I just said eff it and picked the lightest blue I could google. And.............it worked.

I took the most boyish Norman Rockwell's out of a book I found at the Tobacco Barn in Asheville and had them framed above the crib.

Lovies trying to escape. That frame was an awful faux-marble so I went a little nuts with red spraypaint. I wanted a bookshelf that was more of an etagere and found this one at Tobacco Barn! It was also updated with some glossy white spray paint.

Curtain Fabric is Robert Allen's "Cat's Cradle" from Mary Jo's. I have the BEST curtain source. She is in Atlanta and you just mail her your fabric and she mails back perfect pinch pleat lined curtains. Less than $80 for a pair.

The charcoal painting is of my grandfather Bob Boylan. I wish I could have known him but from the stories I hear he was quite the character. My dear friend MOS gave me the red lamp for my baby shower and the rest of the table contains pictures of everyone in baby's family .

The oil painting is from Post & Gray. Should I have it framed? I guarantee every one of those frames are from Homegoods. The steamboat piggy bank and silver brush were mine.

I really wanted the Pottery Barn glider but I bought this lovely off Craigslist. Not as comfy as PB but works just as well! I had it upholstered in a white matelasse.The little red table is from Homegoods and it got a quick red spraypaint. The shelves are from Exposures and also were doused with red spraypaint. Let's just say at 7 months pregnant I was outside for a day with a mask on and red/white hands.

The dresser is from Tobacco Barn, and the mirror is from a booth at Market....looks just like the ones in Restoration Hardware right? I think I need something on each side of the mirror. What about one of those leaning ladders to hang all his blankets on?

Another shot of the glider side. My crib is Craigslist Jenny Lind from my newly made friend Kristin! I should have done a cribskirt in the material from the curtains or shams but just ordered the pique Pottery Barn.

This Tole chandelier was purchased from Bamboo's moving sale. It was hot pink so I sprayed that puppy white! YHL gave me the idea to put it on a dimmer and I'm so glad we did. Mr. Bourbon Mountains went one step further and put the dimmer on a remote. 

Cute knobs for the dresser from World Market.

I don't love this daybed but needed a place for me to sleep. You can't tell but the Shams are in a Circus print from Calico Corners. I need a better duvet to cover the gaps between the bed and the floor. Any ideas? Oh wait, I have a close-up of the shams....

I mean...how cute is that?

So I'm no professional but not too shabby right? I love it. My husband didn't understand why I would do all this for a baby's room but this was really for me. Honestly it was mostly done with items from Craigslist, Tobacco Barn, and pieces from our home. And honey....just consider it my push present. ha!

Nursery Progress- *Warning* Very Messy!

Looking into the Nursery from the hallway

I cannot believe we are 10 weeks from my due date. The Honey-Do list now has exclamation points, death threats, and other scary notations all over it. If you are reading this I love you M! The good news is we have crossed off the following:

• The room is painted
• New Carpet has been ordered
• Exciting Water Stain we found while removing old carpet is being taken care of
• Crib has been purchased (Craigslist) and Bedding is in place
• Chandelier has been spray painted..thank you 65 degrees last weekend!
• Curtain fabric is off at the seamstress
• Glider has been purchased (Craigslist) and is off at the Upholsterer
• New Windows have been ordered

So all in all I feel like we are making major progress. Which make me feel better than McDonalds. Wait..no, that's a toss up.

Here is a brief embarrassing (not complete!) tour of the Nursery. I still have lots of small things to decide so please leave comments with your suggestions, opinions, or just really really nice things about what I've done so far. If you tell me you don't like something I will wish voodoo on you.

We bought this trundle bed from Pier 1 Kids several years ago. The Matlassee is from my Niece's nursery! I think we will need to replace it with all white. What do we do about the duvet? Tuck it in? Get a faux down comforter & coverlet so it lays nicer? And if I tuck in should I get a dust skirt? Don't say do it in the red squares..there is no more fabric!

The red square fabric is my curtain fabric. I need more yardage but I bought out Mary Jo's! I will be posting on the amazing curtain source I am using; she is doing soft pinch pleats to frame the window. Maybe swap the brown bamboos for white matchsticks? Yes it is very bright in this room but I don't want to feel that I am required to close the curtains for baby to sleep. The elephant fabric is my other FAVORITE. I would have done the entire nursery in it but it is $15/yard more than the squares. I have 2 yards so I'm thinking 2 standard pillow shams for the bed? Which would be an all white bed with these two fabulous shams popping out?

Yep, the 2 corners of despair. I want beautiful tall etageres in red or white but I will probably go with bookshelves from Ikea. Or one bookshelf and one of those round cheap decorator tables to display rattles, pictures...etc.

MOS gave me one of the greatest Baby Shower presents! Aren't you jealous over my new red lamp!!?? He will live on the decorator table, changing table, or the bookshelf. Thank you Sarah!

PINK??!! This smashing tole chandelier was sprayed white last weekend. I know what you are thinking..whoa fancy schmancy...but Young House Love had a good point. You want one light source that is controlled by a dimmer so when you walk into the baby's room at 2:00am for a feeding you don't blind the poor child. And I got him on a STEAL!

So goodbye Mr. Ceiling Fan...you will have a beautiful chandelier in your spot in the near future! I really almost painted the chandelier red but chickened out.

Jenny Lind is sold out everywhere-unless you order it new off the internet and I didn't want to shell out $200 when I knew I could find a perfectly good one around town. I did! I also scored this Pottery Barn bedding on sale before Christmas. Its a little blah color wise so I might spring for a blue crib sheet or a red one with stripes.

These 4 Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post Covers will be framed in Red and hung above the crib. You like? I bought a book for $15 that has tons of them!!

My Glider! Thank you Craigslist. And thank you to the security guard at our office building who yelled at me for shady deals with men in minivans. Love her. She said next time she is bringing back up. (The guy was in a business suit) I'm not going to use the ottoman...that would require more fabric and more $$ at the upholsterer. I have a special project for a footstool. What? You want to send me a red pouf? Done!

The little pillow for the glider is the only other thing in the room I could squeeze out of my red square fabric.

At this very moment the glider is being reupholstered in this matlassee!

What do you think of the Mirror? Leave it natural? It looks just like the Restoration Hardware ones but I bought it at High Point Market in 2009 for $45. We have had the Dresser for some time, it was a steal from Tobacco Barn in Asheville-I just need to change out the knobs. (And get the changing pad/changing pad cover/diapers/butt paste...etc.)

All of this fun stuff will be moved over to the bookshelf/decorator table corners. Do you like my little painting? Post & Gray here in Charlotte for $40!! Should I frame him? I found the tole catchall to the left for $6 at Sleepy Poet, should I paint stripes?

So that is where we are Nursery wise! It has all been moved out so new carpet can be installed.

xoxoxo

Nursery Art

Yes...another nursery post. I promise to post something NON Nursery before Christmas!!!

So people keep asking me if I have a theme. I really don't...or I'm trying not to. I can't decide though if I should stick with pastels..I have a beautiful dhurrie that was in my parents attic that is pale blues and greens. Or do I use this fabric I really really want to use and introduce jewel tones? All Blue Nursery below...

Restoration Hardware

Too many decisions!!

And another area I'm having issues. I have a beautiful Fox print by Sallie Middleton. (My last name means Fox in German) But I also have this AWESOME New Orleans 1980 Rodeo print I love. However, the Rodeo print is straight 80's in the color choices. I wish there was a magic place I could take it to make it all blues, or pastel it, or get an outline made.....ideas? And the fox print is a definite. But can I mix the two in the same room? I also have two Norman Rockwell books I had imagined tearing out the drawings pertaining to children and doing a gallery wall above the crib in Ikea frames....(yes, the whole blog world just gagged at gallery wall)

From the Parents' Attic

Sallie Middleton "Young Fox"

So...do I go the economical route and stick with pale blues? Get white curtains and hopefully border them in 3" plain blue? Frame the Fox in pale silver?

Or do I buy 12 yards of the fabric I really really like, throw in some Babar prints (and my fox) and add some punch?

I did go with this bedding b/c it was on sale and matches the walls. I can still go with the all blue or pops of color....So...back to color vs pale blue...

Can I do both?

Why is this so stressful!

Answer..............

Because I'm not drinking.

Design & Naming Baby Block

Jenny Lind Crib

You dream of these moments for years...picking out a baby name and decorating the nursery. Fabric swatches are piled all over your dining room table as you decide what matchsticks you should use under the curtains and if the glider should match the shams on the daybed or the crib bumper. Your soon-to-be little boy's name is PERFECT and his monogram is already being printed on your Leontine Linen order...

Leontine Linens

YEAH FUCKING RIGHT!

Between working 50+ hours at work, feeling like humpty dumpty, and the Holidays; I haven't even picked a paint color or name. And yes...I do have plenty of time but the ceilings are finally being scraped upstairs (eat me popcorn) and our nice little worker said he could paint the nursery also for a song....

So.........

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!! We have a yellow kitchen, blue guest room (all very mild pastels)...does that force me to do pale green? I love pale green but also have some pretty fabulous Volanges Toile by Manuel Canovas pale green curtains...maybe I should paint the guest room pale green and put the curtains in there and go for baby blue in the nursery?

And is Serena and Lily over? I LOVE it but afraid by the time I pop this kiddo out S&L will be so 200andlate.

S&L Asher

S&L Ben

S&L Blake

S&L Ronan

I know I like the Jenny Lind Crib pictured up top (and above in the Serena & Lily pic). I have a daybed for the room, and I like some of the items below...just having massive color issues. Most people tell me to try to make sure I can carry some of the items to his big boy room. Oh right....more complications...

Bogart Flat Weave Wool Rug from Garnet Hill

Pottery Barn Bailey Baskets

China Seas Jungle on Tint

Rikshaw Bombay Pattern

Jonathan Adler Giraffe Sconce

Bamboo Mirror

China Seas

Rattan Hamper from Home Decorator's Collection

China Seas Shrimp on Tint

 

Any advice?

xoxox

Images from Serena & Lily and the blogosphere

New Project! Major Room Redo!!!

Here are a few inspiration photos for a room we are going to redo in our home!

Celerie Kemble

Joanna Goddard's Nursery by Little Green Notebook

Tara Guerard's Nursery by Angie Hranowsky

Simplified Bee

My friend MOS's Nursery-Dying over the rug!!

Jenna Lyons' famous Nursery in Domino

Barrie Benson Nursery in Domino

I love this image, where did I get it??!!

So...

M and I are expecting a baby in April 2011! This is my first pregnancy and I'm over the moon! I am finally out of the first trimester and it is a huge relief being able to tell family and friends the good news. And now I can stop faux-drinking Caffeine free Diet Coke with limes. I do love my cocktails and this has been difficult!

I promise not to blog about baby every day but I have to post every now and then because I have so many questions!!!!! (Like are you really supposed to be this tired?!!!)

Can't wait to meet my future son or daughter and really excited to decorate the nursery!  :)

xoxoxo

Images via Simplified Bee, MOS, A Cup of Joe, Little Green Notebook, Domino, Design Dazzle, and Style Court