nursery reveal

I'm so excited to finally reveal Adeline's precious nursery that we have worked so hard on! It has been so fun to make-over this room from an office to her little corner of our home.  I've had a plan in my mind from the beginning, and it's funny to me to see it completed now and realize that I really didn't stray far from my original plans.  My main goal:  whimsical and girlie while being frugal and creative with some DIY.  Mission accomplished!

The details:

-The room started out as our office and Boone's room.  You can see images here.
-Size of room:  approximately 9.5' x 7.5' (teeny tiny space to work with)
-Room extras:  bonus area for storage behind door (see pic below); nice, large closet (see pic below)

The inspiration and journey to the complete project:

-Clearing out the room
-Some of my inspiration
-Finding our changing table/dresser
-Finding the material
-Finding the glider
-Sneak peeks

The finished project:

 

 

 

The cost run-down and details on projects:

Changing table/dresser--$75 from local antique/flea market

Glider--$39.22 from local antique/flea market

Pink pillow--$9.99 from Homegoods

Lamp next to glider--$16.99 from TJ Maxx

Curtain rod--$9.96 from Wal-Mart

Monogram letters above crib--$7.19 from Michael’s

Frame around monogram--$5 from Wal-Mart

Pink paper pompoms--$4 from Michael’s (they are a Martha Stewart party supply)

Paint--$18 for bottom paint from Sherwin Williams (Top:  Valspar’s “Shallow Pool” that was already on the wall.  Bottom:  Behr’s “Bleached Shell”.  Both are their Harmony line that is chemical-free and we had them match the samples we picked up at other stores.)

Switch plate--$2.99 from Hobby Lobby

Hardware for room to hang items.--$7.83 from Home Depot

Material for curtains and crib skirt—Free (My grandma purchased this for us and then sewed both.  It was originally a king size sheet set I found at Homegoods.  She did an amazing job!!)

Three baskets—Free from Homegoods (gift card--found the matching baskets on clearance while on vacation in Florida this summer...they are the same material as the sheet set for the curtains and bed skirt)

Lamp on changing table—Free (already had; already had makeover items as well--see details here)

Canvas for painting—Free (already had and I did the painting)

Changing pad and cover—Free (gift)

Crib—Free (was our nephew’s crib and had been a gift to him from Justin’s grandma that passed away)

Table next to glider—Free (already had; see makeover here)

Shelf on wall—Free (already had; gift from Aunt when I was in college)
Tiny Love Mobile--Free (gift from our registry--Read awesome reviews on this for developmental benefits and it even comes with a remote! Find details here.)

Mattress—Free (gift from Justin’s parents)

Other miscellany decorations (items on shelf, door stop, picture frame, etc)—Free (already had or were given as gifts)

Total:  $196.17

Now all this sweet room is missing is our precious baby girl!

nursery peeks

So it drives me crazy to be thisclose to having the nursery finished, but I am so, so thankful we're at the point we are.  We're waiting on adding a few final touches (and hoping some of these items come in with our showers...we have one a weekend for the next three weekends!!).  However, it's to a point where this nesting pregnant gal can sleep at night now without thinking about all the things left to do for the nursery.  Because now the list is super short....which makes me so happy!

So because I couldn't stand being able to look at it and love it each time I walk by and not show y'all some pictures, I decided to take a few "sneak peek" pictures to share!

somethin' fun for the sweet girl to look at that her daddy meticulously hung for her

something special painted by her mommy

a little nostalgia....one of my faves from childhood

can't be a girlie girl without a monogram

love, love the little bird and something very specially handmade for her is in the background

More to come very soon!

miscellany monday

I'm linking up with Carissa on this Monday.  My brain is exhausted and miscellany is about all I can pull together! :)

 

I so miss sleeping in with this cutie every day like I did in the summer!

 

 Just when I didn't think I could love Target any more...I had a discovery...

Cup holders!! IN the Target cart!!

I have two different Targets I go to.  The one I usually go to isn't a new Target and therefore they don't have the cup holders.  The new Target I get to at times, do.  (I realize I may be way late in the game on this one.)  When I walked in and found these, I thought I might squeal from excitement.  I've said that carts need cup holders forever.  And now two of my favorite things go hand-in-hand--a cup holder and Target. Mucho love.

This is the lovely glider we found for sweet Adeline's nursery.  Yet another awesome piece found at our local antique/flea market.  I'm not only in love with the way it looks, but also the deal we got! This only cost us $39 and had recently been reupholstered! Be still my thrifty heart!

life lately.

I thought it was time to finally update the blog since it's been a week and a half.  So here goes a brain dump on what's been going on in our life lately...

First of all, as you can tell from the lack of posting and reading other blogs, I've started back to school.  Let's just sum it up by saying this.class.exhausts.me.  Whew.

We finally sold Justin's car, which means a car purchase is now in the works for this momma-to-be.  Yay! I love our truck but I'm ready to hand that over to hubby and have my own (smaller) SUV to drive.

Hubby decided to get sick on me right as I was going back to school.  Poor thing was pitiful for about a week! It started with what we thought was an infected bug bite on his leg...turned out to be a form of staph.  Boo.  He got a prescription cream and an antibiotic.  (Doctor visit number one in a week.) Good news was the staph quickly cleared up.  Bad news...he started running a high fever a couple days later.  (Doctor visit number two in one week.)  He went to doctor, was told it was a fever virus and he'd be sick with it for 3-5 days.  He was pitiful and miserable...and I hated it for him. Now fast forward to a couple days later.  He wakes up with crazy/intense hives all over his body. (Doctor visit number three in one week.)  Turns out he's allergic to the antibiotic he was give for the staph.  He's now on his final days of a steroid to clear up his hives.  Thankfully they cleared up after a couple days.  Whew...what a whirlwind! Little Adeline better not be as high maintenance as her daddy. ;)

Yesterday was the lovely glucose tolerance test. Yummy.  The nasty stuff tasted like a Sprite with three times the sugar and minus the carbonation.  Thankfully my momma took me because I did get really light-headed and felt like I was going to pass out like they warned.  (I've never done well without eating breakfast...and pregnancy is definitely not an exception!) Hopefully everything comes back ok.  It was also exciting because my mom got to hear Adeline's heartbeat for the first time...and boy was the sweet baby hyped up on that sugar!

Justin, our brother-in-law, and Justin's dad finished up our master bath project....turning our tub only into a shower/tub combo.  I'm beyond thankful for this! (Our only shower was in our basement.)  Now I don't have to go downstairs!! Whoo hoo.

We continue to make progress on the nursery.  We now have baby girl's crib (it was given to our nephew when he was a baby by Justin's grandma that has passed away...so we are blessed to have such a sweet sentiment in her nursery that was passed on to us).  We have all the major furniture.  I have sketched out my final plan for the nursery and I have my painting planned for one of her walls.  I love progress!

That's all for now.  Hope to be back soon more regularly! Have a blessed rest of the week!

a blank canvas

Right now this blank canvas sits on my art easel in our living room...just waiting for the creation I decide on for Adeline's nursery.

There's something about a blank canvas that soothes my soul and gets me excited.  Maybe it's the unknown of what will be placed on it.  Maybe it's the relationship I develop with it as the artist.  Maybe it's the simplicity.  Maybe it's the fresh start.

Getting this canvas ready today and looking at it struck me as an "ah-hah" moment and related so closely with scripture Justin and I were looking at last night before bed.

When I came to bed, Justin was reading Matthew 25: 14-30, The Parable of the Talents.  It's a scripture we had both read before.  (I love verse 23...)

"His Master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!"

This is a verse that often creeps into my mind (thank you Holy Spirit!) when I find myself freaking out getting a little stressed over something that's placed on my plate.  I'm reminded often that God is giving me opportunities...He wants to be able to say these exact words to me when I meet Him face to face.  And I believe, that even before that time comes, He longs to whisper this verse in my ears as I am an obedient servant of His.

So back to this blank canvas.

Later in the parable (verse 29-30), it gets a little tricky and makes you cringe a bit.  You know how parables make yah think!

"For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Yeah, read it a couple times--better yet, go and read the entire parable--it makes you stop and infer.  The Bible is good like that.  Well, the Author is good like that!

This is where our discussion began last night...what exactly this meant.  It was a verse we'd both been quick to read over and not really think too much about.  After discussing and using those awesome footnotes in our bibles, we realized that Jesus was talking about bearing fruit here.  That we shouldn't play it safe and hold onto that gift of Grace that comes through believing that Christ died for our sins and having a personal relationship with Him...but that we should bear fruit.  We have to spread the word, live it OUT LOUD, so that there is something produced from our lives as His servant.

This is where that blank canvas comes in.  His mercies are new every.single.day.  I'm thankful for a blank canvas of my heart that only comes through Him.  This blank canvas means I have a new day.  A day to be productive in my walk with Christ.  A day to create a masterpiece out of His love for me.

oh the simple things

Yesterday, my mom, aunt, grandma and I went out shopping for the day.  I love these ladies and the precious time I so often get to spend with them! One of our main missions was to find the fabric that would be used in the nursery for the curtains, bed skirt, and possible a couple pillow covers.  Well we had tons of luck in that department, plus I found some other things that made me oh.so.happy!

First things first....the nursery.

I found material a week ago at a fabric store that I loved, but was extremely disappointed yesterday when we made it there to purchase the material before their sale ended on it and they were out.  Then, with my grandma's (an amazing seamstress) help, we determined that in order to do what I wanted to, it was going to be at least $70 just for material for the curtains.  On sale.  Um...nope.

So being the creative women they are, my mom, aunt, and grandma started explaining to me that you can use sheets to make curtains, etc.  I had never thought of that! So we went on a sheet hunt! I lucked out at one of our last stops...TJ Maxx.  Loved the store before.  Love it even more now.  For $39.99, I found the perfect King size sheet set that will have enough material to make the curtains, a bed skirt, and pillow covers. (That's almost half the price that just the curtains were going to cost.) And should I add that I actually like this material better?

the material next to a frilly pink pillow I snagged at Home Goods!

the material and pillow next to the wall color (although the pic doesn't show it too well, the color combo together makes my heart so happy.  Love it!)

Other simple finds that made me so excited were the goods pictured in the next photo...

-a free Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path travel size spray (love the scent!)
-a new planner (from Target) that is spiral bound and lime green.  perfection. (my heart leaps for joy when it comes to planners.  weird. i know.)
-a floral website password organizer (again, from Target, of course).  This was a guilty pleasure I had to have.  It will make my pregnancy brain a little less annoying.

Plus...

Since Miss Adeline will make her debut a little over a month before Christmas, I decided to get started on my Christmas shopping.  I made a nice dent in my list already just from yesterday! yay!

Okay, I think that's all for now.  My heart was overflowing with excitement over these simple things.  Aren't the simple things the best?

nursery bargain

We have a great flea/antique market in our small town.  Some junk...but lots of treasures.  A few weeks ago I found a great, solid wood dresser/changing table and was very impressed by the quality, condition, and price.  I let a couple weeks go by and stopped in one afternoon just to see if it was still there.  It was.  I took it as a sign!

I texted a pic to Justin, my mom, and my sis-in-law to get input.  Then my mom, dad, and Justin all went to look at it to check out the condition...they were all very impressed with the quality.  The price was $95.  However, I knew it had been up there for close to a month and after talking with my parents, decided that it was reasonable to ask for at least 20% off the price since it was a big item.  (Most dealers at places like this will come down 20% off their asking price...just a tip!)

Justin and I went in one evening, called the dealer and left a message with our offer of $70 and didn't get a call back.  So I called the next morning and the lady answered! She countered with $75 and I was thrilled! (Honestly, I thought $95 would even be a great deal.  So to get this great piece of furniture for $20 less is even better!) We paid for it that day and they held it for us.  Justin and our brother-in-law picked it up two days later and it now sits in our empty room...waiting for a sweet baby!

I know I mentioned in an earlier post that I wasn't sure about wood color for the nursery.  For some reason, I didn't think I would, but I'm really loving the whimsical, young feel of this natural wood color.  It's just very serene.  I think we will still go with a white crib.  And if we really feel like it, we can paint this white.

The other great thing about this is it's exactly what I wanted to find for the nursery since we don't have room for a dresser and changing table.  I've always loved the idea of combining the two.  It already has snaps screwed into the back, so we just have to find a changing pad that has the snaps to secure it on top.

And finally, Baby Bargains, is our registering and planning bible right now.  I highly recommend it! They recommend a good deal on buying a new changing table/dresser combo is about $500.  That means we saved $425 off their suggestion.  (Although I know most people wouldn't even pay $500 as getting "a deal".)

So there you have it...our first nursery purchase!!

nursery inspiration

When we found out our sweet baby was a girl...Justin wasn't crazy about the idea of the walls remaining the blue color.  (I'm pretty sure we discussed that we wanted a gender-neutral color on the walls last summer...wink wink.) Anywho...after much discussion of me politely explaining that I had strategically picked out the primer and paint to be chemical-free...and that I had spent some of my precious moments of my summer last year painting the room, he decided that we could make it work and it was okay if his baby girl had walls that were blue.  Whew.  Close one.

So I started my hunt for color inspiration to help ease his worries even more.  (He's good at picking out colors of automobiles...not so much for interior design.)  I wanted to give him a visual.

Here are a few things I have found online that have given me color inspiration:

via

This isn't a nursery...but I love the color combo of the white, pinks, blues, browns, and greens. (This will probably be my main go-to picture as we decorate.)

via

I love the colors again...this time with some yellow thrown in.  I also like the DIY inspiration found in the photos.

via

Love the whimsical feel to this one.  (You can find more pics of this room by clicking on the source link under the picture.)  The coral and orange colors caught my eye here.

So my big dilemma right now is deciding on the furniture color that will best accent our blueish/aqua walls with the white beadboard...white? light brown? dark brown? a mixture? I would love to hear your thoughts!

rearranging for baby+the beginnings of nursery talk

This weekend, hubby let me know that he was ready to get started on the first project in the nursery which will be adding beadboard to the bottom of the walls.  Needless to say, this get-it-accomplished type-A gal was ready to do whatever it took to help him get started! The room that is going to be the nursery was our office...so of course, the first step was to clean out the craziness that was the office.  (I'm pretty sure we hadn't filed away papers since March when we found out I was pregnant and the first trimester exhaustion kicked in.)  Here's a look at what it looked like before the mess of papers hit it:

a glimpse of the office post-makeover...for more pics click on the post link below

You may remember from last summer when I did a mini-makeover to our office.  We painted with a chemical-free paint and a color that would be baby-friendly down the road because we knew the room would be a nursery one day.  (Looking back, it's crazy to think that it's already been a year...but at the same time...that it's only been a year and we're getting it ready for Adeline!)

After hours of sorting through paper, shredding, filing, throwing things away, making piles of books to sell, etc. etc., it was cleaned.  However, we had our next dilemma...moving the office into the guest bedroom.  Piece. Of. Cake. (Thank goodness!)

What the corner of the extra bedroom looked like...

Now with the office included and the chest of drawers moved closer to the doorway...

We're very pleased with the end result...and the best part...no purchasing of new furniture was needed!

And this now leaves us with this to work with...

 

Let the fun begin!