Nursery Room Reveal

I recently posted the ideas I used for inspiration when putting together my second daughter's nursery. Well, here is how it all turned out!

I ended up using a turquoise, white and silver palette with a baroque/damask (uhhhhyeahhhh to be honest, I don't know the difference!) and butterfly theme (I was unable to choose one or the other so just went with BOTH!). I tried to tie in the design across the different details so it ended up flowing pretty well.

Let me give you a tour!

Starting from the left of the door I put Bella's changing table and the glider that I have had since pregnant with Bugga. The glider doesn't exactly match, but I was not about to buy another glider just to get it to match the room. I toss baby blankets on it all the time anyway. 

Do you know what drove the color? The curtains. I wanted (NEEDED) some quality blackout curtains, and I found an Etsy designer that offered an excessive amount of fabric patterns. This one I found is perfect for what I was looking for. Then, I spray-painted an IKEA mirror to match the turquoise color in the curtains. I also ordered a matching changing table cover and boppy cover from another Etsy store. In between the mirror and the curtains is my burst of butterflies. 

Here is another view that includes the boppy cover - the fabric is super soft.

And perhaps a slightly closer view of my butterfly installation. I like calling it an installation, you know, because I'm a museum-level arteest and all.

I was going for a "just released" effect and love the multiple dimensions of the butterflies since the wings come out from the wall, and they are scattered all over multiple walls and the ceiling.

Moving to the other side of the room, you can see the crib and bookshelf. This will be the second baby to sleep in this crib that I love. I continued the butterfly theme with the butterfly mobile over the crib, and the butterfly framed rhinestone piece on the bookshelf. I found some ornate frames to match the feel of the curtains and the mirror, spray-painting them to match the room, and lucked out finding drawers/doors to work with the IKEA bookshelf, as well as some turquoise toy bins. I also purchased some silver damask decals that run up the wall over the bookshelf, as well as up the wall right next to the door. I made Bugga a pink striped pillow poof so she'd have some place to sit and play while I nurse her little sister in the glider during the day when it's just the three of us at home.

Here's a closer look at the butterfly mobile I made.

And a closer (yet blurry, sorry) picture so you can see the rhinestone detail of the framed butterfly. 

Here's a straight-on view of the bookshelf and the coordinating decor. I painted the frames, and the mats, and modified some prints to fit my vision after seeing a variety all over the internet.

I forgot to take pictures of the closet and door wall, but all that's interesting from that view is the silver damask decal that is slightly different than the one over the bookshelf.

I really enjoyed decorating this room, and I truly enjoy just being in it now - it is so relaxing. I'm also proud of how everything turned out! After all is said and done, I made/customized so much of it myself:

• the mirror
• the butterfly installation
• the striped pillow poof
• the butterfly mobile
• the frames, mats and prints
• the butterfly framed rhinestone art

I hope to post additional details on how I made each of my crafts and will link from here as they become available. And now that we have moved 4 months into Bella's life and I've had to recreate this room in an entirely new house, I will also post updated photos on the variation of the design once I get all of it set back up (and reordered where applicable - darn non-reusable decals!). I hope you enjoyed your tour!

Also, if you want to check out Bugga's 2-year-old room, click here!

Nursery Inspiration

Like my toddler's room, my newborn's nursery was put together based on a lot of ideas I consolidated over time. Now that my daughter is here, and her gender is public knowledge, I can now share the results of the nursery. But first - the inspiration!

With Bugga, we were also in a rental (and very small) house. I knew we'd likely move shortly after she was born so I decorated one side of our guest room using some basic details. We chose to be surprised on the boy/girl topic, so I went with a green and white beach-y theme with surfing monkeys (of course) and various sea creatures.

Since we knew Bella would be a girl, somehow I started heading down the path of a very girlie design. If anyone knows me at all, you know that this isn't typically my style, but I just couldn't help being drawn to it. I'm not sure if it's because I was limited with the first nursery or not.

So here is where I started:

Color Pallette:

I was really gravitating toward white and a metallic/mirrored silver.  And perhaps a pop of something else but I wasn't sure right away. I'm going to toss out the idea of pink, but I doubt I'll go that stereotypical.

 

Overall Look & Feel:

Classic. Warm. Feminine. I just love all of these examples and really wanted to go in this direction.

Wall Design:

I almost went with more stripes like I ended up doing in Bugga's room. I swear, stripes call to me. You should see my closet.

Wall Decor / Curtains:

I love the Baroque style of the frames and mirror.

I would love to add a whimsical "installation"-style detail like a group of butterflies.

A custom-made mobile over the crib would be adorable.

I love the style and color of this mirror.

I like the pop of color in the curtains, but I also like the pattern on the wall as an accent.

I always seem to sing this to my daughter...so sweet!

Girl power! And a little Shakespeare.

Furniture / Accessories:

The new nursery will use the same crib I had in Bugga's room, and I will order another white dresser. I'll also move the glider from Bugga's room to the nursery and probably add a bookshelf to display little details and store books and toys.

These are super sweet and would be a nice detail in a nursery.

I guess basically I'm going for a classic feel for the room and I am surprised how I excited I am to go this route. The room itself has a tan carpet and off-white walls, so the all-white look won't be happening, and my glider (which I am not recovering) is a tan color.

Again, I am limited with what I can order in Canada, and I hope to make a lot of the little details myself.

Click here to see how everything turned out!

Toddler Room Reveal!

I am finally ready to do this post!

I shared my room inspirations for Bugga's new Canadian bedroom when we moved to Calgary last summer. I worked on her room and her new little sister's nursery simultaneously but it has taken me until now to get around to taking pictures of everything (that whole giving birth thing stalled me a little bit).

A little recap of what I was working with: we are renting so although we had permission from our landlord to paint the kids' bedrooms, I ended up being too pregnant (read: tired) to bother with paint. The walls are this cream color that I would not have selected myself, but I made it work. Also, Bugga's room has somewhat of an annoying layout since the first thing you see when you enter her room are the closet doors (eh, why?), and with a window and a random corner that sticks out there really aren't a lot of options for where furniture can fit in this room. We couldn't have fit more than a twin bed in here either!

As far as designing the room goes, my focus was on modern patterns, purple/pink/gray combinations, and the alphabet. I also wanted to use as much of the space as possible, so I have things hanging from the ceiling as well as flat and three-dimensional items on the walls. I am thrilled with how it turned out, and Bugga is constantly chattering about the details.

Anyway, without further delay...

View #1: This is what you see from the door. That far wall with the closet and the window really perplexed me with how to furnish this room. I'm still not sure what the builder was thinking. Anyway...

View #1

View #2: From left to right starting at the door, I put the dresser/changing table. I ordered alphabet decals in lavender for over the changing table, framing the "S" (Bugga's first initial) to make it the focal point. This has been a great tool for teaching her the alphabet, along with a few other things we've used.

View #2

View #3 & #4: The second wall is seen in the first picture. I really wanted stripes and considered painting them. After researching various techniques, I decided the decals would be the easiest, and I ordered these off Etsy in custom lengths to fit the wall (notice the corner kick out - adds interest, but still serves no purpose). 

I wanted Bugga to see her name frequently, so I painted white wood letters from Michael's. For her first initial I carved it from some styrofoam, covered it in purple glitter, and edged it with purple ribbon. 

The final detail for this wall are the three felt flower balls, hung from the ceiling which give the decor some depth. They are hung in the corner so they don't hit anyone in the head.

For a reading area, I brought her Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair in from another room and set it next to her bookshelf so she can cozy up with her books whenever she wants.

View #3

View #4

View #5: I ordered the lavender chevron curtains FIRST because blackout curtains are a must with napping children. They unfortunately took a lot longer than I thought they would because I messed up the order the first time, but I love how they turned out. 

I then decided to go with a twin bed with a toddler rail (versus a toddler bed) because it will be used longer. I was tempted by the toddler bed because it would have left so much more space in the room for other things, but in the end, practicality won out. And we've never had too much of a problem with Bugga's safety in this bed (now keeping her in it has had it's moments). It also has a trundle frame (still in the shipping box under the bed) that we can use later. 

I covered some purple wood stars from Michael's in purple glitter and hung these from the ceiling too. I found purple "princess" bedding, and underneath are - wait for it - Minnie Mouse sheets. Her fave.

View #5

View #6: This angle shows the canvas art I created for her room. I went into extreme detail and included some tutorials for how I made some of these here. She still points at these all the time and tells me what they are. 

Also, I used the giant "S" collage from her first birthday party for her door, and it's fun to see her baby pictures every time we enter the room.

View #6

I mentioned in my inspiration post that I had started a satin rag rug. Well, let me advise anyone out there reading this that a rag rug project is not for the remotely busy person. That thing would have taken me many, many (many) months to complete if I had pursued it. Fortunately, I quit before I had invested too much time. And now I have several yards of lavender, silver, and white satin sitting around for another project. I'm glad I used coupons when I bought all that from Joann's!

So that's it! It's pretty simple actually, and I had a lot of fun putting it together. But most importantly, Bugga loves it. That's why we go to all this trouble, right?

**Please let me know if you have any questions about where I bought something or how I made something in this post. **

Why I Craft

Do you remember those random tests you took throughout high school to try to help you decide on the career you were destined for? I remember taking the one that told you if you were left-brained (logical, analytical) or right-brained (creative, musical). Well, I scored smack in the middle.

I am an engineer, which satisfied my left-brained-ness (my what?), but maybe because I spent so much of my education on that side, my creative side is always bursting to get out. I have found that even as an adult, I am in need of a creative outlet on an almost-daily basis. I typically have at least 2-3 projects on my plate to keep my right brain stimulated and satisfied. And being a mom is the perfect way to justify this need.

So, why do we craft? There are probably MILLIONS of crafty blogs out on the internet now. Apparently a lot of people feel like me for one reason or another. Here are MY reasons:

1.) It's cost efficient. This is where it began after I started living on my own after college and wanted to find a way to decorate on a budget. I started with sewing everything from clothes to curtains, creating my own holiday decorations, etc. It was fun to put my personal touch on things.

2.) I know what I want. I'm that girl who can speed shop through a department store because I know exactly the style and color of the item I am looking for, so I can quickly find it if it is there (or not). I took this to a new level with my wedding. Sure, I wanted to save money (and weddings are ex. pen.sive.), but in the end, I got exactly what I wanted, and I know if I had to pay for what I ended up with, the costs would have been seriously elevated. Here are some things I designed and made all by myself for the Big Day (and if you've been through planning a wedding, you know how big of a deal it is to add this to the planning plate):

I might have gone overboard, but I loved doing it all! From the top left, my custom designs included water bottle labels, sand dollar seating "card" magnets, family seating signs, menus, flip-flop favor labels, monogrammed centerpieces, (more) water bottle labels, ceremony programs, and favor tins with labels. 

These items went into the hotel bags. I designed Welcome Cards, bottle labels (those AREN'T regular Coke/DC labels!), and snack bag labels.

And if I did all that other stuff, you have to assume I did the invitations. Everything from the Directions card to the stamps.

3.) It's therapeutic. I often hear about Knitters. You know who you are. I might get there someday, but for now, my relaxation is in my crafting. A paintbrush, a glue gun, GLITTER...these things totally hit my Happy.

And lately, I have a FOURTH reason!

4.) Holy Canada. Now that we are living in Canada, if I get a decor idea in my head and I even ponder the thought of just buying it from somewhere, it pretty much has to come from the States as just about everything is imported up here. Which means so much more money is wasted on shipping, customs fees, taxes...not to mention it takes a riDICulous amount of time to ship anything here, assuming one of the few delivery services deliver the package to the right house (we've already had a LOT of issues after just being here two months). So the next best thing? MAKE IT!!!

What's your reason?

Toddler Bedroom Inspiration

Since we have moved to Calgary, I now have a blank slate for both Bugga's room, and the nursery for Baby #2. I plan to document both, but I won't post the nursery details until the baby is here since my friends and family don't know the gender yet!

For Bugga's room, I want to incorporate some trendy patterns, and add in little themes here and there of things that she likes. Also, we are putting a lot of emphasis on learning the alphabet lately, so I wanted to add letter details throughout the design. 

The catches to the room:

1. We are renting. We have permission to paint the rooms, but everything has to be within "reason". Ha.
2. Bugga will be in this room from age 1.5 - 5.5, so the plus here is I don't have to think too far ahead and not make it too "young" since we'll move after that and have a whole new clean slate to work with.

As I'm putting things together, I will post any DIYs or progress. Until then, here are some design inspiration ideas!

Color Pallette:

A lilac/lavender color, with silver/gray and white as the neutral base. I might throw in another miscellaneous pop of something like baby pink or lime green depending on what the decor calls for.

  

Wall design:

 

I am currently obsessed with stripes. And the idea of the gray and white is a nice neutral that will be great with a pop of color on top of it. I also like the concept of a solid wall painted in the color of the darker stripe. Not sure if I have the patience to paint the stripes though, so I might go the decal route.

Wall decor/curtains:

   

 

 

  

 

Some obvious points to note: There will be chevron. This is definite. I need to put an alphabet somewhere around the top of the room, and/or in a frame. I love the chevron canvas idea with color pops on top that tie to the theme. I also love the silhouettes and need to find a way to fit those in - perhaps sticking to something Minnie Mouse or flower related (Bugga's faves). Oh and glitter. If I can incorporate glitter into this effort, this is something I must do.

Furniture/Accessories:

  

  

I will need to transition Bugga to a "big kid bed" before the baby arrives in December to prevent the need for two cribs. This is currently freaking me out because a) she sleeps pretty darn well in her crib so why mess with something that isn't broken, and b) a big kid bed means she is growing up and I'm just not ready for this! I would love to get her a beautiful white canopy bed but I'm not sure her teeny 11'x11' room will allow for this. But I'll try to keep inspired by the concept at least. A trundle bed would be great too, then if we have problems with the twin bed transition, and a toddler rail doesn't work (crossing fingers once we get there), then a lower trundle mattress might prevent too many major crashes. And it would be good for sleepovers down the road.

I found the link above for a DIY rag rug that I think would look beautiful in Bugga's room. In fact, I've already started it with lavender, silver, and white satin fabric. The thing is, I'm pretty sure this project is going to take the rest. of. my. life. No joke.

I would love a reading nook/area in her room if there is space, but not sure it will happen. Oh, and the Minnie Mouse sheet options out in the world are for the most part pretty tacky, but a set of these sheets or something similar (subtle-style) would be a nice surprise under a purple comforter. We'll see if I can track any down as these appear to be previous year's style.

And the design process is ON! Please check back as I post progress!