"budget" nurseries

i rarely use this blog for venting purposes of the non pg/new mom related nature. but, i've got to write it down somewhere that i am so annoyed about these "budget" nurseries that keep popping up on blogs and design sites that are not at all budget. and i understand that "budget" is relative. you can buy a clothes basket and some receiving blankets on the cheap, but i'm referring to designer style nurseries at a reduced cost.

here's my rant: if you are repurposing your own old furniture or using things that were gifts, they still cost money. they are not "free". that old ikea bookshelf from your office? it still cost $60. crib gift from grandparents? did they steal it? then it wasn't free. when you write up the total cost of the nursery, show us the money. if you were gifted a nice item, please tell us the cost. to reproduce or borrow ideas, "we" might need to pay for them. if you repaint, reuse, thrift, etc. an item from your house and it wasn't a garage sale find from 30 years ago, say so. most of the items people list as free/gift are actually pretty spendy (cribs, dressers, chairs) and tend to push a "budget" nursery of listed costs to quite a bit more.

so, yeah. here's finn with his grumpy face:

while i never itemized the cost of our nursery, i did consider it budget friendly for a semi-designer style (we were featured on spearmintbaby.com and ohdeedoh.com, so i can only assume someone thought it was nice). our crib, while a gift, was about $300. the rocker was the splurge, but the ikea furniture, handmade art, and mix and match decor kept our cost quite low. we did receive many items from family and if someone were to want to replicate any of our nursery (or anyone else's!), they probably wouldn't get the same things as gifts.

so that's my vent. if someone paid money for it, ever, to be in your nursery, then it wasn't "free!".

mobile tutorial

i've had some interest in the mobile i made, so i figured i'd share how i did it. this mobile is based off of a beautiful piece i found at fawn & forest. but i was on a budget for decor items and couldn't spend quite that much on a mobile. this was an experiment and i did it without measuring or planning ahead. as a warning, keep away from baby as there is a risk of tangling from the craft line (i have mine securely hung quite far above the crib).

materials:
colored cardstock (about 5 sheets)
circle punch
paperboard disc (i spray painted mine yellow)
clear craft line
needle

this mobile has 7 strands with 9 circle discs on each strand

1. make circles out of cardstock using punch, 63 in total (more for mistakes)
2. punch a needle hole through the center of each disc
3. cut 7 long strands of craft line and tie a small knot at one end of each
4. thread a disc along the craft line (the knot keeps it in place)
5. about 2 inches up, tie another knot, thread another disc
6. repeat process of knot + disc 9 times per strand
7. repeat threading process for all 7 strands
8. punch 7 holes into edge of paperboard disc, evenly spaced around the perimeter
9. thread each strand through a hole from the bottom and tie a knot in each at the top
10. punch 4 holes into paperboard disc at 12, 3, 6, and 9 (as on a clock)
11. cut 2 long strands of craft line of equal length and tie a knot at the end of each
12. from the bottom, thread a strand up from hole "12" and down into "6", tie a knot to secure
13. repeat from "3" to "9" (these strands should fold in half and cross over at the peak)
14. cut a strand of craft line, tie at the cross point of the two crossed hanging strands
15. hang (i used a 3m command hook to hang from the ceiling)

confused? here's a simple diagram:

as you can see, this is an inexpensive alternative. it took a while to complete because punching 60+ discs (thanks mr. h3b!) and needles holes and tying a ton of knots does require some time. but it looks great hanging in the nursery and finley loves to watch it as the air from the ceiling fan blows the discs gently. please let me know if you have any questions. i did my best to explain the process since i didn't plan it out before i began.

nursery...finally!!

the day has come! we have a real nursery with most everything finished and it's finally time to share. this page is full of pictures - you should be able to click on the them to view a larger size. i'll share where i got everything at the bottom, but please leave a note if you'd like more info on anything :)

ok, here are the details:

wall color - going gray (olympic premium zero VOC)
crib - babymod olivia (walmart)
dresser - trondheim 6 drawer (ikea)
rocker - alto (monte designs)
bookshelf - expedit (ikea)
rug - white faux sheepskin (homedecorators.com)
doxie lamp (offi)
yellow lamp shade (ikea)
animal a-z poster (etsy seller tarahogan)
white wall frames - ribba (ikea)
white table frames (walmart)
aqua curtains (target)
square mirrors - sorli (ikea)
yellow pillow (world market)
crib skirt (handmade by me, fabric michael miller ta dot)
yellow toy bin - beverage tub (target)
white storage bins - skubb (ikea)
elephant rocker (jcpenney)
alarm clock - duck (home goods, also available at amazon.com)

mobile (handmade by me)
poms (handmade by friend)
quotes posters (handmade by me)
finley blocks (etsy seller tinygiraffeshop)

i love the nursery. it is so relaxing and overall we did it on a budget (save for the rocker), with many handmade items and affordable decor pieces. i can finally sit in there with one of my 20 rockabye albums playing, nursing finn, and watching the fan blow the hanging decorations. perfection :)

31 weeks

another week down!

i hit 31 weeks, so if all goes exactly according to plan, as births often do, i will have this baby in 9 weeks. that doesn't seem like enough time. i have so much to do in the nursery and in the house before baby h3b arrives. i don't want him to come too early (even if i get "done" with being pregnant in a few weeks) so i can work on the things that need to be done. even though that means i'll be painting the living room at 31+ weeks and hanging pictures and curtains and such around the rooms of the house right up to my due date.

and the nursery. finish posters, buy frames, hang art in just the right spots. find curtains, lamp (my top choice is discontinued!), and other decor items. pick up furniture at ikea. and lastly, probably most annoying, find a rocker/glider that i actually like without breaking the bank. if there has been one thing thus far that has given me trouble, it's been the damn rocking chair. my dream chair is so expensive and it just seems ridiculous to pay that much for a rocker. but i don't want exposed wood (like so many of the gliders), i don't want too poufy, i don't want silly colors ("sage green minky dot" makes me want to stab myself with a fork). if you've searched for nursery chairs recently, i guess you know that this is apparently asking far too much. my nightly task of googling for rockers is causing meltdowns left and right.

aside from the great rocker debate, i'm feeling pregnant. i'm big, slow, and a bit uncomfortable. my pelvic bone hurts, my internal organs double as a water bed (herman munstertiger doesn't kick now so much as roll around, but he does it with force), and my hands and feet are swollen. when i wake up in the morning, i can't make fists or stand full weight on my feet without some wincing. it's so fun! add pain of waking up to annoyance of being awake until 2 or 3 am and i am just a bundle of energy. but, baby h3b is moving around and healthy as per my dr. appt, so i will take the pain for him.

later he'll pay.

(tomorrow is my first shower. so excited!)

nursery updates

we have a nursery!

it's not done, no. but we painted this past weekend, we received our crib and some accessories, and i ordered a few fabrics for sheets. i figured a sneak peek was timely, since we've got only a few things (but, things!) to show right now.

here are the walls before. a pinkish crayola peach color that just had to go.

we chose a subtle blue gray by olympic calling going gray - available at lowe's. and don't worry, i used the premium version, which is zero voc and somewhat "green". here's me at 30 weeks, painting the edging. it's black and white because i was wearing bright green, unflattering pants and i have some level of dignity.

 

mr. h3b built the crib tonight and i had him move it around the room to see where it looked best. here is a tiny peek at the paint color, the crib, and the new faux sheepskin rug.

our mini doxies were on hand to "help". they were joined by the white offi dachshund lamp.

and that's all i've got so far. when i post the final nursery images, or, more of it than this, i'll be sure to include a full write up of what/from where for everything.

picking out fabric

join in my search!

in trying to distract myself from the stress and annoyance that is buying a home, i have taken to obsessing over fabrics for the nursery. since i have found nothing i really like in terms of bedding and i'm also not interested in a set, i plan on making my own pieces. i can sew (i better be able to, i graduated with a degree in clothing design...) and i really only want a couple of sheets and one or two crib skirts.

since the the nursery will be gray with white furniture and pops of aqua and yelllow, and we're having a boy (which plays only somewhat into my decisions), i've been trying to find bright options for sheets to bring in more color to the space. want to take a peek at my findings?

amy butler - martini - mustard

paula prass - garden trellis - aqua

laura gunn - painted polka dot - aqua

amy butler - grey wallflower

(above images and fabrics available from quilthome.com)

paula prass chevron stripe - yellow and white
ta dot polka dot - aqua on white
retro abstract floral - grey and blue
paula prass - party animal zebra - yellow

(above images and fabric from hartsfabric.com)

now i just need to make decisions. for the sheets, i know i don't need more than 2 yards, so they'll be somewhat affordable (comparing to "designer" sheets i've priced online). if you've seen any fabulous grey, mustard/bright yellow, or aqua fabrics, feel free to post the links!

not nesting yet...

nursery board

i made an inspiration board for the nursery. i think i've decided on a modern yet comfortable look, but every once in a while i want to do an elegant, fluffly boys room (lots of white with light blue accents). i think mr. h3b wouldn't be so agreeable. plus, i'd have to dress the baby in tiny sailor suits and rompers all the time so he'd fit with his room. again, convincing mr. h3b would be difficult...

so i've decided on a simple look. cool gray walls with a light aqua accent wall and pops of bright yellow, white, and aqua all over the room. i don't like themes, characters, or gender specific bedroom sets, so this is what i came up with. i love, love gray and really like white furniture for a small space (as the nursery is bound to be). i'll fill the square shelves with books and small things we've collected, but otherwise i don't see this as a cluttered store-all space. if it's a crying room (me or baby), i at least need it to be relaxing.

want these things? here's a list of places i found while searching. i'm using some as inspiration while other items (like the furniture) are decided upon. note that many of these items can be found at a variety of locations
1. tissue paper pom mobile (DIY)
2. baby mod olivia crib in white/amber available at walmart
3. animal a-z poster by etsy seller tarahogan
4. expedit bookcase in white from ikea
5. spade damask pillow cover by etsy seller moddiva
6. dwellstudio gio aqua pillow available at allmodernbaby
7. blue owl and pussycat giclee print by etsy seller sugarloop
8. lite source yellow viko table lamp from simplybabyfurniture
9. trondheim 6-drawer dresser in white from ikea
10. amy butler martini in mustard fabric from etsy seller babydarling
11. plover organics confetti crib quilt from fawn and forest
12. monte alto rocker in stone available at pacifier
13. offi dachshund mypetlamp in white available at pacifier

honestly, i want to have a million kids so i can make more rooms. nurseries are so much fun. i can't wait to start putting mine together!