Well, there are a few little things I would still like to do such as the mobile to go over the crib and the throw pillow that I’m going to make for the rocking chair, but other than that, the room is complete.  And I absolutely love it.

My favorite part has got to be the soft, suede chair where I have spent hours rocking Henry to sleep (and hours spent trying to keep myself awake, I might add).  It really is the most comfortable chair on earth and it is perfect for a nursery.

Then we have the shelving/storage unit.  The CPA put this together and we happened to find the matching bins at Lowe’s hardware store of all places.

They fit just right and they hold all kinds of goodies like stuffed animals,

baby rattles and teethers,

books,

and toys for Henry to use when he’s a bit older.

The closet beside the storage unit holds the rest of his toys,

as well as most of his clothes.

We even found these great little clothes dividers that allow me to organize them by size.  Very helpful when you have everything from newborn to 24 months in one space!

On the other side of the room is the dresser.  We got it from JC Penney which is the same place we got the shelving unit.  The great thing is that even though all three pieces in the room were not from the same collection, they all match and they were all very inexpensive.

We went with a standard dresser so that after we stop using the changing station on top, we’ll still be able to get plenty of use out of it.  But in the meantime, it’s main purpose is to serve as a place to change the baby’s diapers.

The insides of the drawers are full of things like socks and hats,

bibs and burp clothes,

and receiving blankets.

On the other side of the dresser is the crib.  Right now Henry only sleeps in it during the day because at night he sleeps in a pack n’ play in our room, but I’m still very pleased with it.  I decided not to go with all the fancy bedding although I will say that I was definitely tempted – there’s some beautiful stuff out there!  But in the end I figured that he won’t know the difference and I probably won’t use most of it anyway.

As far as the details in the room, we incorporated various maps and travel-related items since we love to take trips and hope to pass that hobby on to our little one.  There is the world map decal over the crib and the vintage old world maps on the wall by the door.

Even the initials over the dresser have maps in the background.

The bulletin board over the shelving unit is full of old postcards from places around the world.

But my favorite travel-related items include the globe standing on the floor,

and the globe bookstands on the display shelves.

There are so many other details that I love in this room such as the clear globes hanging from the ceiling fan,

and the toy train and red truck that are perfect for a little boys room.

All of these things add up to make a beautiful nursery.

It’s a place where I’ve already spent many hours and where I plan to spend many more.

All that changed, however, on December 1st when we officially began preparations for it to become a nursery.  Originally, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery except that I knew that I wanted to paint it.  See, when we first bought the house, the room was yellow.

A bright yellow actually.

So we darkened it up a bit and then added a bed, an armoire, and a couple of bookshelves.  (For some reason I didn’t take a picture of it before we took it apart – this is the best one I have, taken back when we first moved into the house).

Since we’re having a boy and since I’m not a frilly kind-of person anyway, I decided to go with a neutral color scheme.  That way, as the baby grows up, we don’t have to make a lot of substantial changes to the room to have it grow with him.

So we knew we wanted it painted but with lots going on these past few months between work and school (for my husband), there was no way we’d be able to get it done in time.

Enter, my dad.

**Side note – did you ever watch that show called “This Old House”?  There was a guy on there, a carpenter and all around handy man, named Bob Villa.  That’s my dad.  Well, not really my dad, but my dad is just like Bob Villa in that he can do and build anything.**

So when Dad offered to paint the room for us, we didn’t even have to think about it.  We got the room ready by clearing everything out and putting it in the garage for storage.  Then we started testing paint colors.

That was the hardest part (for me anyway).  I couldn’t get the colors just right until the CPA stepped in and suggested a combination of two shades that I hadn’t considered before.  And voila – we had our match.

Dad drove up from Georgia the next morning and then spent three straight days getting the room ready.  He added a ceiling fan, which we’ve heard keeps the air circulated and hopefully helps to prevent SIDS.

Then he put up the chair rail, which we wanted in order to add more definition to the two different colors we’d be using in the room.  Then came the paint, lots and lots of glorious paint.

It was so exciting to see the room transforming and I am completely impressed with the professional job he did!  It would have taken us a week to do what he did in three short days.

Before he was finished, he took off the closet doors (we plan to hang curtains in their place) and painted the inside of the space.

And finally, it was ready.

Isn’t it gorgeous?  The colors are rich and warm, the paint job is immaculate, and the love and hard work that went into the projects is obvious.

So a huge thank you goes out to my dad because without him, this wouldn’t have been possible.  Now we’re ready to put the room together and make it a special place for our little boy.

Thanks Dad!

Or should I call you, Grandpa?

And he would be absolutely correct.  So it was with great anticipation that I opened the box and looked at the stack of books held within.  

There is just something cool about older books like these, especially used books.  There is a history there; a story to tell if you will.

The illustrations are usually a bit different, reminiscent of the time period and area in which they were made and this Christmas book is a perfect example.  

Some of them bring back memories from my own childhood, like this Richard Scarry book about “What Animals Do.”

(I’m a huge Richard Scarry fan, just for the record.)

Then there are the classics such as Cinderella – a story which can never be told too many times.

But my favorite out of this whole stack of great books, is the one titled  ”Fifty Musical Fingerplays.”  

I’m not even sure what fingerplays are, but when I opened the book, I was pleased to find a number of familiar tunes.

Tunes such as “This Little Pig” and 

“Hush Little Baby.”  Tunes that I have heard for years yet have never known the words to.  In fact, I recently remarked to the CPA that I don’t know any nursery rhymes and that I needed to find a book of songs so that I could officially sing the official parent songs.  You know – to make me official.  

And lo and behold – here comes this book.  Perfect!

Now I’ll be able to learn the words and practice my songs so that when our guy arrives, he will be properly sung to.  Not that he’ll know the difference of course, but I know I’ll feel better.  

So a big thank you to the CPA’s friend, Mark.  Your thoughtfulness and sweet gesture are much appreciated and I know these books will bring hours of enjoyment for years to come.  

What books are yours or your children’s favorites?  What nursery rhymes (or other songs) do you sing to them?

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Starting a New Collection

I don’t know a lot about how the room’s going to look yet, but I do know that I want some unique art pieces in there.  Something that is not too childish but yet still fit for a child’s room, if that makes any sense at all.  We’ve looked at dozens of illustrated prints and none of them have met with our mutual approval. Here are some that were vetoed early on:

This print by Barking Bird Art (how cute is this?)

Or these adorable prints by Tummy Mountain:

I can kind-of understand why the CPA didn’t go for these as he is not a fan of cutsie pictures.  I will say though, if we were having a girl, I would HAVE to purchase some of these by RKDesign88:

But since we’re having a boy and since I want the CPA to continue to speak to me, I went back to my search to find something we both like.  This time I tried to stay away from the whimsical and tried to find something a bit more down-to-earth.  For example this tree, from Lucky Bird Art.  

Or these owls, from Yumi Yumi. 

But again, nothing seemed “just right.”  Until I showed him these beautiful prints by At Whim:

Finally, we are agreed!  They are simple, adorable, different, and fit for a child.  And the best part is the price – they are very affordable so we can get a few prints to hang over the dresser or the crib or wherever we eventually decide they should go.  

Now, it’s on to paint color.  Who knew designing a nursery for a newborn could be so tough?

Would you use art in a nursery?  What kind would you/did you use?

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Which is what I want to ask you, my fellow, faithful Internet friends: is a bumper necessary?  I love the look of the “complete” crib, but do you really need to have all of these things?  I haven’t done any research so I don’t know if a bumper is mainly for decoration or if it serves a purpose such as keeping little hands and feet from getting caught.

That said, I have found a few baby bed sets that I like and they do come with the bumper included.  The problem is, we’re on a budget so as much as I would like to go all out, I’m going to have to limit my bedding purchasing.  I would love to do something like this:

or this

(both from Javis Davis).  It would be great to be able to design custom-made bedding like this so that we could create the perfect look.  (If you have a minute, I suggest checking out their site just because it’s fun trying to mix and match the various fabrics.)  But for $400.00, it’s not going to happen any time soon.

So instead, I’ve found a couple of affordable options that could possibly work:

At $149.00, the price of this blue and beige argyle print set is definitely appealing.  

This other blue and brown set is another alternative and is reasonably priced at $144.00:

Not the same as custom bedding, but they are definitely options that will allow me to be stylish and still frugal.  But then I go back to my original question: is it necessary?  Do I need to buy a whole set or do we really just need a couple of bed sheets and a blanket.  As cute as the bumper is, do I really need it? 

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Dream Home: Nursery

Boy = Blue= Shopping