Boys Curtain Link Up!

Today I am linking up with Beth over at Home Stories A 2 Z.

I know everyone has seen these curtains over on Pinterest but there is no tutorial or information on how to get them done.

The Pinterest version
There isn't much to share, except a few pieces ( heavy anchors and the rod is electrical not plumbing, like the rest of the pieces!)

Here was my original post!
I would love to see some other takes on these cool rods!

L-O, L-O

L-O-V-E
Back in September I co hosted a wedding shower. We had it in a really great undecorated space (with an exposed brick wall, my favorite!) Since we had such a blank canvas, I had lots of room for creativity!

The colors were aqua, orange, and white. I found these letters on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try. I didn't even visit the site for a tutorial or anything, I thought it would be self explanatory. It wasn't a craft fail, but I'm sure she had some tips or something. I like that they were colorful and had texture and could be reused anywhere! Two of my favorites!

I got the letters at Michales. First I had my design assistant my four year old paint them the color of the yarn I was using. It was nap time for his little brother, so I figure I could put this under the "we did a craft today" category.

Once they were dry I sprayed them with Elmers spray adhesive to hold some of the yarn in place. Then I just started wrapping. I didn't do anything fancy and don't have any secrets. Just wrapped and sprayed, wrapped and sprayed.

Ta-Da!

I think they are super cute and fun and I thought I would use them in the nursery. But there really wasn't a place for them...but I'll find somewhere!

Fit for a Princess

Here it is! The big reveal. The nursery.

Let's first look back at this space in September. A nice blank canvas.

I love this nursery. It is a smallish room, maybe 9x12? Maybe a little bit bigger maybe a little bit smaller.

We started with pink walls. Added in some natural linen, crisp white, and a few more touches of pink. I wanted it to be suttle and calming. I didn't want it to be too frilly or overdone. But I'll admit, I was a little excited about doing a girly space. Hence the pink walls!

Welcome to the nursery of our Little Miss

A small side table (desk)that holds some family pictures and a lamp. A framed (free) "Babies Don't Keep" printout from Lay Baby Lay. It is a nice reminder to keep rocking, keep holding, keep kissing that sweet new baby in my arms. A decent sized basket holds special blankets close at hand and makes them easy to grab. Don't you just want to lay in that basket...how comfy!

The crib (a crucial part of the nursery!) and that gallery wall. I'm so glad I faced my decorating fears and finished one! The hardest part was not finding items or prints it was finding it's perfect layout...and then..the measuring for the wall....ugh...

This is Honeycomb. Honeycomb is the bear the boys made her before her arrival. She has a voice box in her hand with a recording of my sweet boys telling her they love her. Don't worry, she's not sleeping in her crib yet, so she is not being harmed by the bear being in her crib.

Standing in the doorway this is what you see. The "cutesy" curtains, nice soft thick rug (which we used in our first apartment and have moved several times, knowing that one day we will use it again?!) I believe it was just a Home Depot find. The dresser is a piece I went back and forth on having out or using in the closet. It came down to function. With me, function wins almost every time. I needed a place for rocking neccessities (burp cloths, lip balm, water, books, music, light). So the dresser, although a bit big for the space, stayed.

In my first nursery, I did not want a glider. I wanted a nice big overstuffed chair that was comfy and squishy. I wanted to be able to reuse it somewhere else. That is, until I went to test drive them. I decided I'd rather have a traditional glider. I have come to love my glider. I have spent countless nights rocking, singing, crying, praying, laughing, worrying, tickling, nursing and loving on three small babes. It's going to be hard to part with. The blanket on the back is one my great grandmother made me when I was a wee babe. It's a nice reminder of where you came from and how much love I have to give.

The dresser turned changing table has a story all it's own and the top was made just for it and was a gift from my aunt. I love it. It was such a thoughtful idea and has been incredibly useful. Nice for holding burp cloths, dipes and wipes, and a few distraction toys.

The monogram was the first thing I knew I was going to put in her room. I wasn't sure where, but I knew it was going up somewhere! This is the same font we used for our wedding. That P was EVERYWHERE! If it was able to get printed it was getting a P on it! And it is the south. A monogram is expected, right?! I love the polka dots to frame it out and give it a finished look. Little Miss has an aunt that LOVES her some polka dots! I can't wait for her to see them. I think she will be excited they got incorporated somehow! The color is the same gold craft paint I used on the frames.

A small stuffed Peter Rabbit and some handbags that belonged to my great grandmother.
The view from the rocker.

Those great knobs I found at Anthropologie holding a sweet little sweater outfit that belonged to my, now (almost) 10 year old niece. It will be fun to see Little Miss in that and the other outfits her cousins wore!

So there you have it. The nursery. A nursery fit for our very own Little Miss Magic. I hope you like it! For me it is the perfect blend of old and new, frilly and suttle. A whole room that perfectly says Refresh & Repurpose!

For previous nursery post and sorces see these Pink,Frames, Sneak Peek, Gallery Wall in progress, Gallery Wall Reveal, Linens, Artwork

A Nursery Sneak Peek..Artwork

Upon learning we were having a girl, my grandmothers sister offered up some artwork that was in their room as children. Remember, I already have the furniture! This was the icing on the cake! I couldn't wait for it to come!

Now it hangs on the wall in our nursery. I can't believe it. It means so much to have these pieces and keep them in our family. I hope Little Miss will enjoy them!

The first picture is Awakening by Bessie Pease Gutmann. In the early 1900's she was considered a well known magazine and book illustrator.

The second Just A Little Dream by Annie Benson Mueller. There wasn't as much to find on her. Except if I wanted her address and phone number, because apparently, google has found her for me....hmmmm

Here is the picture as it was in their house (above the bed):

Tomorrow is the big reveal! Are you ready?

For previous nursery post see these Pink,Frames, Sneak Peek, Gallery Wall in progress, Gallery Wall Reveal, Linens

One Word Wednesday!

Blah

A Nursery Sneak Peek..Linens

We will continue this weeks reveal today with the linens. I know. Super exciting, right?!
Actually, I am a little let down. For someone that LOVES fabric and color as much as I do (I mean I do have a degree using them and spent my previous life before kids working with them day in and day out!) I didn't get too crazy or colorful! But they are exactly what I wanted!
Here are the crib linens.

(Excuse the poor picture quality. I have no idea what was going on. They looked fine on the camera?!)A natural colored linen bedskirt with white ruffles. Painstakingly made by grandma. The bedskirt has a hook and loop hem at the top so it can be moved when the crib mattress gets lowered. I absolutely love it. It's probably my favorite thing in the whole room. I would love one for my bed, but I'm scared to ask. I know the ruffles are a lot of work!

A plain white sheet. I thought I wanted a pink and white toile. However, once I put the white sheet on, I really liked it. Remember, the walls are pink! There is plenty of color in this little space!

I wasn't sure what to do for a bumper. There isn't anyway to attach it to the back of the crib (no slats) and they never really fit to where they can easily be tied. It was low on the priority list. I did finally decide I wanted one and a white one. I was trying to keep it simple. I looked online and found plenty. None of which I liked enough to spend $150 on. Strange, I have a Pottery Barn one, and I'm pretty sure it didn't cost that much?! And then...I decided why not make one?! I went to Hobby Lobby found some great chenille white on white polka dots and well...the rest is history. I thought I would just make a simple pillow case for my old bumper. Then I could put the ties where I wanted them and a little more hook and loop would solve that problem in the back! But that amazing grandma took over and whipped it up in a few short hours. She saved me yet again. I mean, I sure it would have only taken me a few short days! I will admit it took me until today to whip stitch the openings closed and sew on the ties (white grossgrain ribbon with some Fray check dabbed on the ends!). $20 for fabric (have some extra!) and $4 ribbon. Already had the fray check and white thread! I call that a good deal!

I loved the bedskirt so much that I couldn't stop there.

I used this linen in several projects, including covering the seat of a tiny rocker and a stool.
Then there are the curtains, which you saw in this Sneak Peek. I thought I may have come up with this idea on my own (I LOVE pom poms and I even had them in our old house on some cornice boards...before Pinterest!!) but I found this pin

Originally from here.

Apparently, I am not the brilliant decorator I thought I was! That's ok, I love these. Super cute and fun. One twin size white $6 sheet and six packs of pom poms (6x $4= $24) later! Not too bad!

Thats about it for linens! What will I reveal tomorrow?!

In case you missed yesterdays post here it is.

For previous nursery post see these Pink,Frames, Sneak Peek, Gallery Wall in progress

A Nursery Sneak Peek..Gallery Wall

The nursery has a lot of details so I will make a week of it and on Friday you can see the whole room in all it's glory. Of course, that's pretty scary because it means a lot of pressure for me. You see, the room is not quite finished. Almost, but almost doesn't count.

And I'd rather do it this way so the reveal isn't too wordy.

I am so proud of this wall. Gallery walls scare me because I feel like you are married to them. All those holes in the wall. What if you don't like it. Then it's a lot of work to repair your wall....ugh. No thanks.

When I found out we were having a girl, I wanted to do paper dolls a la Erika at Urban Grace Interiors

What's not to love?! I wanted to do them myself, but wasn't sure how to do them and change them up a bit without directly coping them.

So the plan changed to a gallery wall when we went to the Outer Banks for Labor Day and found an old Peter Rabbit book. First, I guess I should explain the Peter Rabbit connection. The furniture that is used in the nursery and a few pieces in the boys room was my grandmothers, and first her sisters! Their childhood room was called Peter Rabbits room. The furniture became Peter Rabbits furniture. So once we found the book, and decided on a gallery wall, I ran with the Peter Rabbit theme. (I love a theme. It seems to make things easier?)

Then I had to find some other inspiration. I didn't want all pictures. I wanted different textures, sizes, colors, etc. So to pinterest I went!

Once I got some inspiration I headed to the Salvation Army for some frames. Remember this post about some frames I found? Since I wanted different textures sizes etc for the artwork, I decided I would do that for the frames too. Which made shopping at the Salvation Army easy. I also decided that the color would be the thing that made them uniform.

And then I showed you the frames in progress. Some primer and $3 gold craft paint.

Here it is all finished.

Pictures 1 & 2 were inspired by this:

For some reason it's not letting me open the original site? I took a guess as to what it actually is, but I thought I would combine silhouettes and the boys artwork, so it was a project for them and something they did just for her. These two pictures consist of a $3 Walmart frame, a $2 Salvation Army frame, and 2 pieces of cardstock for $1.

Pictures 3 & 4 are the pages from the Peter Rabbit book. Two $3 frames from Salvation Army.

Picture 5 is a cross stitch I did years ago (I believe in high school) and a $1 wooden frame from Michales.

#6 is just a resin C from Ben Franklin. $1.

#7 is a Wedgewood plate from the set we were given from Chads grandmother when Q was born.

Image found here. So glad we found a great use for it. I know I should have, but there was no way, I was going to give my toddler some Wedgewood china to eat off of!

#8 was inspired by this:

Found on Pinterest but originally from here
It was super simple to do. I got a $1 embroidery hoop from Ben Franklin and used some fabric & thread I already had. I also used iron on tape to keep things from shifting while I sewed. I really think it's cute.

Picture #9 was inspired by this bunny bunting

Again, found on Pinterest but originally from here. I even used the same bunnies for a template. I made five different sizes. One for each member of our family. A $2 Salvation Army frame, $1 for 2 pieces of cardstock, and $1 for a package of pom poms. I don't know how I got this final product from the bunting. But I guess that is why it is called inspiration!

Picture 10 is one of my favorites. I love toile print. I saw this paper at Hobby Lobby and new I wanted to use it. I was originally going to use it for the five bunnies but it wasn't working out. Once I started to look at it I noticed it had two little boys and a little girl playing ring around the rosey, with a dog and a mom watching. Two little boys and a little girl!! $1 Salvation Army frame and a piece of scrapbook paper! Score!

Picture 11 is a Michaels frame I already had, some linen fabric (you'll see more of that soon) as a mat, and two pages from another antique Peter Rabbit book.

There you have it. A gallery wall for under $25 and I got to conquer my irrational fear laziness of completing one! And I'm sure way more details than you ever wanted to know!

For previous nursery post see these Pink,Frames, Sneak Peek, Gallery Wall in progress

Check back tomorrow night for Tuesdays reveal!

Curtains!

The boys curtains went up, which seems like it took forever. However, it took me much longer to write this post! I shared the inspiration in this first post about their room.

First I knew I wanted white curtains. Then I found these:

Source via Pinterest
I have been using navy as an accent so I knew I wanted to use navy at the bottom and not red. And they would be hanging on a red wall. Curtains are from World Market. Found some navy fabric at JoAnns Fabric and my seamstress amazing mother, measured, cut and hemmed them!

Then I found this curtain rod

Source
So creative! Kind of nautical. Seemed so easy! Easy until I went to execute the design. Aunt Kelly and I went to Lowes to pick up all our plumbing supplies. Since we didn't have any directions, we were going off the picture and the grommet holes on the curtains. Things were going well until we picked up the rod itself. It weighed at least 10lbs (for the length of 2). We went and looked at anchors. Big, strong, massive wall anchors that were going to be strong enough to hold a four and two year old swinging on them! Then we asked an associate where the wall anchors were if there was another solution for the rod. He suggested electrical conduit. This was great because the rod was lighter and CHEAPER!! Woot!

And then we went to put them up. One of the elbows was missing some thread. Ugh....I have two small children and I was pregnant and now I was having to go back to Lowes at Christmas.....Ahhhhhh!! But I was so excited about these curtains and how they would look! I will say that hanging them was a lot more work than regular rods (heavier and they have to be done at once, not a braket at a time), they were about $30 for each window (about the same as a regular curtain rod) and curtains can not be washed as easily. You will have to take off the rod itself, unless you got curtains that tie. But I was worried that would not fit my look! Thanks to the hubs and his muscles for the hanging part of this project!

I think they look awesome, if I do say so myself!

Soon I'll get some shelves up and a final room reveal!! I know, I know, you can't wait! Believe me, I can't wait to have it done!

Other Boys room projects:
Inspiration
Nautical Flags
Artwork
A Dresser
A Dresser Reveal

One Word Wednesday!

Gallery

Wall

Nautical Dresser

Remember this post.

Well, I finally finished it, filled it up, and there it sat. Waiting for this post.
I didn't sand it and I should have. Normally I would have, but for it's purpose, I didn't see the need. But I did prime it, taped out my stripes and got to work.

I really liked the rope knobs on the inspiration piece and wasn't sure if they were going to be "too much". Now, I wish I could have found them. I think I would have really liked them. Instead I found some other ones, but was still afraid they were going to be "too much", so I went with the bottom three drawers. Thinking now I would like to find some more for the top two drawers!!

B has been enjoying his "new dresser" and his big brother is happy he no longer has to share a dresser. Why do they care? They are 4 & 2 and they are boys!!

It wasn't my best redo, but I like it and I haven't heard the boys critique it...yet. I couldn't decide if I wanted to distress it or not? Time was running out. Little Miss was on her way and I needed to get her room done too! Maybe one day, I'll distress it?!

If I could just get two shelfs up in their room, it would be ready for a reveal. I have them, they just need to go up. Maybe one day, I'll get those up, but for now I just seem to be adding to the ole to do list!

One Word Wednesday!

Busy

Being

Blessed

By

A

Beautiful

Baby

Girl