Thursday, March 25, 2010

Project Imagination Nursery

Are you going to kill me if I start one more post, "When I was pregnant with Sawyer"?

Well, when I was pregnant with Sawyer (Ahhhhhhhhhh!), we had a roommate living in the second bedroom. He was super fun and I loved having him there but as most people know, a pregnant lady is filled with hormones.

Crazy, intense hormones that make you do stuff like scrub the floors on your hands and knees even though your stomach drags on the ground and you just scrubbed the floor the morning before and no one has even step foot on it.

AND, get the nursery ready.

The nursery is a big deal. People plan and sketch and search high and low for the most perfect crib sheet. People paint a room just to paint it over again because the color wasn't just right. Hang pictures just to relocate them and if and when everything is done, clean it again and again.

Because we have hormones that make us nuts. It's just fact and when you CAN'T nest, you become even nuttier.

That's where I come in, Holly, the girl who can't nest.

This is not unfamiliar to me in any way, like I was saying, when pregnant with Sawyer, we had a roommate, up until I was 31 weeks pregnant or EXACTLY WHERE I'M AT NOW and it KILLED me not to put a nursery together. I wanted to see the crib up and pick bedding and sit in the middle of the room letting it all sink in. I thought waiting until this point was a lot to ask of a hormonal woman but boy was I wrong.

Here I sit on the floor in the middle of a living room that isn't mine. Our couches are in storage, our everything but the essentials are in storage just waiting for this house to close. For nine months we have been waiting for this house to close. We thought we would be in by now and at this point, I just hope I'm in there before the baby comes. I sit here waiting, unable to create a nursery for my baby, a big boy room for my bigger baby and a house for us all to live in.

I think this is why Geoff bought me a sewing machine. It was like he knew I might internally combust and he would be left cleaning up the mess. A girl harboring a child has GOT to nest.

So, I nest in my imagination. I plan for what may be and hope it all comes together. I sew crib bedding, imitating the expensive bedding I can't afford and pick out paint colors in Lowes while Geoff purchases tools we need to fix all the issues in the house that isn't ours.

I present to you: Imagination Nursery

I fell in love with several crib bedding sets, all WAY more than we can afford and would EVER be willing to pay even if we could afford it. My biggest inspiration was this set:


I wanted the crib ties to be longer than the ties in the picture above and I wanted them to be light pink. I found no pink fabric pale enough to fit in well with the bright white linen fabric so chose a thin striped fabric of pink and white. I sewed the crib skirt in a matter of a few hours (not pictured) and the crib bumper in a matter of a few days. The fabric cost about $40 all together and I have extra pink and white fabric left over to sew curtain panels. I purchased a pale pink crib sheet for $6.00 and already have a white one from Sawyer so I can switch them out or see which looks best.

Behold the bumper. You have to IMAGINE it's in a crib. Remember this is Project Imagination...


I've never found a mobile I loved and the cost of them make me cringe. Seriously $50 and up? I don't think so. I found these fairies that hang from the ceiling at Pottery Barn Kids. I bought one of each color and plan to hang them above one side of the crib at separate lengths.


All the furniture is black, it's Sawyer's old stuff and we are on a budget. So, the colors are pale pink and white with sharp, contrasting black furniture. The walls will be light pink. On one wall, I want to buy some molding and do something like this:


Along the opposite will be the changing table and these flowers either floating up from the changing table or cascading down from the ceiling.


I was going to post all of this as one full post; from thought process, to planning to finished pictures. My taste are a little more extravagant than our wallet and if I can pull off an awesome looking nursery on (I think I spent under $90 so far.) a tight budget, I thought I would share! We are cutting it so close to the wire that once we are able to close, I'm sure I'll be bloggy absent for some time and knew I wouldn't have the energy to actually post my thoughts and plans during the move in process or right after baby so here is the post I won't be able to get to later. Basically, welcome to my head.

6 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

Oh... WOW!!!! Can I move in? Well, no, not in the apt you're in now, but when you move in the house that isn't yours yet. You have incredible decorating imagination!!!

Aurora Sisneros said...

Dude, it is seriously AMAZING what you can do if you are a bit crafty. I mean, you know now how much it takes to make a crib set, and it really ISN'T MUCH! Can you imagine selling your adorable crib set for $5000? YOU COULD!

This is how I got into making bags, dude. You seriously could design nurseries if you wanted! Your plan looks amazing!

Now, goddammit, get into that HOUSE!!!! ;)

Unknown said...

Aunt: You can TOTALLY move in!

Aurora: You make me laugh. I love your "meow" comment in the last post. I would love to design nurseries and be a personal stylist to babies. I would ROCK at it! Too bad people don't spend money like they used to!

jessalyn said...

how creative are you?! that is so awesome. i am always like "ooooh i neeeeeed that", but when "that" turns out to be too expensive i go "oh well" and forget about it.
you are like the budgeting genius. from now on, when i want something too expensive, i am coming to you for smart alternatives!
also, all that stuff is absolutely gorgeous.

MEGandJEFF said...

These are all really, really, cute ideas :) I'm super impressed w/ your creativity!

I honestly never got to 'nest'..I was starting to feel 'nesty' & then crap hit the fan & *POOF* we had our little dude here & now I REALLY don't feel like nesting..haha :)

SweetPeaSurry said...

What you've put together is incredible!!! I'm thoroughly amazed and you should be sooo proud of yourself! Your baby's room is going to be spectacular!!!


brightest blessings!