Figuring Out the Bed Situation

AKA The Nursery to Big Girl Room Transformation

While I am busy collecting images, dreaming of gathered silk and endless strands of pearls, and wishing I had about $10K to do this bedroom (hello, vintage Chanel necklaces framed in shadowboxes would be more than lovely!!), I have one little thing in the back of my head... a bed.  We are going to need a bed.  Since our sweet little girl is potty-training (YAY!), she will need to be able to get in and out of bed.  Taking a flying leap over the crib side rails is not an option here. Haha :)

Her room is the smallest bedroom in the house at about 10' x 11' which rules out anything larger than a standard twin.  (I was in a double bed by age 3 and a queen bed at 12, so I am not used to smaller beds.  Here's to hoping she doesn't fall out!!  Fingers crossed!)  I suppose if there were no other furniture in the room, a larger bed might work, but we want some statement furniture pieces as well.

Here are my top two ideas (and yes, they are at opposite ends of the design spectrum) and my pro/con list for each.  (Slight Rory Gilmore reference there, lol!)

IDEA ONE

Okay, so I love the idea of a trundle bed.  And I love the look of daybeds too.  I found this super gorgeous one at Posh Tots, my favourite eye candy mini-me site. 

pic from Posh Tots

Pros:

Light pink/gold option

Trundle Daybed

Only one side to fall out

Love the intricate detail and vintage flair

Looks expensive

Would go with existing paint job, which is NOT CHANGING!!!

Fit for a princess

Cons:

$8,200 price tag

Too many roses (they remind me of the Princess Bride)

Not enough glam (Swarovski rhinestones are extra!)

Too shabby-chic for me

Fit for a princess, but maybe not a Chanel princess

Here is a similar option at $5,700.  

I think I may like it a bit more than the one above, 

but I am not quite decided on that.

IDEA TWO

Again, how much do I love Posh Tots?  My second idea is a more modern take, with padded upholstery, nail head details, and luxe suede found here (ignore the fact that it is blue!):

 

pic from Posh Tots 

Here is a close up in black faux leather (again, ignore the black):

pic from Posh Tots

Pros: 

Sleek and modern

Could be pushed against a wall or left out

Double as a modern chaise/couch in the future

Nail heads!!!!

Upholstered, so no tears over bumped heads

Did I mention nail heads!!!!

Image this in a classic black/white boucle tweed!

Cons:

No trundle (although adding one would be okay)

Maybe too boyish?

Can we inject enough glam into it?

$3,120-$3,365 (faux leather - suede, respectively)

Girly-girl factor is lacking

So lots of things to think about...  I should mention that I am not trying to recreate a whole "31 Rue Cambon" style.  Gild, lions, etc., is not what I am going for.  I am aiming to pull together a very cohesive look using blush, ivory, white, black, and soft golds (with possibly some silver/steel thrown in as well), and of course, utilizing the logo.

Cross your fingers for me!  I am working on an idea board for this room, and hope to finish it this week.  :)

The Nursery is About to Be Reinvented...

Here is a sneak peak:

Chanel

+

Mod Podge

+

Bling

=

Craftiness coming in the next few days so stay tuned! 

This Table Has a Secret

Way back when, I did 3 posts on the glam nursery that we did for our sweet little girl.  I forgot to add the "DIY" (not sure you can really call it that, but hey, that's what I'm going with!) for the table.

It is actually the most expensive thing in the room, but I did it for free! 

Here is how I did it:

1. Shop your closet and find a long skirt or sarong.  The one I used is a vintage black silk pleated skirt: Ralph Lauren Purple Label.  This is an ankle-length skirt so once it is on the table, it leaves about 6 inches or so draping on the floor.  I think it is so romantic-looking like that!

2. Shop your kitchen or dining room and find a round tray or charger.  Mine is a large silver serving tray.  A vintage round tray would look great too!  Just make sure that there are no sharp edges or cutouts that could snag your fabric.  Your mom or grandmother might have some vintage silver trays laying around that would work well.

3. Set up a decorator table.  You know the kind: made of wood, collapsible, round top.  I have also seen people use a metal garbage can flipped upside down.  Good idea if there are no handles - hello, tripping and toe-bashing.  Not good news!  Plus, take into consideration the height of the table/can/other base.  Make sure it's not too high to reach over and put your book or drink down.  No one wants to reach up.

4. Skirt goes over table.  Charger/tray goes over open waist area.  Super simple!  Don't look at the lamp.  It is the DIY from you-know-where.  I got this great idea to weave ribbon through it and at halfway through, I have gone through well over 50 yards of ribbon.  Plus the whole thing annoys me to no end.  So that's that.

Viola! Decorate your table as you wish!!

For more about the nursery:

Read part 1 here.

Read part 2 here.

Read part 3 here.

Read about the mobile here.

Linking up with some great  parties!

DIY Custom Crib Mobile

What You Need:

1. Skinny ribbon to match room colours, precut into 18" - 24" lengths

2. Small trinkets: beads, pearls, vintage buttons, keys, fuzzy pom-poms, etc.

3. Darning needle

4. Netting canopy

Directions:

1. Thread the needle with the ribbon.  Tie one end of ribbon into a knot.  This will hold your trinket in place.

2. Thread through your trinket.  Push it down to the knotted end of the ribbon.  I used two colours of pearls for mine.

3. Thread through netting, remove the needle and tie ribbon in a knot to secure the ribbon onto the netting.  I finished off my ends by making a bow.

4. Repeat as many times as you like!

I found it helps to take the netting down from the ceiling and work with it on the floor.  No sore arms that way!

For more about the nursery:

Read part 1 here.

Read part 2 here.

Read part 3 here.

Read about the table here.

Linking up with some great parties!

Glam Nursery Part 3

So far we have:
- crib
- bedding
- change table
- curtains
- paint

Still wanted needed:
- side table
- rocking chair
- wall art
- lighting
- finials
- display space
- lamp

1. Side Table
This is kind of funny because the side table is the most expensive thing in the room. But I already had everything for it (except the ribbon for the lamp) so it was also the least expensive. I will have to do a DIY post on the table, but the Reader's Digest version is this: shop your closet, your kitchen, your guest room and ta-da! Side table done. (Confused? You won't be after I do the DIY post!)

2. Rocking Chair
This was becoming a pain in the bum and neck for me, almost literally. For our son, we had an antique rocking chair that hurt just about everywhere, plus whenever you rocked back, you almost fell off of it. Backwards! Not good. And definitely not happening again. So we tried out rocking chairs everywhere, all the time. I wanted something dainty, not chunky. It couldn't be big because the room is small. I was open to fabric but could not find anything I liked. I considered reupholstering a new chair, but let's face it... the sewing machine was still in its box. One night on the way home, I decided to drive home another way and went past a furniture store that was having a "parking lot sale". And there was my white rocking chair!! Amazing close out deal for about 90% off: a whopping $19!!! Yay! The rest is history.

3. Wall Art
I found some vintage looking artwork of glam evening dresses but they were super small. So I printed a double border twice in black and pink around it to make them fit the frames. Plus, it now looks like it has four or five mattes which is cool.

4. Lighting
We go to Home Depot a lot. My hubby is there several times a week for work-related reasons, and we all tag along sometimes on Saturdays or in the evenings. Plus, the giant car carts are fun - the kids love to steer while I push them around. I usually take the kids to the lighting, outdoor, and plant sections while hubby finds his toys. Long story short: I had drooled over seen the chandelier several times and finally convinced my hubs that we absolutely positively must have it for the baby's room. What is super cool is that since we installed it, I have seen it featured on HGTV and in magazines! I am so glad I started the trend!! lol

5. Finials
After the chandelier was a go, I wanted some other super fab bling in the room. I remember growing up in an old home (built in the early 1900's) that had crystal doorknobs. I found some finials that reminded me of those old doorknobs and it ended up being a match made in heaven! Of course, they didn't fit the curtain rod so my fab hubby put a wooden dowel inside the curtain rod and carved it down so the finial would fit, and now it looks perfectly seamless! Plus I love how they catch the light!

6. Display Space
We had some available wall space above the changing table so I was looking for some shelving that had a crown molding look to it. I kept flipping back and forth between black and ivory, but went with the black at the end. Glad I did! I love black in decor! I think every room needs a shot of it somewhere. I found a great package with the four different sizes of shelves, laid them out on the floor and wonderful hubs installed them while I directed helped. Now I just have to fill the rest of the frames and arranged all the little pretties on them. The tea cup and saucer set was mine when I was little! I did a little DIY on the birds here.

7. Lamp
And now for my biggest annoyance of this nursery. The lamp. I got this lamp when I was a teenager and it was a perfect match for my room at the time. I decided to spray paint it black and had the lamp shade (just added the black satin ribbon to it - hello glue gun!) already in ivory. I was not happy with the effect of the black spray paint; it didn't have enough weight to it. I got the idea to add the ribbon - and 25 yards of ribbon weaving later, I am still not done and it is NOT on the short list of things to finish. Maybe before the summer. The weaving started alright but it is really hard to keep it tight now that the base is getting smaller. The ribbon keeps falling down (which is why I have attached binder clips to keep it up); I tried turning the base upside down, but it doesn't help at all. I am definitely open to suggestions here!!

I also had a feather-trimmed satin pillow on the rocking chair, but that space is now claimed by a giant ivory she-lamb. Guess a girl's gotta rest on the chair when the floor just won't do!

We got the room about 90% done before the baby arrived, and about 98% done before she moved into it from our room.


Oh yes! We added the netting (from my sister's old room) but it was glaringly white. My fix? Stick it in a coffee bath for two days! It didn't dye it brown or anything, but now it's not shocking white. 

For more on the nursery:

Read part 1 here.

Read part 2 here.

Read about the table here.

Read about the mobile here.

Glam Nursery Part 2

I found the changing pad cover first: Super Soft Dot by Carter's in IVORY! Well, actually they called it "ecru". Hallelujah! Finally, something in ivory. There were other options that matched: a dot bumper (reviews showed the length was too short for an average crib), skirting (with only a 12-14" hang - I wanted something to touch the floor), and sheets. You can buy it here.

I also bought 4 crib sheets - 2 in velour and 2 in cotton sateen (they are a bit shiny like satin!) which are amazing!! I wish I had velour sheets! Ha! So the bedding was chosen and the changing pad matched! You can get the velour sheets here and the cotton sheets here.

I got the curtains in a faux natural silk (a bit nubby in texture) and added a 3" black satin ribbon to the bottom. I attached it just above the hem. Here we are part way through the room:

I then added several sizes and colours of ribbon to the bottom of the crib skirting. I kept the same thick black satin ribbon as the curtains and added the others on top. I did sew these ones myself! Hooray for me!!! There is a slight bit of ruffling on the ribbon. The middle ribbon is ivory surrounded by skinny black ribbon and then surrounded by a light pink/ivory striped grosgrain.


We seriously considered painting the crib black. We finally decided not to since I was not going to sand it down to restore the wood if we had another baby. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the plain wood, but it has pinkish tones in it and I actually like having the bit of natural wood in the room.

For the paint, we went to Home Depot and checked out all the light pinks. My favourite brand of paint is Ralph Lauren. It usually has very little smell and goes on like a dream. I found two almost identical shades that I liked. My hubby actually thought they were the same.

We measured out the stripes (about 10" thick) and outlined them all in pencil. Next time I will use chalk instead. They all got striped out in painter's tape. Here's a little tip for painting crisp stripes: after the first colour is on and the second colour is taped out, go over the tape seam with the first colour and let it dry. This provides a barrier to ensure there is no paint seepage from the second colour. You should be left with perfectly crisp straight stripes.

Here is a close up of the stripes. Don't mind the unfinished lamp. It currently has about 25 yards of 7/8" black satin ribbon woven into it. I was expecting to use maybe 15 yards. That was a complete underestimation!

Stay tuned for Part 3!

For more on the nursery:

Read part 1 here.

Read part 3 here.

Read about the table here.

Read about the mobile here.

Glam Nursery Part 1: Inspiration

It's a little late, but here we go! We found out that we were having a girl, so my brain went immediately to princess and bling and ruffles and more bling. I knew I was going to use pink but wasn't feeling inspired with the brown that I found it most often paired with, and I wasn't going to do a bright pink.

I had received these vintage-inspired notecards for Christmas and I just adored them.

So I began to search online for nurseries and bedding ideas that were light pink, black, and ivory. The only problem was there was nothing (at all!) in those colours! I found pink and black. Pink and white. White and black. Ivory all by itself. Not good for me, someone who gets a very particular idea in her head and wants everything to appear perfectly right down to the tiniest detail. OCD much? Not at all!

I decided to get my craft on! I went to the fabric store and found some menswear-inspired ivory cotton sateen fabric, and I bought enough to do the floor-length cribskirt and bumper. It was stretch, but I loved it and my mom sewed it for me. (She gave me a sewing machine last last Christmas, but I have been too intimidated to even take it out of the box. Pathetic, I know.)

I found a change table I sort-of liked, so I designed a similar but completely different one that my hubby built out of MDF. I needed shelving in it for storing the baskets I bought since we were not going to put a dresser of any sort in the room while the change table was in there.

My goal was to get the whole room done before baby arrived...

For more on the nursery:

Read part 2 here.

Read part 3 here.

Read about the table here.

Read about the mobile here.