Nursery wrap up

Today is the last day of showing off my nursery and I have 2 last projects to share. Thank you for all the sweet comments. I am (obviously) really happy with how it turned out.

If you are wondering how I found the time to do it all, let's just say my house has been less than perfect (it has been hard for me to bend down) and it is basically the reason I did not blog at all last month. Most of the projects were done during nap time and a few after bed time. But all together, the projects were as easy as they seemed.

For those interested, the fabrics I used were all from Jo-Ann's:

• Keepsake Calico Etchings Vine Blue
• Keepsake Calico Violet Paisley
• Nursery Baby Basics Dots White on Lilac
• Country Classic Cotton Solids in Lilac
• Soft & Comfy Dot Fabric in Purple
• White denim

Box-pleat window valence

The window treatments were my first attempt at pleats of any kind. I kind of just knew the look that I wanted and I had a tutorial (See Pin below) that I loosely followed, but overall the treatments are kind of pieced together. Nothing is flawless, but I still love how they turned out. 

For me, the treatments took a lot of measuring and math work to figure out how to get them pieced together. I was so afraid to cut the fabric and for them not to work out. I probably measured and redid the math 3 times before I bit the bullet and finally started cutting the treatments out. 

I wanted the valence to be on a rob and not attached to wood like a lot of tutorials out there have you do. To do this, I just top-stitched a rod slot at the top of the valence. This stitch holds my box pleats in place. 

To finish off the look, I hand-stitched ribbons at the top of each pleat. 

I cheated bought the sheer drapes at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but since the windows are a bit narrow, I just cut two panels in half length-wise and sealed the raw edge with fusible interfacing (well, actually, my mother did, but who's keeping track). 

Taggy jingle blocks

And what nursery wouldn't be complete without a couple of special toys. I have quite a bit of leftover fabric scraps from my projects and I just could not resist making these for her.

They were very simple to construct. For me it was just a lot of pinning and piecing together. After cutting my fabric scraps into 5X5-inch squares, I cut and pinned each ribbon piece into place. I then used a basting stitch to secure the ribbons into place. Then it was just a matter of stitching each block into a box like shape leaving about 4 inches on a seam without a ribbon open to stuff each block.

To make the blocks a little different, I added bells to one so it jingles, leftover buttons in a sealed container in another so it rattles, and lined the third with plastic grocery bags so it crinkles. I then stuffed each block and hand-stitched each opening closed.

They have been Maisie approved.

I hope you have enjoyed my Purple Pinterest Nesting nursery. I think only thing the room is missing is pale purple walls, but other than that it is pretty perfect to me. I hope she and Maisie (once they are sharing) love it for years to come.

Now to finish up all the other loose ends before she gets here. I'm still counting the days.

Simple DIY changing table

The dresser is what set the tone for the room. It was my great-grandmother's and I knew
one day it would be in our little girl's room even before we had girls. 

When you are tight on space, it just makes sense to use a dresser as the changing table, or at least, that is what makes sense for me. This long dresser gives plenty of storage for not only our little one's clothes, but for Maisie's and her diapers. It is a functional decorative space that keeps the room together.

Scalloped fabric bunting

To make the bunting, I followed Sew, Mama, Sew!
Scallop Fabric Garland tutorial.

It is quite the trend right now to add bunting to children's rooms. I have seen them used in all different ways and in a lot of different shapes and textures. I guess I am trendy because I knew that a banner hanging on the mirror would be perfect right away. It was actually my first nursery project.

This project was very easy and while I sewed mine, there are plenty of ways to create a garland without sewing a single stitch.

To create the garland, I cut out half-moon shapes of fabric and sewed 2 matching fabrics with right sides together with a simple straight stitch. I turned each piece right-side out and pressed flat. I took purple extra-wide double-fold bias tape and pinned each half moon shape into place. I then used a large zig-zag stitch and top-stitched the garland together.

Small hanging fabric baskets
The hanging baskets are probably one of my more favorite projects in the nursery. One of my biggest pet peeves of our previous changing table was that everything was just thrown into a large basket that sat on the table. I could never find what I was looking for like creams, wipes, etc.

This idea came straight from a Pinterest Pin (see below). The woman found hanging totes at Ikea and hung them on the wall. While hers look great, I knew that I probably could create the same look. So, I again went searching through Pinterest and found this great tutorial on making small fabric baskets. I used white denim for the outside and my coordinating fabrics for the inside. To add the handle, I just added a large button hole on to each folded edge and hand-stitched the handles into place hidden behind the flap.

The top bag holds our cloth wipes; the middle bag holds all my creams and lotions, and the bottom will hold toys for her to fiddle with once I bring a few up from storage.

Minky-striped contoured changing pad cover
Again, changing pad cover tutorials online are a dime-a-dozen. You can find pretty much anything that fits your skill level. I choose this one because it had the elastic exposed. I hate feeding elastic through a casing, so if I can avoid it, than that's what I'll do.

I found several helpful tips online for sewing with minky fabric, which is very stretchy. I highly recommend investing in a walking foot. My machine is great, but not top of the line and eats fabric easily. Having the walking foot, helps guide the stretchy fabric. Also, when cutting your fabric pieces remember to follow the nap of the fabric. It will show up in different lights if the nap isn't going in the same direction.

Little Stuffed Birdy
To add a little decorative touch to the space, I sewed a little fabric bird that she will be able to play with. I found this pattern online, but it was a little too small for my needs, so I just printed it larger. The bird is very simple to sew together, but I had some issues closing the tail where I stuffed it. So to close it up, I sewed ribbon onto the tail, and I think that it actually looks better that way. It gave the bird a nice flipped up tail.

Using the pattern I did, gave the bird a flat belly, so it sits up on its' own. The wing is just appliqued into place with a small zig-zag stitch.

Kind of fun, right?

And of course, I needed to get the kids involved, so I had them paint little bird houses for their sister. It really is the small things in this nursery that make it so fun and personalized. Nothing is perfect, but it all seems to work perfectly together.

Sitting Pretty

It is all about the mom when it comes to the cozy spot of the nursery.

Every mother needs a comfortable area to hold their new little one in their nursery. Let's face it, the nursery is for us moms more than the baby. You want to be in a room that makes you happy. The baby will not remember and will not care about any of it, but it will make you happy sitting in a room surrounded by special things as you snuggle your new little one. Especially on the nights that your little is not sleeping, you want to pull your hair out, you are crying, babies crying, etc., you will want to be in a space that gives you peace.

The nursery does that for me. I walk in there and I just feel happy. I sit in the chair where I have nursed all my little ones and feel so calm and rested there. Every project was worth the effort to me.

Today, I am sharing some of my decorative additions that brighten up my space. Again, they are pretty straight forward, but I think each add just the right touch to the room.

Tulip wall hanging
Sometimes deciding what will go in the room is actually already there. These candle wall hangings have been on the wall since basically Bob and I moved in 8 years ago. We have plaster walls and covering up holes is one of the biggest pains to my husband and I, so if something works, we leave it.

These wall hangings matched my "bird nesting" theme, but they need a girl face lift.

I spray painted the bases with 2 coats of silver glitter spray paint. Then, I took the candle holders and painted the insides of each a shade of purple. Then added just some fake white and purple tulips into each cup (real would be nice, but who has time to keep real flowers with 3 under 3 running around).

Easy project requiring little effort and no new wall holes, definitely is the right project for this mom.

Step stool
Sitting the glider is comfortable, but you need to have some where to rest your feet a little off the ground. Since we are tight on space an ottoman is out of the question, so finishing a wood stool worked out perfectly for the space.

I just bought a small unfinished wood stool that you can find at any craft store and painted it a dark purple. I painted a glossy finish to just the top of the stool. I then found these three birds at Michael's in the wood section. The birds are meant to be covered with paper or fabric. I cut scraps larger than the birds and their wings and I Mod Podged them down. After the fabric dried, I took my sharp small sewing scissors and trimmed away the extra fabric. Finally I hot-glued each bird into place.

Bird lampshade
With all the tutorials out there for lampshades, who wants a just plain white one to look at? I went back and forth with how I wanted to decorated the lamp that I bought at Target. I thought maybe fabric flowers, but decided to create a bird scene instead.

This was a time consuming project, but an easy one. It requited fabric scraps, Heat-n-Bond interfacing, templates, scissors, an iron, and a rolled-up hand towel.

First, I adhered Heat-n-Bond to several decent size fabric scraps. Then I took my bird, tree, and leaf templates that I found in "Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby" and traced my patterns to the fabric. I cut out each shape and organized them on my kitchen counter into a scene that would work on the shade's space.

After figuring out what I wanted and if I needed anything more cut out to make it work, I started adding the shapes to the lampshade. To do this, I rolled up a hand towel and held that on the inside of the shade for pressure against the iron. I followed the directions of the Heat-n-Bond on how to adhere the fabric in place. Remember to turn off the steam when using Heat-n-Bond.

I slowly worked my way around the shade. Placing and ironing and placing and ironing until I was done.

To finish the shade off, I hot-glued purple ribbon around the top and bottom of the shade.

These 3 simple projects, really add a personal touch to our nursery that are one-of-a-kind for our little girl.

I can't wait to finish this space. It is still missing 2 important things. A purple knit blanket that my mom is finishing for our little one and newborn photo to be hung behind the chair once she is here. Both will really make this spot so cozy and calming for those rough nights when no one is getting sleep.

Crib's new life

The cover is basically a long rectangle
quilt with ribbons attached into
the seams

There are teeth marks
all over the front rail
of the crib

Adding the strip of fabric was as
easy as it looks, and I think adds the
personalized flare of the rest of the room

Maybe it was only my son, but Calan basically killed his crib over the two years that he slept in it. I swear he was part beaver when he was teething. However, I was not about to buy a third crib for our little one. As Tim Gunn would say, I needed to make it work.

The second I saw a crib railing tutorial on Pinterest (see Pin link below), I knew that was the solution. The tutorial was pretty easy to follow. I did insert some batting in between the top layer and back layer of the cover.

For the crib sheet, I did just plan to buy 2 solid purple sheets from the store, but after seeing how easy some tutorials were online I figured why not. The truth is I accidentally bought too little fabric, so to make 2 crib sheets, I just added a strip down the center of each sheet. I love when mistakes workout better than the original.

Not really sure why, but the second I say the "Let her sleep" sign, I wanted it in her room. It just seemed to so sweet to me. I just wasn't sure how exactly I was going to use it.

This was a simple project, but probably my most expensive single project. I spent $30 to have custom vinyl cut. If you have access to the right tools, this craft would actually be very cheap.

Here's my very simple tutorial for my nursery canvas sign:

Supplies

• Vinyl cut quote (I designed my sign in Photoshop using Manquis typeface and sent it to Luxe Loft Etsy shop and she created a custom cut for me.)
• 16 X 20 Canvas
• Mod Podge or some type of sealer
• ribbon
• button
• fabric scraps
• needle and thread
• hot glue and gun

Directions

To me this project is pretty straight forward once you have all the supplies. Carefully attach your vinyl cut out to the canvas. (This was the hardest part. It did not want to stick, so it was a very slow process that was basically letter by letter carefully setting to the canvas.) Because it was not sticking well, once I had the quote in place, I sealed it with Mod Podge so that it would not come off. Then I took the ribbon and hot glued the ribbon in place on the back of the canvas. I made the simple five-point flower following Marie Madeline Studios Festive Posies tutorial. I hot glued the flower and button into place. And ta-da, done.

My Purple Pinterest Nesting Nursery Reveal

Her changing table and dresser area. The dresser was my great-grandmother's that I
have had for years. I painted it when my husband and I used it in our room years ago.
I knew one day I wanted to use it in a little girl's room. It was what I matched all my
fabric choices to. 

When I set out to decorate our little girl's nursery, I had no idea that it would become such a hands on project for me. I just couldn't stop once I got started. Basically every element and decoration I either sewed or crafted.

Here is the before picture. The room was set up as our
office and spare bedroom. 

It was most definitely a labor of love for me. Every time I finished one project, I just couldn't wait to start on the next. I think everything came together exactly how I had pictured it.

It would be really hard for me to pick out my favorite part, but I really love the sign above her crib. It probably was my most expensive craft, but I love seeing it from the hallway as I walk by her room.

The funny part about this almost perfect nursery is that she won't be in here much. She will actually be sleeping most of her time in our room upstairs in a pack-and-play since going downstairs for every feeding is not ideal and the room is so close to the kids' room that I don't want them to be disturbed either. And in about a year, I'll be moving everything around and turning this space into Calan's room and Calan and Maisie's current room into the girls' room. Kind of crazy, but at least the room looks cute for now, right?

The view from the door. This room was where he first had Calan before
we moved the nursery into the other room for him to share with Maisie.
I set it up differently this time and love the layout of the small space so
much more. 

I'll be hanging a black and white newborn picture of our little girl
behind the chair once we have our session with the amazing Rob Twilliger.

Here are some detail shots of her crib area. Calan pretty much destroyed the
crib railing when he was teething, so the crib railing cover is not only cute,
but pretty much was a necessity.

I am so glad this dresser is out of our basement storage and in her room.
It makes me so happy to be using it again. The drawers are filled with
her clothes, diapers, and blankets. It offers me so much storage. 

Here are a few more final touches to the room. The kids painted the purple
birdhouses on the dresser for her. Calan likes to remind me that he did it
for his sister. 

Each day this week, I'll break down the room a little more sharing my tips and inspiration for each of the projects. Here is what you can expect:

Tuesday: Crib area. I'll share the tutorials I followed for the crib sheet and railing, as well as some things I learned from making them. I'll also share how I made the sign for above the crib.

Wednesday: I'll share the window treatments and chair area, including the too cute lampshade and footstool.

Thursday: All things changing area. From pad cover to hanging totes to decorations. It is a packed filled area.

Friday: The wrap up and everything else. 

The Most Random Post Ever

My silence is not because anything bad is happening or that I am feeling bad from this pregnancy. It has just been that - Silence.

I've been spending a lot of my free time sewing, which has left me not in the mood to blog. Sorry. I wish I had a better excuse, but I the fact is when I am not in the mood to blog, I'm just not in the mood.

But I know that many of my friends and family near and far read to know updates on our lives so here is a very random update on our lives:

• Calan is basically potty trained. YEAH. We have issues with the big No. 2, but he is getting there. We have not had him in a diaper since the day we started potty training. We have had good days and bad days, but I am happy to say the bad days do seem to be behind us. He knows when he has to go No.2, but unfortunately won't sit long enough to do his business, so we are back and forth to the potty a ton when he has to go and it literally is a game of rouilette if we make it or not. This morning was a success; 2 days ago, not so much. It is different having only one kid in diapers. I have to make myself do diaper laundry since I have so many diapers to choose from I never run out. 
• I am officially in my third trimester. I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and I am so done being pregnant. I wondered if I would feel done with this third pregnancy and feel like our family was complete. Well, let me tell you, I know that I am done. I am so over being pregnant and so ready for this little girl to get here. The days and weeks are ticking by so slowly. Winter is not helping either. This pregnancy is not any worse than my others, but being pregnant for basically 3 years is enough. I am done. I am ready to move on from this part of our lives. I am ready to just focus on our family and develop our family bond. (Now if something were to happen, we would be happy about it, but there will be no more planned Wilsons.)
• Maisie is talking and learning new words every day. My favorite is the way she says thank you. It comes out "dank ooo." She is really starting to come into her own. She is definitely a little momma's girl. I am sure that when her sister gets here that is going to be a little bit of an issue, but I love all the hugs and kisses I get from her now. She is seriously adorable. (I'm bias, I know). 
• We've been taking the kids to swim lessons on Saturdays at our local high school. We have all really enjoyed it as a family. Maisie is quite the little fish and took to everything really well. Calan takes a little while to open up in the water. Bob and I have both really enjoyed do this as a family. I guess these are the things that will be hard to give up once we are out numbered. I am so glad we did it while we could. 
• We are looking forward to transitioning Calan to a big boy bed. He is ready. His rocking is way better, but he still does it when he wakes up and it is usually accompanied by loud singing as he pounds into the rails of his crib. I am praying that transitioning to a big boy bed resolves the rest of the body rocking issue. We are moving our full-size bed that is currently in our spare bedroom since the spare bedroom will now be the nursery. Once the bed is moved, I'll be able to start setting up the nursery. Yeah. 
• I am so excited about this little one's nursery. I am basically making everything. I have been sewing up a storm and I am loving everything. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Everything that I am making should transition perfectly into a room that the girls will share in about a year or so. 
• Have I mentioned I've been sewing? If you follow me on Instagram, you've been bombarded with my sewing pics. I am completely obsessed. I have sewn bibs, burp cloths, clothes, nursery items, etc. I just can't seem to stop. Tonight I hope to make a pillow for the nursery. I am going to miss my craft space once it becomes the nursery. I am going to have to figure something out. It has been a great stress reliever and creative outlet for me. I don't think I will be able to give it up at this point.

Life is just moving along. We are all doing really well. I am counting down the days till winter is over with. Bring on the sunshine and warmth.

Calan got this helmet at the grocery store and kept calling it
his "football hat." Can you tell we are Spartan fans? Go Green. 

We took the kids down to the park one snowy day. They had fun, we froze.
I can't wait for spring. 

Here's Maisie just talking on the phone. She jabbers away. (P.S. I made
the shirt she is wearing and made a matching dress for her sister.)

Here's Calan waiting patiently to go golfing. It was a random 60 degree day
in January, so we had to take him to the range to test out his Christmas
present. He loved it. He kept cheering for himself, Bob, and everyone
around us. He doesn't quite understand that golf is a quiet sport.

Here's a sneak peek at one of my nursery projects. These will be fabric
bins that will hang above her changing area and hold things like wipes
and creams.

The Nesting is Strong with this One

Oh my goodness, am I nesting or what?!!??

I can't think about anything else other than getting ready for our little one. I am cleaning, sorting, making lists, sewing, organizing, planning. My head is constantly spinning.

Source: etsy.com via Jodie on Pinterest

I can guarantee that 90% of my day I am thinking about getting ready for this baby. I have a mental list going on in my head at all times. I have so much I want to get done, yet I have very little that I actually need to get done.

Let's be honest. With your first, you get so much ready for his or her arrival; with your second, you realize that you didn't need or use half the stuff you had ready; with your third, well .... let's just say poor third child.

But even though there is very little that I need for our newest addition, there is so much I want to do. This third baby is the game changer. I don't need any necessity things, so I get to SPLURGE. I get to do all the extras. Which for me means that I get to create, craft, and sew.

I am so excited to get so many things done for our little one. I have so many plans in my head it is a bit ridiculous. I want to make so many things for her nursery. I want to make a cute, crafty nursery that will easily be made into the girls' room once they are ready to share.

I think I have decided on a purple color scheme. I think that it works perfectly with what I want to do. I have a vision in my head that I can't wait to make happen. Have I mentioned I am nesting?

We had talked about not setting up a nursery till after our little one got here, but I think things have changed. I can't seem to quench my nesting urges with just thoughts. I need to start piecing everything together. It is going to be a slow process, since I want to make so much of it myself.

I really hope my nesting instinct stays up so that I actually get all the things I want done, DONE.

The nesting is strong with this one; oh yes, it is definitely strong.

Roommates?

When we were planning for Maisie's wonderful arrival, we (I) decided that it would be best for them to share a room. This kept one room open for a spare bedroom and office and it kept all the baby stuff in one room. In my mind, it was a great idea. In my mind, I figured by at latest 6 months they would be sharing a room. 

Well, great plans are always foiled by reality. Maisie's crib has basically stayed untouched the past 7 months. She sleeps in our room in a pack-and-play. For the most part it has worked. I have actually been pretty attached to my little bug and have been a little resistant to letting her sleep in the nursery. 

But, I am beginning to think that it might just have to be like a ripping off a Band-Aid; I just have to do it. I have to accept that there will be a little bit of a transition and they won't sleep perfectly, but to be honest they don't sleep perfectly now, so what would be the worst that could happen?

Today, they are napping in the same room. This is the second time I have tried it. The first time, Calan woke halfway through and Maisie started to cry, so I moved her to her pack-and-play and settled Calan back down, so he would sleep longer, which he did. She, however, was up, but luckily took an evening nap to make up for her short afternoon nap. 

Today, they both went down pretty easily and have been asleep for about 20 minutes. Their afternoon nap is actually pretty close to the same amount of time. They go down at 12:30 and usually sleep till about 3. I realized if they were sleeping the exact same time, they should be sleeping in the same room together during their nap, so I could do things like actually make my bed and clean up my room during nap time. 

I figure if they both can fall asleep with each other in the room, then it is probably time that they be actually sharing a bedroom. In my mind, I feel like it is time, but in my heart, I am not so ready. I don't know what my big hang up is about it. I am pretty sure that they will do fine together. I just need to try. 

I guess it is time for Calan and Maisie to finally be roommates. 

Nursery Done!

Man, what a whirlwind these past few weeks. I swear, I have had little time to do anything. But between fun play dates, Susan G. Komen 5K, my husband's 30th birthday, and Memorial Day, it has been fun! Through it all, my husband and I were finally able to finish moving everything around in the nursery. We are done decorating and it is ready for Miss Maisie to get here. 

If you missed that ... Yep, her name will be Maisie Michelle. I am sharing because once I post nursery pictures, here name is visible. I talk more about how we came up with her name in my next post. 

As for the nursery, we took my son's single baby nursery and moved it into a larger room to make it basically a nursery for twins. We added a crib, dresser, different window treatments, and a few more decorations. It was pretty simple to make the change and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Calan's nursery was gender neutral from the start and that made it very easy to make it a nursery for both of them. 

Here are a few pictures of what Calan's nursery looked like before we moved it:

And here is the nursery now:

View from the door. We mirror faced the cribs. 

Calan's side of the room. We needed a new dresser to put
their clothes in because I needed more diaper space in our
changing table. 

Maisie's side of the room. We bought a
fourth shelf and added name decals for wall
decorations.

The changing area stayed basically exactly the same.
However, now it is filled with more diapers!