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. 

Poor Third Child

There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it, having your third child is so different than your first. While I am so anxious to meet our little one, I have not even come close to finishing my to-do list. However, this time around, I feel no pressure to get it done. 

Her clothes are washed, but I have no idea what her coming home outfit will be. I had Calan and Maisie's picked out months before my due date. 

Holding my little guy after he was born. A first-time mother
absolutely in love and clueless. 

Her car seat is washed and ready, but any and all other newborn accessories (a.k.a. swing, bouncy seat, etc.) are still dismantled and in storage. And the car seat is in the basement and not installed in the car.

Her bedroom looks great, but her dresser is a shmorgishborg of her things just thrown in there. 

I have not bought or prepared any of my after care items. I actually have no idea where my breast pump is. Probably should find that soon. 

Holding my little Miss Maisie. Showered with make-up on.
Second-time mother already ready to go home. 

And even with all my anxiety of having a fast labor and delivering our child on the expressway, no hospital bag has been packed. 

But yet, I feel absolutely ready to have our child. Why? Because this is my third baby.

I packed my hospital bag for Calan at 34 weeks partly because my doctors feared I'd deliver early and had me doing Non-stress tests twice a week. He came at 41 weeks. Yeah not early at all. 

At the time, I had no idea how quickly I delivered, so I followed whatever pack-your-hospital-bag list I had found that included everything from music, computer, lotions, pictures, etc., etc. Many, many things I never needed, but I had it all. 

Now we are at our third child. If I went into labor this very second, I'd grab a pillow, a purse, and a camera, and head out the door. If I had time, I'd throw a quick bag together, but if I didn't have time, I know whatever I needed someone could bring to me, even a coming home outfit. It's not like I live in the U.P., back woods, or rural area. Everything is obviously accessible. 

And all the things that I haven't gotten done are seriously not anything that I need to get done. They are just if it happens it happens. 

Can you tell I am on my third child?

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I am the third child in my family. I feel a type of kindred spirit with this little one. So, I know all the benefits of having older siblings before you. 

By the time you get to the third, you just know everything will just work out and as long as the baby is fed, clothed, and dry, you are good to go. Anything else is just fluff. 

So, little third child, you are the lucky one. You get the relaxed, confident, third-times a charm mother and not the overbearing, pack rat, first-time crazy mother I once was. 

37 weeks and counting

I'd love to say that this pregnancy has flown by, but man, do I feel like I have been pregnant for forever. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I feel like I have been pregnant for 3 years straight even though I did take a year off this time.

There was a time I thought I'd never want to be pregnant again. We had always planned on 3 back-to-back, but somewhere between double teething children, crazy toddlers, reflux, exhaustion, etc. I felt done. I could not imagine handling 3 children. Let alone, 3 under 3. It actually freaked me out.

But then life calmed down. It got a lot easier. It got a lot more fun. It got to the point where it was time to complete our family. So we went for it, and I am so excited to complete our family that the excitement and anxiety has made this pregnancy creep by.

But here I am at 37 weeks and I am positive that this is our last baby. We had always thought 3 would be it, but this pregnancy definitely has made that very real for me. It has not been a hard pregnancy. There have been ups and downs, but overall nothing too different from my other ones. However, I am just done with this season of my life. I am ready to move on to the next stage of growing and nurturing my babies.

I am already not looking forward to going back to the newborn stage again. It is going to be hard to transition back to feeding and nap schedules. In that sense, having Maisie and Calan only 13 months apart was so nice. I was barely out of that life when Maisie was born. I hadn't gotten use to the semi-independent toddlers that I have now.

I am looking forward to meeting our little one. I am looking forward to counting her little fingers and toes and snuggling with her. I am looking forward to smelling her baby smells and watching her begin her life as a Wilson.

If she is anything like her brother and sister, I will surpass my due date of April 25, which means I still could have four more weeks of waddling around to go. Not sure I can handle it. Patience is  not one of my strong suits and with each pregnancy it seems these days get harder and harder. My excitement to meet my little one is so strong. I just want to bring her home.

Calan can't wait for her birthday. I made the mistake one day saying that we would not be able to meet her till her birthday and of course to him that just meant there is going to be a party and cake. So, he is getting just as impatient as I am for her "party." I will most definitely do a little party dance the second I feel a contraction.

As I head into my last weeks, everything is going great with the baby. I am measuring spot on. My blood pressure is good. My weight is good. Everything is good. So I wait and twiddle my thumbs and count the days.


Next week, I will be posting everyday about her "Purple Pinterest Nesting" nursery. I can't wait to share it with you. If you are impatient like me, I posted pics on Instagram. Each day, I'll share a little about my inspiration and DIY projects I did to complete the nursery. Oohs and Ahhhs are welcome, only half-kidding. I am just so in love with how it turned out and love that almost everything has a personal touch to boot. 

DIY Family Rules

Months ago, Bob and I sat down and decided on what our family rules would be, and it has taken me this long to finally finish the project.

It was one of those projects that I knew kind of what I wanted to do, but wasn't giving myself the time to finish it. I had all the parts, but putting it all together was another story. And there were mistakes along the way that stopped the project.

Moda Hometown Charm Pack by
Sweetwater

This past summer when I was at my mother's, I ran across Moda Hometown Charm fabric squares that I really liked the color combination for our family room. At the time, I had no idea how I was going to use them, but I decided that I needed them for something.

Then, during my MOPS fall sessions, it inspired our family to set up our family rules and our family mission statement. I knew then that my squares would be part of the project, but still didn't know how.

I designed our rules and mission statement in Photoshop and originally thought that I would Mod Podge them to canvas with the fabric squares around them, but that did not work out well. The paper bubbled horribly and it was not looking well at all.

Sometimes mistakes are meant to be. I think
they turned out better in the frames I found
on clearance at Micheal's.

After that, I tabled the project for awhile. We are talking 3 months. It was definitely becoming one of those projects that I thought I would never get done.

But, lucky for me, my nesting instincts kicked in and I needed to get this project done.

I was shopping at Micheal's for some odds and ends for the nursery and ran across some great frames on clearance. I knew right away, that they were just what I had been looking for to complete this project.

The sizes were perfect. The floating 8X10 center with a white mat border gave me exactly what I needed to finish the project.

I love it when you know in your mind what you want and you actually find it and it makes the project better than what you imagined in your head.

I used fabric Mod Podge to prepare the squares of fabric
for the project. Coating them first eliminated fraying
when I cut them for the prject. 

To make this project, I printed out our rules and mission statement on off white card stock, cut them to size, and used double-sided tape to keep them in place in the frames.

Next, I coated my fabric squares with fabric Mod Podge. Doing this first, made it so the fabric did not fray once cut. I then just cut and placed and organized the fabric along the white mat border provided with the frame. Once I liked what I had, I Mod Podged them down.

Even though this project took me months to complete, it was so simple and straight forward once I found all the pieces to make it work.

I love having a clear direction of our family on display where our family spends most of the time.

The frames flank our fire place in our family room. 

What do you think? How do you or would you display your family's rules in your home?

Linking to Thursdays are Your Day @ 52 Mantels

Good-bye Egg Junk; Hello gooey goodness

Growing up, my family's holiday breakfast tradition was infamous. It was my favorite part of EVERY holiday. We'd wake up, do whatever special thing there was to do(a.k.a. present opening) and then we'd all dive into my mom's egg junk that she served us on her good China.

Her egg junk was just your typical egg bake casserole made with whatever meat, veggie, cheese ingredients she had on hand. No matter how it was made it was always the best part of any holiday.

I just assumed that I would do the same things with my children. My husband loves egg junk, so he was all about making breakfast as big of a tradition for our family as it was for my family.

Then Maisie happened. You can't have egg junk with a daughter who is allergic to eggs.

In fact within hours of finding out she was allergic to eggs, I was talking to my husband and mom asking them what I am going to do now for the holidays if I can't make egg junk.

The beauty of egg junk is that it can be made the night before making the morning rush of holidays a little less stressful.

Well, I think I have found our holiday tradition. We make overnight sweet rolls.


I have now made these a lot, and every time, they are delicious and they are devoured. Are they healthy? Hmmmm. Not really. Are they egg-free? Yep. Are they delicious? Absolutely. 

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

Of course, we don't just eat the sweet rolls. For Easter, I had a yogurt bar with mixed berries and granola as toppings. My husband whipped up some hash browns, sausage, and scrambled eggs. It was a feast and it felt just as special as my mom's egg junk.

Now to come up with a fun kid name for the rolls. Egg junk just had a great ring to it. Hmmmmm.

Little flower dress

Per usual, my little model was not so into modeling for me. Good thing she's so cute. 

Lucky for me, Maisie needed 2 cute dresses for Easter weekend. My husband and I decided that going to church Saturday evening instead of Sunday would be easier for our family and nap schedules. So, of course, Maisie needed another dress to be cute in.

I bought material to make a peasant dress, but realized that I basically would be making a dress that looked like her Easter dress - white bodice with a blue pattern skirt. I scrapped that idea and hit up Pinterest to figure something else out. 

I found an adorable version of a pillowcase dress from Shwinn & Shwinn, another amazing sewing blog that I follow, though a lot of her stuff I just dream of one day being able to sew. My skills are not quite there yet. 

However, her peek-a-boo pillowcase dress, was right up my alley, and would work perfectly with the fabric I had purchased.

The dress uses box pleats to gather the neckline. The tutorial does not go into specifics on how to do this or what spacing to do, so that took me a little while to figure out, but it was not impossible to do. Just take your time and measure and iron and pin till you think  you like what you have. I started with the front piece and got my finished neckline width and then figured out what my back box pleats needed to be to make that work out. 

If you need a couple of box pleat tutorials, this one worked for me and this one. 

I finished off the look with just a white t-shirt ($5) and white leggings ($5) from Old Navy and some silver glitter shoes ($9) from Payless. 

Pretty adorable, right? 

The main dress fabric is Keepsake Calico - Techno Tossed Flowers Blue.
On sale for $7 a yard. I used 2/3 yard for this project. 

Detail of the front.

Back view

Linking post to Trendy Little @ Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles and Trendy Tot and Toddle Along Tuesday.