The Nursery Journey

So, I originally started this post back in July of 2010. I had just created my Blog and had intended for this project to be my very 1st post. However, Life with a 6 month old and a 2 year old took over and here we are almost a year later. Time sure flies when you're having fun : ) Anywho, I really, really wanted to post about this project (even though it has been almost (still a few touch ups & a few other ideas) complete for awhile now) as it is something I have poured SO much of myself into and I absolutely LOVE IT! It holds a special place in my heart as it was "made with love" for my "Mister" : )
Here's a snippet from the draft of the post I began last July:
"OK, call me crazy - or we'll just chalk it up to postpartum hormones & a little bit of sleep deprivation : ) but with a 3 month old and a 2 year old running around the house I decided that our "gender neutral" nursery from 2 years ago just didn't seem "neutral" enough to me for our little guy. So I committed to redoing the room in my spare time - you know, the spare time you have between every 2 hour feedings, 2 yr old tantrums, diaper changes for both kiddos, & every day chaos :) This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Anton Chekhov: "Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." So after countless hours of surfing the net, admiring so many wonderful, inspiring Blogs, drooling over Pottery Barn Kids catalogs (I think the pages are still damp), & a whole tree worth of paint swatches from the hardware store (don't worry, I reuse & recycle) I came up with the following: (It's still a work in progress)" OK, end of flashback!

I totally credit this project for leading me to the wonderful world of Blogland. Before this project the only places I knew where to go to find creative inspiration for anything decorative were Pottery Barn, PBK, Crate and Barrel, Land of Nod, Target, etc. You get the idea. The only time I had ever even heard of blogging was when one of my friends was talking about a friend of hers who was writing a blog about her and her husband's globe trotting adventures. I didn't know the girl so I had no interest finding out what a blog was and why I would want to read it. I had absolutely no idea that people used blogs for cool stuff that I would like to read about.

I, figuratively, tripped over and whacked my head on Blogland while surfing the net one night looking for ideas for "Mister's" room. I had fallen in love with a PBK room from a 2007 catalog - I tend to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to PB catalogs : ) I was trying to find a picture of the room from the catalog online and in searching Google I accidentally clicked on what turned out to be a post from Thrifty Decor Chick. I remember feeling like I was Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz" stepping out of my house and into a colorful world of new and beautiful things. I found myself clicking through post after post after post, almost as if I were walking step by step on my own yellow brick road. Every click led me to another new and intriguing creation.I was HOOKED! A long story short, after journeying through Blogland through many an adventure I finally came to realize that I don't have to do exactly what the box stores do to have a great looking home. I became totally inspired to create and do my OWN thing in "Mister's" room! And I did it without breaking the bank : )

Here's what I came up with...












Not too bad, if I do say so myself, especially since this is what it started off as...




See what I mean about not being "gender neutral" enough?!?

It's truly AMAZING what paint can do to a room.

Here's what was used in the transformation...
Wall Paint,Trim for chair rail and molding - these were the 2 biggest expenses (I don't remember the exact cost but it was no more than $100)http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Navy Blue Spray paint - shelf, round table, small wicker table, picture frame mats
White Spray Paint - clearance collage picture frames from Michael's
DIY Fabric Boat Wall Mural - made from an old T-shirt and pillow cases; Here's the Tutorial
DIY Canvas Sailboat Art - Tutorial coming soon!
Scrapbook Paper - used as a mat in existing white picture frames
Striped curtains - found on Craigslist for $10
Sailboat on table - my MIL found at Hobby Lobby; it was red,white, and blue for Independence Day decor, I painted it with acrylic craft paint
And other little odds and ends that make it boy for my "Mister" : )

I still have a few things I'd like to finish/do for the room. Such as I have "Mister's" name in wood letters that I need to finish and I've been thinking of adding some scrapbook paper fish to the fabric boat wall but the jury's still out on that one!

Until next time...

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