As SOON as we found we were having a little baby girl, my brain instantly went PINK! GOLD! SPARKLES! When it came time to pick out colors for her nursery, it's no surprise then that my initial thoughts of bright, sparkly girliness stuck. Dean & I decided to give the room a clean slate & paint the walls a bright white (they were deep blue when we moved in).
Nesting, as a mama-to-be, has been such a wonderful season & so much fun! Since we moved to South Carolina & have been getting settled into our new home, it has been full-on nesting time. There were nights we'd be getting ready for bed or waking up & Dean would say, "What are you thinking about?" And almost every time, my answer was, "Oh, I'm just thinking about the nursery." :)
{Crib} One of my biggest maternal concerns has been that our baby not fall through the crib. I know, it's a random, unnecessary concern but that ruled out us looking at used cribs. I wanted our baby to have a firm, new bed to sleep in. After a beautiful Saturday drive to IKEA, we settled on IKEA's Sundvik & Vyssa Vackert mattress won us over. We both tested out the railings & gave them a good shake - pretty firm. That baby isn't going anywhere from her crib :) Bonus - it converts to a toddler bed for down the road. Score!
{Crib sheets} I have to say one of the haaaaardest decisions was settling on crib sheets. I know, it sounds so simple - just pick a color/style of sheets to put on the crib already! But there were so many different options I liked, as in a whole Pinterest board of them :) After calling in reinforcements, namely Mom & Sister, we decided to go with this beautiful gray Emmy Grace Voile Budquette Nightfall fabric & have my mom, the amazing woman she is, sew 3 sheets for us after I had the fabric mailed to her. Thanks, Granmom!
{Rug} For a rug, I really wanted to bring in lots of color & fun. This round hand-tufted beauty from Target was just perfect! We went with the 4-foot round & it is a great size for the room. Also, it's 20% off right now through Saturday. Good deal!
{Changing table/dresser} After several weeks of searching on Craigslist, in thrift stores & all around town, Dean & I found a beautiful changing table-dresser-combo at Habitat ReStore. We liked the idea that we can take off the railing around the top & use it solely as a dresser, too, down the road. Plus, my handy hubby tightened all the drawers & knobs, reenforced the wood in the back & thoroughly wiped down the top & all the drawers. He is the best :) Another plus, it was marked down to $62. Yay for markdowns!
{Glider/rocker} Y'all, these are expeeeensive. If you're a mama or have looked at the price tag on a mama-to-be's registry, you get what I'm saying. I was determined not to spend more than $300 on one. Sure, the $800 options in Buy Buy Baby are reaaally comfortable to sit in & you feel like you're gliding away into a peaceful sunset but could we find a more affordable option? The Baby Relax Mackenzie Rocker from WalMart is just what we were looking for. It is under $300, has great reviews & I'm really liking the grey microfiber upholstery.
{Ottoman} Though there is a grey upholstered ottoman that goes with the Mackenzie Rocker, I had really been picturing something like a gold Moroccan pouf. But after contemplating the hours & hours of sewing it would take, I ultimately decided to nix the gold pouf & thanks to this tutorial, recover a small foot stool I picked up for $12. I'm going to top it with IKEA's Tejn faux sheepskin rug that we picked one up during our trip to buy the crib. It's the perfect softness & texture for the nursery.
{Curtains} We're not for sure what we'll hang over the 2 windows in the nursery but are leaning toward white lace curtains, similar to these from IKEA. Plus black-out curtains to go behind them so that Baby Girl can sleep without sunlight getting in her eyes :)
{Decorative accents} Have y'all been to Hobby Lobby? Until a couple weeks ago, I had never been in one of their stores. So. much. to. look. at! Be still my crafting heart :) I picked up a gold metal arrow (similar to this one), a precious heart-shaped dish & a bright fuchsia bench to hold blankets. My incredibly talented sis made wonderful paper tissue pom poms & a gorgeous pink-and-gold bunting for a surprise baby shower my family threw us. They're new home is in the nursery, along with a marquee initial light from Michael's, maternity photos, Baby Girl's sonogram image & glittery prints I plan to frame & hang throughout the room.
Let the nesting continue :) Where did you look for nursery inspiration? Any stores/sites you really liked using?