So I’m seven months late. My bad. Things have been crazy around here. But I thought I should hurry up and share how Big T’s nursery turned out before we move in a few weeks.

As you may remember, I decided to go with a giraffe theme. I love giraffes and I thought they’d be cute for a boy or a girl. Since we didn’t find out Big T was a boy until he was born, this theme–Along with a touch of chevron seemed perfect.

His room is sorta a nursery and craft room combo, but he doesn’t seem to mind sharing. When we move he will have his room all to himself, so I may ditch the chevron sewing machine cover, or incorporate it into my craft room somehow. We shall see.

This alphabet wall is probably one of my favorite parts of his room. In a last-minute effort I got a few of my friends tohether and we decorated all of these. I’ve seen sets for sale on Etsy but they cost a pretty penny, and none of them had all of the elements I wanted– A button ‘O’, a “Disney” ‘W’ and other colors I like.

Here’s a quick tutorial:

1. Search for a set of plain wood letters on eBay. I bought this set on eBay.

2. Get a group of friends together, preferably crafty friends who have a lot of paints and skills. Shoutout to my friends Laura, Hope and Melissa for helping me with these! They did all the super cute ones. Lil’ J also gets a shoutout for decorating the ‘&’ and  ‘X.’ She loved helping.

3. Gather a variety of supplies: Scrapbook paper and modge podge, acrylic paints, even fabric, to decorate your letters to your choosing.

4. Lay out the letters and strategize what colors you want where. I made a plan for my favorite letters beforehand, then made sure not to put similar colors or patterns next to each other.

5. Paint, glue, and modge podge like mad!

6. After the paint dries, modge podge the top for an added layer of sealing.

7. Hang and enjoy! I used double-sided command tape to hang them on my wall.

I’m not sure if I’m going to re-hang the alphabet wall betters in his room, or hang them in the play room once we move. I’m kinda leaning towards playroom as it seems more appropriate.

Since his nursery also doubled as a craft room I tried to keep the spaces separate but organized. His white bookshelves store a few books as well as his swaddling blankets (we seriously have over a dozen of these gorgeous muslin swaddling blankets by Aura Weavers and Aden and Anais), baby wraps, diapers, wipes, and a low basket of soft toys for Lil’ J to reach for her brother.

My mom gave me the baskets on top of the bookshelves. They had pink ties that I took off and sewed my own giraffe-print ties. I also spruced up the plain brown canvas baskets by hot gluing some chevron ribbon I sewed into ruffles. At the time I didn’t know Leechie was a boy, but I figured it wasn’t too girlie. I still find it cute.

I also used the same ruffle ribbon technique on the green baskets on the diaper changer. I bought them from Ikea for Lil’ J’s room but wasn’t using them, so here they went! I keep the large one stocked with burp cloths, and the small ones hold his bow ties, and socks.

I used the same diaper changer and dresser I had used for his sister (she got a new big girl dresser) , but took off the pink drawer knobs and ordered some chevron and brown ones off Etsy. Over there I also changed out his light switch for a cute one I found on Etsy. And I hung a second piece of whimsical artwork I found by Nidhi. She is amazing! I couldn’t buy just one.

His funky crib bumpers are called Wonder Bumpers. I won them in a raffle I donated to. They are reversible and the other side has a pretty blue damask design, but I thought the brown was more versatile for the gender neutral nursery theme I was going for.

His amazing minky blanket is custom courtesy of Rocker By Baby. We are not a very “punk-style” “skull enthusiast” family, but Amber always manages to make the perfect item for my kids. Lil’ J still loves her mix tape blanket. But OH I forgot how soft her minky is. I need to read up about keeping it this way. He sleeps on it every night. I bought the boppy cover to match.

The adorable safari quilt was handmade by Big T’s great-grami. And the two friendly giraffes are sound machines that his sister loves to play with.

His giant friendly giraffe kinda replaced the idea of a mobile. One of my awesome readers emailed me when she noticed it was on sale for 50% off one day on Amazon. So instead of it being $100, it was only $50. It’s cute, and gives him something to stare at. Soon enough I’m sure he’ll be trying to ride on it.

Over his bed I also hung a very elaborate, very detailed vinyl tree that I finally finished taking the last sticker off of yesterday. I went the cheap route and got a $50 one off eBay that was split in like 100 different pieces that I had to puzzle together. If I get another I’ll definitely shell out the extra cash to get one that I can pull off in one or two pieces.

Also above his crib is the giraffe piece that inspired me to go with the giraffe-themed nursery. I love it!

And in the craft side area of the nursery I have a rocker chair I thought I’d sew a cover for, and for the foot stool, but instead I just draped with a crocheted chevron throw I ordered from a local woman. For the foot stool I just literally wrapped some extra fabric I had around the cushion it. It works!

I wanted to tie in a bit of safari on my craft desk, and I fell in love with this elephant lamp. Originally I thought I’d do an elephant-themed nursery, so I’m glad I still used a bit of that in the end.

What do you think? Love it? I really do! My daughter’s was decked out with lots and lots of pink but I loved going the gender-neutral route here, and I think the whimsical giraffes really fit my sweet boy’s personality. I’m not sure how long we’ll keep it yellow and brown but I plan to set it up similar to this after the move. He’ll have more space though since it will no longer be a nursery/craft room combo. Perfect timing too cause my little big guy thinks he wants to start crawling.

Update: We’ve moved and our popular alphabet wall is now in the playroom.

Here’s where everything is from. If I’ve missed something you’re wondering about, let me know!

Chevron curtains/ iDecorateWithPillows Etsy
Vinyl tree/ eBay: Design4Wall
Giant giraffe/ Melissa and Doug via Amazon
Giraffe sound machines (big and little)/ Cloudb
Wonder Bumpers/ Go Mama Go Designs
Minky giraffe blanket/ Rocker Bye Baby
Minky booppy cover/ Rocker Bye Baby
Giraffe artwork: Savannah & Up and Away/ Nidhi Chanani Etsy
Custom white picture frames/ Ebay: Tabby7
Plain wood alphabet wall letters/ eBay: Anyshka_2
Elephant Lamp/ Carters via Amazon
Light switch cover/ ModernSwitch Etsy
Popup baskets/ Ebay (beige), Ikea (green) and Walmart (brown)
Diaper changer/ Craigslist
Drawer knobs/ Whimzicality
Polkadot burp cloths: HeartlandShop Etsy
Chevron throw blanket/ Handmade locally
Sewing machine cover/ YellowFarmHouse Etsy

With moving plans in the works, decorating is on my mind. I’ve never been a natural at decorating. At all.

I think I inherited my lack of skills from my mother: The queen of “hire help.”

When I was 15, she handed me a stack of magazines to browse through for inspiration for my new bedroom decor.

I saw a picture in one of them, of a bright yellow room, with orange trim, pink doors, a neon clock and bright polka dots all over the ceiling.

“This is it!” I thought.

My mom hired painters, I spray painted my canopy day bed, stereo, and end table, then cut out an assortment of neon-colored polka dots to tape to my ceiling.

Now looking back, I’m not sure what drew me to a room that was nearly impossible to sleep in, but it was a cute idea, and it worked for me at the time.

I’m a firm believer in making a home your own. It’s something that’s been hard for me to fully commit to for the last eight and a half years because we’ve been renting. And even when we weren’t, we didn’t paint a single room.

Now that we are finally buying a house, I’m excited to make it our own, yet still nervous to paint.

I’m thinking until we settle on colors I’ll compensate with photo walls. I’m obsessed with photo walls, and I’ve been pinning all sorts of styles and displays I’d love to attempt to create. 

Currently I have a small photo wall in our livingroom with three 16×20 canvas prints. I printed two at CafePress during one of their sales (I’m always on the lookout for more!).

I love canvases because it takes out the hassle of finding the perfect frame. But I am not a fan of the bulky-not-easy-to-store factor. With frames, you can easily switch the photo out, and store the old photo behind, or away flat.

I’m loving these glass clip frames allegedly from Ikea, but I’m not seeing them on their website anywhere. I’ve seen standard-frame sizes on Amazon but I’d love to find some in square dimensions.

My question is, with all of my dreams for immense photo walls… Will a couple-dozen photos of my kids all around my house seem ridiculous? I mean, I can include some of Snoop too, and they won’t all be face-shots.

Something to consider. Either way, I’ll probably order some more canvas prints. I’d love to do a wall like this one from Robinwood Photography.

I’m always on the lookout for discount codes and deals from CafePress because their canvas prints are actually a nice quality. They also sell cool baby clothes, and baby hats. And if you want something custom-made you can design your own iPad case, mug, magnet, design your own t-shirt or whatever.

For now, I’ve got my eye set on anything home-decor related.

Is there such a thing as having too many family photos hanging around the house? What do you think? Any other decorating advice for me? Leave a comment and let me know! One random comment will be chosen next week for a $20 gift certificate to CafePress. Kudos to them for sponsoring this giveaway.

When I tell people we’re not finding out what we’re having this time I get a mix of reactions.

“WHY NOT?!” Is probably most common. Other say things like “that’s cool!” or “I couldn’t do that.” Truthfully, I couldn’t stand to wait with Lil’ J. Why? It’s all about the nursery. I wanted a girl so badly and knew if she was a girl she’d need a decked out pink frilly bedroom. A boy.. Eh, I had no plans. I also wanted to shop and stock up on as many dresses as I could.

I knew the moment I found out Lil’ J was a girl that I probably wouldn’t find out the sex of my baby next time. As much as I love to plan, I actually love surprises. Heck, I wish I had more surprises. So when is a better chance for a big one than when your baby’s born?

Ok, confession time… I’m able to do this because I got my girl first. I told my husband we’d keep going until we had a girl. I got the daughter of my dreams and finding out during out ultrasound was still a big surprise to me cause I was almost certain we were having a boy.

So this time around? Sisters would be fantastic! I’d love another girl. But adding a son would be spectacular too. One of each right off the bat would be so picture-perfect.

My husband also wants a boy badly. But not enough to keep going. He says regardless, this is our last one. We’ll see about that.

He’s starting to get a bit antsy about not finding out. Our ultrasound is November 19th and he’s been asking me why I don’t want to find out so badly. He says he “doesn’t care” if we find out or not, but not so subtle hints here and there make me believe otherwise. For instance he recently told me: “How about they tell us if it’s a boy, and if it’s a girl, they don’t?” Yea, right.

“But what about preparing? Buying clothes? The nursery?” My husband and others have asked me this same question. To that I say hand-me-downs rock if we have a little girl. It would be a shame for all of Lil’ J’s ensemble to go to waste. So many things she’s only worn once. And the little boy clothes I like can be found online. I could have them ordered and shipped in a few days, and keep shopping as we grow.

As for the baby’s room. I’m loving the neutral themes. Right now I’m thinking either nautical, blue birds, elephant or giraffe themed. I’m mostly leaning toward giraffe. And yes, I totally want to get one of those giant stuffed ones.

Here’s some of my inspiration so far:

 

Nautical via

 

Elephants via

What’s your favorite??

In all of the places we’ve lived and move over 7 years together, I’ve never been very good at decorating. Go figure.

Currently, I have a total of four deorations hanging in my living room, making it look bare. I really want to start fresh at the new place and maybe do a photo-wall or something. I have tens of thousands of photos of Lil, J but no recent ones printed and none hanging at all.

I know, it’s a disgrace.

This is one I’m thinking of blowing up and making a sequence of three similar black/white photos of her.

I need to get family photos done so I have some of those to choose from, but I’m waiting for my photographer to stop being pregnant.

Then, I need to go through my photos, and print my favorites to hang.

I was thinking of getting a bunch of thrifted frames and spray painting them all a similar color scheme. I don’t have a livingroom color scheme now ap I’m planning to start fresh.

In fact, is it a good idea to donate the few random decorations I have so I 1. Don’t have to move them and 2. Don’t feel obligated to use them in my new place?

I’m not exactly a hoarder but I do get a slight anxiety about getting rid of something. I worry I’ll end up needing it tomorrow. The thing that helps is knowing its going to someone who needs it.

Pinterest is a good resource but I don’t really know where to start.

We are going to get new (to us) couches and I’ll make curtains. Other than that I haven’t a clue how to get the home decorating bug and how to do it right.

Start fresh, or bring what I have to start (which isn’t much).

I’d love to hear your ideas!

Also, I have a cool nook area in the livingroom that I’d love to make pretty. What would you put there?

I hope to document my progress and with your help, pull something off that looks somewhat cute.

**Added** We are renting, so I’d prefer not to paint and have to re-paint back to white.**

Before I even found out I was pregnant I made a conscious decision to not take a moment for granted. Enjoy every spout with morning sickness, every kick to the rib, and all the changes I see in my body.

From my cankles, to my big belly, to my outtie, I’m loving it all! (I just said I love my cankles… Wow. But it’s true!)

One thing I’ve always wanted to do is find a way to preserve the shape of my belly. I KNOW belly casts are weird to some people… In fact, my husband gave me a crazy look when I told him he was going to help me with mine and asked “what’s the point?” All I can say is I wanted the experience, whether we decide to save it a long time or not, and it would be fun to say I did.

I looked up lots of different belly casts and I wasn’t really into some of the styles. Here’s some different variations:

My husband was leery of me doing one because he didn’t want my “boobs showing.”

So I was really excited when I found the Belly Vita Belly Cast Kit from Maternitique.
I tweeted about it a couple of days ago and people were like “your bellycast has clothes on!” But I like it that way, it’s a pretty cast but a little more modest if that’s your style… And that FOR SURE is my husband’s style.

Speaking of his prudeness… He didn’t let me take pictures when he was helping me do my cast. I was trying to sneak one, but I couldn’t get to my camera. I asked him to take a photo for me so we could remember the experience and he said “No, cause it’ll end up on your blog or Facebook or something”… he knows me too well.

So no photos of the process but I’ll tell you how it went.

It was SO easy to do! I guess the normal casts use strips and take awhile to dry, this one was so easy to do (and more modest-looking) because it used one piece of cloth to dip in the mixture and lay on my body.

The woman in the photo in my instructions had a bra on so I was like “oh I’ll wear my bra too.” I grabbed an old one I’d be ok with throwing away just in case.
Then we went to work! The includes some pampering time for mom. There’s a nice aromatherapy oil that comes with it that he rubs on first (I made sure to read that part loud and clear so he knew it was a major step in the process).

After that he mixed the water, powder, and a pinch of salt as instructed, and mixed it up before adding the cloth.

We put the cloth on and went crazy fitting it right blow my collarbone and down around my belly. It dries super fast, which I think is another difference between the normal kind. It was pretty much dry after 10 minutes but we waited 30 to be sure it was done before pulling it off.

Getting it off was the worst part. The lady in the picture had what looked like saran wrap but we didn’t have any, so it pulled my peach fuzz out when we were taking it off. It was kind of funny cause here I am tearing up as my husband is trying to pull off this huge cast stuck to my huge stomach, and he’s asking me if I want an epidural.

He kept making me laugh but every time I’d laugh it would pull against my skin some more, and then I’d scream OOW! It’s an experience we’ll remember forever, that’s for sure!

We got it off of my body, but the bra I had on got stuck inside the cast so we unsnapped it to get it all the way off of me. My husband then suggested I leave it like that… With the bra inside and just wear it out as a shirt from time to time as a Gaga-like fashion statement.

Here’s how it looked right after we were done!The next day I primed the cast but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to paint it like some people do. I’m not a good painter and I didn’t want to ruin it. One of my friends on Twitter said she has a painter friend who may make hers look like a ladybug.. The theme of the nursery. I think that would be so cute!

I decided to leave mine white and add a pink bow. I’m very happy with how it turned out, and it already has a nice spot on the ledge in the nursery.Soooo… What do you think of my cast?

Maternitique, the company I got the Belly Vita from, is an excellent online store for women. Their mission is to help women look their best, feel their best and do their best throughout pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Their goal is to help inspire happier mothers, easier births, healthier babies and a safer world—and to do it with uncompromising style.
To that end, they choose products designed for modern women that combine the best of science and traditional wellness—what we call “maternity evolved, naturally.” They carefully select natural brands that are safe for you and your baby. They also guarentee your purchase 100%! So they back what they say! Learn more about them by following @Maternitique on twitter or by “Liking” Maternitique on Facebook.
Maternitique has items for every woman, not just moms or pregnant women. Not only do they have items for the nursery and postpartum, they have lots of beauty products for any woman!

They’re generously giving one of my blog readers a $50 gift certificate to Maternitique. Just visit their shop and let me know what you’d like to get.

If you follow them on Twitter or “Like” them on facebook, and let them know you found them from my blog, leave an extra comment letting me know each for extra chances to win. My blog followers also get an extra entry.

So… The crib is up, mattress in the bed (still has the wrapper on it though), we have a dresser, I made the mobile, her name is hanging in adorable modge podge letters made my yours truly, and I have some beautiful wall art hanging above her crib with a cute vinyl saying once again created by *clears throat* this mama right here!!

I got a bed skirt to go under the queen bed that’s in the room, and I’m making some throw pillows that match the crib bedding that’s COMING TODAY! And curtain valances I made for the bed (tutorial for pillows coming soon… If I ever finish them).

I got some wall shelves for a corner of the room and I hung them up Friday, and I am refinishing a toy box I bought for $20 on Craigslist.

It’s safe to say the room is coming together from [wanna be] Man Cave to Nursery, it’s really transforming! I blogged about my husband’s love/hate relationship with my redecorating on my Parenting blog, so check that out too, comment if you can pretty please!

But there’s still some things I’m working on. For one, I’m still trying to figure out what to do with this high ledge in the room. It’s so high and there’s so much white between what’s below on the wall and up on the ledge (I’ve put a few teddy bears up there so far) that I feel like I need more up there.
I’m thinking of adding maybe some baskets, and big blocks or something… But I think I need something more drastic… I may even*gasp* paint the wall above the ledge/shelf as an accent wall. Maybe I’ll paint it green or yellow. We’re renting so I’m hesitant to paint but I really am not sure what else to do, but she said we can paint if we want (though me way have to paint it back). I also worry about getting up there… I’ll need a ladder or something and this could be dangerous in my condition.

Now on to something else I added to the nursery recently… I’m cheating a little on this week’s What I’m Making Monday cause while I MADE it… Sorta, some ordering was also involved.

I had seen posts and tweets about this company called Modern Bird Studios. They have a very–well–modern type of art that’s beautiful for your home.

Since I like butterflies I asked if they could take this picture I took of a butterfly during a date with my hubby, and convert it into a piece of art. Originally we tried pink and brown. But once I figured out the colors of the nursery we decided to go with pink, green and white! They were so professional, polite and QUICK! And they sent me examples every step of the way!

They shipped them to me in the best protective shields. Really, there was no way I was gonna get a scratch on those things, it took me about 20 minutes to unwrap it all! But I was SO impressed when I got them out and set them side by side. Look how it turned out!So sturdy, beautiful, unique PLUS I took the photo! I think that adds a nice personal touch, knowing I took that picture and it turned into something so pretty and personal for the room, plus it all matches. But the nice thing is they also have pre-designed series you can see on their site, with beautiful pictures you can choose from with flowers, and other wildlife.

Then, wanting to add my own little flair to it I added these bows and hung them on the wall!It’s an illusion though. There’s a nice stand on the back of the picture so it’s actually hanging by that and a nail, then I added the ribbon and taped the bows to the wall (hehe, sneaky I know). I can’t wait to show you the nursery all together once I get it all finished. We’re getting there!

You can find out more about Modern Bird Studios by visiting their website, following @Modern_bird on twitter or “Liking” their Modern Bird Studios Facebook Page.

I went a totally different route with some of my photos, since I was going for bright, colorful, and “nurseryish” but look at these other GORGEOUS styles for your home!

Want a beautiful piece of art just for you!? Right now, you can BUY a work of art from Modern Bird studios and get 15% off until May 30th. Use code: “BABYMAKING”

And you can take your chances at WINNING a 12″X12″ canvas art from Modern Bird Studios! That’s a $215 VALUE!

Visit Modern Bird Studios and in the comments of this post let me know your favorite color combo and what picture you’d get for your home.

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“Like” Modern Bird Studios on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them you found them from me!
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Leave a decorating tip idea in the comments about what I can do with the high ledge in the nursery.
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*People who have won a giveaway from Modern Bird Studios before aren’t eligible to win again*
*Open to Continental US*

Contest Ends May 23rd at 11:59pm
Random.org will choose the winner. Good luck!

I was given the canvas pictures for free for conducting this review. I was not compensated in any other way for writing the review, opinions expressed are mine alone.

I know it’s SO LAME but I come close to tears when I talk about putting Spawnie’s nursery together. Decorating a nursery for a little girl is quite honestly something I’ve dreamed of doing for SO LONG.I’ve never had a set sketch or layout decided but I’ve always known I’d want lots of PINK… And some other colors. Well, finding the swatches of the bedding I love, and adding that with other items in the room to match has been one of the most fun experiences of my life.

I was just telling a friend that I have NEVER decorated an entire room… Never had something on every wall, or enough curtains for all of the windows. I’m just not a very good decorator and my rooms have always been very plain. Even now my living room has basically four things hung up but there’s SO MUCH blank space on the walls, I don’t have any decorative pillows, I’m missing a curtain panel, and nothing really coordinates.

I’ve tried to make my living room look trendy but since we’ve moved so much it’s been hard to keep up with.

With my Spawnie’s nursery I’ve tried to turn over a new leaf. I already have something on almost all of the walls and I’m not stopping! It’s also the first time I’ve had curtains AND valances, and guess what?… I MADE THEM MYSELF! Operation Nursery Makeover Part 5 (click that link to read 1-4)!And since my sewing machine is out of commission right now I did it WITHOUT sewing. I used this wonderful stuff right here! Iron-on adhesive. I got the extra-strength Heat n Bond and it works GREAT!

So for you ladies who don’t have, or are intimidated by sewing machines this is a fast and cheap way to do it! Honestly the HARDEST part of this whole ordeal was picking fabric and getting it cut the right size. I brought fabric swatches to match with my bedding coming from Artistic Sensations and ended up ordering some of the same fabric online for the valance, but getting a pink at the store to match.I was LITERALLY in the fabric store walking round and round doing math in my head and near tears, ok I lied… IN tears trying to figure out how much I needed and why I kept calculating “6 yards.”

Turns out I was converting inches to FEET and THINKING yards and got way thrown off…. Stupid Preggo Brain. My best advice is to ASK FOR HELP from the nice lady cutting your fabric. I told the lady at Hancock Fabrics I was making curtains and she asked me “want them to bunch?” then when I said “yea” she helped me cut the right length! I asked her to cut each one in half too so the sizes were pretty much set for each panel.

She also told me to pre-wash the fabric cause it can (and did) shrink. So I used our washer and dryer for the first time in about a year… I didn’t even need my husband’s help to do it! And I pre-shrunk the fabric!After that I ironed out all of the fabric and got to sewing… I mean, more ironing.

For three sides I folded over the edges by about 1/2 inch for a hem. Then at the fourth side (which would be placed at the top, that the curtain rod would go in) I folded over a hem, then folded again about an inch so there was room for the rod.I ironed each side down first to make a crease, then cut the iron stitch stuff to the same length of each side, placed it under the folded-over part, and ironed it shut!!

Repeat for each panel, place on the inner curtain rod and TADAA!!The valances were easier cause there was less fabric. I only bought 2 yards and I have lots left over that I’ll use for a pillow. Same story, just different lengths… Mine are about 23 inches long.Put those on the outer curtain rod and TADAA!!So, what do you think?! And you are lucky cause I was gonna save these pics for a part of the nursery reveal but what the heck, I’m so excited I wanted to show it off!! The crib wasn’t up in this picture though, and the room was a mess so seeing everything together will still be a surprise.

What did you make? Link up and share! I’m loving visiting your sites and getting more fun ideas! I’m visiting them all! Be sure to link back to “What I’m Makin(g) Monday” here to help spread the word!

Spawnie’s room is FINALLY looking like an actual nursery now. If you compare it to the beginning you’d be impressed with my handy work. ESPECIALLY since I’m really not a good decorator. I think the biggest things making a difference are the curtains I made (without a sewing machine). I would show you but I’m trying to keep the full effect a secret for now so there’s a big surprise at the end.

There are some thing I’m still working on putting together and more ideas I’m working on. CSN Stores has cribs and other fun things, and they’re letting me pick an item from their store to review. Since Spawnie got so many books at our shower I REALLY want to get some bookshelves. I think I may get some of these in pink and/or white.The green would probably go well too but I’m paranoid the greens won’t match in my room. It’s hard to tell from a photo.

I mentioned before the crib is up! I also got my mattress from Kolcraft. I spent quite a bit of time researching which one would be best for one and I ended up choosing a Sealy Soybean foam mattress that’s firmer on the baby side and more soft on the toddler side, so she can use it for awhile. I read a lot of reviews and people seem to love it. One of my friends got me a mattress pad at my shower so that’ll be nice to have too! I’ll have a full review once she gets here!

I found my perfect dresser last week, it’s soo cute and I got it for $60 on Craigslist. Finding it is quite the story, I’ll explain later. I still need a changing pad for the top but I’m in no rush.

Also, you can still vote on my bedding from Artistic Sensations on The Real Mom TV, though with my curtains and colors, Tickled Pink is my favorite and thankfully winning by a long shot! I’m getting the fabric custom made into a beautiful frilly bundle. I can’t wait to get it!These are the fabrics and design I’m going for! Oooh I can’t wait to see it on Baby Girl’s crib. …But I wonder if I tie the bumper and skirt on the outside for it to look like this? Do you know?

Now there are other things I’m debating on. With the bookshelves I’m getting I’ll need some bookends to keep them up. I like these from Artistic Sensations, but I’m having so much fun painting things I may try to make my own. I like custom book boxes too, like this one from the same store.I may get a toy chest off Craigslist if I can find one, and repaint it myself to look cute in the nursery. I’m thinking white with some stencils! I haven’t bought her any toys but she’s already working up quite a collection from friends. I also am trying to finish some pillows with extra fabric I had from the curtains.

I LOVE these growth charts from Artistic Sensations. I know she won’t be two feet tall for quite a while but I think something like this could be fun to place in a corner near her little chair or something.

And I’m not sure but can you have TOO MUCH personalized stuff in the room? I already made her name letters and they’re hanging above her dresser, and a chair with her name on the cover, but I would LOVE to get some things with her monogram on it since (spoiler alert) our initials are the same. Of course I need to save some room on the walls for photographs, I think I’ll get or paint a bunch of white picture frames and fill them with photos of her family and her. I can’t wait!

I have some stuffed animals up on our high ledge in the room. I’m starting to feel like everything up there is SO HIGH though, so I’m not sure if I should maybe drape something from there too, or what… Any ideas?

I can’t wait to show it all off! It’s come a looong way from the beginning. I’m feeling AWESOME now because I feel like I have the big stuff together and figured out but now I get to work on the fun stuff. Oooooooh, just 9 more weeks and 6 days to go!!