Nursery is officially done....like dinner:)

It's been a long haul with this room but it is truly a labour of love that is now complete:) Without further delay here is James room.....now all we need is James so we can start using it!

Incase you all forgot what the before looked like here it is. This used to be my office/craft room. In reality it was more of a spot to dump my junk...lol My wonderful father in law converted the guest bedroom closet into a work space for my future sewing and card making project (pictures will follow).

This feature wall was a true labour of love. After painting the main wall colour with the assistance of my very pregnant friend I spent 6 hours drawing the trees then painting them. I went with one coat versus 2 because I like the grain that it added to the trees - little more real in my eyes.

The tree beside the closet is a growth chart. Up close you can see little numbers from 1ft to 5ft. I wish I could take the credit for DIYing the curtains but my mom was wonderful and found these easily adjustable curtains at IKEA. All I had to do was shorten them the perfect length and then iron them with no sew tape. 

This is one of my favorite pieces of the room. I saw a friend do this for her little one and thought  it was too cute not to recreate. This project cost me a whole $10 I think. I used 3 embroidery hoops and a wooden letter J, plus some fishing line and jewelry clasps to hold everything in place. I then painted it all the same off white I used for the trees on the wall. 

My wonderful cousin gave us this saying, and the matching story book as a baby shower gift. Little did she know that this is actually my favorite childhood book! I was so excited to receive this. I think it adds that perfect finishing touch to the wall.

 

Every little baby needs a giraffe named Sophie!! I finished the lamp and mirror using the same antique finish that I used for the lamps in our master bedroom. 

I wanted a change table but didn't like the $30 price tag and found them a bit big. I created my own with the help of a friend. I just used 2 pieces of firm foam. One for the base and then cut 2 inch wide stripes and glued them to the top edges. I used some left over fabric from the bedding and made a matching cover for it. 

Finally!!! The bedding. Two of my good girlfriends helped me with this large endeavor. This was a bit more then we bargained for but it turned out amazing and was well worth all the effort!! My main reason for making this was because I didn't see any bedding sets out there that went with the relaxing look I was trying to create, but also I was trying to save some money. Well the bedding definitely goes with the look I was trying to achieve but sure didn't save me any money LOL! Actually cost more then buying a set but ah well you only have your first baby once right? You might notice we are missing a crib sheet, I'm waiting on the mail for it to arrive. 

I haven't sewn in probably 10years so the above project could not have been done without my girlfriends. But it got me inspired so I bought a new sewing machine and finally was able to use the left overs of fabric and made this cute valance!

The new headboard

I borrowed this idea from my parents bedroom. My dad created this gorgeous much larger headboard using wallpaper and lots of trim but I being a simple girl tried a different approach:) Before I start please ignore the plain coloured walls they are in transition right now and are currently being painted a beautiful coffee brown:)

This project is for a king size bed and obviously would need to be altered for a smaller bed.

So for this project you'll need

One 5 panel door

crown molding

2x2s

Base paint colour of your choice (I used a burgundy by Behr but can't recall exact colour)

Top paint colour of your choice ( I used Cottage White)

One jar of crackle medium

painters tape

First step cut the door down to fit the width of your bed. When you cut the bottom of the door of you cut away the inner support with it. Remove the inner support from the scrap you have left over and install it back into the bottom of the door that is now open, it's easy trust me:) Then using a nail gun attach the 2x2s to the back edges of the door. Install to all 4 sides. This helps with mounting the door to the wall but also creates more depth for the headboard. Don't worry about the visible joint that now is seen from the sides. After all the painting is done you won't be able to see it.

Cut crown molding to size and mount along top edge of headboard. I have a inch lip on the top of mine so if I got creative enough I could put some lighting rope in the top and it not be seen.

I did not prime the door, because it already comes primed from the store. Take your base paint and apply 2 coats to the door. Allow to dry thoroughly. Once dried your going to tape of with your painters tape the areas you DO NOT want the crackle effect on.

Apply the crackle medium as per the directions on the bottle. You apply it in one direction with a paint brush. If you desire more crackle you can brush more strokes in one spot for that effect. Be patient and allow it to work it's magic. Trust me it will happen and when it does it looks gorgeous!!!! After the crack has started to work you may remove the painters tape that you applied earlier. You could probably apply a polyurethane if you wanted for seal and shine but I didn't and I think it looks great:)

To mount the headboard I mounted 2x2s x2 (top and bottom) onto my bedroom wall (into studs) that fit inside the outer edge you created on the back of the door. Use at least a 3in screw or it WILL NOT hold the door to the wall, trust me I speak about this from practice....lol Then you carefully hang the door to the wall and screw into those 2x2s that are on the wall, I went from the top and bottom of the project to secure it.

Enjoy!!!