A few blog posts ago, when showing photos of our new home, I neglected to photograph our second bedroom. We were waiting for the right time.
Introducing Emilia River Forster, born last week (and a week overdue) weighing 8lbs, 3oz and 21 inches long.
The nursery has been a work in progress. We took our time purchasing and making the things we wanted. Lots of DIY and recycling of items made the room complete.
DIY items
1. Felt sheep and star mobile: Scoured etsy for inspiration. Felt is super easy to work with, being you don’t have to worry about raw edges. Can glue and simple stitch- stuff with poly fill. Used cherry wood cross bars I made in college.
2. Ribbon backed rocking chair: Chair was a garbage find. Was missing its original wicker cane backing, so weaved ribbon in its place. Felt pillow was wedding gift; green Kate Spade seat cushion clearanced for $5 at Bed Bath and Beyond.
3. Hanging cloth baskets: Easy and efficient storage solution (takes up no floor space). Used sturdy fabrics and simple custom pattern. Hung using double silver hooks from Home Depot.
4. Wood garment rack: Made in college as part of my senior thesis. Has been in storage for the past 4 years.
5. Name banner: Printed letters on the computer, traced and cut on felt- glued then stitched down. Strung on yarn and hung using simple nails.
6. Hanging art work: All sorts of goodies ended up on the wall. The “Alligator” edition print was a $10 Goodwill find. The large painting above the crib is a Monet copy I did 2 years ago. The 3 Anton Pieck pop-up art, framed illustrations were a church thrift sale find- $30 total. Framed watercolor above book shelves is from a book I illustrated.
7. White shelves: Basic wood shelves from Home Depot painted white.
8. Curtained cubby: The previous owner had a cheap file drawer system installed there. We tore it out and hung a curtain (simple sewing project + tension rod)- the storage is appreciated. The fabric I used is a beautiful heavy linen and cotton found in the remnant section of Joann’s for about 70% off.
9. Book shelves: Ikea spice racks for $3.99 each, painted white. Perfect for showing off your favorite books.
10. Bed and changing station: Both items repurposed from in-laws. The bed was an extra twin they had, and the changing station is a piece they gave us awhile ago. The pillows on the twin bed were great finds- each under $5 at bed Bath and Beyond (all started around $50/per).
Purchases
1. Ikea: storage solutions, toys, spice racks (used as book displays).
2. Oeuf crib: The crib was a total splurge. Oeuf’s standards and materials, as well as beautiful designs, were hard to beat.
3. Area rug (8×10): $180 from Home Goods.
4. Misc clothing: Amazing sales at Gap kids, Children’s Place, and Carters.
5. Hanging storage on garment rack: $15 on sale at Target.
6. Butterfly wings: $2 (was 90% off at Joann Fabric’s post Halloween clear-out).
I was too lazy to stitch together panoramics using my DSLR and Photoshop, and so used my iPhone to shoot the below photos. Also should mention the wall color- the palest, most neutral lavender we could find, is called “Northern Star“, from Home Depot’s Behr line.
And in case you were wondering what the room looked like before we “baby-fied” it, below is a before and after shot.
Another recent project: a homemade gift for my older sister, who is expecting a baby boy this summer. Photo shows baby blanket with felt lettering, and pillow (front/back) with felt design.
And of course no post would be complete without the obligatory cat photo or two.
teresaforster.com 