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I meant to at least do a first draft post of this pre-baby, but obviously that never happened. 🙂 We waited on a few decorative items until after Stella arrived, since we (okay, I) wanted to be able to make the nursery a little more boyish or girlish, depending on which gender we had. Since Stella came out a she, that meant PINK. Yes, I’m one of those people that loves pink, though I try not to go too hog wild with it.
Without further ado, here is the progression of the loft that became the nursery!
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| Right after painting and moving in (May 2010) – our exercise area / office. Very plain. Our bedroom is behind the orange wall on the right. Our bathroom is right behind where I’m standing to take the picture. There is one closet in the loft and two closets in the bedroom. That’s the whole upstairs! |
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| In September 2011, after cleaning it out and washing the carpets to get ready for RockStar! |
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| What it looks like today! It’s a small space, but I think it’s perfect. 🙂 |
| I’ll give you a little breakdown of the furniture and items we bought, just because I’m
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| Wall Hanging – Handmade by my Grandma – click on the link for the story. 🙂 Blackout CORDLESS Cellular shades – Blindster.com – $120. We had to get a custom width and I wanted cordless for child safety reasons, so this was slightly more expensive (you can usually get them for around $50). Whitney Drapes (Heart curtains) – JCPenny.com – $30. It is normally $80 for two panels, but thanks to a 1/2 off sale and a $10 off coupon, I paid $30. I see they are $15/ea online now, so I’m doubly glad I only paid $30! Misc. pictures over the dresser – all frames I had on hand stuffed in a closet. I see this section evolving as we spend more time in the space. |
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| Boppy (leaning on the glider) – Target – $40. LOVE these. I have one upstairs in the nursery and one downstairs on the couch (thanks, Mom!). In the beginning, I’d sit on one (thanks to bottom pain from the stitches) and use one for nursing. Now it’s just really nice to have one on each floor. Dutailier Glider + nursing ottoman – Craigslist.org – The model I wanted was $878 new. This model was 7 years old but in great condition, and I found it used for $200. It is hands down the BEST PURCHASE OF THE NURSERY. I use it all the time. The recline feature is GREAT when it’s 4am and the baby you’re rocking won’t sleep, and the nursing platform on the ottoman is great for keeping your knees up and saving your back while the baby nurses. Even if I hadn’t found it on Craig’s List, I’d have bought this new, it’s that awesome. White wooden side table – Free from MIL’s back porch. Important to have for your water, etc. in the middle of the night! Pink wicker trash basket – Target.com – $13. We didn’t need a big trash can since we’re using cloth diapers and not disposables. Dresser – Craigslist.org – $50 (used). We wanted one that was the right height & depth to double as a changing table. We also bought No-VOC white paint from Sherwin Williams, $20 (with plenty left over in the quart to use on other projects if we’d like). We were going to change out the hardware, but I kind of like the original antiquey hardware for a little girl’s room, so for now it’s staying. Summer Infant Contoured Changing pad – Amazon.com – $20. I like that it curves up on the sides to help keep baby from rolling off, and it has a strap in back to screw into your dresser (and a belt to strap your baby on if you want). Basic Comfort Ultra Plush Changing Pad Cover (also by Summer Infant) – Amazon.com – $15. I bought two of these, one ecru – one pink, because one is always in the wash! Koala Baby Clothes Hamper – Babies-r-us – $21. I like this b/c there is a removable, machine-washable mesh bag inside, which helps keep mold issues at bay from wet baby clothes / burp cloths / etc. The little pink storage container next to the changing pad was also from Babies’r’Us (on sale for $5). Planet Wise Diaper Wet Bag (hanging on the side of the hamper) – Amazon.com – $19. A must have if you’re cloth diapering. The bag pictured is a large, but I also have it in medium and small – eventually I’ll send the medium to the daycare and keep the small in my diaper bag. |
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| Floor lamp – JCPenny – We already owned this…I think it was $150 but we bought it for half off last year? We have a dim bulb in it so its perfect to have on for nighttime diaper changes and feedings (there isn’t an overhead light in the loft). Framed footprints – the hospital made this for us! It just says her name, where she was born, etc. and they inked her footprints on it. I put it in a frame I already owned. Wall Decal – Amazon.com – $25. You can find these on all sorts of different sites of course. This one took me FOREVER to apply b/c of our lightly textured walls, but I love how it turned out! Stella wall graphic – Blawnde’s Blawg – Steph made this for me and I think it turned out awesome! I printed it for $5 at Walgreens and put it in a clear frame I already owned. Europe Baby Geneva 4-in-1 Convertible Crib – Cribs.com – $175 (I’ve seen it for $300 elsewhere). This can convert to a toddler bed later if we want. Shelf for blankets – cheap TV tray type shelf from target that we already owned with a blanket over it. |
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| Expedit Shelving Unit – Ikea – $70 (shelf), $20 (4 cloth boxes), $30 (2 sets of casters) LOVE this shelf – it’s perfect for the space, and the boxes have various items in them like extra crib sheets, toys, etc. Misc. Picture Frames – from around my house and baby shower gifts Baby Books – at my shower, instead of giving cards, everyone brought a baby book and wrote in the cover. A fun way to build your library and never forget where you got the book from. 🙂 |
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| This is my view from my glider. I highly recommend liking everything in your view because you will spend hours staring at things in the middle of the night! |
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| Next to my chair – whatever book I’m reading at the moment, my Kindle, my cell, and my ice water. Burp rags, pacifiers, snot suckers, etc. have also found their way onto this table. 🙂 |
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| This closet is half baby / half hubby work clothes right now. We also have size 6mo+ clothes in another closet, a hanging organizer basket system on the closet door for burp rags, towels, etc., and more clothes in the dresser. Hanging organizer shelf was from Target for $20. |
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| A closer up view of the wall decal (this is the last picture I took before I went into labor!). |
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our nursery! It’s a small space, but we really like having her stuff all close to our bedroom and still having our 2nd bedroom free to be a guest room for friends and family for the time being. We’ll add a permanent gate to the top of the stairs once she starts crawling, but for the most part, the nursery is finally complete! All together, the cost of furniture + furnishings was just under $1,000, and I’d say half of that we got as baby shower gifts from our registry. $565 was the glider, dresser, crib, and bookshelf – not bad for four pretty significant pieces of furniture!
