Baby nursery

During my pregnancy, I was obsessed preparing the nursery – and to make it more challenging- on a tiny budget. Score! I achieved my budget thanks to generous family and lots of hours at op shops and Ebay.

Originally, the nursery was a “junk” room. I know everyone has one – ours is just a little (very) messy. It took me roughly a couple of hours to clear the room on a 30degree day and being five months pregnant.

I wanted a black and white theme, clean and not too “cute”. Does that make sense? I mean I didn’t want the nursery to be too “baby”, I wanted something different.

Here is a list of the items, approximate cost and where it was purchased from:

Curtains - Spotlight $70

A simple black iron rod with approximately 4 metres of sheer white curtain and the first item that went up in Project Nursery.

Hanging pom poms – Made out of tissue paper $6

I found the tutorial in the Martha Stewart website. Gorgeous little trimmings for the room.

Rocking chair – Ebay $22

One of my first finds. Needed a good sanding and varnish. I was considering painting this white but loved the timber so decided to varnish instead.

Throw blanket – IKEA $8

Cot – Hand me down from my uncle and auntie $0.

This needed some t.l.c. as it had been stored in their garage for around 9 years. A lot of scratches and bite marks but came out using the electric sander. Mattress is from Toys r Us as a gift from my brother and his fiancé.

Mosquito net – Op shop $12

I found this on one of my op shop trips. It was practically new, no holes and the stand came with it. A wash and the stand wiped down with disinfectant and I’m over the moon!

Hanging tea light candle holder – Dusk $15

Desperately searched for a bird cage and couldn’t find one that was 1) small enough 2) in my price range 3)chic. Stumbled across this one on the sale rack at Dusk and loved it.

Toy box – Ebay $20 IKEA Material $8

I did a post on this previously here. Again sanded and painted the box white and fixtures black. Ripped off the foam on top and recovered with IKEA material. What a difference!

Chest of drawers – Ebay $45

This was originally unvarnished pine when I bought it. Did the usual, sanded and repainted white. I also covered the knobs with fabric (see post here)to give the drawers some character.

Lamp – Op shop $3 IKEA material leftover

Had wanted to redo a lamp for some time and had the opportunity to do so when I found this lamp. See full post here.

Kitsch print – Op shop $4.50

See previous post here – how cute!

Stereo –already owned.

Monitor – Hand me down from uncle and auntie $0

Laundry Hamper – Op Shop $13

See previous post here.

Change Table – Op Shop $23

I found the change table the same time I bought the mosquito net at the same op shop. So imagine my excitement that day! The change table is IKEA and untreated pine. Again sanded and repainted to match the furniture.

Cane book shelf – Op shop $10

See previous post here.

Rug – Lincraft $17 Non –slip mat $8
I originally wanted a white shaggy rug but was not prepared to pay hundreds of dollars so needed to improvise. Browed my local Lincraft store and found a piece of remnant throw rug which was – in my opinion – too coarse to use as a throw rug. And then a light bulb went on in my head and I realised this would be great on the nursery floor. I had to buy non slip mats to place underneath to avoid any accidents.

Not bad right? All you need is some disinfectant, an electric sander, paint, varnish and elbow grease! It’s so rewarding seeing the final result and I can’t wait to do it again!

Nursery update – toy box & bird cage (not).

Hello everyone I have returned! I have been so busy the last few weeks with dinners, catching up with mates, birthdays etc , that I have totally neglected my blog. Also, now in my third trimester, I really utterly feel and look pregnant! Been going to bed at 9pm latest and napping when I can over the weekends which can be partly to blame for my absence. Ok enough excuses.

For those who follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook, you might have noticed that I recently won a toy box on ebay. YAY! This was one of the last pieces I needed for the nursery. Luckily enough this toy box/chest doubles as a bench and I didn’t have to drive halfway across Victoria to pick it up. Location was practically down the road, over the bridge, down another road and around the corner! The item was in great condition and I don’t think I would have revamped if it wasn’t going in the nursery – on second thoughts maybe I would have replaced the fabric!

So initially I removed the screw (things) that was holding the fabric in place. The foam was glued to the box and needed to be extremely careful not to damage the foam, unscrewed all the fittings, sanded down with an electric sander (my new best friend) and it was ready to be painted. This time around I used a small roller instead of a brush and it halved the time in painting. I spray painted the fittings in black as I didn’t think the brass would suit. Finally, washed the foam and sewed a cover using the same fabric I used for the lamp shade – you know to provide some continuity around the room!
 
So here it is before and after - in all its revamped glory!

I’ve also been on the hunt for a small decorative bird cage to hang in the nursery. I have searched high and low during my charity store trips, trash and treasure markets and ebay, with no success. So during one very humid lunchtime – I was walking (my current and only form of exercise) around the city and came across a candle store. On the sale table was this gorgeous mesh candle holder. I know it’s not a bird cage but I loved it and instantly visualized hanging in the nursery. Hubby K didn’t see my vision when I showed him but men are hopeless when it comes to ATTENTION TO DETAIL!

Have a great night lovelies!

Nursery purchases, before and after.

I haven’t mentioned much about the progress of the nursery. Don’t be fooled I have been like an insane woman scouting, sanding or painting furniture for the nursery.

I have been on the lookout for a bookshelf and laundry hamper for a while now both on ebay and thrifting. Finally, I found both on my thrift trip over the weekend. Both are cane and in pretty good condition. I get so excited and I love LOVE finding items during my trips. Don’t get me wrong, I usually don’t find anything but sometimes you just get so damn lucky!

I wanted these in the nursery so they obviously needed to be repainted white. This is my first “project” with spray paint so I really didn’t know what I was in for. I found spray paint by White Knights which is lead free and has non chroming properties. A great find given I’m six months pregnant!

Firstly I cleaned the hamper and bookshelf. And then I put my gear on, shorts/tshirt/thongs a.k.a. workwear, goggles, mask and spray painted my heart away. I didn’t realise that spray painting was so difficult! Ok not difficult but…awkward?! In hindsight, I maybe should have used a brush instead. Has anyone else tried to paint cane furniture? Did you have any issues?

Took a few hours to dry and once ok I had to put it in the nursery immediately. It’s very shabby chic but i think it works!

I started to paint the shelf before I realised I hadn’t taken a picture! So the before shot of the shelf should really be titled “in progress”.

 

 
I forgot to mention  the lid on the hamper wasn't attached so I used black ribbons to keep it in place and allow for opening and closing.
 
The nursery is almost finished. I am just waiting on a toy box, which I'm not sure I will get *sigh*.
 
The room smells like paint so I had to move some plants in there to filter the air. I *heart* indoor plants .... but I'll save that for another post.
 
Until next time!

Knobs.

I’ve been a busy bee preparing the nursery hence the lack of posts. Every night this week I’ve stayed up until midnight (yes that is super late for me) moving the furniture in and diy décor. I can’t believe I’m 70% there! YAY!

So I had a bit of a problem with the chest of drawers. I imagined it to be painted in white and replace the knobs with antique wrought iron style round handles. I found the perfect set on ebay at a bargain price. I received them and they were too damn big! Note to self: CHECK MEASUREMENTS! I know it’s ebay rule 101, but I was so excited I found them. Anywho, they will probably end up on ebay again – or I’ll store for some other furniture makeover.

I went back to the original knobs and was going to paint them black to contrast with the white. But that was too boring. So I went on Etsy to look for some inspiration. Etsy never disappoints! I found handmade fabric covered drawer knobs and they were exactly what I was after. So of I went to Lincraft to choose a fabric and craft glue.

So I started off with this:

And ended up with these:

It’s pretty simple to make. All you need is craft glue, fabric and a knob(s). Check out the tutorial on this blog http://afieldjournal.blogspot.com/2008/09/fabric-knobs-tutorial.html

I had a bit of material left over so used that to make a table runner to place on top of the chest. I like how the runner and knobs match.

I also sewed together a change pad cover (fitted Sheet). Got the fabric from remnants basket at Spotlight. Wouldn’t have taken too long if I measured correctly and sewed on the correct side. BUT I got there and here is the before and after shots. The picture doesn’t really do it justice but trust me it looks better in person (and on the actual change table).

If you haven’t noticed already, the nursery will predominantly be black and white in décor with a hint of romance. I’m not finished yet but I promise to do a comprehensive post once it’s done. In the meantime, keep checking in...

Weekend.

Today is the end of our heatwave and alas, the cool change is here!

All weekend I was in my parents garage sanding and painting the baby furniture. Trust me when I say it was hot...38 degrees hot plus electric sander, goggles and dust mask! But I am a pregnant woman on a mission. This nesting instinct is definitely taking over my life! Why didn’t anyone warn me about this?

K was at home finishing the backyard. Our decking was so dirty and dry it took a number of times to clean and scrub plus three coats of decking oil. Glad K was in charge of that!

We had family portrait shots at Treasury Gardens on Sunday morning. It was an intense hour of smile, walk, look this way, move an inch here and an inch there. Phew! I have a new found respect for models.

Here is a picture of my view and me sitting in St Patrick’s Cathedral  garden after the "photo shoot".

Dress: CKM
Shoes: Big W
Sunglasses: Salvatore Ferragamo

Today I received the handles for my chest of drawers from ebay . Absolutely gorgeous BUT too big. DEVASTATED!

Nesting.

Today is my second last day of holidays then back to work. Oh how time flies when you’re having fun!

I’ve heard that “nesting” instincts in women start to kick in around five months and mine was right on time. These holidays I have cleaned out the nursery, house and almost finished the back yard (with the help of K naturally). Also, I’ve been on the hunt for nursery furniture. Christmas is always a bad time financially so I don’t really have the funds to purchase any new furniture. Hence, I’ve needed to think of alternative ways to furnish the baby room on the thrift. K doesn’t believe me when I say I can do up the nursery on a budget. So – here is my challenge.

Absolute must items are as follows:

1. Cot

2. Change Table

3. Chest of drawers

4. Rocking Chair

5. Toy Chest

6. Bookshelf

7. Rug (preferably a thick white shaggy one)

Can you believe I have the first four! Ok so they are not in the best condition but with a bit of elbow grease and new paint they will be good as new. By the way, on top of my “nesting” instincts on hard drive, my DIY impulse has also taken over.

Here are pictures of the items I have been successful in purchasing. These are “before” shots and I will definitely show you “after” shots once the nursery is complete.

Cot – hand me down thanks to Aunt D & Uncle R

Needs to be stripped, repainted and of course, assembled.

Change Table – Salvo’s

Needs to be sanded lightly and repainted.

Chest of drawers – Ebay

Needs to be sanded and painted.

Rocking Chair – Ebay (see previous post)

To be sanded and varnished.

I got these items at absolute bargain prices, except for the cot which was free!

I am considering painting the furniture white except for the rocking chair. Haven’t really decided on the décor yet, but I have another 3+ months to think about that.

Dad said he will help us out. I swear Dad and Uncle D don’t stop when it comes to handyman things. Here’s a picture of them today downsizing a vanity unit for another Uncle who is renovating his entire house!