Olivia's Nest--Finally Finished!!

This has been a long time coming!  We had a blast putting this room together, and it is by far my favorite in the house.  The paint color is definitely a little more mustardy than I have been able to capture, but you get the general idea!

I envisioned a space for our girl that reflected us, but also gave her room to be herself.  Not too girly, modern, or whimsical, it is just the way we imagined it.

We spent about three months pulling the different elements together, and purposefully so--we spread the nursery budget over a few months of income, but also wanted to have plenty of time to scour the deals and find used items.

The majority of the time and budget went to this built-in.  Ben did an incredible job implementing exactly what I had in mind.  It definitely adds depth to the room, and works like a charm to efficiently use up the dead space made by the angled wall.  The baskets hold all of her clothing, and the bin to the left stashes taller items.

This angle is taken from the window over the built-in.

We couldn't be happier with our crib!  It was the floor model from Sugar Snap Pea (www.sugarsnappea.com), a local children's boutique here in Charleston on King Street.  Right now, we have it set up as a bassinet, but it comes with the parts to turn into a full-sized crib when we are ready for the transition a few months down the road.

We found the Ikea chair at a yardsale for $15 bucks, after a long and grueling search for a cheap glider that wasn't totally maw maw.  It is comfy and will hopefully be a good option for nursing.  Ben threw the table together last week with materials he had left over from the built-in.  Brilliant!  You can also get a glimpse of the rug in the room, which was also given to us.  So many blessings can be found in this room.

I love how the window looks out over the side yard.  There is a huge oak tree right outside her window.

Cue the adorable photos of her parents, before we hit the awkward middle school years please.  These were both taken around the same time, when I was two and Ben was four.  Awww.

This was part of one of our baby showers, all of the guests wrote a blessing and hung it on her tree.

Another adorable shower gift we received was the pink piggy bank on the far right.  Our sweet friends wrote pieces of advice on cards and deposited them in the pig--I will look there for encouragement very soon!

Another view of the lamp my sister and I painted, and the side table Ben built.

Tucked in the corner by the doorway is this tiny little school desk that came from Ben's parent's garage.  I'm sure there is a story behind it, but Ben remembers using it as a child--so we were excited to have a spot for it in O's nest.  Oh yeah, and that's "Teddy", given to Ben when he was wee little, by his brother and sister.

Her closet is jammed full of stuff that isn't hers, but at least there's room for her dresses!

We were so excited to choose scripture to claim over her life, and can't wait to teach her all about the Jesus who gives us freedom and life.

Thank you thank you Naptime Diaries for the awesome sales that afforded us the chance to hang some beautiful words in this room!

Here is the built-in mystery compartment, that will eventually be used for toys and blankets.  Right now it is FULL of diapers and wipes.  Woohoo!

I wanted to give a more detailed view of the top of the built-in...this is the seam of the secret compartment.  I may be a little biased, but I am so proud that Ben made this for his girl.

I found these pillows at Costco, and couldn't believe how well they coordinated with the curtains (from World Market)!

We have purposefully saved the space above the changing table and dresser to fill with something thoughtful and fun.  We just aren't sure what we want to place there--maybe a big print of some kind or a montage of photos of Olivia.  Who knows!  The changing table was given to us by longtime friends about six months ago, and Ben knew that would be its purpose from the first second.  We couldn't have found anything better or more meaningful.

The lighting is really terrible in this room, so we are still on the hunt for a floor lamp to place next to the changing table. 

Now all we need is the babygirl to make it perfect.  Which is really all we needed in the beginning.  All of these things are just extras!

Framing 101

I used to work at a frame shop.  I really loved that job.  Although, the lady I worked for was mean, unforgiving, and she hated Democrats.  Now I am a firm believer that God allows us to experience things for a purpose, sometimes which remains untold, but of this I am sure:  I learned to have the most exquisite attention to detail in the back room of that art gallery.  

This is a frame I designed and built for Ben when we started dating.  Declare was the band he was in at the time--so dreamy!

  

It went something like this:  Frame goes out front with a SPECK of dust (which she always referred to as junk) on the inside of the glass.  (Customer would never notice SPECK of dust.)  Boss lady sporadically nightly inspects each piece, and discovers an imperfection.  She is mortified.  I hear about it the next day, and get to spend the next five days with her breathing down my neck.

Without realizing it, I learned quickly to achieve perfection; there were no excuses, no wasted materials, and no missed deadlines.  Or else.

I have carried this skill with me through life, and I know that it will prove to be invaluable.  I just need to be careful about expecting everyone else to have the same drive for perfection.  It can, will, and does come across as obnoxious on my part.

All of that to say: I hope to encourage some of you who have the privilege of working for or with someone that doesn't quite mesh with your style.  View it as an opportunity for growth, and try to sit under the positive things they have to share--even if shared through negativity.

Andddd back to the regularly scheduled post: Framing 101!

We start out with what is called a "ready-made" frame.  These are what most people would call a frame that you would find at Michaels, AC Moore, Target, wherever.  Some of them are wall frames, which have no "stand", if you will.  I am working with wall frames.

Disassemble the frame, and separate the components into three piles. 

1. The backing and the padding, if there is any. 

2. The mat and the placeholder "art" that came with the frame.

3. The frame itself and the glass, face down so the glass is supported off of your work surface by the rabbet (the groove which holds the glass in place).

First, we will focus on the mat and the placeholder art.  I mentioned before that I was using scrapbook paper to "mat" the prints for the nursery. 

I chose this feather print, and then another charcoal style with a little bit of shine and texture.  Framing four prints, I decided to do two of each background to keep it exciting but still streamlined.  I am afraid to get TOO busy in her little nursery.

Since the opening of the mat was larger than the surface of one sheet of scrapbook paper, I joined the paper in the most inconspicuous spot, which keep in mind will be mostly covered by the print anyway. 

Next step: attach the paper to the placeholder art.  I used scotch tape, which is NOT archival.  It will not last forever.  I figure these will not stay the same for 10 years, so it probably isn't a big deal.  There are archival tapes and papers you can buy, but if you are that worried about preservation, you probably shouldn't be framing it yourself to begin with.

We line up the mat over top of the placeholder art, to be sure that everything is covered by the matting.  In this case, I was sure to place the join mark at the bottom part of the mat, since eye level in our house (we have 7 foot ceilings!) falls at the top of the frame. 

Trim the excess paper off, and hold it up to be sure everything is flush.

The white matting you see here is called a floated double mat.  There is a small bit of space between layers, which gives it a shadowed look for more depth.  

Next, position everything how you'd like it.  In this case, I chose to have even borders, but sometimes, it is more fun to leave more space on the bottom border.  

Attach your art to the paper with scotch tape, or something else that won't show through.  Again, not archival, but works for this case.  Be careful with glue, it often changes the texture of what you're working with.

Finally, we need to reassemble everything face down.  Be sure that the hanging hook is at the top of the frame, and that your art is facing upwards in the right direction.

And don't forget to check for "junk" inside the frame!  Nobody wants to see fingerprints inside the glass!

I had some wire on hand that I used to string through the hooks in order to have some way to hang them on the wall.  Wire works best because it is very durable!  Be sure you have a snug fit, and that if you are hanging more than one, that you place the wire consistently taut, or else you will have trouble getting everything to hang evenly.

Full nursery reveal coming soon!  We are waiting on these last two prints to arrive from Naptime Diaries!   Meanwhile, I need to figure out how to photograph the paint color accurately...

People often ask me how my pictures look so fancy, and this is how I do it.  Buy frames with matting, take your time in assembly, be sure they are clean from the inside out, and hang them with precision.  You will step up the look of your prints and art by leaps and bounds.

Happy Framing!

Sprucing up the Train Case

I discovered this train case at the Habitat ReStore a while back for $5.  It is just like one my grandma has, which is how it caught my eye.  It wasn't in the best shape on the inside, but I figured I could attempt to dress it up somehow.  I knew I wanted to keep books in it for now, so I decided that I could leave the inside as-is. 

While I was out getting materials for the Hanging Chalk Tags, I ran through the scrapbook paper section to grab some impromptu "matting" for the prints I needed to hang.  This circus paper caught my eye--clown free and full of rich colors that fit right into her nursery.  I didn't know what I could use it for, but at a quarter per sheet, I couldn't leave it behind.

On the way home, I remembered the train case.  The scrapbook sheets are 12 x 12, so I knew I'd have to do a little patchwork...but it was definitely worth the try.

I got started by taking some scrap paper and fitting it inside the top of the case in order to make a template.  Much easier than measuring, especially with the rounded edges.

I removed the paper and trimmed off the excess, and then traced around it onto a piece of cardboard, which was actually from the frames.

Once I cut out the cardboard, I inserted it snugly into the top of the case, just to be sure it fit.  

You can also get a good glimpse inside the case---I'll get to that eventually.

Finally, I traced the cardboard template onto the back of the scrapbook paper, trimmed the edges, and adhered it with tape.  Probably not the best way to do it, but I like to work with what's on hand.  And by the time it falls off in a few years, we will be ready to change things up anyhow.

TaDa!

There were about two inches of space that the paper didn't cover, so I just patched it together in two different spots to try to match as seamlessly as possible.  It's circus paper!  And therefore totally appropriate that the zebra's head is coming out of the sideways tiger feet.  Please tell me you wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out?

Is there anything you could do with scrapbook paper, besides scrapbook?  It is so affordable, and there are so many styles and varieties, I will definitely be keeping that in mind for future projects.

Hanging Chalk Tags

"Everything in its place."  


I probably say that to myself seven thousand times a day.  I get twitchy when things are out of order.  When I go to find something and it isn't there, my blood immediately begins to boil.  I love to be organized!

We are anticipating and hoping for lots of help when the baby arrives, so I could already imagine her clothes becoming a hot mess after the first load of laundry.  How would anybody know where to put things?  I thought for about two seconds and came up with this solution: Hanging Chalk Tags.


Not super original.  Not super creative.  Not super exciting.  But super duper functional.  And super duper budget-friendly.


Which brings us to last Saturday.  I went to AC Moore to track down some cut-out wooden luggage tags.  I couldn't find any, so decided to make my own.  The most inexpensive way to do this was to buy a six-pack of these small sheets of wood.  I used a 50% off coupon and picked up a pack of twine.  Less than five bucks for both.  I already had a quart of chalkboard paint on hand, which is why I got the idea in the first place.


I wanted to finish this by the time Ben got home from work, so I decided to use the hand miter saw to half the pieces.  Before I made any cuts, I quickly ran up to the nursery to see what the sizes would look like in comparison to the baskets.  

Once I made the cut, I sanded down the rough edge with a heavy-grit sandpaper.  As you can see, they were pretty snaggled (made up word alert).

Next, I used a power drill to make the holes for the twine.  I just guessed on the bit size, I probably should have gone another size up, because when it came to threading the tags, it was a little trickier than it could have been.

So with the edges sanded and the holes drilled, it was time to paint.  I laid down some heavy paper (I use old architectural plans that I get from my boss's dad, who is an engineer...we also use these for wrapping paper!) to protect the table, and got to it.

First, I painted all of the edges of the tag, so that I didn't get fingerprints all over the place.  Then I laid them down and painted three coats on each side.

The wood soaked up the paint very quickly, so it wasn't long until they were ready to thread.

I left a good bit of length on each, because I wanted to be sure I had a lot of flexibility when it came time to hang.  Re-threading them was not an option for me!


Finally, I went upstairs and made a list of what was in each basket, trying to keep things in a cohesive style.  This is what I came up with:


Accessories (I didn't know babies had accessories either...)
Jammies
NB Onesies and Outfits
0-3 Onesies and Outfits
Pants
6-9 Onesies and Outfits
Skirts and Bloomers
9-12 Onesies and Outfits
Holidays


We have an extra bin, so I left that one blank.

You can see that they definitely aren't perfect, but that is a vibe that works for us.  When it comes time to change up the tags, we can just wipe them off with a damp cloth, and once it has dried, re-label.  


And ask us in a year where we will store her clothes once they are larger than the size of my socks.


I can't wait to show you around the nursery!  Hope you've enjoyed the little glimpses of the built-in that Ben made with his bear bare hands.

Little Nursery Projects...Done and Done!

We have all but completed Baby O's nest.  We are waiting for a few more things to arrive in the mail, and then I will have a finished product to share!


For now, I will fill you in with three super simple projects that took about an hour total for each.


1.  Hanging Chalk Tags
2.  Sprucing up the Train Case
3.  Framing 101


Actually, I will post these all separately so they will be easier to find later.  Four in one day!  I am also halfway working today--I usually take Good Friday off, but with the baby coming, I couldn't afford to take the whole day.  I am trying desperately to stay as caught-up as possible!


ALSO, we are going to continue a Good Friday tradition this evening...stay tuned for that.  Hopefully you will hear from me tomorrow.  It is probably too late for most of you to get in on the tradition with us, and you'll see why when I post!


PS-We went to the beach yesterday after I got off work, for about 45 minutes before small group.  Today we have a high of 61.  This is NOT a complaint!

37 Weeks Pregnant Means...

Writing out our birth plan...

Indulging in a cheap date night...HFS from the one and only McDonalds.  Delicious!

Loving this "Let him have the next one" print in the bathroom at the birth center.

Making semi-homemade, totally-tacky desserts.  This is the boxed cake I referenced a few days ago...

It's an Easter egg cake!  Whatever, it tasted better than it looked.

Busting our butts to finish the nursery.  I'd like to say my patience is getting better?  

I can't wait to show you guys what he has done, it is awesome!