Next Stop, the MOMA

Ok, so maybe not the MOMA per say, but after only a few days of life, Ethan had completed his first piece of modern art.  I failed to record the exact date, but somewhere in Ethan's first week we created his masterpiece.

I admit, I stole the idea.  You can buy these kits (I'll link to an example at the end of the post) where you can make these handprint sets.  Great idea, although I saw a few flaws with buying the kit.  First, they're a little bit pricey.  Second, I wasn't thrilled with the color selection.  I'll say it--they just didn't match!  Lastly, I wanted to be able to have the control of the original paint so I could fix any terrible mistakes (control freak?), or could repaint the whole square and "redo" if necessary.  (Luckily, I didn't need a redo)

Instead, I bought the 4x4 canvases at Dick Blick online.  They came in a pack of six for $6.99.  The only problem is that the S&H was the same cost.  UGH!  Anyway, we're still saving some bucks (not only are the kits expensive, but the craft stores wanted much much more for similar canvases).  I painted the squares initially before B.E. (before Ethan) using basic acrylic craft paint.  After he was born, I used the same non-toxic paint  and used a cotton pad (or use a cotton ball) to spread on the paint.  I laid him down on an old towel and got to work.  Of course, I did one limb at a time, and made sure to stamp them on quick!  I had a baby wipe in hand to wipe him clean right away.  I actually did both the feet at one time, and both hands later (his attention span for such an ordeal was quite short!)  After the squares were dried, I touched them up.  I painted over smears with the background paint (again why I wanted to paint them myself!).  I also went in with a very fine dry brush and actually touched up in the feet with both the off-white and the background paints.  I was very careful not to paint over the skin crevices, only to touch up smears, or to fill in places where the paint was too light.  Of course, they're not without flaw, but that's part of their charm.

Anyway, I think they're a great way to capture Ethan, and of course, could be done at any time in a child's life.  They look super cute in his room too, don't you think?

Ethan Railroad

One of my favorite projects I did for the nursery was Ethan's train.  Ultimately, it was an easy project that I made way too complicated!  It took me days to complete, but it was totally worth it.  The train pieces are easy enough to find.  The local craft store has them for less than $2 per letter.  Then it just comes down to paint.  In true fashion of the nursery, I had to go all out with a jungle themed paint job.  I did a Google image search for animal prints as a reference, and with some acrylic paint, a brush, and a little patience, the train was transformed.  It ended up that it was a great third trimester project for me to keep occupied without being out and about.  Of course, the bummer was that because we weren't giving away Ethan's name, I couldn't show off the train that I was so excited about!  When the train was complete, Ethan's fate had been sealed...his name would certainly be Ethan.  There was no going back now!

Tour de Nursery

As I promised, here's the official nursery tour:  A lot of the details I have covered in previous posts, but now you can get a full sense of the space.  I'm really happy with the way that everything came together.  I wanted to have a strong jungle theme, but what I wanted to avoid was purchasing a "matching" baby set (they're way too expensive and overly coordinated for my taste).  And of course, the creative side of me wanted to do it myself, and be able to add my own custom elements.  So, lets get on with it!

Starting behind the door is the stick on giraffe, the Ethan banner that I made, and the ribbon of wooden jungle animals that I also made.  The little bookshelf was mine when I was a kid.

And of course, my favorite monkeys surrounding the closet door!

Here again is the crib and animal photos, complete now with the jungle mobile.  The plant I got real inexpensive at The Christmas Tree Shops, and the zebra plant stand had been a Christmas gift from my brother a few years ago.  It seemed to fit in quite nicely!  The little basket on the floor is now the home to a number of Ethan's stuffed jungle friends!

Here's a closer look at the mobile.  I also really enjoy the giraffe hamper and the monkey night light.

Here you can see the corner of the leaf print curtains and the dressers.  Of course, there's Murphy in his banana car, and the Ethan train that I made (stay tuned for more about the train...)

So, there you have it!  I'll be sure to add more details later.

Bringing the Theme Together

Sometimes you find exactly what you didn't know you were looking for, when you weren't looking for it.  I stumbled upon this gentle giraffe when I was shopping the clearance section at Babies R Us.  He was only $9 (and again, if you have priced these wall stickers, you know that's a fantastic deal), and I knew he would fit right into the nursery...but where?   Turns out, there was a special space for him right behind the door.  I know, it's a shame to tuck him back there, but he's pretty tall, and he needed somewhere that he didn't appear to be floating in mid air.  He fit perfectly in the available space, and best of all, he is artwork that won't be bothered by the swinging door.   All in all, I'm super happy with the way he turned out! The theme is significantly better executed on the other side of the room, and he's really helping pull it together throughout the space. (PS- Check out Murphy the sock monkey and his banana car sneaking his way into the photo!  He was a gift from one of Charlie's co-workers, and we love him!)

As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of these wall stickers.  What I will say however, is that if you've never placed one of these  larger stickers before, be prepared to exhaust some time and patience.  It comes in medium sized pieces, like a puzzle.  It took awhile to get everything together and straight (and without air bubbles).  Luckily, as advertised, they do peel right off, and hence can be moved around freely until you get it right.  I tried to not actually rub each sticker down well until I was sure it had reached its final destination.  Still, I find it well worth the effort, and significantly easier than painting a mural on the wall (not to mention, less permanent, and relocatable), even for an art major.  Oh, and did I mention less messy?

Also on my list of clearance finds was this great changing pad cover and basket lined with animal printed fabric (it's all the from the baby collection as the giraffe) that I'm going to use for wipes and diapers.

I also picked up an "extra" pack and play for $25 that I'm going to keep in the truck of the car.  Never know when you may be out and about and need one...or at least save the need to fold down the one in the house to pack in the car!  Not to mention, when do you find a good pack and play for that price?

Stay tuned...someday I'll post photos of the whole nursery put together...Just need to get it there....

Hail to the Glue Gun

This is the most recent addition to the nursery walls.  In true fashion of the nursery, it's the result of another crafty project.  This one was super easy and took maybe 15minutes to complete.  The wooden animals I got at Michael's for $1 each.  They're already painted and everything (and in some places they are fuzzy felt).  I hot glued them to the ribbon (Hot glue really is amazing), and looped and glued the ribbon around a D shaped ring.  The most expensive part of the project was the ring.  It came in a pack of 4 for $3.  Of course, I only needed one.  I'm sure I could have hunted to find something more inexpensive, but sometimes it's better to just cut my losses.  (a keychain loop would work just fine too, and often free--the ribbon does hang better on the D though!)  It hangs on an alphabet hook with Baby's first initial (although that little tidbit of information we're not giving away!).  The hook was also from Michael's, and cost one whole dollar.  Why do I keep mentioning the price?  Well, I think its interesting for one thing.  Also, there is absolutely no reason why you can't have a great looking nursery without paying the expensive price tags that are on baby items.  Some items like this even take zero skill.

Our checkup went well this week (33 weeks!).  I asked the midwife to estimate the size of the baby.  She took her best guess and estimated him to be about 4lbs.  My fundal height is starting to measure on the small size, but well inside the normal range.  Insert sigh of relief for not having a big baby here.  My blood pressure has been a bit high though, so I need to seriously work on relaxing a bit!

Monkeying Around

Some new additions to the nursery decor:

Playful monkeys are everywhere!  It took quite a bit of searching to find some appropriate wall stickers.  They were only $8 at Kmart (which is an amazing price for wall stickers if you've ever looked for them!)  Once I finally found some, they were a blast to hang on the wall, and super cute too!  I think they really help start to pull the theme together.

I also painted these blocks to match the color scheme. The blocks were $1 at Michaels, and the plastic paint can was also $1.  The lamp with the leaf pattern we already had, but it fits right in!  Also, this photo is a pretty good representaion of the wall color if you're curious.   We were pretty lucky in that we didn't need to repaint!

The Photos were Hung by the Crib with Care....

I was super excited when I got home and my photos had arrived in the mail.  I bought the photos from myself though my online portfolio site.  http://kristinsavko.smugmug.com/  I have got to start by saying that my photo lab is AMAZING.  After working in photofinishing for 6 years, it takes excellent print quailty to impress me...and I was impressed.  So impressed in fact that I had to get them in frames and hung right away!   In keeping with our theme, all the prints are of animals.  I'm really happy to see things coming together!

Finally...Curtains!

I thought that my request was an easy one...I wanted curtains that were heavy enough to turn the nursery into a bat cave.  As for style, I was looking for something with a subtle leaf like pattern.  I mean, how can you have a jungle without foliage?  Oh yeah, and they can't look girly.  Seems easy, right?  Wrong!  I found a few "leafy" sheers...but I was not sacrificing the cave.  I looked at making them from fabric.  Found some leaves, but they were far from subtle.  I finally found these at Kmart...and as curtains go, they were rather inexpensive.  In the end, I'm really happy with them, and they look great on the curtain rod I found at the Christmas Tree Shops for less than $5!

The Beginnings of a Nursery

Back in January, we got new carpet for our future nursery.  Last month, our next big landmark was achieved: We got our furniture!  It took us quite awhile to settle on a set.  We were hoping to find pieces that would last.  Of course, the more we looked, the higher we raised the bar on the quality of the set.  When we found a set that actually met all our criteria, we knew we had found the one. 

Instead of using a crib bedding set, we decided on the mix and match bedding from Carters.  I'm hoping our theme comes from the rest of the room, instead of relying on the bedding to bring the room together.  Also, the Carters bedding is just so incredibly soft!

Stay tuned to watch the nursery evolve...