12 posts tagged “nursery”

i've been buying yards and yards of fabric but i can't sew.  go figure.  so i went ahead and bought this adorable apron/skirt off of etsy since i won't be making anything this cute anytime soon.

i also saw these adorable vintage wallpaper animals & trees - what a great idea!

A little bit more time consuming, but cute!

Decoupage Ideas for the Nursery
	Add fun and whimsy to a baby’s room with a simple technique called decoupage (day-koo-paj). This process can be applied to any smooth painted or unpainted wooden surface. On the following pages, we’ve supplied animal templates and suggestions for paper patterns. Before beginning for real, practice on a piece of scrap wood. Once you’re comfortable with the process and you’ve gathered together your materials, you can easily complete a project in an afternoon—perhaps during your child’s nap. The animals shown here were made by simply attaching paper cutouts to furniture with coats of glue. Our animal templates and step-by-step instructions will help you get started. Before beginning, practice on a piece of scrap wood. Once you’re comfortable with the process and you’ve gathered your materials, you can easily complete a project in an afternoon—perhaps during your child’s nap. Animal Parade Harriet the Hippo may be the leader of the pack, but Mr. Giraffe is in charge of keeping a sharp watch for any approaching bad dreams—because, of course, he’s got the best sight line. To create this quartet of creatures, we painted the bottom and legs of a wooden crib light green; then we added the decoupage animals and a yellow sun. Whale of a Tale To make William the Whale, enlarge the template and place it on an unpainted stool. With a pencil, extend the waterline that runs through William’s body so it goes to the edges and down the sides of the stool: This creates the sea and the sky. Remove the template. Paint the sky and legs of the stool a light blue, and the ocean a darker shade. After the paint is dry, decoupage the whale; we used darker blue for the eye and underwater section, and different patterns for both of his other parts.   Scottish Terrier What suits a friendly Scottie better than plaid? If you aren’t able find the perfect pattern in a decorative paper, simply photocopy a favorite fabric to make a paper version. Bird Trio Who wouldn’t enjoy waking up to these little chicks? You can almost hear the chirp, chirp of their cheery conversation. By positioning the birds along the bottom of a drawer, we made them look as if they’re perched on a wire. Our bluebirds are of different patterns and shades of the same color. You can achieve a similar effect using reds (for cardinals), yellows (for canaries), or pinks (for any bird at all). To show the birds’ cheeps, you might add a few musical notes. The Three Bears Your little girl or boy will be happy to learn that Goldilocks’ three bear friends live right in the bedroom closet. These cute and useful hangers are easy to produce: Each bear’s face is constructed of just nine circles. A set of these would make a lovely gift for any newborn. HOW TO DECOUPAGE Materials Origami, craft, or construction paper, or wallpaper or card stock Water-based glue sealant such as mod podge Quality bristle brush Scissors Transparent tape Utility knife Straight edge Hole punch Pencil Water-based polyurethane (optional) Technique   1. Enlarge the animal templates to no more than 4 inches wide or the final pieces may pucker and bubble when glued. Make one copy for each major part of the animal (for example, you’d make two copies of the elephant—one for the body and one for the ear; use a hole punch to make the eye). Cut out each piece of the templates about 1/4 inch from the outline; tape on top of decorative paper. Cut out along lines using scissors; use a utility knife and a straight edge for straight lines. Mark the body lightly with a pencil to indicate the positions of the other elements. 2. Clean the surface of the item to be decoupaged; let it dry. Make a mark with a pencil to indicate where the animal body will go on the surface, and brush a coat of glue over that area. Then set the cutout on top of the glue. Smooth out any bubbles with clean, wet fingers (so fingers don’t stick to the glue). 3. When the glue is still tacky but mostly dry (about 4 minutes), brush a coat of glue over the top; place smaller cutouts in designated spots. Wait about 4 more minutes, and then brush on another coat. If you notice bubbling or puckering, again smooth out the cutout with clean, wet fingers, but don’t overdo it; at this step the paper usually flattens as it dries. Wait 20 minutes, then brush on another coat. Add two more coats (or more if paper is particularly thick), waiting 20 minutes between each. If desired, finish with a coat of water-based polyurethane once glue is completely dry (apply according to the manufacturer’s instructions). The polyurethane will provide extra durability and will also help protect your design in case it is exposed to moisture (as in a bathroom). Note: if in the future you decide to remove the decoupage animal from the surface, any underlying paint will be removed as well.

I've never seen this process before:

Baby Clothes Sun Prints

Little socks, baby tees, and tiny sweaters—the makings of an infant’s first wardrobe are so impossibly small, and so quickly outgrown, you’ll want to be reminded of them in the years to come. Put their captivating forms on display with framed sunprints; the bright-blue color and translucent effect of the cyanotype process yield images that are bold yet subtle. The technique is simple: Pin the clothing to special light-sensitive paper, cover with Plexiglas, and expose to the sun for a few minutes. Then rinse and dry the paper, and frame the prints as desired. Sun sensitive paper is available in kits at art- and craft-supply stores in sizes up to 11 by 17 inches. If the garment you’re working with won’t fit, make your print in halves, then frame the halves as one.

Gotta do this!

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Nursery Art

Four do-it-yourself works of art for baby that are hardly any work at all. In a baby's room, sometimes the simplest touches are the sweetest. They're also the most practical, because for busy new parents, finding time to sleep—let alone decorate a nursery—is a challenge. The ideas on these pages will brighten the walls of your little one's bedroom and fill it with homespun charm. They're as easy as they are affordable and can be tailored to any color scheme or motif—proof positive that when it comes to the nursery, little things truly do mean a lot. And what could be a more fitting message to surround your child with? Frames What's in a name? In this case, letters made from found items, such as paint, stencils, colorful paper scraps, and vintage wood blocks. Encased in box frames, they form a one-of-a-kind nameplate. How-To Using a utility knife, cut construction paper or patterned paper to line face and sides of the frame's cardboard insert. For 3-D objects, like the wooden E (a letter from a vintage sign) at far right, trim insert to reduce depth. Paint or glue letter onto paper liner. Set the insert in the frame. Ft_sum05msk28_m

Another cute project

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Life Line

A keepsake clothesline offers a fresh twist on memory-keeping, in which favorite cards, photos, children's drawings, letters from Grandma, and other sentimental treasures are displayed. How-To Run a length of 1/2-inch-wide cotton twill tape along a wall at a height that's out of reach of little hands, and, using a mallet, secure with a thumbtack every twelve inches. If tape runs over a corner, as our does, insert tacks at both sides of corner to keep it flat. Clothespins make it easy to change this display to fit the season or your child's new interests. Use miniature clothespins, available in crafts stores, to hang lightweight items. (Anything too heavy for the clothespins will be too heavy for the line.)

I love how this looks:

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Fancy Flight

Butterflies alight on a wall over a crib to delight baby. These pretty store-bought insects are made from feathers, though you could hang fabric flowers or any other charming notions. How-To Removable poster putty will affix the objects without damaging the wall (we arranged the butterflies so they appear to be taking off). Place decorations out of reach of babies able to stand; choose items that are lightweight and large enough not to pose a choking hazard to your baby.

Just found these - I'm in love!  I definitely have to get one for A's nursery.

thank you all, by the way, on all your great comments on my massive postings last night - i know i keep complaining about the comments on here, but i soooo wish i could reply specifically to each of you, and that it would notify you so that you knew i had...   ok. rant over.

i have no room or need for that matter to add anymore art to ava's room - seriously.  i  don't know where i would put this..but i just saw these limited edition letterpress prints (for $28) and saw the colors and i  have to have one of them....

which do you like better?

Just dropping off the rest of the nursery pics....

(I purposely tried not to make all the furniture match by mixing it up w/dark woods and white furniture as well....  I was very inspired by Dana B's nursery - she's on CC)

older pix already posted

So, I'm definitely obsessed with the asian culture, especiallly japanese.  P & I honeymooned in Japan and I really hope to go back one day and let A experience it as well.  It was the most amazing trip and fully lived up to my expectations.  We were staying at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo while there were filming Lost in Translation which was extra cool!

I thought I'd post some cute stuff from a fun store that is super inexpensive called Pearl River.

They have lots of great things but I thought I'd post items that are more kid related and/or could be used in a nursery.  In designing A's nursery I really wanted to use items that weren't too babyish but were still fun and had a whimsical touch.

I hung one of these parasols from the ceiling...

These were just too cute not to post & only $5.50

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