Madelynn's Room

I am finally getting around to posting an update on Madelynn's room.  It was a long process, but it was completed in time for her birth.  The room had been a guest bedroom, and now accommodates all that is needed for our baby girl, in addition to still having room for a full-sized bed for guests to use.  

When we first moved into our home, this bedroom was probably in the worst shape - gray walls, navy blue trim, and old stained carpeting.  We opted to rip the carpet up and put down a temporary area rug.  We weren't too worried about the floor in that room since it wasn't going to be used very often.  So that's how the room sat... until February of this year.  That's when the new carpeting was installed and the room finally began to take shape.  

So, after several lots of web surfing and pinning on Pinterest boards and lots of shopping and crafting, the room is done and I love it!  Here are the after pictures...

At this point the room is still serving as a guest room, hence the full bed still in the room.  It definitely makes the room tighter than I'd like, but it's meeting a big need right now.  We already had all of the bedding, and eventually I'd like to make or find some pillow shams and/or throw pillows to dress the bed up a little.  

Above the bed is a vignette I put together.  I had the "All Because Two People Fell in Love" sign (that coordinates well in the room) already.  The 3 - 8x10 frames under it were from the Christmas Tree Shops ($4 each or so).  I made the mats for the frames out of scrapbook paper.  Then I inserted a picture of Andy and I with Jadon when he was first born, a wedding picture of us, and an ultrasound picture of Madelynn (which will be replaced to match the one of us with Jadon).  It was an easy diy project that took very little time. 

The canvas painting was one done my husband's grandmother who passed away a few years ago.  It's a wonderful addition to the room that ties in the whole color scheme.  I look forward to telling Madelynn about her loving and talented great grandmother who painted this.  

Now onto the actual nursery part of the room... 


All of the nursery furniture was the same that we used with Jadon.  It was given to us by a family member in a gently used condition and has served us well so far.  Nursery furniture is so expensive, so we were so grateful to have received this crib, changing table, and dresser set... and will get as much time out of it as possible!  


Above the crib is a vinyl wall decal that I ordered from Etsy.  If you've never perused this online store of anything and everything homemade then you are missing out!  Check it out!  This decal came just as it was pictured, only personalized with Madelynn's name of course.  It took both Andy and I about 20 minutes to get it up on the wall.  We took our time to really be sure it was straight, but even still... don't look too closely!  

As I mentioned a while back in a previous post, the crib bedding came from Target.  It took a lot of searching, but I finally found bedding that (after patiently waiting) ended up being in my price range!  The stuffed animals are two that I had when I was a little girl! 

Now, there are 3 windows in this room, and it gets the morning and most of the afternoon light, so I knew that curtains were essential.  I didn't want to spend a lot though... So I ended up finding some blackout energy-efficient panels from Target that matched the shade of purple I was going with perfectly!  The thing was that I didn't want to buy 2 panels for each window because of the expense.  So, I went with one panel and made my own ties for each one.  I didn't want to block out the 100% of the time, but I wanted it to be easy to tie and untie - no hassle.  So, without giving a whole tutorial, I made the ties out of a receiving blanket that matched the crib bedding.  The best part about them is that even though there is a button sewn on them, the ties actually all velcro together.  Like I said, no hassle at all!   The double curtain rods and sheers were all purchased from The Christmas Tree Shops, so you know they were a good deal! 

Moving to the last part of the room is the changing table area.  The white shelf was one I bought from a yard sale many years ago (just needed a coat of paint and was ready to hang).  The three pictures above were inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, but I definitely put my own spin on it.  

Once again, without getting into a whole tutorial... the frames were purchased from The Christmas Tree Shops for about $4 each.  The rest was all made from my scrapbooking supplies.  I scanned some of the pictures from Madelynn's quilt (the crib bedding) and traced silhouettes of those pictures (a dragronfly, two flowers, and a butterfly) onto the scrapbooking paper and cut them out.  A few decals and some hand-drawn details finished up the project easily.  


It's been fun doing all of these little projects, and I was really happy with all of the results.  I'm glad to just enjoy the room now though.  Ironically, we haven't used the room a ton because Madelynn's sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the time being.  I'm sure she'll enjoy it more once she's completely "moved in"!

Here are a few more pictures of the room...

Jadon has a similar one in his room, so when I found this one on clearance at HomeGoods for $7 I just had to get it!

Also, I already had the mirror (a CTS buy), and the picture frame on the dresser was one that I made.

 

A final shot of my baby girl hanging out in her crib for a few minutes!  Loving her new room!  


~ Carrie ~

Whatever happened to that "to do" list?

Back in January I came up with my master to do list for 2012.  It was lofty... but if you can't be ambitious with a list then what can you be ambitious about?  So, about a month later, I posted an update on how my to do list was coming along.  Then March and April hit annnd... life got really crazy.  Thankfully, we are moving along in the process!  My hubby and I have just been so busy with the list and life that there's been no update!  So here's what's been happening...

Painting

I had these high hopes of getting our entry hall, stairwell, and upstairs hallway painted (the only areas of our home, other than the basement, that we have not painted since moving here 2.5 years ago).  It's bugged me for a long time that as soon as you enter our home you are greeted with white flat paint.  Yuck.  So, at the end of February and beginning of March I convinced the hubby to help me do at least the front hall and up to the top of the stairs.  (Seriously, what decent and intelligent man says no to his 6 month pregnant wife.)

We did it all in pretty much 2 weekends.  I'm thankful to Andy for doing the bulk of it (and making several trips to Home Depot).  We paint well together.  We both do the taping.  I do the trim, he does all the rolling.  

The entry hall walls were painted "sagey" and I don't love it.  I'm not sure how long it will stay this way, but I wasn't about to make my hubby go through me picking another paint... again.  The stairwell walls are a very neutral "cornerstone" that I like.  It really makes a difference and I can't wait until we get the upstairs hall done, too!  Here are a few before and after pictures.  

 

The plan is to eventually make a new rag garland and make or find a new pillow for the bench that will include some of the sage, gold/mustard, and black colors that in the hallway.  For now I'm content enough to call it done and have moved onto the next thing. 

Jadon's Scrapbook

Well, very little progress was made on the scrapbook.  I think I've done 2 more pages since the last update.  But, progress is progress...  No pictures, so you'll have to take me at my word.  The weather has been so nice, who wants to sit inside and scrapbook!

The Nursery 

Well, I'm not really going to give away any new pictures of the actual nursery, but we've made a lot of progress.  I've done some projects and shopping and am very happy with how everything is coming along.  Hopefully by the next "update" I will have tackled the closet... 

After a lot of shopping around (my poor, poor husband), I finally got a crib bedding set that I love!  I had purple in mind for the nursery from the beginning.  I also knew that I didn't want to decorate the room in a way that made it seem too grown up.  It's a little girl's room and I want it to have that feel - pretty, fun, and girly (to contrast the little boy that I have who's current favorite thing to do is play/dig in the dirt... oi).  

Andy (and Jadon) worked on installing double curtain rods (Christmas Tree Shops - $7.99 each).  Cheap screws kind of made the job a hassle, but they are all up and look really nice.  Just don't yank on my curtains...

Here are the curtains that I got.  I really had initially considered making panels myself, but as I have been in that room more and more I've realized it is the sunniest of the 3 bedrooms in our house (particularly the afternoon and late day sun).  That, combined with the fact that since the time change my son has most often been up between 6 and 6:30 am, was enough for me to decide to invest in thermal blackout curtains (as I'm about to do the same for his room which gets the morning sun).  There will be no regrets for me.  I found these (that match pretty perfectly to the crib bedding) at Target for $14.99 each.  One for each window will be enough.  Shortly I'll be tackling a kind of curtain tie project that I'm going to make up as I go along.  (That's always scary... for everyone in our house, so prayers are much appreciated.)

Speaking of projects... here is just a part of a project I was inspired to do from a Pinterest idea I saw.  I definitely went about it a whole lot different, but it was a success and I'm very proud of it.  I'll reveal the entire project and directions on how I did it... eventually.  

Last, but certainly not least, here's a sneak peek at the baby bedding we purchased, as well as the mobile my mom bought to go with it.  This set is from Target.  It was initially more than what I wanted to spend on baby bedding, but... you know me... why pay full price when you can stress and wait impatiently for weeks until it goes on sale at a price you're more comfortable with.   Yup, that's what I did.  So if you follow the link to the Target site, I paid about $20 less, plus had free shipping (it's an online only item).  Normally I worry about getting something like bedding without actually holding it in my hands first, but our Target actually had this set on a display crib in the store, so I checked it all out before purchasing!  


That's about all for an update for now.  Up next on the list is our yard sale, set to happen on Memorial Day weekend.  Hopefully we get rid of a lot of stuff and make a little money.  We have 6 weeks until the due date, so lots to do between now and then!  


~ Carrie ~

Jadon's New Room

I am very excited to say that Jadon’s big boy bedroom is done!  I’m so excited to share with you all that went into this month long process.  (Okay, maybe not all… but I’ll be sharing a lot of the details.)  I didn't really have any good before pictures of his room (I was shocked, but it's true...).  The room was your basic nursery: crib (converted to toddler bed), dresser, changing table, bookshelf, small nightstand, and glider with ottoman.  The space is very tiny, approximately 10x10.  In the end, with bunk beds and all, we actually think the room looks bigger than before!

This room redo obviously had to be a thrifty one, and I think we were pretty successful.  So, after a month of acquiring furniture via family members, thrift stores, and Craigslist; hitting up A.C. Moore with 50% off coupons; scouring the internet for bedding deals; several trips to Home Depot; and a lot of late nights spent painting and crafting we have a little boy’s bedroom that our little boy loves! 

New Furniture

With the exception of his bookcase, every piece of furniture in Jadon’s redone room is new to us.  It was a somewhat eclectic blend of pieces that, through some major refinishing, all amazingly look like they go together.  The bunk beds (that we got from my parents and are the same ones my sister and I slept on) were not refinished, but here are some pics of the other pieces of furniture.

Before & After Pics

 

I found this nightstand at a thrift store in Presque Isle, Maine for $8.  After minimal sanding, a new paint job, and a brushed nickel drawer pull it looks great!

This bookcase had been in Jadon's room as is.  It was a bookcase that belonged to my in-laws originally.  After some sanding and a couple coats of paint it looks like a totally different piece of furniture.

The dresser for Jadon's room is a story that I'll keep brief.  We thought we were getting one for free, but it didn't work out.  So, we stopped at a thrift store in New Hampshire and found this little beauty (sarcasm) for $5.  To be honest, I pretty much looked right past it, but Andy liked it and the price was right.  We weren't sure what to do with it, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized it would probably work for Jadon's dresser.  It had a drawer that was falling apart, and another drawer was missing a big piece, but Andy did a little magic and we ended up with 3 sturdy, good-looking drawers and a shelf at the top.  The 2 baskets hold Jadon's socks and underwear.  New, brushed nickel knobs help to match the piece to the nightstand.  I love it! 

This bench was our CraigsList find.  We realized we were going to have some extra space in the room that really needed... something.  After a couple of days of watching CraigsList for anything that could work, we found this bench for $10 - and get this, it was already blue, almost the same exact shade that we used for the other furniture!  Perfect! 

Walls & Windows

The wall color is the same as before – a super pale, neutral yellow.  I definitely did not want to paint the walls after they were just painted 2 years ago (almost exactly).  I also kept the valances the same because it was easier, cheaper, and they still went with the color scheme in his room.  So, no new changes with his walls (other than the removal of a bunch of scuffs and marks… Thank you, magic eraser!). 

Bedding

The bedding was a big deal for me.  I devoted a lot of time to shopping around, comparing prices, and just worrying about bedding.  I knew what I loved, which was way out of my price range, then I knew what I liked – which was still out of my price range.  (Keep in mind everything had to be multiplied by 2 since we have bunk beds).  So, I played the waiting game.  I kept my eye on what I liked and watched for a really good sale.  Well, the best sale was still not a good enough sale price to fit in my budget, so that didn’t happen.  Then I got looking elsewhere and suddenly found a bedding set (online from Kohl’s) that would work.  I liked it, it was versatile enough to last for a long time, and was still out of my price range.  So, once again, I watched it.  Then, at just the right time, it went on sale, I also had $20 Kohl’s cash, and a coupon code for free shipping!  When it was all said and done, I spent $70 for 2 complete bedding sets (comforter, sheet set, sham, and bed skirt)!  The wait was worth it.  I love getting a great deal!

He loves laying in his new bed!

Wall Art & Accessories

What to put on the walls?  This is always something that I find I mostly have to wait until the furniture is set up and then just kind of feel it.  (This used to drive Andy nuts, but he’s come to learn that this is what I need to do.)  It ended up all coming together really easily.  I re-used a few things that had previously been in his room (simply because I could not bear to part with them yet), made a new wall hanging, and used some vinyl wall decals (LOVE!).  

A few things that were re-used from the nursery: a poem written by my mom with two child's prayers on either side and a shelf with pictures from when Jadon was born, some of his baby Red Sox gear, a baby bank, a ceramic baby bootie, and a musical snow globe given to him by his Great-Grandpa and late Great-Grandma.  Not ready to put any of these things away yet, so they had to find a spot in the room.

I don't consider myself especially creative or especially crafty, although I'm working on both of these things.  I got a little inspired and created this custom wall hanging.  The frame was purchased from the Christmas Tree Shops for $10 (4 - 8x10 frames mounted together).  Check out how I made this from a previous home pick.

Vinyl Wall Decals

Most of the accessories that are in the room he already had - a painted wooden truck that he got from us for his first Christmas (that I painted), the lamp, and the letter blocks that spell his name.  My wonderful mother-in-law gave us a cute truck photo frame that works perfectly in the room.  I bought a little blue canvas bin for some of his toiletry items and a under-bed canvas storage bin for his "next size up" clothes - both bins came from Target.  I also purchased 2 baskets from the Christmas Tree Shops for his dresser for $5 each.  I've seen pennants for kids' rooms in several places online and thought it'd be cute for Jadon's bunks beds - especially since they have not been refinished... ever.  It covers some of the blemishes in the wood.  It was a cheap, simple project that added a lot to the room. 

I found several tutorials on how to make a felt pennant, but ultimately ended up doing my own thing.  I bought my felt, cut the triangles in the size that I wanted, stitched the edge to thread the triangles, and then threaded them with some jute that I already had.  Then I tied it tight to the posts of the beds.  So easy, so fast, so cheap!  Because I had the jute already, it only cost me the price of the felt - less than $2!

The Finished Product

So, drum roll please… here is the finished product.  I’m sooooo happy with it!  And, more importantly, so is Jadon!  Much thanks goes to my hubby for all of his carpentry skills needed with the dresser and installing all the knobs and handles, and yes, he did also pick up a paint brush so I didn’t have to do all of that painting by myself.  In the end, this total room redo (which included multiple pieces of furniture, mattresses, bedding, paint, wall art, accessories, etc.) cost me just over $200.  I’m thrilled with my thriftiness, especially considering we gained an extra place to sleep people in our house.  This is a room that will easily grow with Jadon for the next few years, and the higher priced items (mattresses and bedding) will last even longer.  So that was the road to Jadon's big boy room, and now here is - DONE!

 

~ Carrie ~