When we found out we were moving shortly after we learned we were expecting, I was both excited (to get out of South Dakota) and disappointed (that I wouldn't get to nest until after he was born). I could NOT wait to start his nursery when we arrived in Virginia. Of course, this was easier said than done. His room was stuffed full of boxes and boxes of our belongings and here I was 8 months pregnant. I unpacked what I could, left the heavy stuff for Mark, and did what I could to build his crib (Mark eventually had to step in and help). By the time Dominic was born, we had the crib up, but little else was done. So, then I had to work on trying to put a room together while caring for a newborn.
Thank goodness that newborns love to sleep! While Dominic would nap, I would race to his room to finish unpacking, figure out where things should go and plan what would go on his walls. The details for his nursery changed many times, but the overall concept was to make it Nautical/Beach themed to match our new home. The colors we went with were navy blue, bright green and aqua blue and I think they're perfectly matched for a baby boy! I love the way his nursery is coming together--it's very much still a work in progress, because really, is a room ever done?
Without further ado, I present: Dominic's Nursery.
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This first part is between the door to his room and his closet (did I mention he has a walk-in closet...with an arched window? Lucky kid!). You may recognize the chalkboard we used for our (somewhat) weekly "bumpdates". The shelf was one we already owned and previously used to store dvds. Now it houses some of his books and there are baby accessories in the bins (hats, socks, shoes, sunglasses, etc.). The lamp is from Ikea that I got for Christmas years ago. The movers lost one of the legs of the lamp, so I had to cut a dowel rod down to size and paint it silver. You can't even tell unless you look really close! Much cheaper than buying a whole new lamp! The "Oh Buoy" print was a free printable from LostBumblebee Graphics in a Dollar Tree frame. The Virginia teether is a thoughtful gift from my dear friend Kelsey, the frame is from my friend Sara and the Chevron bin is from my friend Megan. Aren't friends amazing?! (The books also came from many of our good friends and family, but I'm not going to go through each one!)
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This chair was purchased by Mark's friend here in Virginia. He and his wife are expecting their first baby in January and bought this chair from a thrift store and painted it white. Then they were given a brand new glider for their nursery and they no longer had a need for this chair--but we did! We gave them $15 for it...I'm calling that a steal! I found the pillow this weekend at Williamsburg Pottery for $12 and the adorable crab toy is from my bestie, Liz. Eventually, I'd like to at least add a seat cushion for the chair to make it more comfortable.
I bought this zig zag shelf years and years ago at Ikea and this is the first time it's actually made it up on a wall. I had to take off one "zag" to get it to fit where I wanted it, but it's up and that's what matters! I put some books here that are more geared towards being bedtime stories. If you went to my baby shower, you also might recognize the alphabet book colored by my friends and family and lovingly put together by Liz. The twinkle twinkle print is, again, a freebie from LostBumblebee Graphics. The frame was a plastic silver frame from the dollar tree that I painted, distressed and hot glued a starfish on to match our sea theme!
I love the simplicity of this section of the room. The canvases are ones I painted myself and I love the way they turned out. The D is a pine monogram that I got for $7 at AC Moore and stained myself. The amazing quilt was handmade from my close friend, Trisha (and it matches perfectly!) The anchor sheets are from my friend, Becky! Eventually, I'd like to add an area rug in front of the crib to add some visual interest and provide some softness to the floor--our carpet isn't really baby-friendly.
This is the part of the room I'm most proud of (besides the dresser that the movers destroyed--notice how it's caved in? Don't worry, we're replacing it as soon as we can, and I won't put Dominic on the changing pad until we do!). Starting from the top left, we have yet another free printable from LostBumblebee Graphics. To the right of that is a greeting card from Trader Joe's that cost 99 cents. It says "A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for." I loved how it matched the nautical theme as well as our colors scheme! Below that is a free print from the Oh So Lovely Blog. The D is for Dominic print was another freebie from thelittleumbrella.com (can you tell I LOVE free printables!?!). The last one is another card from TJ's. It has a fat fisherman saying "hi" and for some reason I thought it was cute and it made me laugh. All the frames are from the dollar store. I painted the one on the top left and the white in the middle. My favorite is the white one because it looks like distressed wood, but it's actually plastic! The bunting banner, I made for free! The crib sheets came in these fabric bags that match the sheets and I knew I was never going to use them, so I cut triangles out and used glue dots to attach them to a piece of twine. Cheap, simple and adorable! The frame on the dresser was on clearance at Kohl's and says "you sailed into our hearts". We filled it with his newborn photos and I think it adds a sentimental touch to the room. Oh, and see the adorable baby Sperry boat shoes? Thanks, Liz!
There you have it! Our nursery on a budget! There are still areas that are empty and need some help. When (or more realistically, if) I get it completely finished, I'll be sure to update!
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