Logan's Bedroom- It's Finished

We were working hard to complete Phase 1 of my son's bedroom update before our Family Reunion during July 4th.  Everything was ready for the packed house, except for Logan's bed, we just completed that last night.  So, now I can share the images with you!

My goal was to paint over the pink walls (shown below) that were left over from the previous owner and create a room that my son could grow into and not grow out of.  I chose a medium brown tone that I knew could play up with brightly colored accessories.

Before Photo

I had used these book illustrations in Logan's old nursery and decided to add to them to create a vintage feel over this new bed.  The aluminum picture frames were, also, a holdover from the old nursery (at the old house).

The first thing I did after deciding on the wall color was picking cushions for the bench over the mechanical duct.  I found these great outdoor cushions at Walmart and bought three.  When I took them home I realized that I had about 6 inches of extra cushion, so I jumped on the sewing machine and trimmed one of them down.  I used that one in the middle section to make everything symmetrical and I don't think it's noticeable.  These cushions created my color scheme for the rest of the room as I finished picking accessories and curtains.

I bought the "Go Jump in the Lake" print/distressed board from an online Etsy retailer called Go Jump in the Lake.  We live right by Lake Michigan and I thought the slogan was appropriate.

I found this metal and wood children's desk at the Bethesda Resale Shop, locally, for $3 and we already had the small chair.  I have ideas about painting the globe with chalkboard paint, similar to here.

You can see a close-up shot of the paper lanterns (from Logan's 1st Birthday party here) and the model airplane (from his old nursery here).

My favorite thing about this room was being able to use so many items from the old room and changing everything up with pops of color.  My total expenses for the room ended up being around $150 and that's not too shabby.

Wall Art-Number Theory

I stopped by Hobby Lobby over the weekend, with my son in tow.  We had fun running though the giant store and looking at the random items for sale.  It really is a crafters paradise.  My goal for this trip, however, was to find cheap wall frames for the nursery.  I have a few projects in mind to create some art for the space, but it makes sense to buy the frame first and create later.

I managed to pick up a number of 11x14 aluminum frames with glass, but had to order the pre-cut mats online here (it was actually their Ebay store).  Let me say that I hate how expensive mat board and pre-cut mats are.  I have the tools to cut my own, but it doesn't really save me any money.

Now that I had the vessel, I decided to start the art.  I had a few inspiration photos and I keep seeing fun alphabet and numbers posters everywhere, so I created my own.

I was really happy with how my attempt worked out.  I used a AutoCAD template that I created 3 years ago for my other son's nursery and incorporated it into the piece.  It brings me a bit of nostalgia and ties the rooms together.  I pulled the colors off of the rug that arrived two days ago and created the whole thing in Photoshop.  The hardest part was deciding which fonts to use for the numbers.

Now I Know-It's a Boy!

Now that I know that we are having a boy, I can get serious about the nursery.  I have been anxious to get started, to say the least!  I have been busy revising my idea board for the nursery, but I just keep coming up with more ideas so I really need to get myself in line.  My main concern is making sure items/colors don't clash and that I am doing things in the most cost effective way as possible.  (I'm cheap.)

Here's an example:

I saw this great seller on Etsy, Sylvia Photography Shop, and I got inspired with her photography.  She has this great shot of a Ferris Wheel that I was lusting after, then I realized that my husband took a photo of a wooden roller coaster 6 years ago that could create the same photographic effect. My results are below.

You can see the inspiration here.  My husband clued me into the fact the background uses a bokeh effect.  I manipulated the background and tweaked the photo using Photoshop. I'm going to order a large 20X16 glossy print and frame it to be installed in the new nursery. (Maybe over the rocking chair?)

Homemade Birthday Card

This is months late in posting, but I didn't want to miss sharing my homemade Birthday card for my husband.  I tend to make my own cards for Nathan as I think it lends a personal touch to the celebration.  This year I decided to draw a retro robot; my husband is very mechanically inclined and I thought this would be very fitting for him.  My son really liked the card too and kept trying to hold it and color it before I even got a chance to give it to Nathan. 

My trick for making my own cards is to find a random envelope and cut cardstock  with a fold to fit inside said envelope.  I, then, decorate as desired.  Sometimes I look up photos for inspiration and sketch my design in pencil with a final draft in pen, marker, or colored pencil.  Besides being cheaper than a store-bought card, the recipient know that thought and feeling went into it.  Nathan actually framed one of my cards and hung it next to his work computer.