WARNING: Picture overloaded post!!! :)
When we found out we were pregnant, I immediately began doing what I'm assuming all expecting moms do first.....looking for baby bedding! You would think with all the research I had done, I would have been ready to purchase as soon as we found out what we were having. Not so I'm afraid! It actually became somewhat a source of stress as there were SOOOO many choices out there. Luckily though, since we were having a boy, that limited our choices big time! I knew that I wanted to incorporate gray, cream, silvery blues and taupe into the scheme but I struggled with not making it too feminine and too grown-up. I wanted the room to evolve but yet I also wanted there to be an element of child-like whimsy as well. 
One of my best sources for inspiration was the most fabulous Project Nursery blog that features many ideas and a room gallery loaded with pictures of real nurseries and nurseries by designers. Love, love, love that site! They also feature party ideas as well so check it out!
I ran across a nursery that was jungle-themed and had a HUGE giraffe in it! I knew this was something that I definitely wanted to have. So I did some searching and found this precious beast of a stuffed animal on Amazon. I showed my mom and then the ideas really started to come together! Shortly after, I found the Glenna Jean crib bedding. Now, I will say that even after the bedding had been delivered and our baby was almost here, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the bedding. Was it too girly??? I mean, there is somewhat of a flower print on some of the fabric. Now that the room is done though, I do love it and am glad I went with it!!!
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| (Clearly the little Asian baby in the frame is not our kiddo!!! Though some have said our babe looks a touch Asian, he gets that from his momma!!) |
It's funny though because the giraffe thing caught on and before I knew it, people were buying me all sorts of giraffe items...stuffed animals, frames, a painting made by a co-worker, giraffe-themed showers, clothes, blankets.....it was getting kinda crazy!!! But so adorable!
We purchased the crib, dresser, and glider/rocker from our local USA Baby. For the most part, they were great to work with. However, we did run into a snag with our crib. Whether it was the manufacturer's fault or USA Baby's fault, I'm not entirely sure, but we ended up being sent the WRONG crib after waiting 12 weeks!!!! Many tears shed, several frantic phone calls, and about 2 weeks later, and we were delivered our perfect crib! Thank GOD!!
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| (Safeside Crib found here: Munire Furniture) |
Fortunately, the dresser was in stock at the store so we were able to take that home as soon as we purchased it!
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| (Legendary Dresser) |
Our chair was ordered and I absolutely LOVE the beautiful cream with the paisley print on it! It has a velour/chamois feel and is so soft and beautiful! And believe it or not, spit-up does NOT show on this fabric!!!! The faux silk drapes and the small side table was purchased from Target. I found the lamp at Wal-Mart.
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| (Swivel Glider/Rocker) |
It's all in the details!!!
I think what really makes this nursery special is all of the little details that I stewed about for weeks upon weeks upon weeks! A lot of thought was put into each piece that went in this room. Since the room is so tiny, we had to be very careful what all we put into this room. For extra storage, we purchased a closetmaid divided shelf organizer and some canvas totes to store toys, etc. and put this in his closet. We bought ours at Wal-Mart because we get a discount there :) but we found the same exact thing at both Target and Home Depot. The canvas totes that were available were just different at each retailer. I also bought baskets for blankets, burp cloths, diapers, nursing pads, etc and put those in his closet as well. These were completely inexpensive and purchased from Wal-Mart.
Fabric hamper from Babies-R-Us.
How could I forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The crown moulding was added by my sweet hubby and stepdad. They did an awesome job and this was Michael's first time doing crown moulding!!
Chocolate pendant light purchased from the Land of Nod. I absolutely LOVE this light fixture! I felt that it kept the room masculine versus adding a chandelier which is what I was originally going for. I don't think this picture does it justice!
Espresso shelves from Home Depot, architectural "M" from Anthropologie, wooden name train from Michael's---painted and stained with love by Grammy and Grandpa Ron!
These gray vinyl letters were one of the first decorative purchases I made for this nursery. I bought it at JoAnn's Fabrics and fell in love with the saying! Unfortunately, this is one item that is proving to be as junky as it was cheap as it has been peeling off the wall from the get-go. Darn it!!
The "ABC" print that is above the baby's dresser/changer is just so adorable. I found this on Etsy at the Sea Urchin Studio's shop. You can find it here. This was given to the baby by his fabulous Aunt Taran!! I'm not a big fan of custom framing because it costs so darn much so I just bought a simple espresso frame 50% off at Michael's in size 20x24 and then had the double mats cut to fit at Hobby Lobby.
Looking back, it is so funny to me now how I stressed so much about creating this perfect space for our little one and now that he is here, I truly realize that it is not about the fabrics or the art or the perfect complementary accessories that make this nursery so perfect to me. It is all about this wonderful new human being that I now get to spend so much time in there with, staring into each other's eyes, talking and singing to, and loving on. I wouldn't change a thing but I do think it is nice to always remember what is most important about creating the "perfect" space!
