When it comes to designing, nothing completes a room like the perfect area rug. When selecting a rug, you want to keep two key elements in mind—what fits with the style of your room and what’s going to be best for baby. Because your little one is going to be spending a lot of “tummy time” on the piece that you select, you want to make sure you find something that is safe, comfortable and can hold up against the wear and tear of having kids. Mohawk Flooring has it all covered. One Project Nursery reader will win a 6×9 SmartStrand Silk Bound Carpet in Sequoyah Dusk.

Mohawk’s SmartStrand Silk with DuPont Sorona premium soft carpet not only looks fabulous but is kid-proof too. Its built-in stain protector keeps your carpet safe from the everyday accidents that can happen with kids. Have a juice spill or dealing with spit-up? Just add a little water, soap and elbow grease, and your rug will be as good as new.

The Sequoyah Dusk color swatch is below.

This is one room accessory that can hold up to any active toddler or busy baby!

WIN IT! One Project Nursery reader will win a 6×9 Smart Strand Silk Bound Carpet Rug in Sequoyah Dusk, a $500 value! (restricted to US residents only).

Tori Swaim, creator of New Arrivals, Inc. is back sharing another guest post with us all. Today’s post focuses on getting a gorgeous nursery while staying on a budget. Thanks for sharing with us, Tori!

For our recent photo shoot, we created our room shots by accessorizing with items from budget-friendly stores. We were we amazed at the adorable items we were able to find at reasonable prices. Awesome deals can be found for picture frames, lamps, rugs, decorative accessories and more. It may take a little hunting, but it’s worth the time and effort for the money that can be saved when you’re creating a nursery on a budget.

New Arrivals Wheat Penelope Crib Set, Lamp $30, Throw Pillow $25, Basket $20 and Chevron Rug $20 from Homegoods

Some tips on creating a beautiful nursery on a budget:

1. Determine your budget up front. Just like with a wedding, crazy spending on a new nursery is easy to do. If you establish a budget up front, it will be easier to stick to it and stop yourself before going overboard.

2. Start planning and shopping for the nursery early. The earlier you start, the better chance you will have finding the perfect items at the best prices. You won’t feel rushed and be tempted to overspend.

3. Garage sales, secondhand stores, Craigslist or eBay are excellent sources for gently used items such as chairs, changing tables, dressers and more. However, be careful of used cribs, as drop-sided models are no longer approved by the CPSC and can be unsafe.

New Arrivals Full Moon Crib Set, Shade and Lamp $63, Yarn Wrapped Animals $15 each and Accent Table $70 from Target, Shag Rug $17 from Homegoods

4. Make sure you sign up for emails from your favorite stores and websites, so you will be notified of sales and promotions.

5. Shop budget-friendly stores for accessory items: Target, Homegoods, IKEA, Marshalls, TJMaxx, etc.

6. Painting or stenciling can be time consuming but easy and inexpensive. There are lots of ideas in the Project Nursery gallery.

New Arrivals Pink Penelope Crib Set, Accent Table $70 and Round Madras Avery Basket $50 from World Market

7. Make a changing table out of the top of your nursery dresser by adding a changing pad on the top. This idea will save you money and space. When you are done with changing diapers, you can remove the pad, and voila, you have your dresser top back!

8. Pinterest is a great source for inexpensive nursery DIY projects: painting, sewing, storage, handmade mobiles and more!

9. Frequent antique shops and estate sales to find vintage frames, accent décor and furniture pieces. Repaint items to match your nursery to create an adorable vintage nursery!

New Arrivals Cobalt Moon Crib Set, Lamp and Shade $30 from Homegoods, Jute Rug $35 and Accent Table $59 from Target, Bedford Crib $399 from Sorelle Furniture

What methods did you use to save money while designing your nursery on a budget?

We’re thrilled to be heading to Los Angeles on May 5th to help kick off Pregnancy Awareness Month. This is one organization our expecting parent community needs to know about!

PAM was created to empower pregnant women and new families with information, “how-to” ideas and inspiration. PAM’s four key initiatives—education, exercise, nutrition and wellness and nurture—show parents how easy it can be to make healthy changes in their lives for themselves and their children.

This event is extra special as Project Nursery is teaming up with Savvy Sassy Moms and Right Start in this year’s booth, which will highlight the nursery and giveaway 10 Nursery Design Consultations! You must register for the PAM kick-off event to enter, and admission is FREE! Winners will be selected at random and notified by email with their time slot for a 15-minute nursery design consultation with myself or Pam. Winners will be asked to bring in any pictures or inspiration and will walk away with a visual guide and resources to help make your nursery dreams come to life.

Be sure to check out a few of our most popular nursery design tips over on the Pregnancy Awareness Month blog and follow along on our Pregnancy Awareness Month Pinterest Board where we will be pinning our design consultations live at the big event!

We can’t wait to see you there! xo, Melisa & Pam

Yes, it’s true! Project Nursery is happy to announce that baby store, NessaLee Baby, is launching a second location in Livingston, New Jersey. The original store, in Freehold, NJ, has been an excellent retail resource for new and expecting parents for years. Now this modern, on-trend store is coming north, to the delight of suburban parents in the area AND those New York City parents whose trek just got a lot shorter.

 You will not want to miss the Grand Opening on Sunday, April 28th, from 12 – 5 pm, as Project Nursery’s Co-Founder Melisa Fluhr will be joining the party. Better yet, Melisa will be organizing individual design consult sessions for customers who register in advance. Bring in photos of your nursery space, fabric swatches or just your ideas, and receive a 15-minute custom strategy session on transforming your individual space. Using Pinterest, Melisa will create an individual pinboard of her suggestions of furniture, color options and accents tailored to your own personal style. These appointments are available between 12 – 5 pm. Don’t miss a chance to experience NessaLee Baby’s new store and get a personalized meeting with Project Nursery—sign up here!

Today Melisa is reviewing a couple products from ZoLi, including a worry-free baby nail trimmer, on Project Nursery’s YouTube Channel.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We look forward to bringing you new content every week.

Upload your projects to ProjectNursery.com and who knows? We might feature you on our blog or in our videos!

Thanks for watching!

The results are in, and we have a new weekly favorite! This nursery is serene and calm but with the perfect pop of color in those gorgeous curtains. The animal theme is also beautifully weaved through in a delicate, subtle way with those prints on the wall and,  of course, that adorable dog. Nice job!

Jaxon’s Baby Animal Nursery by TheLovelyBits
Click Here for More Photos and Details

Want to be one of our Nurseries and Parties We Love? Upload your project to our gallery, and on Friday, the Project Nursery team will select the top projects. Then it’s up to you all to let us know which room or party you “like” best.