Because of my past phobia, I can understand how people get scared away by the process and end up with white walls. After all, where do you start? Is it really necessary to have fifty different shades of gray (and no, I’m not referring to the ever-popular book everyone is talking about)? I used to get lost somewhere between charcoal and smoke and would end up landing in the safe space of beige. So here is the question, how do you overcome your fear of using color? Meet My Colortopia!

My Colortopia is a website that was created by the folks at Glidden Paint to help make the process of adding color to your life easy and fun. Now I have to be honest, during my first introduction to the site, I had my guard up. I’ve tried many “Pick Your Color” tools, but I’ve always landed back at square one. This time it was different. They have a Design Team blogging and answering questions—REAL people to answer REAL questions! Their “My Image Inspiration” tool is a great starting point.

If you have an image or an object that you want to base the room around, you can upload it to the site, and the tool will automatically generate a color palette for you—genius, right? This is a great solution for moms looking for the right color scheme to fit their nursery. This will help give you the power to discover the nursery color that you and your baby will love with Baby Room Colors from Glidden® Paint, as seen in What to Expect When You’re Expecting (only in theaters).

You can also use My Colortopia to select a color based on your personality, your baby and your design sense by using “My Baby’s Place.” Answer the questions below to uncover your color scheme. We’d love to hear what color palette your personality revealed, so let us know in a comment below.

This post has been sponsored by Glidden brand paint, but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

We get asked all the time for color recommendations on paint to match our different bedding sets, so I thought I’d share with all of our lovely Project Nursery readers my top picks on the most popular paint colors for the nursery. These colors from Sherwin Williams are my tried-and-true, favorite picks—what you see is what you get! (But remember, colors read differently on computer monitors—so still take the time to see the color card in person!)

If you are having trouble visualizing the color on your walls, Sherwin Williams has the coolest interactive program on their website, where you can easily upload a picture of your room and drop in different color options to see what they might look like! Just for fun, try some crazy color combos—you just might like what you see!

TIP: Looking for a unique custom color? A lot of paint shops will digitize the perfect color match for you. Just bring in a fabric swatch or something with the shade you are looking for, and let their computers do the picking!

Happy painting everyone! And if you have a favorite color that you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear about it!

Just for fun we’ve created two design boards to get you excited. They showcase our top picks for both the boy and girl “Eco-Chic” styled nursery. The details of each room can found on GILT’s little inspiration’s blog.

The Ultimate Eco-Chic Nursery: Girl’s Room

The Ultimate Eco-Chic Nursery: Boy’s Room

Check it out on GILT to score these amazing brands at super amazing prices, and tell us what you think!

The furniture is ordered, the bedding is picked and the paint colors are set! I’ll be sharing the design process as it unfolds, but I wanted to first give you an inside peek at the chevron walls I painted this past weekend. I can’t stop staring at them!

If you are planning a zigzag accent wall or even looking to update another room in the house (I think chevron would be cool in the kitchen), here’s my step-by-step process of painting the chevron design in one day!

1. First, assemble your tools. I used a yardstick, pencil, blue painting tape (2 rolls), a level and a ladder. Our ceilings are 9′ in the nursery, but if you have lower ceilings, you might be able to get away with a step stool.

2. Decide how big you want your chevron to be. (And how much taping off you want to tackle!) I wanted it to be big and bold, and since I didn’t have to paint the wall behind the chevron, I wanted the stripes to be equal thickness. I recommend starting at the top; that way the points are all even along your ceiling, and if it gets crooked as you go, it’s almost like an optical illusion—no one will ever know! I started the tape in the top left corner, I eyeballed the angle I wanted the chevron, and the distance I wanted it to stretch. Holding the tape at either end, I placed it on the wall and used that as my guide for measuring.

2. Keep it straight and even! To keep all the angles the same, I measured from the corner of the wall to the top of the first point and then doubled that measurement to mark where the second tape (going down) would hit. I continued the same measuring points method the entire way across the wall, giving me equal distance from one to another. I came short at the very end (you can see where it starts a new zig or zag on the right side), but I actually like how it turned out not so perfect!

3. Connect the Dots. Once I had the top row complete, the rest were so much more simple! From each point, I measured 8″ down and marked the wall with pencil. You can use your level alongside your yardstick to make sure your lines are straight, and then it’s like connecting the dots with your tape!

4. Keep the corners sharp! Don’t forget to fold the corners of the tape at the points to give it a seamless look.

5. Roll on the paint. Once the entire wall was taped off, I took a small roller brush and painted on the color. When painting with tape, try not to put as much paint on the roller. You don’t want it sneaking under the tape, and it takes less time to apply two coats of light paint then to go back after you take the tape off and make straight lines on the entire wall (a lesson I learned painting stripes in my son’s room).

6. The reveal! Here comes the fun part—as soon as the paint dries, slowly pull the tape off. If there are any parts where the paint did sneak through, just take a small craft brush and smooth out the lines by hand.

So there it is! My daughter’s peachy-pink chevron walls. I think it turned out pretty fabulous, and for the three other walls, I used a light shade of teal. I can’t wait to see how this nursery evolves.

Now, if the next twenty weeks of pregnancy can go by as quickly and easily as this wall was to paint!

image from Mom’s Crafty Space

Sugar-filled pops of color inspire a fun and imaginative nursery palette. Mixed-up colors make up the perfect childhood story.

Confetti-topped cupcakes in soft muted colors are like icing to room decor—a sweet reminder that the simple things in life are often the best.

image from Somewhere Splendid

Sugar fun in a rainbow of colors adds personality to any child’s room—handfuls of mixed-up eclectic finds, perfectly matched to create a one-of-a-kind room.

image by sophia-o

Just like you choose your favorite candy, choosing your favorite elements for a room can be as easy. Find inspiration in your favorite sugary delight.

All room images from The Well-Dressed Home by Annette Tatum
Paint colors from Annette Tatum Interior Paint

1. Hardware that could be removed
2. Good surface condition (less sanding involved)
3. Well constructed (this one has dove-tailed drawers)

First, I removed the drawers from the body of the dresser, and then I removed the hardware. I used a white gloss spray paint for metal surfaces for the handles. I then primed, lightly sanded and re-primed the dresser body and drawers. Once that dried, I applied a first coat of spray paint (Valspar – Avocado Green). If you end up with any drips or uneven coverage, lightly sand with very fine grit sandpaper. Wipe off any dust before applying your next layer of paint. Repeat these steps until your piece is entirely covered. Once the final coat of paint was dry, I applied a layer of gloss polyureathane as a top coat to help protect the surface.

Here is the before…

The during…

 The after!

Do you have a piece of furniture you’ve painted for your child’s room or any DIY tips that you want to share? We want to hear all about it!

Annette Tatum Interior Paint

I love when color choices really transform a room. This palette of grey, blues and white offset the crisp, modern edge to this child’s room.

Image from Elements of Style

Here the playful side of blue becomes a bold yet soothing choice for this baby’s room.

Image from House of Turquoise

Childlike and fresh, coral also offers a twist of color from traditional pink.

Image from Inspiration for Decoration

Clean and all boy, it works every time.

Image from Diary of a Yummy Mummy

Have fun with color. One of the easiest ways to transform a room with minimal cost is to paint. Sample your favorite color for any room in your house.

Painting the trim in a room is an easy way to add a visual punch of color without overwhelming the room in one shade. It is unexpected and dramatic. I have used this technique in two rooms so far (pictured above & below).

The designers of Ingrao, Inc. also used the same concept in the girl’s room pictured below. Personally, I think that it works best when the walls and ceiling are white.

The concept also works in adult bedrooms.

Here’s a more subdued version in a boy’s nursery (via Babble).

I personally love the look of black, especially on windows.

Now, the only drawback is that this is a commitment since trim should be painted in a high gloss which is not as easy to paint over. What do you think?

I wanted to make the art above Brandt’s bed, and I wanted to frame at least a 16×20 print. When you start to get into larger sized frames, it can end up being quite an expense. A great alternative to a large fancy frame was to pick up this poster frame from Target that came with a pre-cut mat for $19.99. The only problem was that it only came in black. This is where I turned to my trusted friend Mr. Rust-Oleum for a little assistance. In a few quick minutes, this frame went from store-bought black to a colorful, custom DIY project. Do you love spray paint as much as I do? Share your project ideas with us or any helpful tips!

This isn’t the exact frame…but pretty close!

Want to create a nursery that says “wow, pop, bam?” Go bold, go red! Here are a few pieces that will kick off your design process in this fiery hue.

1. Room & Board Vintage Toy Blocks Wall Art 2. Currey-and-Company Carousel Lantern found at Layla Grayce 3. Pottery Barn Kids Madison 4-Shelf Bookrack 4. Offi Side table 5. Striped paint inspiration as seen on DecorPad 6. Engine 27, Firefighter Crib Bedding by NoJo 7.  Pottery Barn Kids Boys’ Capel Rectangle Rug 8. Moda Crib 9. OiOi Ikat Diaper Bag Tote found at Polkadot Peacock 10. Eames Molded Rocker