Description
This is our daughter's Madison's nursery! We moved to Norway when I was eight weeks pregnant. It was cold and rainy over the winter so I threw myself into different DIY projects to make the perfect nursery.
Design Inspiration
I've always loved black and pink and the damask pattern so when we found out we were having a baby girl I ran with it! It combines some DIY crafts and special pieces from family members.
Decorating Style
Hmmm... is a lack of decorating style a style? I'm a visual person so when I get an idea in mind I usually search Pinterest and blogs to see something similar for inspiration.
Project Details
DIY Crafts:
Name: I bought picture frames, wooden letters, and scrapbook paper. I mod podged the paper onto each letter and then mounted them in the frames. I love how it turned out!
Basket liners: I sewed these myself, which sounds really easy, except that these Ikea baskets are wider at the top than the bottom. There's some extra fabric inside, but I think it hides well when the baskets have items in them. :-)
Crib mobile: I couldn't find one I liked so I decided to make one! I found a used mobile that was simple and cheap. I removed the old materials and sewed different shapes and sleeves onto them.
Burp cloths and paci clips: I used cloth diapers and a variety of fabrics to create coordinating burp cloths and paci clips.
All of the above crafts can be seen here.
Hair accessory holder: I saw a similar one on Pinterest and ran with the idea. It was a little bit challenging finding everything I needed in Norway (and four times more expensive!), but it was worth it! This is such a cute way to display her slightly-over-the-top collection of headbands. You can read the DIY tips about it here.
Footprints: I loved the idea of giving our family Madi's footprints as a memorable (and cheap!) Christmas gift. I had a friend who paints add her name and birthdate on it and made an extra for her nursery. :-)
Birth box: I have a DIY onesie obsession using iron-on materials. I've found this to be the easiest way to make holiday onesies in a country that doesn't have Carter's or all the same holidays!! I bought a shadow box and kept the birth card on her bassinet in the hospital and her identification bands. I pinned everything onto the back of the shadow box and put a sheet of scrapbook paper beneath it.
Favorite Items
Hmm... this is a tough one. I would say my favorite item is her collection of cards. It was hard to say goodbye to so many friends and family, especially after finding out we were expecting. We were blessed to come back to the States and visit everyone and have a baby shower before Madi was born. The cards are just a small reminder of just how loved Madi is and how blessed we are by the family and friends who have always been there for us.
Advice
As an engineer, I am a planner and a visual person. I am also my own worst critic. My advice is to research a lot of ideas (colors, layouts, DIY projects, etc), find things you like, and put them together in a Word or Illustrator document. Planning things out and visually looking at them on paper (or the monitor ;-) ) makes it easier for me to see things come together.