Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Nursery!

Lots of new moms with a baby on they way go all out with cute outfits and shoes and whatnot, especially if they're having a girl...but I'm not huge into clothes shopping or playing dress-up.  What I like is decorating...so decorating I did!  I've been waiting a looooong to be able to decorate a kids room!  All the color and toys and childish things!  And I don't have to worry about a room being to masculine or too feminine and I certainly don't worry about it being too cluttered.  While there are still some things we need to work on, this is what the room looks like right now!

Here's the before picture of the room when we first moved in.  Last year we ripped out the carpet and pulled up the luan to expose the pine floor boards, which I stained dark dark brown to match the hallway floor and staircase.  We also painted the room a light blue with a gallon of oops paint from the dining room (it was a little too childish for the dining room, but perfect for a kids room, no matter the gender).  I got the acrylic chandelier new in the box from a garage sale here in town...only 20 bucks! 

Almost everything in the room is old and virtually all the toys and things are things that I've been collecting for years.  I had boxes of vintage toys in the basement and finally pulling them out and putting everything out was so thrilling!

The dresser/changing table was part of my mom's bedroom set when she was a kid.  The old iron crib I got at an estate sale for $25.  Ben tested it for lead and it was negative...phew!  There's a vintage wooden crib in the closet that Ben bought for ten bucks as a backup.  We might put that in the studio. 

We got this cubby shelf at a yard sale and I painted it a yellowy cream (it took forever to get all of those boxes!).  Perfect for displaying lots of toys and things!

Ben and I bought this dresser at a thrift store right before we moved from Boston.  It's been floating around since then, not really finding a good place to settle down until now.  Any little girl of mine needs her own china cabinet!  :)

Most of these prints are postcards I bought out west during our vacation.  They fit easily into my suit case and I framed them in vintage frames when we got home (I snag frames wherever I can and have a constantly evolving stash in the basement).  The frog and bunny oil painting I did a loooong time ago when Ben and I were first together.

I also brought these back from our trip out west.  They were a buck each in San Francisco's China Town.  They make a nice mobile of sorts.

Some of these toys were mine when I was a kid, but most have been collected over the years and have been waiting patiently for a child to come along. 



We bought this antique rocking chair on Craigslist for 60 bucks and swung by JoAnn's afterwards for some new fabric and a little extra foam padding.  We got home that night at 9 pm after running all our errands and I didn't want to wait to start on the chair, so I started taking it apart right then while Ben was watching a movie in the living room.  It was going so well that I didn't want to stop, even after Ben went up to bed after midnight.  I stayed up until it was done...at 4 am!  It needed some structural repair and lots of staples to remove...but I got it done.  Not bad for my first ever reupholstery job!  There was no sewing involved...so that's why it came out well!  lol

 I always forget to take before photos...but here's a "during" photo.

I'm a sucker for china cabinets and typer's drawers both, so my daughter needs her own drawer as well.  Who doesn't love knick knacks!

 Super sweet old toys that have already been tested out a approved by nieces and other relative children. 

The science posters again came from out west...I just added the wood edging to make them look like they should hang in a class room.

Sophie lays in the crib every opportunity she gets...a big no no!!

One kitty is from childhood.  One kitty is from my teens. One kitty is from my 20's.  I'll be turning (gulp) 30 in a couple of weeks.  I'll need to find a new kitty for that decade!  :)

My mom bought me this adorable little kid desk a couple of years ago at an antique fair.  It needs a bit of work before it can be put to use (mostly a scraping and some coats of poly), but baby won't be sitting up for a while, let alone doing schoolwork...so I've got some time.  :)

My mom painted me this picture of her and I several years ago and it's extra special to me now that I'm having a daughter of my own.

More toy shots!



 I hope you enjoyed this tour of baby's room!  Hopefully you'll see lots of more of it in the future as she grows!  :)

12 comments:

AquaMarine Queen said...

I have been waiting for this post! I LOVE the baby's special place - she's already a lucky little one. So nice to see some swap items in there :0)

Kathy said...

This room is adorable and she is going to be one lucky little princess!

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

i love it! such a great baby room, full of all the stuff i love! that old crib is so cool! and the big shelf full of toys! thanks for sharing!

laurie -magpie ethel said...

Dang that turned out darling. Makes me want to have another baby to decorate a nursery! Love the little lamb(?)on the dresser. Great job Crystal..now we just need the little gal to make it complete.

Jenny Slingerland said...

Sooo darling. You are so talented@

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage said...

It's darling and so you! I love the science posters!
Yes...what a lucky little girl!
Erica :)

Jessica Burko said...

Oh my goodness!!!! So exciting!! Congratulations you guys! You are going to be amazing parents and your little girl is the luckiest. Sending lots of love from Boston.

Unknown said...

Your Daughter is precious and the room is fabulous! The yellow mini desk looks like it has lead paint so be sure to wear a mask if you scrape away :) hugs! Sandy

Vintage by Crystal said...

I'm so glad you all like the Nursery! And thank you all for your warm comments. :) It was so much fun to put this room together and I can't wait to see how it evolves over the years. Can't wait to add our little girl as the most important finishing touch. :)

JillSimpson said...

Crystal, This room is so enchanting! And so personal. I can just tell it's going to be a magical kingdom for your daughter to grow up in! So much thought and charm put into it. Fo

Lisa W. said...

It looks like Sophie approves ! You have done a beautiful job on the room ! That little girl is in for a treat !

Anonymous said...

It's sooooo refreshing to see a baby's room that isn't done up in matching furniture and all the latest trappings. You've made it so special without buying unnecessary things that will be outgrown in no time - quite the opposite, as everything you have can be grown into!! Please be very cautious with that lovely vintage crib with bars that aren't quite close enough - I know you'll never leave your precious baby unattended in it!
From an old lady in Pennsylvania whose three babies were born and raised in Brooklyn in the 60's.