Putting together a baby nursery, especially for your first baby, can be a lot of fun, a bit overwhelming at times and potentially costly. For me, I was eager to put my crafty DIY skills to work to save a little money. After completing my baby’s nursery, I received many compliments and figured I share some of what I did to help anyone out who is currently working on a baby nursery or will be in the future. For more longevity, I decided to select colors (cream, taupe and green with pink as the accent color) instead of a character, animal, alphabet theme, etc. Also, I chose many items that will grow with her and that I can get more use out of even once they are no longer a part of her room.
Many people want to personalize their baby’s nursery, but how personal is it really if it has been mass produced, and your child’s name is just inserted in a blank space? Even though I have no aversions towards mass produced items, I decided to do something simple yet different for baby Quinn’s nursery especially since I just could not find what I wanted for wall art.
Canvas Project
I purchased blank white canvases from AC Moore, that were not only on sale but I was able to use a coupon too, acrylic green paint, a few small paint brushes and white wooden letters with her initials. Then I applied thin painters tape to create the stripes. I also did this with a paintable light switch I purchased through Amazon. (click photo to make larger)
Bookcase Gift Wrap
Gift wrapping paper can be used for more than presents. Just take a look at what I did with this bookcase spending just $3 at Home Goods and a little patience with precisely cutting the paper.(click photo to make larger)
Crib with Handcrafted Green Bows
I decided against bumpers because some medical professionals stated that they can be dangerous, but most bumpers have those pretty bows I wanted for Quinn’s crib. So I created my own after watching a few Youtube videos and then used velcro to attach them so that they would not damage the crib. Click the image to not only see the bows better but the stripe canvas wall art and light switch too.
With one of the larger canvases I purchased for under $10, I added some fabric and ribbons diagonally for a few dollars to create a one of a kind photo board over the glider as seen in the photo below. (click photo to make larger)
Fabric Canvas
As an English Professor, I could not resist including something in Quinn’s nursery to provide that solid foundation for reading and writing: the alphabet. So using Adobe Photoshop, (I am sure other programs can be used) I created this wall art at 30 x 40 and sent away for it through easycanvasprints.com at 50% off of course. (click photo to make larger)
Personalized Alphabet Wall Art
Even though I enjoyed designing the nursery and made it a huge production, when Quinn was born, and I excitedly brought her to her nursery, I realized that none of what I did matters to her, at least not yet. But my hope is that she will come to enjoy spending time in her nursery and that it will be a welcoming environment for her. If you have any questions or feedback on what I did for Quinn’s nursery or on any items in the nursery, please let me know. Part of my journey is not only trying to figure this motherhood thing out but helping other mothers (and fathers too) along the way if I can.
All the best,
Tanya
Journey of Anonomz 