Coveting Birds of a Feather Mobile

I am coveting a lot of nursery related items this morning. One large desire is Helen Ing's Birds of a Feather mobile. I truly covet this Mobile, it's wooden, it fits my theme. I am in love. Anxiously waiting a response to shipping to Australia!Available from Ige Design for US$65.00. Image via Out Blush.

9 hours later

I have curtains up. Geeze I am tired now curtains are a surprisingly tiring thing to make. I used gathering tape and bought hooks (which I am using to attach the lining) but the rings that came with the rod are way too thick for the hooks and it didn't sit well. Luckily I had left the ends opened and just threaded it, I'm pretty happy- they are very puffy, but they have 3 pass lining and once I have proper tie backs I think they'll be quite nice.

Cot action

This Silky Oak cot is from 1945, my Grandparents bought it for my uncle & my dad. He then used it for my 2 sisters and I in the 70's. It's next vacation was masquerading as a settee in my parents entryway or a decade or 2 before my 2 little Nephews slept in it. (Excuse the mobile phone picture)



When my sister and her husband inherited it they did a little work on it, replaced the mattress and replaced the stretchy metal base with slats and tightened things up. I am just not sure it's safe enough. Choice has a guide which it does meet. (although only for what Choice calls the 'upper position') I am a little worried about the latch and the top of the cot as a catching hazard. Here's a picture:

I think Simplicity 3795 is pretty good for bedding. I love the box pleated valance out of the dots and will definitely make that and the sheets in the Spring leaves fabric. I think the pillow would be good for a chair in the nursery too.

The rest ranges from optional to strong dislike. I am tempted by the bumper, but probably won't because of safety. If I don't make the BBBB and have fabric left over may make the quilt. But not the net, I hate the flowers too and the round toy thing, don't know what that's about!

Patterns

I have a lot of big dreams for what I want to make for the nursery, I hope I get it all done!

Firstly after seeing this very talented mum's efforts I ordered the Amy Butler Weekender pattern which arrived today! My plan is to make it as a Nappy bag. I love it so, though am terrified of the challenge having read countless blogs and craftster posts telling of it's difficulty.

But I love how it looks, I'm going to use the dots I posted last week with chocolate piping and the leaves as the lining.

Of course I would be incredibly uncool if I didn't have a matching change mat for my nappy bag so enter the Change Mat from McCall's 5339. I intend to make it in the Spring Leaves Fabric with plastic over the seat. Maybe with the dots on the back - I am not sure about that yet though.

I also got enough of the Spring Leaves to make a Pram Liner, but won't do anything about that untill we've chosen and bought the pram.

Painting a tree

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my awe of the gorgeous mural Redmag painted in her nursery. I love the feel of this tree and can't get it out of my mind. Green with tree-envy I set out to recreate it in our nursery.

How to create a Tree Mural

Materials:
An image to paint
Data Projector or other means to 'get the image on the wall'
A pencil, I used a 2B, but with my time over would use a lighter one
An eraser
About 300ML of wall paint - I used a 500 ml tester tub Dulux Smooth Beech
A 5mm and 25mm paint brush
Masking tape
Drop sheets
A breathing mask for fumes if pregnant

Using a data-projector I traced the tree on the wall, there is something divinely devious drawing on a clean wall, it is one of life's untold pleasures to deliberately take a writing instrument to your walls, I highly recommend it.

It was difficult to get it to the right size, the room isn't wide enough for a large enough image straight on. But through some creative tracing and painful arranging of the projector eventually covered it all. I used a 2B pencil to trace it all, I worked left to right, starting at eye level. I soon found I was smudging it with my wrist though, so my time over I would use a lighter pencil than 2B and start at the top left, and try to work down and to the right.

I left it at this point and came back to it another day - your arms are very tired by this point!. I also embarked on a mammoth paint selecting mission. My wonderful Husband was barracking for a strong wood colour while I originally envisaged a neutral tone. After debate of this for some time and collecting every brown paint chip Bunnings had to offer we agreed on smooth beech, a soft tone as I desired and brown for him. I'm quite happy with it now.

Then on my 3rd trip to Bunnings, I left with not just paint chips - but paint! And brushes! I set the room up with old picnic blankets masquerading as drop sheets, masking tape on the skirting boards, a fan and all the windows open.

Then the painting began! Using the smaller brush I started at the top to avoid the smudging issue, I tried to keep my strokes long and even. I generally brushed in from the tips, but found brushing slowly outwards gave a lovely end to the branch. Generally the paint covered the pencil marks, but when it is properly dry I will attempt to wash/erase some marks left from where I went off the plan.

Finally I used the thicker brush to cover the trunk and thicker branches. I used the thin brush again to neaten the edges of the trunk and 'voila - A tree is born!'

I think I will thicken the trunk at the top, I still think the original is better, but I am quite pleased with it, plus it was fun to do!

Fabric

Save for amenity's divine Woods Organic Crib Package at $392 with postage I am struggling to find suitable bedlinen for the cot.

So I have been looking online and in stores for something suitable Retro Depot have some great nature themed and Japanese fabrics which are so lovely, but I wanted something that felt as good as it looks which is hard when shopping online.

Enter yesterday's surprise find:



They are both from Japan - man Japanese design is rocking at the moment. I plan to turn the dots ($14.95/mtr) into the valance and use the 'spring leaves' ($12.95/mtr) for the sheets. I am so excited!

In fact I loved them both so much I indulged my 'to make the theme work I need to keep the fabric constant' thoughts and made a second trip to buy heaps more today.

Murals

When I was a little 80's child my bedroom had Grass-green carpet and 3 giant decals, I have no idea where my parents got them, but my word I loved them, and desperately wanted to find something similar. There was a Zebra which was about my height as a 5 year old, a Giraffe whose head popped above the top bunk and a tree. Unfortunately I can't find a photo of them to share, but trust me in my minds eye that room is cool.

I want to put those feelings into our children's space, but in a modern and stylish way. Wallies products are probably similar to what my parents used, and they do have a woodlands animal pack which is pretty. But neither know of an Australian supplier or feel right

having animals you never see outside a zoo here.

Googling will find endless examples of impressive professional murals like these, but suffer a combination of lack of skill and cash for such an investment. However my Googling did bring me to Redmag's excellent Blog Waiting in the Capital with this gorgeous mural she painted in her nursery. (Check out the adorable toys in her Etsy store, they are awesome.)