I think the nursery is finished!!

I think I have finished the nursery, here is the finished room!

Notice the valance, I didn't follow the Simplicity pattern I posted about last time, it was too small for Boori cots and I ended up making one by just measuring up the cot.

Using starch to make fabric murals on a wall

A while ago I posted about the tree I painted on the nursery wall inspired by this very talented ladies blog. I have been thinking that the tree is a little plain and I remembered this post from ohdeedoh and finally put 2 and 2 together and decided to use starch to add fabric foliage to the tree.

Materials

Fabric to attach to the wall
Scissors

1 can of spray starch or liquid starch

1 sponge, or I used a facewasher

Start by cutting the shapes you plan on attaching to the wall, I didn't bother edging them, once attached they don't seem to be prone to fraying.

Next make sure the wall is clean and dry, and the process for attaching them is really easy, first spray the starch on the wall, so it is damp.

Next place your fabric on the wall and smooth out, make sure it is all saturated. Remove any air bubbles it may have, though as it dry's I found a few returned.

Finally use the cloth or sponge to dab up any excess starch.

Once finished run your cloth or sponge under some water and clean up any starch marks. They dried in about 3 hours and they also just pull off.

Nappy storage

I don't like nappy boxes, well I specifically don't like Huggies Nappy boxes because I am not a fan of Winnie the Pooh. I saw these storage baskets by JcarolineCreative and thought they were the perfect soultion.

Here is my rendition:

I made a few modifications, firstly I didn't bother with the label. Also Timtex is sadly no longer available in Australia and we don't have a suitable substitute so I have used a stiff interfacing, but it really pales in comparison and it is floppy when empty unfortunately. Finally I changed the dimensions to hold a large box of Huggies Nappies perfectly. I also cut up a Huggies box for a for the base rather than buying plastic for the base considering I see it moving very little in it's life.

It was a pretty easy and cheap project, it took about 4 hours and only 60cm at 112 wide for each of fabric, interfacing and lining which came to $25. I intend to make a second which I don't think will cause me too many headaches. But I am not sure if I need to have 216 Nappies at my finger tips at any one time really, but I am sure it will come in handy for storing some kind of baby related gear.

Now for some action shots... note the change table too, it is the Cariboo Classic which I am in love with.

Bird Mobile

I have been admiring Spool's Bird Mobile for some time, and have had it on my list of things to make for the baby. Ohdeedoh posted about a black, red & white version which is genius as these are the colours are high contrast and offer the most development before 6 months.

This was all the inspiration I needed to get started and here it is:

The birds are very easy to sew, I cut and sewed them in an afternoon. The original describes hand sewing which I think it unnecessary and to be honest I doubt the birds would look as good. You only need about 15 cm of each fabric.

I gathered the sticks from a Jacaranda tree in the backyard and I spray painted them black. At first I tried jewellery wire but it was too stiff so changed to fishing wire at my hubbies suggestion which sits much much better.

I needed his help balancing it too, a few blogs describe it as difficult and it is. I managed by working upwards, first sewing the bottom bird on and attaching him through his head. Then I looped a fair cotton through the tail of the next levels birds and arranged them to balance. The other method I tried was a little easier, but I don't think the results were as good was to just assemble to twig as I wanted then found it's balance point.

The whole project took a few nights and and afternoon.

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.

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.)

Inspiration

Picking a nursery theme is difficult. I have never been one for theme's in general and picking one for someone who doesn't exist yet seems strange. What we do have to take inspiration from though is the room itself.

The carpet is very neutral and the walls are a neural yellow, which is throughout the house. It's Dulux Cowardly Custard, but doesn't appear this yellow in real life. There are no curtains or blinds on the french doors which we'll have to fix- especially as the morning sun hits them the room gets quite hot. The window has nice wooden blinds though - cord tidy absent.

What I love about this room is the view, our block is very steep and our and our neighbours yards are very densely green (code for overgrown) which is lovely. The green attracts so many birds the back of the house has a lovely natural feel. Hence we've decided to build on this and have a very natural forest-esk theme.