Natalie's "Candy-Striped" Nursery

Despite my lack of design knowledge and experience, blogging has inspired me to get out of the "I'm just a stay-at-home mom" rut and put some effort into feathering my nest.

The room I'm sharing today belongs to my older daughter, Natalie, who is three and a half now. Some of these photos are older, so please don't think I make my preschooler sleep in a crib! Her room might not impress a real designer, but my husband and I put a lot of effort into it, and it was definitely a DIY project.

View when you walked in the door "Before" (Technically, this was during "construction," but there wasn't much in there except for a futon, an ugly dresser, and some office-grade blue carpeting that was present when we moved in):

View when you walk in the door "After":

1. Southern Living at Home wall bucket with faux flowers. I probably paid $20 or so for the bucket, and a friend's mom did the arrangement for me.

2. ABC quilt on the wall. Baby shower gift from my grandmother

3. Upholstered child-size rocker. Free. It was mine when I was little, and my mother's before that. I remember reading storybooks in it as a small child.

4. Paint. T did the white base, a friend helped me tape off the striped pattern (green, cream, and pink), and I painted all the rest by myself. Don't ask. Probably $30 in paint because I bought it at Wal-Mart. I remember the paint guy telling me that the colors reminded him of candy stripes. It's held up well for almost 4 years. Close up of stripes:

5. Convertible crib. I wanted a white crib so badly, but T insisted on a solid wood crib and we couldn't find one in white. Little good it did, because Natalie whittled a pattern on all the rails with her teeth when she was teething. $300

5 b. Bedding. Waverly pattern from Babies 'R Us. Being a first-time mom and having nothing better to spend my money on, I wanted everything and the kitchen sink. This pattern didn't come with a kitchen sink, but I did get the bumper, 3 sheet sets, a quilt, and a blanket. $200 for the set.

View of window and closet "Before":

View of window "After":

The window has been replaced since this photo was taken, but this area is pretty much the same these days.

6. Bunny print. $6 at local craft fair.

7. Bought fabric for the roman shade, and a friend did the shade for me. The valance is Waverly. $30 for fabric, $20 for the valance.

8. Glider rocker and matching ottoman. Free. My mom had it sitting in her house. It was pretty beat up and needed new cushions. T spray painted it with a fresh coat of white, and repaired one of the arms. I used the same Waverly fabric and the same friend sewed slip covers and recovered the ottoman for me. I spent many long hours feeding Natalie in that rocker!

9. Three legged round table. $2 at a yard sale. Bought the white cover at Target for $10 or so, and used remnant Waverly fabric as a "runner." Both of the lamps in the room came from Wal-Mart. Approximately $40 for both.

Closet:
10. The dresser was an awful brown wood laminate from my college days. To read how I transformed it into a girlie fleur de lis creation, click here. This project only cost me a few dollars for new knobs because I used leftover paint from the walls.

11. New closet door. $30

View of doorway:

12. Bookshelf from mother-in-law's garage. Free. Was very dirty and dark stained wood. I used leftover wall paint to transform this one too.

This is what's hanging next to the door. I got it when my family visited Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. Each of the pewter castle's rooms features a different fairy tale scene. It has intricate paintings done by hand, and is one of my favorite things. It seemed perfect for a little girl's room. (Edited to add: These are sold all over Germany-in the South, anyways- and each one is different. They also have little pewter scenes from homelife, doctor's offices, the market, families, etc. I had to whine for a week straight to get my dad to buy it for me, but it was worth it. I am a skilled whiner. I call it the Great Whine of '95)

Close up:


Over the book shelf:
Natalie ended up loving Beatrix Potter, and she wore the ruby slippers as Dorothy last Halloween.

View of other wall:

We added the shelf along the top when Natalie was 6 months old or so. T built it himself. Most of the stuffed animals up there were mine when I was little. Around $75

The changing table was around $300. We use it as a dresser now.

This hanger set is Southern Living at Home. Probably paid $20 to $30 for it. My grandmother gave me the baby clothes. They were my mother's, and the little booties were mine.

The magnetic board on the other end of the dresser was a Michaels find for $10. I love the glass knobs. The purse was mine when I was a little girl, and the pointe shoes were also mine.

My sister gave Natalie the beautiful German dress that she got on a trip several years ago. It was too pretty to leave in a closet.

I love the Southern Living at Home tray on the dresser. It matches Natalie's mirror, and we use it to hold all her girlie stuff. Approximately $35 for both.

I found this little bowl stashed away somewhere, and we use it for her little clips.
To see how I made the bow holder hanging on the wall by the door, click here.


Just keepin' it real...this is what her bed looks like after nap time these days:

Out of all the rooms in the house (besides the "New Room"), I've spent the most time decorating this one.

I feel so bad for poor Michaela Byrd...by the time she came, I was just too tired to do anything! In my defense, being pregnant with an active almost-two year old in the house was draining.

It actually worked out well though. I'm not planning on making it "big girl" right now because she and her little sister will be sharing the larger bedroom soon, and I didn't want to make any costly changes. As soon as Michaela Byrd is old enough to sleep in a big girl bed, both girls will be in her room, which will be a blank slate for decorating. Lucky for me, my old day bed and guest room bedding will fit in well in Natalie's current room.

Total approximate cost for the room: $1128

Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for the next Decorating Dilemmas Party here at Serenity Now!! Read about the last party here! Hope to see you there!

Today is DIY day at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land, and Price My Space day over at The Nester's amazing Nesting Place blog. Please also be sure to scroll down for an invite to my next Decorating Dilemmas party! I was hoping to do two separate posts today, but it's been one of those days. The kind of day where at the end of it, you just want to sit and, well, read your way through a blog party. I love a good party, so how could I resist joining in the fun again? It was nerve wracking for me the first time to link up my dinky little rooms alongside rooms of bloggers who use fancy design words like "chaise" and "polyurethane" and "bed-in-a-bag."