There it is. Baby’s corner. It’s not much but it’ll do for now. {We plan on moving into the Underdog very, very soon…not that everything will be done by then but it’ll be livable.} Due to lack of energy and not wanting to repaint the wall back to white when we move shortly, I decided to leave the flat white wall as is. If it were my permanent home, I think I would have gone for a warm gray wall color.
The 5’x7′ herringbone rug is a cotton flat weave and I love it! The backside of the rug does not have the herringbone pattern. I purchased it about a month ago to put in the boys’ shared bedroom at the Underdog…but until we move I’m using it to define baby’s corner in our bedroom at the apartment. Nothing like stealing stuff from the Underdog to use in the apartment!
The cradle is an antique family heirloom and I slept in it as a newborn. I decided to leave it au naturel and not paint it. I actually quite like the wood tone. A few readers have commented on the crib’s spindles, worried that they might be too far apart. I assure you they are exactly 2 & 3/8″ apart. I measured. Three times. With two different tape measures. FYI – The mandatory safety standard recommends that cradle and crib slats be no more than 2 & 3/8″ apart.
I also caught some flack due to the sheepskin in the cradle. To be honest, it’s just for looks. A mama-in-waiting is allowed to try her hand at some photo styling, isn’t she? The sheepskin and throw pillow will get removed when baby is in the cradle. {Although a supervised newborn photo shoot on the sheepskin could be really cute!} Under the sheepskin is a white sheet and waterproof pad. Please, don’t take my words and images out of context and twist them into some kind of ‘yeah, everybody put sheepskins in your cribs!’ propaganda. THE SHEEPSKIN AND PILLOW ARE JUST FOR LOOKS.
On the floor next to the cradle is a woven basket holding the minimal, gender-neutral baby wardrobe I picked up at Once Upon a Child. I’m waiting to see what baby’s sex is before I buy anything beyond those few gowns, sleepers and onesies. The bag is Amy Butler’s Abina Oversized Tote in her Treasure Box Cinder fabric. I used all of my birthday money several months ago to purchase the bag. It was a total splurge for me. I’m going to use it as a diaper bag. I really wanted a diaper bag that didn’t look like a diaper bag. A bag that I could use beyond the baby years as an overnight or carry-on bag.
Above baby’s cradle I put together a loose arrangement of art and wall decor. I borrowed the canvas art from our living room. It was a purchase from the Underdog’s estate sale last year. I used a 3M Command hook to hang it.
To the left of the canvas art I finally hung Buck Jr. Buck Jr. is a cardboard trophy deer. Handy Hubby got him for me two Christmases ago. Up until this week, he was a set of one dimensional cardboard sheets. The boys and I had a good time punching out his pieces and putting him together. It was really quick and easy. I think he’ll find a permanent home in the boys’ shared bedroom at the Underdog. Until then, this deer will look over our newest dear.
And baby makes 5…
The floating ‘5’ is a metal address number that I picked up at a local home improvement store for $6. It represents how many people our growing family is about to include. Upon seeing the newly decorated baby corner, all HH had to say was “What’s the five all about?” {Obviously, he doesn’t get the whole nesting thing.} When I told him that’s the soon-to-be number of people in our family, he had a moment. A ‘holy crap, you’re right!’ moment. According to our apartment complex’s guidelines, we’re allowed to use small finish nails in the walls without having to repair the holes when we move out. I hung Buck Jr. and the ‘5’ with finish nails so nothing is required of me when they come down.
My favorite part of the lil’ baby corner is the red and coral mobile. It’s just the pop of fun, color and whimsy that I was looking for. I crafted it out of paint stir sticks, an embroidery hoop and paper for $10. A complete how-to coming next week! It’s light enough that I was able to securely suspend it from a 3M Command hook on the ceiling.
So baby’s corner is ready. I think. I have a few won’t-need-’em-right-away baby items {breast pump, cloth diapers, spare cradle sheets, extra changing pads, etc.} stowed away in a wooden trunk elsewhere in our bedroom.
As I mentioned, I spent less than $20 total on items specifically for the temporary nursery setup:
- metal address number ‘5’ – $6 {The Home Depot}
- DIY mobile – $10 {details coming soon!}
TOTAL: $16
All other items we already had on hand or I borrowed them from elsewhere:
- cradle – family heirloom
- sheepskin – IKEA {borrowed from living room}
- gray geometric throw pillow – Etsy {already had on hand}
- woven floor basket – ?? {already had on hand}
- rug – Urban Outfitters {borrowed from the Underdog since we’re not living there yet!}
- Amy Butler tote – Amazon {already had on hand thanks to some birthday money}
- canvas art – estate sale {borrowed from living room}
- Buck Jr. – Cardboard Safari {gift from HH years ago}
Oh, and as you may have noticed, we don’t have a cute baby-in-belly name for our unborn child…we just call him/her ‘baby.’ I don’t know why. We called Layne ‘pumpkin’ and Everett ‘bugaboo’ when they were in my belly. What did/do you guys call your unborn babies?
Congrats to Courtney! She’s this week’s winner of the Miracle Blanket giveaway. Here’s the miracle moment she shared:
| My Dad tells the story of ‘The Miracle of the Pizza’. When I was in elementary school, my parents were barely getting by. We had had dinner that night, but our family of five was still hungry. And there wasn’t much at all to eat. Out of the blue, the phone rang, and it was Papa John’s Pizza. The man on the other end of the phone said they were new to the area and would like to send our family a complimentary pizza to get the word out about them. Within 30 minutes, a large pizza arrived at our door. My Dad has always been loyal to them since that day, and we were all grateful to God that He had used something as crazy as a pizza place to provide for us in a time of true need. |
Mmmmm. Banana peppers & garlic sauce, need I say more? I absolutely love Papa John’s. Even more so now that I know they’re in the business of making miracles.
I had such a great time reading through all your big and little miracles. They made me laugh, tear up, think twice, feel grateful and smile. I think it’s true that we live in a world filled with miracles – we just have to be open and present to see them for what they are!
Here’s hoping you have a miraculous weekend!
images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, giveaway, kid-friendly