Nursery Chair

Several months ago I visited my mom and sister while they were having a yard sale, just to visit and of course bring some Starbucks. Cant get through a yard sale without some good ol' Starbucks. Of course whenever you are near a yard sale you just cant help but look around. Well hidden in the back corner of the drive way was an old upholstered chair my mom had had in storage for years. It wasn't much to look at just your ordinary old velvet chair, but as soon as I sat in it I knew I had to have it. It is so comfortable!! So my mom was generous enough to give it to me, and my husband was sweet enough to come and pick it up in his truck, and home it went!

 

Now I've never reupholstered a chair like this before. Sure I've done my fair share of dining room chair cushions and even helped make some slipcovers (story here) but never a project this big. I will now be the first to admit I went into this project totally naïve! I looked online for some tutorials and they made it sound like a piece of cake. Maybe their chairs were easier, or maybe they had more experience but, naturally, my chair wasn't really like the chairs on any tutorial. So a lot of guess work took place let me tell ya.

 

 

Here is the chair before I started...

 

 

Not bad, just a little dated. So I started snapping pictures from every angle, as the tutorial suggested I do. This step was supposed to be a reference of where everything goes, and how it was all put together. But I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the stuff that matters. Something you would only know if you had done this before.

 

 

 

 

 

Since I didn't know the gender of the baby when I started this chair, I just decided to go with a really neutral fabric. I hope it doesn't get too stained up, and I do plan to throw a cute blanket over it to try and help protect it some.

 

Here is the finished result....

 

 

 Thank goodness babies don't know what straight seams are and don't love you any less if you aren't a top seamstress!! One thing you can't see in this picture is the row of bronze nail head trim that goes down the side of the arms, which adds a little bit more personality.

 

The one thing that did stay intact through this whole project is the comfort of this chair. Which is fantastic because I envision myself spending many a night rocking our little boy in this chair, or reading him bed time stories.

 

Here is a side by side...

 

 

I'm just so relieved that this project is finally done and I can move onto the more exciting projects like dying onsies and making cute bow ties. ;)

 

Nursery Ideas

I know it has been forever since I've written here on the blog, and I'm sorry 'bout that :) I've been a little bit busy over the last few months, but I thought I would stop by and share just a few of the million ideas that are floating around my head. As you all know by now we are expecting a baby boy this October of 2013!! We could not be more thrilled to start this new adventure in our lives, and I am made more and more thankful of who I get to go on this adventure with. My husband has been so sweet and caring since I got pregnant. I'm talking foot rubs, back rubs, bringing me food and water etc. Everyday he talks to my belly, telling him "stay in there until its time to come out, OK?" and "be good to your mommy today." I couldn't ask for more!

 

So now that there is a baby on the way, my brain is in nursery planning overload! I used to think, back before I was pregnant, how fun it would be to plan a nursery. I mean, You get to redecorate a room from scratch, putting in it only what you love not just working with all the junk you've collected around your house. It can be your own personal retreat from the rest of the world, a place for just you and your baby to love. While it is still those things, I never realized until now how overwhelming that all can be. Its not easy for me to create a room from scratch. To go through a store and only buy what I love not just what is cheap :) Especially when it comes to a boy space. I have a tendency to decorate on the feminine side as it is. And in case you haven't noticed, the market on boy things is ridiculously small and mostly outdated. That includes everything from clothes to nursery décor. I guess if your into poorly drawn alligators or Winnie the Pooh your set, but as for the rest of us we just have to figure something else out ;)

 

So I decided to break it down for myself, starting with the things I don't like so I would know not to include those in the space. (that might sound like a pretty obvious thing to others, but what can I say I'm a sucker for anything with a clearance sticker) I knew I didn't want to include anything too babyish, no baby blues or yellows, no jungle animals or reptiles, etc. I also wanted it to be a pretty neutral space because I wanted to keep the guest bed in the room. So with all those things in mind I went to Pinterest. Now comes the fun part with all the cute pictures....

 

Of course there is the crib. I've known for years I wanted this crib whether it was a boy or a girl... 

 As soon as I saw the walls in these pictures, I knew I wanted to do a really light, sunny grey and of course have my usual abundance of white furniture.

 

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Since I wanted the nursery to be a space that would grow with our son and be neutral enough that our guests didn't feel like they were sleeping in Baby's R Us, I decided it would be a good idea to add a lot of neutral wood elements like this...

 

As soon as I saw this rustic frame I knew I wanted it to be full of pictures of people that love him. Friends and family that will be a big part in his life.

 

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I also wanted a cute way to store all those random toys that will eventually be scattered around the house. These crates can work not only in the nursery but be dragged out to the living room as well.

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I want to make a wooden growth chart that can be taken with us if we move.

 

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So that's where I'm at right now. I've got a good amount to start with, and of course my usual list of DIY projects. As soon as I finish reupholstering the chair for the nursery (Ill share that project I promise ;)) I can finally get started on that list. Ill try not to be a stranger!!