Nursery: Before Photos and Inspiration!

Before we found out that Baby A is a boy, people asked me if I had any feeling about whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. I really didn't have a feeling either way! Looking back, I now see that most of the names I could think of were boy names and most of the nursery ideas I liked were more fitting for a boy. I'm not sure if these things were signs, but I guess it worked out: )


I promised myself that I will work on the house for at least a few hours every time Nick has a KU football game to attend. The first game was yesterday, so I jumped right into my work! I decided to start in the room we think will be the nursery.


This room is currently "Man Town" - but we mainly use it as a place to dry our clothes! I took some scary before shots!

From the door -

drying racks (X3), mirrored closet, small corner to the left of the window!

I think the rocking chair may fit in the corner...

Small corner to the left of the closet -

I'm thinking a bookcase should go here...

From the door -

right corner to the right of the window, desk, computer, misc. crapola!

I imagine the dress/changing table and crib here somewhere...

From the window -

printer, AMAZING chair, lamp!

I'm not sure what will go here...

Obviously, I didn't get enough done to take "after" pictures, but I did make progress! I put away our clothes, moved the drying racks out, took some odds and ends back to there actual "homes," and went through...

5!!!

...boxes in the closet. Thankfully, the closet is organized - it is just filled with a lot of stuff we don't really need (e.g., old cords, old computers, old software, old phones - I think I counted six!, misc. crumpled wrapping paper). Three of the five boxes were large boxes filled with misc. memorabilia from my parents' house. I consolidated down to one box, and I feel okay with what I'm tossing and what I'm keeping. I may need to go through it again before the closet transition is complete. We're hoping to make two closets into one, so I'm going to have to make some tough decisions along the way: (

I found this little guy - a bank - that was in my room for years!

There is a sticker from 1983 - the year I was born - on the bottom.

I think he'll make an appearance in the baby's room; )

Before bed, I put together my own little nursery inspiration board! Most of the pictures/ideas come from my Baby A board on pinterest. Nick and I talked about the nursery on Friday night, and I think we might be on the same page. We don't want it to be too theme-y (Is that a word!?!), but we want to have it be happy, loving, comfortable, and organized - with a touch of a sports theme mixed in: )

We even picked up some paint chips at Home Depot!

We are thinking about gray walls with dark red, dark blue, white, and black accents.

The decorating fun begins...

1. Cookie sheet turned magnetic board: I think this would be a fun, useful, and inexpensive touch. I like the idea of spray painting it to match the room.

2. Giant letter and small prints: This little collage would be cute just about anywhere in the room - over the bed? over the changing table? We'll find a place: )

3. Jaydreamin: Nick has had this print FOREVER, and it always reminds me of him when I see it around town. This will be perfect over the crib - but I'm a little afraid of hanging it there because it is kind of heavy. It will definitely be in the room somewhere!

4. Vintage jayhawk print: This one is from Etsy, but I think I'd prefer a more traditional print. I will need to look downtown. I think this could go on a shelf or on the wall - depending on how big it is.

5. White bookcase with painted background: My parents have a white bookcase that we can have - score! I want to take the back off and paint it red! I love the way the color jumps out!

6. Callie silhouette: I used one of my favorite pictures of Callie to make this myself! It is just the rough draft, but I think the finished product will be a part of the room for sure. I think it will look perfect in a red frame - maybe on a shelf or on the bookcase, maybe on the wall next to a GIANT letter...

Isn't she cute!?!

7. The red crib: This is the photo that started it all! I LOVE the red crib, and I love the the red and gray. Ever since I saw this photo, I do not really seem to be able to picture anything else. I read about how awful it can be to paint a crib, so I'm a little nervous...but I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea. Nick isn't so sure, but I think it will grow on him; )

8. Interchangeable art frames and baby's first piece of art: This frame is such a simple and fun idea! I love the idea of being able to hang handmade artwork. I think I will have Nick do his print before the baby is here, so it will already be hanging. Then, we can add the baby's print once he arrives.

9. Curtain closet: The closets in the spare bedrooms are NOT easy to open. I'm thinking that my awesome mom can help me make some curtains that will be much more attractive and functional than the gold-edged, mirrored closet doors we have now!

10. White dresser: I think I'd like to turn a dresser into a changing table because most changing tables don't seem like they'd be much use once the baby doesn't need it anymore. Claire has the dresser below at her house (not the one in the inspiration board!), and she's thinking about getting a new one. With some paint, some new drawer liners, and some new knobs...this may be perfect (and inexpensive!)!

11. Ted Williams quote: Nick and I talked about adding a sports-related quote to the room. I don't know if it will be this one, but we liked this one because it seems to be about baseball and about life. Once we pick one and know what size we want it, I will probably make it myself in Photoshop.

12. Hanging box shelves: There are a million tutorials for this type of shelf! I think these would be perfect under the window or above the rocking chair. They'd probably look great in red, too!

A couple more loves...

My mom used to sing this to us when we were little, and I remember my dad singing it, too. The Etsy shop shows it in several colors, so I have some options. I could probably also make something similar myself.

Scrabble reminds me of my mom's parents, and I love the idea of a little frame with a simple saying made of Scrabble tiles.

This whole post makes me smile: ) It is a little overwhelming to think of how much I want to do, but I'm excited about it and know that we are ready for some DIY challenges! I'm curious to see what the finished room will look like. Many of our wedding details ended up coming from the early ideas I had, so I'm wondering if this will be the same! Only time will tell...