Thursday, June 24, 2010

work with what you've got...

i am blown away by the sweet comments about walker and his room. thank y'all so much! i thought i would be here sooner but its amazing how time consuming staring at a newborn can be! he totally has me wrapped around his finger....
i wanted to answer some questions about the nursery and show how w/ baby #2, you've got to work with what you've got. which was basically zero $$ and tweaking taylor's super girly nursery into something a little boy could feel "manly" in.

1. the first challenge was the size of the room. usually a nursery is tiny and intimate but our two upstairs rooms are huge. the bed and end tables are loaners from my parents. my dad is super talented when it comes to building and he built the bed based off of maine cottage's lizzie bed. it's great to have a bed for when guests come and if i want to sleep in here instead of going up and down the stairs at night for feedings. the bedding was a great budget find....micheal kors duvet and shams from tj maxx. the "walker" pillow was a gift made by one of our family's oldest friends.


2. the crib was taylor's and is stokke sleepi in whitewash (i purchased it at b. braithwaite- FAB baby store in atl). i loved the oval shape of the crib when i was pregnant w/ tay but have since realized that you are limited to bedding when you have an oval mattress. luckily, one of my favorite companies, dwell studio, offers oval bedding. for tay's room we had the chocolate dots which warren thought wasn't boy enough. i loved the pattern owls so i got crafty and bought the shower curtain and took the bumper and had it recovered (i left the brown and white stripe on the inside). shower curtains are great ways to save $$ on fabric b/c they are 72" W but beware they are thin so they typically have to be interlined.



3. the changing table was taylor's...loved that dwell studio offers "cool" changing pad covers at great prices (also, they are constantly having free shipping so i buy during that time). i decided to go w/ the dots here b/c i think it adds some personality. the mirror was leftover from our previous house. and the mobile is blabla...it's leftover from tay's room and they don't offer these versions anymore but here is one on super sale :)

4. the chair and ottoman were taylor's. at the time, i thought a giant pink chair would be cute...i love it so much more now so i am very happy to have it recovered. plus when you order these gliders from baby stores, the standard fabric selections aren't great!! the new fabric is robert allen and was some in my hoarding stash. and my mother-in-law shared a great secret w/ me on reupholstery....the prison does it for cheap (like $20 a yd which is a 1/3 of the cost i am use to paying). you just can't be in a rush to have it back b/c they have things like "lock downs" at the jail (i kid you not) and it delays things...

5. the bookshelf was a find from habitat for humanity ($30). it was rather ugly when i purchased it but i loved the fact that it was real wood and had a bead board back. i bought leftover paint at habitat as well, $4 a gallon to paint it with.


other random information:
- the lights are potty barn kids...i found them at a neighborhood yard sale for $5
- the industrial initials above walker's crib were bought at bungalow classic (LOVE this store if you are in atl, go here)...i think they were $13 a piece.
- the metal baskets are old locker baskets...i love these things...i find them at antique stores. warren doesn't think they are very kid friendly but since walker isn't grabbing anything at this current time, they're staying :)
- playskool chalkboard...thrift store find...old school!
-roman shade is lulu dk catwalk..it was in my kitchen in my old house
- the bookshelf at the end of the bed is one that warren and dad made for tay's room...we just added the left over fabric for the top of it

okay, if you are still reading this i am impressed! thanks again for your sweet comments! i hope to post more regularly....i know it won't be daily just yet. have a wonderful weekend!

*ps. the designer's attic will back to its normal posts next week...i have some good ones too :)

28 comments:

Jenny Beth said...

everything you did is adoreable. gotta love the blabla dolls. I am obsessed. enjoy your time with your new little one.!!

Marivic said...

beautiful post. enjoy your lovely time with your new bundle of joy!

{Amanda} said...

Congratulations again & again! What a beautiful little baby you have there ♥ And what a nursery!

I've given you an Award on my blog!

* http://donandamanda.blogspot.com *

Mary said...

The room looks adorable! Congrats on your newest arrival!

Averill said...

Thanks for sharing all your secrets, Shannon! I never thought of having the prison recover but it sounds like a great option -- and provides important training for inmates as well!

Unknown said...

So nice to hear from you! xx

modGIRL said...

totally saw that same cute owl print recently from dwell and decided to use the rug from that collection in my nursery....adorable:)

Susie @ Maddie G Designs said...

Love how much detail you've given on this wonderful nursery. I've got a 2 year old girl and am due with a boy in October....and am moving right after baby so I am trying to figure out what to do about repurposing furniture from Maddie's Nursery, etc. Love that your FIL made the bed and all of your great finds.....and who knew prisons did upholstery....did you just call the main number and ask...very intriqued!

Unknown said...

Room is adorable and your son is a true representation of Gods' perfection!

la la Lovely said...

What a sweety... love love love new babies...and I'm so impressed that you did such a substantial post with a new newborn!
So excited .... I"m headed to ATL next week & was looking for some great shopping places. So I'll def check out bungalow classic.
Take Care!!!!!
x trina

MB said...

Thanks for the info on your Stokke crib and Dwell's oval bedding. We are planning on getting a Stokke crib and I was getting frustrated with the lack of bedding choices out there. Have a great weekend:)

paula said...

you are awesome! love the room. too funny about the prison. I would love that deal though!

paula said...

ellie just saw the pic of your daughter and asked his they could play:)

Jade @ Flip Flops + Pearls Design said...

All great tips! Kudos to you for just having a baby and blogging design tips already!!

ASHLEY said...

You are amazing!!! I seriously love his room! I blogged about it :)

www.lemonandlavenderblog.com :)

he is precious too!!

~Grace Happens~ said...

walker is one blessed boy!!!!! congratulations again. i LOVE his room! xo

Jennifer said...

I love what you do in your house -- thrifty, but doesn't look like it! very inspiring ideas, so thanks for sharing your secrets!

on the prison ... that is so intriguing and entertaining!

Shelly said...

Hi Shannon,

I'm a first-time poster, but I have been following your blog for a couple of years (at least)! I'd like to wish you and Walker all the best! Walker's room is absolutely adorable. I'm a US ex-pat living in London. Let me know if you need anything British. :-)

Shelly

Val said...

Such a wonderful post!!!! You have a wonderful blog.

Dina said...

Thank you for the sources!
And I LOVE the map prints-what are they of and where are they from?
And the crab painting?
Too cute!
Little boys are so much fun, mine is 6 weeks old now!
~Dina

La Dolfina said...

Hi Shannon,
Let me start by congratulating you on the birth of your beautiful new son. I've been following along with your pregnancy and am so happy for you and your and your family! What a precious gift you've received. My one and only child, a son, just graduated from High School and will be headed off to UCLA in the Fall!
I wanted to tell you that I just blogged about both of your blogs in the first post of my new companion blog, Il Tuo Tesoro. If you get a chance please stop by La Dolfina and then over to Il Tuo Tesoro to check it out and enter my Giveaway!
I adore your blogs and am a big fan:)

Sketch42 said...

Congrats! The nursery is so sweet!

Staci Edwards said...

Taylor's nursery was just as darling as Walkers! Great job! :)

Unknown said...

His room is precious!!! Thanks for all the details...

Liz said...

Congratulations Shannon - Walker is beautiful and so is his nursery!

Kathysue said...

I have been on vacation and I missed the announcement of Walker's arrival, Congratulations!! He is gorgeous and so is his nursery, you did an amazing job on both!! Kathysue

Gaye said...

I love Walker's nursery! You did a
great job and I loved Taylors too! I am in the process of helping my daughter design her son's nursery and we have both become obsessed with giraffe's. Please tell me where you got Walker's giraffe blanket! I must get one for Jackson! Gaye

IV said...

This room is ADORABLE!! I live in ATL and have been trying to find out about this prison upholstery program. Googled a ton but can't really find anything. Do you by chance have a link or phone number? I am getting married and trying to redo a room on a budget!!