Do you ever get the feeling that The Universe has it in for you?  I swear, I must have tweaked off a Blog God somewhere, because every time I have a spare second to work this year, something happens.  This week, I actually managed to get some of the projects completed and shot (thanks to my awesome mom looking after the Scrunchkin for a bit) but then, when I sat down to edit and write... my space bar died.  How does that even happen?!

Soinsteadofwritingblogpoststhatlooklikethis, we wound up having to buy a new computer.  Kind of funny when I'm highlighting how to save money with Dollar Store purchases.  And in case you were wondering, turns out they don't have a computer section.  Not cool Dollar Tree.  Not cool.

Ah well.  Back to the savings at hand!

Last time we talked, I had done a little reorganizing in the kitchen.  This time I focused on three other annoying areas: laundry storage around the stacked washer and dryer in our dungeon basement;  restructuring our medicine/linen/supplies closet; and gift wrap storage in the nursery closet.

Laundry 

Before I launch into what I hate about this space (everything), let me make my sunshine-y disclaimer: I'm SUPER grateful for our apartment.  There are so many things that we have here that we've never had before (for example, the basement, a linen closet and more than one bedroom...), and I'm aware and grateful for what a blessing it is.  But I believe it's possible to be thankful for something and yet still frustrated by aspects.  Like: YAY for a basement with a washer and dryer! but BOO for the oubliette-like atmosphere that has Mordor looking like a cheery spot for a little R&R.

In addition to the decided lack of light, color and happiness that the basement provides, it also presents some issues with laundry storage.  The stacked washer and dryer are jammed in between the outside door and the water heater and furnace.  Up until now, I had been chucking all of the necessary laundry accessories (dryer sheets, lingerie bags, soap, stain remover, etc) in a black crate on top of a constantly-in-the-way storage table.  But I was determined to make the space a little more user-friendly.

Killin' it with my mad organizing skillz.

The Dollar Tree purchases that made the biggest difference here were a small plastic trash can, magnets, chip clips, flip top snack containers, a glass jar and spray bottles. 

My lingerie bags always seem to be in the way, stuck on something, or missing completely.  I gave them their own space by gluing magnets to one side of the trash can and sticking it to the side of the dryer.  The chip clips also got magneted (totally a word) and are now working as the keepers of lost socks.

Easy, cheap storage solutions for stackable washer/dryers

Everything else was evicted from the crate and sorted.  The detergent and Borax got re-homed into the flip top snack containers (SOOOO much easier to use), a spray bottle was filled with spot treatment, and clothespins were grouped into a glass jar. 

The two non-dollar purchases were a magnetic dryer sheet container (purchased at Walmart for $4, not available online) and an adorable rolling cart ($29.99 from Ikea and one of my favorite purchases ever).  The magnets on the dryer sheet container were a little loose, so I secured them with an extra spot of hot glue and it seems to work fine.  I replaced the in-the-way storage table with the much narrower rolling cart and popped all of the laundry accessories on the top.  I could not be happier with it.  It fits better, it moves more easily and it provides much better access to all of the laundering necessities. 

The rolling Ikea cart is just the right size for a barely-there laundry space.  Plus the pop of color makes me happy!!

Sure, I'd love to have a laundry room (or even closet) to work with.  For now, I've just got to make the most of the space I've got.

The Household Catch-All Closet

I'm not sure what it is about our linen closet that keeps it from staying nice.  I have a sneaking suspicion it may have to do with the male faction of the homestead and his amazing ability to be completely oblivious to any organizational system I attempt to implement.  I think he may be leading some sort of anti-segregation movement for the linen/medication/light bulb/cleaning supply constituent in our household and his form of peaceful protest is to ignore the oppressive delineation of the shelves and shove things back in in a more homogenized manner.  Power to the paraphernalia.

My most recent attempt was to embrace this proclivity.  For example, I found a large fabric bin to hold all of our medications, band aids, vitamins (etc) and then stacked them neatly inside.  I figured it would be easy to pull it out like a drawer, locate what you want, and then chuck it back in when done.  I hadn't really thought it through, however, and what I wound up with was a mini-pharmacy post-earthquake that was a real treat to wade through with a throbbing head.

So my solution this time was easy and straight forward:  Lots o' tubs.

One of my favorite things to buy at Dollar Tree are the plastic, shoebox-like, lidded tubs.  The size and shape are fairly universal, they stack well and they give you a uniformed look.  I pick some up almost every time I'm there and am always finding uses for them. 

For the closet, I pulled out all of our medications and light bulbs and sorted them into categories (btdubs, keep an eye on the dates on your medications.  Their potency diminishes after their expiration date.  For information on how to SAFELY dispose of your drugs, click here). 

Medications were split into four categories: Stomach, Bandages & Ointments, Cough & Cold and Pain, Allergy (etc).  Light bulbs, which I also struggle to find the best way to store (Stupid cardboard sleeves.  Whose brainchild was that?) were split into Regular, Vanity & Fixture and Specialty.  After everything had a place, it got labeled and stacked.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

In case you're wondering, Yes, all of the built in shelves are lopsided.  It's this kind of craftsmanship that makes a house a home.

After that, the process was fairly quick.  The cleaning supplies were corralled in a portable bin from the dollar store, the towels, washcloths, sheets and pillowcases were folded and replaced on their respective shelves (Linen Segregation Forever!), and all of the spare soaps and travel size toiletries were binned, labeled and tucked away.  (*Quick tip: For easy bed-changes, store folded sheet sets inside one of the pillowcases and stack).  
 

Neat and Tidy.  Now let's see how long it stays this way.

And finally...

Gift Wrap Storage in the Nursery Closet

You may be wondering why we're storing the gift wrap in the nursery to begin with, particularly when we have a craft space/office/guest room.  The short answer is, we're out of space.  The closet in the nursery has kind of become a bit of a catchall for the overflow in the house.  In addition to the Bumblebee's clothes, it houses my formal dresses (including my wedding gown), scrapbook supplies, diapers and gift wrap.  And the latter of these items was a mess.  

Before the nursery was a nursery, it was the office (read about that transformation here and here), and the wrapping paper was stylishly displayed in a Ballard Design's-esque metal basket.  When the office merged with the guest room, the basket was shoved into the closet.  And it ain't workin'.  



After pulling out all of the gift wrap and ribbon and ditching the basket, the closet became much more functional but I still had to store the items.  The Dollar Tree came through again.  I purchased a few cheap suit storage bags and a spring loaded curtain rod (they don't always have the curtain rods, so if you can't find them, you can pick one up at Walmart for cheap).  



I laid out the storage bags, inserted a sturdy hanger, and slipped in the rolls of wrap.  Perfect!  It took me only two bags to store 24 rolls of paper!  The bags are cheap and won't hold out forever, but for now they're great (and if I need to continue this method of storage, I'll just pick up sturdier suit bags).  

One bag for Christmas and one bag for all of the other celebrations!

The last step was to thread all of the ribbon spools onto the spring loaded rod and wedge it above the bar in the closet (a bookcase would work well too).  Now everything is accessible and streamlined!

I love how NARROW the bags make the footprint of the wrapping paper!

And, because I love a good before and after: 

Look at all that space!!  Who knew?

I'm so thrilled with how these little spots shaped up.  Obviously, there's plenty more I could do with a little more money and time, but for now, the changes are great little morale boosters.  

I'm off to reacquaint myself with my pillow and the back of my eyelids.  Here's hoping we all have drama-free, super productive weeks!  

Cheers, friends! 

Happy week of Thanksgiving!!  It's hard to believe that we're already here.  I swear these months get faster every year.

Considering this is the Season of The Guest, I decided this week to focus on an area that gets a tremendous amount of use and very little attention: our downstairs coat closet.

Okay, so it's not a make or break space.  Most of the people who visit my home probably don't care if it looks gorgeous.  But it's a workhorse of a space that I look at every day and that is in some desperate need of a little TLC.  The pictures that follow aren't pretty.  You may want to sit down. #holdme

Yeah, so this is the current state of my closet.  Messier than a Trump 'do after a segway tour.

I honestly have no idea how it gets to this point.  I blame the cat.

Making it Clean

The first step was to pull everything out of it and sort it into piles: Trash, Relocate, Keep, Donate.

Trash and Relocate:

There wasn't a lot that needed thrown out - just a few tags and broken hangers.

Extra blankets got relocated to the bedrooms they belong to, the backpack went with luggage and the [exceedingly random] pile of washcloths was thrown back in the wash before being folded and put back in the linen closet (but seriously, how does that happen?).

After that I was left with the things that I generally wanted in the closet:  outwear, umbrellas, games, and a box of spare gifts.  But all of this needed sifted as well.

Donate:

I live in the northeast, so coats of varying weights are a necessity but they do tend to pile up.  I would much prefer to pare down to what I truly need and donate the rest.  After a quick sort, I found 9 (yep, NINE) that could go to a better home. I cleaned, and folded them and they're being donated to Burlington Coat Factory's Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Coat Drive. 

Donate a coat at Burlington and receive 10% off of your entire purchase!

I also kept a box nearby for Goodwill donations.  Superfluous hats, mittens, gloves and scarves made it into this box, along with games we no longer play, throws we don't need, gifts I'll probably never get around to giving and gym equipment I'm not likely to use (I mean, how many free weights and arm bands does one person need?).

Finally, I pulled all of my assorted hangers out and added them to a box of their own.  For a long time I've been wanting to replace them with matching coat hangers for both aesthetic and practical purposes (coat hangers are, in fact, better for your coats.  Who knew?).  In doing a little research a few months ago, I found out that dry cleaners are often in need of extra hangers and are happy to collect your old ones.  Perfect! (Any time I can avoid adding to a landfill, I'm a happy camper!)

Making It Pretty (And Using Gift Wrap as Wall Paper)

Once the extra stuff was out, the closet already looked MUCH better.  But I still wanted to make it a pretty space - something that made me happy when I opened up the doors to grab a jacket.

I started by giving the wooden shelf a fresh coat of white paint and cleaning the bar with a magic eraser.  A quick go over with the vacuum helped tremendously too.

I picked up some Bumerang hangers from Ikea.  Made of solid beech, eucalyptus, aspen or alder, these hangers come in white, natural and black and are only $4.99 for 8 (seriously good deal!).  I chose white to brighten up the space a bit, and made sure to have enough  for guest coats as well as our own.



As I've said before, living in a rental can be a little limiting.  I never want to sink too much money into something that can't go with me when we move, and many projects wouldn't be allowed anyway. But I really wanted to do something fun for the back of the closet.  Wallpaper can be expensive and is a serious pain in the rear to remove when moving (trust me, I've done it. #rookiemove), so I decided to try something a little different: wrapping paper!

Using a heavy, high quality wrapping paper and removable double-sided foam tape, I carefully measured, cut and adhered long sheets to the back of the closet.



I treated outlets the same way I would were I using real wallpaper: removing the face plates, cutting an X in the paper with a craft knife, cutting off any excess and then reattaching the hardware.


The results? A beautiful, neat space that makes me smile every time I open the doors.


Last but not least, I found some large pretty baskets (Michael's clearance for $5 each) for my gifts, then replaced things neatly on the shelf, bar and in the labeled drawers (Someday I want to replace the Sterilite drawer unit, but for now it serves its purpose).  I even found room to store our vacuum neatly! (Perhaps seeing it regularly will inspire me to use it more often.  Hey, it could happen.)

Finally, my favorite part: The Before and After!

After seeing how much I love the baby blue and gold polka dots on the back wall, I may add it to the sides along with some additional hooks.

How much better is that?! 

Next on the list: Putting up [a baby-proof] Christmas.  No pressure there...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, friends!

 I don't usually review books.  Though I love to read, for the most part, anything on my bedside table is likely to be a mystery, something comedic or a biography.  Not exactly Entertaining Grace material.

Of late, however, I can barely open a web browser or read a news feed without hearing rave reviews about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - a book that's getting incredible amounts of attention for its "new" approach to decluttering and organizing.  As both of these topics are ones that I write about and research often, I felt I couldn't ignore the buzz and bought my own copy.

To begin with, I should say that I have a bit of a bias against books of this nature (hence, why you'll rarely catch me reading one).  In my opinion, anything that claims to be "life-changing" is, at best, egomaniacal and, at worst, snake oil.  I feel the same about trendy diet books - "cut out [select one] carbs/sugar/gluten/calories/fat/meat and you'll never have to diet again!!"   (Clearly they are completely unrealistic about my willingness to permanently give up Oreos).

To be fair, most of these books have SOME nuggets of truth in them - pieces of advice that are sound and based on longstanding proofs.  But anything that makes such grandiose claims (for example, this book claims in the introduction that, by following this method, you'll "never be messy again")  I tend to view with caution.

Aware of my prejudices, however, I did my best to go into reading the book with an open mind.  If the methods described were that revolutionary, perhaps a little bit of self-aggrandizing was warranted.

The Magic

Author Marie Kondo begins the book with an introduction that touts some pretty fantastic claims and even more enthusiastic reviews.  Multiple individuals credit the KonMari Method (please know how hard it is for me to not roll my eyes at the name - and the fact that she had to explain it) with not just improving their day to day lives and living situations but also being the impetus for following forgotten dreams, increasing business sales, improving marriages, encouraging a divorce (perhaps that's what improved the marriage...?), and losing significant amounts of weight.  By the end of the introduction, I felt fairly certain that spontaneous pregnancy or the gift of flight might be possible by the last chapter.  (Open mind, Emily-Grace, open mind...)

Once I got into the book however, I found myself agreeing with much of her methodology.  Kondo believes (as I do) that the best way to approach an organizing overhaul is to begin by addressing the contents of your entire space (rather than room by room), grouping like things, honestly evaluating every item and streamlining by paring down.  Although she doesn't describe it in these words, this process is essentially like hitting a reset button on your entire home.  Truly, I'm a fan of this idea.  If only there were a reset button with weight. (Hey look! I'm a size two again!  And my skin is completely firm!  I promise I'll always strive to appreciate and maintain this shape and... damn it, WHO BROUGHT OREOS?!)

One of the main tenets outlined in the book is that, when evaluating an object, it's important to quite literally touch every item and decide if that item truly brings you joy. If it doesn't, it's not worth keeping.  What I particularly appreciate about this idea was that Kondo stresses how important it is to view the process as determining what to keep as opposed to what to throw out.  This spin does seem to have some merit.  Anything with a more positive goal sustains hard work for longer than something with a negative one.

Keeping with the positivity, she also believes that the items you choose to discard should be thanked for their time and whatever purpose in your life they held (even if it's "Thank you for giving me joy when I bought you").  I have to say this new-agey act is a little out of the box for me, BUT, once again, I see the benefit.  The gesture allows the sorter to release any negative feelings about the process or themselves and move on without guilt.

Kondo uses a lot of anthropomorphism, which did, at times, annoy the crap out of me.  The idea of giving my socks "a holiday" or only hanging clothes that look like they would be "happier that way" is a bit too spacey for me.  That said, I was impressed at how well this manner of speaking underscored the notion of truly respecting our possessions.  While I'm not sure if I'll ever thank my purse for a job well done, it did cause me to evaluate ways in which I could treat my things a little better.

What I disliked about the book was there was a definite feeling of exclusivity to the TYPE of person that she was primarily addressing.  As though the various priorities and/or needs of the average person's lifestyle were incorrect if they didn't align with her own.  Yes, I would love to sit and sip tea and admire my possessions at the end of the day (I'm not being glib - she genuinely says she does this), but frankly, I consider a day a success if I have time to get a shower and put on clothes that lack baby spit up.  I'm one of the most organized and tidy people I've met and yet if you looked at the floor of my living room at the end of any given day there may be baby toys from when my daughter was playing there, my running shoes from when I took her for a long walk, a dropper I used to give her her medicine and, undoubtedly, my notebooks and laptop sitting hopefully in the middle of it all just in case I have a spare second to get some work done.  It's not that these things don't have a place (or "a home" as she refers to it).  It's that I place higher value on the people and experiences in my life than I do on living in an austere environment.  And yet, there's something in the tone of this book that makes me feel that thanking and putting away my shoes immediately should be more important than pulling my little girl out of her stroller, feeding her and giving her a good cuddle after we return home.  (I am, perhaps, overstating it, but hopefully you understand my point).

From a practical standpoint, I felt that there should have been more emphasis on donation.  Kondo refers to throwing out things on nearly every page but only mentions donating and recycling a handful of times.  Perhaps her concern is that this will slow down or impede the process, or perhaps she felt donation was implied, but I think it's important to remind readers of the value of taking care of our environment on a grander scale.  Besides, the items that we say goodbye to could still be appreciated by and useful to others.  And bags and boxes are just as easily dropped at a donation center or scheduled for charity pick up as they are put in trash cans. 


As a book I found it sometimes a little repetitive and disjointed.  Certain concepts didn't become clear until she visited them later on in other chapters.  The methodology is not necessarily revolutionary, but a mishmash of other ideas.  Then again, most "new" things aren't actually new, and it certainly doesn't negate the potential for great results. 

Despite all that, I feel it's most important to point out that Kondo is very good at recognizing the need to preclude things like guilt, embarrassment or any negative self image.  I honestly think this may be her greatest asset.  Her approach is factual, fast and to the point but full of gratitude and joyful expectation. These positive attributes make it an easy and likable read that instills confidence in those overwhelmed by the organization process.  Even for anal retentive,OCD types seasoned organizing veterans like myself, Ms. Kondo inspired me to take a harder look at some of the things I've been holding on to and pass them forward with gratitude (Do I really need or even like 20 different vases?  Not so much.).

While I still feel that calling it "life-changing" or "magic" may be overstating it, and the faux mystical qualities given to the process might make me roll my eyes, ultimately I think it's a book worth reading for anyone intent on making major changes in their surroundings.  So if you're looking for a little inspiration yourself, kick off your shoes (with thanks), curl up in a chair (that brings you joy) and settle in with some KonMari goodness.  And don't forget the Oreos. 



A Few Additional Concepts Worth Sharing:

- Sentimental Items: When sorting through pictures and cards and other sentimental items avoid the guilt for letting things go.  "The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not the person we were in the past."    (I really like this notion and am carving out some time to sort through pictures, letters and other things I tend to hang on to!)

- Folding: Kondo believes in storing everything vertically. This means folding clothes into small drawer-height "packages" and filing them.  I'm currently trying out this theory. I like that I can see what I have at a glance (which means I'm less likely to forget about something) and that it truly does utilize space well.  However it does have the tendency to create a bit more mess when you pull out a shirt or pair of pants if you aren't careful.  Still, as it's not really any more work to fold this way, I think I may keep it up for now. 

- Stockpiling: Stockpiling items (hotel shampoos, paper goods, gifts, canned food items, etc) is a fast way to clutter.  Donate and/or toss them.  "You may think this is a waste of money, but reducing your stock and relieving yourself of the burden of excess is the quickest and most effective way to put your things in order." "The fact that you possess a surplus of things that you can't bring yourself to discard doesn't mean you are taking good care of them." 

- Filing: Kondo is not a fan of paperwork and suggests throwing out as much as possible.  What she doesn't really mention is that most documents (instruction manuals, statements, etc.) are available online.  In addition, other important items (warranties, etc) can always be scanned and kept digitally if you're not a fan of filing. I, personally, LIKE having detailed files, but that's just me.

- Creating spaces: Designating a space for each thing reduces the chances that you will allow space to become cluttered again.  The repetition of consciously using that space for that item will make putting things away second nature and, ultimately, will cause your possessions to last longer.  "The reason every item must have a designated place is because the existence of an item without a home multiplies the chances that your space will become cluttered again." 


To read more from Marie Kondo, check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up at Amazon.com

So, I have an admission to make.  Despite my talk about not collecting things or holding on to things, I am, I'm afraid, addicted to magazines.  And, while they say that the first step to recovery is admission, the truth is, I'm not entirely sure I want to recover.  For me, magazines are not only a fun escape, they're also an endless source of inspiration and creativity.

While all of that is well and good, amassing all of them in a giant messy pile of glossy goodness is not exactly the most systematic or sensible way to store them.  And, if I'm completely honest, half of the magazines I've saved only have one or two articles in them that I'm saving them for.  (Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this...)

Sadly, this is merely a small sample of my collection...

So, a few weekends ago, I decided it only made sense to keep the things I really wanted and to organize them so that I could reference them easily.  Assuming I'm not the only one out there with this problem, I thought I'd share my easy and pretty solution!


Unlike most of my projects, this one actually started with a bit of shopping.  I purchased some cute binders from Target, along with sheet protectors, and binder dividers from Amazon.  I also grabbed my paper cutter and trusty label maker.



Then I got to the fun part - going through all of the magazines and pulling out the articles and pictures that I wanted to save.  I have to say, this part takes the longest, but it kind of feels like an art project, so it's not boring.  Just don't get sucked into rereading them!!


I trimmed the excess off of the pages (not necessary, but I'm a little OCD like that) and started creating piles for different categories. For example, a lot of the articles related to the home, so I had separate piles for the bedroom, kitchen, living room, organizing, etc.  I also created piles for recipes, various holidays, table settings, DIY projects, party ideas, flower arrangements... anything that I knew I'd have a lot of, or will add to consistently.


The categorizing was probably the hardest part - but I did my best to stay focused and not let it slow me down.  I went with my gut instinct and kept moving.  I can always reorganize later.


Once I was done with a magazine, it went into the trash/recycling pile.  I wish I had taken a picture of just how many magazines I got rid of, but I was just so happy to clear the space I didn't think about it!


After I had all my piles ready to go, I slipped each article and/or page into a sheet protector and clipped them into the binder with a binder divider between each section.  Then the dividers got a label from my label maker (which means they can be removed or relabeled if I need, unlike paper labels that you write on).



Finally, I created cute labels on my computer, printed them, cut them out and attached them to the front of each binder using clear Con-Tact paper (the poor man's lamination!).



Voila!  Not only did I seriously reduce the magazine clutter, but the addition of categories and dividers also made the articles SOOO much easier to browse through.  It's like one personalized mega-magazine!  I've also found that, as my tastes change, I can simply get rid of the styles that I don't like anymore, and add in new ones.  Poifect!


I should add that there are some magazines (generally special editions) that I keep in their entirety.  For those, I purchased magazine holders at Ikea, and labeled them based on the special interest category (Christmas, Halloween, Fashion, Health, etc.).  They stay on the bookshelf in my office like specific little treasure chests of info! :)



Do you have any brilliant ideas for organizing your magazines and paper clutter? I'd love to hear them!!


Alright, I'm off to break out my Halloween magazines and start scheming (frightening, my level of love for that holiday...).  Have a fabulous week!!

Woah, Nelly, this is a big one!  I've been talking about the nursery project for what seems like forever... and I'm finally ready to share the results!!

Our nursery has been a huge undertaking for me.  I had it in my head that it would only take a few weeks.  Ha Ha!  Silly Emily-Grace!!  Little did I consider all of the challenges that would pop up and all of the details that my OCD would not allow me to leave incomplete.

The challenges included finding a way to combine the office and guest bedroom (clearing out the space), determining which pieces of furniture were absolutely necessary, forcibly cramming neatly organizing all of the requisite baby gear into the small and oddly shaped room, and doing it all on a pretty tight budget.

But the results?  Well worth the wait.  I love my new nursery!  And I can't wait to share it with you!  Below are the steps and pics from progress along the way.


Clearing Out the (Limited) Space


To give you an idea of where we started, this is how the room was set up in the beginning.  It was an office with a desk, large bookshelves, a printer stand, crafting supplies and a tufted leather chair.  The process of emptying the room and merging it with the small guest bedroom took a few weeks (read more about that here and here) but once I had that done, I had a blank, albeit small, canvas to work with.



The room is approximately 10 feet by 9 feet at its widest points, but the wall juts back a little over halfway through, creating an awkward alcove and a narrow wall too close to the door to use for furniture.  In addition there's a large window on the back wall which is good for light but prevents anything from being placed right there.  Finally, the world's smallest closet is to the left of the door as you enter.  Not great for furniture placement, but, Hey!  At least it provides almost no storage!  So... yeah. Not the best space in the world to work with.


Determining the Necessaries 
(I don't know why but, when used as a noun, that word makes me giggle)


I spent a lot of time looking at what furniture people recommended having for their nurseries and on their registries.  The usual suspects were there: Crib, Changing Table, Dresser and/or Bureau, Rocking Chair/Glider, Bookshelf/Toy Bin.  And, if your home doesn't have some magical 12' closet that allows for the neatest organizational system ever, you apparently need an Armoire.

Nothing like the internet to give you a good laugh! :)  The only way I was getting all of that furniture in the room was if I knocked out a wall and annexed my neighbors townhouse (which has, on occasion, occurred to me in the not-a-bad-idea category).

Blueprinting the room helped me figure out what could work

After taking a look at the floor plan, and some serious contemplation, I decided that I really only need 3 Key pieces of furniture: a Crib, a Glider to sit and nurse, and a Dresser.

"But what about a changing table?"  I'm so glad you asked!!  The single best decision I made for the nursery was deciding NOT to get a changing table.  And here's why: a changing table will only be used for a relatively short period of time; it takes up additional room and really adds no significant storage; and once you're done with it, what do you do with it?  I'm the queen of re-purposing and I have seen some decent DIY projects, but the reality is, it will always look like a re-purposed changing table.

Instead, I decided to find a larger dresser and attach a changing pad to the top.  Once the baby doesn't need the changing pad anymore, I can remove it and I still have a great piece of furniture that will work for years in any room in the house (or be much easier to resell).  In addition, a larger dresser also provides me with more storage space (as the room is also sadly lacking the magical 12 foot closet).  I cannot tell you how glad I am that I chose the changing-table-free route!

The Crib

I love the blue and white polka dot sheet in the crib!

The crib was the first piece of furniture we put on our registry.  While I'm normally all for buying used, I felt safer getting something that I knew was up to the most recent safety standards and didn't have any potential undisclosed damage.

As I'm also all about making things last as long as possible, we chose the beautiful Munire Medford 4-in-1 Convertible Crib from Amazon which will hopefully last us a few years (it goes from a crib to a toddler bed to a day bed to a full size bed).  My fabulous parents went in on it together and bought it for us off of our Amazon Baby Registry.  My husband and I love love love it.  It's feminine but classic - not babyish at all.  Well, except for the fact that it's a crib.  :)


The Dresser

I simply adore how elegant this dresser is!

Though the crib was the first thing we registered for, the dresser was actually the first thing we purchased.  This, I did not need new.  Instead, I scoured Craigslist looking for something that was well built, had excellent storage and added a healthy dose of character.  After several weeks, I finally found the perfect piece: a French provincial triple dresser in white.  At $150 it was a steal for something of this quality.  (And it's just so darn pretty!)

What do you mean it's not a cat bed?

After a good bit of research, we selected the Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad to attach to the top, and several adorable changing pad covers including, my favorite, Carter's Super Soft Dot Changing Pad Cover in pink.  It also happens to be my cat's favorite, who seems to think that this is his new cat bed.  Oh, the rude and stinky awakening he's about to have...



The Chair


Surprisingly, this was the piece of furniture that gave me the biggest headache.  At Christmas, my father had given me his grandfather's rocking chair - a beautiful old wood and leather piece that he had rocked me in when I was a baby.  I wanted so much to use it, but the rockers on the back simply made it too big to fit in the room, and the lack of cushioning might have made it difficult to nurse for any length of time.

I'm not a huge fan of the look of gliders, but spatially, they made the most sense.  I wasn't opposed to buying used, and there are a lot of gliders on Craigslist, but the more I looked, the more I realized I would most likely have to replace cushions and repaint and this would drive the cost up (replacement glider cushions are stupidly expensive!).  Instead, I wound up using several gift cards to purchase a new glider from Babies R Us.

I'd be lying if I said I absolutely love it, but it seems comfortable so far (we'll see after many nights of sleeping in it!) and the white and pink go well in the nursery.  I'm also glad to have a footstool.  I feel like that may be a very useful thing when pulling all-nighters, and it's small enough to be tucked under the window when not in use.


Pretty Little Details

Coloring in the Lines

Determining the color palette took a wee bit longer than it probably should have (I'm terribly indecisive at times).  Pink is one of my favorite colors, so it was kind of a given, and I knew I wanted to pair it with a fresh cream color.  But the accent color kept fluctuating.  Soft greys, powder blues and mossy greens all vied for position, but ultimately I scrapped them all and chose a deep sophisticated navy blue.  I'm so glad I did - I absolutely love the way it pops against the ballet slipper pink! 

Valspar's Pink Ribbon from Lowes.

Walls & Windows 


After doing some research, I found that many moms and OBs and pediatricians actually recommend keeping the nursery brighter so that babies learn to sleep regardless of light and dark (translation: heavy panels are not needed).  This worked out particularly well for me, because I already owned some gorgeous sheers and I didn't have to buy anything new (yay!).  Each panel is scalloped at the bottom and patterned with a very subtle swirled embroidery. Pulling from an old technique, I overlapped them slightly in the middle to create a lovely soft V in the center.  To pull them back, I used two different navy blue ribbons and tied them in a bow at each side.  Little girls need bows! 



Above the crib, I added two large floral prints that I framed and matted myself for a significant savings, as well as a beautiful crystal mobile that I crafted (read about the artwork here and the mobile here).  



 Above the dresser, I added another Craigslist find: A large curvy white framed mirror with beautiful detailing ($65!).  I swear it looks like they came together! 

1. I've owned the Cinderella print (by Toby Bluth) ever since playing the title character back in college. I love that I can pass it on to a little one to enjoy the same magic! 2. Fab Camera  3. The Peony Arrangement on the top shelf is another DIY that saved some money but added some flavor  4. This French hook was a  purchase from Swag, one of my favorite stores in LA

For both storage and visual interest, we made the most of the vertical space behind the glider by adding two white mounted shelves.  My husband painted and built them in a few hours on the weekend and, once completely dry, I quickly used up the space for art, toys, books, lamps and, possibly most importantly, our video cam (It's amazeballs, by the way.  I can use my phone, laptop or ipad as the monitor, talk to the baby through it, take pics and videos and it has pretty incredible night vision...). 

Underneath the shelves, I added a gorgeous French wall hook to display some of the fabulously froofy dresses in the babies arsenal.


Storage Solutions

I've said it before - for being so darn tiny, babies seem to come with a lot of stuff.  In a nursery, any available space is prime real estate, and I quickly laid claim to any that I could find.


The dresser drawers became so much more functional when I created dividers for all of the tiny clothing.  This is one of my favorite projects, because it cost less than $1 a drawer and made such a tremendous difference in how easily things were stored (Read about it here).



Under the crib was another spot for some DIY magic.  The space was super short and no store bought storage container would fit under it.  A few cardboard boxes, some spare fabric and a healthy dose of spray adhesive later, and I now have perfectly sized storage for any of the baby's off season clothing.  (Read about that project here).  


One of most useful purchases for the room came from Home Goods, one of my favorite shopping spots.  In the storage section, I found a wire, wall-mount, triple basket sorter.  The narrow and tall piece was absolutely perfect for keeping diapers and supplies within arms reach of the changing pad.  Once the sorter was up, I added self-adhesive metal bookplates (by Martha Stewart) and printed out cute labels for each section.  

1. Tiny clothes look more streamlined when hung on coordinating felt hangers 2. A sweet narrow bin makes the most of a small space and corrals toys and stuffed animals 3.  This polka dotted hamper was $4 at Ross Dress for Less and it collapses completely for easy storage or travel.

 
The Big Picture(s)
(This is the part where I shut up and just let you check things out!)

It doesn't even feel like the same room!  Before it was so masculine and functional. Now it's so girly and fun!

I am so proud the newly finished nursery.  The whole room glows a soft pink that is so relaxing.  And I love the fact that so much of ourselves and our family has gone into it: the gorgeous rocking horse that my in-laws refinished, the shelves that my husband made, the wooden sign that my mother painted, the mobile that hangs above the baby's crib...  This little one is already so very loved!! 
 
For now, I'm off to finish a few more projects before the new tenant arrives.  :)  Hopefully I'll be able to get out and enjoy some of this gorgeous weather as well! 

And, as always, I'd like to hear what do you think -  I always love feedback! 

Have a fabulous week!!