More Nesting: The Crib

Okay, I know a crib isn't really interesting enough to do a whole blog post about, but I wanted to show the progress we've made in getting ready for the baby. Last week we finally got rid of some things in the den, rearranged the furniture, and made room for the new crib.

Ben and the unveiling of the new crib. It was a generous gift from his
grandmother. She let me pick it out at Babies 'R' Us
so I got just what I wanted. Thanks Nyla!


I helped a bit but Ben did most of the work.
He loved stepping into the "dad" role- especially since it involved tools.


Ta-da! All assembled and next to the changing table. I'm still working on the
wall decor- I have some great ideas and am so excited to get them hung up.
I'll be sure to post once the projects are done.

night shift + pregnancy = 3:30 am blogging

It's 3:30 am and here I sit on the couch blogging. After working from 5pm to 5am yesterday I was so excited to fall asleep at a normal hour (11pm) tonight with Ben. However my excitement was short-lived as my internal clock (aka my bladder) woke me up at 1am. Oh the joys of night shift and pregnancy.

But what a great opportunity to surf the internet! And think about decorating the nursery! And blog about all of it! Unnecessary confession: I've spent the last two hours on my computer looking at fun ideas and projects and I'm still not tired at all. In fact, I can't wait to get started.

Here's where my internet surfing has taken me tonight:

- Pennant banners. I'm excited to do one over the crib or changing table. I love the tutorial at this site but etsy also has some great ideas.


-Stuffed elephants. Don't ask me why they call to me, but I think they make the cutest decor. I found these ones on Etsy.com, and although they're adorable, I just can't justify spending $45 on one. I'm content just looking for now.


- Baby pictures of Ben and me. This isn't internet surfing (we're not that famous yet), but I've been perusing my computer of pictures of Ben and I as babies to hang in the nursery.

I like these ones...








but this one has always been my favorite of Ben.
I'll be forever grateful if the baby gets his eyes.

That about sums up the last 2 (now 3) hours of my life. Now to get some sleep. After such fun internet surfing, I'm hoping to dream of colorful pennant banners and stuffed elephants. I can wish, can't I?

It all started with a trip to the dollar store....

I have a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day. I think it depends on the year. This year the prognosis is good. Already I've made a Valentine's wreath (see above) and had a Valentine's dinner. And this new-found love for the holiday all started with a trip to the dollar store.

It just so happens that Dollar Tree is strategically located right next to the grocery store. One day last week I was in a pregnancy slum during grocery shopping and thought a trip to the dollar store was just what I needed. I was right. With so many fun items for so cheap I felt inspired to plan a Valentine's dinner with friends. I texted Ben about my idea and he agreed because, as he puts it, "I'd be a fool to say no to a pregnant woman".

The table complete with Dollar Tree decor (the plastic goblets are a must-have :) )

We invited two couples from our ward and had a great dinner. And so my love for Valentine's Day has been revitalized.

But the best part:

I froze red kool-aid in ice trays like the one above
(they were a birthday gift from my sister Laura). I then served them in
the goblets with Fresca poured over the top. The drink was delicious.
Sorry I forgot to snap pictures! :(

Nesting

Ben would attest that almost perpetually since I found out I was pregnant 8 months ago, I've had our dining room table piled with my sewing machine, fabric, felt, ribbon, etc. He says I'm nesting. He's probably right. I'll post my latest projects and let you decide for yourself.

The nursery colors I've picked are light pink, light green, and brown. I would love to paint the nursery this color... but there's only so much decorating you can do in an apartment.

Changing table/dresser:

For our dresser, my sister Tina gave me her old changing table. I then got four baskets for $10 a piece at Joanne's (during a 1/2 off sale) and sewed liners to go on the inside.

I used white duck fabric my mom had. It was my first time making a pattern, but it went okay. On the inside, they looked like this:

Then I sewed a paisley ribbon around it with elastic.

For the final touch I sewed a button on front.

In total there are 4 baskets and I use them to store the baby's blankets, toys, and clothes. So I paid only $40 for our baby dresser.



Baby quilts:

I sewed my first real quilt out of squares I bought at the Gardner Village quilting store (if you ever get a chance to go there, don't pass it up). It's not perfect, but it was a good sewing experience for me.


I backed it with a brown and then my mother-in-law and I tied it with light green embroidery thread.


I basically based the other colors in the nursery around this quilt.

As for my most recent project, I found some brown remnants at Joanne's of that ultra soft/ultra expensive fabric (I can't remember the name now). Later, I got a 50% off coupon and bought the same fabric in green. I then sewed them together.


However I didn't feel like the green and brown was girly enough on it's own, so I added some felt flowers to the corner. I took my inspiration from this tutorial.

This is when I had just pinned them, trying to decide how I wanted to sew them on.

I finally decided to zig-zag around the outside flowers and then use crochet thread on the inside flowers. I probably sewed the zig-zag 5 or 6 times trying to get it right. By the end I was pretty frustrated, but I think it was worth it.

The final product!

And here's just a bonus picture of me at 33 weeks (Ben was testing out the camera).

7 weeks left! How many more sewing projects can I do in that amount of time? I don't think Ben wants to know :)