DIY Nursery Part One

Finally my first Ikea Hack project! Usually when I shop at Ikea, we get large items that require very little assembly like a dining room table and chairs. Most other things I get are in the as-is section so they are pre-assembled or they are decorative pieces that do not require any assembly ever! The Ikea Rast dresser was my first major assembly purchase which I didn't realize until I opened the box.

For what I needed it was perfect, some small hidden storage for what I have not decided, a space to put bottles during feedings, a lamp and some decorative items. It was also completely unfinished so I had a blank canvas to work with. If you know me, you know that I am creative when I am given options. Coming up with it on my own is a different story.

Okay so my brother-in-law and I put this contraption together in the hallway outside the nursery because we were lazy mostly.

Yes these pictures show it was a little more work than I expected but wait until you see the end result! I also decided to paint/stain the piece after it was assembled which I am so happy about because I can only imagine all of the scratches that might have occurred during construction.

The finished product! I used a dark mahogany wood stain on the exterior sides and bottom, 3 coats. I wanted it super dark to match the other furniture in the room. The paint was Glidden's Barely Blush which I only applied one coat of on the exterior of the drawers (I bought a tintable tester, prime/paint and still had some paint leftover). Lastly, the knobs we picked up from the Habitat from Humanity store earlier that day. The top and bottom 4 are plain brushed bronze and the 2 in the middle have an extra indent around the rim. It has a vintage look I think and I love it! That Beanie Baby was a gift from my mom and there is Baby B's small board book collection. The lamp is another Ikea find in the Emmie Blom shade and the Hemma table lamp base. The total price on this was about $47. Not too shabby :)

The Nursery Part One

Let's be honest. This is what everyone wants to see. The Nursery!!! Our amazing family and friends came over this past weekend to help us paint and assemble the nursery. Basically, I have to get my rear in gear in the craft department to finish this puppy up. Some of it I won't be able to show until after she arrives because it might reveal her name... I haven't decided yet.

Friday night: The hubs and I went to Home Depot to get all the supplies to paint the room and my Ikea hack project (keep reading for more information on that!). Later on Mike's brother and girlfriend, who was my best friend first, just saying, drove from Eastern PA to get the nursery started.

Saturday: The day it got crazy. No lie. We woke up and right away the boys had to go pick up a rocker/glider we were given from my friend who no longer needed it. It fit our decor so I was super pumped. While they did that, my friend and I hit all the cool spots within 10 minutes of my house. A real estate store, a family owned coffee shop and the Habitat for Humanity Restore where we got more than we thought we could ever get accomplished. I didn't even bring a list to keep me on task...oops! The real estate store was a blast. There we bought a Beanie Baby teddy bear, and 2 board books totaling $4.00. Success. Then some coffee, yes I am 32 weeks pregnant and I wanted a toffee nut iced latte, so I got one :) Lastly to the Restore. I was hoping to find some knobs to put on my ikea hack project so I didn't have to use the ones to come in the box, they were boring. Bought 6 knobs for $5 and we were on our way. Before we left, we tried to convince Mike that I needed a new couch set.

He said no, so off we went!

Now comes the craziness! At the end of Saturday this is what the nursery looked like. Notice the amazing Glidden Pistachio Ice Cream color on the wall. Nice work!

The Delta 3 in 1 Crib given to us from Grandma & Grandpa Bair

 

The Summer Infant Combo Changer $21 on clearance. Bargain! 2 drawer organizers from an Ikea set of 6. And a Thirty-One storage bucket given to us from my brother's fiance. The diaper waste basket was given to us by a soccer coach Mike works with.

The rocker/glider given to us from my friend, the fleece blanket was made by one of my co-workers and the white decorative shelving unit from a yard sale for $.50. Yes that is the Beanie Baby from the Real Estate Store too ($1).

 The biggest picture of the room I could get from the door. It has a weird nook where the closet is across from the changing table. Nothing too exciting in there, at least not yet.

Lastly, the aforementioned Ikea Hack project. Psych. This post has been so long that I am going to make a separate one for this awesome project. For now, I love the way it came out and it was well worth the time and effort we put it to it to make it one of a kind for Baby B.