Out of the Woods

I lost a lot of sleep trying to plan the perfect space for baby. While different from my original vision, I am very pleased with the results.

I knew I wanted a woodland theme. It would afford me the opportunity to integrate different animals, as well as be gender neutral.

The major design challenge of the space is the hideous air conditioner mounted in the wall. I knew I wanted to cover it with some sort of art but also didn't want to break the bank in the process.

I found the paint by number on Etsy and knew it would be perfect. It was actually the very first thing I purchased for the little cub!

Micah built the frame around it using canvas stretcher bars and craft wood. I sanded and painted it with some leftover trim paint.

When we visited my folks in North Carolina this fall, I painted the dresser. It was actually my mom's dresser when she was growing up.

Finding the hardware was a bit trickier than I anticipated. Home Depot and Lowe's were not only expensive, but they also didn't have the sizes I needed for the lower drawers. I ended up finding everything I needed and saving a few bucks at myknobs.com.

I made the curtains. Making curtains is not my strong suit and a challenge I don't plan on tackling again. I am sure a lot of my self criticism comes from having such a good teacher. My mom, who is a very talented seamstress, taught me everything I know. From her guidance, I can recognize the difference between good and bad work. 

The space faces east, so the morning sun is very bright. Lining the curtains was a must and where I hit most of my challenges. The second time I made the curtains, I ended up adding the black out liner using this blogger's technique. I think this method gives you a little more wiggle room for imperfections and helps the curtains to hang more nicely.

My sister made the circle garland over the crib for decoration at my shower. I think it definitely complements the space.

I started the crib skirt, but my mom finished it for me. We just followed this blogger's instructions, but instead of using 3 yards of fabric, we used 2.

I considered sewing the curtains out of the same fabric, but worried that the print next to the paint by number and in such a small space would be a bit overwhelming.

I got the artwork above the dresser from various places. The felt birdhouse and bird I purchased this summer in Bar Harbor, Maine. I picked up the little deer from an awesome thrift store in Silver Spring, Maryland and just re-framed it. The rabbit is very special. It is actually a greeting card sent to Micah upon his birth from dear friends of his family. The bottom three pieces I picked up from Etsy and popped into frames.

Now we just need the baby!