How to Design a Baby's Room

I would like to preface this post by saying that I did not just magically come up with these ideas of my own. It was my friend Cynthia's expertise, knowledge and ability to strategically pack as many dishes in the dishwasher as possible that helped advise me on the lay out of the baby's room.

LAY OUT
Step One:
In colder climates, make sure the crib is not positioned on an outside wall. This will help alleviate drafts from windows and cold uninsulated walls.


Step Two:
Place the diaper changer in an area with lots of natural light. During the day, light is important to see if you accurately cleaned all the poop out of crevices. As seen here, the natural light comes through the window during the day. Because we are both right handed, the baby's head is on the left side of the changer and her feet on the right side. At night, the light on the nearby dresser is in a crucial position to shine in the direction of the bum.



Step Three:
Have all supplies near the diaper changer available within hands reach. Use bins or if needed, put a shelf on the wall above you. As seen in this picture, the wipe warmer is on a shelf on the right side. The diapers are stored in a bin on the first shelf on the right side and God's gift to parents, the Diaper Champ is on the right side for easy diaper disposal.



Step Four:
If you are right handed, place the laundry basket on the left side of the diaper changer. I love this particular laundry basket as it has a mesh insert to put all the soiled pieces in. This helps twofold so that the lovely pink shell doesn't get messy and it is easy to just grab the bag and carry it down to the laundry machine.

Step Five:
If you have a diaper changer, make sure to utilize all of the storage space for the baby's toiletries. In the 6 bins, I have diapers, felt pads, extra changing pads, rattles, bath items, hats, toys, and thermometers etc.

Accessories:

Dresser: When DG moved in, he had this dresser that I begged him to toss. He put his foot down, and we stored it for 3 years in the garage. Thank goodness! This is great to hold all of the onsies, pajamas, socks, shoes, and outfits that we received as hand-me-downs. It has helped me to separate out all of the sizes; newborn, 0-3 mos., 3-6 mos. and 6-9 mos. etc.

Rocker: A rocker is a luxury to have, but I do not feel that it is a necessity. And what I mean by this is don't spend $700 on a rocker. We got this one on sale at Sears for $90. Score!

Rug: We were lucky enough to get a green hand-me-down children's rug from Cynthia. It definitely adds to the coziness of the room. But there are also colorful inexpensive options from Flor.

Color: My favorite color is apple green. See wedding photos. I wanted to incorporate color (green and pink) into the room through art, objects, and bedding instead of painting the walls. It started with the Tryptich Craft Project, then I bought the bee pictures at TJ Maxx, the green lamp shade was on sale for $10 at Pottery Barn Kids, and my Aunt Susan made a gorgeous framed cross stitch with Hadley's name and birth date on it (above the book case). Finally, the whipped cream and cherry on top are the curtains that my Mom, the seamstress put together from fabric and ribbons I found.

The whole room, including the crib, diaper changer, art, and curtains were done for under $500. Apparently I've watched too many DIY shows.

Virtual Tour

WHAT? No baby post? Hadley's fan club is going to riot. I've received requests to post pictures of the new house, but I don't like to because it is sooooo empty. We've been trying to furnish it one pillow at a time. Since we've made some progress on the upstairs, here are some pics in it's current state.

We live in a raised ranch or bi-level home. When you walk into the front door, there is a 2 story entryway. Go up six stairs and this is the view from the first level. It is one big room with the kitchen, living and dining room.


Turn to the right and see the living room with the new rug and red and white pictures that I bought at TJ Maxx. Score. The red pillows are from Target and the stripped pillow and blanket are from Restoration Hardware.

My other hot deal are the three mirrors on the back wall that I bought on Overstock. The bar stools came from there as well.

We're still up in the air about the paint color and a few more key pieces of furniture and the upstairs will be done.

Autumn has Fallen

and it's time for a new centerpiece.

My mom made this lovely green velvet table runner for me for my birthday. It's the kind of color that makes me want to paint the walls. I immediately matched it to our green tea light holders and when DG brought home these colorful gourds from the grocery store, I turned into Martha Stewart's less talented step sister and created a display on top of a cake platter that we got as a wedding gift.

Now the real question is, will I have the energy to decorate for Christmas when the time comes?

Let the Nesting Begin

This week-end DG started cleaning out the garage which is still filled with unpacked boxes. Our hopes are to be able to park in there before snow hits. We got into an organization mode and even decorated the guest bedroom by putting in a book case and hanging pictures on the wall. It's the one room in the house that we never go into, and the one room that is closest to being finished. It's nicer than our bedroom. I go in there once a day just to look at it and enjoy it.

And as an added bonus to our guests, the room comes equiped so that you can totally Rock OUT during your stay.