In this guest post, Megan shares how she saved big on baby Waylon’s nursery using paint, a bit of ingeniuity, and her hubby’s mad carpentry skills. I love how Megan used the Ugly Dolls to make a mobile!
We didn’t find out the gender of our baby until he made his big debut last September. I knew going into it that I wanted the room to be gender neutral and to be void of any pastel colors. I also wanted it to look more like my bedroom than a baby’s room. We spent less than $1000 for everything you see in this room.
We went with navy for the walls, because the room is very small and we wanted to make it feel a little bigger. My husband builds custom furniture on the weekends, so we were blessed to be able to design and build the crib, changing table/dresser and book shelves for less than we would have paid in a store. The rug from Pottery Barn Kids was a gift.
The safari animal prints are actually calendar pages framed in album frames that we painted white to make them jump off the wall. The white was so striking, we stayed with it for several other pieces in the room, including the branch wall hangers, changing table and book shelves.
The drawing above the dresser is a portrait of Waylon during his first week that my husband drew.
Waylon’s toys and books are stored in wicker baskets on the floor, except for a few of the cutest ones that made the shelves and the paper books that he’s still too small for.
We made the Ugly Doll mobile using 5 little dolls, some black string and a couple of wooden dowels.
Waylon should be able to grow into his room for years.
This post is part of BC’s Nursery on a Budget Series. See more posts in the series.
More real-life nurseries on a budget:
For our mobile (that hangs above the changing table), we used a simple wire mobile designed for photographs or postcards. It just has 10 alligator clips on it. I also bought a few sets of small Christmas ornaments (some felt birds, some tiny bulbs). We hang the ornaments on it, and trade them out when they start to get boring. We also sometimes put other things on– fresh flowers our toddler picks, pieces of construction paper, the bows from his birthday presents, whatever is handy and interesting. We love it, and we spent less than $20 for everything.
Are you kidding me he made that crib and dresser? hes very talented!!!! good for you guys, it looks amazing!
I really like the blue, what brand/color paint is it?
i love the mobile. where'd you get the dolls from? your husband is blessed with many talents, including awesome wood workmanship and a lovely portrait
i love the rug…where is it from?
I love this room! So handsome and I like that its not really "baby-ish". The coral hooks and safari prints are great. Your husband is really talented!
-Caitlin
http://www.pacifierinmypocket.blogspot.com
Emily – the paint is Valspar from Lowe's. My husband thinks he's got more, but I have yet to get him to find it and give me the name. I know it was in their Colonial collection. It's also in our foyer. I love it too!
Aysha – The dolls are Ugly Dolls. We got them at a local toy store, but you can order them from the Ugly Dolls website. They are the ones with the hooks attached. We just cut the hooks off (just the plastic part, not the loop. You'll use the loop to attach the string to the doll…to the mobile.)
Anon – The rug is from Pottery Barn Kids. It was a gift.
My husband is crazy talented. We have been married 3 1/2 years and I have yet to purchase a piece of furniture. If I see something I like, he makes it and at a fraction of the cost. He hopes to go into business making custom furniture for all those people like me who come up with ideas but can't find the furniture to match. If you're interested in something like this, email me or check out my own blog. http://www.dubsnub.blogspot.com
or mtadams1@gmail.com