Sam's 1st room-- TOUR!

We moved, and I know you all are anxious to see pics of the new house and all that... but there was something important I needed to do before we left the town home behind. Something I promised you years ago and never followed through on.
Sam's room was my favorite room in that house. I put a ton of effort and thought into making that room special, and before we left it for good, I really want to document it and share it with you-- in it's complete form.
Before I packed a single thing in that room, we gave it a good clean and pick-up and then took pictures so we would always have documentation and something to remember Sam's first room. The room we brought him home from the hospital to. The room where we spent countless hours rocking, feeding, playing, reading, and growing up. It was the only thing about the old house that I had a bittersweet pang leaving. But here it is, for you-- but mostly for me-- to enjoy and for posterity.

This is the view looking in the door. The chair is a rocking overstuffed chair we purchased at Babies 'R' Us. (Talked about our purchase here). The curtains were made by me. Bobble throw on the chair was made and given to us by my good friend Amy Lee. The P pillow a gift from another friend. White shag rug from target. Trunk has been mine for years. And the bureau is part of the furniture I refinished for the room. The awesome bear painting on top of the bureau was a gift painted by my Aunt. (It is SO COOL.) The letters spelling his name came from HomeGoods.

The crib was purchase at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Bed sheet (white with green polka dots) and the crib skirt were made by me. The chevron quilt I made for him is over the side of the crib. The three small canvases above the bed were taken by Kim Joyce Photography, and the canvases purchased from ArtsCow.com. The corner shelves are from Target. We have an AngelCare monitor (on the right) that we LOVE. Blocks that spell Samuel (corner shelf on the left) are from Little Sapling Toys. The leaf mobile above the crib was made by myself and my friend, of etsy inspiration. To the right of the crib is Sam's hamper, and in the top middle of the photo you can see a little 'sweet pea' ornament that my mom gave us, we hung it from the fan pull, and it became part of Sam's goodnight ritual, touching the sweetpea before bed every night.

This dresser was another piece that I refinished for the room. The changing pad was purchased from Babies 'R' Us, and the changing pad cover I made. The elephant lamp on the right was purchased at HomeGoods, and Amy Lee and I recovered the lampshade. Peeking around the corner (on the floor on the left) you can see the bag holder I made, and also the wet bags for Sam's cloth diapers hang there. Above the dresser is the tiled round miror I purchase at HomeGoods, as well as pictures of Z and I, the puppies, sam's sonogram and framed hospital bracelet. Above the changing pad as pinwheels from the Baby P shower my friend Erin threw. Sam loved those hanging pinwheels!

The view from the other side of the room... My favorite part! Sam had a regular old boring closet that was dingy and had broken sliding doors on it. We removed the doors and painted it this happy bright green color. My dad built the shelf going up the middle, and I painted that and all the other shelving (going up the sides of the closet you can't see) a bright shiny white. We installed the wooden clothing rods. The green tubs along the top shelf and the green kids hangers came from Target. We added a ton of storage, and made the room feel more open bright with out closet remodel. I was so happy. The large ruler to the left of the closet I made as a growth chart for Sam's first birthday. (Meant to put that project on the blog, but... oops.)

 And I think that's about it. If you saw anything in there I didn't mention that you are curious about, please ask, I will answer to the best of my ability! I was so proud of this room, and felt so happy in this space.

Goodbye, Happy Room! We will miss you, but we gotta move on to bigger and better things!

It's a little weird to go back through all those older posts as we were preparing this room for Little Sam... especially since we now have a Baby P II we are preparing for. Oh, we have Big plans for his first little room! I can't wait to get started and share with you along the way. :)

Swingin'

 

Sam needed a swing.
He's almost seven months, he's sitting up like a pro, and he needed some backyard entertainment for Grandpa and Grandma's big backyard. Besides that, kids love swings. What kid doesn't love a swing? It was time.
But let me tell you what I hate... plastic stuff. Especially plastic stuff that stays outside and gets faded and dirty and gross. UGH. So I researched baby swings and decided I did not want plastic. A stroll through pinterest found several pretty wooden ones, but they just didn't look so comfy for my sweet little rollie baby. Then I found a picture of this canvas/hamock style swing, and I was all, YES! Then I saw that it was $135 plus shipping from Australia... and I was like... um, NO. (But if you have $135 to burn... you can check out Swingz and Thingz they've got some super cool stuff!)

Source: swingz.com.au via Valerie on Pinterest

But upon closer inspection, I uttered those dangerous words...

I could make that.

Right?

 So I gathered up my supplies:
1 inch oak dowels
25 ft nylon/poly blend braided 5/16" rope
Steel rings
steel carabiner
rope crimps
about 1 yard of outdoor canvas
Some tools: sewing machine, hammer, pliers, saw, drill press
Sturdy tree branch (still attached to the tree, thank you.)

I started by making the seat. I found this beautiful striped canvas at a fabric outlet, and I love it! I think I will start sewing exclusively with stripes, it's super easy to measure stuff... just FYI.

I cut the large piece 36"x14", the top piece is 14"x11", and the bottom leg piece is 6"x11". (I cut all my pieces from the same long strip that started 60"x14") The way they are laid out in this picture is the shape we are creating for the seat part of the swing.
The first step was to hem the sides of the two vertical pieces. You will be hemming the 11" sides. Here's how I did the hem for this project:

1. Iron over a 1/4 inch to wrong side.
2. Iron over another 1/2 inch to wrong side.
3. Sew two straight seams 1/8 inch from each side of the hem. You have a lovely finished edge, the double seam isn't necessary, but I think it looks really nice.

Next you are going to attach those two pieces to the long horizontal piece. Here's how I attached them and double enforced the seams so they would be extra safe for my little boy...

 1. I ironed over 1/4 inch then another 1/2 inch just like i did in the first two steps above. Then I measured and centered the vertical pieces and pinned them, wrong sides together, just underneath that ironed down hem.
2. Sew two seams, just as you did in part 3 above.
3. Now flip the vertical piece up over the hem you just created, and iron it flat.
4. Top stitch over the two seams you created previously, securing the vertical piece in that position and reinforcing your seams.

The next step is to fold over 3 and sew down 3 inches on all 4 sides (which I unfortunately did not take a picture of...) This creates the casing that your dowel will go through for the frame of the swing. This is the last step of the sewing portion, and your completed seat looks like this:

(note: for smaller children you may want to also sew a cushion or pillow to go behind their back. I made a 12x12" square pillow out of coordinating outdoor canvas to go behind Sam, it was the perfect size.)

Next you create the frame and ropes to hang the swing.
I used 1 inch oak dowels, and cut them to 16". My dad took them to his fancy shop and used fancy tools to put beautiful radius on each end, but that is not structurally important. You can just cut and sand the ends really well so no one gets splinters.

Next you will put a 3/8" hole 1" from  both ends of each dowel. You will want you use a drill press to get the holes exactly straight. You can stain your dowels at this point, if you so desire.

Okay, time for the ropework! I cut 2 lengths of rope (I used a braided nylon/poly blend that was 5/16") 10 feet. You need to use a lighter to melt the ends of the rope so it doesn't fray. Then find the center of the two ropes and thread them through your steel ring and pull it to the center. (When you purchase your ring, make sure it is weight bearing. Though it will never need to hold that much, ALL the materials I used for this project were rated to hold up to 200 lbs. Safety first!)

Then I used a metal rope clamp to bind the four ropes together. You can see an unused one sitting above the ropes, and I have only hammered two of the four prongs onto the rope. (just wanted you to see how this works.)

The completed clamped rope looks like this.The rope clamp is another important safety feature in this swing, without it, the ropes could slide freely through the ring and topple the swing and the little one inside. So be sure to include that!

Now it's time for the fun part... assembly! I was literally dancing about the house by the time it got to assembly. I was SO EXCITED to complete this project and get it up in a tree and a baby in it! So here's how you do it...
Thread your dowels through all four casings in the fabric seat. The front and back dowels will be below the side dowels.

Thread the rope through the holes of two crossed dowels, and create a stopper knot leaving a 2 inch tail of rope. (A simple overhand knot would likely be sufficient, but the stopper knot is a little more sturdy, and I didn't want ANY chance of those knots slipping out when holding my precious and breakable baby) (By the way... I did a ton of research before doing this project and learned a lot about knots and what kinds are appropriate for securing or bearing what kinds of loads... Anyway, I kinda feel like I earned my boyscout badge in knots. Is there even such a thing?)

Oh my gosh! You have a swing! Now you need a safe place to hang it from.  Pick a sturdy branch or beam. This little picture is from the original website where I copied my swing design from... an excellent and informative graphic so I will save my breath... (fingers?)

Again, make sure your carabiner is a weight bearing one. ours was purchased from the hardware store and rated to hold 200 lbs. Check the rating on any hardware you use--for your child's safety!

My dad also decided that Sam might like to swing on their fancy shady porch where we all like to hang out, so he got and eye bolt and hung that in their pergola. (this bolt, when properly installed was rated to hold up to 300 lbs. I know I sound like a broken record here... but when suspending your child double and triple check that all your hardware and rope is rated to hold weight and is installed correctly and safely.)

Okay, are you wiggling so much you can't stand it??? Because I definitely was at this point... my dad was tying knots to the tree and literally could not hold still from swing excitement! Check it out!

Okay, and now, brace yourself for gratuitous photos of cute baby swinging...

Favorite!

Sam loved it! He spent his entire afternoon just swinging and swinging. Then after dinner my dad moved his swing up to the porch... where he fell asleep, still in his swing.

Okay, take a few moments to recover from your cuteness coma, because I am certain you want to know about the price breakdown. Did we swing it for under $135?

2 - 1" oak dowels each 3 ft long : $10
50 ft nylon/poly blend braided 5/16" rope: $12
Package of 2 Steel rings: $2
steel carabiner: $3
Package of 2 rope crimps: $2
1 yard of outdoor canvas + 1/3 yard contrasting: $11
Total cost: $40

However... you'll note that I had to buy 50 ft of rope, but only used 25... And several things I had to buy packages of 2... and I had enough fabric left that I could make a second seat... so if I purchased more dowels and another carabiner, that would total $53... 

Making the approximate cost PER SWING about $26.50

I'd say that's a heck of a lot better than $135+shipping from Australia. Yes? SCORE.

This may be the favorite project I have EVER made. I know that's a pretty dramatic use of absolute qualifiers there, but I love this little swing so much... and I love it even more watching my little Sam swing and squeal with delight. Happy Swingin'!

(I also linked this too the Summer Pinterest Challenge at YHL if you wanna check out some other cool projects...) 

 UPDATED 3/1/13: Check out OSH Revisited: Swingin' for more pics and updates on the swing, and also for an explanation on how to add pics of your swing to the flickr pool! If you have created a swing for your kiddo, I would LOVE to see it! Would you please please share pics with all of us??? Please?

Changing Pad Cover

Here is another project from Baby P's room.
If you remember from Baby P's Furniture post, we decided to use what we had, as opposed to buying new furniture for the room. So we will be using the dresser as a changing table. We just had to get a pad for the top, and it actually works out pretty great because there is plenty of space in drawers below to hold diapering essentials.
(find out more after the jump!)

Drawers all lined up!

Mama P has been oh-so-busy with more projects for Baby P's room. This one is --GASP!-- a non-sewing project!!! I'll give you a moment to recover while you gaze upon lined drawer furniture loveliness...

But... you know you are craving for the full story on these bad boys, and I am not going to keep you from it. (it's slightly longish and picture heavy, though... so I'ma-make you jump to it... but do it, you know you want to.)

The Crib!

The... final piece of furniture was added to Baby P's room a couple weeks ago. I meant to show you then, but was in the middle of the Pinterest Challenge, and in the midst of all that posting it got away from me.
I know to most of you, a crib is a crib, so yay for us we have one. But I am still quite excited about it. Also, it's good just to have another piece of the puzzle in place. It's really starting to feel like we are 'ready' for Baby P. (though ready is in quotes because... can one ever be ready for their first child???)
Anywho before the crib showed up the back wall of Baby P's room was looking a little empty:

But now it looks like this:

Ooh, pretty. (Bonus, you can see Winston ears in the bottom left of this pic... that dog loves this room, and especially that rug. Probably because it is mostly off limits to him.) The crib is lovely and matches the refinished furniture quite well. I am pleased. I like the shape of it, traditional, clean with a little bit of flair... also it's the convertible kind, came with rails to turn into a toddler bed, and eventually full size bed. So we are planning on this being furniture our kiddo can grow with.

We also procured a mattress for our crib (organic cotton fill, because I am getting all crazy like that!) that fits snugly inside... and one evening on a sewing date night with my mama, we used this crib sheet tutorial to make a couple of fitted sheets for the bed.

They were quite easy to whip up in a few minutes and fit the bed perfectly. I love that I could pick my own fabrics in colors and prints that match his room. He has a green polka dot (shown) a blue sprinkle sheet, and a green striped flannel sheet that is so soft and warm. Quite pleased with that simple project.

So there you have it. The last big piece of furniture in Baby P's room. It's starting to really come together now. We are getting excited! Lots more Baby P room projects coming soon, but this week... I am working my fingers off to complete a few baby quilts for the grandmas before a certain Baby P's shower on Sunday. Wish me luck!

(Finally) Baby P's Furniture

I mentioned in a previous post that we are on a budget for our nursery... A budget that didn't allow for all new furniture. And I had some furniture in that room already. It was my furniture set that I got for my 12th birthday. It's pretty simple, classic design. Nothing life changing. And little bit country chic (perhaps minus the chic part) with it's light knotty oak finish. But it's sturdy. And it's ours. And it's...

 

Completely not the look I had in mind for my nursery.

A quick jaunt around the interwebs to discount furniture sites and even craigslist quickly made me realize that purchasing a new (or new-to-us used) set of furniture would be out of the question. We just couldn't justify that kind of money. And even though I knew I should be content and just work with what I had...

I didn't want to.
So I pouted.
And I thought.

And I wondered if I could refinish the furniture?
Negative, ghost writer.
It's not real wood. It's particle board. Laminate junk. Still sturdy. But particle board nonetheless. You can't sand and stain that junk. Can I paint it? Well... I didn't really want traditional flat white furniture for Baby P's room, because I was hoping the furniture would be stuff we could keep around for a long time. You know... grow with it. I didn't want it to look too juvenile. Also, you may recall that we really wanted (and therefore purchased... well, grandma and grandpa purchased) a new crib in espresso finish. Nice and modern and classy. And a far cry from the fake light oak particle board furniture in the rest of the room.

So I dared to think something I swore to myself I would never ever think, much less include in my decor. (I think I was tainted by the 90's sponge painting craze? That my mother embraced whole heartedly in every room of our house.) I dared to think... maybe... just maybe... I could do some kind of a faux-finish that wouldn't look terrible.
And then I cringed at that word.
Faux-finish.
Gross.
I took my pregnant but determined self to the Home Depot to figure it out. Got in an argument with my husband about whether or not you can stain particle board (you can't, Z. You just can't.). Got into an argument with the sales associate about whether or not you can use an interior glaze medium on furniture (You definitely can, associate. You suck at your job. Go read a crafty blog and be schooled.) And stomped out of the store annoyed but undeterred.
I shared my plan with my husband who looked at me skeptically and didn't think it would work. I shared my plan with my parents who looked at me skeptically and didn't think it would work. I shared my plan with my friend Joy who said... "Okay. Want me to come help?"
Bingo. She gets one million points for the correct response. Z and my parents are in the hole.

Everything sanded... and the bureau in the bottom right corner is primed

So here's the plan:
Step 1: SAND    Step 2: PRIME    Step 3: PAINT    Step 4: GLAZE   Step 5: TOPCOAT    Step 6: Sip lemonade on the patio and revel in my brilliance and how easy that whole thing was.
Should take me 3 days--tops-- including a whole afternoon for sipping and reveling.
I was wrong.
This project took me the better part of three weeks to complete. About halfway through our dear sweet child found that nice sciatic nerve in my spine and dedicated his evenings to pressing his skull into it with all the force his 10 oz. would let him. And it was enough to take me down and bring me to tears regularly. Z says I am not allowed to swear around the baby now that he can 'hear' us. I am pretty sure I was swearing AT the baby during this process. Not gonna win me mother of the year, I know. But DANG that was some evil nasty thing to do to one's mom. That's all I'm saying about that.

It just took forever. After sanding and priming (which took up the first week...) it took 4 coats of the chocolate brown to cover the furniture. Four coats! Four hours drying time between coats. 9 drawers, 2 cabinets, bureau and dresser... four coats. Heaven help me. I thought I would never get through. Then I glazed the thing in black to create a faux-finish (cringe) wood grain. Then 2-3 coats of the safecoat acrylacq.  Stick a fork in me. I am SO DONE with this project.
Last night I finally... FINALLY reassembled everything and installed all the new hardware and...
I love it! It looks good, faux finish and all. And I am sad my photography isn't better and you can't see it well, but check out the fake-out wood grain from the glaze on my glossy drawer fronts:

Pretty, no?

Lots of shelf space inside those doors and two big drawers.


I love it.

This will be the changing table, and count those 7 drawers for storage and little clothes!

I am so proud.
And... the non-believers?
Well, my husband is super impressed with the finished product. "It looks like real wood grain... like it was made that way, not refinished in a stuffy room in our house," he said. Yup.
My parents are baffled by the transformation. My dad keeps saying... " When you told me your plan I thought it was going to look terrible and cheap. But this looks really nice-- classy and professional." Yup.
So two thumbs up from them.
And even though it wasn't CHEAP (you know, not as cheap as just using what we had) it was a lot cheaper than buying new stuff, and it looks stellar, and as I have more time than money right now... the time investment to save money but still have fab furniture was worth it to me. And the whole thing still cost under $100 for classy brand-new looking furniture. I am very happy.

Price breakdown:
Primer and Chocolate brown interior paint: $16
Glazing medium and tint: $14
Safecoat Acrylacq: $27
New hardware (17 knobs!): $38
TOTAL: $95.00

One more look...

Energy and Plans and Questions

Trimester 1 = UGH.
But I have had some hopeful moments this past week that help me see the light at the end of this dark first trimester tunnel. I've been a bit more energetic this week, feeling good more than I felt nauseous, and I even made dinner twice!
PLUS I finally completed the baby gift which will soon be headed to friends in Korea... AND! I began Baby P quilt #1. This one is for Grandma P. Grandma S has yet to decide upon a fabric, and so her's will be 2nd. Yes, I am pregnant and trying to pump out 2 baby quilts for my child's grandmothers. Why? I don't know. I cave easily under pressure. Or I like to take on more than I can handle. Or I am a people pleaser to a fault.
One or all of those.
But the Grandmas requested baby quilts and who am I to say no, or set healthy boundaries and expectations of myself. You see? I really had no choice.
The good news is I am finally feeling some motivation and inspiration... and I hope that lasts. I am a little afraid it might wane as quickly as it developed and I will be left with a pile of incomplete projects and subsequent guilt, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Right?
Right.
In the mean time...


Photo source: E Tells Tales

I saw this nursery today, and swooned a little. Clean, simple, lovely, interesting, fun... and the wiener dog night light on the floor? Could you just die? I wouldn't be able to help myself, I just might gank him for my own room!
I've started thinking a little bit about nursery design. We went shopping this weekend and Grandpa and Grandma S bought Baby P a crib (ooh... add that to the list of reasons Grandma's get quilts). It's a pretty simple and solid design, espresso wood finish. To save us some money (well, maybe...) we are using my childhood dresser and bureau that currently resides in our spare bedroom (soon to be nursery). The only problem is... that stuff while still solid is a little banged up and janky looking, and it's not real wood. Also it it light oak.

Photo source: Nebraska Furniture Mart
This is the crib we ordered... in the 'sienna' finish, ours is 'espresso' finish

SO!
The plan is to paint a close enough match... so everything is pretty and matching-ish. I am also counting on that second trimester energy boost to get me through this project. And some nice weather. (Cross your fingers for me, okay?)
But I do have some questions about painting furniture, as this will be my first time.
For all you purists... it's fake wood, so I am not destroying heirlooms or anything.  My plan is to paint a dark chocolate brown (maybe darker...) and then use an espresso or even black glaze to give it some depth and dimension. But here's my question, because google research has yet to answer it: After painting fake wood-- can you glaze it? Will the glaze stick to anything if there is no wood grain or bumps or divots to settle into? Will it look good or will it just be a waste of my time-- in which case I should just paint it a flat color of paint and call it a day???
Thoughts? Comments? Tips? Advice?