Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Modern Safari Nursery Reveal

It's been 3 1/2 months since our little guy was born, and today is the day that I can finally reveal to you the nursery!  Some of this space has evolved over time as I've finished putting together the last projects.  You may remember my nursery inspiration and then my mood board that I shared with you.  Then, I shared some fabric choices.  We weren't sure the gender of the baby, so I went with a color scheme that I believe is gender neutral, and had decided that once the baby was born I would make it more gender appropriate with accessories, etc.  Well, we had a boy, {you can read his birth story here}, so I was able to make the nursery into what I would like to call 'Modern Safari'.



Come on in and have a peek!

This is what you see when you open the door.  I painted a little  30 cent plaque from Marshall's with chalkboard paint and wrote Mason's initials in orange chalk.


 The dresser was painted in ASCP Pure White, and you can read about that project, my first ASCP experience, here.  The pictures above the dresser are some that my husband had previous to our marriage--'The Big 5', a lion, elephant, cheetah, wildebeest, and rhinoceros.



My mother-in-law recovered this glider.  It was previously a blue denim, but there was enough fabric leftover from the crib bedding to piece together this beauty.  I. love. it.  I've never had a glider before, so it's been nice to rock Mason every now and then.


As I was working on hanging up pictures in here one day, I happened to look in the garage and saw this canvas resting in a pile of cobwebs.  Before we had children, my husband stated that he would one day like a Tintin themed nursery.  Tintin is a character from a Belgian comic series that Bradley read growing up.  You may be familiar with the movie that came out last December, based upon this series.  I couldn't believe how perfectly this canvas fit in with the colors and theme of our nursery.  Up on the wall it went!  The shelf {from Target} holds books, puzzles and toys.  You can read about my fabric covered boxes here.


The shelf below contains little toy animals from Tanzania, where my sister and brother-in-law recently went on a mission trip.  They had no idea I was decorating Mason's nursery this way, but they are a perfect addition!  The 'M' hanging on the wall was used as decor at a baby shower hosted by my friends, and the shelf was made by my brother.  I contemplated painting the shelf white, but decided it would be more significant to leave it as he had designed and created.  I love that Mason has a little piece of my brother in his room.


A stack of Tintin books rests on top of the toy shelf, tying in the picture with the rest of the room.


The bedding turned out exactly how I had envisioned!  The fabric is a Premier Print collection, and I added some white fabric I already had to make the bedskirt and drapery panels.  I used a Butterick pattern for the bumpers and crib skirt and they were super easy to do!  I saved a ton of money by making my own bedding, and I was able to have just what I wanted.



The one project left to finish is a wall hanging above the crib.  Bradley made this for me out of pieces of wood, just put together and painted.  Eventually, it will have 'fearfully and wonderfully made', from Psalm 139:14 on it.  And, yes, that is a rocking hippo in the corner.


Taking a picture of a window treatment is terribly difficult, but you can see a glimpse of it in this photo.  I just added some of the zebra print fabric to plain white fabric and had some custom-made panels.  Orange ribbon is used as a tie.  I love the simplicity and classic look.



Putting this nursery together was so much fun!  And, if we have any more children, I'm definitely just going to reuse everything.

I don't have a specific breakdown of the cost, but this is pretty close.

Fabric and Bumper Pads for Bedding:  $60
Lamp: $15 from Target
ASCP and wax for Dresser:  $65  {I covered another dresser as well, and have lots of wax leftover}
Orange Ribbon for Window: $2
Paint: $55

Total:  $197.

Not bad for an entire nursery makeover!

Linking to:

Not JUST a Housewife





Home Stories A2Z


Beneath My Heart Best DIY Projects of August 

22 comments:

  1. Love it--you did a fabulous job with every single detail! And I love the Tintin addition--he's a popular character in Cambodia too=) Thanks for sharing Mason's nursery!

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  2. I absolutely love what you did with Mason's nursery! Everything just looks so perfect! I really love the bedding. I can't wait to see the finished artwork above his crib!

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  3. WOW! This nursery looks amazing! You have done a fabulous job Lauren and Bradley.

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  4. WOW! This nursery looks amazing! You have done a fabulous job Lauren and Bradley.

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  5. Oh, I just love it and I'm so glad that Tintin made the cut. Great job, you two!

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  6. I love all of the personal pieces like the shelf and toys, and I like incorporating a non-"babyish" item, like you did with the Tintin picture. Looks great!

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  7. Yay! We finally got the big "reveal" and it looks wonderful!! I love every single detail!

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  8. Lauren Mason's nursery is amazing!! I love how everything has come together since I saw it last (the weekend Mason was born!). I think my absolute favorite part is the glider. It looks SO good! I might steal it one day... ;) The bedding, glider, and window treatment are all so colorful and fun. It is just a beautiful room! I love all the safari pieces, too. and the Tintin things! Amazing job Lauren! I may have to hire you as a personal nursery decorator one day

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  9. Looks beautiful Lauren! What a wonderful, personal nursery!

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  10. Love the idea for above Mason's bed! Everything is so beautiful!

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  11. Looks great! I love the colors and special touches!

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  12. Wow! I really love it and the bright colors...and look how you did for so little money...that's awesome!

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  13. Wow, Lauren, you did an amazing job! Incredible that you did it all! It looks great ... very fun!

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  14. Looks great! I love the colors and especially the bedding!

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  15. Wow this looks amazing! I love the colors and I especially love the painting above the dresser!
    Just so you know I featured you today on Show Off Saturday!
    http://www.mydecoupagedlife.com/2012/08/show-off-saturday-room-reveals.html

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  16. Hi, found you through the 'Not just a housewife' link up. Love your nursery! My little one is 3 and a half months too and I've just completed her nursery :)
    www.ohsoamelia.com

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  17. Hi! I just found you clicking through another blog. The glider makeover turned out great, I have one very similar in my baby's room but still in the original color(cherry)with beige cushion, I will give it a try and paint and make a new cover, thanks for the inspiration :). I loved the rocking hippo, very cute nursery!

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  18. How wonderful using all the personal items that are important to you and your husband in your decor. (My faves are the shelf and the colorful Tin Tin print.) I love the color palette you chose. So fresh and pretty! You really turned it into a beautiful and interesting nursery. Great job, Lauren!

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  19. Super cute! I love the simplicity and originality! Great use of color/white, too!

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  20. Setting up baby's nursery can be expensive. Before you start buying furniture, bedding and accessories, though, make a plan for baby's nursery and try to stick to it.

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  21. Hi! I found your blog through another, and am currently decorating my son's nursery. What color and type of paint did you use for the grey walls in this room? It's exactly the color my husband and I have been looking for! Could you email your answer to erica.nold@gmail.com ? Thank you!

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