Customizing a Nursery

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Well, today I’m being a little lazy…I think I’m still recovering from my vacation! I decided I would share some ideas I had for my second daughters nursery. These pictures were taken a little over two years ago, in our last house, but I think I can describe everything I did.

I am not a traditionalist when it comes to nurseries and I like them to flow with the rest of my house. I knew I was having a girl and all the bedding I liked was really expensive. At the time, we were living in Lancaster, PA. This is important because it is the home of only two Calico Corner outlets. I LOVE Calico Corner fabric and the outlet has beautiful fabric for a fraction of the cost! I found the two fabrics I used on the window treatments at the outlet, the stripe on the quilt is from Joann, and the polka dot chenille is a queen size quilt that I got at TJ Maxx and just cut up. I think I spent about $100 total on all the fabric. (That includes the rocker.)

To make the window treatments, I just made basic panels. You can find lots of tutorials on how to make curtains on the web. For the valence, I used a pre-made form from Joann. All you do is follow the directions to attach the fabric. It’s really easy and I used a coupon so it was fairly inexpensive. I wanted something to block out the light, so the room would be as dark as possible for my new born! I got a VERY inexpensive plastic roller shade and some spray adhesive. I pulled the shade out all the way and used the adhesive to attach the coordinating fabric. The result is a custom look, for not a lot of $$.

I have an embroidery machine, so I was able to personalize the quilt and pillow. If you want this look, but don’t have the machine, you can Google to find someone close to you that offers this service.

For the bedding, I just took apart an old crib bed skirt and used it as a pattern. I used my older daughters bumper and just covered it, basically just pinned the fabric around it inside out. Don’t forget to attach straps. I made my own straps, but you could also use ribbon. I used a pattern for the quilt, and there are tons out there. The trim on the bottom of the bed skirt was from the quilt I bought and took apart. BE CREATIVE, it will save you money!

The mobile was a lot of fun! I had a pretty nice one from my older daughter, that had frogs hanging from it. I cut off the frogs and attached two little bears and two wooden hearts that I had found on clearance.

The rocker was originally green, so I found a heavy fabric at Calico Corner for a grand total of $7. I just pinned the fabric inside out around the cushions to made skip covers.

The changing table is an old dry sink. I purchased it at an auction for $80. It is perfect for the changing pad and baskets to hold diapers and supplies. The chandelier is from Target and came with a plug on the end. To allow it hang, I purchased the top piece from a hardware store and cut off the plug and pulled the wires through. You can ask for help at the hardware store, if you are unsure…they are generally very helpful.

I got the bed for $99, new in the box, from a J.C. Penney outlet. I think the whole nursery cost about $350. That is about what the bedding would have cost that I wanted!

Here is another example of some bedding I made for someone. She really liked a comforter set from Target, so I just used it as the main fabric and found the pink, polka dot at Joann.