We have been working hard on the nursery these past few weekends and I am absolutely in love! There still is a lot to do, I mean, we do not have any furniture yet (baby furniture takes forever to come in!). I also want to add another layer (or 2) of design-the hubby rolls his eyes when I say things like that. I am just waiting to see how large the furniture feels in the space.

So, without further adieu...we took a spare bedroom that the previous owners had made into a walk-in closet...

First we painted...I chose a beautiful pale turquoise and an off-white for the colors. The main color scheme for the room is teal, pale pink, and some green and yellow accents.

Then we put up molding that matched the architecture of the home. There were huge holes across all the walls from the anchors used to hold up the closet shelving so we used the molding to cover the holes. I had wanted molding anyway because each bedroom in our house has a unique molding accent and I felt the nursery should not be the exception to this beautiful detail.

We got the glider cushions re-upholstered so that is why there is a naked chair in the reading nook in this photo-the finished product is further down the page. If you remember from the nursery inspiration post, I am going for a vintage/eclectic library theme. I am using lots of different distressed wood finishes so everything does not look matchy matchy.

I know there is not a lot of pale pink in the room yet, but the bedding and changing pad covers all incorporate pink-promise.

Here is how I used my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. I bought these letters from Etsy (I shopped around for letters for a while, this shop has great prices and she can make letters in a variety of different fonts). I chose Georgia for the font and I painted them pale pink when they arrived. They were kinda a pain to hang-plaster walls + lots of nails = major headache, but it was well worth the result. These letters are on the corner where the crib will eventually be located.

Just a few of my favorite things. Clockwise from top left: Our glider rocker that was passed down to us with the newly upholstered cushions and the wool throw that we purchased in Ireland specifically for our nursery. A small vintage looking bookcase/night stand from Home Goods. A beautiful handmade gift from our Aunt that I absolutely love!  A wire rack, also from Home Goods, that is being used to organize books.

And a few more. Clockwise again: A distressed shelf located above the changing table for organizing all of the little accessories we have been picking up (shelf from Home Goods). A Pottery Barn bookshelf built-in to the molding with all my old Dr. Seuss books and owl bookends from Z Gallery. The sheepskin rug that I made by sewing 2 smaller Ikea rugs end to end (I mean, nothing says "old library" like a little fur right?).  A close up of the pink letters. 

I have been loving working on the nursery! I hope you enjoyed the update!

We have a few big projects to finish before our baby arrives this summer. I thought I would give you a sneak peak. Besides starting to turn the "walk-in-closet spare bedroom" into the nursery, here is what else we have coming up:

We live in a beautiful older home (built in 1890). So, instead of putting up the standard metal baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, I found this idea on Pinterest and we are going to try and create this look with an old interior wood door that matches the age of our home.

We are giving one of our bathrooms a little facelift and adding a bathtub (we do not have a bathtub anywhere in the house). The bathroom itself is not that big and it is very narrow. This makes storage space a little tricky. I found this idea on Pinterest as well and I think it would be a great way to add space to a small wall we have between the toilet and the shower. We will see if the contractor agrees...

That is all for now (we are doing a complete overhaul of our front and back yards and extending our driveway too, but I do not have any clever ideas for these projects-yet). I will try to pretend to be a good blogger and post before and after pics!

It's been so hard waiting to find out what we are having (maybe a velociraptor?). One of the reasons is because I am beyond excited to design the nursery! My mom saved all of my Dr. Seuss books from when I was little and that is what started the theme for the nursery: a vintage library. Here is my inspiration board so far (minus anything that leans towards boy or girl-except the owl pillow, but that comes in all different colors).

I love this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote and I want it on one of the walls. The crib is by Franklin & Ben and this is the furniture style we decided on. I have a thing for the drawer pulls on the bottom. I like the idea of owl accents throughout the nursery and I found this adorable pillow on Etsy. I also found some great owl mobiles on Etsy. Finally, I have kept this reclaimed wood ruler in my favorites on Etsy for years. I love the look of it, and it is functional (it's a growth chart) as well as a great decorative accent!

In the living room/bar area of our home we have a sad little sitting area that is in need of a facelift.  So, I started working on that today.

Before
(please ignore the ugly eye sore of an AC unit)

After

Well, at least it's a start.  It's hard to tell since the pictures are backlit, but the curtains are a beautiful jewel blue color (from Target about a year ago).  Today I only purchased 2 new items the rest are things I found around the house.

This yellow ceramic cow is from Target's kitchen area.  It's for holding milk or cream, but I thought it would make a cute vase.  And it was only $4.99.  Pretty sweat deal.

This pillow was on clearance at Target for $10.48.  (I got 2 and put one in the adjoining family room to tie the two rooms together).  It goes  really well with the curtains and the new vase.

All the other accessories I have had for a while.  Even though it's a small change, it's a step in the right direction and I already think it adds a little more life to the space.

We had a little issue with a wild animal eating part of our outdoor
furniture...

So, we have been on the hunt for a new set. And they are pretty pricey. No joke. I thought I would share some of my favorites and least expensive ones in case some of you are in the market too.

La-Z-Boy 4 Pc Morgan Seating Set
We are specifically looking for a casual seating set with dark colors for the frame and the cushions (so the dogs don't destroy it). I found that Kmart on-line had the best and cheapest selection plus you get no interest if you open up a Sears card and free delivery if you spend over $249. We didn't go with this specific set, but it was a similar color and also by La-Z-Boy. It was a little bit pricier, but we couldn't pass up those deals to get a nicer set.

Wicker Deep Seating Sectional
We definitely don't have space for a sectional, but I think they are so cute for outdoor seating. However, they are always soooo expensive, so I thought I would share this one that I came across.

Target Home 3 Piece Bar Height Bistro Set
I love smaller, bar height sets for little balconies and small spaces. I have one from my first house that we still use now. I also love how simple and neutral this set is so you can make it work for your space with any color cushions or centerpiece that you want!

I am a huge fan of having fun and unique items for my table settings when we have people over our home.  The simplest items can make a simple table super cute.  Crate and Barrell has new white ceramic serving dishes that I am absolutely in love with right now.

Ceramic Can with Lid $9.95
Milk Bottles $6.95-$12.95
Egg Crate $6.95
Berry Box Colander $6.95

Mini Takeout Box $2.95

Target also has a great selection of white stoneware serving pieces.

These items are fairly inexpensive (unless you buy all of them at once like I want to) and they will really make a noticeable difference to any table!