Hi Internet!

I was working on a lamp project for Libby’s room this week when it occured to me that her nursery has changed so much over time that it deserves some new pics.

When Libby was a newborn we really wanted her nursery to be peaceful and serene. The decor was simple and the colors were soft and soothing. We don’t keep toys in her room because we want it to be a place she most strongly associates with sleeping, but we do want her space to be as playful and interesting as she is. As Libby had developed and her curiosity has increased her room has been developing too. Little bits and pieces have been added periodically accross the last 10 months to keep her engaged.

So, here is a little peak into Libby’s World. Enjoy!

Just in case anyone is interested in the origin of some of the DIY objects in the room I am providing some explanation as to where things came from or the inspiration for things in the room.

2 items in this pic were created and 2 were altered. Let’s start with the altered items. The glider was a hand-me-down from my sister. I recovered it in a fabric that coordinated better with the colors in the room. I had never created a slip cover before and did it with no instructions. I am still amazed that it has held together. The lamp was a repurposed lamp that Clay and I have had since we first got married. It was painted green when we first set up the nursery, but it got a lampshade upgrade (closeup below) this week thanks to this tutorial: http://rufflesandstuff.blogspot.com/2009/09/shabby-chic-pleated-shade.html. I love the way it turned out and since I already had the fabric in my stash it was a free upgrade. Perfect. 

The two things that were made in this pic are the birds on the wall and the ottoman. The ottoman used some of the same fabric from the chair recover. Starting to get pretty squashy so a restuffing would be good soon, but still hanging on. I used this Amy Butler pattern: http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=31. Libby has another one this same size and two more that are 3 times bigger in other parts of the house. They have been great to help Libby cruise around as she learns to walk.

The birds were made from a tutorial found here: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/.

The tutorial recommended hand sewing and they weren’t kidding. I tried this on a machine and it botched in a big way. So, did I patiently and lovingly stitch all 10 birds? Heck no. I scaled up the pattern so I could use my sewing machine. Now that’s crafty. The branch came from one of our trees and the whole thing is hung by fishing line from two hooks near the ceiling. It still catches Libby’s attention even though it has been there at least 6 months.

Wish I had made the owls on the wall plaque. Someone did and I scored it at the Goodwill for $1.50.

The dresser was a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law. It went through a major resalvage as it was super contrified. It has some weird extra cubbies on the top that had to be whacked off. The whole thing got a new finish and new draw pulls.

The Owl lamp was hard hard hard to make. It was a lawn ornament that I painted then drilled holes in and ran lamp equipment through. Sounds easy, but getting the lamp parts to go through the owl innards was tricky. The shade also got the upgrade mentioned above. Big improvement on the dingy shades.

I didn’t make either the cuckoo clock or the Peace artwork, but I like them a lot. The clock came from a yard sale for $.50 and the Peace art came as a gift from Libby’s aunt Jill to celebrate her adoption finalization day last May.

Libby’s room doesn’t have a ceiling fixture so I thought I would put a little something up there to draw the eye. If you are interested in doing something similar then here is a tutorial I found:  http://www.marthastewart.com/article/kids-paper-flowers , but I think I made these in my Brownie troop so I am not giving Martha any credit this time.

Hope you all enjoyed this tour of Libby’s abode. And just because she is cuter than anything in her room here are a couple recent pics of her as a bonus. I just can’t help dressing that kid like Punky Brewster.