The Nursery: The Big Reveal

I've shown many different elements of the nursery I managed to throw together in the past month, but not the entire thing yet. As my projects and the design of the nursery took shape, I noticed I was slowly drifting away from my original inspiration and plan. Unsure of where the new direction was taking me, I was determined not to get down about it until I had seen the final results.

Thankfully, I'm quite satisfied with the end result. Although it's not as frilly and girly as I had originally planned on (but really, what was I thinking?), I think the nursery ended up being a better reflection of me (although, I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head, if I could do it all over again, it would look completely different! Anyone need a nursery designed?). I had originally intended on not being so matchy-matchy with the furniture, and to a certain extent I accomplished that, but as you'll notice, my little "face lifts" resulted in some very coordinating pieces.

I had also originally intended on spending no more than $600 on the nursery and saving as much money as possible by using DIY projects and refurbished and hand-me-down furniture and decor. There were a few elements that we shelled out more dough on than I would have preferred, but all in all, I think I was able to create a pretty stylish nursery for a mediocre amount of money. In fact, our total (approximate) cost for this room was under $1,000.

Ouch. That actually sounds like an awful lot now that I've totaled it all up, especially with all the refurbishing and reusing I did manage to do. But I guess when you take into consideration what everything would have cost had I purchased all brand new stuff... I still saved money, right? I mean, a crib alone could cost anywhere upward of a couple hundred dollars. Same with a changing table. As I previously mentioned, I had no intention of buying a new "big ticket" piece of furniture, but ended up doing so (the wardrobe), sooo.... if you deduct the price of the wardrobe... than we actually spent less than $600 on the entire nursery (that includes furniture, decor, storage and window treatments), and that is a-okay with me.

Enough jibber-jabber, on to the nursery reveal!
(please excuse the low-quality pictures. I am in desperate need of a better quality camera)

You may be wondering where the crib is. Well, we have one, but we haven't bothered to set it up yet since we don't have the mattress yet (it's still in New York). And if you're wondering about the cost of the crib and the bedding, the crib is a hand-me-down from my cousin ($0), the mattress was a baby shower gift from my dad and his fiancee ($0), mattress pads, crib sheets, and quilts were all hand-me-downs or baby shower gifts ($0), I opted out of a crib skirt, and I picked up a breathable crib bumper, which I have yet to decide if I'll use, from Target (gift card- $0). Plus, we intend on using the hammock that you see in the pictures when our little one first comes home from the hospital (Craigslist- $50).

And because I know people are curious and like to peak inside closets and drawers...

I found this very helpful suggestion online on how to organize a newborn's dresser drawers. I folded all the onesies and tees into thirds and then lined them up like file folders. This ensures that you don't have to go digging through piles of clothes to find what you want and that you can easily view the sizes of each item. This little girl has a ton of white onesies and t-shirts (sizes shown are NB-3 months)! The other day I felt like I needed to pick up a few pink items because I was feeling a little guilty that most of her clothes were in neutral colors.

And last but not least, a couple of details that weren't completed yet when the above photos were taken...

Anyway, there it is. And if you're one of the lucky ones who gets to see it in person, you can feel free to leave our girl a message on her chalkboard wardrobe!

Curious about the DIY projects and other details in this nursery? Check them out here!

Late to the party? No worries. Check out what you missed here!