Chalkboard Wall

     Here's yet another post about the finishing of the nursery (I know, it's hard to believe we are STILL working on it, but we are almost there!) 

   From the beginning of the pregnancy, one of the things I knew I wanted, boy or girl, was a magnetic chalkboard wall. Being a teacher, I envisioned a space for our child to be creative, express herself, and showcase her proud works of art. I also loved the idea of writing little notes to her and cataloging her milestones with the chalkboard space. 

I also knew for sure I wanted an open bookshelf wall when I fell in love with spaces like these:

         


I just LOVE children's books and think they are so fanciful and fantasy-like. The colors and decorations on the covers make for beautiful artwork and decorations themselves. 




    Although I wished for a wall of books, I knew our tiny room just didn't have the space to accommodate such a display, especially if I wanted to do a chalkboard wall as well. So, I decided to combine the two. The hubby was a little confused about how she would write on a wall of books, but I assured him I had a "vision" for the wall, and she would have space around the shelving and towards the bottom. 

So, we started with trying to paint with the magnetic primer first. After several clumpy coats and poor reviews read online, we decided that we didn't have the time, energy, or money to paint the several layers of magnetic paint we needed to truly hold her artwork/papers with magnets. I sadly gave up my magnetic dreams and we then focused on painting the wall with several layers  of chalkboard paint. 

     Next, I ordered a personalized vinyl wall sticker for the top of the wall from where else - Etsy. I used the quote, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" from Dr. Seuss' book - it is one of my all time favorites and I just can't wait to see where our little girl will go in life. I hope she always dreams high and keeps her optimism. I thought the quote would tie in perfectly with her wall of books.

     Next, it was time to hang the shelving I ordered from  The Land of Nod and a pink clothespin hanger I found at Home Goods. Since my magnetic musings were dashed, I bought that piece super cheap to hang her artwork or special cards she receives in the future. For now, I hung a few dresses up because little girl's clothing is so special and sweet, it is artwork in and of itself.

     To me, the final product is one of my favorite parts of the entire room. I have another bookshelf and cork board rail, but don't want to clutter up the wall too much. She will need space to write on her chalkboard in the future - after all, that's what it's for! For now, we will leave the wall as is. I love it, and can't wait to read her books from her shelves each night!

ABC Wall

      One of the major things I knew I wanted in the nursery was an "ABC" wall. Thanks to Pinterest, when I began getting nursery ideas I found pictures like this that I loved. 

    I definitely wanted the letters to be wooden, but they can be so expensive when bought individually! I was about to purchase an unpainted set from Etsy for about $75 when by luck I found a baby store going out of business who sold me 25 of the letters for $20...Score! I picked up the missing "A" at Michael's for a couple bucks.

     Next, we (Mom) just spray painted the different letters white, pale pink, hot pink, silver, and champagne. We took extra "pearl mist" spray paint from the chandelier and did a top coat on all the letters, adding a little "shimmer". You know I think there can never be too much shimmer or bling!

     I think the end result is super cute. I used putty to hang the letters since they are smaller, and it saved us putting 26 holes in the wall. 

 ... Can you tell I'm a teacher? Hopefully she will learn her ABCs in a flash! If not, at least it's a cute decoration!

Nusery Closet

     The nursery is slowly but surely coming along. A few days ago I realized the closet would be a lot more useful if we built in some simple shelving to utilize all the space. Billy was thrilled that I had thought of yet another project to add to the list (HA). This morning we woke up and made a trip to Home Depot to put in the shelving. I am super excited that now we have more room for storage! Here is a peak of the shelving:

     Most all of the clothes have been washed and put away. Mom just gave me a bunch that I wore when I was a baby. I can't get over how well they've held up over the years. We even have the outfit Mom and I wore home from the hospital. The tradition will continue with little Madelyn! All the clothes are just precious and I never get tired of looking at them all! 

    They are divided by these little closet organizers I decorated according to size:

One last look of the (unfinished) closet:

    We are also planning on adding an extra shelf above the one running the length of the closet to store out of season/outgrown clothes, diapers, etc. Finally, we need to find a solution to the darkness. Somehow we are going to add lighting.

Newborn onesies

0-3 onesies

     The clothing is also put away in all the drawers, as well. The onesies neatly fold and store so well!