As with everything else we did ourselves for Analiese’s nursery, I couldn’t just buy a bumper and call it a day. I had some left over fabric from the other projects and decided to make the ties coordinate with the other Heather Bailey items. Here’s how I did it:

{ 1. buy a bumper and remove the ties by cutting away the stitching around the ties only. if your new ties are going to be wider than the original ones, you’ll need to make the holes a little wider as well. }

{ 2. use the original ties as a template for how long your ties should be.* cut strips of fabric that length and however wide you want your ties to be. i made mine about 2.5 inches wide, allowing for 1/4 inch seam allowance on each side. the finished ties are 1 inch wide. }

* We have the IKEA Gulliver crib. The four corner posted are much wider than the rest of the spokes. Had I thought about it a little more, I would have made the ties that went around the wider posts a little longer.

{ 3. iron the edges over about .25 inch on all four sides. }

{ i did the short edges first, and then overlapped them with the long edges. }

{ 4. fold the fabric in half lengthwise and pin together. }

{ 5. iron over the fold for a crisp look. }

{ 6. stitch around the edge. i used the right side of the sewing machine’s footer as a guide so i could get close to the edge, but not so close that i risked missing the fabric on the bottom. }

{ 7. take your finished tie, fold it in half, and insert the folded edge one of the holes from the original ties. }

{ 8. pin in place. }

{ 9. sew two lines of stitches over the inserted tie. }

{ 10. repeat steps 3-9 for remaining ties. }

And there you have a pseudo-DIY bumper.

Did you know bows and knots look a lot better if you tie them upside down?

The truth is, I had a list (surprising, right?) of things I wanted to finish before I could say that her room was completely done. One of those said things was to remove those pesky extra slats in her blinds. I know that sounds crazy to some people. But, if I hadn’t done it, they would have driven me absolutely batty. And it seems like something that should be pretty easy to do. It is, but for some reason, it was never a priority. Until I remembered that I had yet to post this post.  And now that the blinds are shortened to the right height I can finally say that our daughter’s room is finished! (Well, at least until she has an opinion and wants to change it. Ross is hoping that isn’t for a very long time.)

My original inspiration for the nursery came from a fabric designer named Heather Bailey. She has a blog and an a very girly studio. Love. I could definitely get lost in a room like that. However, the main piece of inspiration for me was a turquoise mirror featured in her daughter’s room makeover (pictured to the right). Ironically enough, a turquoise mirror never made it to Analiese’s room. Nevertheless, I’m really happy (and proud!) with how everything turned out.

So, without further ado, I present to you…

I might as well start with my favorite part of the room. I purchased the frames for the asymmetrical photo collage long before I had pictures for them. But I had always planned on using them just like this. It’s a perfect wall–centered between two doors–to display our little girl. I’m sure she won’t always want pictures of herself covering an entire wall in her room, however. I envision family photos and favorite pieces of art being switched out over time. Jenn Webber did Analiese’s “newborn” photo shoot when she was 8 weeks old . I just love that she was able to capture Analiese in such a beautiful way. (Those Ribba frames from IKEA are tricky to hang with precision. I have a system that I’ll post at a later time. Works like a charm.)

Hanging from the ceiling is a blue chandelier! I wanted so badly to hang a chandelier in her room, but even the “cheap” ones seemed fairly pricey. My mother-in-law found this one at a garage sale in it’s original, very brown state. The tag said $10, but something tells me she may have paid even less for it. We had it in mind as a possible fixture for somewhere else in our house, but when our search for a new chandelier came up dry, we decided to spray paint this one bright aqua. I think it’s such a playful addition to the room. Ross installed a dimmer, too, which is really nice in the early mornings and evenings.

The curtains, ruffle pillow, pleated dust ruffle, bumper ties, chain cover and mobile were made by me, using Heather Bailey’s Pop Garden fabric line. I never thought I would have been so attracted to such a bright and colorful combination of prints for Analiese’s room, but I feel so happy when I’m in her room and I hope she does, too! I didn’t use any patterns–just made it up as I went along–but found a few tutorials that were helpful in making the ruffles on the pillow and the mobile.

You may recall this extremely boring post discussing our thoughts on cribs at the time. We eventually decided to get the Gulliver crib from IKEA and have been really happy with it. It’s very simple (and cheap!), but works great. However, it posed a few interesting quirks to work with when making the dust ruffle and tying the bumper. (I hope to post tutorials for both of these sewing projects soon.)

We opted for a larger dresser to double as a changing area. The Hemnes dresser from IKEA is taller than most dressers and perfect for two tall parents to change their baby’s diapers. The small drawer to the left houses her diapers and a tub of wipes, making it very convenient for quick and safe changes. There’s also plenty of room to display a few other items like a piggy bank, jewelry stand and art by Analiese’s mama!

We wanted to keep her crib toy-free–for sleeping only. So, I opted to put the mobile in the corner where I nurse her. I made the mobile as well using this as inspiration and this tutorial. Whimsical and pretty!

Confession: I may have posted the fabrics I was going to use so that a very talented nursery boutique artist would make me custom letters. She may have caught on and done just that. Aren’t they great? I was nervous about making 8 holes in the wall to hang the letters, so I used 3M hooks. I’ve already moved them twice, so it’s a good thing I didn’t use nails! The hooks works great and the ribbon hides them fairly well.

We underestimated how long it would take to receive the glider chair. So, for the first few weeks (months?) I nursed Analiese in a chair that I love to look at, but not sit in for hours, hunched over a newborn who is trying to learn how to latch on. I couldn’t wait for this chair to arrive. When it did, nursing became so much more enjoyable. It’s situated in the corner and faces that lovely photo collage wall. The nightstand, lamp, iPod and books are all conveniently nearby. For the most part, the chair is used for nursing. But we’re starting to read books there, too. Analiese has never been one to be “rocked to sleep” in a chair. We learned early on that she prefers to “sway.” We hope, though, that a lot of pre-bedtime cuddling will happen here at some point.

Of course, I can’t forget to mention the crown molding and bead board. The additional wood work adds so much to the room. It makes it feel complete. Ross and my dad worked really hard on this and I think it turned out beautifully. Perfect for a nursery.

So there it is!

And just in case you’re interested, here’s the list of resources (this is why I love blogs!):

• Paint – “Light Yellow” by Benjamin Moore
• Crib – IKEA, Gulliver
• Dresser – IKEA, Hemnes
• Nightstand – IKEA, Hemnes
• Book case  - IKEA, Expedit
• Rug – IKEA – no longer on the website :(
• Frames – IKEA, Ribba in white and beech
• Fabric – Heather Bailey, Pop Garden
• Lamp base – Target – no longer on the website :(
• Clock – Target
• Art (“I am a Child of God” and “Number 6:24-26″ prints) – pipe|up
• “Analiese” painted letters – wessysmom – see email info in the comments
• “A” – Home Goods
• Chair – Little Castle
• iPod speaker – Boston Acoustics
• Chandelier – garage sale via the Garage Sale Queen
• Mirror – garage sale
• Jewelry stand – purchased at Plymouth’s Art in the Park, 2010

charm…energy…romantic…vintage…quirky…

These are just some of the words that Heather Bailey uses to describe her Freshcut collection of fabrics. I’m enchanted with all of them. I love how Heather Bailey designed these fabrics to ‘cross-pollinate’ with each other. She makes it so easy to pick multiple designs and make them work together. I may have a creative side, but I consider myself challenged when it comes to things like this. As much as I enjoy the eclectic look, I am so not eclectic. I just need to accept it. I try to make things match way too much.

As we embark on the purchase of our first house – a home we can actually paint…with colors…oh, imagine the possibilities! – I’m quickly shifting into domestic-goddess mode. Kitchen curtains, throw pillows…and so help me if we have a girl!

More to come!