Project Launch - The Babe's Room!

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend!

Things around our house were certainly busy.  We celebrated the birthdays of three fabulous kiddos this weekend, and we're also getting ready for The Babe's first birthday next weekend.  So, lots of celebrating around here!  We also officially started the transformation of The Babe's future room.  If you remember from a previous post, we are redoing her room as part of her birthday present.

When we moved in last year, I was super pregnant and we had zero time to actually prepare a nursery for her.  So, this is kind of a do-over on that, and we're having a blast.  In the spirit of keeping it fun for her, though, she's also getting this super cool play kitchen.  But, let's just keep that between us.  I'd hate to ruin her surprise.  Good thing she can't read yet, too, huh?  ;)

Now, let's move on to her room makeover!  I'm going to blog this project in real-time.  So, you'll actually get to see how long it takes to pull it all together.  I have a grand plan for the room, but I also have lots of DIY projects planned that are going to take some time.  So, I'm not promising this room is going to be done soon.  I also think The Babe is starting to transition to one nap a day instead of two, so that's going to throw a wrench (pun intended!) in my productivity.

Here's what the current guest room / soon to be Babe's room looked like earlier this morning.  YAWN!  This room is boooooring, but it has good bones.  I love the detail in the dormer window area + it's big.  Hello fun reading / lounging nook!  Goodbye gold light fixtures and peachy-beige walls.

The Babe's Room : BEFORE

And here's the plan for The Babe's future room.

So, what do you think?  I really think it's going to be a fun space for her to grow up in... Lots of color, girly but modern, and hopefully interesting enough to spark her own creativity (just not with crayons on the wall...fingers crossed!).

Now that you've seen the plan, here's what we've actually done so far:
1) FABRIC:  I already have the fabric, along with blackout liner, but I am trying to put together a plan / get up the nerve to sew the curtains myself.  I'll be making a trip up to my mom's next week to get her sewing machine and hopefully get a lesson on how in the world to do this.  I had some great pointers from a friend, but I'm still nervous to tackle this on my own with $150 worth of fabric!  Have I mentioned I've never used a sewing machine before?  I just want to go on the record now to say that I'm pretty sure this part of the project is going to take me forever, and I'm probably going to cry at least three times because of it.  There I've said it, I think I'm crazy for trying this on my own, but hopefully it will go okay.

2) DIY Alphabet Artwork:  I finished creating her alphabet artwork, but I need to get it printed and framed.  I plan on painting the frame a funky color, too.

3) DIY Curtain Rod:  I have the parts for the curtain rod, but this one will be a post all its own because of the drama I had in getting the right size and finalizing a plan for hanging it.  Mr. Man and I have already had a "disagreement" about it.  Ahhh, the drama.

4) PAINT:  The paint has been selected and we've done one coat!  One more coat to go!  Oh and point #4 is better with a pic of The Babe helping select her paint color.  How excited does she look?!  :)  Love it.

5) DRESSER:  I've found a couple of dressers on Craiglist that I like, and I've emailed the owners about them.  Hopefully, one of them will work out!  I need a dresser to also serve as her diaper changing table since I don't want to move her current dresser.

So, that's all the progress we've made so far!  Wish me luck as we finish up our final week with a less than one year old, and we continue work on her new bedroom!

Did you do anything fun this weekend or start any new projects?  I would love to see what you've been up to...just leave me a comment or do a quick post on Facebook.  AND if you have any encouraging words on the whole sewing / curtain drama...please, please make me feel better.  :)

Have a great Monday, folks, and thanks for reading!