Nursery Tour: Pretty In Pink + Glimmers Of Gold

Our little jelly bean is due this month and I've finally finished furnishing and decorating the nursery for her so I thought I'd take you on a nursery tour.

This use to be my craft/study room before we turned it into the baby's nursery and the design plan was to work with what we had and stick to a budget which I'm happy to say we've done. You really don't need to spend a lot of money when decorating, I shopped around home a lot using decor and furniture I already had, we purchased furniture secondhand, plus inexpensive stores like Kmart and Target are great for affordable decor and everything baby!

I've added links to similar products throughout this blog post to Temple and Webster Australia's largest online furniture and homewares retailer as they have a great selection of baby and kids products and furniture. I have my eye on a toy box and of course every little girl needs a doll house or a teepee ... there's so many adorable things to pick from!

I wanted to keep the design neutral and calming making it a perfect place for baby to sleep so nothing too bright or out there. The colour palette started as white, grey and black and evolved with added pops of pink and gold to make it feminine and pretty.

We bought and hung new blockout blinds over the silver blinds as it's such a bright and sunny room and we need to make it dark for daytime naps!

Some of the furniture we already had (the bookcase, wardrobe and side table), plus the rug and light fitting black chandelier we kept as it suited the colour theme. 

We purchased some furniture items secondhand from Gumtree like the Ikea wing chair - I did lots of research on a perfect nursing chair and Ikea's wing chair was a winner and it's really comfortable. Although I still need to find a foot stool to go with it.

The bookcase had to stay in this room and still holds all my books but I've kept the top two shelves for the baby's books and decor.

I shopped from home and used my own decor items for the  bookcase - anything white ceramic or animal seemed to fit well as nursery decor. I bought a salt lamp to use as a night light as it gives out a nice soft glow and also has lots of other healing and purifying qualities.

If you're looking for some adorable kids bookcases check out Temple and Webster they have a great range to pick from here.

The Ikea Hemnes drawers were also a bargain secondhand find on Gumtree as they are actually brand new and were still in the original packaging. I decided the drawers will double as a change table with a change mat on top and all the change supplies in the top drawers and then clothes in the drawers underneath. 

I just love how much storage this piece of furniture provides and for a small room it's great having furniture that is multi-purpose. I'm also using the top as a dressing table with jars for headbands, dummies and vintage jewellery boxes.

  

Baby's clothes are so itty bitty tiny so a few sets of the Ikea drawer dividers are perfect for keeping all the clothes neat and tidy. But let's just see how long they stay this way for!

I also typed up some labels for each divider so you can see at a glance the size and what the item is.

Over in the wardrobe there's heaps of storage space as well for all the hanging items like dresses, jackets and sleeping bags. 

I made little size dividers from some butterfly blackboard pegs I had in my craft supplies and tied them to string which hangs down to separate the clothes.

I was lucky enough to get a big bag full of matching baby hangers in different sizes for free from Pumpkin Patch as they were closing down.

I've used a hanging wardrobe organiser that I already had for storing all the baby's linen, blankets and swaddles. 

The vintage bassinet was lent to me by a friend and our little one will sleep in this in the bedroom with Mr P and I until we decide to move her into her nursery and into her cot. 

The purple netting was from when I was a baby and covered my own bassinet. I just love that it's been kept all this time and can be passed down through the generations. My Mum has also unpacked all my old knitted and crochet baby clothes which are just beautiful I can't wait to dress my little girl in the same clothes that I wore over 30 years ago! 

The cot is another special item as it's been passed down in Mr P's family. It's the only timber item in the room so we were going to paint it white but like the contrast the timber wood adds so we've kept it as it is.

Above the cot hangs a bird cage I've filled with paper flowers and bird decor and on the wall are some bird mirror wall decals. Both of these were already there from my craft room/study design and I think fit in nicely with the nursery so have kept them there.

The art in the room I'm sure I'll change around over time but for now I have - 

"The First Kiss" angel print is a special one I brought back from Rome on my first overseas holiday 20 years ago. The gorgeous girl with goose art was a baby shower gift from beautiful friends. An Ikea butterfly wall art I've added some flower vines too. Lastly I DIYed the wooden art from a print I found on Pinterest, printed out and framed.

I really love how the nursery has turned out, the room has such a nice feel to it and hopefully I've got everything ready for when our little bundle arrives this month.


What do you think of our little baby girl's nursery? 

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Nursery Design - Working With What We Have

With Mr P and I expecting a new addition in the Jarrah Jungle home I've been busy planning our baby's room in my head for months and months and now we're ready to actually start setting up the nursery for our sweet little girl due in May.

I don't want to spend a fortune on the nursery and have given myself a $700 budget for all the furniture and decor. I'll mostly be using furniture we already have and need to get just a few other things and then make them all work together so everything looks like it was meant to be together and not the mix matched collection of furniture that it is!

Working With What We Have 

I have an Ikea cube bookcase in dark wood which needs to stay in the nursery (which use to be my study/craft room) as there's nowhere else to put it in the house and I also need to keep my books on the shelves.

But I'll clear some shelves and make it more baby friendly by adding cute ornaments and baby books. Just recently I had a big clear out and donated a heap of books to charity but I'll be doing another purge to make room for some baby books as I'd love for our little one to be as addicted to books as I am.

Excuse this old photo but it's the only neat and tidy one I have as I've accumulated so many books in the last 5 years since purchasing this bookcase it's overflowing!

When I found out we're having a girl I knew a wardrobe was a must to hang all her pretty dresses and coats - already our little one has a better wardrobe of outfits than me!

I have an Ikea wardrobe which was in the Guest Bedroom and was storing our winter coats and travelling gear which I have managed to squash into our Master Bedroom wardrobe so I can move this wardrobe into the nursery.

I plan to add a few shelves in the wardrobe to store baskets and boxes so I can organise all the baby's things like linen and nappies and anything else baby related I can fit in here!

We have been given a beautiful timber cot which has been in Mr P's family for many years and I love the sentimental thought that it's been passed down through the family.

Unfortunately the timber doesn't match the other white and dark wood furniture so Mr P is going to paint the cot white so it matches in with the other furniture in the room.

Our only purchase so far is the Ikea Hemnes chest of drawers which I've had my heart set on for ages and managed to buy on Gumtree brand new and still in it's original packaging for a bargain $320 (its RRP is $449).

I did my research and read a lot of reviews before settling on these drawers which will double as drawers for the baby's clothes and also as a change table by placing a change mat on top. I don't have space for a separate change table and don't want to spend money on something I may only use for a short time so felt the drawers were a better long term investment.

These drawers are the perfect height for Mr P and I and I can put the change mat on one side so I can stand on the end of the drawers to change the baby (as changing side on may be difficult), and it's long enough to have the changing supplies and nappies on top at hands reach.

My other purchase will be a nursing chair but I'm still undecided whether to get a proper nursing chair like a glider (a chair and footstool that moves back and forth), or a rocking chair, or if a really comfortable big armchair with a high back would be better as it could be moved to another room when it's not needed in the nursery anymore.

What type of chair would you have in a nursery?

I'm trying to be practical in my choices and get pieces that can be used later for other purposes rather than for just a short time in the nursery.

I'm also shopping from home for items we already have that will look good in this room like the rug, light fitting, art and wall decor.

I'm slowing chipping away doing a little project here and there and hope to have the room ready in the next few weeks so I can really start 'nesting' as they call it!

What are your must haves for a Nursery?

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[First 3 images my own - Last 2 images via my Pinterest 1, 2 & 3]

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Creating A Family Friendly Home

With our new addition due in May (just over 3 months away!) Mr P and I have been busy turning our Jarrah Jungle into a family friendly home.

We are trying to finish all our renovating projects big and small in the next few months before our little one arrives - from plastering and painting ceilings, to installing door handles, wallpapering, planting a vegetable and herb garden in our front courtyard, setting up our new deck and patio space, making the backyard dog friendly with some grass and paving for Lexi ..... there's so much we want to do!

Besides all the renovating projects we also need to make changes to create a more family friendly home for the baby's bedroom, living space and bathroom and this is what we've come up with.

1. Goodbye Study/Craft Room .... Hello Nursery

We have 4 bedrooms - our master bedroom, guest bedroom, Mr P has his man cave and I have my study/craft room.

So what room will be turned into the nursery? After much consideration, unfortunately for me, we decided the best option is to turn my study/craft room into a nursery so Mr P gets to keep his man cave for now!

I've been busy finding a new place for all the bits and pieces I store in this room. I loved having my own creative space but I'll admit it was used more for storage and I would actually do my creative projects in the living room.

I can't wait to set up the nursery and plan to decorate it on a modest budget and use furniture and decor we already have. 

2. Creating extra living space .... An outdoor room

Another issue we have at home is we only have one small living room. Perfect for a couple but it's a bit of a problem now that it's going to be a combined space for entertaining adults mixed with an area for the baby's toys and equipment and things.

I like my home to be neat and tidy and everything in its place and know that sitting on the couch trying to look over all the baby's things will drive me crazy!

We are hoping our new backyard deck and patio we have just finished building will give us essentially another living room that can be an outdoor room and entertaining space for adults. 

We'll put some comfortable outdoor furniture and a TV out here so Mr P won't miss out on his sport if the cartoons are on and if the baby's equipment is spread everywhere inside we can retreat to our adults only outdoor room!

3. Bath time without a bath

The other issue we have is when we renovated our bathroom we indulgently removed the old bath and included a big double shower which I absolutely love but it means we don't have a bath for the baby!

I plan to get a baby bath to sit in the shower but from what I know most people bath their baby and young kids in the bath not the shower - I hope it won't be too difficult trying to use a baby bath in the shower.

We did think ahead when we did our laundry renovation and installed a large laundry trough and a laundry bench in here.

So for bath time I'm hoping we can utilise the laundry as well as a baby bath in the shower.

I'm pretty sure for the first year at least we will manage just fine in our home as it is with these changes.

Although we are keeping an eye on the housing market for a bigger family home to move into for the future, but for now we don't want to leave our beloved Jarrah Jungle home!

I think we're on the right track for creating a family friendly home.

Did you need to make any family friendly changes to your home?

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Getting Organised: How I'm Using My Happy Planner

I shared with you recently how inspired I was about getting organised with a life planner and I've been using my Happy Planner for over a month now so thought I'd do a blog post on how I'm finding it as a first time planner.

I have to admit I have fallen in love with my Happy Planner! 

Planning is creative and fun and feeds my crafty side and I just love it. It's like a whole new world of planning has opened to me - I've joined planner Facebook groups with like-minded creatives also obsessed with their planners, I started a planning Pinterest board and I've watched countless YouTube videos on how others plan all of which has been great inspiration. I'm also regularly stalking shops and Etsy stores for planner supplies! 

Where to buy the Happy Planner

There are many types of planners available and after a lot of research I picked the Create 365 Classic Happy Planner 18 months (July 2016 - December 2017) in Botanical Garden design which is made by Me + My Big Ideas. The design and layout for each planner is different and the Botanical Garden design has a flower and garden design which is stunning.

Compared to other planners on the market the Happy Planner was very reasonably priced and delivery was pretty quick too (as it comes from America to Australia delivery and price were big factors I had to consider).

The Happy Planner costs $29.99 USD and I purchased it from Blitsy a discounted online craft store for $20.99 USD. Blitsy also has a very reasonable delivery fee of $9.95 USD to Australia and shipping took 3 weeks. Blitsy always have great sales and accept competitor coupons too - Please use my referral link when you sign up for some great discounts!

Happy Planner Extras + Add-ons

After I'd used the Happy Planner for a while I went back to Blitsy and ordered some add-ons made especially for the Happy Planner that I thought would be useful.

I got the Home Planner which is a household extension pack with sections for: To do lists for the home, meal planners, household cleaning schedules and budgets. I absolutely love this add on especially the meal planner section and keep it at the back of my planner.

I got a pack of Snap-in Tabs so I can add my own pages to the planner (I would buy The Happy Planner Punch but sadly they don't ship to Australia so this is a great option for adding my own pages using the stick on tabs). I also got a pack of Dividers which I'll use to separate any extra pages I add in. I used the dividers and tabs to insert this Christmas Gift List into my planner to track  my Xmas present shopping - you can find this printable and other freebies here.

Decorating + Stickers

The pages of the Happy Planner look beautiful with quotes and patterns on each page so you don't need to decorate at all if you don't want to but that's half the fun for me - getting creative and crafty and turning my pages into a scrapbook journal using stickers, washi tape and free printables.

It is really easy to get carried away with all the pretties you can buy for planners and there are a zillion stickers for everything and anything it's a little overwhelming to start with and it would be easy to spend a fortune. So I have set myself a modest budget of $10 a fortnight for planner goodies - this is the cost of a coffee each week I am happy to give up!

I got some cheap stickers from The Reject Shop and Red Dot and then I got the rest from Luscious Labels, Lily Pink Prints and Lime and Mortar all Australian based Etsy stores who make stickers especially for planners which means they are made to fit perfectly.

After I used my planner for a while I worked out the functional stickers I would find useful and got those from Etsy ie: bills due, date night, Birthdays, laundry, hair appointment, meal planning, pets etc ..... honestly there are stickers for things you never knew you needed until you see them!

The other planner supplies I use are coloured pens, scissors, glue and washi tape for decorating pages (so cheap on Ebay I got 10 rolls for $2.50). 

Free Printables For Pages

I soon discovered there are a heap of free printables for the Happy Planner online which is awesome. What is great about these is they fit perfectly into the planner squares and create a beautiful theme for the weekly spread.

I print out my favourites on my colour printer, cut them out with scissors and glue them into my planner - this has saved me a fortune! Some people print onto sticker paper or have them printed professionally but the do it yourself works just fine for me!

These pretty freebies are from Va-Voom Vintage and Victoria Thatcher.

Free Printables For Book Lovers

I read and review books a lot on my blog and I'm also a book reviewer for Netgalley so this is an area I wanted to track in my planner so I know when to publish book reviews for new release books, what I'm reading for my Book Club, when to return library books, etc.

A perfect solution is these adorable Book Log and Book Club free printables I found on Monica's Marvels blog that I printed out on my coloured printer, cut out and stick into my planner as I start a new book which is a brilliant way to track my book reviews and the Book Club is stuck in for our monthly meet ups so I know when I need to finish the book by.

Storing My Planner Supplies

It soon became necessary to work out how to store all my planner stickers and free printables which I'd cut up ready to use. The box I kept them in to start with was a mess and I couldn't find anything!

I bought this plastic storage container on Ebay for about $8 and it has adjustable sections which is perfect for my stickers and printables once I cut the sheets to fit the sections. 

I also have a drawer full of the larger sticker sheets and pretty papers in my craft room that I have re-organised so they are easy to see what I have so I can use these too.

I am really enjoying using my Happy Planner as a way to be creative and crafty while getting the Jarrah Jungle household and myself organised.

I'm sure my planning will evolve over time so I'll write another update down the track on how it's going and also share some of my layouts and pages.

How do you stay organised? Do you have a planner? 

If you are looking for your own Happy Planner check out Blitsy a one stop shop for discounted craft supplies who currently have the Happy Planner at 40% off! When you make your first purchase it would be awesome if you use my referral code when you sign up - you will get great discounts and I get a $10 reward to spend on my creative obsession so I can share more posts like this with you guys!

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Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
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[All images my own]


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