Welcome to 2020! One of my New Years resolutions is to blog more. When I decided to stay home with Grace, I had grand illusions of putting out so. much. more. content (!) because I’d have so much more time (rolls eyes at self).
Oh boy how wrong I was.
Let me tell you, being a stay at home mom is tough work. It’s really a non stop job. So blogging has taken a back seat while I try and figure out how to juggle life with a baby.
But now that Grace is sleeping better and so am I, I’m going to focus on putting down on (digital) paper all of the things swirling in my head. That includes waking up extra early on the first day of the new decade to finally finish this post that’s been hanging out in my drafts for the past few months.
The Big Reveal
Last year I shared my vision board for the blush and gold nursery I dreamed of creating for my baby girl. Well, now that Grace is almost nine months old, it’s finally time for the big reveal. Better late than never, right?
Truth be told, it was a very slow and steady process putting this room together. When Grace was first born, we were still living in our old home because our ranch house remodel was still under construction.
Instead of spending hours on end in this gorgeous sanctuary, I spent most of those first few weeks (months) home from the hospital in a makeshift nursery in our old guest bedroom. But really, how can I possibly complain when I was snuggling with my little bundle of joy?
Once we did eventually move in to our new house, I quickly got to work on creating a cozy and serene space for our little lady. It took a few months to get it done — because, well new baby. But now that it is, I’m so happy with how Grace’s blush and gold nursery turned out.
One of my favorite parts about her nursery is the Minna Small Spaces Rocking Chair and Ottoman from Pottery Barn (see full list of products with links below). I was initially thinking of getting it in white but am so glad we opted for the Basketweave Slub Oatmeal fabric. It happens to match our master bedroom bed, so down the road we can move it into our room to get more use out of it.
The braided rug is from Rugs USA. I love the soft ivory look. But fair warning if you do decide to purchase it for yourself, it she’s a lot. I’m actually hesitant to put Grace directly on it right now since she’s always putting stuff in her mouth, so I lay a quilt down over it when I do. It also doesn’t look quite the same after vacuuming it, but hey, it’s a rug, right?
We originally had the walls painted Navajo White by Benjamin Moore, but to our unpleasant surprise, the color read more icky yellow than creamy white. So after the first coat went up, we pivoted and opted for Soft Chamois.
The new paint color is perfect, especially against our BM Super White trim. In some of my photos, soft chamois reads more yellow than it does in person. It truly is a soft color and the perfect base to layer on all of the blush accents.
I searched high and low for the perfect crib. It turns out, it was at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I love the vintage feel of the spindle arms. The Million Dollar Baby crib by Liberty also converts to a toddler bed.
The felted roses mobile is from Pottery Barn. When Grace was little, she loved laying in her crib and watching it spin as it played “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Knowing I would be the kind of mom who worries about everything, I registered for a breathable mattress, and thank God I did. When we transitioned Grace from her bassinet to her crib and unswaddled her in the process, we learned she is a tummy sleeper. I’m talking nose-planted-down-into-the-mattress kind of sleeper. The Newton mattresses come in four shades, one of them being the perfect blush. For at least the first 12 months of their life, you’re not supposed to put a sheet over the mattress because of its “breathable” qualities.
I was searching for something to put on the wall behind Grace’s crib to dress it up a bit. But I was also hesitant about hanging something for fear it would accidentally fall on her. So instead, I opted for gold heart wall decals from Etsy. They were so easy to apply and also easy to remove if need be.
The book shelves are from IKEA and they’re actually meant for displaying picture frames. I love how they let you see the colorful covers. I store most of Grace’s books in her closet and periodically swap out the ones on display. For example, for the past month or so, most of the books have been Christmas themed.
We read to Grace before every nap as well as before bed, so we’ve started bringing her over to the book shelf to point to which stories she wants us to read. We’re not really sure if she’s “pointing” or just sticking her hand out, but either way, it’s been fun.
The dresser is also from IKEA (the Hemnes, of course). I thought it would be a great idea to have the dresser double as the changing table, but truth be told, it is way too high for me to change Grace on. So we actually keep the changing pad on a much lower dresser in another room. So if you’re planning on using your dresser in this way, I highly recommend checking its height before ordering.
I swapped out the standard slate gray knobs that come with the Hemnes dresser to something that matched the decor a bit better. I initially found these white and gold round flower knobs on Etsy, but buyer, beware! After a little sleuthing (a.k.a. reverse image search) I found the exact same knobs on sale at Hobby Lobby for super cheap (like $1.99 cheap).
The only downside with the new knobs is that the screw length is super long and projects far into the dresser. I was initially going to have my dad cut the screw (because he’s handy like that), however, I use these IKEA SKUBB boxes to organize the drawers, and just decided to arrange them so the screw projects between them.
The pictures hanging above the dresser are actually digital downloads that I had printed and framed myself, although that project proved much more difficult than anticipated. The first problem I ran into was printing them. First, because of the odd size picture frame I got, I had to get the images printed in a different size and cut them to the size of the frame.
Second, I wanted to use Command hooks to hang the frames so as not to make a hole in the wall. However, in order to do that, I needed to string wire across the back of the frames, which sounds easy, but wasn’t so much. In hindsight, I probably should have just had them printed and framed, or just have bought a different frame.
To wrap things up, I’ve got a few quick design tips I learned from creating our blush and gold nursery … I highly recommend putting your overhead light on a dimmer. We use it all the time. For example, every night after we read a bedtime story, my husband dims the light while I nurse Grace. Also, if I ever need to check on Grace, I can turn the light on in its lowest setting so I don’t disturb her.
Another tip is to buy blackout curtains. We have both blackout cellular shades and blackout curtains. They don’t block out 100 percent of the light but they sure do make the room pretty dark, which helps Grace nap better during the day.
Speaking of curtains, don’t make the mistake I did of hanging them too high off the ground. They look like they’re ready for a flood. I was thinking of fixing the problem by either 1) taking out the hem on the bottom of the curtains, 2) sewing a border along the bottom, or 3) moving the rod lower and just patching the wall, but then I figured, eh, I’ll just live with it. If anything, they won’t collect dust bunnies.
So there you have it, our blush and gold nursery! Here’s a list of all the items you see here, but of course, if there’s anything I missed, please leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to respond.
Blush & Gold Nursery Essentials
Marlton End Table, Target
Minna Small Spaces Rocking Chair & Ottoman, Pottery Barn
Blackout Window Curtain Panels, Target
Blush Throw, HomeGoods
Liberty Million Dollar Baby Crib, Bed, Bath & Beyond
Breathable Crib Mattress, Newton Baby
Felted Roses Baby Mobile, Pottery Barn
Natural Zigzag Hyacinth Camille Tote Basket, World Market
Gold Heart Decals by LuluGirl Designs, Etsy
Blush Blackout Curtains, Target
Book Shelves – Mosslanda Picture Ledges, IKEA
Hemnes Dresser, IKEA
Dresser Organizer Boxes – Skubb, IKEA
White & Gold Flower Knobs, Hobby Lobby
Picture Frames, Target
Floral Nursery Prints, Adoren Studio
Organic Matalasse Changing Pad Cover, West Elm
Lamb Plush Nursery Rocker, Pottery Barn Kids
Textures Braided Off White Rug, Rugs USA
Lydia Flushmount Chandelier, Pottery Barn Kids
