House of M & Em: Nursery progress + Pinterest fun

Now that the third trimester is upon us (OMG!), it’s about time we update y’all on the nursery progress. Like our little Poppyseed, it’s also a work in progress.

Back when we contemplated a Poppyseed, I ventured into the world of nurseries and all things cuteness on Pinterest. And it just got worse once the little one “arrived” as two lines on a stick. Even though all a baby really needs is a safe place to sleep, Pinterest and blogs out there will have you believe that an Awesome Nursery of Awesomeness is the first test of good parenting.

So, yes, I have multiple boards full of nursery ideas, and I might even tackle some of them. Within reason. Our “theme”? Um, sailing+nerd? Seriously, there’s adorable nautical stuff out there, but there’s just as equally awesome Star Wars & Harry Potter ideas that I think “Geek” might be the all encompassing theme.

Our backdrop is gray (Mindful Gray by Sherwin Williams) and navy/white, because of this cuteness:

Scored at Home Goods

Plus, navy will carry in the sailing aesthetic introduced by our next practical acquisition:

Marshall's

If you’re like my very excited mother-in-law, you might say, “Oh, you’re having a boy!” Well, we don’t know what we’re having, and I firmly believe navy (or blue) is a gender neutral color. And the amount of girl and boy sailor clothes I’ve seen in stores this season fully support me on that! I figure once Poppyseed is out, we can add in whatever accent color we want. Personally, I’m leaning toward teal, but I could see red to make those sails pop.

At the end of this post, you can check out of my favorite nursery ideas. But for now, let’s see where we are, shall we?

First, Mike primed and painted the trim. DO THIS BEFORE THE WALLS, it makes life so much easier. You only need to tape or cover the carpet and quickly brush the trim.

Then, we had to paint over the peach with Mindful Gray. This was our first time ordering a color without prior sampling. Lowe’s discontinued our go-to Valspar Ultra, so we figured it was a good time to try out Sherwin Williams’ zero-VOC line called Harmony. I did a lot of Internet hunting for a reliable neutral gray, and Mindful Gray kept popping up. It was more a matter of expediency than confidence that I bought a gallon without first testing it.

Luckily, we love the color! In daylight, it’s a slightly warm gray, and it does take on a little more brown in the evening. We think it’ll be a perfect backdrop for whatever colors get incorporated. We got lucky!

Our feelings on Harmony, on the other hand, aren’t as enthusiastic. Despite being advertised as zero-VOC, it still has a strong odor. I wore a mask, just to be safe and ward off headaches. The texture going on was definitely smoother and less prone to gunking up than Valspar, probably due to the slower drying time. The coverage? Pretty much the same as our Ultra; it nearly gets it all in the first coat, but you definitely need that second coat. At twice the price (even with a coupon), we did hope SW would prove to be superior and were disappointed. To rub salt in the wound, we knew we didn’t have quite enough left in the bucket for a full second coat. No worries, we’d just grab a quart and mix it in.

Wrong.

Apparently, SW only carries Harmony in the gallon size. I was rather upset about this, because what we needed was maybe half a quart. I almost walked out. Painting a small bedroom shouldn’t cost you $80 post coupons! Then I toyed with the idea of ordering a sample, except the sample comes in a higher gloss and different line, so I didn’t think that would be wise. So, I sucked it up and bought a gallon. I’m sure we’ll be repainting at some point, once the little one discovers crayons and markers …

Anyway, with the walls freshly painted, it was time to assemble the crib. We’ve heard tales of nightmare crib building but didn’t think it could be that difficult. And it wasn’t, for the most part, except the included instructions were barebones and the pieces weren’t labeled. The instructions had labeled pieces … but apparently Sticker Guy took a break when our crib came down the assembly line. After some choice words for Sticker Guy, Mike figured it out, and then I held pieces together while he screwed them all together. Fascinating stuff, right?

Next, Mike’s parents graciously gave us one of their gliders. It’s super comfy and free! We’ve been struggling in our glider/rocker hunt, because we didn’t want to be spending a few hundred dollars on something that will only be used for a couple of years. I even contemplated foregoing a glider for the sake of our budget, but with so many moms telling me it’s a lifesaver during all those nights of breastfeeding … let’s just say I’m very grateful to my in-laws!

Next, we hauled up an Ikea expedit shelf from the library to use as changing table and storage until we find a dresser. We’ll throw a changing pad on top and baskets into the cubes. We also scored a neat bamboo toy box at a garage sale (see crib pic). Mike’s considering restaining it, just to bring the grain out a bit more. It’s not complete yet, but it’s definitely taking shape, and I do get a little mushy hormonal when I go in here now.

What we still need to do:

Hang room darkening curtains
Caulk the trim
Get mattress and sheets
Hang/create/acquire decor (see ideas below)
Get baby supplies
Have a baby!

So, without hopefully being too crazy and random, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite nursery ideas. Heck, I might even complete some before the baby’s born.

Wall Decor

Love this Star Wars/Seuss combo, and who wouldn’t love Darth Vader with a Death Star balloon?