Hardwood Floors and Getting Crafty in the Nursery

Last week we hit a major turning point in the nursery design.  Hardwood floors were installed.  On the second floor.  In 2 days.  By my husband.  I helped a little, but being 7 months pregnant, I really could only do so much, so I have to give him all the credit.  What an amazing man he is.  He ripped up the old carpet and padding, pulled about 3,000 staples out of the sub floor, and installed a whole bedroom of hardwood flooring.  We still need to install the quarter round, but Rome wasn't built in a day and it'll get done shortly.  For now, I will admire the beautiful new wood floors in baby boy's room.

We've got plans for that dead space dormer window.  Can't wait to get started on that project.

Our next hardwood floor install will be in our master bedroom.  We should have that done in the next couple of weeks.  I for one, can't wait.  My husband on the other hand, not looking forward to that job!

I have been working on several other projects throughout the nursery, but the biggest one I can't wait to check off of my list is this old cabinet.  It was a big white box of nothing with not much going for it.  Hopefully, once I'm done it will be a fun, whimsical piece for the nursery.  Here's a little look at what I'm up to.

Can you see where I'm going with this?  Love this stencil(used it on my stair risers last summer) and have high hopes for this cabinet now!

Nursery Dresser: Before and After

I have shared my design plan for the nursery, and it included a gorgeous vintage dresser that I found for inspiration a few months ago.  I made it my mission to find another similar to it, and low and behold one was waiting for me on Etsy!  I purchased it from Florida and it finally delivered to me last week in Virginia.  The dresser is a Hollywood Regency style with faux bamboo details.  The lines were perfect for what I wanted, however I wanted to give it a little bit of a facelift.  

The yellow and white paint just didn't work for our nursery, so with the help of my amazing friend Connie, we spruced it up and I couldn't be happier with the results!

I replaced the knobs on the top drawers with pretty glass knobs I found at Hobby Lobby.  Drawer pulls can be a little harder to replace on vintage furniture because the measurement between the holes sometimes vary from those that are made today.  I also really liked the look of the existing pulls, so I decided to spray paint them silver.  I've never used metallic spray paint before, but what a pleasant surprise!  It went on so nicely and now I'm wondering what else we can paint silver!

The silver spray paint is made by Rustoleum and it has a nice, soft silver hue to it.  Nothing too shiny and bright.

The Hobby Lobby knobs for $3 each!  Can't beat that!  

I also painted this gorgeous mirror a few weeks ago.  It had a beautiful white washed finish on it, but I wanted a crisp white to go with the rest of the details in the room.  

Another small project was the lamp.  When I bought it, it had the white glass base and plain white shade.  My mom gave me the most gorgeous vintage tape trim(found on Etsy) for Christmas that we were so lucky to find in turquoise, navy and white!  It was just enough trim to add to the lamp shade to dress up just a bit.

I am so excited with the progress of the nursery so far!  We picked up our hardwood floors last week and plan to install them within the next couple of weeks!  Once that's done, we will really be on a roll with wrapping this room up.

A boy's (sort of) nautical nursery

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, I was already planning nurseries in my mind.  What would it look like if it were a girl?  What would I do that was a little more unique for a boy?  Since finding out we were having a boy, I really wanted to do a nursery that was a little unexpected, but still very "boy".  I wanted to stay away from the usual sports themes, and those of the like.  The funny thing is that I debated for weeks what the color schemes would be for boy/girl and the night after our ultrasound confirming we were having a boy, the scheme hit me like a ton of bricks!  Turquoise and Navy.  A not so expected color combination with a little nod to nautical.  Perfect for my baby boy, but a palette that will grow with him throughout the years.


Planning a nursery feels a little like a whirlwind adventure.  You think in the beginning that you've got plenty of time.  9 months?  Hah!  That's easy, right?  Little did you know how quickly time flies when anxiously awaiting baby...and furniture deliveries!  This is what we've got so far for little man's nursery.  Like I said, there will be small nods to a "nautical" theme, but nothing over the top.  I've got navy coral prints that my talented friend Elizabeth made to replace those boat photos that came with the frames.  I was just anxious to get the frames on the wall!

We've received our Pottery Barn crib, our cute little custom rocker, and I've checked window treatments off of my list.  But there is still a ways to go.  We've got to install hardwood floors.  Something that's been on out to-do list for a while, and this is just the kick we need to get it done.  

We're waiting on a vintage dresser I ordered from Etsy, still have to build a window seat/toy chest, need to make the crib skirt, purchase mattress, and the list goes on and on.  

I'm happy with what we've got so far, but looking forward to putting the whole picture together.  Once we get the hardwood floors and the super cute rug down, I think things will really start coming together.

The last major piece we are still waiting to arrive is the vintage dresser.  It's a hollywood regency style with faux bamboo detailing.  I plan to paint it to look like this one.

Once we get the dresser, the real fun starts and we can put together all of the final details!  Frames, decorative accessories, bedding, pillows, wall art, and a gorgeous mirror I have been working on.

I've got a few little projects I have been working on and will come back and share them with you in the next couple of days.