When we found out about “New Baby’s” upcoming arrival we decided to start the transition for Cashel early so that the change would come in stages. The age-old debate of a crib, toddler bed, or twin bed (with rail) began. Ultimately we decided to get a second crib, but this time it is a convertible one that can become a toddler bed and later a head board and foot board for a full bed. It feels strange to have two cribs in the house!
We toyed with themes and again I found myself not loving the trendy ones that were more easily accessible. Frustrating and inspiring all at once. We decided to go more with a color scheme – the same thing we did in the nursery. I also decided to piggy back off of his
first birthday party theme (patriotic) so that some of the decor and gifts could be multi purpose. (In fact the party was the beginning of the inspiration.)
We decided to go with a patriotic theme that included yellow so that we could give a nod to our beloved Jayhawks. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
So the theme – red, white, blue, and yellow! Otherwise we just picked things we liked and tried to get creative with what he had or were given. In the end the only thing we bought was the crib and everything else was either a free gift, a birthday gift, or purchased with Cashel’s birthday money. What a blessing!
Cashel’s room is full of color and light! It is a space he loves and has room to play. That was important to us. We simplified a lot to ensure there was room for him to play. His red canvas toy bin was a hand me down from our dear Grauntie Toni and is the perfect container for all Cashel’s beloved plush toys. This boy has a thing for soft “stuffies” as we call them.
The adorable red rocker was a purchase I made several years ago at a consignment shop on Camano Island. It was in my classroom my last year of teaching and then later in my friend’s classroom. She was gracious enough to pass it back and with the beautiful quilt, made by our friend Linda, and a new cushion it fits perfectly and is oh so comfie. We read bedtime stories here!
Across the room are the storage cubes. The shelf itself was a gift from our friend Robin and the
cubes were purchased on Amazon with Cashel’s birthday money. We store some toys, books, and shoes & socks here.
You can also see Cashel’s coming home (from the hospital) outfit in the shadow box and a special vintage red car from his Great Grandma Maryott.
I love having a special location to display such special keepsakes.
And two yellow pottery barn shelves that were gifted to us in our Buy Nothing community. I added the metal hooks (for just $6) and they are perfect for holding all fo Cashel Man’s hats!
On the shelves we
finally have displayed the Jayhawk blocks that Auntie Em and Uncle Jerod gave Cashel before he was born, and the beautiful puzzle piece name that our friend Tammy hand crafted for Cashel.
Plus his slug for our
local arts fundraiser – a “slug hunt.” The really fun thing is that our “cousin” Shae actually made this mosaic’ed slug so it is also very personal and matches the room perfectly!
The curtains were made with fabrics my Mom picked out at our local fabric shop and my friend Robin (who also gave us the cube shelving) sewed for us. We used a silver rod and adorable little rings with clips to hang the curtains. I love them!
The buntings were made with fabric I snatched up with great coupons and a friend sewed it for us! Thanks Bronwyn.
Here you can see the lamp that I redid using stain and paint sticks. The lamp itself had been in our living room, later in our master bedroom and was just floating. I redid a gifted lamp shade and it suits Cashel’s room perfectly.
The blue chest I got at Ikea – $20 and it is filled with foam blocks that were our birthday gift to Cashel. The red trunk is also from Ikea but was gifted to us in our Buy Nothing family as well.
(SIDE NOTE) Interested at all in that Buy Nothing group I keep talking about? They are groups on facebook springing up all over and if you search Buy Nothing on Facebook you might find one near you. It’s all about getting to know your neighbors, sharing personal stories, and creating a sustainable gifting community. I LOVE it and feel more a part of our community then ever before.
These chalkboards were made from an old frame (large rectangle) and small frame, and an oval bathroom mirror I had held on to for far too many years and am SO glad I did. I just got a $4 bottle of chalkboard spray paint and painted away. I love them!
The large one has he one-year statistics on it, for now. The small one now has a monthly Bible verse for Cashel, and the large oval mirror will be a countdown for various family activities or holidays. Right now it is counting down to our gender reveal! Only 2 more days to go…
The crib bumper we got on Amazon, and I am in love. I searched and searched for something that was a balance of patriotic (but not too nautical) and masculine. Finally settled on this one and we were able to get it on Amazon with a gift card from Cashel’s birthday. The sheets were a set of “toddler sheets” I found at Wal Mart that came with a pillow case, fitted and flat sheet for just $17 – plus a friend of mine just gifted me a second matching set!!! Yippee.
The red crib skirt was a birthday gift from Auntie Bethany and was the perfect finishing touch to his bedding. They will all stay after the crib is made to a toddler bed!
The changing table was a hard one for me. I was used to a dresser that was a touch lower – and frankly a better height for my short frame. Plus the dresser in the nursery is longer so we had room for a basket and wipe tub just at our finger tips. With this changing table it only fits the cushion… BUT when we moved it in front of the window we realized we could use the new window sill (built by my OH SO TALENTED husband) to hold the wipes and booty cream.
Cloth diapers are on the first shelf, in the brown canvas tubs that I had already, and extra linens are in the basket on the bottom shelf that I pulled from our living room where it wasn’t being used. The drawer holds medicine, extra wipes and our first aid kit. Things we want tucked away from Cashel’s wee hands.
The bookshelf was a gift from Auntie Emily a couple of years ago and it was so fun to move his big boy book collection and new toys into one location. Inside the closet we have a great dresser that fits all his clothes and still allows for all his little shirts and coats to be hung. Plus lots of extra space for 6 storage cubes for clothes that are still too big.
The hard work paid off. A fun BIG BOY room for the Cashel Man. I hope you feel inspired. I am! Now I need to set to work reorganizing and redoing (only slightly) the nursery so it will be ready for “New Baby.” Will set my mind to that once we know gender. 🙂
5 Decorating Tips…
1. Pick a theme or color scheme.
2. Do it on a budget and stick to it.
3. Think long and hard about large furniture purchases to make sure they will last and can be used in the future. (I’m biased to gender neutral.)
4. Fit your new room to your home.
5. Be creative and re invent what you have!
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