Day 3 of My Home Tour: The Nursery

I wasn’t sure if I should call today “the nursery” or “Mary Margaret’s room”.  When does a nursery turn into a child’s bedroom?  Hmmmm…

I took these photos right after MM woke up this morning…at *8*.  Ahhh, I love how my baby loves sleep.  She totally takes after C. and me on that one.  But I digress.

When I started planning MM’s nursery {when I was 10 weeks} I didn’t care if she was a boy or girl–I wanted blue for everything.  In fact, when we restored the house in ’07 (and had already been trying for five months at that point) I called the front bedroom “the nursery” so often that people kept asking when we were due and I would say, ‘Oh, I mean the FUTURE nursery’.  We painted it blue then so when we did get pregnant eight months later that was already done.  I say all this to say, I’m not really a “pink person”.  I don’t think a little girl’s room needs to be all pink or purple to be feminine or cute–sometimes blue can be just as precious and girly.

MM, with her cup of prune juice and in her monkey pajamas, says, ‘Welcome to my room!’

The drapes in this room are a very thick linen with black-out fabric for the lining which is great since this room has four windows.

The rug is Pottery Barn and a gift from C.’s family.

This chifferobe was my grandmother’s when she was a child.  When I got it as a kid it had sat in the family’s chicken coop for years before we had it refinished.  When you live an old house chifferobes, armories, bureaus, and pie safes are all very important since you have very little closet space.

The wicker rocker was mine as a child.  The horse was a gift from Mimi and Pops long before she was born.

This armoire I bought at an antique market when I was in high school.  It was in my bedroom, then our dining room at our last house, and now in MM’s bedroom.  It holds anything from shoes to bloomers to books.

The dress that sits above it is my mother’s.

The little leather chest we got at a Kirkland’s going out of business sale last fall for $20.  It is a lifesaver and holds all of MM’s stuffed animals.  On top sits an afghan MM’s godmother’s (and my best friend) grandmother crocheted for her and her bright pink microwave that she plays.with.all.the.time.and.never.stops.  {I hear that “DING!” in my sleep now.}

Her dresser was the last thing we found for the nursery.  We looked forever.  And thankfully we found it the week before I went on bedrest or we probably still wouldn’t have one.  My mom and I found it buried (seriously) under a pile of furniture at Scotts.  I saw one of the knobs poking through and just started digging.  In its former life it was a sideboard/buffet, obviously, but it also works so well for a dresser and there’s a ridiculous amount of storage inside.

Above it is a framed dress that was my mother’s.  I also have C.’s mother’s dress framed, my grandmother’s bonnet, and my mother’s play dress that my great-grandmother made her.

A month ago I decided it was time to take out MM’s rocker since I have not had to rock her since last summer (so sad!).  I thought this spot in front of her windows would be the perfect place to have a tea party one day.  The table was mine as a child.  These chairs came from the Metrolina in Charlotte, as well as the linens.  The lamp is an old whale oil container that was made into a lamp.  The stuffed chicken I made.  She also has books and a picture of her great-grandfather in high chair that she loves to carry around and kiss.

I promise the door to her messy closet was closed, but a certain Miss Bird opened it, as well as her dresser doors.  Her crib is the Pottery Barn sleigh crib.  I loved it and its super easy up-and-down side, but I didn’t dig its $700 price tag.  I found this one on Craigs List for $200 *including* a Sealy mattress.  The bedding is custom and features blue and brown toile.  I know that I should have taken the bumper out long ago, but as you can see in the next picture, MM doesn’t bother it at all and it’s still in like-new condition.

The picture above the crib is a page from a giant Dick and Jane book from the 50s that I found at the Metrolina.

This is how MM sleeps–surrounded by animals, her favorite minky blanket, and her favorite book.  I made this little pillowcase for her over spring break–see, she DOES have some pink in her room!

And the before and during pictures:

The only before picture I have–this room was the blue room upstairs.  Blue walls, blue ceiling, blue trim, blue radiator, and blue carpet.   …oh, and blue dried flowers too.

Plaster repair.  Fun, fun!

Dad painting the ceilings.  At least these ceilings are “only” ten feet!

All the floors upstairs are heart pine.  They were never stained, but had been painted dark brown.  It was a very intensive process to remove all the paint evenly to uncover the wood underneath.

In other news, MM got her first official haircut today {she’s had two bangs trims, but those don’t count}.  We cut it into a cute little 1920s-ish bob.  When you pull it to the side with a big bow she looks so precious I could just eat her up!

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