My seamstress surpassed expectations on my nursery

[JMarie]

The Posh Tots banner - like the one Rachel has for Emma on 'Friends?' They say either "Princess {Name}" or "Prince {Name}," have the first letter of the name with a crown on it, and are $270? I LOVE THOSE! My MIL is a graphic artist and her mother is an amazing watercolor artist, so they are working on reproducing one for Aidan's door.

I think if you want to reproduce it on the ceiling, you would need to start with a white base coat, then grid your ceiling. Decide how wide and how long you want your diamonds and start marking the ceiling on the width wall. Do the same on the opposite wall. Mark the ceiling with marking string, matching measurements - marking string has chalk on it and you just have one person on one end, someone else on the other, and someone in the middle 'snaps' the string to mark a line on the ceiling. Then on one side mark your length (start in the same corner you started the width measurements) and again do the same on that opposite wall. Start snapping the string again. Then it's just connect the dots (or where the grids cross) and use the string to do that as well. Decide which diamonds will remain white and outline the insides of those diamonds with that blue painters tape (don't know the exact name of it). Once those are all 'in-lined', you should have neat, perfect diamonds to paint blue. Once the paint is dry, you can peel off the tape and you'll have your pattern. This would be a very detailed, very tedious, and probably difficult project, but I think it will be just beautiful when you are done. Let us know what you decide!

JMarie
EDD 2/23/03
Aidan Christopher

[akc]

Hi Neve,

Oh, no - I don't mean to disappoint you. The big carousel horse, elephant and lion were expensive. We only got the canopy top border (runs where the flat ceiling ends and dormer begins) and then my sister free-hand drew the rest. I know - I could never do that. BUT, we did do the poles ourselves - really easy...you just put to pieces of tape up straight with about 3 inches in between - paint in the middle and then peel the tape! Voila! I did the little angled stripes on them to make them fancier, but just did that before the tape was pulled. There is also a posting on clouds and stars on this board somewhere - sounded pretty neat - they had two layers painted so that there were clouds in the day and stars that came out at night!

I do have some other carousel ideas (like I said, already brainstorming for #2 who - God willing - will be on the radar in another 12 months or so!):

1) You could make a carousel with stuffed animals and then painted poles or something like that? Would be so cute to have a horse, lion, elephant etc in a big stuffed animal and then tie them in through painting? Or, better yet, do the carousel with fun friends like Clifford the Big Red Dog! (Maeve would love that) OR do you have an amusement park near you! They always sell those huge giraffes and other things. Just one might work to tie in the carousel with something big and fun! Circus and carousel are fairly interchangeable to me!

2) You could just paint the canopy-type pattern at the top of the ceiling? Any kind of drapy pattern will do - and let the drama be the crib panels.

3) How are you at tracing? There are lots of animals and/or children's books figures you could use - there are now books that are made so you can trace them and then transfer them on the wall?

4) What about sponge or little potato stamps. OK - again, you remember, I am no Martha Stewart. But, there has to be some little animal carousel like stamps in a large size that come for children. Would be pretty easy just to stamp some animals playing in the room!

5) Fun wall decorations. I found (I'll have to remember where) a giraffe that was actually a wall hanging that went on the wall to measure the growth of a child. So, it went up and down in a narrow space, but was fun! Things like that might work and spice up the room with animals without going overboard.

6) This is my favorite - and one I considered doing. We actually sort of did this for the quarter circled windows we have. Anyway, why don't you make the banner/canopy with fabric instead of painting it? Get some plain pieces of fabric in the accent colors and drape them like a canopy would in a carousel? You could paint on the diamonds really easily as long as you had a fabric paint? We draped Maeve's quarter-circle windows and it makes the room really cozy. Since you already have the dramatic panels over the crib, you don't need to go crazy - just pick one or two strategic places where an angle would look fabulous. If your dormers are like mine, I would go from the corner of the ceiling to the center where the dormer starts to cut out. Put the big end of the banner on the outside and then angle it in - or vice versa. Or, I also think a room like ours would be cool if then banners went floor to ceiling - but, you have a lot of fabric going on already w/the crib panel, so you'd have to see what balances out.

My best advice - no matter what you do, is that you can easily make a banner, canopy, whatever and it doesn't have to be balanced or perfect! My favorite rooms are always ones that aren't identical on all sides. Pick a fun thing and go with it. And, the baby will love it no matter whether it looks like Emma on Friends's banner or not (and, that show will be so "square" when our children become aware of it!)

Let me know if I can brainstorm any more with you!

Alexa

[akc]

OOH - I thought of more ideas for cheap!!!!

7) Find flashcards that have circus animals on them and put them up around the room like a mural. There are tons that have animals that are cute b/c they are usually letters.

Here is the set from Land of Nod that I LOVE! And, they are big - 8x10". I'm thinking about getting them and putting them around Maeve's playroom: the link is really long, so I hope it works. If not go to www.landofnod.com and click on wall decor -
http://www.landofnod.com/landofnod/c...5FWall%5FDecor
OK - EDITING THIS POST - JUST GOT THESE CARDS FOR THE PLAYROOM. I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW THEY ARE IF YOU WAIT - I HAVE HAD THEM IN MIND FOR A WHILE AND CAN'T BEAT THE PRICE TO TAKE CARE OF THE WALLS IN THERE! :)

Also, Here's a carousel poster from land of nod - if you don't get it framed it's under $20 - http://www.landofnod.com/landofnod/p...5FWall%5FDecor

8) Find a giant circus or carousel children's book and cut out the animals etc. and paste them up on the wall. A lot less work then painting! OK - not these b/c they are expensive, but if you could find some cards that have animals and frame them it would be like these: http://www.dreamweaverinteriors.com/kids/kids2.html

9) Coatrack or hooks or something like that. A lot of times there are animal hooks (like an elephant with a trunk), etc. You could han those in a few places to make it carousel/circusy!

OK - that's all I can think of for now. I haven't even thought of what my next frontier will be for our yet-to-be-conceived children! Stop me now...I'm dangerous!

AKC

p.s.

Here are some of the growth charts that I found -
These are only for ideas -

http://www.fantasytoyland.com/girgrowchar.html

This one is kind of cute: It's under a little carousel top:
http://www.zebrahall.com/z032-bgg001.html

Here's a crazy wood giraffe one that you can build - was on HGTV:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_c...378160,00.html

This one is hand-made and expensive but I don't see why someone couldn't make that:
http://www.habazar.com/mylittlevideos/listings/399.html

Elephant:
http://www.tabitha.ca/growth_chart.html

[mama2be]

I didn't know Rachel on friends has it...darn she has everything :)...
I think I am the only the person who not only does not watch friends but actually hates it. I so don't want to admit that for fear of being banned, I just can't get into it at all...I find it to be the stupidiest of jokes, and when I saw 1 minute recently of it the actor was not even looking at his peer he was reading que cards fromthe corner of his eye the whole time (you could tell)...OH and I have tried!!!

Don't get me wrong I am a TV person just can't bare to sit thru that show...love will and grace though :)

I am so excited that you are getting one of these banners, if someone is an artist I am sure that they could reproduce it...not easily...but you can tell it can be copied :)...

Thanks for your ideas...we might try that this week-end, I will keep you posted. I couldn't put a "T" on it because I would want it to stay up through out all of my children and their nursery. (which at this point with this huge belly, no sleep, back pain might just be Tristan)...

I think such a banner would just make the room though!!! Please post pics of yours too when you get it...

[mama2be]

OK girlfriend this is your calling...!!!

IF you are bored and are looking for your calling (I am just certain you have nothing else to do with a baby on your hands and that you are sitting around saying, "I am bored and need soemthing to do"...:)
But you truely have a gift for nurseries (which probably means any other decorating too)...you should look into this, you have great ideas!!!!

My problem with my room is it is sooo small, there is so little wall space because the back wall is a slant that takes you to the ceiling (which is where I am wanting the design-on the slant). It is the only space that I have anything left to do anything with but due to the slant can't hold a picture etc...just a painted something or other-on the slant. Even then if I paint something too big it will be so in your face since it is a huge slant. It is slanted becaseu our master bedroom under it has a sitting area that goes into a lovely cathedral ceiling (thus MB is huge and nice with a fireplace, and the room for nursery is small and can only be used as a nursery in life I suspect). In hind site maybe we should have used another room for the nursery but I wanted one for a guest bed room and knew another should be used for Tristan if #2 comes along so we just set up shop in the small room. So many people love the room becasue it is oddly shaped...

Since I have canopied over the bed from the ceiling down that kills that wall space...and then a two door french door closet takes up that remaining wall on that side.

The 2nd wall with the window fits the window and then the slant effects that wall killing any space.

The back wall is the slant with the exception of just enough room to fit a changing table (like an alcove)...this is the wall straight ahead of you when you walk into the room, so you walk in and see the changing table and then with extra fabric I put a tension rod up in the "cubby hole" above the changing table and have used the fabric to cascade from the ceiling down behind the table. There I could have hung something and will hang a huge balck and white of either STeve holding Tristan (without a shirt and in blue jeans)...or a picutre of me with open white shirt belly showing and Steve kissing belly or soemthing. (we have two appts with a photographer to capture both-one pre baby the other post baby)...

That leaves the wall to the right that butts up to the entry door to the room...and I have a round table there, lamp, those little animals so really anything else there would be over kill.

The room is just so small, nothing like lil Maeve's...I can't even fit a book case in there which breaks my heart!!!!

Can I tell you I love those ABC animals that you pointed out from Land of Nod...great price too...I need to incorporate soemthing into the bathroom to make it for kids and was thinking classic Pooh bear...or might just use those ABC animals. I just love animals!!!

Actually agrowth chart would fit in the bathroom quite well...the kids (future) will have a large bathroom with two sinks etc...it's just that room that is the ain in the derriere...atleast being so small saves me money, there is only so much trouble that I can get into...

You are the greatest, thanks again...you need to be our Resident Designer on the boards by the way :)...

[akc]

Hi Neve -

Hmmm...I can't wait for the pictures so I can better visualize. If you are working with a slant like mine, you could:

1) do the banner thing that is either painted on or drapes across.

2) Could do something fun to make a big top. I'm thinking you could paint it and make stripes going from the low point to the high point and taper them so widest at the bottom and thin at the tip (sort of like big triangles not rectangles). That would give the illusion of a canopy and be quite fun. You might want to paint it in really subtle colors (we used the pale green and a pale peach to accent in Maeve's room) b/c then it is not overwhelming. I could sketch something once I see the pictures.

3) You could actually take extra fabric (again, I would say 2 subtle colors that are in the main pattern of the room) and make those same stripes going up the ceiling. They would actually drape the opposite direction of the slant (but not by much) and would only work in a room like that.

4) Or, since you crib is round and can't, therefore, be against a wall. You could just take pieces of fabric and just drape the four corners. Very subtle but with a gentle drop in the center and up on each side of a corner. Would still make it feel carousel-like.

I'll think of more specifically when I see the nursery. Thanks (blush) for your compliments. I really enjoy this - I think I inherited it from my mother (who is an unofficial, but amazing decorator - more into antiques - is a Veranda woman) and my sis (creative writer, into imaginary worlds)!

Post those pics soon!

Alexa

[sweetbasil]

Neve,
We've lived in two different houses since DS was born, and did similar diamond wall patterns in each. In the last house, it looked more like a quilt with gathers, buttons, etc. In this house, it's still a diamond pattern but the colors are a little brighter and more contemporary. We saw it in a nursery shoppe downtown and took some sly pictures, then just did our best to duplicate. Let me know if you'd like pics of either, for other ideas on how you might end up making it look- we took them digitally so it'd take seconds to e-mail them to ya. Best of luck...can't wait to see the finished product! The round crib sounds precious and very regal!

[mama2be]

Dwats, my computer broke down today so just now getting emails and back o line...and it is a commercial break during "the bachlorette" (I hope she breaks hearts of men everywhere-about time a gal gets to do that on TV) :)...

I would love love love to see your pictures and any hints on how you did it...I saw that quilted look on a ceiling one time and it was gorgeous...and then last week they showed Oprah's dining room and she had a yellow and off white diamond pattern with the "nail head" look around the perimeter, not between the diamonds like the ceiling I saw.

It's a huge task isn't it??? It looked tedious, but I would love to do that and have picked my color.

IF you don't mind I would love to see them...
my email is [email protected]

Thank you soooo mcuh!!!!

[C99]

We own our house so I was able to paint the nursery, but I did it very cheaply -- I know I spent less than $100 on supplies and paint. We have plaster walls so rather than hang things, I painted murals on the walls. I'm not artistic in the slightest and I had an unusual theme idea for the nursery, so what I did was to have transparencies made of a few shots, rent an overhead projector and project them onto the walls. Then I traced the designs with pencil and painted them in w/ non-toxic acrylic paint.

You can see the final outcome [a href="http://www.caronet.net/~caroline/baby/nursery1.html"]here[/a]

[mama2be]

I just posted and lost it...so this might come up twice...

I think your room is absolutely precious!!!! You would think you were a professional artist or that you'd hired one. I love the color, really love the added border around the art work and love the scenes...

What a great idea to use a projector!!! HMMM gives me ideas :)

Thanks for sharing it is adorable!!!!