Mama Manifesto: The Perfect Nursery

James has had 4 different nurseries since I found out I was pregnant. He had one at our old house, but then we moved out. He had one here at our apartment, but then we were in Minnesota all summer. He had one in Minnesota, but I ended up wanting him closer, so he slept in our room. Now we are back home and I got bored, so we redid his old one = number 4! I don't have any pictures of his first nursery or the one in Minnesota, but I thought I would share what we've done in his current room!

Then:

Now:

I have kept most everything, just added some new items! The wall hangings are just old canvases wrapped in fabric! We bought the great shelf with the bins at Shopko on sale last fall (WOOT!) The white shelf and lamps I have had since I was a kid. I scored the tan & red rug at a yard sale last fall! The glider rocker was given to me by my parents and my awesome husband painted it red for me AND recovered the old, hideous pads! Thanks, babe!

Then: Now:

I had the blue curtains in my dorm room and I love them... our little man just needed something that blacked out his room! Nap time was not happening when he could see everything. I bought the new ones at WalMart!

I made the animal silhouettes and still adore them! One of my friends that moved away gave us the changing table (it was previously on his dresser). We painted that red to match the chair and it looks AWESOME! I love the old crate underneath; it holds James' diapers, lotions &jammies! The blue tubs on the bottom shelf are from the Dollar Tree, love that store! They hold pants & shorts! The tiny little laundry basket on the left is also from the Dollar Tree (did I mention I love that place??)

These KILLER burp rags were made by a gal from my hometown! They are super absorbent and stay perfectly in place over my shoulder. I LOVE them!! If you want some shoot me a note and I will get you in touch with her!

Then: Now:

This is what I would like to call the reality of parenthood. This shelf now holds things we actually USE! :) ... and his shoes, which he rarely wears, but they are just too cute!!