If you find yourself in a recessed light heavy home, there are some great options on the market now for easy pendant conversion kits.  They literally screw in to your existing can light fixtures (read: You don’t have to call/pay for an electrician…WIN!!).  These are also great for renters looking to add a bit of character.  When you leave, you can just unscrew your pendant and replace it with a standard bulb!

Here are 5 of my favorite pendant light conversion kits available right now.

Left to right:
Orb Pendant Light Conversion Kit – $47
Ryder Instant Pendant Light Conversion Kit – $51
Moravian Star Pendant Light Conversion Kit – $127
Emile Instant Pendant Light Conversion Kit -$55
Globe Bronze Pendant Light Conversion Kit – $79

Do you have a spot in your home that could use a pendant?

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

Though I decided to keep Reed’s Nursery fairly light and neutral, I knew I wanted to add in dark wood to warm the space up and keep it from feeling too “flat”.  With the 2 tone Babyletto Hudon crib one on side of the room and the dark espresso wood bamboo shades on the windows, the changing table wall was lacking in the same warm wood tones.  The painted campaign dresser/changing table was anchoring this wall so I decided to DIY a piece that I could stain a dark color and use as art over the dresser.

This is a fairly easy project made even easier by my Silhouette Cameo machine.  Can you tell I got some serious use of that thing doing this nursery??

If you don’t have access to a vinyl cutting machine, I’ve included some suggestions for how to do this at the end of this post.  

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

I started with a 2′x2′ piece of birch plywood from Home Depot.  You can find these in the lumber section and they come in lots of sizes and thicknesses.  I used a 1/4″ piece.

I stained the whole thing using Minwax Jacobean stain.  Wear gloves, you won’t regret it!  I did 2 coats.

Initially I was just going to keep this piece in its square shape but I decided I wanted something a little more graphic and playful.  I created a big (20″) heart and had it printed at Kinko’s.  Any office supply store with a large format printer can print this for you.  It cost me $2.05.

You can download my heart file here.

Cut the heart shape out and tape it to the back (unstained) side of the wood.

Find someone who knows how to work a jigsaw (in this case my Dad!) to cut around the perimeter of the heart.

Give the edges a light sanding.

I commissioned my favorite calligrapher to pen a saying I’ve always loved but that was particularly perfect given the whole constellation/heavens thing I was doing in the nursery.  Moya sent me a pdf file and I pulled that into my Silhouette Cameo software, messed with the sizing a bit and then cut it out of white vinyl.

Lining it up on the heart was stressful but it was made much easier with Silhouette transfer paper with grid.

Finally, I decided to add a little gilding to the edge of the heart using my Krylon Gold Leaf pen.

I love this project because not only is it cheap (the wood was under $20) but you can customize it endlessly.

-Make any shape you want (just stay away from overly complicated ones that will be difficult to cut out with the jigsaw).

-Paint your letter rather than stain it and customize it to your room decor.

- If you don’t have access to a vinyl cutting machine, freehand your text using a Sharpie Oil Based White Marker.

- If you don’t want to pay a calligrapher, use your favorite font to write whatever you want, print out a copy and use an exacto knife to cut out the letters.  Glue them down to your shape and spray paint your piece.  When you pull your letters off you’ll have a painted piece with wood tone writing.  That would look fantastic!

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

For Reed’s room, I decided some glitter stars would be just the bit of sparkle the wall needed.  This whole project took less than 15 minutes to put together thanks to my trusty Silhouette Cameo but even without one, you can recreate this little garland in under an hour. I used this glitter paper from Michael‘s in silver but it’s available in a rainbow of colors so you can easily customize this to your room’s color scheme.

The technique is simple – you’re just sandwiching thread between 2 pieces of star and gluing them together.  Download this printable and cut out 16 small stars and 14 large stars.

For a roughly 4 foot garland, I started with a 5 foot piece of thread (just regular white sewing thread will do).  Apply glue (Zip Dry is my favorite paper glue) to the back of one star.  Then leaving a 6″ lead, run your thread through the middle of the star (line it up along the star’s center points).

Finish off that star by sandwiching the thread with another star of the same size.

Done!  Move down the thread by about 2″ and repeat the above steps.  I alternated large stars and small stars.

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

image via Ruth Eileen Photography

Simple and sweet and cost less than $3 to finish!  And best of all it totally captures Reed’s attention when he’s laying in the crib.

I didn’t set out with any particular “theme” in mind for this room but once I decided to DIY that starry ceiling version of one of my favorite wallpapers, it all came together.  From that one point of inspiration a loose celestial theme evolved – light and peaceful with touches of dark wood to warm things up and loads of different textures.  You can see my original inspiration board for the room here.  With all the expenses related to moving and getting settled in a new home, I was determined to DIY as much as I could so I slowly chipped away at things like curtains, bedding and art during Knox’s naps.  I filled in many of the accessories by shopping our attic storage – sentimental favorites like my own baby shoes and silver elephant rattle came out as well vintage children’s books.

I think I surprised even myself by going with a really light and calm color palette in this room.  I am a self proclaimed color fiend but decided I wanted something much more subdued for Reed’s nursery and I am so, so, so happy with the airy feeling of the cream walls.  They really let the other elements of the room shine.  With a late December due date this light and tranquil room has been such a sweet escape from the dark New England winter.

I’m so excited to finally share it with you.  Welcome to Reed’s nursery!   Thank you so much to the wonderful Ruth Eileen Photography for all of these beautiful images.  I’ll be sharing more details about different sections of the room in future posts so stay tuned.

I made all that bedding.  It about killed me, but I made it!  I posted about the fitted sheet here.

I DIY’d those curtains and posted about them here.  I added blackout lining to those bamboo shades and posted about it here.  Everyone comments about how nice the shades are and thinks they were custom made…they’re from a very chic store called Walmart.  Seriously, love them.

I made that little glittery star garland.  You can read the full tutorial and download the template for the the stars here.

Remember my Craig’s List campaign dresser?  It used to live in our guest room in NC and amazingly, the existing blue color was an almost perfect match for the color I painted the ceiling.  And these angel wings I bought at Brimfield last spring for $20 without any idea where I’d put them but once again, they were perfect here.

A sweet sentiment and most fitting for a nursery inspired by the heavens I think!  You can see the full tutorial on how I created this heart piece as well as download the template for creating your own here.

I went back and forth for a long time on whether or not to put a daybed in this nursery and struggled with the floor plan here.  Ultimately, I decided against it and opted instead to have more open floor and storage space.  I created this shelf system using my favorite IKEA shelves and customized the layout to let me highlight the star chart Mr. H+F gave me for Christmas two years ago.  It had been sitting in the original mailing tube for all this time waiting for just the right spot…and then I realized this room might be EXACTLY the right spot.  Don’t you love when that happens?  (or maybe that only happens when you hoard lamps, art and accessories like I do?)  I kept the decorative pieces, fragile keepsakes, etc up on the higher shelves and used the lowest shelf for things I wanted Knox and (later) Reed to be able to access like toys and books.  The baskets below house blankets, soft toys and diapers bought in bulk!

I have found lots of great stuff on Craig’s List but seriously, finding the Nurseryworks Empire Rocker brand new, still in the plastic wrap for $200 makes me feel like I should never go on Craig’s List again.  I mean….how can I ever top that??  I have gotten so many emails from moms-to-be who love this chair but are hesitant to buy it without first sitting in it.  I was lucky enough to have actually tried at a local baby store here in Boston long before I saw it on Craig’s List but I’ve decided I’m going to do a thorough review of it here on the blog for those of you who don’t live near a retailer.

I made those little embroidery hoop constellations.  You can see the full tutorial here.

I added some DIY pompoms to the corners of a store bought blanket.  You can see the full tutorial here.

And because I know everyone loves a good before and after, here’s a few side by side shots of the room when I started and today.

I hope you enjoyed this peak around my sweet little bean’s room!  Without question, designing this room was a labor of love and turning my vision into a reality was a family affair.  My mom, dad and brother are my enablers in every crazy project I dream up.  If you wonder where I get this insane DIY gene, you’re looking at it below.  Yes, our house is 100 years old.  Yes, it’s 1/2 the size of the brand new house we left in NC.  Yes, doing 1,000 loads of laundry a week in a dark, damp basement is a nightmare.  But being near these 3 people and having my boys grow up around them makes all of those things bearable.

Sources
Crib Wall:
Crib – Hudson Babyletto in Espress/White
Bumper- DIY’d by me & embroidered locally
Crib sheet- DIY’d by me (tutorial here) using my fabric available here
Print over crib – I love you more than all the starsFrame – West Elm Mirrored Gallery FrameGlitter Star Garland – DIY’d by me (tutorial & printable here)

Changing Table Wall:
Changing Table – Vintage via Craig’s List refinished by me here
Changing Pad Cover – RH Baby & Child Cuddle Plush Cover
Heart Art – DIY’d by me (tutorial and template here)
Gold Angel Wings – Brimfield Antiques, sisimilar available here
Constellation Embroidery Hoops – DIY’d by me (tutorial here) or purchase the original inspiration here
R yarn wrapped letter – DIY’d by me
Monster Print – Mr. Cosmos ; frame is vintage
Baby of Heaven Print – DIY’d by me
Silver Elephant Rattle – vintage (it was my baby rattle!) framed in a shadowbox
Baby Moccasins – Freshly Picked Leather Moccasins in Smoke
Diaper Caddy – JJ Cole in Charcoal (color discontinued)

Rocker Corner:
Rocker – Nurseryworks Empire Rocker
Pouf – Leather Jasmine Pouf
Garden Stool Side Table – Home Goods
Floor Lamp – Jonathan Adler Meurice Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Pillow – Caitlin Wilson Gold Dot
Throw – Butterscotch Blankees, pompoms added by me here
Tiger Print – The Animal Print Shop
Kid’s Book Collection – Vintage

Shelves Wall:
Shelves – IKEA Ekby Tony/Ekby Bjarnum
Star Chart – Constellation Explorer
Top Shelf:  Gnome, Art Balls, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, A Light in the Attic
Second Shelf:  Brass Moon Bookends – Vintage, Love Balloon Print – DIY’d by me (others available here), Preserved Boxwood – Home Goods
Third Shelf:  Leather Lion - Zuny Abo the Lion, Crown – Vintage, Naps Fix Everything Print – here, Hans Andersen Fairy tales Book – Vintage, Baby Shoes – mine as a baby & Freshly Picked Mocs, Paper Suitcases – Paper Source, Portuguese ABC Blocks – Uncle Goose, Geometric Balls – Themis Trio
Bottom Shelf:  Blabla Knit Dolls, Dinosaur Push Toy – Dwell Studio, The Little Prince – vintage, Wood Stacking Toys – Bannor Toys
Bins under shelves – RH Baby & Child

Curtains – DIY’d by me here
Shades – Radiance Bamboo Havana in Cocoa blackout lined by me here
Rug – West Elm Chevron Knot
Sheepskins – IKEA Rens
Wall color:  Benjamin Moore Marscapone
Ceiling color:  Sherwin Williams Open Air
Light Fixture:  Overstock

These were really fun to work on and who knew all those verses to Hush Little Baby??  I certainly didn’t!

Hush Little Baby Sheet Music Print

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Sheet Music Print

You are My Sunshine Sheet Music Print

 Available for purchase here individually or as a set of 3 here.

One of my favorite images from a recent session with Ruthie who shot the whole room.  She’s truly incredible at what she does.  If you are in the Boston area and in need of photography, Ruthie is your gal.

They are a Japanese design and come in the prettiest array of colors you’ve ever seen.  They ship right from Japan so shipping is  a little steep but I think it’s worth it for something that is as pretty as it is functional.   Middle Colors humidifiers can be purchased here.

Do you have a favorite “functional as it is pretty” piece in your home?

The awkward layout and multiple angles and doors make it difficult to figure out what to do with the space.  I gave up on the idea of getting a bench in here because of the very limited floor space and tried to max out function by going vertical as much as possible.  And covering up that nasty cracking plaster was a must!

Here’s the room now!  It is about a billion times brighter now with the painted white beaded board we put up.  That goes up to 5 feet then is capped with some trim.  Above that we put up drywall and painted it Benjamin Moore’s Gossamer Blue, a pretty grayish-blue green.  I debated wallpaper for this room but ultimately I just wanted it done before Reed was born so paint was quick and easy.

I mounted 4 of these hooks up high for the big people coats…

…and my favorite vintage brass elephant hooks down low for little people things.  These used to live in Knox’s nursery in NC and I’m so happy to have found a new place and function for them here in the new house.

On the wall you face right when you walk in I mounted my favorite IKEA shelf.  It acts as a great spot to drop stuff like phones and sunglasses right when you come in the door.

Below that I tucked one of my favorite baskets to collect shoes.  They don’t seem to sell this square one anymore, just the rounds which bums me out because square baskets with straight edges are so much more space efficient than rounds.

Shoes that are in high rotation (like our snow boots this winter!) just end up lined up against the wall.  Apparently we are a Sorel snow boot kind of family.  I’d love a boot tray but they’re all too long and wide.  Might have to try and DIY something that works but for now, we’re out of snow boots so I won’t worry about it.

That quatrefoil mirror is another Target find (not online, sorry!) that started off black. I just popped the back off, took out the mirror and sprayed the whole thing in Rustoleum’s Safety Red.  Seriously, about a 4 minute transformation.

Isn’t it so much better in red??  I love it.

Another super simple and incredibly useful thing in this room is this magnetic strip from IKEA.  It’s sold as a knife rack but is absolutely perfect for holding keys.  I open the door and slap the keys right on there, just out of reach of curious toddler hands.  Best $13 I’ve ever spent and has saved me so much time searching for my dumb keys!

One of the most annoying things about this room is that the previous owner put these terrible teal tiles down over whatever was here before (probably the same maple wood that runs through the entire house).  So as a result, the floor in here is about 1/2″ higher than it should be, leaving me with barely 1/16″ of clearance space to open the door.  The door opens fine but there is ZERO room for a mat of any kind.  It’s so obnoxious because obviously coming into a mud room with nasty shoes, you’d want the mat as close to the door as possible…but the best I can do is this two feet from the door situation.  Grrrr, so annoying!  The mat itself is the Waterhog from LL Bean and it’s awesome…I just wish it was closer to the door.  I’ve considered taking the door off the hinges and using a planer to shave a little off the bottom but that’s just going to let in cold drafts in the winter so maybe not.

Still left to do in this room – replace the terrible boob light.

I’m thinking something like this in keeping with the more utilitarian nature of the room.  It would be super easy to paint this too and it’s nice and cheap!

Nuvo Industrial Pendant

And I need to eventually add some low profile storage to this wall (behind the basement door).

So all in all, some paint and a few simple changes have made this room an actual functional space in our house.  It was invaluable to have this during the past winter when we were getting dumped on with feet of snow.

It’s certainly not my dream mudroom (those can be found here in case you’re wondering!) but I’m thankful for the space nonetheless.

Today I’m sharing the details behind my IKEA Rast hacked nightstand.  Admittedly, I didn’t do a great job documenting this transformation because frankly I felt like it wasn’t that original.  I can’t think of a more hacked piece of IKEA furniture than the hardworking little pine RAST (some of my favorites collected here) but a few of you asked and between Instagram and my iPhone I have a few pics of the process so I’m happy to share!

I knew I wanted to inject a little color into the room after I decided on gray walls and a fairly calm color palette overall and have been in love with this image ever since I laid eyes on it.

Via

Finding an authentic vintage Draper chest like this is like finding the Holy Grail, so the inexpensive RAST is the perfect alternative.  Here’s what I used.

IKEA RAST chest // Benjamin Moore Advance High Gloss // Minwax Polycrylic in Clear Gloss// Rustoleum Gold Metallic Spray Paint// Zinsser Spray Primer// Liquid Nails Adhesive// 6″ Foam Paint Roller// 6 DeeDee O’verlays 6.125″ x 10.125″// 6 Burnished Brass Ring Pulls 51mm x 43mm

Finding just the right shade of coral proved to be more difficult than I thought.  I didn’t want it too pink and I didn’t want it too orange.  The inspiration image is definitely more orangey peach than mine but I’m ok with it.  I landed on Sherwin Williams Mellow Coral and had it color matched in Benjamin Moore’s Advance line of paints in a high gloss finish.

I LOVE this line of paint because it goes on like oil paint but cleans up like latex.  No stinky brush cleaner needed!  The special formulation has an extra long drying time which greatly reduces brush/roller marks as the paint has longer to spread and even out on the surface.  This also means you need to wait longer between coats (at least 24 hours) and can’t go too heavy with each application because the paint has longer to run and create drip marks since it doesn’t dry as fast.  But it’s all worth it for the super high gloss, lacquer like finish it gives furniture.  I’m never painting furniture with anything else ever again!

Since the RAST is raw pine, I definitely recommend you prime it.  You can use a brush to do this but I prefer the spray primer for the fast and even application.  This is definitely a case of do as I say and not as I do.  Case in point – DO NOT use spray paint in the snow like I am doing below.  It gets clumpy and you’ll have to stop every 10 seconds to shake the can.  But I was desperate!  I also think it’s easier to assemble the RAST and just leave the drawers off at this stage.

It’s honestly may be the easiest piece of furniture I’ve ever painted. It’s just all flat surfaces so with a 6″ foam roller you can put down a coat in under 10 minutes (which is awesome because I had a 9 week old baby at the time I was doing this!)

The roller will leave tons of little air bubbles all over the surface but don’t freak out!  Because of the extended drying time on the Advance line of paint, all of these will pop and disappear completely.

It’s easier to paint the drawers when they aren’t on the actual chest so paint them flat on the floor, let them dry, then assemble the full piece.

I really should have primed the drawers as well so again, do as I say, not as I’m doing here…which is throwing paint right on raw wood!

I did 2 coats of paint and 1 coat of the polycrylic on just the top  of the piece (sorry, no pics of that step).  Then I popped the ring pulls on right in the pre-drilled holes.  Already looking better right?

The final step was adding on the O’verlays.  I spray painted them gold and then just eyeballed their position before adhering them with a little Liquid Nails adhesive.

Not bad right?  It’s a cute shot of color on my side of the room and I love walking in and seeing this happy little nightstand!

Here’s a close up of that high gloss finish!  I love that it’s so easy to wipe clean because in addition to a spot to drop my jewelry, a book, a humidifier and some flowers, my nightstand is also usually sporting several baby bottles, burp cloths and pacifiers!

Of course Mr. H+F has already declared he can’t have a pink nightstand on his side so I’m trying to figure out what to do over there. Suggestions?

Next up for the master bedroom – curtains!  They’re in progress and looking like this.  I can’t wait to get them finished and installed.  I think they’re really going to change the room.

via

Except it’s not over.  Yes, the drama is over and suspects have been caught but there are still 50+ individuals in area hospitals suffering from injuries they incurred as a result of this nightmare.  Many have already had surgeries to amputate limbs and certainly all will need some help in the form of rehabilitation both physical and emotional.  The One Fund has been set up as a central fund to receive much needed financial support for these victims and their families.

Please consider donating to the fund directly or purchasing one of these letterpressed art prints featuring Boston’s iconic skyline and a solitary image of love over our city.  All proceeds beyond the direct material costs, postage and applicable taxes from the sale of One Heart Boston merchandise will benefit The One Fund Boston.

And in case the art print isn’t your thing, you can also get a tote or a t-shirt.