The Nursery is Finished!

The nursery is finally finished! (Well, just about.) I am 37 weeks along, so the baby is considered full-term and can come anytime in the next few weeks. It is a relief to have the nursery ready for her arrival, but I definitely couldn't have done it alone.

• Thanks to my mom, who came in town to help around the house so I could focus on the mural. She also washed and organized all the baby clothes for me.
• Thanks to Kyle for painting the room, helping me put up the letters on the mural, painting the little dresser, and hanging accessories on the wall.
• Thanks to Kyle's aunt Celia, who gave so much of her time and energy in helping me make the window treatment, window seat cushion (which isn't finished yet) and pillows.

We have painted wooden letters to hang above the memo board, but will have to wait and hang them once the baby gets here.

Close-ups of the mural...

Mural Progress

At last, the mural in the nursery is underway! Above is a sketch showing roughly how it should look when finished, although the actual design differs slightly from what is shown.

Here are some photos that show the progression of the 50 or so hours of painting. The only thing left to do is add the letters at the top.

Painting Day 1

Painting Day 2

Painting Day 3

Painting Day 4

Painting Day 5

Painting Day 6

Painting Days 7 & 8

Planning Underway

Since I became pregnant many people have expressed particular interest in the nursery, saying they can't wait to see what I do with it. After all, much is to be expected from an Interior Designer and muralist. I felt pressure, even though I knew the source of most of it was from me and not from others, so for a while I refused to give it much thought.

Now I am more inspired and motivated, and truly excited about the project ahead. I have decided on a theme, one that I had in mind from the beginning, and that is "A Tale of Peter Rabbit - by Beatrix Potter." The story, among the other tales by Beatrix Potter, was a favorite of mine from my early childhood. My mom still has my old books, figurines, and even the plate/cereal bowl/mug set that I used. It will be neat to pass those keepsakes on to our child.

The image above is the source of inspiration for the mural I will paint on the wall. It may not be that exact scene from the story, but something similar. The image below shows the fabric samples that I will incorporate into the bedding and other accessories in the room, such as the window seat, pillows, quilt, window treatments, etc. Now that I have some fabrics to coordinate with the colors in the mural scene I am even more excited.