The Handmade Home - 'A Tour of Our Nursery'

You may be aware, that as well as writing my blog, I am also a writer for the family section of PVB Daily - a really great website promoting small businesses.  I've recently written a few articles about some of the upcycling and handmade projects I undertook when I was making Daisy's nursery; so I thought I would write a post 'tour of the nursery' as I'm really proud of what we have achieved.  Some of it is still a work in progress, but I think the overall look really reflects my love of all things handmade and I hope little D loves sleeping in there!

Upcycled Welsh Dresser - You can read about our upcycling of this welsh dresser HERE; it was met with some criticism,

but I think it will go on to be a staple and useful piece of furniture for D's room as she grows older.  As you can see, she already has toys in abundance - most of the top shelf were mine from various ages (there is a photo of me as a toddler, with this Panda).  Typically we have Jemima and Peter smattered about across the nursery - including the little money box, which was bought on a 'Babymoon' trip to Wales in February.  In keeping with the 'rabbit' theme and I have to shout out my lovely friend Naomi Smith, who drew this gorgeous rabbit picture and framed it in a vintage frame and Jodie, who handknitted the little pink rabbit on the top shelf.  My Beatrix bookends were also an eBay bargain - I often find new baby items being sold for very cheap on eBay, simply because people can be a bit overrun with presents!


Painted Vintage Chest of Drawers - Donated by a friend, this gorgeous 1940s chest of drawers was sanded, primed and painted white and the original dresser mirror removed.  This type of traditional oak furniture often seeps slightly during restoration - but I like the antique

look of the drawers.  I also placed pink polkadot paper to line each drawer and help protect Daisy's clothes.  The wide top doubles up as a great space for changing if necessary. 

Cot - Purchased from Ikea, I love the traditional design and, as with all Ikea furniture, it was easy to assemble (for my OH!) and the mattresse is really comfortable for Little D.  I've found some perfect fabric for the cot bumper, though I've not yet got around to making it yet - I've heard hundreds of conflicting opinions on cot bumpers, their use and how safe they are - which has somewhat put me off!  The blanket is also a homemade sensory blanket - I blogged about this and my love of knitting HERE

 
Cot Mobile - Another handmade item, you can read the tutorial HERE.  I have found most cot mobiles on the market to be expensive and also quite bulky, so in fitting with the theme of the nursery, I made a little mobile of

Jemima and her ducklings, the overall cost of the materials came to under £10 and I made it in just a few hours.  For me, yellow is a colour that young babies really respond to - Daisy loves to watch the ducklings chasing around when she is falling asleep.

Beatrix Potter Framed Pictures - I love mismatched frames and am currently planning a collage display for our front room.  Each of these frames were purchased from local charity shops and we found a pack of vintage Beatrix Potter pictures on eBay.  The trouble was, deciding which characters were going to take pride of place in the nursery!

Selection of antique toys and ornaments - I'm already really pleased with some of the lovely toys we have been given for Daisy, the abacus will be perfect for early stages of learning and Daisy already loves Humpty, though he's almost as big as her!  The Peter Rabbit and  a selection of Postman Pat ornaments that were mine as a baby, so it's lovely to pass these down through the family. 

I love experimenting and trying new crafts - follow my blog for more craft ideas, bargain hunting and tutorials as I continue to make my Handmade Home!