Tying the Room Together

Yesterday we went to Ikea for a few things: some inexpensive green rugs for the floor, a bed frame, and some pillow inserts (not pictured as they are for a future project and are stashed in the closet).

Last night Jeffrey and I put the rugs down and get the bed together. The furniture portion of the room is now nearly complete (that side table with the lamp is not staying there). The crib is behind me and isn't yet photogenic, so I'll wait to show that part until it's a little more visually interesting. Cribs never really are that interesting though, particularly because I'm against crib bumpers and such.

The bed is the Ikea Fjellse which, in a twin, is only $49 for the frame and slats. It raises up the box spring and mattress to a height where I won't topple over when trying to carefully sit on the bed with the kid in the middle of the night. Normal people usually do the glider thing, but with a poodle that will also want to join me for night feedings, and occasional guests or me needing to sleep in there, the single bed seemed like a better way to go. The Fjellse comes in an untreated wood finish, so at some point I'll surely treat it with paint, but for now, you can't really even see it, and I'm exhausted today and our travel schedule for the next month is a bit hectic -- so painting won't be happening for a bit.

Next projects to finish include making some wall art and creating pillow covers for the Ikea inserts that are stashed in the closet.

And, you know, finishing up the baby baking.

Dresser Project

Before

I bought this dresser at an antique and estate sale shop. I liked it in black but the extra bedroom, which is going to be Ada's room, is in the back corner of the house and the citrus trees block a lot of the indirect light the room may get. So to brighten things up, I painted the dresser with Martha Stewart's Aegean Blue in eggshell.

After

 

In person, it's a bit more saturated in hue -- at least on my monitor.

What I used:

• 1 used dresser
• cheapo drop cloth to protect the floor
• medium grade sanding paper on a block
• 1 4" foam roller
• 1 1.5" angled brush for the tight spots
• one coat of Zinnser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 All Surface Primer
• 2 coats Martha Stewart Paint in Aegean Blue - eggshell finish
• Knobs - Anthropologie

What I should have done differently:

• More sanding on the drawer pull areas (the only part I sanded). The paint job the dresser came with was done with the pulls on, so there was paint buildup around the edges which I sanded down. I wasn't sure I was going to reattach the pulls, otherwise, I would have just left them on and painted around them.

Tips:

• Tie your hair back if it is longer.
• If you use a brush, make sure the hairs aren't leaving the head and lodging themselves in your paint.
• After you put your drawers back in to take a picture, immediately take them back out again so they don't cure in place (thanks for saving my ass, dad!)
• Keep a damp rag with you to immediately hit spots that shouldn't have paint on them.

If you turn it on it's side, it kind of looks like Hitchcock!

TERRY! Spoiler alert! It has a head!

Today I went for an ultrasound and here's the picture of the kid at 22 weeks. And it is definitely a girl. Or a boy with some issues...

I realize my posts have become a little babycentric, so here's an update on non baby news:

My dad is here visiting for the week and leaves tomorrow. This weekend in Phoenix it is supposed to hit about 76 degrees. In Raleigh? It's snowing.

Jeffrey is still clerking for the judge and, as he goes off everyday without complaining, I can only assume he likes it.

I'm working remotely still and things are pretty much just ho-hum.

The dogs are doing well. The other day we took them for a walk and just a few minutes after getting back to the house one of Lucy's paws swelled up to about the size of a tennis ball. Benadryl was dosed and by morning her paw was normal again. We have no idea what got her.