To Paint or Not To Paint.

Just when I thought I was done with baby Gray's nursery, I am now considering taking on just one more project. The problem, of course, is that I am dealing with some limited time here, and the "project" is not  going to be the easiest thing I've done.

What is it you ask?

Stripes!!!!  I've decided that the ceiling HAS to have yellow stripes!!! I am lusting after some yellow ceiling stripes like some kind of madwoman. I am obsessed!

Just look at this inspiration! I die.

Of course there are some serious logistical problems, 36 weeks pregnant + 15 foot ceilings... BUT don't you think that this is JUST what this room needs?

Hmmmmmm to paint today, or not to paint.... Maybe the question should be "to hire someone to paint, or not to hire someone to paint...." It's going to take everything in me not to run to the hardware store today! (Anyone know of an awesome, inexpensive, local painter????)

It has to be done, oh yes, it has to be done!

(Photo credits:  Ohdeedoh, Sheridan French, Slumber Designs)

Fabulous Shared Spaces.

As much as I am L.O.V.I.N.G baby Gray's new nursery, (pictures to follow soon) I have found that I am not loving losing the extra room that used to house all of the LM's toys, books, etc... When you are dealing with a small city space like ours, space is at a premium, and I have to say that I hate the thought that our guests will be banished to an air mattress for the next few years. Or more so that we will be banished to an air mattress, while giving up our room to out-of-towners.

At this point what's done is done, and I'm sure my four year old will greatly appreciate not being woken up by a newborn at all hours of the night. I only wish I could say the same for myself! When it comes to our next house (California I'm talking to you) I am pretty sure that I will put the boys* together for the first few years. Here are some fabulous shared rooms that have left me drooling on my computer. Oh, and for all our guests, my apologies in advance for the accommodations, I can promise you that your next room will be well worth the wait.. and the back pain.

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* Can I just say how my I love saying "my boys?" Truly, it melts my heart.

Outsmarted By a Tree.

I had a plan. A good plan. A plan that I now learned totally sucked. In short, I have been outsmarted by a tree.

See, for the past few years I have been sure about one thing when it came to decorating the nursery; behind the crib there is going to be a tree. Yes, a tree. I have seen pictures like the ones below and my heart has jumped out of my chest. Considering that I don't have an artistic bone in my body I knew that this was going to present some sort of challenge, but I thought that I could figure out some way to avoid actually drawing the tree myself.

 Enter the plan.

It seems like every room that I have been looking at has some sort of wall decal on it. While I love the decal itself, I don't love the "look" of a decal. So, I thought I could put on the decal, paint the wall around it, and then voila, peel off the decal and have a true painted mural.

Genius, right?

Wrong. 

I called a friend this morning, who is an expert on these kind of things, and he basically told me that my plan just wasn't going to work. More than likely the decal will ruin the paint underneath and or/ peel the new paint around it. He said my best bet was the old projector on the wall bit, detailed here, and I have to tell you that this is not what I wanted to hear. While I am disappointed, I am not deterred, and will still attempt my tree dream. This morning I found the "perfect tree," and then a friend who is willing to loan me a projector, and while she doesn't know it yet, when my Mother-in-Law comes to visit in March we are going to take on this little project. 

It's going to either be awesome or a total disaster... the end result is yet to be determined. Until then, here are some shots of people who were able to get it right. I'm just hoping that soon I can be counted as one of them. 

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Have any of you attempted this type of project at home? Do you have any advice for this artistically challenged Mum? I'll soon be positing the results here... thank God it's only paint, Right?