BH&G 15 Small Baby Room Solutions From Chelsey Andrews

Today's Inspiration comes from Better Homes and Garden's Style Spotters Chelsey Andrews.

Trend: 15 Small Baby Room Solutions

Back in May my husband and I got a bit of a surprise, we’re expecting our second child! We are beyond thrilled and can’t wait to bring this little love into the world, but we are also realizing that we don’t actually have anywhere to put this new baby. Whoops! Our home is 950 square feet and has exactly 2 small bedrooms. Our first daughter is 5 years old and we feel bad putting a little baby into her room, so we came up with an idea: we will turn our tiny kitchen nook into the smallest of bedrooms, ever. It’s so small, but perfect for a little baby/little kid. We just need to build a wall and door, and we are done.

Since this room is so small my husband and I will need to get a bit creative with how we arrange the room and what we put in it. Below you’ll find 15 Small Baby Room Solutions that have really inspired me to get started on my little baby’s room. Enjoy!

Closets turned into baby rooms:

1) This is inspiring. This 25 square foot closet was turned into the perfect little baby nook. Talk about using the space you have, from Apartment Therapy.

2) I’ve been admiring this little crib in a closet space for years now. So lovely, from Apartment Therapy.

3) If your closet isn’t long enough for a full size crib, buy a mini crib for your small closet, from Lovely Morning.

Shared rooms:

4) This shared bedroom is so lovely and Melissa shares where most of these items came from (if they were DIY or purchased), from Melissa Esplin.

5) This shared space is so simple and lovely, from Bleubird.

6) I love almost anything Joni does, but this small shared baby and kid room is the best, from Lay Baby Lay.

Closet solutions:

7) This open closet set up is lovely and perfect for a small space nursery, from Project Nursery.

8) Use all the space in your closet with hanging shelves on the back of the doors, from The Avid Appetite.

9) Maximize your closet space by installing cubbies and drawers, from Project Nursery.

Diaper storage:

10) Turn a small closet space into the whole diaper changing space, along with other baby storage, from BHG.

11) This changing table is actually a rolling tool cart… so cool. Just roll this thing around as you need it, from Apartment Therapy.

12) When you have a baby there are diapers EVERYwhere. I love this Ikea wall shelf turned diaper storage, from Our Dream Foreclosure.

Storage:

13) Add wheels to some old drawers and they can sit under the crib full of toys, from Oleander and Palm.

14) Use removable baskets to organize your baby’s dresser drawers, from I Heart Organizing.

15) Make these small space wall bookshelves for under $30, from Just a Girl Blog.

I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

- Chelsey, The Paper Mama

P.S. The images in the first photo are from: Lay Baby Lay, Apartment Therapy, and Project Nursery.

Built-in EXPEDIT entertainment center By: PerryGT

We recently purchased a home and were looking to add some built-in features. After being inspired by a few post on IKEAhackers and realizing that I had two perfectly good EXPEDIT bookcases available, I decided to attempt the project on my own. I consider myself a fairly novice DIYer but learned a great deal along the way. Here is a summary of the project:

Step 1: I started with two black-brown EXPEDIT bookcases.

Step 2: To bring the two pieces together I used a strategy similar to what was done previously here.

I removed the end pieces from each bookcase and used the inner shelf unit of a 2 x 2 EXPEDIT I bought off Craigslist to fill the empty space. It was important to use straps to keep the piece firmly together as I added a base made from 2 x 4 wood. The base helped attached the two bookcases but it also increased the height in order to match the height of the surrounding baseboards.

Step 3: I used a strategy similar to the one here in order to paint the bookcase white.

The wood frame on the top of the bookcase was later removed in order to lower the level of the countertop.

Step 4: I purchased two IKEA Karlby countertops and cut them to size using a circular saw. This was difficult but I managed to make the cuts accurate enough for this project by using a straight edge to guide the circular saw. I left enough space beyond the unit in order to store a surge protector and any wires.

Step 5: There was a small 1/8 of an inch gap which I had to fill with a small piece of butcher block and wood putty.

Step 6: The picture below shows the baseboards, chair rail moulding, and side board which is removable to allow access to the electrical outlet and TV cords. I place magnets on the inside of the chair rail moulding such that the sideboard will stay in place. I had to make all miter cuts using a circular saw but caulk hid any imperfections. I tried my best to cope the inside corners.

Step 7: I hung the TV wall mount and used a mounting kit to run the wires through the wall. I had to drill through a horizontal fire block which I was able to do using a long drill bit.

Step 8: The last step was to add a backing made from wainscoting.

Summary: While it seems pretty straightforward this was a pretty big job for one person and a circular saw. The bulk of the work was done over a long weekend but the finishing touches lasted a couple weeks of doing a few things here and there. The cost was around $600 including the butcher block, moulding, TV mounting kit, and various tools needed for the job. Overall, I’m very pleased with the outcome but very glad that it is finished! There are a million details not listed here but I’m happy to answer any questions.

The post Built-in EXPEDIT entertainment center appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1TToTIy From PerryGT

DIY Stencil Pattern Beach Towel By: Francesca Stone

Getting to the beach is a rare luxury for me. So when I do make it down to the coast I like to make the most of my stay there and spend as much time as I can next to the sea. As much as I love going for a quick dip to cool down, what I’m really there to do is cover myself head-to-toe in sunblock, relax and have nothing to do but read and watch the world go by. So of course when I have all that time on my hands my mind wanders back to work and the ideas come flowing (isn’t that always the way).

So even though I’m far from the beach right now, what better time to make some holiday DIYs for next time I’m sunning myself? —Fran

Materials:

• Beach towel
• Cardboard triangle template
• Sponge brushes
• Pencil
• Craft knife
• Contact paper
• Fabric paints

Steps:

1. Take your small triangle template (mine is 2 1/5″ on each side) and measure and mark off half an inch from either corner along one edge.

2. Use the template to draw two triangles onto the back of the contact paper. Along the top edge, draw only to the marked points, leaving the middle clear.

3. On your first triangle, draw a parallel “V” shape in the middle of the shape.

4. On the second triangle draw about 1/8″ inside the lines, around the whole of the shape.

5. Use the craft knife to cut along each of these lines.

6. Peel off the back of the contact paper and press into place along the edge of the towel. I’m starting in the middle and working outwards to get a symmetrical pattern that is even on both sides.

7. Use the sponge brushes to dab the fabric paints onto the towel through the template. Make sure the paint saturates through the pile in the towel to get even coverage. Carefully peel back the template and replace along the edge of the towel making sure the V shapes are equal distance apart. Keep stenciling as many rows as you want.

8. Make a new contact paper template. This time cut out the entire triangle. Take one of the shapes you have just cut from the contact paper and trim 1/8″ from that. Place the new template over the top of the painted V shapes so the exposed section sits just above the paint. Leave the smaller triangle out for a block of color or place it in the center for the outline.

9. Sponge the paint onto the towel again.

10. Carefully peel off the contact paper and continue along the rest of the triangles.

Leave to dry, cover with a piece of scrap fabric and iron over to set in place. All that’s left is to head to the beach!

 

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1fmqGqg From Francesca Stone