Name: Kelly
Children's names and ages: Jackson Calder, almost 6 months
Location: Des Plaines, IL
Category: Clothes
Items used for the project and favorite part of the storage solution:
We didn't really have much money to spend on new furniture in our nursery. We had the large Ikea Expedit in the room already and really nowhere else to put it. We knew we also needed place for a crib, a chair, a dresser and a changing area. (In fact the crib was the only new piece of furniture we got) We decided to turn the bookcase and dresser into a changing/dressing area similar all the ones we had seen in stores. This also solved our problem of where to put the dresser.
We gave the old brown dresser a new paint job and bought some fancy new hardware. We decided to build a little back to the dresser since there were three cubbies that were somewhat unusable due to the height of the dresser. This way we now actually have 9 cubbies that are hidden behind the dresser which are great for storing things that Jackson is too young for. The rest of the cubbies are where we keep all his clothes. We bought all the bins at Target. Each cubby is for a different item such as pants, onesies, sleepers etc. When he is on the changing table it is much easier for me to just use one hand to reach in a bin and grab a new shirt. I used the label maker to put little labels above each cubby (mostly for my husband). We even have a few extra cubbies for a stereo, toys etc. As for the dresser, the bottom two drawers hold all his sheets, blankets, and towels. The top drawer is for all his cloth diapers. (yup... I said cloth) ;)
My favorite part of this solution is that we only spent a few bucks on paint and wood for the dresser, and the cost of the colored bins. In fact the only new piece of furniture in the room is the crib and that was a gift. I like the idea that you can take something you already have and find a clever solution for it that is practical, saves money, and keeps older furniture from becoming trash.
What's your best storage tip for families with children?
Everything has its own home... toys, clothes, books. We are still very new at parenting and are quickly learning that staying organized is the key to staying sane.
Thanks for your entry, Kelly!
I would love to know the source of the geometric print curtain fabric. I am planning to do something similar and am having difficulty finding modern-looking fabric (though my colors are slightly different: sage/brown/natural). Funny, I even live in the same town as Kelly!
view AmberM's profile
Amber....
Hi. The fabric is an Alexander Henry print. They have several different colorways available. This is where I buy an AH prints from http://www.buyfabricsonline.com/ Another great source for fabrics would be http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/fabric or http://www.reprodepot.com/
As for Des Plaines, even though I find myself geographically challenged at the moment, at least my interior can look fabulous! ;)
Perhaps I'll see you on the playground.
Kelly
view kellyblair's profile
What a cute baby!
view rustydrum's profile
I like the dresser/shelf combo idea (and the cool vintage dresser is great), but I think it eats up a lot of floor space. Love the room, though, and the baby fits right in!
Amanda
librarycollective.blogspot.com
view mandykittie's profile
We use cloth diapers too! Best decision I made with my second kid so far :)
view aladywhoknows's profile
Amanda,
I was afraid it would take up too much space but actually the photo is sort of deceiving. The shelving unit is only about a foot deep and then the dresser is maybe another 15 inches or so... There is plenty of floor space and everything is so convenient.
Cloth diapers rock. Glad to hear other people do the same.
Oh... is anyone having any trouble voting. I have had two friends tell me today that they tried to vote but couldn't despite being logged in. It just keeps telling them to log in and then tells them they are already logged in. That stinks. I wonder how many other entries have lost votes too.
view kellyblair's profile
My login is hopefully "sticking" now but I still can't vote, it says register or login... how strange.
I was just considering those bins at Target the other day! They look really nice.
view That70sHeidi's profile
Kelly, my husband had the same problem with voting and managed to figure it out minutes before my survey ended. I know it's too late now, but I think the key was scrolling down to the bottom of the page and logging in again, under the "post a comment" section. Even though it kept saying he was already logged in when he'd try to answer the survey, it needed him to log in again at the bottom of the page. Once he did that it was fine.
I was actually coming here to ask you a question about your dresser. I think we have almost the exact same one and we've been neglecting it for years. We picked it up at a thrift shop for next to nothing because half the finish was rubbed off and it's just not in the best shape. We keep saying we're going to do something about it, but you know, haven't. :) Did you sand it down before painting? Did you put any top coat on? Have you had any problems with the drawers sticking or anything? I have to admit I'm a little nervous at the thought of painting over this beautiful wood, but we gotta do something.
view ambies's profile
ambies...
The dresser was very pretty as is, a bunch of inlay on the front and some cool deco hardware... however, it was in really poor shape and the whole top was worn down and starting to chip. We sanded it a little bit, but the key is to use Kilz primer if you are painting a light color. This keeps the dark stain from bleeding through the paint color. Then paint the dresser and I would suggest topping it off with a sealant coat. We didn't do that part yet because we wanted it in the room before the baby was born and then the winter came. Once it warms up here in Chicago we will take the dresser outside and finish it properly.
As for sticking, the dresser is old so the drawers aren't that smooth anyway. Rubbing candle wax on the bottom edges of the drawer will help, but the real key is to paint very thin layers so that the paint isn't too thick.
Hope that helps.
view kellyblair's profile
Love all the colors and the mod valances - nice job! Baby is adorable too.
Where did you get the soft Jack blocks? I like the idea of using blocks to spell baby's name as opposed to the standard wall letters.
Thanks...
view AudreyJ's profile
audrey...
my mom actually made the blocks for Jackson as a gift. The sides have these quirky creatures... a dragonfly, an elephant and a dinosaur.
i believe she used a pattern from the fabric store. it was a book that had lots of cute baby stuff to sew. i can try to find the name of the book she used.
in the meantime, i did a search and found this:
http://www.createforless.com/American Jane Baby Blocks Pattern/pid114199.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse
view kellyblair's profile
oh...
and the valances actually match a crib skirt and a quilt i made as well which aren't in the picture.
thanks for all the nice compliments!
kelly
view kellyblair's profile
Thanks Kelly, you and your mom are very talented! :-)
view AudreyJ's profile