My Baby's Jungle-Themed Nursery FULL Of Thrifted Finds and DIYs
Today I found myself pondering all of the updates I will be making to Baby Camden's room now that he's no longer an infant and his room is ready to get a toddler-style makeover. Camden has never really slept in his own room, mainly because I breastfeed and it's too much of a hassle to leave my room several times a night to quench his thirst, so I co-sleep.
(Please don't send me hate mail from the anti-co-sleep committee! LOL I've done it carefully. He's 16 months old and still alive. :) )
But like a ton of bricks, it hit me that I never shared what his nursery looks like ever before! So before I change everything ie: turn his crib into a toddler bed, paint his dresser to look like a vintage VW bus, turn his closet into a classroom and switch out the rocking chair for a tent, here is my son's Jungle-themed Nursery in all of its glory. ;)
A good chunk of his decor was either DIY'd, thrifted or found on Amazon. Details below:
I re-upholstered this chair approximately 7 years ago. I loved it because I enjoy leather weaving so much plus its a vintage cherrywood child's chair and you lift the seat to find hidden storage! Out of all of the chairs I've upcycled and posted for sale, this one never sold. Secretly, I wanted it for my future son. Look at God! I picked it up from an art gallery that had it on display for a year. It was just meant for my own child.
This summer I was booked to teach at 5 different locations so because I'd been a work-from-home mom his entire life, finding adequate childcare had its challenges but I found a school I love. These are the first pieces of art he created there. All are hand-prints or foot prints made to look like insects or beach accessories. I swooooned! To display them, I simply put a nail in each of these two walls and strung fishing line between them. I had these clips from Target's dollar section and they came in handy. I can switch out his masterpieces easily.
The invisible book shelves were from Amazon.
The chaise lounge I found at an estate sale years ago. The denim upcycled pillows are from my own line, Jypsea Leathergoods.
I made the giraffe clock myself. I went into details here. I found the 3 square animal paintings recently at the Goodwill for $1 each! SCORE! The curtains I had in my linen closet. I honestly don't remember where the heck they came from but they're perfect in here!
My mom bought me the wooden rocking chair when I was pregnant with my daughter 15 years ago because I always wanted one for my future babies. And although my kids are 14 years apart, I held on to this chair for my second child! And I've moved quite a bit! It's been in storage units and garages waiting for its time to shine again. LOL But it is one of the things that will go bye-bye during the update. In this corner, a tent/teepee would make Camden a happy camper. :D
My previous neighbor crocheted this mint green blanket for him with a pair of matching booties.
And the shadowbox has his first and second pair of Jordan's and the Jordan gear my brother bought him because he wore it all of the time, plus an onesie with his name on it.
The hanging quilt is very special to me and hopefully Cam will feel the same way. I had the family send me their old jeans and made the back plus the border of the quilt and the elephant out of them. The boy on the elephant is wearing a leather crown with Camden's initials on it as he rides through the jungle of life being supported by the knowledge of his ancestors (elephants are known to be knowledgeable plus my grandmother was obsessed with elephants) and the wisdom of his tribe (the eagle is known to be wise. I made him out of traditional kente cloth to represent our African heritage).
The raw wood dresser will soon be painted to look like a vintage VW camper. It's from IKEA and so is the rug. The lion mirror was found on clearance at Target.
The rope toy bin I made myself. Details are here:
I covered his lamp shade with plastic leaves to emulate a tree because it has a monkey and an owl at its base. My mom thrifted the other accessories.
The clouds are also from IKEA and I found the jungle animal wall decals at Target.
I made this poster as the sign-in sheet for the baby shower and kept it as a reminder for him of all of the people who loved him before he was even born.
Because I'm home-schooling him 3 days a week, I need the space to do so. Before moving all of my sewing equipment to my new space, The Fashion Design Center of South Jersey, I was actually sewing out of his closet. Now it will become his classroom! Stay tuned!
I hope you feel inspired to design your own baby's nursery at any budget. Be sure to join the mailing list for updates.
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