Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Triplets' New Digs!

I was looking forward to a long, lazy holiday weekend - but instead what I got was hard labor. OK. Not really. But in three days we did manage to complete the triplets' room. I've had a vision of what I've wanted their room to look like for months - and it all started when I spied some birch tree decals on Etsy. I LOVE Etsy. I love it.

What I didn't love was installing them on the wall. Honestly, I was scared that I was going to make a mess of them, tear them, get frustrated and abandon the whole thing. I had to give myself a pep talk - and after scanning some how-to videos on Youtube on applying decals - I was ready to go.

Put a bird on it!
Four-and-half-hours later, a few mishaps, and presto: The birch tree wall was done. I was thoroughly impressed with myself. Just ask my husband. I promptly rewarded myself with an ice-cold Dos Equis!






Then it was on to the cribs. Three massive boxes containing all kinds of parts and pieces. After lots of research I chose the Babyletto Hudson crib in white. Not exactly my dream crib, which was the Oeuf Sparrow Crib, but at $730 bucks a piece - I had to find an alternative. So the Hudson crib was the next best thing. Remember, we have to buy THREE of everything. Things get pricey fast! And honestly, I really love the look of the Babyletto. It's simple, modern and sturdy. Perfect for my three little ones.



And the best part... they were super easy to put together. I had all three done in under 2 hours. Again, totally impressed with myself. I was on a roll. 

Saturday was a trip to IKEA. I love the idea of IKEA - but I hate actually going to the store. It's a maze you can't escape. Also, those damn Swedes make everything so difficult to put together - and I'm Swedish (a quarter Swedish that is)! On a positive note, I was inspired by some fabrics I saw there. At $6.99 a yard, I bought three different patterns and framed them in a white frame that was just $19.99. It's amazing what you can do with a glue gun. Presto: Original wall art for under $30 bucks a pop. 

Fabircs: Annamoa.
             Evalena
             Gunilla.



We also bought a really cool light fixture. I had originally made one with balsa wood. Unfortunately, that DIY project didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. Seriously, working with balsa wood is a B-I-T-C-H.

The room was looking good. My vision was coming alive. But what really pulled the room together were the drapes. My one big splurge. White and gray zig zag fabulousness from Carousel Designs. (You'll also notice the bird mobiles hanging in the middle of the drapes. We found these hand-painted gems at a small store when we were in Ethiopia.) Throw in a basket from West Elm (that I waited to go on sale) and we're almost there. Just waiting for the Ryder Rocking chair, also from West Elm, to be delivered. (That was also on sale too.) Actually, they just delivered that 5 minutes ago. Here's what it looks like:











Oh. As I am writing this, my husband yelled downstairs that we got the email from the U.S. Embassy we've been waiting for saying they have are paperwork and are now processing it. It's been 4 weeks and 3 days since our court decree, so things are moving along. We are one step closer to bringing them home. 

I can't wait for them to sleep in their new digs. That's when the room will really be complete!

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Other items in the room:

Alexa Shag Rug on Overstock.com: OK. It's white. I know it will probably get destroyed. But it looks great now. 

Crib Mattresses: L.A. Baby Organic Cotton Mattress on Amazon. (they fit perfectly in the Babyletto Hudson Crib)


Sheets: (another splurge) Giggle better basics orange stripe organic fitted sheets. (note: if you're wondering why all the organic, I once wrote an article when I was working at Fox News about "Greening Your Baby" and it convinced me to buy at least some stuff organic.)


West Elm Basket. It was originally $99 and I got it for $59 dollars, although I don't think there are any left online. I would check a West Elm store.


Custom Curtain Rod: Highland Forge. They are great to work with. The price will vary depending on length and material.

Floating shelves: IKEA Lack wall shelf.

Changing table. IKEA Hemnes 3 drawer chest.

Drawer Knobs. Lisbon Knob from Anthropologie.

Wall Color: Cumulus Cloud from Benjamin Moore.

Accent Wall. Peacock Blue from Benjamin Moore. (Don't judge this color until it dries. It looks a little neon when it's wet.)

Various stuffed animals from Babies R Us and Amazon.


Waiting for my 3 little birds! (We bought these in Ethiopia as well)




28 comments:

  1. Karlie, OMG!!! the room looks beyond fabulous!! You did a spectacular job with the trees! Honestly, every element looks professionally done. You have created the perfect environment for your 3 little 'birds'. Congrats you two, I'm so happy for you! BTW, the blue is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori! The peacock blue did turn out great. Plus, you guys did such an amazing job painting. And the decals, while a challenge, were definitely worth the effort! Let me know if you want pictures for you website :)

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  2. You are no ordinary girl. This is amazing. Nesting to the third power, in the trees and all. I am absolutely super jealous of all of it, and can't imagine a more beautiful scene, except the same scene with the babies in the cribs! Soon! Standing by. . . Katy

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  3. This is a BEAUTIFUL room, Karlie! I love every little detail. And congratulations on the Embassy submission - that's the last phase of this long journey. I hope your Embassy process goes smoothly and that we're seeing those three babies in this beautiful room sometime very soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kelly! Fingers crossed that the birth family makes the long journey to Addis without a hitch. I am feeling a little stressed about that - but I know it's out of our hands. Here's to you getting your date soon to pick up baby k!

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  4. the room is amazing...beautiful...you really did transform it!!!!
    all it needs is an SU Otto on the shelf!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't wait to see Otto on a shelf in their room!

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  5. Karlie - It's BEAUTIFUL and has such a magical, spirtual feel to it. You did an amazing job - a girl after my own heart of DIY. Truly a welcoming refuge for three special little people. And their 2 special big people. xo

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  6. The room looks amazing! You did a fabulous job. I am totally impressed. I can't wait for the little ones to feel right at home.

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  7. I absolutely love this! Gorgeous. I really wanted to have decals on the walls in the girls' room, but we have textured walls and I was afraid they would be to lumpy. I'm totally jealous.

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  8. It does look amazing!!! I am also incredibly jealous right now, my partner did a fabulous job painting & decorating our boys' room while I was on hospital bedrest but we have since moved (closer to fam) & I just can't seem to get their new room, which is much smaller, set up to my liking. Once I do, I would like to use decals too. I have my cribs all together (2 back to back & 1 with it's back to the ends of the other 2, my boys have just slept better being right next to one another) so I have 2 walls with nothing, furniture or otherwise on them.
    I hope the rest of the process goes smoothly :)

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  9. CHEERS to you from your babyletto family! Could you email me-- we want to send you 3 cheers for your 3 wonderful babies :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. here's my email tracy@mdbmail.com!

    ReplyDelete
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