Monthly Archives: July 2010

Affordable Artwork

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Decorating the baby’s room is the last room on the agenda, but it still occupies my mind more than any of the other rooms. Chalk it up to Ohdeeoh, where you can get lost in the impossibly cute posts on kid-ness that are updated several times a day. Or just the fact that getting ready for the baby is sort of my way of bonding until I get to meet the baby.

Anyway, in my searching for affordable artwork for the baby’s room, there’s lots of smart, adorable options, right? There’s ‘s Wayne Pate’s original screenprints. There’s also the summer clearance sale at art.com (especially good if vintage travel or surfer posters fit into your decor). And of course, there’s Etsy, where I love the parodies of the “Keep Calm, Carry On” posters and the sweet prints from Jessica Swift.

And then there’s even free! Who wouldn’t be grateful to Jen Wallace from IndieFixx and the generous artists that contribute to Feed Your Soul? At Mibo Studio, you can download their 2009 calendar for free, trim off the dates, and print and frame the artwork to create a series- at the top of the post is the image from May 2009. (They also have artwork and paper projects for sale on their website that are affordable and completely adorable.)

Don’t forget artwork that you already own! There’s plenty out there, but you may have something that fits the bill somewhere in your own home. Whatever it is, make sure you love to look at it! If it’s going in a nursery, it’s going to be your view as much as your baby’s for a while!

Shipibo Textiles

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When I was younger, some of my cousins lived abroad. Peru, Guatemala… they collected the coolest stuff. One of the pieces that they brought back from Peru (or which we purchased when we went to visit, I’m not sure) was a textile from the Shipibo Indian tribe. I always loved it, and threatened to steal it from my mom if she didn’t hang it up properly… you have since then, right Mom?

Shipibo designs are printed on pottery, jewelry and textiles. I’ve heard that they’re inspired by visions, and represent a story- each print is unique. The prints are often created communally too, with two or more women working on a piece. I love the intricate nature of the prints, with bold lines filled in with finer, delicate patterns. Sometimes, the patterns repeat, as shown above, but they’re often irregular too.

You can see more shipibo prints here and here.

Progress

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Clockwise from left: the basement studio, the un-upholstered chair, the belly, the baby quilt

The basement studio, as a project, is largely my husband’s domain, because the products and processes involved in its overhaul are unfriendly to the belly. Coming along nicely isn’t it? The basement was 75 years old, just like the rest of the house, but hasn’t benefited from the same care and upkeep… I’ll post all the before and after pics once the basement is done, but trust me- it’s come a long way! I chose white for the walls and floors to help lighten it up down there, and because my prints will give the space a lot of color. I couldn’t resist a really bright green for the steps and window trim though. We hope to be moved in by the end of the month!

Reupholstering the chair for the nursery has been really interesting so far. It took a healthy amount of time to un-upholster the chair in the first place. More than I anticipated. I took lots of notes and kept the fabric pieces that I pulled off to use as a pattern for the new upholstery. Underneath the fabric I pulled off, I found this patchwork-y alternative to muslin. Groovy! This chair was also really really dirty. Seriously ick. I pulled off the bottom cushioning to replace with something fresh.

As you can see, the belly is coming along nicely too. This picture was taken before breakfast. I tend to look more pregnant after I’ve had a good meal!

Finally, the baby quilt.  Even though the nursery will be done last out of all of the bedrooms, I started the baby quilt and the reupholstering of the nursery chair first because I figured that those would be the most time-consuming projects. It’s good not to procrastinate, for a change!