Nursery Series: Woodland Forest Mural

We unfortunately, did not get any super awesome photos of the wall before we filled the nursery with baby stuff.

I knew from before we were even pregnant, that when we did the nursery that we would paint a mural. I searched and search on Pinterest, and other websites for inspiration and ideas. I ended up starting with one image that I saw, and then searching based on that one to find inspiration that was more in line with our nursery design plan, the general Woodland theme. I knew I wanted greens and aquas, even some blues - despite that we were 'Team Green' and did not know the gender then (we had a little boy), I absolutely love those colours, so even if we knew, I don't think it would have changed this plan at all.

• Our layers are, in Beauti-Tone paint:
• I See Blue (Base wall colour)
• I See Blue + Ainslie's Aqua; ~ 2:1
  
•  Ainslie's Aqua (Small can)
• Calmness (going into greens) (Small can)
• Calmness + Cute Pixie - not sure of the ratio, I started 2:1, but it wasn't dark enough, so added a bit more Cute Pixie. 
• Cute Pixie (large can, it took so much to get it solid).

 The most important part, was ensuring that with the paint that we mixed, that we mixed enough as we would never be able to mix that exact shade again. I used old measuring cups to get a general 2:1 ratio, but having painted so much in my life - I know the slightest change in ratios can really change a colour, and I feel on a big wall, it would be easily noticeable. Always add the dark colour to the light colour, in small amounts. A little dark colour can really change a light colour, but you need a lot of a light colour to change a dark colour.

An easy way around that is to just purchase all the shades, but we needed so little for each layer, that it just seemed like a waste of money. I could have mixed just the main light blue to the main dark green to save even more money, but I really wanted a more true green for the lower part. I put left overs of the mixes into very tightly sealed mason jars, in case we need for touch ups in the years to come - as I mentioned before, we would never be able to mix those colours perfect again.

An important note: paint dries darker than it is wet. When the layers were wet, they sometimes look very close to each other, sometimes even the same as the prior layer - and then dried darker. This sort of can mess with you when you are just trying to get subtle shade differences - what I did was just put a small 'swatch' of the paint on the lower part of the wall that would be covered with the dark green, and blow dried it to see how dark it would dry.

The final layer, the dark green, took a lot of coats of paint to get solid and get rid of patchiness. That's just the nature of a dark colour I guess. It was also sort of frustrating, but we eventually got it all even looking. It was especially hard with the trees where we had to use a paint brush.
 

Super pregnant with Jack :)

 I was fortunate that my husband was 100% on board with this idea. I was working night shifts the week we started the mural. I would come home in the morning and draw a mountain "line" on the wall with a light pencil...and then he would paint it that morning / evening... then it would be dry the next morning when I got home, and I would pencil out the next layer. We used a brush for the 'line', and then a roller for the rest, trying to get as close to the line as possible with it, for the most even coat - obviously harder with the trees.

When we got to the trees, I painted the first coat to get the tree shapes down - I thought it would be too much trouble to draw then out with pencil. That also meant there was no return... I was so incredibly nervous starting this layer - so worried I would mess up the awesome work we had done so far. I started with the tiniest tree. But, once that was done, James painted over it - 4 or 5 times? - until it was even.

I'm so very happy with how it turned out! Once I'm done sharing the other DIY's, I'll share the finished nursery :)

Prepping for the baby: DIY mobile and refinished baby furniture

I have begun to work on the various DIY projects in anticipation for baby and the nursery. The coming of our little bundle will probably be one of my biggest DIY projects since our wedding (and will probably trump that too). We are 24 weeks now, and I'm hoping to finish most of these projects sooner than later - in case I don't feel up to it later in pregnancy.

 The first one I started (I have them all in various stages of progress), is a 'woodland' mobile for above the crib. It will have little critters and such to float above baby while baby drifts off to sleep. I have been keeping track of the felt pieces I've cut out with hopes of sharing the pattern with you all at a later time :)

I was also fortunate to be given a previously loved crib for baby. I decided to refinish it, and being that chalk paint is non-toxic and super easy to apply, I choose that route. It's a nice soft, light grey colour with the slightest tint of brown. I was also given a pre-loved dresser that I am refinishing the same way - this way all of our pre-loved baby furniture will be all matchy-matchy for the amazing cost of a bit of paint :o)

I have a few other projects on my mind - some will have to wait until the nursery room is cleared out, but others I'll begin as soon as these two projects get a little further along.  I am hoping to give each of the above projects their own post when they are complete in placed in their proper new home in the nursery :)