Preparing the Nest

The last 5 weeks I have been on my long awaited maternity leave, which has been 5 weeks of creative heaven preparing our little honey bee's nursery, and getting bits and pieces done around the house. I never understand women who tell me they were bored on maternity leave prior to their baby's arrival.....For me the options seem limitless...

I've made plum jam, peach chutney. I've stained our  new oak dining cabinet to match our oak dining table. I still have cane chairs to repaint, and outdoor cushions to recover which have faded over the summer.

But most of all I've enjoyed getting my daughter's room ready, and spent my days sewing and painting. At 39 weeks almost everything on my two page list has been completed, and now I am enjoying making her some little outfits for the impending Melbourne winter. I figure it may be some time until I can sit down at my sewing table again, among my fabrics, and enjoy some non sleep deprived creativity.

Here are a snap shot of some of my finished projects and her nursery which I've been working on over the past 5 weeks.

Leander Cradle for her first 6 months.

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Inside her little nest - Cherry blossom flannelette sheeting I found at Spotlight.

Making mix and match cot sheets.

Her cot all made up with the hot off the press sheets/ pillow case.

Some more cherry blossom cot sheets ready to go.

This is the lamp shade I covered for her room.

 I used the same cotton fabric to back the cotton quilt I made for her which has a gorgeous bright Liberty floral fabric front.

My little helper Luigi seemed to think the baby mobile I was making was for him.

  

 The finished mobile...turned out a little carnival themed. Made from an old lampshade that I stripped the fabric off and painted to use as a hanging frame.

 Have You Met Miss Jones porcelain elephants.

I love her little rabbit lamp set. I had originally bought the larger rabbit, and my dear friend Anna unknowingly bought the smaller rabbit lamp as a gift. I was delighted! It makes the perfect little set of night lamps above her cot.

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Every little girl's room needs a kitten picture or two...

Her little wardrobe, painted, wallpapered with new handles - pre clothes.

I did the same with an old dresser - painted, wallpapered the drawers and changed the handles. It gives more storage space than  a store bought change table, and works as a nifty place to change or bath the bubby.

As our little one will be born in the Chinese year of the horse, a close friend Karin bought her a little carousel with wooden horses. 

Liberty fabric bunting. 

Angus and Celeste jelly mold porcelain hanging pots with Chain of Hearts and Maiden Hair Fern. The chair was an ebay purchase which I stripped and had reupholstered in dusky Japanese linen. 

Now for her winter and summer wardrobe!