Repurposing For A New Nursery

Repurposing. It’s a thing now. We have all done it in many ways; it’s a new way to look at things that need new life. I’m all about that right now. Repurposed nursery? repurposed woodland nursery? Yes, please.

I have a friend who was pregnant with her first little one. Creating a nursery for this little boy. A miracle baby. A woodland theme with mountains and trees and grays. A great environment for that little one to grow. The walls were painted gray. With gray window coverings. His crib painted white.

I was doing that thing of emptying contents of a room.

It began by moving furniture from one room to another or from our home to another location.

When the discussion of this little boy’s woodland nursery was a part of the conversation, a need for a new home for a rocker became a part of the plan.

If that rocking chair could talk…

It would have soooo many stories to share. Songs to sing. Conversations to relive. You see, this rocker has been in my guest room for years…where grandchildren have been nursed and rocked and sung to and cuddled.

If we rewind the years, I had taken it to be part of a teen parent day care center in my classroom.

It rocked babies there. Conversations with those mamas and songs sang to those littles that I wish I had recorded. It captured loads of life. Much love. And many tears took place with guidance and life and heart sharing in that place.

Next, that rocker moved to the studio,

where my husband took beautiful photos of Mamas in white, holding newborns close in that rocking chair.

That rocker has been silent for far too long.

It needed repurposing. It needed a new home. A repurposed nursery, perhaps. Full of life. With rocking to do. And songs to sing. Surrounded by little voices full of play and giggles.

To the lawn the chair went. Sanded. Cleaned. Painted.

After sanding, cleaning and using deglosser, I made a decision to use a satin white spray paint. It was much easier to cover all of the rungs and the rounded edges where painting with a brush would pool. After several coats, the overspray left it feeling not as smooth as I would have liked. I used 0000 steel wool to smooth the surface and cleaned with a damp cloth.

Then it was on to accessories for the nursery.

Downloading began of the perfect images to hang. A great woodland theme from Etsy from Benji and Bear that met with the Mom’s approval. I just ordered the digital image which let me choose the size needed for anything in the nursery. (So, I’m gifting the digital image to the Mom, too, so she can have it to use for anything else!)

Off to Office Depot for printing them on card stock. Trimming them to an 11 x 14 size.

Next, I began adding the hardware hangers to hang these woodland prints above that white crib.

With great wooden frames from Hobby Lobby, those prints were ready for that nursery wall.

A search began for the best cushion for the theme. This was the hard part.

The seat of the rocker has always been awkward for a cushion that I love.

It’s had random seat cushions that were reminiscent of grandmother’s house.

That would never work.

I tried my best to find a seat cushion or a form to cover. Simply nothing really met with my approval.

The cover became my “bump in the road”. I could dye sublimate that Etsy image onto a pillow cover. Finding the 20″ pillow cover in the right synthetic blend proved daunting. I bought gray. Nope. I bought cream. No.

I even bought coordinating fabric. A cute plaid. Cute trees. To my home came an 18″ square cotton pillow cover that I proceeded to take apart to add a fabric edge. Brilliant, right? It just didn’t complete the vision I had for this little room.

Are you like that? Do you have visions that just sometimes take a little “extra” to get to work? or perhaps, don’t work at all? Happens to me.

Tucking cushions in and out…I came up with a solution.

I LOVE the IKEA Fjadrar 20″ x 20″ cushion inserts. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE! 100 per cent cotton, filled with duck feathers. They wear beautifully. I simply can’t get enough of these to toss on sofas or loveseats or chairs or beds. (I may have a pillow issue!)

You see, those cushions can tuck in anywhere that new mama needs them for comfort. To prevent those rungs from being in the way. To nestle. And snuggle. Perhaps tuck. Rock. Love that little boy.

Back to IKEA’s website and there it was!! The perfect little gray trees that would be an ideal complement.

We loaded up for the three hour trip to IKEA.

Can I tell you how happy I was when I located those pillow forms? Check! They were placed in the basket for purchase.

Now off I went to the pillow cover section. An employee was stocking.

No trees. He responded with things like, “They are evidently still somewhere in Sweden. New to the line.”

All of his paperwork had them nowhere to be listed. He had no clue when they would be stocking them.

I brought up the photos on my phone of those woodland nursery prints and stood in the middle of the aisle in a panic.

There it sat on the shelf.

This geometric print. Reminiscent of trees. Of triangles. In coordinating colors. Not matchy/matchy. That would be the one. (Until those little gray trees appeared in inventory).

You see, that little guy came early and that nursery was screaming to be finished! Packing and loading to leave his nursery items by their back door ensued. (Covid delivery ready).

The rocker was ready for transit.

And I realized that what my heart had desired for this new year was happening.

If you read my story on adding JOY to the new year or perhaps my article in The Vue magazine…you get it.

Giving in the winter months…past Christmas…and adding joy are vital.

This happened with this sweet nursery.

The ability to provide a nursery with something that once gave so much heart and life, is giving again.

Here it is… in it’s glory. A newly painted, repurposed rocking chair for the nursery. New cushion. And then, with three woodland nursery prints and a little onsie tucked in, just because.

It’s all been delivered. And rocking has begun. With new life and added legacy. So for now– no photos of his finished room yet. I can just imagine them in their cozy setting.

I can’t wait to meet this little guy who will have lots of snuggles, stories, and songs and become part of that chair’s legacy.

To see him in this woodland nursery and watch him grow.

I know he will be amazing! Welcome to the world little one!

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