10 Modern Cribs Under $400

For our baby’s nursery, I’ve been in search of a modern-ish looking crib, something with clean straight lines and a simple design.  (You can check out my nursery inspiration mood board here.)  However, I've had trouble finding a modern crib that’s both affordable and not over the top wacky-modern looking.  If you Google “modern nursery cribs” you can find several online stores that specialize in modern nursery furniture.  The problem is, many of their cribs will run you well over $1,000, with most costing at least $600.  There’s nothing wrong with splurging on a pricey crib if it will make you happy and you can afford it, but I’m looking for something less expensive.  As long as the crib is comfy and safe, I think my baby will be just as happy snoozing and pooping in a crib with a lower price tag! 

In my crib research, I found 10 modern looking cribs priced under $400, even including several under $200 crib options.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1.  Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Amazon $299
2.  Baby Mod ParkLane 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Walmart $300
3.  Child Craft London Stationary Crib – Walmart $180
4.  Sorelle Commuter Crib – Walmart $358
5.  Ikea Sundvik Crib – Ikea $119

6.  Babyletto Mercer 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Amazon $339
7.  Baby Mod Olivia 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Walmart $300
8.  Ikea Gulliver Crib – Ikea $100
9.  Baby Mod Modena 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Walmart $199
10. Babyletto Modo 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – Amazon $351


There are some cute options!  I like all of these cribs, but for the nursery I’ve been planning, I  think I like cribs #2, #4, and #7 the best.

However, if none of these cribs are modern looking enough for your taste, I stumbled across this one:

Source

It’s a lucite crib which costs $3,750!  I’m sure someone out there has this crib in a nursery that cost more than my entire house, but I’m struggling to understand several things with the above image.  Aside from the price and the lucite material, it kinda looks like a fish tank, plus it’s filled with bouncy balls!  Now I haven’t taken any parenting classes, but I’m pretty sure a crib full of bouncy balls is a safety no-no.  Add in the creepy head statue on the dresser, and my mind is boggled about the kind of baby who would live in this room!

So what do you think-  Are modern looking cribs for you?  Any other affordable modern crib suggestions that weren’t on my list?  And what about the lucite crib, work of art or craziness?

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Gold Painted Corkboard

It’s Pinterest challenge time!  Today, I’m joining in on the Pinterest challenge put together by Young House Love, Bower Power, Decor and the Dog, and The Remodeled Life in which we actually MAKE a project inspired by something we pinned on Pinterest.  I took today’s challenge quite literally as I made something perfect for “pinning” – an updated corkboard!

My husband had a standard boring corkboard hanging near his desk in our home office (this is separate from the awesome, much girlier desk I have for myself).  The corkboard got the job done, but it’s surely nothing to brag about.



I decided to spice it up with some spray paint thanks to some inspiration I found on Pinterest. The first pin (found here, originally from Ballard Designs) gave me the idea to transform a regular bulletin board into something prettier, and the second pin (found here, from The Happy Home) gave me the idea to paint it.




So I cleared off the corkboard and got to work spray painting it.  I first covered up the actual corkboard so I could start by spray painting the frame.  I used Rustoleum spray paint in “night tide.”  It was a can I had grabbed on clearance from Home Depot a while ago, but I hadn’t used before.  I thought the color would be more navy, but it ended up being more like a deep turquoise. 



The nice thing about spray painting a corkboard is that I didn’t need to tape off the inside, I just used thumbtacks to keep my newspaper in place.  As a bonus, I spray painted the thumbtacks too so they would coordinate with the finished product.  Here’s how it looked when I was done painting the frame- better already!



Then I got to work on the actual corkboard.  I decided to spray paint gold stripes which gradually got wider.  I started off with about a 1 inch strip at the top and made each of the following strips about a quarter of an inch wider.  At the very bottom, I decided to add the word “work” for some added interest.  To make the letters, I pulled up some block letters on my computer screen and used it as a light box to trace the words onto a wide strip of painter’s tape.  Then I just cut them out with scissors and an exacto knife.  It was actually much easier to do than I thought it would be.



Then it was time for the fun part, spray painting the whole thing gold.  I used Touch ‘n Tone spray paint (from Walmart for under $2) in “metallic gold.”  And here’s how this baby looks now:



And now with some stuff on it.  You know, important work things, like pictures of my dog.





Much more glam!  Well…about as “glam” as a cork board can look in my opinion.  I like that the gold is subtle next to the original cork color, but it’s still colorful enough to add some shine and a fun look.  I really like how the word at the bottom turned out too.



Since I had all of the supplies already at hand, this project cost me a whopping zero dollars and it didn’t cost me much time either.  The corkboard went from something I mostly didn’t notice to something that makes me happy when I look at it now!  Isn’t that the best, especially from a quick and free project?


Have you made any freebie updates to anything you own lately?  Are you also joining in on the Pinterest party today?

P.S. You can find my past Pinterest challenge projects here: Map Photo Frame, Gallery Wall, Photo Coasters, Summer Fun List Poster.

P.P.S. You can follow me on Pinterest here.


I'm also linking up this project to parties at Beneath My Heart, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, We Are That Family, Beyond the Picket Fence, Someday Crafts, Katie's Nesting Spot, A Glimpse Inside, My Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous, If It's Not Baroque, Designed Decor, Shaken Together Life, Tatertots and Jello, Whipper Berry, Funky Junk Interiors, Serenity Now, Uncommon Designs, Home Stories AtoZ

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Friday Faves

It’s Friday, yay!  It’s also time for another look at my favorite things from the past week, yay!

Check out this gorgeous waterfall pond from Oh My! Creative.  I would love to have something like this in my backyard, it’s beautiful and must be so relaxing.




How cute are these lollipop flowers that Oh Happy Day made from crepe paper, what a great idea.  A bouquet of these would be such a cute gift.




My Clever Nest was very clever to make this decoupaged mirror from napkins!  What a cool way to spice up an ordinary mirror.




Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons whipped up fun Abe Lincoln pancakes with her boys.  She has several other clever presidential pancakes on her blog.




In non-blog things, another one of my faves for this week is the Hunger Games Trilogy.  I know I’m behind on the times as this book came out a few years ago already, but I just finished it this week and loved it!




So that’s what I’m loving this week.  Has anything caught your eye recently?  Any book recommendations now that I’m done reading the Hunger Games?

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Past Resolutions Update

Yesterday I shared my list of DIY projects I hope to accomplish this year, dubbed my “New DIYear Resolutions”.  Shamefully a couple of items on this year’s list were left overs from previous years.  In an effort to redeem myself I thought I’d share updates on some of the projects from past years’ list (you can check out 2010, 2011, and 2012 here) that I actually accomplished.  Plus they’ve ended up being some of my favorite projects so I figured I’d share.

Front Yard Landscaping: This is from the 2010 list and we’re so happy we tackled this project.  Not only did it add curb appeal to our house, but it also makes bringing in groceries a heck of a lot easier.  We used to have a very small planted pathway leading to our front door which we ripped out so that we could install a new paver walkway. Then we added a retaining wall and some plants of course. I also spruced up the area around our front door a bit.





Fireplace Mantle Update: This was a project that was on my 2010 and 2012 lists and has been a work in progress that I finally finished last year.  We added an expanded mantle shelf, hid the tv cables above the fireplace, painted the brass accents black, painted the mantle white, and added mosaic tile around the mantle.





Kitchen Updates on a Budget: In 2010, I hoped to make some updates to our kitchen which we accomplished by installing granite countertops, a new tile backsplash, and a new faucet and granite sink. Hmm…I really need to share some newer photos of the kitchen, I’m going to get on that! 





Home Office Update: This has been one of my favorite projects around the house.  I transformed an outdated computer desk to a new office and craft work area.





Powder Room Update: In 2011, I tackled updating our powder room and transformed it from builder’s grade to an updated look for under $70!



Sew New Pillows: I went a little crazy with this resolution from 2011.  I sewed a vintage tea towel pillow, animal print placemat pillows, a sweater pillow, patterned pillows, and a nautical map pillow.  Turns out, I like to sew!





Organizing Around the House: Organization has been on my to-do list each year, partly because I believe this is an ongoing process and partly just because I’m a messy person by nature and this helps me keep on top of things!  I’ve done a lot of organizing projects over the years which you can check out in my organization category.  (Our mail center is pictured below.)




Whew!  Turns out I accomplished quite a few things from my yearly resolutions.  I better get started on this year’s goals now!  Do you have any accomplished resolutions you’re proud of?

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2013 New DIYear Resolutions

So we’re halfway through February and most of us have probably forgotten about our resolutions already, but I’m just getting around to sharing mine now.  But since I shared my resolutions for 2010, 2011, and 2012, I couldn’t break tradition this year.  Better late than never, right? 

As with past years, I call my house to-dos for the year “New DIYear Resolutions” since they are all hands-on DIY projects I want to accomplish during the year.  I failed big time with two of my resolutions last year, not even getting started on them, so they are back on the docket for this year.  So here’s what I’m hoping to tackle in 2013:

Refinish This Chest: Okay, this one is embarrassing.  I bought this soon-to-be-awesome chest at a garage sale back in 2010 and it still hasn’t been refinished.  I’m giving myself an ultimatum to finish it this spring, no excuses!



Create a Proper Window Seat: This is another leftover from last year’s list (boooo).  Our living room has a built-in window seat area, but needs a nice cushion and new pillows.  Good news is that I already have the fabric to tackle this project!




Complete Baby’s Nursery: This one I know will get done!  The nursery must be finished for our little bundle of joy.  You can read all about our nursery mood board and plan here.




Have a Baby!: Since we’re having a baby this year, that’s at the ultimate top of my to-do list!  Given that this a pretty darn big project, I’m keeping the rest of this New DIYear Resolutions list pretty short so I can focus on the whole having and caring for a tiny human being thing.  It’s kinda a big deal!

How are your resolutions going for this year?  Do you have a list of DIY projects to tackle?

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Friday Faves

Happy Friday! I didn’t have to look very far for this week’s Friday Faves because they are all from some of my favorite daily blog reads.

You have to check out this adorable space themed nursery from Lemon Drop Life.  It is out of this world! (Sorry I couldn’t resist.)  But seriously check out the solar system wall, her little guy will love it!

 

Over at House of Hepworths, she completed her kid’s bathroom makeover including an awesome beadboard wall.  She made it look so easy, it makes me want to add beadboard to my bathroom.

 

And the Nester made these very cute feather arrows.  I think they’re such a cute decoration from Valentine’s day and a nice change from classic heart decorations.  Plus I’m in the middle of reading the Hunger Games trilogy so I have a thing for arrows right now, thankfully these are much cuter and less deadly than the ones in the book.

 

Have a great weekend!  I’ll be sharing more nursery updates of my own next week.

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Friday Faves

I come across so many great projects and photos online so I decided to start posting some of my favorites each week.  I’ll be posting anything that struck my fancy during the week here, whether it be something I saw on another blog, elsewhere online, or out in the offline world!

This week, I’m loving:

This gold painted table from Honey We’re Home:

 

This very cute kid’s bathroom makeover from Being Home:

 

And this beautiful white kitchen with pops of orange from BHG (found via Inspiration for Decoration):

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Turquoise Nursery Mood Board

Now that I’ve spilled the beans on my super exciting secret project (a baby!) it’s time to get to the question that’s on everyone’s mind- what’s the nursery going to look like?!

There are a few things I know I want for the nursery:

1. A gender neutral design. Since we are not finding out the gender of the baby until d-day (delivery day that is), something gender neutral is a must.  I’m thinking a turquoise colored room since that will look pretty with colors like coral and yellow, as well as both pink and blue down the line.

2. Slightly modern-ish. While I don’t want an uber modern showroom style room, I’d like the furniture to have clean lines and a simple design.

3. Mixed furniture. To me, white furniture is often associated with girls and dark wood furniture is often for boys.  Since we don’t know what we’re having I’d like to use both light and dark furniture.  Plus, I think this will be a cool way to make the room look more personalized rather than buying a complete furniture set from a baby store.

4. Not too babyish.  Yes, this is a nursery for a baby, but I don’t want “baby" furniture that will only work for a baby or toddler.  Instead, I’d like furniture that will work in the long run and fit in any stage of the kiddo’s life and could even be used in other rooms of the house if we rearrange stuff down the road.

5. Fun colors and accessories.  Although I don’t want a super babyish room, it is a nursery after all which gives me a chance to use some bright colors, fun accessories, and funky patterns.  It’s the perfect place to play around with some fun decorating I might be afraid to choose normally.  I’m also thinking of going with a few tropical or jungle accessories, but trying not to be over the top “theme-y”.

So of course I had to put together a mood board to visualize my ideas.   Mood board time!

Modern-ish Slightly-Tropical Turquoise Nursery Mood Board:



1. Crib
2. Dresser
3. Shelves
4. Chair
9. Elephant Hamper
6. Jungle Mobile
7. Changing Pad
8. Curtain Rod
9. Elephant Fabric

So that’s my plan for the room. What do you think??

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My Biggest & Best Project Ever - Exciting News!

Yesterday I mentioned that I had been taking a break from blogging over the past few months to work on a really big project.  In fact, it is the biggest and best project I have ever, ever done!  I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, time to spill the beans:



I’m having a baby!  And it is definitely the most wonderful “project” I have ever done.  Nothing says “DIY” like growing your own little human!  I am due early this year and the gender will be a surprise. 

So if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the last few months, I have been focusing all of my time and energy on being pregnant.  It sure makes a lady tired.  Between being physically tired, preparing the house for the baby, the holidays, and working full time, something had to give so I ended up taking a blogging break.  BUT, I have so much fun baby stuff to share that I couldn’t stay away for long.  Expect nursery updates and baby preparations galore!  (Tomorrow I will be sharing my nursery plans!)

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2012 Top Projects

Hello again!  Remember me?  I’ve been taking a break from the blog over the last few months, but I’ve missed it and am hoping to get back in the groove of posting regularly.  And I can promise you that I’m back for reals because I have already written several posts, so booyah- I’m back!  If you’ve been wondering where I am, I have been busy working on a super exciting secret project that I will be spilling the beans about tomorrow!

But before I get into that, I wanted to take a look back at 2012.  Hey, it’s only February!  Even though I trailed off blogging towards the end of last year, I still managed to accomplish a few pretty awesome projects, if I do say so myself.  So let’s take a look at a few of my favorite projects and most popular posts from last year.  In 2012…

I transformed a dated 90s computer desk into a beautiful new craft and office space.




I took the plunge and painted my oak fireplace white and added new tile in a seemingly never ending multi-phase project. 




I sewed green patterned pillows and a nautical map pillow (made from an unexpected source.)




I made cute coasters using vintage images of the Jersey shore:




I shared a trick to grow your own green onions indoors:




I showed you how to make a few yummy recipes like a delicious Nutella breakfast panini and chocolate peanut butter banana bites.

 


I made a storage box by repurposing an unusual object.




I designed a concert poster style summer fun list:




And finally I made a cute felt matroyshka Christmas ornament:




So that’s a little look into my life last year.  Here’s to 2013 being a bigger and better year!  In fact, I can assure you it will be, I’ll be spilling the beans on why and how tomorrow!

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