The Chair

So we got the chair! Yesterday they called and said the chair was in at Babies R Us, which's great because we ordered it back in November (9th to be exact).
It's so cute! I'll post pictures soon. It's very soft. Now the debate is weither or not to get the ottaman... because if I'm going to get it, I should do so now.

Nesting/Painting

I'm not sure if it's the presence of my mother or the looming due date (and the looming question by everyone "haven't you popped yet?"), but it's officially 5:45 AM and I am up painting. I just can't get to sleep even though I'm really tired and have a long weekend in front of me.
But I really really want to get this nursery done. I've stopped caring that it's not "perfect" and have agreed to alow myself do cartoony versions of what I wanted. I just don't have the time or patience to do exactly what was in my head. If I had started at the begining, nine months ago... I'm sure I would still be in the exact same spot, so I don't feel aweful about that. Besides, LBG will be an infant and won't know that it's not the greatest painting on Earth. And it sort of is, because it's for her. But I won't let her know that it's not exactly what I thought it was going to be. Cartoony here I come!
I feel a little bad about that, but at the same time... I'm ready. Not for her to come out, but I'm ready for the labor of this room to be done! I'm ready to start actually nesting the nest and getting the room set up and the clothes put away and the changing table organized. I'm ready to nest! Problem is the room isn't. So I'm giving myself 7-10 days to finish. I want it done-done by the doctor's due date (which is the 27th). Although, at this time, I'm pretty sure we miscalculated the date and it's about a week off. But that's good, because (hopefully) that'll give me time to get the room aired out and set up.
So anyone feeling even remotely artistic just jump on over! Like I said, it doesn't have to be perfect. I just want her to feel the love that we all put into the room.
It was so nice to have Grandpa Tim over the other night to paint the trees and castle wall. Even though he didn't really know what he was doing, he still put love into it, which is what really counts. The same with my mother. I'm hoping others will do the same. I mean if nothing else, I know Grandma Patty doesn't paint, but I'd love for her to come over and just dab on a red circle to symbolize a rose. I've got no problem going back over what's been done and adding the details. But I know there will be a time when LBG will point to something in the room and I'll smile and go "yes, so-and-so painted that for you to show you how much they love you!" Not that painting is the only way of showing love, but I'd love to be able to have a little bit of everyone in that room for her to be a part of.
I'm waiting for the aunts and uncles to come over and do a little something... maybe I should call them, not now, of course, but sometime later today would be good. I've got some pretty easy things to do and they can be fun (like the leaves on all the trees; just take a sponge and go for it!).
Mom is going to be doing the detail work for the buildings, I mainly want her to draw them out so that we can get them going. And like I said, I've come to realize cartoony is fine for this attempt, so maybe not so detaily as I originally planned; more like symbolic.
I'm waiting on paint to dry so I can start the next thing. Please feel free to come over and help any time! But you'll have to call first, please, because I'm finding out my schedule is booking up fast for doctor's appointments. Which is another reason I wanna bust this out!

Nursery Plans (sketches)

These are my sketches and ideas for the nursery. I know, promises of grandure... I just hope I can get it up and done before she's here! All except the first are done in 3/4" scale, so details have not been hashed out. They're quick sketches, details have not played into it. And some details (like the houses) are readily available, and I'll use them probably on in the final application (on the wall!).




This picture (above) is a very early and very fast sketch of what I wanted to do overall with the room. It starts ("read" it left to right) with the window wall. It's a forest pathway, then the next wall had originally just a house (later modified to maybe a village, then just a few buildings). The door wall is the castle gates with a view of the castle. And then it fades into a countryside scene (with a hobbit hole). I incorporated different places Chris and I have been together in the overal mural (so keep an eye out for CJ notations).

This next picture (above) is the "countryside scene". I really wanted the mural to have a hobbit hole, but wasn't sure how big. It turned out a good size after I added the Cliffs of Dover (CJ honeymoon Ireland). In the ocean I had a pirate ship (CJ honeymoon St. Lucia) but erased it before I scanned the sketch. I plan on working on the details on it before putting it back in. Other characters we see are the Cheshire Cat and the Lorax. I figure I might also put in something else, I just don't know what.

The inside wall or "village scene" is this one (above). It's gone through many developments: from just one house, to many, to lots of fairytale houses (lady in the shoe, gingerbread house, etc), to just a few. I think the few don't seem to crowd it as much. It needs some basic work on scaling, as I look at it now I realize this. But it's the basic jist of what I want... I think (this and the "countryside scene" have been the hardest to figure out what I want).

Anyway, you see up front and personal Anne Hathaway's house (representing England, CJ)... well the basic outline for it. I was going to sketch in the details, but that can be hashed out later. In front of it will be a little garden of flowers and veggies with Peter Rabbit running through it.

Then starting at top is a windmill for Don Quixote, then the little pigs houses... well what's left of them. There's a pile of wood and a windblown pile of straw, and after some thought, I'd like the red brick house to look more like our current house (which is red, but not fully bricked). And then of course ASF (CJ where we met). I figure in all that sky space I'd like to put an actual dragon flying in the distance.

This is the door wall or "castle scene". The castle you see in the background is one I cannot find a name for from Ireland (CJ honeymoon Ireland). Paddywagoners, if you know/remember the last day castles we saw I'd appriciate it. Otherwise it's just a basic turret system on either side with a bridge between and mountains behind. The first door/turret has climbing roses on it, and one will be where the handle is. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to do something similar to the other door as well or not. Might just be a stone.

Notable characters are: Rapunzel, Notre Dame Bell (well it will be in the first turret's window), the worm from Labyrnth (yes, he's there by Rap.'s hair), and the Little Mirmaid (a very fast rendition that will get more details the large it gets).

The above is the sketch for inside the closet. When you open the door you'd see Rumplestillskin(and yes, he's only 3 feet tall) creaping up the stairs. On the backside of the door would be the 3 blind mice. Also in the picture are the frog prince, spiderweb (representing spider and the fly story), Cinderella's glass slipper, and the sock fary (you know, he usually stays around your laundry and steals socks so you only pull out one of a kind).

This last one (below) isn't a sketch at all, but I found pretty much what I want to do from a digital image when I was researching some of the other images online. This would be the forest wall, the one with the window. The window would fall right where that nice little opening is at the end of the pathway between the trees. I like house the trees seem to be going through all the seasons. It won't be full trees, but 3/4 of them, probaby. Like this picture will actually wrap around to the next wall a couple of feet, just to start to incorporate everything together.

Also, I'd like to add some fairy characters into it, and maybe some smurfs down low.