There may be nothing more adorable in this world than a new baby. So why not welcome your new bundle of joy into this world with a one-of-a-kind nursery that will show off all your DIY crafty talents? Whether you're expecting a baby boy or girl, we have several ideas to help make the nursery magical and relaxing for their arrival. And you don't even have to be a craft genius to complete these ideas. In fact, they are so simple that anyone can do them. Even if you aren't expecting a baby anytime soon, these projects make great gift ideas for a baby shower or 1
st birthday present. So it's time to get in touch with your craft side.
1. Baby Shower Card Art
If you have saved all your baby shower cards and don't have a clue what to do with them, you may want to consider making them into a memorable piece of art for your baby's room. Just lay out all your cards, arrange them by colour and cut pieces of your favourite parts into the shape of your choice, such as a heart or a star. Arrange the shapes into rows on a piece of poster board and glue them into a pattern. Then frame it and hang it on your baby's wall for a piece of artwork that will prove a beautiful keepsake for them as they grow older.
http://www.veronikasblushing.com/2013/04/diy-transform-your-baby-shower-cards.html
2. Rag Rug
Have a lot of fabric scraps hanging around your home? Cut them into small pieces – about 1 inch by 5 inches. Stuff them into a non-skid rug mat and you will have yourself a beautiful, handmade rug for your child's room. This is such a practical and simple way to give your baby's room a colourful piece of decor of your choosing. It will add so much personality to the room that you could never buy in a store.
http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/how-to-make-a-rag-rug-by-everyday-art
3. Monogram Frame
If you want to add some personality to your baby's room, using the first letter as their name is a great way to do this. All you have to do is purchase a cheap metal or wooden letter and frame it. You can buy a frame from a thrift store or make your own by taking some trim boards and gluing them together. You can paint the frame whatever colour you like and add a little pizzaz to it by distressing it by using some vaseline. Just dip your finger in the vaseline and lightly swipe your finger along the corners and edges where you want the paint to come off. Then you start painting. When it's dry, use sandpaper to lightly sand it. Wherever you put the Vaseline, the paint will come off and show the stain underneath. You can even use some colourful fabric or wallpaper for the background, allowing the letter of their name to instantly pop.
http://thebaezablog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/aqua-distressed-monogram-frame-vaseline.html
4. Family Handprints
This is such a beautiful way to bring your family together for life and to remember how special the younger days were when you first welcomed your baby into the world. All you have to do is gather your family and buy a few paint colours. Spread one colour on the father's hand and stamp his hand onto paper. Let it dry and then do the same for the mother's handprint but with a different colour. Choose another colour for the baby's handprint. Stamp them on top of each other and when it is all dry, fame it and hang it on the wall for a memorable piece of artwork that you can save forever.
http://diyfunideas.com/diy-family-hand-prints/
5. Hot Air Balloons
There may be nothing more magical to a child than a balloon. So why not incorporate some of the magic with hot air balloons hanging in their room? To get the look simply buy a few paper lanterns of your desired size and colour Choose some paint colours, open the lantern and paint along the paper lines on the lantern. This way you can make the lantern more than one colour to add a lot of extra detail to the room. Once the painting is done, take a small basket and cut off the handles. Cut four pieces of string for each lantern, gluing one side of the string to the inside of the paper lantern and the other end to the basket with a glue gun. Hang them throughout your child's room for a one-of-a-kind look that will have any child feeling a little magic every night when they go to bed.
http://www.makelifelovely.com/2014/05/paper-lantern-hot-air-balloons.html
6. Animal Head Hook Racks
If you have some fun wooden toys around your house, such as animals, you can use these to make a unique hook rack for your child's room. If you don't have any, you can buy some and paint them the colour of your choice. Get a piece of wood and install some hardware on the back to hang it to the wall. Then use a glue gun to glue the animal heads onto the board. If the glue isn't sturdy enough you can use screws to reinforce them from the back.
http://sayyes.com/2013/11/diy-neon-nursery-wall-hooks.html
7. Animal Artwork
Keeping with the animal theme, try making custom artwork for your baby's room with some of your favourite images. You can download some pictures from Google or use some that you have taken on family trips. Get a few pieces of wood blocks, sand them and paint them the colour of your choice. After they dry, cut out the animal print and use some Mod Podge to press them down onto the block. After it dries, apply a top coat of Mod Podge to the top and sides of the block. Let it dry and hang them up throughout the room for a unique way to brighten up any room.
http://www.aliceandlois.com/diy-painted-wood-block-nursery-art/
8. Wooden Growth Chart
This is a cool way to keep track of your baby's growth. All you need is an old wooden fence – it's a great length for a growth chart and they are cheap to buy at your local hardware store if you don't have your own. Paint it whatever colour you want and use a tape measure to mark the inches on. Use a black sharpie to mark the measurements down the side and a stencil to add large, bold numbers. This is not only a unique way to measure your child's growth, but it's a cool gift to give someone at a baby shower.
http://www.thepinningmama.com/5-30-minute-wooden-growth-chart/
9. Pom Pom Garland
What's more fun than pom poms? All you need for this craft is some colourful yarn, a kitchen fork and scissors. Just wrap some yarn gently around the tines of your fork about 90 times. Cut the yarn from the ball. Thread a piece of the yarn through the middle tine of the fork and tie a tight knot, letting the yarn take the shape of a bow. Slide the yarn off the form and cut the looped yarn on either side. Trim the pom pom to give it a circular shape and then tie along a length of yarn or string and trim the excess. Voila – you have a string of pom poms that will look fun and colorful hanging anywhere in your nursery.
http://www.taradennis.com/Kids/pom-pom-garland.html
10. Crib Mobile
No nursery is complete without a mobile for the crib. And what better kind of mobile to have than one that is personable and memorable. Perhaps one that lets your child say goodnight to each member of his or her family? All you will need are a few materials, including some craft paper, wire and some of your favourite family photos. Cut out some circles from your craft paper and fold them to make a triangle, placing pictures of each family member inside them. Separate your triangles into two piles of five and one pile of 10. Arrange your 10 triangles in a straight row, alternating the pointed top, flat top, pointed top, etc.... Use a glue gun to glue them together. When you have a straight line completed, finish by gluing the ends together to form a ring. For the top and bottom pieces, glue the five pointed tops of the triangles together. Now glue the top and bottom pieces to the middle ring. Hang it on your wire mobile. For complete instructions on this cool, one-of-a-kind mobile visit
http://content.photojojo.com/diy/photo-globe-frame/
