The Nerdy Nursery

At long last, we have completed our Nerdy Nursery and are ready to reveal it to you all.

If you follow my blog you will remember my post Confessions of a Nerdy Girl where I introduce you all to my love for Star Wars. I'm not sure where this love comes from. My mother tells me the first time I watched Star Wars as a kid, I said it was "stupid." Apparently I wasn't very cultured at the time.

Over the last few months we've been collecting pieces of art, working on projects, and implementing a tactful and tasteful Star Wars nursery for our son that arrived only three weeks ago. Being that we live in the city we have a small, one bedroom apartment so baby Roo shares a room with us. This means my husband gets his dream of a Star Wars bedroom... or maybe it was my dream...

Without further to do here is our beautiful Star Wars tribute of a room

Mom and Dad's Corner

Pillows: Saturday Morning Pancakes

Vinyl: Ogvinylgraphics made this custom graphic for us and added it to their store

 Baby Roo's Nerdy Corner

 

Assorted artwork we collected from Friends, Comic Cons, and Gifts. 

Check out my post HERE to see my adventure trying to hang them!

We Purchased a Pack n Play so we can take it where we need to go. 

Check out THIS post to see how we nerdified it. 

The shelf and felt drawers were purchased from Target.

I up-nerded them myself in THIS post. 

We added in a Build a Bear with a Jedi Outfit and a light saber (that makes noise!!) 

and VOILA! 

We have a nerdy nursery.

Up-Nerded Star Wars Shelf

When doing a Star Wars Nursery, you can't just have a standard, boring shelf. I got my original idea from Addicted to DIY but I don't have a vinyl cutter so I had to made my own idea.

I purchased the shelf and the felt boxes from Target (again - I LOVE Target) and got some felt from our local craft store. I pulled a few Star Wars shapes from the internet that I liked and printed them out on some card stock, so they would be sturdy to work with.

I cut out the stencils then traced each one on the felt to cut out.

I tried to make each one a little 3D to add some pop.

 Here's all four finished!

I used Velcro to fix them to the baskets. This way I can change them later if I would like to. 

 Put all together with the shelf makes for a stunning sight! What I love most about this is what when Eric asks "where is..." I can say, "it's in C3P0" or "In Lord Vader!" This makes our conversations way more exciting.

I added Roo's Star Wars Lunch Box, books, and Teddy Bear to the shelf and makes for a nice nerdy centerpiece to the corner. I like that it's tasteful but not overdone.

Check out the rest of my Nerdy Nursery HERE

Pack N' Play the Nerdy Way!

We decided on a Pack N Play for Roo because of our limited space. A full crib wouldn't fit in our one bedroom and using the PnP would allow us to have one less piece of baby gear to store. After much research on the subject, we learned they were safe for long-term use and we found one with a built in changing table (even more room we could save!).

The specific PnP we chose has a small mobile running over the top. Originally it had an Owl and a Bear hanging from it but they were quickly clipped off to be replaced with more nerd-friendly subjects.

The search began and ended at Target (have I mentioned I love target?) with their four inch Star Wars plush toys. I think they've discontinued these as I haven't seen them in stock since. I even drove to the next town over to purchase the few my store didn't have.

My mom and I sat down and sewed some Rick Rack onto the toys and sewed them to the mobile. 

I chose rebel-friendly characters to inspire my son to be a good Jedi! Hopefully we'll grow up to be as wise as Master Yoda, as strong as Wookie Chewie, and as cunning as Droid R2D2.

All assembled - just missing some nerdy sheets that are currently being made. I will update my post when they arrive!

Check out the rest of my Nerdy Nursery HERE

Hanging the Artwork

Shortly after we started assembling our Jedi outfits to join the Rebel Legion, Ra Kura Base, Eric and I discovered we were having a baby. Boy or girl, we knew immediately that we wanted a non-traditional nursery theme.

Once our costumes were approved by the Legion, we headed out on our first troop as Jedi to the Tampa Bay Toy and Comic Con. This is where we found the inspiration pieces for our baby nursery.

Our Nursery Inspiration Pieces

The next piece we acquired was painted by our cousin ART You Glad You Came! 

ART You Glad You Came R2D2 Art

The last set were given to us as a baby gift from our cousins Jason and Melanie.

I then decided how I wanted to line them all up on the wall. I took out the paper liners from each frame and taped them to the wall the way I wanted. This allowed me to measure and nail without making any mistakes. 

I used string to make sure I was lining everything up properly. 

The finished product was better than I could have asked for. I originally wanted a shelf on the wall too for my R2D2 collection, but that will have to be saved for another place. 

Check out the rest of my Nerdy Nursery HERE

Full Term Gitters - Week 37

At last our baby can come and our baby is safe! At this point his lungs are mostly developed and an early arrival has very minimal risk.

Now, the anxiousness is settling in. This baby could come when he wants!!

Oh how this has been a big week though! First came the arrival of my mother. She's going to be camping out in our living room until a few weeks after the baby is born - so thankful for the help of my best friend!

My mom - my teacher - my friend

Then we had our baby shower on Saturday where we were blessed by the generosity and fellowship of the ladies in my life here in Tampa. My mom was able to share a few words of blessing for Roo and we played a few games guessing baby food and guessing the baby's name. Then we had to haul it all back to our home!

The blessing of our friends' generosity is overwhelming!

After the shower was over we got to shop till we dropped - almost literally in my case - for the rest of the needed items for our son. Although my home felt like a box of puzzle pieces, it was comforting to know that we are mostly prepared for his arrival. Not to mention comforting to get all the great discounts we did with gift cards and so on!

It all has to go somewhere!

Over the week we spent our time organizing and working on little projects. I won't reveal too much of the nursery nook as I am saving that for a post of it's own, but we did get the bed set up, the shelf for his clothes/books/diapers, as well as the rocking chair placed in it's permanent residence. We had to do a bit of rearranging with our bed to fit Roo into our room, but I think we were successful.

We enlisted the help of a few people over the week to assemble some of the much needed items!

I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible... but you know me! Can't sit still for more than five minutes.

We decided to go with a Pack and Play for Roo as we live in a small one bedroom. This allowed for one less piece of furniture to store as well as a changing table which we had not anticipated having.

Assembled and set up his bed

We've collected several pieces of artwork as well for the nursery nook - Star Wars themed of course! I could a couple of hours out my day and was able to line them all up straight and make them permanent. (Artwork to be revealed soon!)

Don't worry... I didn't leave them empty

The rest of my week looked like this...

Doing laps and soaking in the sun as we wait for our little one to arrive. It's so wonderful to have my mother here to keep me company during the days and the support of my husband to deal with the anxiety!

Oh and here's a lopsided Roo for you - Have a great week everyone!

Some Assembly Required

I'm sorry if my blog is starting to be about nothing but baby - but I suppose that's what happens when you're two weeks away from your due date and the baby is taking over your house!

After the baby shower, items began to pile in our home that, lets just say, require some assembly. I'm thankful that my hubby is here to help complete some of these projects! I thought I would share with you some of the new furniture that has joined our home.

First was the blessing of a rocking Chair so I can feed our little man in comfort. The assembly only took about an hour for my amazing husband!

Next we had to assemble the shelf for the baby nook, I enlisted the help of our friend Josh in exchange for a home-cooked meal (he didn't know this was exchange... we sort of ambushed him when he arrived!

The boys wanted to know why it was a maid and not a butler... a butler can do things just as well

Eric read the instructions and Josh assembled... how is this far?

A beautiful work of art!

Finally we had the crib to decide on. Because of the small nature of our apartment (A one bedroom in downtown Tampa) we decided the most logical solution for Roo would be to use a Pack and Play instead of a normal crib.

This would allow for one less piece of furniture to store, a smaller bed in total dimension, and a two in one changing table! Fortunately this item did not require much assembly; although stay tuned for a Star Wars makeover!

Mom thought it would be cute to set up Roo's new Teddy Bear in the crib like it was baby Roo... made for a good caption moment.

So far that's all I've got! We still have a cabinet to assemble then I believe we're done. Stick around though, I'll be posting about the baby nook transformation soon!

May the 4th be With You - Week 35

This week we got to geek out a little more with baby Roo!

With the arrival of May 4th comes the outrageous need to make our lives all about Star Wars... why you say? Well, I can't explain it, but May the 4th be with you...

Saturday, I got to put my feet to the test and help handle a Star Wars event at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. When we arrived and I said I was handling I got a few funny looks as they shifted their eyes from my face to my belly and back... most likely thinking "this woman's crazy - she so preggo!" I loved proving them wrong!

We had a blast walking around seeing kids eyes light up! I was responsible to make sure no one got tackled or any children got trampled\ and I think we were successful. Roo had fun bouncing around inside. It was nice to know I still have the energy for this sort of thing. There aren't going to be any more Star Wars events for me until this little man arrives.

You can half-see Eric in the back hiding

Sunday was May the 4th so we headed out to our Cousins to geek out with Star Wars board games, one of the movies, and "saber dogs" (AKA hot dogs). It was a relaxing way to celebrate our love of the Star Wars universe but not have to lug around costumes and props.

Our cousins also gave us our baby gift! For days Jason has been telling me he's so excited to give it to us, so I wasn't sure what to expect as Jason doesn't get excited over little things. Once we got in the house the kids were all telling us we had to open our gift and that they were excited to see our reaction. Finally after saying our hellos and settling in we got to unwrap said "amazing gift."

oh and it was amazing! Two new prints to add to our baby room collection!

I absolutely LOVE the Yoda one (I know... I'm betraying my love for R2D2) and the saying "Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." So true master Yoda, so true!

Now our collection is not only bigger but also complete! We will be adding in the first letter of Roo's name to the collage and hang it all over his crib. If you are wondering, most of these were purchased at Con's we've visited. BUT the painted, single R2D2 was done by our Cousin Vicki to help her paint something out of her comfort zone - she nailed it!

So now I'm getting nesting fever; I can't wait to have Roo's bed and corner set up so I can get these all installed on the walls!!

May the 4th be with you all, and don't forget to have a little nerdy moment in honor of this great holiday; Star Wars Day.

Choose Your Side You Nerd!

If you've been following my posts for a while, you're remember my post Confessions of a Nerdy Girl about joining the Rebel Legion with our home-made Jedi Costumes. Since, we've been to countless events and made dozens of close friends.

As part of our gig, we have to travel to different sites for events. We purchased a cheap carry-all for our costumes and accessories. It's a cheap, grey utility chest that's lightweight and has wheels.

Well this week I decided it was too boring and needed some personalizing! I picked a decal I liked and printed it out to size.

I tapped across the top of the box and laid the stencil over it. Using a utility knife I cut out the design.

I covered the entire box with towels so I wouldn't get strips of unwanted spray paint. 

Spray Spray Spray... Using a paint marked for plastic I went over the stencil twice for a solid black. 

After about 10 minutes of drying I removed the tape so the pain wouldn't cure over the tape and rip.

Next I covered up the stencil and tapped out a 2" line from the stencil out - leaving a small round of blank space around the top and bottom of the symbol. 

Cover up and spray again!

Waited ten minutes and removed the tape. After consulting my brother and husband, we all decided the box need something else...

So I tapped out another two 1/2" lines on either side, again leaving space above and below the Symbol. - Here's the final product! 

We took the box to the Storm game on Saturday and all our 501st and Rebel Legion friends thought it was crazy awesome. The symbol is a mix of the two Star Wars sides; the top half is the Rebel Symbol and the bottom is the Imperial Symbol. 

 

I like this mash of the two symbols because it shows our love for both the Rebel Legion AND the 501st (bad guys vs good guys). Now no matter who we troop with, we'll only be "half wrong" hehe.

he entire project would have been easier had I owned a Cricket and been able to just print out stencils, but I did the best I could with the resources I had on hand.

So what do you think?

Avenger Me!

Our friends David and Amanda are hosting an Avengers party today in honor of the new Captain America movie coming out. The day consists of an Avengers movie marathon then a viewing of the new movie this evening.

They asked that we bring "superhero" themed snacks - Challenge accepted!

I started checking out Pinterest but every snack idea that came up in searches were for DC superheroes and NO AVENGERS! WHAT? So I came up with my own ideas

Here what I came up with!



Hulk Jello Cups



Hulk Jello Cups

I drew the Hulk on each cup and filled them with green Jello!

Hulk Jello Cups

Thor's Meat and Cheese Hammer

I cut up Summer Sausage and Mozz Cheese and stuck a pretzel in them!



Captain America's Cupcake Shield

I made mini cupcakes and topped each one with colored icing red-white-red-blue. Captain America would be proud!

So take some inspiration - pass it on - and throw your own Avengers party!