Nursery Sources

I've put together a list of where everything in the nursery is from. I incorporated as many DIY projects and gifts from family and friends as I could to make the room very personal.

Crib: Pottery Barn Kids, gift from Matt's parents
Crib Sheet: Pottery Barn Kids
Crib Skirt: Made by me using this pattern (Fabric is Kaffe Fassett GP125 Tile Flower in Pink)

Blankie: Made by my mom
Sleep sheep: Gift from my parents, Pottery Barn Kids

Bird Mobile: Made by my mom and me
Nursery Rhyme Prints: Free printables from Sprik Space
White Frames: JoAnn Fabrics

Neutral Storage Bin: Home Goods (filled with handmade blankets and quilts from family and friends!)
Changing Table: Pottery Barn Kids, gift from Matt's parents

Lavender Storage Bins: Target (unavailable online)

Cherry Blossom Canvas: Made by me, tutorial here (inspired by PB Kids)

Changing Pad Cover: Made by me (tutorial here)
Burp Cloths: Made by me (tutorial here)

Bookshelf: Old, from Target

Chalkboard: Gift made by a friend

Bird and Bird House: Baby shower decor, made by my sister 

Fabric Rose Headbands: Made by my mom and me

Knit Birds: Hand-knit gift from my Aunt Liz
Stackable eco-friendly cups: Gift from a friend

White frames: IKEA

Shelves: IKEA

Pink Vase: IKEA

Floral Print: IKEA

"I am a child of God" Print: free printable

Framed Burlap and Fabric Bird: DIY
Sophie the Giraffe: Gift from my parents (available on Amazon)

Glider & Ottoman: Craigslist find (similar at Babies R Us)
Afghan: Hand knit by Great-Grandma Aiken
Children's Bench: Made by Great-Grandpa Bothun

Curtain: IKEA (still looking for the link to this one)

Let me know if there's anything I missed, and I'd be happy to provide the source!

+, Lauren Aiken

Nursery Tour!

I'm so excited to finally show pictures of Baby A's nearly finished nursery!
You'll notice a blank space above the crib, which is where her initial will go once we can introduce you to her. And I may add a rug or something, but I haven't found just what I had in mind yet.

I'm working on a list of sources to share where everything is from and will post that soon!!
I'll try to get it done before she makes her arrival, but no guarantees since my due date is only 11 days away :).

+, Lauren Aiken

{DIY} Contoured Changing Pad Cover

The nursery is really starting to come together now! We finally received the crib mattress, and yesterday I washed the mattress pad and sheets so now Baby A's crib is all set! I am so excited to show you everything in the nursery, but it's not quite ready for a reveal yet.

I had some fabric leftover from the crib skirt I made a few weeks ago so I decided to incorporate a little bit of it into a changing pad cover.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest but wanted to add a stripe of my accent fabric in so here is my own little tutorial.

Materials
1 yard of fabric
scrap fabric for an accent stripe (needs to be at least 33" long)
10" of 1/4" elastic
sewing machine + thread
rotary mat and cutter
scissors

Directions
You're going to end up with three pieces - one for the top and two pieces for the contoured sides.

First, you need to figure out the size your cover needs to be to fit the changing pad. Measure your changing pad from the front (4.5"), across the top (18"), and down the back side (4.5"). When you're measuring across the top, make sure that the tape measure follows the shape of the pad rather than measuring straight across. Add 3" to each side. This will allow the cover to wrap around the bottom of the pad. This totals to 33". Then, measure the width of the pad. A standard pad is 32" wide. Factor in a 1/2"seam allowance to both sides of the width. This means you will need a 33"x33" finished square piece of fabric to complete the large piece for the top.

Now we need to piece together the top. You can make the accent stripe any width you'd like, as long as it ends up being 33"x33" total. Here are the measurements I used.

3"x33" minky
12x33" accent fabric
19x33" minky

(Note: This equals 34" because we had to factor in a 1/2" seam on either side of the stripe. If you choose to use a different size stripe, make sure you factor in the 1/2" seam allowance!)

Pin right sides together and sew on either side of the stripe to make your top piece.

Next, we're going to cut the contoured pieces for the sides. Trace the edge of the changing pad. Add 3" to the bottom. Then add 1/2" around the other three sides to account for the seams. Cut your pattern out.

Trace the pattern two times and cut your sides out.

Now we are ready to put the three pieces together! Pin your sides (right sides together) to the top piece. Use as many pins as you need to because stitching around those contoured ends can be a bit tricky.

This is what it will look like when you're done.

After sewing the sides to the top piece, you can serge (or hem like I did, if you don't have a serger) around the entire perimeter of the cover. This will finish off the edges and also prevent fraying.

Next, we are going to tailor the cover to better fit the pad. Place it over the changing pad and pinch the underneath of the corners together, getting rid of excess fabric. Mark this with a pin. Before you actually make this diagonal stitch, pin right sides together!

Cut off the corner you just sewed.

Do this for all 4 corners.

Finally, sew a 2.5" piece of elastic into each corner. Be sure to pull the elastic very tight as you stitch it to the wrong side of the corner.

Slip the cover onto your changing pad, and you're all done!

I just love how the contour looks a little nicer than some of the others out there that are not so fitted.

I'd love to check out your work, so keep me posted if you make one!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the tutorial as well. 

+, Lauren Aiken

{DIY} Crib Skirt

Some of you might have been wondering why this little blog is called "LA-Stitch" since I haven't posted anything about sewing yet! 

Well, the crib isn't totally finished (we still need a mattress), but I finished the crib skirt over the weekend and cannot wait any longer to share it!

The fabric is Kaffe Fassett GP125 Tile Flower in Pink. I searched 5 different fabric stores before I found something I loved. I wasn't looking for brights originally but love how these colors liven up the nursery and contrast against the white furniture.

I used this pattern from sew4home. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, but I messed up a few times. Let's just say it's a good thing I have a seam ripper :).

Stay tuned for more!

+, Lauren Aiken

{DIY} Cherry Blossom Bird Canvas

Today I am thrilled to share a DIY nursery project I have been working on! I mentioned this painting from PB Kids on Pinterest several weeks ago and last week showed you this preview. Typically I am a slow decision-maker, especially when it comes to decorating. However, I fell in love with the cherry blossom bird canvas right away and thought I could maybe make something similar to it myself.

The chalkboard frame was a handmade baby shower gift from my sweet friend Michaela.

Let me start off by saying I don't consider myself very creative/artistic. I'm good at mimicking projects or combining ideas to create something, but I could never just sit down and make something out of nothing. I have also never painted before, but by taking this project one step at a time, it was actually pretty easy. So next time you see something you would like to make but don't think you can, go for it! You may be surprised with the final product!

Materials

Canvas ($7.99)

Acrylic paint (about $5 for 3 new colors, plus others I had on hand)

Scrapbook paper ($0.35 per sheet)

Assorted paintbrushes/sponges (I had these already, but somewhere around $2.99)

Paper glue ($4.50)

I got all these materials at JoAnn's. The canvas was 50% off and the scrapbook paper was 40% off.

First, I used a sponge to paint the entire canvas. I used one purple acrylic paint and just added white to it to get variations of lavender. I also used a pearlescent paint to add a little shimmer in places.

Next, I added a few branches using a small paintbrush. 

Like I said before, I am far from an artist so I first made templates of the birds and then traced them onto scrapbook paper. I just freehanded the cherry blossoms. 

Cut out several birds and a bunch of flowers from scrapbook paper (alternatively, you could use fabric or other materials) and place them on the canvas. I played around with placement a bit before I glued anything down.

Next, add detail like the birds' legs, beaks, and eyes. Glue everything into place.

And add little highlights of paint where you want more color. 

It's not perfect, but overall I am really pleased with how it turned out!

Happy crafting!

+, Lauren Aiken

27 Weeks

My bump is definitely visible from the front now!

How far along? 27 weeks

Baby Size: 2 pounds! 

Total weight gain: around 18.5 pounds 

Maternity clothes? Still a mix of non-maternity and maternity, though my maternity things are so much more comfortable than squeezing into normal shorts! 

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep: Lately sleep has been inconsistent. Some nights I sleep like a rock, and others I toss and turn trying to get comfortable.

Best moment(s) this week: We had a great time in northern Virginia last week (if you missed the recap, you can read here). I've been making a lot of nursery progress and am eager to share once it's complete. We also had a tour of Vanderbilt hospital, where Baby A will be born.

Miss Anything? My morning cup of coffee.

Movement: Those kicks are getting stronger! Sometimes I can feel a little movement and know a kick is coming, and other times I am caught off guard. 

Food cravings: Spicy things have sounded great lately. So far, they haven't bothered me yet, and I'm hoping that heartburn won't be an issue later on!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Hmm..can't think of anything.

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, though not as many as a couple weeks ago. After an active day, my tummy is a little achey. 

Belly Button in or out? Still hanging in there. The top half is almost flat and the bottom is still in.

Wedding rings on or off? On. 

Mood: A little nervous about taking care of a newborn, but overall excited and anxious to meet our little girl (not too eager though...she can stay in there another 12 weeks or so!).

Looking forward to: My 28 week appointment next week and making more progress in the nursery!

And a couple more updates this week...

I found a nice second-hand kids' shop on the other side of town and spotted a couple outfits with tags on. After a quick search, I found out that Coccoli is a baby designer and means "pampered babies" in Italian. I've been trying to hold off buying anything, but they were a pretty great purchase for $5 and $7!

I also picked up a few books to add to the bookshelf in the nursery.

And finally, here's a sneak peek of some nursery DIY art I'm working on. 

Have a great weekend!

+, Lauren Aiken