In The Jungle Part 2

When I did our baby's nursery with the glow in the dark starry night mural on the ceiling, I was inspired to revamp the rest of it.  I've had the jungle theme since our now eight year old was a baby, but I really became inspired when my kids told started singing the "In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle" song.  I wrote about the ceiling mural and how to do it here in the first post about the nursery, but I still didn't show the whole finished product.  I was absolutely thrilled with how it turned out!

 

 

Obviously, this isn't a crib anymore.  Jackson figured out how to pull himself up and flip his feet over the rails so we transitioned him to a toddler bed.  I was so sad though!  It is just a tangible reminder that he isn't a baby anymore!  Anyways, I found the letters spell his name at A.C. Moore and painted them with the undiluted paint from doing the wash for the ceiling mural.  I loved this bedding from Target, but sadly they don't have it anymore.  They do have some other cute jungle themed sets that are pretty inexpensive.  We had quite a few stuffed animals that fit the theme so I set those out to decorate with.  Jack Jack loves his giraffe from my mom, although they occasionally are on the outs and Giraffe has apparently committed some travesty according to my two year old and is not allowed to be on the bed.  Two year old problems...

One of my kids' favorite songs is "In the Jungle" which is basically what inspired our nursery so it seemed like the logical choice to use that for some word wall art:

I made a stencil with my cricut using the George font that came with it to paint this on the wall.  I just used the same indigo steamer Valspar paint that is on the ceiling.  I have been tempted to come back and add a little more something something to it, but with fostering, I haven't had the time.  However, I really like how clean it looks since usually toys are everywhere and simple and clean is a nice contrast!  Here's how it looks on the wall:

This bench was from Pier 1 and it used to be in our living room when we lived in California and then it found a new life in Jack's room.  The wicker worked well, I thought.  The rectangular pillows are from Target and the square ones are from Walmart.  I did this room over such a long time that I just found things little by little.  The great thing about doing a room like that though is that you kind take your time and find deals!  I originally got the pillows as accents for the bunk bed we have, but the older boys wanted an Avengers theme room and by default, Jackson has the jungle theme things left over.  And yes, that is my giant stuffed elephant from when I was a kid.  If it could talk, it would probably tell you it wasn't thrilled with getting passed down to another generation of droolers...

And something else passed down:

 

 

This chair was also mine from when I was Jackson's age.  It is solid oak and my parents gave it to me when we had Ethan.  It has held up so well given that it is nearly 30.  The finish is starting to go from use in some places so I might refinish it in the future, but for now, I love that it matches the rest of the furniture.

 

 

 

The reading nook; my dad actually built the cubbies when he was in high school and we painted them to match.  I am really sentimental about them and I tend to re-purpose and refinish things like this.  Not only is it cheaper than going out and buying all new things, it adds character and history.  My boys love hearing that their beloved papa made them!

 

 

 

I love our changing pad cover; it is so bright and happy.  The kids always stared at the circles when I changed them.

 

 

 I used just a standard bin from Target as an organizer and used my old lamp from high school for extra lighting since the scale was right.  I don't have a lot of stainless anymore, but was so glad I kept this since it matches the drawer pulls on the dresser.  The big leaf is actually a place mat I found at Walmart about 7 years ago.  I can't believe it has held up; it made for a fun and cheap accessory along with the Disney Lion King figure that was randomly in some stuff my mom had from when we were kids that I decided my boys needed :)

 

 

This is a close up of the photo over the changing table.  I wanted some fun artwork that made me smile (especially at 2 am!) and I couldn't think of anything sweeter than a mama giraffe and her baby for my baby.  Jack loves it and even when he could just talk would say, "Mama kiss baby!"

 

 

I used two more of the place mat leaves clipped up with the sheer curtains as kind of a valence.  The furniture is all low so it helped give it some height and helps the eye transition to the mural on the ceiling.

 

 

 

The glow in the dark paint has been wonderful; I never worry if plastic glow in the dark stars are going to fall and a baby is going to eat them.  The small lamp charges it at night and the boys love to lie down and look at it glow.  It is definitely dramatic, but I am so glad that I did it.  Check out the tutorial for part 1 of this post if you want to make one too.  It is surprisingly really easy!

 

 

 

 And yes, since we live in the South, that ceiling fan is mandatory!  Thanks for looking and hope you have just as much fun decorating and re-purposing on a budget as I did!  I'd love to hear about any of your projects too in the comments!