transition

With a new baby on the way, and Miss June still sleeping in our bed, Sid and I felt the necessity of a transition coming on. How could we gently move Junie to her own sleeping space to make room for the new, tiny one in our bed? And how could we do so while still keeping her close? We have a tiny bedroom, so a twin size, or even smaller sized bed fitting into our room was not going to work. Sid had the great idea to get some foam cut to the size of a nook in our room that once held our book bedside table. At the foam place, a piece cut to the right size was going to be a minimum of $108. So we bought some scraps instead, totaling about $20 (with extra for the kids to go nuts with), and Sid pieced them together to form the perfect nookbed for Junie.

She's ready to sleep, with big sister's sleeping mask and all!

So cozy! I get sleepy just looking at this. That girl it the best snuggler, ever!

She has her own pillow already, and I was so super pleased to find a crib sized comforter at IKEA. Their comforter covers are okay, but I knew I could make a cuter one and thoroughly enjoy the process, so that was the plan. Check it out! I LOVE how it came out and am extra pleased that it turned out to be the perfect size for the nook bed!!

Complete with snaps along the bottom.

Even though she said she hated it at first (I’m assuming that statement had more to do with the fact that she’s moving out of our bed – or maybe it was just her grumpy mood – rather than my design aesthetic . . . I hope), I do think she has changed her mind =)

Having used our previous book storage spot for the nookbed, we were left with the challenge of book storage in the bedroom. Realistically, I shouldn’t need to store very many books in the bedroom, but in the world I like to live in, slightly aside from reality, I simply must store many books of many kinds right next to the bed. There happened to be a bookshelf available at IKEA of the right dimensions and in the color of some of our other bedroom furniture which is also from IKEA.

Atop the shelf is a battery operated lantern, also from IKEA (jeez), and perfect for my pregnancy-insomnia induced, middle of the night, reading sessions, which usually include a beverage and a mix of raw cashews and my dried loquats.

Dreamy, eh?

Yes, the insomnia is most definitely bearable. So is this time of transition thanks to Sid’s ingenuity, the scraps at A-1 Foam and Fabric, my craftiness and June’s willingness to try something new.

Here are the books we are currently reading, in case you’re curious.

Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Walden by Thoreau
And I’m just finishing Finding God at Home by Ernest Boyer Jr. which I must review for you soon because it is the book closest to my heart regarding spirituality and family, ever. I feel I may never call another book inspiring . . . no, nevermind I just thought of two I still would.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (to Ave at bedtime)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (to Jonny at bedtime)

If you are interested in making a similar cover for the same IKEA comforter, let me know and I’ll share my pattern and include instructions. In case you’re curious, each of the fabrics is from the thrift store or a garage sale, mostly they were sheets, one was just a panel of fabric. And I used a snap press and snaps from KAM Snaps. This project was most definitely inspired by Amanda Soule and her book Handmade Home, though I didn’t reference it for any part, I feel the book has made its way into my sewing irreversibly and always needs to be given the credit it is due.