Welcome to Our Home: Raleigh's Big Girl Room

Finally. Finally! My sweet little lady's big girl room is pretty much complete. 

We moved into our Fort Mill home 18 months ago. When we moved in, I knew I wanted to hold off on decorating Raleigh's room until we transitioned from a nursery to a toddler room. At the time, two of her walls were painted green and two, yellow. Ummm...no thank you. I knew the first thing I would change would be the wall color. I decided shortly after we moved in that the (eventual) colors of her big girl room would be the palest shade of pink and a bright aqua. I loved this color combination for being fun and bright and girly and a little outside the box. Deciding on the color palette well before we started the room transition was helpful, too, as I used these same colors for her first birthday party (well over a year ago!) and was thus able to save and use many of the decor items from her birthday party as part of her current bedroom decor. Nothing like saving time, money, and energy, right? 

Anywho. Fast-forward to now, and we (finally!) have a big girl room for our big girl! And now, without further adieu, Raleigh's room! And I warn you...picture overload begins....NOW.

This is the view when you walk into Raleigh's room. The wall color doesn't photograph the best but just know it is the palest of pinks. 

This piece of furniture is very special to us. The vanity was given to Raleigh by my aunt and uncle and is a beautiful family heirloom they repainted and topped with glass for her. We had the mirror on hand already, and I love how it gives the vanity sort of a modern feel since it is not the traditional tri-fold vanity mirror. The aqua pinwheel garland is recycled from Raleigh's first birthday party, and I picked up the distressed, aqua metal chair at Hobby Lobby of all places (for 20% off--score!).

I picked up these six, eclectic aqua knobs from Anthropologie during my annual Black Friday shopping trip, and I love the unique look they add to this beautiful, antique piece of furniture. 

Atop the vanity is this little, aqua polka dot tin I found at Hobby Lobby. My sweet friend Amy, owner of the etsy shop One Good Name, sent Raleigh this awesome vinyl monogram sticker I was able to add for the perfect little touch. 

Also atop the vanity is this delicate, vintage, beaded clutch I found (for $3!) at a local antique shop.

In one corner of the room is this white, metal dress form silhouette that I just adore for a little girly decor! I found it at my favorite local maternity/children's boutique that was going out of business. They were selling absolutely everything in the store, including the display pieces, so I scooped this up for just $30! And it's hard to see in the pictures, but the curtains are a white, light-weight fabric with aqua polka dots that attach to the curtain rods with aqua ribbons. They are from Pottery Barn Teen, and I love them and all the sunlight they let into the room!

Next up, Raleigh's big girl bed! I have adored this bed ever since I found out I was pregnant with a little girl. It is the Jenny Lind bed from Land of Nod, and I love the antique feel of it. It is something that will definitely grow with her, and I have a feeling we'll be painting it some fun, funky color once she hits the teenage years. But. For now, I wanted to keep it classic and white, and I just love it! Oh, and because Raleigh is not a restless sleeper, I decided to save the money I would have spent on bed rails. Instead, I use large pool noodles under the aqua fitted sheet that serve as temporary bed rails. So far, so good!

Being a born and raised Southern, I love all things monogram. So. I knew I wanted to incorporate my Raleigh Jane's monogram into the room. I ended up buying this unfinished, scalloped wooden monogram from one of those online daily discount sites (groopdealz.com? jane.com? I can't remember at this point) and painted it aqua to add a pop of color over the bed. I then used these delicate paper doilies, also recycled from the decor from Raleigh's first birthday party, and used glue dots to adhere them to the wall around the monogram to add a little more girly flair to the wall. 

Next up, the bedding! I knew I wanted to use a basic, white quilt as the main piece of bedding, since it will be able to serve as a transitional piece whenever we change Raleigh's room once she hits the teenage years. I found the white quilt and shams at Pottery Barn Kids/Teen. I then asked my extremely talented sister-in-law, Amanda, owner of Goat and Lulu, if she would make Raleigh a personalized pillow and a pinwheel quilt incorporating the pink and aqua colors of the room. Y'all. These pictures do not do the quilt (or pillow for that matter) justice. The quilt is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and we will treasure it forever and ever and ever. And I think the fun, matching pillow adds the perfect personalized touch to the bed!

On the other side of the bed is a second window. Underneath it, I decided to place a white toy box we've had since Banks' nursery (from Babies 'R Us) for stuffed animal storage. But then I thought, 'Hey! Why not transform it into a little window seat?' So. I measured the top, and bought pieces of foam and mdf wood in those measurements. I found a bright, fun fabric to cover it with, stapled the fabric over the foam and to the wood underneath, and voila! Instant window seat!

This is the view of the other side of the room if you are sitting on the window seat.

I am in love with this antique dry sink, which was painted aqua and distressed before I even bought it. When I saw it at a local store (Southern Marketplace, for all my Fort Mill and Charlotte friends), it was a no brainer, especially for the phenomenal price it sold for and all the extra storage it provides. I just love, love, love it and the bright pop of aqua it brings to the room. 

Hanging just above the dry sink is a wooden window picture frame I bought from Target that I painted white and filled with four different, but coordinating pink and aqua fabrics. I then used more of the bunting from Raleigh's birthday party to add a final little decorative touch. 

Also atop the dresser is a ruffle lamp I made for Raleigh's nursery when she was still in my tummy. It was just a basic white lamp from Target that I transformed by hot glueing ruffle ribbon around the shade and adorned with aqua and pink flowers, also taken from Raleigh's birthday decor. 

In the corner of the room is an old, antique mirror I had in my own room as a little girl. Until a couple weeks ago, it was cherry wood, but my hub applied a few coats of white spray paint to make it a great coordinating piece for the room. Hanging above the mirror is a ribbon mobile I easily made using various aqua ribbons that I cut and taped onto an embroidery hoop and then attached to the ceiling with thread. Thank you, Pinterest!

Here's the dresser that sits directly across from Raleigh's bed. It's a pretty big piece of furniture, which is exactly what I wanted since it is the only dresser and occupies such a big wall in the room. We ordered it from Wayfair, and I love it--simple but also pretty and functional.

Here is what decorates the top of the dresser: a changing pad since Rals isn't yet potty trained, a pink basket and small bucket holding supplies for diaper changes, and these fun little pink and aqua suitcases I ordered from Land of Nod for a bargain (less than $20 total!) that hold all of her hair bows and headbands. 

I created a bright gallery wall above the dresser using shelves we already had on hand, a few pieces from Raleigh's old nursery, and a few new pieces. I think my favorite component is the shadow box on the bottom left that holds the little notecard that was on her hospital bassinet and the outfit she wore when coming home from the hospital. Also, yes, I realize the picture right next to it on the bottom shelf is facing the wrong way. I am waiting for a new (vertical) photo from our newborn photo shoot with all three of my babies to replace it. :) 

I also created a lyric tree using an idea I saw on Pinterest. The tree is cut out of cardboard, covered with typed-out lyrics from "our" song (Isn't She Lovely), and has the hearts hanging down from the limbs with Raleigh's initials and birth date. Easy and cheap decor!

More easy and cheap decor: embroidery hoops with fabric and fun cut-outs (in this case, birds) in contrasting fabrics. 

And finally, one last view of the room from a different angle.

It is important to me to have crosses in all of my kiddos' rooms. I bought this distressed white cross at Hobby Lobby ages ago and found this (free!) printable on Pinterest and framed it in an old frame I painted in aqua. I love the verse so much and the fact that it is the last thing my Raleigh sees when she walks out of her room. 

So, there you have it! The only decision I continue to contemplate is whether I want to add a small aqua rug to the room to add one more pop of color. I go back and forth. So. For now? The room remains rug-less until I can make up my mind. But. It has certainly come a long way since we first moved in! And it was so fun putting it all together...just in time to start on the nursery. Whew!

I envision many a slumber party and late night flashlight session happening in this room, and it makes me so happy to think of all the memories my Raleigh Jane will make in her own special space. I hope she knows it was all done with love. <3