Industrial Planes, Trains, Automobiles Nursery
When I found myself newly (and unexpectedly) pregnant last July, my head began swimming with nursery ideas. In those first few months, I felt confident I was carrying a girl, so most of my nursery ideas looked decidedly more pink.
My motherly intuition pulled an abrupt-180 about twenty-four hours before my gender reveal ultrasound. I knew this baby was definitely a boy.
Being that I had gone more outdoor/rustic with my oldest son’s nursery, I wanted to give this boy a nursery with a more industrial twist. I decided on industrial planes, trains, and automobiles.
One problem. We weren’t exactly swimming in decor of that nature. But ever the thrifty and resourceful decorator, I intended to keep spending to a minimum.
I raided our house for anything that could remotely pass the nursery’s thematic test and instructed family members to do the same. Here’s a few of my favorite things from the hunt:
- An old Ford pick-up tailgate, previously housed in our kitchen
- An old metal surgical lamp, with enough rust to give it the perfect industrial touch
- Some vintage car parts from auto jobs my husband worked on during his years as an auto upholsterer.
- A print from a university study involving airplanes toward which my husband contributed his sewing skills
- A train print my mother found depicting old train depots from my county (my sons are 8th generation residents of this community)
- Two of my father’s childhood metal trucks
Given that we had so many things given to us, we didn’t have to spend much money to round out the decor:
- Two eBay train picture purchases: an incredible paint-by-number (which did slightly diminish the sadness I felt at having missed out on another really neat train paint-by-number) and an old train print illustration from a book already housed in a frame
- An old ceramic automobile light planter (the kind popularized in the 1950s) that we will use as a night light
- A few Hobby Lobby thematically-related odds and ends picked up from a coworker selling them through our school email
- An area rug that I was initially hesitant to purchase because of its deviation from my normal style (so glad I snagged it; it’s one of my favorite parts of the room)
I’m still on the hunt for a mobile to hang over his crib.
I savored this nursery decorating project. Both of my boys are unexpected miracles, and I’m not sure if lightning will strike a third time. If it doesn’t, I’ll have sweet memories from this project to sustain me.
