Jenny Lind Crib

So a few months ago we moved into a bigger house (Thank God!) and this meant that I would finally be able to decorate a nursery for my little booger. I had stumbled upon several nursery designs that featured custom painted Jenny Lind cribs. My overall budget for the room was really pennies in comparison to what most parents drop on their offspring's new digs, so I had to be extremely creative with how I spent each dollar.

I will be honest. When I was pregnant I bought one of those books that gives you the 411 on everything you do and don't need and reviews for every baby creation on God's green earth. After reading it I was convinced that buying a crib used via craigslist or some other second hand store was probably the worst thing a parent could do. Of course the book is full of horror stories about what could happen if the crib doesn't come with all of its parts or is missing a screw etc. etc. However since I was working with a very tight budget I really didn't have any other choice.  Buying a crib retail would have taken up my entire nursery budget and that just wasn't going to work. But let it be known that I did do a lot of research and I made sure that the crib I purchased was in as great as condition possible and wasn't on a recall list. 

So my awesome craigslist find was a White Delta Jenny Lind crib that came with a mattress and the total cost was $50. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with the cost of all things baby related. That is a steal of a deal. The mattress alone could have cost me upwards of $175! I know some of you are shunning me as you read this because I bought a crib and a mattress used. But guess what money doesn't grow on trees over here and since I did everything in my power to ensure the mattress/crib was in mint condition I knew I wasn't giving her something dirty and unsafe to sleep in.

The Jenny Lind I pinned

So onto the project portion of this post. For those of you who have seen all of the wonderfully painted Jenny Linds that are saturating the boards of pinterest be-forewarned..... painting them is A LOT harder then it looks, but its not impossible. My mistake was attempting to strip the original paint completely before applying the new paint. That was the biggest waste of time, money, energy and brain power. DO NOT DO THAT. I know there are dozens of websites and tutorials that will tell you how to properly prep wood furniture for new paint, but take my advice don't listen to any of them. Instead get some light to medium grit sandpaper and rough up the original paint job as much as possible. Don't sand it too hard, just try to dull the shine if there was any gloss to the original paint. Then test an area with your new paint and see how it adheres and dries. If its sticks well and doesn't bubble/peel off then you are in business.

Photo Credit: Tatertots & Je

As far as the painting goes I would recommend spray paint over canned paint. It's quicker and easier. The only downside is that spray paint comes in limited colors. So if you are looking for that perfect shade of chartreuse to match the custom curtains your Mom made then your gonna have to forgo the spray paint. From this point its as simple as pointing and shooting that can towards the crib and making sure you get good even coverage. For my project I used about 7 cans of paint, but I had bare wood in some areas. You will need less as long you follow my original advice and DO NOT strip the paint. But you should expect to do 2-3 coats to get perfect coverage and have the color really shine. Also I highly suggest you buy the spray paint can spray attachment (pictured above). Any local hardware store will carry them and they should be right next to the paint. They cost about $6 and are worth every single penny. Your hands will THANK YOU.

So here are some pictures of my project and the various steps I went through to get my Jenny Lind from boring white to awesome vintage yellow. At the end of the post you will find a picture of my original pin with a comparison photo to what I made.

I took everything apart. Including the hardware and wheels.

It all came off. 

 This was the hardware that came with Delta's version of the Jenny Lind. I spray painted it to match the crib as well.

This is a prime example as to why you DON'T want to strip the paint. Do you see the mess it made?? Ughhh it took several days and at least 3-4 different friends to help me clean it up so I could actually use it again. I contemplated throwing it out completely on several occasions. 

Citristrip I hate you. 

This is 3 coats of vintage yellow paint from Rustoleum.

All painted! Now just to reassemble. If you happen to purchase a crib used and do not inherit the directions on how to put it together google them. Almost ALL manufacturer's keep pdf's of their crib assembly instructions on their website. 

And now for the big reveal.....

 TA DA!!!

click on the photo to enlarge 

So what do you think? The picture shows the yellow being significantly more vibrant because of the flash I used, but its really a more vintage/aged color. You will be able to see that in future posts of her completed nursery. But for now she finally has a bed to rest her pretty little head.

So I pinned it. I made it. And I loved it!!!

Next up... Her custom crib sheets! She still doesn't have bumpers or a crib skirt, but I am getting there. However I have managed to make 2 crib sheets and of course they came from pinterest :)