Ever since I found out 5 years ago that I was having a little girl, I dreamed of her room.  I would stare at the pages of the Pottery Barn kids catalog and dream. 

Bit by bit, and piece by piece, I have been creating Lily's room.  I started with her dresser and the quilt rack (the quilt is her handmade baby quilt from Grandma Valerie). 

Then I found the cute rug, a bookcase, and her lamp.  Eventually I added the painting my Grandmother Lillian did of "Lily of the Valley."  (She left it to me when she died.)

And, of course, I had to add the knick knack shelf I had when I was a little girl.  I even found the perfect little wooden kitchen at Target, which she got for Christmas last year. 

Earlier this year I finally found and painted her a little white table and chairs.  Lily even helped me paint, which was definitely a highlight for her  They turned out to be a perfect addition, and the kids love it!

Enjoying the finished table:

Soon, all that was really left (other than a better room to put all the stuff in that I could paint – he he) was her bed and a beautiful quilt. 

I searched everywhere for the perfect bed at the perfect price.  And I knew just what I wanted for her room – a beautiful white wooden bed with a trundle.  Eventually I hit the jackpot.  I found a furniture store on Ebay, and it had just the bed I wanted for a fraction of the price of the other guys.  That meant I needed to get her perfect quilt ready as well.

I started on the quilt in the summer of 2006, when I was able to go to The Gathering Place in Rupert, ID.  (It is the best quilt store ever, and it is probably a good thing I only get to go there once a year.)  I didn't actually get started on the quilt until winter of 2007, and finally finished up the front so that I could take it to Idaho to find the perfect backing at the quilt store. 

After doing that, I left the quilt with Valerie to give to her friend who is an amazing machine quilter.  What I got back was truly a work of art.  It challenged me to rise to another level myself, because I was making a pillow sham to match the quilt, and now I had to mimic the gorgeous flowers and hearts she had quilted.  It did my best, and here are the results.

The Quilt:

My Pillow Sham and attempt to quilt it as amazingly:  I got the quilt back with just enough time to bind the edges before Christmas, and so now Lily's room is complete.  I love how it turned out, and how it all came together.  She loves it too – especially because I made a new fleece blanket to go with it – fuzzy and warm, just like she wanted.

Now, if only we were in a bigger place so Derek could have his own space, instead of a corner in Lily's girlie room :).