Nursery Archives - Blue Like That

Gray and Orange Nursery

September 12, 2016April 7, 2017hollycombs

I have so enjoyed putting together a nursery for this little one, and those who will follow. Knowing I wanted this room to be gender neutral, both because we didn’t know the sex of the baby and because I want to be able to put multiple kids in one room, potentially of differing genders, I selected gray and orange as my colors. My “theme” if you will is woodland animals like foxes and owls — but truth be told, I don’t like any room to look too theme-y. So you’ll find I included a lot of geometric shapes and a variety of textures (I am such a texture person!).

My inspiration board helped me figure out what I liked and what I wanted to strive for as I pieced things together. It actually helped me identify what it is that I like — as opposed to just grabbing every “cute” baby item I could find (which, yeah, as a pregnant woman is sooo easy to do).

So here goes!

A Cradle

March 3, 2016April 7, 2017hollycombs

It’s just a cradle, crafted of dark wood, wobbling slightly as it rocks. The morning light filters in through the linen curtains and shines through the spindles onto the wood floors — shining on the simple cradle like an ethereal light.

But it isn’t just a cradle. It’s an heirloom, memories. It’s a promise, the future.

My brothers and I were all rocked to sleep in this very cradle. Then it help my nieces and nephews when they were tiny bundles. Now it holds my precious Fiona.

I place her in the cradle at night, pulling it close to my bedside where I can see her and reach her. I watch her through those wooden spindles. I watch her face and all the many expressions. I listen to her grunts and coos and cries. I reach over and gently rock the cradle. I place a hand on my babe, I replace her pacifier.

In the middle of the night, I pull her from the cradle and nurse her before placing her back in the safety of the cradle.

I wonder how many more children will sleep here. More of my own children perhaps, my youngest brother’s as well? What about further into the future? Will Fiona’s first child sleep in it? Will she rock her own daughter to sleep in this same wooden cradle?

It’s the beauty of heirlooms — this cradle isn’t just a cradle, it is memories, it is promises.

Book Review: Petit Collage

January 25, 2015February 4, 2015hollycombs

The folks over at Petit Collage, a nursery decor boutique, recently released their first craft book: Petit Collage.

The hardcover book is very high quality, with plenty of full color illustrations, step-by-step instructions and special tips. The projects in this craft book aren’t for children to do themselves (most would be much too difficult), but they are perfect for crafty parents wanting to make something special for their littles.

There are plenty of options for nursery decor (not surprising, considering the source), but there are also creative projects for making toys, like a homemade drum or adorable animal masks. To get a good feel for their instructions, I decided to make the owl mask.

The instructions were super easy to follow, though I will admit the project was a little tedious. There were lots of little pieces to cut out, but the patterns and steps were easy to follow and the mask really wasn’t difficult to put together. All in all, I think it took me about 45 minutes to make the mask, and that included gathering supplies and selecting paper etc.

I like how mine turned out:

Though not a book for children, I would definitely recommend this one to any parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent with a desire to make something fun for a little one in their life. Their subtitle really says it all: 25 Easy Craft + Decor Projects For A Playful Home

Learn more about the book here!

I received a complimentary copy of Petit Collage from Blogging for Books, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All writing, thoughts, and opinions are solely mine.