Yes, it's been nearly a year since I posted here on the blog. No, nothing earth-shattering happened to make me cease posting. Life just got in the way of being online. And I chose life.
I'm sure you understand.
But a lot can happen in a year. Like a pregnancy. And a baby! (If you follow me on Instagram, this is obviously old news, but happy news none the less.)
2013 was a milestone year for our little family, and not because of house projects. We did get a few things done around home before baby arrived. My favorite task was, of course, the nursery.
The room was once our guest bedroom. I shared photos of its transformation here and here if you're interested in what it looked like before it belonged to my child.
When we found out I was pregnant, I already knew the direction I wanted to go for the nursery. Simple, white, Scandinavian. Not really much of a surprise, considering what the rest of our house looks like. The room is pretty small, so keeping the palate light helps it feel open and less cramped. I wanted it to be gender neutral and have the color limited to the accessories and toys. The rug--made of Flor tiles--was the jumping off point.
I also wanted to incorporate some antique furniture pieces, like the dresser in the photo above. It belonged to my namesake, Great Great Grandma Kirsti.
The antique hutch is also a family heirloom that I wanted to use in the space.
The wall color is Rhinestone by Sherwin Williams. We have it in our living room as well. The book shelves are simple Ikea picture rails. Their proximity to the rocking chair makes reading stories at night convenient and fun.
I'm so in love with my rocking chair. It was a gift from Mike after the baby was born. A push present, if you will. I love how well my 6'4" frame fits in it without feeling like I'm too big for it. It's the Nursery Works Sleepytime Rocking Chair. A splurge, but worth every penny in my book.
Remember this lamp? An oldie but a goodie.
Ignore the unstyled shelves in the hutch. I haven't even put real photos in the gifted frames yet. What can I say? I've been too busy kissing chubby cheeks and tiny toes.
Have you heard of the Baby Lit book series? My sister introduced them to me and now I'm obsessed. All sorts of literary classics have been made into baby board books as a part of the series. They're so great.
We put up a little gallery with photos of us parents as babies as well as photos of baby Nola. She looks the most like her dad, though we've determined she has my chin. Atta' girl. I'm planning to add a couple more frames, though I don't want it to extend over the crib for safety reasons. The canvas baskets are from Target. They're perfect for corralling toys and are easy to carry around the house for playtime.
I've found I prefer simple wooden toys over all of the plastic stuff that's available. They're adorable and timeless.
I love this mobile. I saw it years ago and saved it in an Amazon wish list until it was time to start getting things for the nursery. It's the Flensted Symphony in 3 Movements. Love.
Little baby Nola seems to like it as well. Which is really what it's all about, right?
Feel free to ask about other products in the comments. I'm thinking I may do a post with my favorite baby gear. Interested? Let me know and I'll put something together.
