We are still waiting to add a few big things to the nursery, like curtains and a new mattress, but for the most part, we are awfully close to having it finished. I thought it might be fun to share a few shots of the details here while we are waiting for the last bits to come together.
This is the mobile that we have hanging over Babeleo’s crib. It was the first thing I purchased for the nursery. I found it on Etsy, from a really neat artist who creates pretty things from driftwood. Check out Sunset Driftwood on Etsy to find more mobiles and art pieces.
The map in the background is a small one that I salvaged from my Travel Themed Baby Shower. I have dreams of replacing it with a much larger print, then tacking it with map pins for every place that our family has traveled.
I hung this teddy bear beach print toward the foot of the crib. This print hung in my own room as a child, as well as all of my sisters’ rooms. It’s from the Teddy Bear Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. I’m not sure if the shop exists anymore, but it was a favorite when we were kids. We spent summers in a little cottage on the beach back then, so this print brings back some really marvelous memories.
Above the print are my homemade Prayer Flags. They share some of my favorite Buddhist prayers and quotes from the Dalai Lama. In the corner is another seagull. My bestie, Melissa, bought me this mobile as a shower gift, and I love it. It’s also from Etsy, from a shop called Mobile Art.
A little more Etsy art, this candle holder came from another shop that I am totally enamoured with, EarthSteps. In addition to the pretty mermaid and dolphin on the front, the back features a quote from my childhood hero, Jaques Cousteau. “I am the sea, and the sea is me.” And just in case you were wondering, this candle holder contains an LED tealight – no pyrotechnics in Babeleo’s future.
The little ceramic Earth next to the candle is one of my very favorite handmade posessions. My sister, Heather, crafted this little globe in art class way back when, and I have loved it ever since. The best part of the piece is hidden. It opens up to reveal a shiny molten core in red glaze. I am not 100% sure how it ended up in my posession. I may have stolen it. I’m certainly not in a hurry to give it back.
While I’m pretty sure that Babeleo is 100% clueless when it comes to fine art, I decided to add a little portrait of one of my own favorite artists to the room. I printed a coloring sheet of Frida Kahlo’s portrait from the internet, dressed it up with some crayons, and displayed it in a frame that I scored from a recent trip to Goodwill. Fancy!
You can spot another tiny DIY project just below the frame. I covered the light switch plate with some travel themed craft paper leftover from my shower. Scott Bobleo thought this was pretty cool and asked me why all of our light switches weren’t so well dressed. Good point, Bobleo.
This little collection of prints and shelves displays some of the international tchotchkes I’ve been collecting. There is a little pig from Peru, a cowbell from Switzerland, and a golden rooster from Taiwan. Up top are two scuba diving figures from my own childhood keeping watch over a giant Chinatown goldfish.
The story of Ping the duck, a print of Babeleo’s own Chinese Zodiac animal, and a poster from the Willie Nelson Heartbreaker Banquet are all here to complete the slightly strange collection. I have to admit that it doesn’t exactly scream “baby”, but it does share some of my favorite memories of exploring our world. Since Babeleo is brand new here, I thought that might be nice.
Because I am a weirdo, and I love weird stuff, there had to be a certain element of weirdness involved in this room. My opportunity came along after my sisters sent me home with six cute animal jars from my shower. I cleaned the dill pickle popcorn out of them pretty fast, then set about finding tiny things to fill them with.
Each jar contains a different theme of tiny toy. One jar has sea creatures, another has mini kewpie dolls. There is a jar full of tiny paper flags, another with dinosaurs, etc. and so on and so forth. Scott thinks it’s creepy. He’s probably right.
But we also have some normal toys. The basket is filled with homemade softies, including the fabric beach balls I made and the cute bunny teether we got from Scissorina. Next to the basket is an adorable ABC Abacus from my friend, Mad Betty, and some classic plastic toys passed on to us by another blog friend, Elizabeth from Local Savour.
It’s all coming together. I’m looking forward to sharing the rest with you soon. We’ve got a hacked Ikea dresser, DIY picture frames made from stock molding, and my Mom’s custom made curtains all coming soon. By the time we get around to sharing the finished room there very well may be a baby in it.