Lovely Little Shop: The Wooden Horse

I wrote about one of their swings last week, but The Wooden Horse has so many amazing handmade toys to offer! Their push-carts are amazing and come in a rainbow of colors. And if you've always wanted a Baltic Rocking Horse for your little one but just couldn't afford the price tag? This little guy is a lovely (and much more cost-effective) alternative. Check out all of these and more at their Etsy shop right here.

Lovely Little Style: Handmade Collars

Wouldn't these collars by Claudine & Compagnie just make every outfit special? Each is handmade in Belgium and is available for ages 1-12. I think the blue one is my favorite, but of course it's sold out!

Lovely Little Things: Balloon Mobiles

I really have a thing for hot air balloons lately. They're whimsical, colorful, floating - what's not to love? These balloon mobiles from Made by Mosey have really stolen my heart. Made from a mixture of new and vintage fabrics in gorgeous color palettes, these mobiles can be purchased on Etsy or from the stockists listed on this site.

Lovely Little Things: Matchbox Friends

Aren't these little matchbox creatures just the sweetest thing you've ever seen? These sleepy critters are handmade in Italy by atelier pompadour and sold on Etsy. Each comes complete with its own name, personality, and fun little bed. You can see more work by atelier pompadour here.

Handmade Wooden Teething Rings

I'm completely smitten with these handmade wooden and crochet teething rings. The creation of mother of three Nihama-Jana Ladizenska, they're available in a huge variety of colors and styles. See more of her lovely work by visiting her namesake Etsy shop here.

Lovely Little Things: Woodsy Modern

I almost forgot to share that I am a guest poster over on Buy Modern Baby this week! Go and check out my roundup of woodsy modern nursery pieces here. Thanks Esther for having me!

Violet's Bedroom

We've been working for what feels like ages on my daughter Violet's big girl room. It was a slow transformation from what I've dubbed a 'zebra bordello' to what we have today. (If you're curious you can see the before's over on my personal blog here). With a toddler running around we don't have much time, and our budget was tight, so we did things slowly and over time.

The starting point for the room was actually the rug. I had purchased it years ago on clearance from Anthropologie, and while I still love it, it no longer worked in the space for which it was originally intended. So rather than wasting a perfectly good rug, we decided to use it in the one unfinished space in the house - Violet's room. Working around this rug was a bit of a challenge for me. It definitely limited my color palette, as there aren't a huge amount of colors that go with chartreuse green. I was saved when I came across this lovely color palette over on Creature Comforts.

I was actually pretty excited to use pink, as I definitely did not use traditional girly colors in her nursery.   I knew that I didn't want the walls to be pink just in case she got a little older and decided she hated pink, so we went with a creamy neutral. That left me with the bedding and dresser to douse in as much pink as I pleased. I originally scoured Craigslist in search of an inexpensive antique dresser to paint like this one over on Making it Lovely. But when I finally found the right piece, I just couldn't bring myself to paint over that beautiful wood. Despite that I still felt that the space needed a pop of pink, so I painted a color block behind the dresser instead.

On the other side of the room I went in search of pink bedding. I hit the jackpot when I came across this lovely polka dot bedding over on House 8810. I gave Violet a billion pillows, because she loves to have pillow fights and make pillow beds on the floor. (Thanks to her Aunt Nikki and Nonny) I made two of them myself from linen that I purchased at a local fabric store. The sheets were purchased at Land of Nod and the larger sham came from Restoration Hardware (on sale). The smaller pillows were from Land of Nod, Etsy and Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie. At that point the room was starting to feel really traditional, and I prefer a combination of traditional and modern, so I mixed things up a bit with a modern bed from West Elm and bench (actually part of a closet system) from IKEA. I made the bench cushion myself - I purchased two-inch foam (on sale at 50% off!) from Joann Fabrics, used some left over fabric from my daughter's nursery, and pinned it all together. Eventually I'll get around to sewing it, but I ran out of time before we left for our vacation. It's holding up fine for now! :)

On the largest wall I went with a pull-down map that I found on eBay for $5. I had originally purchased it with the plan to paint over it, but the Mister convinced me to save it. (Luckily the colors happened to go quite well in the space). I'd been coveting this Up poster from Fine Little Day for quite some time, so that went up on the wall as well, as well as this Adventurers screen print from Fifi du Vie. These removable wallpaper decals from Love Mae jumped out at me on Pinterest and I thought they'd be perfect in the small space above the bench. The last wall that needed something was above the bed. I really wanted to use this Daydream wallpaper by Julia Rothman for Hygge & West, but I had hit my budget limit at that point. So I decided to freehand a similar mural myself ($2.80 for a paint sample jar from Home Depot) I went with a minty color for the simple fact that I'm completely obsessed with it at the moment.

I didn't have any particular theme in mind for the space - I just put together things that I love and that I thought Violet would love as well. Overall I'm pretty happy with how the space turned out, and Violet loves playing in there until we make the move out of her crib. (Very nervous about that!)

This post got a lot longer than I had planned, so I'll list all of the sources below and if you have any questions let me know!

xo, Lauren

Narrow Leg Bed - West Elm
Dottie Quilt - House 8810
Dresser - Craigslist
Bench - IKEA
Bench Cushion - DIY
Bench Fabric - Jo-ann Fabric
Zinc Letter 'V' - Anthropologie
Gray Sham - Restoration Hardware Baby & Kids
Pink Polka Dot Sheets - Land of Nod
Striped Pillow - Urban Ecology
Floral Pillow - Skinny LaMinx
Star Pillow - Hello Milky
Large Round Pillow - Land of Nod
Small Round Pillow - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Linen Pillows - DIY (Fabric from Joann Fabric)
Doll - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Dancer Bear - Lieschen Mueller
Map - eBay
Adventurers Print - Fifi du Vie
Bear & Antler Hooks - West Elm
Christy's Cottage Dollhouse - Melissa & Doug
Bedside Shelf - Michael's Craft Store
Umbra Horizon Crunch Cans - Container Store
Up Poster - Fine Little Day
Book Shelf - IKEA
Star Pillow - Colette Bream
Swallows Wallpaper Decals - Love Mae
Curtains - IKEA
Large Rug - Anthropologie 
Faux Sheepskin Rug - IKEA
Eleanor Frameless Mirror - Pottery Barn
Star Garland - DIY
Tissue Paper Tassel Mobile - FleurLux
Squirrel Lamp - Anthropologie
Gold Mushroom Lamp - Mokkasin
Handpainted Blocks - How Now Design
Gnome - MOMA Store
Terrarium Postcards - Quill and Fox

Recipe for a Play Kitchen

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I'm hoping to start to work on sprucing up my daughter's play kitchen soon, so I've been scouring the web for inspiration and ideas. I've come up with a lot of great pieces that I could purchase and some that I could DIY:

I think that these candle holders could make adorable salt and pepper 'shakers'. Or I could find a cheap wooden pair at the Salvation Army and dip them myself. Every play kitchen needs a little art - this postcard by Leah Duncan  or this print by Tuesday Mourning would be great options. I am completely smitten with this cloud cutting board from Snug Studio. It's probably a little large and unwieldy for a little one, but luckily I have a handy husband who could probably DIY a suitable look-a-like. Leah Duncan also makes these gorgeous kitchen towels (which I may have to steal for myself), and they would go perfectly with this child's apron from Anthropologie. I also love Anthropologie's Calico Owl Knobs for the cabinet. 

Storage is a must for any kitchen. I love these wooden canisters, this cheerful yellow polka dot fabric bin, and Land of Nod's The Vines Have It containers. As far as dish ware, melamine is a must for little hands. This mint dish  set would be perfection. I could definitely see myself decorating these wooden pieces with a little paint. And speaking of paint, this DIY cork board by Handmade Charlotte looks fun and easy. And last but not least, every little kitchen needs its own toaster. This one by Plan Toys definitely takes the cake. 

Does your little one have a play kitchen? What are your favorite accessories? 

Lovely Little Art: Jessica Swift

I just love these handmade screen prints by Jessica Swift. They'd look gorgeous framed and hung as a group in a nursery or child's room. I especially love this one with the gold lettering - just perfect!

Lovely Little Shop: Colette Bream

I'm completely infatuated with the magical world that is Colette Bream. She's the mastermind behind her namesake Etsy shop, full of whimsical and lovely things for little ones. Her passion for creating began out of a desire to surround her daughter with simple, natural, beautiful things. And beautiful they are - from her lambswool pillows to her linen bedding, her knitted garlands and her papier mache wands. Each of her creations is uniquely lovely. See more of her magical creations by visiting her Etsy shop here.

One Lovely Thing: Custom Name Sign

I'm completely smitten with this custom name sign from knock knock custom signs on Etsy. I'm incredibly into stars right now, so this caught my eye right away. It's hand-stitched using linen and gold thread, and the hand lettering is divine! It's definitely on the pricey side, but what lovely inspiration.

Lovely Little Room: 'Unruly' Animals

Sometimes themed nurseries can be completely over the top, but this one got it just right. Alyson Brown of Unruly Little Things (as well as its grown up counterpart, Unruly Things) decided on an animal theme when she was expecting. She kept it simple with a handmade jungle animals mobile (made by baby Wolf's grandpa) and some fun art and accessories sprinkled on the shelves.

Everything is gorgeous, but the very first thing that caught my eye (other than the adorable baby) was the fern print. I was sure it was vintage and was completed shocked when I read that it was made by Alyson herself! I love that Alyson was able to pack so much style into such a small space (Wolf shares his nursery with the Brown's home office), and was able to pull off a beautiful nursery without a designer price tag. To see more inspiration from Alyson, visit her at Unruly Little Things here and Unruly Things here. Thanks for sharing Wolf's lovely space with us Alyson!

photos by Leah Verwey


Sources:

blanket - Pendleton muchacho
crib - Ikea
fern print - made by Alyson
mobile - made by Wolf's grandpa
constellation print - Little Bright Studio
little red bird - Stephanie Congdon Barnes
wolf puzzle - a gift from Wolf's grandma
zebra - Pier One, from Wolf's grandma
squirrel lamp - Anthropologie
bunny print - esoule
gold W block & stump - cabin 7
red & blue W blocks - vintage
wooden spoon - carved by a friend
wolf stuffed animal - oh albatross
wooden car - from an art show in Idaho

Lovely Little Things: Wooden Mobiles

One: DIY Wooden Trees Mobile by Melanie Blodgett of You Are My Fave
Two: Bird Trio Bamboo Mobile by Petit Collage
Three: Wildlife in the Forest Wooden Mobile
Four: Birds of a Feather Wooden Mobile

Recipe for Bathtime Fun

giggle floating ducks . wood toy shop wooden rubber band boat . boon bubbles suction cup bath toy

Lovely Little Things: Nursery Neutrals

one: Coconut Flower Pendant - Pottery Barn Teen
two: woven hamper - Brookfarm General Store
three: Anne-Claire Petit knitted rattle - Rakuten Global Market
four: NUMERO 74 Taupe bed sheets - Smallable
five: wooden mushroom - Etsy seller Naomi Gallery
six: h-luv Owl - flora & henri
seven: Robin Crib - Oeuf NYC
eight: Moths Print - Sarah Burwash

Lovely Little Things: Anne-Claire Petit

These crochet rattles by Anne-Claire Petit are just the bees knees! Crocheted from organic cotton yarn by women who work from their homes in the countryside. Sounds idyllic, no? In bold contrasting colors (and a little jingle bell in each) - perfect for your little man or wee lady alike.

Lovely Little Things: Up, Up and Away!

Up, up and away! These hand-knitted hot air balloons would make such a dreamy mobile above a crib. Snag a finished creation by shop owner Dawn Finney, or purchase the pattern to knit one of your very own. See more of Dawn's work over at her Etsy shop here.

A Nursery Starts with Art! 001

I often get asked how I come up with my nursery design ideas, and the answer is that I almost always start with one inspirational piece. In my daughter's nursery it was her curtains; in her big girl room it was her rug. But one of my favorite things to use as a jumping off point is art. This lion print by Lizzy Stewart is a perfect example - it's got serious style and a beautiful color palette to work with. What did you use as inspiration for your little one's space? I'd love to hear about it!


To view sources for these lovely items, check out my ideabook over on Houzz.com.

Lovely Little Things: Personalized Art

Everyone wants to make their child's space as personal as possible. And what better way to do that than with personalized artwork? Here are ten of my favorites (after the jump)...

One Lovely Thing: FleurLux

Wouldn't this make a dreamy mobile above a little girl's crib? Or even as a baby shower decoration. Each tassel is handmade by Shelby DiMarco of FleurLux using hand painted tissue paper. She strings each piece individually onto a dried branch or piece of driftwood to create the organic look. You can find more of Shelby's work at her Etsy shop here.