the official nursery tour

My first discovery in rounding up items for the nursery was that everything for little girls is Pink and Purple and Ruffles and Butterflies. I have nothing against pink. But I wanted to create a nursery that was girly without being frou frou. And we wanted a mod little room for our mod little girl.

So, here's what we did.



Baby Girl is lucky to be inheriting the best room in the house. A back corner room that soaks up sunshine all day long and looks out on leafy green trees. We stocked up on birch furniture during a field trip to Ikea. We scored a rocker, a dresser (used as a changing table) and a bookcase for less than $350 total. Ben was in self-assembly hell for the better part of a Saturday, but it turned out beautifully and can easily grow up with her. The funky light fixture, also from Ikea, already lived in this room and felt perfect for the nursery.



I fell in love with a bedding set at Modern Baby Co. But it was wildly expensive. So, my mom and I went on the hunt for the fabric (Morning Glory by Amy Butler). And my brilliant and resourceful mother sewed bedding, a crib skirt and matching red polka dot curtains. LOVE it.





The prints above the crib (which you can barely make out) are from Petit Collage. Although we didn't want a Safari Theme, we did want a few South African animals to make cameo appearances in Baby Girl's room. These little collages of giraffes and elephants are printed on wood veneer, and I have coveted them for a long time now. The clock on the wall is also from Ikea, so we can be certain of the ungodly hour at which we are up and changing diapers in the middle of the night.



This little bookcase was one of my favorite finds at Ikea. When she's older, we'll turn it on its side and make it into cubbies for her books and toys. The elephant piggy bank is from Target -- and she already has a little stash. A few weekends ago, the nephews spent a good half-hour filling it with quarters, nickels and dimes. We've just started collecting books for her, mixed in with some of our own books from childhood.



While visiting Cape Town, I fell in love with these sweet little prints by a South African illustrator. Now, Baby Girl has a collection of South African kiddos on her wall. James and Michelle picked them up for us at the Biscuit Mill in Cape Town.

Up close, they are precious:





And so concludes our nursery tour.

Now all we need is a baby!