Nursery of My Dreams

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Since I was a teenage girl, I imagined being married to the man of my dreams. Unlike most teenage girls, though, I didn’t focus on the wedding day or any one day in particular. My imagination didn’t run away with details of wedding dresses, flowers, bridesmaids, churches, invitations, locations, or accommodating guests. I didn’t envision a personally designed engagement ring fit for a princess or the perfect proposal, although I received both of those with an open heart. No, my thoughts and wildest imagination centered on having a partner who loved traveling the world with me, who loved to explore and create a beautiful, unique life with me, and who cherished the daily events that filled our lives with joy. Designing a nursery for our precious baby girl was one of the most  fulfilling  experiences of my life. We created a dream world together. The accumulation of all of my teenage and adult dreams was met through the process of designing Athena’s room. 

We decided on two colors – hot pink and green, ,but bringing them together and making them unique was a challenge. We had no desire to have a typical crib, changing table, decorations, or wall color that filled homes around the globe. Our first stop was Ikea, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/, where we found pink and green towels that
were exactly what we’d envisioned so we made them, along with a pink wall lamp in the shape of a flower and a green bug wall lamp, our starting point.

I read an online article called How to Paint a Crib, http://www.ehow.com/how_2154263_paint-crib.html, and my problems were solved. I had no idea that painting almost all surfaces was possible. Darren had agreed to paint whatever my heart desired and our room came together as easily as our relationship.

With colors in mind, paint in hand, and the knowledge that Darren would be meticulous about the painting process, I was confident that we could create a room that was a great place to grow up.

The wall decals and the bedding is from Amazon.com. I constantly scoured the internet for the perfect blend of green and pink with a hint of “fairy-like” garden included. 
I made the tissue paper flowers by following the easy steps on Martha Stewart’s website. I love the added touch of color that appears to float in the air. They provided a frame for the butterflies and left room for a musical mobile. 
As a teacher, books, books, and more books were an important additive to the room. I found great deals on craigslist.com and second hand shops around Orange County. After spending only $50, I filled a bookshelf with reading material for my little girl. Hopefully she’ll love reading as much as her mother. As time progresses, we added hints of yellow to the room decor; it added the extra splash that brought the room together.

Together, we created a room that is unique and holds a special place in my heart for all of my hopes and dreams have come together.

140 thoughts on “Nursery of My Dreams”

  2. Absolutely breathtaking!! You guys did such a gorgeous job!

    I am a teacher too, and my mother is an administrator of a local school. You can imagine that baby Eli does not want for books. 🙂 And I am delighted that he loves to read so much! 🙂

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    • I can only hope that Athena loves reading half as much as her mother. I try to read to her daily and I’ve filled her room with as many reading options as possible.

      (I love Eli’s hair… too cute 🙂

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      • Thank you!

        Eli went through a period at about 15 months when he didn’t want to sit and read, so I literally followed him around the house with a book reading to him. LOL He thought it was fun and would “act” out the book. Now that he’s 2, he loves to cuddle and read with me. 🙂 Best moments of my day!

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  5. So colorful! Looks like you both enjoyed the process. I just discovered I’m getting a new grandson. I already have three granddaughters who are the joy of my life, and now to be blessed with a grandson, too! I’m going to forward your blog to my daughter-in-law. Congratulations!

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  6. How sweet! I remember the details and efforts put into my first daughter’s room as I dreamed about what she would be like and hoping we would share special times together. What a special time. She will love the room, it is fabulous!

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  9. I totally identify with your philosophy about wanting to find someone to share in a life of experiences rather than getting wrapped up in one day. I may have envisioned a wedding on a sailboat maybe off the coast of Croatia though 😉

    Love the nursery by the way, great job. And your daughter’s name is Athena?! So powerful, it also happens to be the main character in one of my favorite novels by Paulo Coehlo, The Witch of Portobello.

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    • Athena has been my favorite name since I was a child. I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for my precious, beautiful, baby girl.

      I love your profile photo. It’s absolutely stunning.

      🙂

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  10. Awwww This is so lovely. I love your blog anyway and your total commitment to realising people’s dreams and visions. I haven’t stopped by for a while and had wondered how you were finding being a mum. This blog gave me great joy. Parenting can be the biggest
    opportunity of them all to encourage dreams. You begin with your own and then they blend into and are eventually overwhelmed by your child’s. At that point you find yourself engaged in dazzling dreams that you never knew existed.

    I remember when I could create dream worlds for my baby and toddler daughter. Now she is grown and I know the dreams I planted stayed with her. She was so surprised to learn a few years back that no, we didn’t really have a flesh and blood fireman friend who she rode with in his fire engine, but I did paint a big cardboard box silver and red and fixed it to some old pram wheels and told her stories …

    Now she is 20, she knows the difference between boxes and fire-engines and still knows how to hang onto powerful dreams. I am so proud of her, and them. Today I came into the office late, as I had been helping her look at flats in town. One of them (probably one we haven’t seen yet) will be her first flat. She is moving on into her dreams. I wish you, your partner and your girl the greatest joy in moving into yours. With love.

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    • Thank you for sharing your beautiful memories. I look forward to years of creating life, stories, and memories with my daughter, and my husband, at my side.

      Life is a precious gift and I’ve been blessed with more joy than I thought possible.

      I now follow your blog and I’ll check back regularly.

      Have a great weekend,

      Lesley

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  20. Fabulous! Love the owls. Love the paper flowers. Love the butterflies (I have Polish family with the surname Motyl which means butterfly in Polish) In short- I love it! Happy times for you all xx

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  23. Oh the memories flood me as I see this room! I can already see her having glorious adventures, impacting the world in a unique way, just her mommy and daddy! Blessings and thank you for including us in these special times!

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  28. Your Darren is my Lloyd! I love what you did with the nursery. I think, nope I know this is the coolest nursery I have ever seen. Your baby Athena is a lucky girl to have two parents as wonderful and carrying as the two of you. I remember making the tissue flower puffs growing up. They look awesome on the wall!! I love the bright colors and bright pink and green! Perfect! Congratulations!

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  29. It’s so beautiful that words fail me entirely at the moment. I just LOVE the tissue flowers, the butterflies, and of course, the books!
    Athena is going to be one very lucky girl, having parents like you 🙂 God bless her, and you too.
    I just love it. Period.
    Love,
    Snigdha

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  33. What a wonderful room. I couldn’t help trying to red the titles on the books!
    My own daughter was a joy to make a nursery for – I remember spending more than I could afford on ‘Animal Rainbow’ wallpaper from a shop called Hippo Hall in Pimlico and loved every time I looked at it.
    Enjoy your daughter – she will make everything appear new to you.

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  34. That is one awesome nursery, I wouldn’t mind living in it myself 😀 I especially love the multicolored butterflies around the doorframe, sooo beautiful. Your baby girl will be a very happy one, I’m sure 🙂

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  37. Wow…i am thinking that our lives are mirrors of eachother…only I’m about 10 years into being a Mom now!! My daughter’s room was Purple with that same green, hints of pink and hints of yellow or gold! She is still in that room and we have been able to make it grow along with her! Even those shelves are the same ones we had..made by my darling husb and Glenn…and loving painted, any clour i asked for, by him and I. We now have a lovely little boy as well who has a chocolate brown room with hints of blue and orange! Enjoy!!!

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  39. This room is beautiful! I noticed you have the same disney books on pictures 10 and 11, that I had had when I was little – they’re brilliant for kids and they’ve since been passed down to my younger brother and sister. I hope that one day when i will be blessed with a child that I can make their nursery look as beautiful as this, it looks like so much fun to do!

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  45. OH MY BABY! I have 2 boys and always say I don’t want a girl, but it’s the unbelievable cuteness of things like this that make me want to have a gril. absolutely love it! You’re nursery is AWESOME!
    ~Leanne

    I’m going to recommend this post to my readers at nolababybump.wordpress.com! ❤

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