Lipstick to Crayons » Nursery Decor

Adorable rooms for adorable little girls

LesleyWeidenbener — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

When I previewed the Indianapolis Meridian-Kessler Home & Garden Tour at The Design File last month, I only offered a peek at the sweet little girls’ rooms in the home owned by Jessica & Matt Albaugh. There were just so many beautiful rooms to see in this home and so I saved most of the photos of the kids’ rooms for a post today.

The Albaughs have two girls: 3-year-old Ellen and 1-year-old Kate.

Kate’s room (above and below) has beautiful, pale lavender walls with accents of darker purples, white and black, including the fantastic zebra-print rug shown below. I love this sophisticated but unexpected touch in a nursery!

I love the antique, painted wardrobe (shown below), which Jessica had in her room as a little girl. Not only does it provide fantastic storage, but the history makes it very special. Jessica made the terrific window treatments – in this room and in sister Ellen’s room as well.

She’s personalized both rooms with the girls’ names, using letters she found at clearance prices. I love that these are hung with ribbon.

There are also lots of other cute touches. Jessica made the memo board below using fabric she found on Etsy.

Sister Ellen has a pink and white room with an amazing cabinet wall that the Albaughs had custom built to make up for the room’s tiny closet. (I had a terrible time getting the color right on these photos…so I apologize. The cabinets were an off white.)

I love the fun window seat and handmade window treatments.

Ellen had butterflies flying above her bed, along with a couple sconces.

Jessica made a memo board for Ellen as well and and hung the family photos using ribbon.

Finally, here a photo of the girls in their basement play room. For more photos of them, the playroom and the Albaugh’s home, go to the original Meridian-Kessler home tour post.

Aren’t these rooms just full of inspiration? I love them. A special thanks to Jessica for the tour of her home and showing me the girls’ rooms.

Want to see other homes with great kids’ rooms? Check out these posts:

Beautiful, modern nursery in an urban condo

Fun, stylish nursery caps off modern home

DIY nursery: Color, creativity sets room apart

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White walls but colorful rooms

LesleyWeidenbener — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Last week at The Design File, I wrote about rooms with bright wall paint, but that’s not the only way to have a vibrant space.

You can create an amazingly colorful home with furniture and accessories. And sometimes, that’s more chic.

After all, there’s something so clean and stylish about stark white walls – especially when they’re livened up with fantastic art, pillows, rugs and other items.

The BHG room at right has white walls as well as neutral flooring and furniture. But the art, glass and pillows really bring this space to life.

It feels as dynamic and vivid as if the walls had been painted yellow or orange.

I love it!

The room below – featured in Cottage Living and photographed by Roger Davies – shows how you can take just one color and liven up an otherwise white room. The geometric art, rug and lamps add layers of texture, even though there is nearly no variety in the colors. The photo is now featured on MyHomeIdeas.com.

In BHG room below, the colorful, striped rug sets the tone for a fun, beachy room that is full of blues, reds, greens and even orange.

In this case, the walls are white and the art is fairly subtle. The color is added in all the great accessories – even the books stacked on the simple side table.

In the room below, a kitchen with white walls and cabinets is given incredible life with a bright red wooden floors. This would be a fantastic idea in any room with hardwood floors that are in poor condition – and it’s easier and cheaper than refinishing them.

This kitchen was featured in Southern Living and is now at MyHomeIdeas.com.

Kids’ rooms are among the places it’s most tempting to paint the walls.

But check out the fun room I found at the always inspiring Light Locations. The colorful flags, vibrant rugs and great textiles keep your eye moving all over this exciting bedroom.

Finally, look at the fun nursery below – with its bright orange crib, colorful wall art and great rug. It’s perfect for a boy or a girl. It’s from HGTV and was featured on Apartment Therapy’s Ohdeedoh.

So are you won over by white walls? Or do you prefer your color comes from paint?

Want to see other ideas for adding colors? Check these out:

A trend for summer: Bright wall paint

Rooms inspired by nature

More orange – a beautiful accent too

Pretty in pink — even in your living room

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Color trends for kids’ rooms

LesleyWeidenbener — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:00:38 +0000

At The Design File, I love sharing the newest trends in colors. So I was eager to share Glidden Paint’s Top 10 color guide, which focuses on kids’ rooms and provides suggestions for nurseries to a teenager’s bedrooms.

“A bedroom or playroom is often one place in the house where a child or teen can inject their own style into the space, making it a true reflection of their individual personality,” said Barbara Richardson, director of color marketing services at Glidden. “The Top 10 Growing Up Colors offers a variety of classic and contemporary shades designed to stand the test of time and is sure to please kids of all ages.”

The room above by Glidden is painted Spring Green, described as a “refreshing, crisp green that reflects the outdoors and provides a feeling of nature.”

It’s so cute! The color is beautiful and room decor is very sweet and so DIYable!

Here are the other Growing Up colors by Glidden:

Blooming Fuchsia – A vibrant magenta designed to energize a youthful attitude in any bedroom.

Rich Navy – A deep blue designed to add a touch of boldness and adventure to a variety of settings. Rich Navy is shown at right.

Fresh Pink Lemonade – A refreshing springtime shade of pink that works well as an accent color in artwork, lamps, or painted accessories.

Sunbaked Orange – A glowing, warm, spicy color sure to enliven any space.

Sunbeam – a bright, cheery yellow reflects the sun’s warmth to create a cozy space. Sunbeam is shown at right.

Refreshing Mimosa – A creamy yellow color creates a cozy feeling. With a touch of red, this color can make any room feel warm and inviting.

True Turquoise – A daydreaming green-blue designed to create a serene environment.

Lilac Bouquet – a delightful and playful violet sure to please girls of all ages.

Blue Marina – Reminiscent of the shades of the ocean tide, this color creates a cool atmosphere in any room. Blue Marina is shown at right.

The Top 10 Growing Up color cards are available now in the Glidden paint color centers at The Home Depot stores nationwide. Consumers can also find the complete selection of Top 10 color palettes at www.glidden.com.

Want to see some other recent trends?

Check out these links…

High Point Report: Brighter colors mark spring

Orange: Is it the new neutral in home decor?

Home decor trends for 2010

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Beautiful, modern nursery in an urban condo

LesleyWeidenbener — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:10 +0000

Things have been hopping over at The Design File and so I’m a little late with my weekly post. But I’m so excited to share this fantastic, modern nursery with you.

Noelle, an expectant mother in Indianapolis, recently sent me photos of the nursery she created with her husband, Daniel. The couple lives in the downtown Lockerbie Glove Company in a cool area with some of my favorite homes.

I’ll let her explain the nursery in her own words:

When we bought our condo, the nursery was a workout room which we converted into my husband’s office for law school and work. The French doors allow plenty of light and the walls are open at the top on two sides which allows for great circulation and the ability to hear a baby without monitors. The curtains are a sheer gold color.

I first saw the aqua and chocolate dotted crib bedding on the Restoration Hardware Baby web site and fell in love. That was the inspiration for the room.

We knew we were having a girl so I wanted to keep it bright and girly without being forced to choose pink. I felt the aqua was very close to a Tiffany blue (every girl knows those boxes:). The exposed orange pipes and ceiling allowed for accents of red and orange.

My dad fulfilled his grandfatherly duty and painted the nursery for us. Much of the furniture was gifted by my husband’s and my parents including the crib and the changing table. We installed a do-it-yourself soft FLOR carpeting (squares) over the cement floor.

We chose a contemporary charcoal glider and ottoman that can be used in a small space as well as moved into a living room setting later on.

We decorated the walls with a series of circular frames on clearance from Restoration Hardware Baby (all the aqua was on clearance). They contain baby photos of me (age 2), Daniel my husband (18 months) and our English Bulldog Wilberforce (the day we got him).

The mobile is called “Infant Stim-Mobile” by Manhattan Toy and differs from a lot of mobiles in that it doesn’t move or play music and is inexpensive. It also displays high contrast graphic images for baby to view from its perspective (rather than look pretty for parent) and the cards can be swapped out to more complex pictures as baby grows.

The small table was recycled from our aunt and repainted white. The chocolate lamp is from Restoration Hardware Baby.

The plush bulldogs on top were from our wedding. We both attended Butler University and share a love for bullies (our Wilber is now one year old!).

The “Baby Wishes for Sweet Pea Pulliam” book was made by my friend and designer Abbey Fowler of Syddesign for my friends baby shower. She also made the dots that spell out “baby” hanging above the French doors.

What do you think? Didn’t Noelle and Daniel do an amazing job on the nursery? Thanks to both for sharing their photos.

Do you have a room to share? Email me at thedesignfile [at] yahoo [dot] com.

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Child’s Room Wall Decor Giveaway

lipsticktocrayons — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:10:22 +0000

Thankfully, my darling 2-year-old still loves her crib. Sometimes, she will play in her crib for an hour after waking in the morning or after a nap. I am in NO HURRY to move her into a big girl bed, but I am looking forward to decorating her “big girl room.” These adorable pieces of wall decor from Poochie Prints are among the reasons for my excitment.

Poochie Prints is a great online resource for affordable, sweet and modern wall prints for kids rooms and nurseries. They also make personalized baby and kid stationary that are great gifts.

I’m planning to redo my toddler’s room in pinks and greens, with a simple Pottery Barn valance that I picked up at a garage sale, a set of Pottery Barn Barbie Sheets, a beautiful quilt of pinks and greens that my Grandmother made that LOOKS like Pottery Barn but is a priceless heirloom, a hand-painted stool/coat rack that I also picked up at a garage sale, and these adorable Poochie Prints on the wall. I love Pottery Barn for its simplistic, yet elegant designs, and these prints offer the same approach — simple sillouettes that don’t overwhelm but rather compliment your style.

Even more cool, however, is that Poochie Prints will create custom designs for you at no up charge. If you have a certain design in mind for your child’s room, they can make it happen. You can even send in a paint chip and they will match your print to that specific shade. Customer service like that for no extra charge is pretty rare.

Poochie Prints is also very affordable – each print costing only $25 including the frame. But one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win a set of three prints for free by entering the contest below:

Giveaway Guidelines:

Visit Poochie Prints Web site and come back here and tell me in the comment section which wall print you like the best.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do.

Blog about this contest.
Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed.
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can tweet daily if you want, but make sure you leave a comment each time you do).
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati.
Stumble this post.
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar.
Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time Dec. 14. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Contest open to United States residents only. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by Dec. 15, 2009, she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner.

This giveaway is closed. Congrats to Abby, comment #31.

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Easy, DIY projects for modern nurseries

LesleyWeidenbener — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:32 +0000

At The Design File blog, I’ve been focusing on nurseries lately, with an emphasis on more contemporary styles.

Along the way, I’ve discovered some really creative Moms who’ve made some fun decor for their babies’ rooms. I thought I’d round up four of my favorites and share them here:

Colorful creativity

I absolutely adore this vibrant baby room and the fantastic modern color scheme! Andra Coulter of Alberta created this great space for her son Mason.

She made the dots and circles on the wall with inexpensive rubber placemats she found at Walmart and then cut to size. For some placemats, she cut out the middle; for others she cut the outside to make them smaller.

Andra also made this adorable artwork.

“No worries about baby getting harmed if he pulls it off the wall,” Andra wrote on HGTV’s Rate My Space, where she posted photos of her nursery.

The “artwork is simply foam covered in brown tissue paper, with scrapbook paper glued on top!” She told me later it’s a project she uses with the special-needs children she teaches.

A custom clock

I found this next project at the Design Dazzle blog, which features terrific photos of kids rooms (including a couple from posts on The Design File).

The blog’s writer, Toni, turned a favorite child’s book into a wall clock. See the Design Dazzle post for full instructions, but this project is pretty easy.

Essentially, you drill a hole through your favorite book and the use an inexpensive clock kit to finish it off. In particular,

I love the way Toni painted the clock hands to so perfectly match the book. Very nice!

Bringing the outside in

This great nursery project was created by Stephanie Mitchell of Orangevale, Calif. who found the idea at the website Spool.

She hand-sewed the birds from two contrasting fabrics using a pattern found here. Then she hot-glued the birds to a branch and suspended it using clear string. She suggests securing it to the ceiling with eyelet hooks that you screw in.

Just make sure the screw is long enough to remain secure (don’t use those little tiny ones), she said. Read more details from Stephanie here.

Wall art from books

This summer I visited a stunning home in the historic Meridian-Kessler

neighborhood of Indianapolis that had been decorated by owner Whitney Mounts. Among her many great ideas was this adorable framed wall art made from the pages of books.

It was simple. Whitney just took pages out of an old children’s book and mounted them in a frame. Adorable!

Look for more great DIYs, home tours and decorating tips at The Design File.

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Pottery Barn, Barbie Partner for Adorable New Line

lipsticktocrayons — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:52:40 +0000

I’m trying my darnedest to keep my baby a baby. (She’s almost 2, but she’s my last, so she’s my baby). However, this new line at Pottery Barn makes me very anxious to turn her nursery into a “big girl” room.

In celebration of Barbie’s 50th anniversary, Pottery Barn Kids launched an exclusive collection of bedding and room decor inspired by Barbie doll’s classic style. It is Adorable with a capital A!

Perfect for any Barbie girl, this collection creates the ultimate dream bedroom that both Moms and girls will love. The entire Barbie collection is available in Pottery Barn Kids stores nationwide, online and in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Plus, Pottery Barn Kids stores nationwide are hosting a series of Barbie Dream room workshops. Check with your local store for details.

The collection includes a Barbie Speciality Duvet Cover, costing between $99 and $129, and a standard sham for $26. There also are sheet sets, costing between $69 and $119. Other accessories include a Barbie Decorative Pillow for $34 and Barbie Framed Artwork for $89 each. Plus, the collection features an exclusive 2009 limited-edition Barbie designed by renowned Barbie designer, Robert Best. Dressed in pink pajamas, Barbie comes with a fuzzy white bear, white puffball sandals, a hairbrush, comb and mini diary — all for $49.

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Child’s Room Wall Decor Giveaway

An Adorable Lovey Giveaway You Gotta Love

lipsticktocrayons — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:21:58 +0000

I don’t know if there’s anything cuter than a child and his or her lovey. My oldest met her lovey, Baby Katie, when she was around 18 months. A friend of my mother-in-law gave her an antique ceramic doll known as a Bilo baby. Dont’ get me started on my “giving an antique ceramic doll to a toddler” spiel. But oh how my daughter loved that doll. (After two trips to the doll hospital, it is still in one glued-together piece and sits on a shelf in her room).

My son’s lovey was what he affectionately called the “blue blank.” The blue blank was a green Gymboree blanket from the golf line in 1998.

I think my toddler’s lovey just might be Ellema the Elephant — an adorable Zoobie.

Zoobie sent me Ellema to review and I was delighted, because my toddler loves elephants. A Zoobie pet is a combination of stuffed animal, pillow and blanket, all rolled into one.

Check out the pictures:

Here is my daughter's beloved "Effant" in her stuffed animal mode

Here is "Effant" aka Ellema the Elephant in pillow mode

And here she is in blanket mode

Zoobies are a great choice for a child’s first blankie and are a fun way for any baby or child to enjoy nap and travel time. We recently traveled with “Effant” and it was nice to have an all in one on the go toy, pillow and blanket. I think Ellema was partially responsible for our toddler’s willingness to sleep in a closet on that trip, but that’s for another post. Plus, this blanket unfolds to some significant proportions: 33″ x 54″

Some other Zoobie features are:

Microbead stuffed head for ultimate squishibility
Large, super-soft coral fleece blanket inside: 53″x34″
21.5″L
100% polyester
Washing-Blanket: Machine wash, tumble dry. Outer pouch: spot wash (if machine washed, using a lingerie bag is recommended).
Blanket zips off/on for easy washing.
Two bottom hook-and-loop Velcro tabs gather Zoobie into animal shape.
Recommended for ages 3 and up, but safely tested for all ages. (I probably wouldn’t have put this in my baby’s crib until she was one year old.)

Zoobies have won dozens of awards, including: Hot Moms Seal; Creative Child Product of the Year by Creative Child Magazine; CTTC Best Bet; iParenting Media Award; and, the National Parenting Center’s Sale of Approval. If celebrity endorsements matter to you, then you should know that Denise Richard, Ali Landry, Trista Sutter, Deborah Gibson (yes, Connie, Deborah Gibson) and Tori Spelling, among others, have been photographed with a Zoobie pet.

Zoobie pets would make a great 1st birthday present for your toddler or Christmas present for a child of any age who loves stuffed animals or who might like to collect several from the line. They also make great shower presents for expectant Moms. They sell for about $29.99 on Amazon, but one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader will get one for free by entering the contest below.

Giveaway guidelines

To win, let me know in the comments section below why you want to win the Zoobie.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

Blog about this contest
Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time September 1, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by September 3, 2009, she/he will forfeit the prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA and Canada residents only please.

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Janet, comment # 100. You are the winner of the Zoobie.

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Shh! It’s a Secret with Hush Hush Nursery

lipsticktocrayons — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:23:49 +0000

So you are having a baby and are not finding out the sex and you really want a cute gender specific nursery. You gaze longingly at the cute pink polka dot crib bedding sets and lust after the red and blue nautical themed crib decor. “Maybe next time”, you think. This time around you really want to keep the sex of your unborn baby secret. So you resign yourself to the generic pale yellow nursery. Boring! Introducing Hush Hush Nursery, the latest concept in baby planning….

Just because you don’t know the gender of your baby, doesn’t mean you have to settle for a unisex design or your baby’s nursery. Let us help you create the nursery of your dreams-or your little boy or girl. We do all the work, so you can keep the surprise and have your nursery ready when your baby arrives. Select both boy and girl nursery bedding and accessories from your favorite retailer and based on your ultrasound we will pick up the appropriate items for you and deliver the bundle to your home upon baby’s arrival. We will put together both a boy and a girl design for your approval and based on your ultrasound we’ll have the appropriate set made. This service also includes ‘locked room’ set up of your nursery prior to baby’s arrival or delivery to your home after baby arrives, whichever you prefer.
Custom crib bedding, painting, window coverings, pillows and custom furniture are just some of the services we offer. Carla Thorning, the owner and creator of Hush Hush Nursery is a graduate of Colorado State University, she also designs for her husband’s home building business, has a keen eye for interior design and years of professional marketing and merchandising experience. Currently she offers her services in the greater Sacramento area and surrounding area. She also offers services such as baby shower planning, custom birth announcements and personalized baby stationary. Check out all the services offered and browse the design notebook at Hush Hush Nursery