Since day one, nothing much about Ella has been baby-like, not even her nursery. I planned it this way, as I wanted her to be able to grow into the room and have it be fitting for a toddler just as much as an infant. She is now 3, and I know that change is a comin’. Big girl beds (yes, she’s still in a crib – don’t judge) need to come into the picture and take center stage, the glider can find a new home, and the baskets that house the various lotions, wipes and whatever else infants need can be put to other uses. I know that once I start making those changes, I will tinker with the décor as well. It makes me sad to think that her sweet room will be changing, but happy that I’m able to document it here and perhaps give some inspiration for another baby girl’s nursery out there.
I placed the crib perpendicular to the wall, which had the effect of creating some separate spaces in the room. I spent a LOT of time in that cozy corner, rocking Miss Ella to sleep.
I picked out these three fabrics as the jumping off point for the room. I didn’t see a way to avoid pink in a baby girl’s nursery, but I wanted the hue to be more in the direction of raspberry, and mixed in with other colors not usually found in girls’ rooms, such as soft blues and grass greens. I love all of these prints and colors, and do hope to transition them to her next room design.
As with Taylor’s room, several things in Ella’s nursery have a history. I love that the items have special meaning, and I’m always a fan of decorating in a way that’s not too pricey. The leather shoes were my brother’s and my first shoes, the cloth ones my mother’s. The paper dolls were given to my mom by a friend when I was born, not knowing that the girl’s name is Kerry (shown below the shoes of the pony tailed girl). The pale aqua glass container is a keepsake handed down from my grandmother, as well as the vintage needlework piece of the two kittens. Trevor also had a contribution, with the darling alphabet bowl he had as a child. Finally, a poem that I wrote when I was 7, which my mom traced on a light table and finished with an embroidery stitch. 
We have a daybed in Ella’s room, primarily because we have nowhere else in the house to put it. But, I love having that type of space in her room for reading books and snuggling. In the very early days of numerous wake-ups throughout the night, sometimes Trevor or I would simply collapse on that bed and finish the night in her room. The walk down the hallway seems terribly long at one in the morning…and at three in the morning…and at five in the morning.
Using cookie cutters as the pattern, my mom made these animals out of wool, stuffed with a bit of poly batting for shape, and finished off with a blanket stitch. The animals are repeated on the other side of the door, and are one of my favorite things in the room.
This shelf sat in our garage for a good 7 years, unused. I gave it new life with a coat of the raspberry paint. It’s a perfect spot to house some of the keepsakes previously noted, as well as an opportunity to bring in some pops of color, like with the fabric in the embroidery hoops. Another easy and inexpensive way to add visual interest and impact. The small birdhouse watercolor was painted by my mom, and adds the sweetest little touch.
Certainly one of the cutest elements in the room, and something I am really going to miss – the cheery polka dot crib skirt.
This dresser served as Ella’s changing table. It was an old piece from my mom, which I painted cream and dolled up with knobs (all different colors and styles) from Anthropologie.
Reality Check. Ella, for the most part, does exactly what she wants, exactly when she wants. It seems to be an anomaly that she loves her crib, and never gets out of it unless mom and dad are there. I think it’s a certain bet that Ella will be the type of child that once she sleeps in something not akin to a pen, will come into our room any number of times throughout the night, for any number of reasons. So I may talk a big game about the room switch that needs to happen, but I admit that I am in no hurry to take that girl out of her crib. Unless and until she wants to be out of her crib or child services pays me a visit, I will be enjoying that cute crib skirt and uninterrupted nights of sleep for the foreseeable future.
