In honor of the arrival of our son last Monday {see the bottom of the post for a picture} my sister is contributing her baby/nursery favorites. You may remember her lovely contribution to art for kids rooms. When you are done reading, you should head on over to her blog The Red Thread Quartet and get inspired, and then you might as well buy her book too!
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I am watching the aptly named “Tree of Life,” a Terry Malick film devoted poetically to none other than the origins of the universe, in parallel to a loose biography of his own childhood. The central character is a boy, the first of three. In one scene, a group of boys tie a frog onto a firework, and after lighting it, another asks “did he go to the moon?” Ah, boys. In another scene, one of the boys asks his mother “tell me a story about before I remember.” This is frequently a request from my own kidlink, and one of the sweetest. And now, a boy has joined our very own tribe; a new cousin. Bundled into his own dna there will no doubt be inexplicable impulses to tie frogs to rocket ships, and other such gaity. Soon, he will give us stories we can all remember. But before there was K, there was the idea of him. And with a new breed of baby (the first one born with a Y chromosone after three double X’s:) we have been daydreaming about all things blue and orange and grey that are distinctly boy. The binding for the stories we will tell, about before he remembers. And while I am far away and lean in the pockets, I can share a day dream registry about the things I would give him *if only*. Call it window shopping for a shower. For K, before he remembers.
The first stop-toys. I know K is too little to know, but this is the story of “before” he remembers. And some of the sweetest toys are the gifts that have been around so long, we don’t know who gifted them, until our mother reminds us:)
{When sister had her first baby, she mentioned to me one day that her baby, around a year old, seemed bored. “Where are her toys?” I asked, and she sheepishly showed me a lovely raffia basket with a pitiful assortment. Sometimes, its easy to prefer form over function, but these little beauties deliver both! Hand carved in Germany by Michael Engelberger, they’re available at Nova Naturals.}
{For some elegant, charming art that would be at home in mom and dad’s room if sharing with baby, any of Sharon Montrose’s prints, from The Animal Print Shop, will do.}
{For some more cheery loveliness, check out British based Ruka Ruka.}
{For some original artwork, pop over to JAustenRyan. Let me just say, anything that has elephants, giraffes, monkeys and bunting flags has me at hello!}
{And for true form meets function, join me in salivating over Land of Nod’s gorgeous Joya rocker. My baby outgrew rockers about 8 years ago, but I’d take one of these today if I could!}
{You can never go wrong with Petit Collage, or their beautiful bamboo mobiles!}
{And how is this crib for divine, not to mention genius! Little’s K’s big sisters could watch every delicious expression as he slept, with no help from mom and dad! Crib from Ubabub.}
And how about some sweet softies to tuck inside…
{Rag bear from Zazomini, plush logs from hitree, and debonaire fox from The Walnut Animal Society. }
{This fellow is customizable. If you don’t have the time or inclination to knit baby a teddy bear, let Yarnigans do it for you!}
{I’m crazy for all things Maileg, but it’s rare any of it would be suitable in a boy’s room. Except for this charmer! Available at Sisters Guild.}
{And if you can figure out how to order from Europe, this wall mural from Cosas Minimas is as sweet as they come!}
And last but not least, a few fabulous rooms for inspiration!
{The gray diamonds and blue cabinet make a gorgeous backdrop for splashes of red.}
{A varation on the same palette from BHG.}
{If you like the idea of a “foresty” theme, this room has some great ideas.}
{Another example of gray diamonds as a lovely foil for bright colors. Just because it’s a boy’s room, it doesn’t have to be boring!}
{And the absolute craftiest room of all, from Joy Kelly, my new hero-who actually MADE her son an elephant lamp (and pretty much everything else)-eek! Do not try this at home;)
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If we take anything away from this post, boys and girls, let it be that gray is the new blue! (Gray and orange, gray and red, gray and blue, etc.)
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Here he is:
