I have been working on this room (slowly) for a few months now, and I think this will be the last little peek you see before my tour is ready. I stopped posting every little thing on IG so that it could be somewhat of a surprise for you, and OMG, it’s so hard not to overshare.
Anyway! Shelves. We used this tutorial to create these shelves. We didn’t have to cut anything because the three foot boards were sold that way at the store. SUPER simple afternoon project!
A friend of mine shared her nursery “must haves” list with me, which I have followed to the letter, and one of the sweetest things she insisted we include was a bookshelf low enough for our child to grab books from (even as a baby). The bottom shelf is reserved for board books and the upper shelves are where we are keeping the ones with easy to tear pages.
I love this shelf solution because it doesn’t take up too much space. I didn’t want to do a huge traditional bookshelf because we didn’t have a free wall to devote to it, and also we have other large shelves in the house where I want to store children’s books. So I decided on this mini ledge shelf situation that’s just enough room for a rotating collection of favorites.
Collecting books has become a big obsession for me. I even used this post as an excuse to order a few more books from my Amazon wish list. A few of these were gifts as well.
Book links: The Mermaid and the Shoe, The Littlest Family’s Big Day, I Wished for You (our favorite adoption storybook), The Little Gardener (obviously had to have that one!), Hug Me (thank you, Sherri), Gaston, Antoinette (super obsessed with the illustrations in both these), Last Stop on Market Street, Triangle, What Can I Be?, I Can Fly, The Ugly Duckling (one of my childhood favorites… thank you, Sheila), The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Home (A Chinese/English book… thank you, Mom!), Day Dreamers, Dream Animals. Also, my wallpaper is by Lulie Wallace.
It does feel so good to do some nesting in this space. Preparing a room for our little girl has been a great comfort to me on those random days when the waiting process feels like torture (which isn’t all that often, but it happens).
The rest of my DIY projects I have planned for this room are more on the decor end. I want to make a lot of plush toys, and I’m hoping for the motivation to kick in to make some little clothes as well. Oh and I may try to build a mobile… I have looked everywhere and haven’t found the perfect one yet.
If you have any suggestions for beautifully illustrated children’s books, I would love to hear them in the comments! xx -Elsie
Really loved this DIY baby bookshelf idea from A Beautiful Mess — such a clever way to create low, accessible storage that encourages kids to pick and enjoy their own books while keeping the nursery neat and stylish. It’s simple, functional, and perfect for small spaces while still looking beautiful in a home setup.
It also reminds me of fun playful gift ideas like a monkey dancing toy that can bring joy, movement, and entertainment to kids alongside their reading corner.
With another young baby now, do the girls ever try to climb these or are they placed just high enough that it’s not possible? Wanting to put these in my just turned one year old daughter’s room, but she’s a daredevil and I don’t want her scaling the walls!
What a cute and practical storage idea!
Hi!
Since Elsie and Laura are going to welcome two little girls, I want to suggest you “Good Night stories for rebel girls”. And the story behind the book is pretty amazing too.
For info and more you can check the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rebelgirls/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
First off, that wall paper!!!?❤
Second, I know you don’t want a baby blog, BUT, we just had our first baby & please help!!!
Stroller storage!!!! We don’t have a mud room, so my husband just built this beautiful storage bench. There is now no where to put the stroller, so it literally sits in the living room. You will definitely have a similar problem. Please help. It’s so dirty and tacky.
I’m a children’s librarian and just cataloged a picture book called “My new mom & me” by Renata Galindo. It’s about a mother cat adopting a puppy! The illustrations are cute and the message is a great. Definitely suggest checking it out 🙂
Congratulations on your adoption… Not graduations!! Oops 🙁
SO many wonderful recommendations for books!! I would add Wild by Emily Hughes. She also wrote The Little Gardner which I see on your shelves. Both are two of our favorites.
Also, you can preorder She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton.
& this wall is beautiful, as are all your posts. Your blog is one of the few I still look at daily.
& graduations on your adoption decision!
I’m curious- this post and the nail polish shelves were tagged as “renter friendly”. As a first time pregnant mom-to-be who just moved into a rental home- I’m struggling with wanting to decorate her empty “nursery” and not knowing how to do it without causing wall damage and possibly losing our security deposit! Is this truly renter-friendly and how? Thank you so much!
A long a long road by Frank Viva. His illustrations are amazing!
Hi there! I am so excited for you and your adoption. My little one is adopted too so I have an adoption book suggestion:”A Blessing From Above.” It was really important to me to find an adoption story that emphasized (in an age appropriate way) how much the birth mother truly loved her child and this book really does that in just the sweetest way. I wish you and your sweet family all the best!!!
One of my favorite children’s books is The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor.
It had a wonderful message and beautiful illustrations.
“The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton- Ah! My heart! This story is precious. If you’ve ever loved a house, you’ll appreciate this one.
“Tea Party Rules” by Ame Dyckman Very silly story about a bear learning the rules of having a tea party!
“Kitten’s First Full Moon” by Kevin Henkes -Really anything by Kevin Henkes. His illustrations are sublime!
LOVE LOVE LOVE! I’m sorry that you have to write the big disclaimer in the beginning. I love following your journey through life as you share you creative spirit with us. Love the baby stuff, wedding stuff when that was occurring, and any other adventures you guys are having!!
In addition to what others recommended Jon Klausen’s We Foubd a Hat is adorable and charming. I love the color palette. It would work well for Laura because of the gentle desert scenes. Check it out! If you read it, I like to read it in Matthew McConahuey (sp?) voice!
Loving that sneak peak of the nursery – stunning!
This is the most gorgeous book and nearly made me cry – it’s all about where things belong and ‘I belong here with you’ – beautifully illustrated as well. xx
https://www.amazon.com/You-Belong-Here-M-H-Clark/dp/1938298993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490953409&sr=8-1&keywords=you+belong+here
Very lovely! I’d suggest All the World by Liz Garton. Pretty and rhythmic, just what I want in a read-aloud at the end of a long day.
I love seeing those Emily Winfield Martin books up there and Gaston is a favorite of mine, too! I actually did my own list blog post sharing gorgeous contemporary kids’ books. There are some overlaps with your collection already! Here it is 🙂
https://www.littleroostblog.com/single-post/2017/01/27/GORGEOUS-CONTEMPORARY-KIDS-BOOKS
xo.
I am so excited for you and happy for the little girl who is going to join your family! I just discovered a blog called Read Aloud Revival, and every month she puts out a book list of her favorite books for that season. It is gold! I click right over to my library website and request every book on her list and then end up with glorious books to read to my kids. I usually adore most of them. And then the ones that I really-super love end up on my “to purchase” list. Anyway, it’s a really fun way to find great picture books with sweet messages and beautiful pictures. Congrats again! Joyfully, Becca
I can’t believe no one mentioned Peter McCarty! His books are unbelievably beautiful. “Press Here” by Herve Tullet is really fun. And I second Oliver Jeffers, especially “The Day the Crayons Quit.” Well illustrated children’s books are the best!