Vintage Nursery

I was more than a little disappointed that I wasn't able to get out yard saling this past Saturday. I had too much to do before lunch and dinner commitments. When something gets in the way of my Saturday morning treasure hunt I get this awful feeling that I am missing out on something great. Well little did I know my mother-in-law was out treasure hunting with her friend up in Maine and she managed to come home with something for each of us. I just LOVE this set of vintage kid puzzles she picked up for me. She knows me so well.




If we learn I'm having a boy (only 2 more weeks till my "hopefully-find-out-the-sex-ultrasound"!), displaying some of these puzzles on the wall would really kick start a great retro boy nursery and I might even head towards a vintage cowboy/western theme. I shouldn't even waste my time getting inspired for a little boy nursery until I know, but I can't help it. (Is it obvious what I'm hoping for????)  :)


Buckaroo sheets






Would also look nice with our brown Jenny Lind crib. Not sure about throwing in a little modern cow print.

 If I'm having a boy and IF I don't go western, I'll still certainly stick with retro/vintage either way. No "bedding set prints", Wallies or matchy-matchy diaper holder/trash can/lamp activity allowed in my nurseries! Any on-theme decor has to be authentic and eclectic. That's the stance I've taken as I've decorated both of the girls' nurseries/rooms.



So I LOVE Dick and Jane. A collection of original readers as well as some updated reprints join Raggedy Anne & Andy and some vintage alphabet blocks with engraved animals. Of course even the shelf was a yard sale find that just needed painting.




For years now my wall calendar at home has been Dick & Jane but one year I had a mini-one at work too. I framed a bunch of them for my first girl's nursery/room. I love how they capture the simple joys of childhood.





I also love how these framed Normal Rockwell prints capture the essense of childhood summer days. I snagged these at yardsale for a couple bucks for my oldest's nursery too.



close up without the glare



Holly Hobby plates also a yardsale find. She's a vintage icon from my own childhood. I remember proudly marching off to Kindergarden with my metal Holly Hobby lunchbox.



This picture could be transferred to a boy's room. :) It is special because it came from my best friend's family. I felt very blessed when her mom allowed me to take some of their vintage heirlooms when they cleaned out 4 generations worth of stuff 6 years ago.



This home-made pillow was a combined gift from my mother and dear friend Naomi for my oldest's baby shower. The embroidered panel in the middle was a scrap of material my mom found at work (why she can't quit). She knew I'd love it so she gave it to my friend to make into a pillow as a shower gift. Little did my mother know Naomi chose some of the same fabrics for the pillow as my mom was using to make a quilt for a shower gift too. So the pillow is vintage yet new and a special gift to my daughter.



This chair was actually a freebie. Before I was ever even pregnant, I was working with the youth group I volunteered with to clean out the house of a women who'd recently passed away. Our job was to empty what was left in the house into a large dumpster. This was one of the few treasures I carried out to my car instead. It was to be my "some day nursery rocker". You can't tell, but it does rock. It has served as a perfect nursing chair for both my girls and would be just fine in a boy's nursery as well. :)



This light is one of two white hobnail lamps I found at a yardsale for $5. A vintage baby planter holds barettes. Vintage baby hangers hang above next to her baby shoes.



This vintage Doll-E-Crib is where we stash all the dolls and stuffed animals. It was the inspiration behind my toybox make-over below.



I picked up this old wooden chest for $5 at a yard sale about 8 years ago. It's served many purposes in many rooms but once I had kids I wanted to give it a make over as a toybox. Slapped on some light yellow paint, applied vintage decals from eBay (didn't come out as nice as I hoped), installed new hardware from where else but Anthropologie, lined the inside with fabric and oila!



I picked up this sweet little picture (that could also be used in a boy nursery) at a yard sale last summer. The print is a little rippled but it was dirt cheap and I loved it. 

  

My favorite thing of all is not really vintage, just inspired by the vintage-icon Sunbonnet Sue. This applique quilt was also made for my oldest daughter by my friend Naomi. What makes it most special is the mini-heart that she embroidered in the upper right square as she was praying for my daughter who had serious heart complications in utero. It's a constant reminder that God answers prayers and healed her heart!



I've had so much fun finding and/or compiling these treasures for my girls' rooms and would love the opportunity to hunt for boy stuff this time around. Beyond the "boys carry low" and other old wives tales, our culture has certain superstitions ingrained in my head even though I know they are false. For instance, two weeks ago I came across a vintage western-theme crib set at a yard sale but I didn't buy it because I thought I might jinx myself. Okay, so it was more like I didn't want to spend the money until I know what I'm having, but the idea of giving myself bad luck certainly crossed my mind. I even thought twice about publishing a post like this because of "Murphy's Law" - then I'll find out I'm having another girl. It's so ridiculous. Colossians 2:8 reminds me to "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

And obviously the sex of the baby has already been determined - its not like a boy will turn girl if I buy boy stuff, yet there's still this nagging "bad luck" hunch that's based on squat! Being jinxed, bad luck, karma - it's all crap and I know it. I will not live my life or make my decisions by those standards or be tempted to think they are true! God is sovereign, he is in control, and I trust him! My baby is the boy or girl God created it to be and he has a plan for this child's life, regardless of my nursery inspiration.

Psalm 139:13-16 is one of my favorite Bible passages of all time because it highlights the purposeful, planned and unique creation that each of us are. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." God knew the sex of this baby before it was even conceived.

So I am anxiously waiting another two weeks to get a little glimpse of the child that is being knit together and wonderfully made inside of me. Thanks to ultrasound technology these little frames are not kept quite as secret as they used to be! Just 14 more days to find out of this nursery inspiration is a pipe dream or not.

(On a side note, I thought it was kind of funny timing that another blogger I know and enjoy following posted about her inspiration for a nursery today too! Check out Jen's girl nursery ideas here.)