Mabrey scored a stash of new toys at Christmas. {I have yet to buy her one single toy myself. I find she’s just as amused with an empty paper towel roll as she is with sing-songy, seizure-inducing, light up toys.} After donating duplicates, I threw the new toys in metal baskets on a shelf in her room. Mabrey is pulling up, standing and cruising the furniture now so I decided it was time to store the toys down at her level for fear of her climbing to reach the toys.

That’s when I spied this canvas bin at Target.

Upon further inspection, the bin was sturdy yet collapsible and a good size – not too big, not too small. The three bands of color at the top reminded me of the ombre wall art I made for the nursery using an empty mirror frame, some leftover tongue-and-groove and craft paint.

On sale at $7 each, I bought two. I threw Mabrey’s toys in them and plopped them on the floor. It didn’t take her long to find them.

Now all of Mabrey’s favorites are at her disposal…although I wouldn’t put climbing shelves past her. But maybe this will deter her?

I absolutely love it when she disappears into her room and I find her playing. There’s something so simple yet miraculous about watching a baby play.

I laugh when I think back to when my oldest {now 8} was a baby. I would sit with him and show him how every toy worked and how he was supposed to play with it. Push this button, open this, shut this, match this shape to this shape. When it comes to playtime with Mabrey, I’m much more hands-off. I sit off to the side and just watch. I watch her figure things out on her own. Most times, she doesn’t play with the toys exactly how they are meant to be played with but that’s okay. She’s learning, experimenting, discovering. It’s really one of my favorite things to do right now. I could lie on the floor and watch her play all day.

See how the bins tie into the wall art above the crib? It’s not a perfect match but it works.

I also couldn’t resist adding this Hmong pillow cover to the nursery. It was an etsy purchase via From Past to Present.

It’s made from a vintage textile with hot pink embroidery detailing. It isn’t themed or babyish so it should follow Mabrey well into her teen years – maybe even beyond.

What about you? Any new additions to your house to help corral toys? Any new pillow covers you just couldn’t pass up? I’d love to hear about them.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

This week we’re touring the nursery because 1) I haven’t shared many pics of it and 2) it may not be a nursery much longer.  (Hint, hint, Handy Hubby.)  As far as nurseries go, it’s a pretty simple one.  The baby rooms I see nowadays are ubercool.  As was our decision, we didn’t find out the sex of our babies before they were born.  (Although, I had a very strong inkling they were both boys.)  Our nursery reflects that and is gender neutral.  The nursery you see today is the same one we used with our elder son, too, 5 years ago…albeit in a different house. 

We decided on a calm room that encourages sleep.  I don’t know if it’s the room or our parenting skills OR just plain ol’ luck but both of our children are excellent sleepers who usually enjoy going to bed.

We got the crib online from Target and the cradle in the left-hand corner was actually my cradle as a baby.  We used it in our bedroom when Everett was a newborn.  Now, it’s a great place for extra blankets and stuffed animals.

I put a few IKEA fabric bins beneath the crib for added storage…books, out-of-season clothing and small toys.  Under the crib and behind the bins is one of the boys’ favorite hiding spots.

We sealed an unfinished IKEA dresser then slapped a changing pad on top to make a changing station that can grow with us when diapers are no longer a daily part of life.  (Ahh, that’ll be the day.)  The drawers hold wipes, diapers, butt cream and pajamas.

This is the wall opposite the crib.  I can’t tell you how many nursing sessions and bedtimes stories that chair has seen.  A lot.  I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like foul spit-up.

I painted the wall art after scoring a good deal on a canvas from JoAnn Fabrics.  Next to the chair is a large dresser.

The top of the dresser holds mementos and family keepsakes: a piggybank that was a gift from a neighbor, a sheep music box that was Handy Hubby’s as a child, Everett’s cast from when he broke his leg last fall (hey, the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it!), Everett’s newborn footprints, framed art from my sister-in-law, a starfish from Everett’s Grammy and a personalized wooden block that was a gift from a good friend’s parents.

Some details…

The baby quilt is from my childhood.  I have pictures of me spending tummy-time on it.

Just inside the door to the room are hooks for sleep sacks…a winter must here in the Midwest if you have a baby.  We do…

That baby blanket was mine as an infant also.  Since this room faces east, it gets drenched in sunlight early in the morning.  Blackout drapery liners are another must here.  In broad daylight, I can make the room nap-able.  Thank goodness.

So, that’s our basic nursery with a few meaningful pieces thrown in.  My favorite being the 2-year-old in the crib.  I should disclose that Everett has slept in his big boy bed (in the shared room with his big brother) a half-dozen times.  He’s good at it…once he falls asleep.  He just gets soooo excited to be in the same room with Layne that he giggles for hours.  Handy Hubby and I crack up outside their door on the nights they share a room.  But both boys wake up grumpy and groggy the next day after laughing late into the night.  For now, we’re just playing it by ear and letting them have ‘sleepovers’ together when they ask.  Often times, they just want their separate space after a long, exhausting summer day.  And I’m not forcing the issue.  I’m not quite ready for an empty nursery.