Gina D'Amore Bauerle

I love coordinating themes and colors, so it seemed obvious to throw Knox’s 1st birthday party in a woodland theme to match his room! Aquamarine is his birthstone, and the accent color for his party. I searched and searched for ideas to make as many food items as we could a part of the theme. We turned glazed donut holes into mini hedgehogs, PBJ sandwiches became little fox faces, aqua peanut M&Ms were robbin’s eggs, among some of my favorites! The centerpiece of the table was a large manzanita branch with twinkle lights and a fuzzy owl perched on a branch. Cupcakes had edible butterflies and signs that said “Knox’s Onderland”. His cake looked like a birch tree stump with little woodland fondant friends on top. I know he wont remember all the details I agonized over for weeks to plan the perfect party (except for pictures), but I am a proud mama and just couldn’t help myself!

Picking a nursery theme that can transition to a more mature room was tricky! We wanted a very sleek and contemporary design that was still appropriate for our son’s room, so we decided on a woodland forest theme. We wanted to invest in nicer pieces, so that meant simple and classic furniture selections.The aspen forest wallpaper was the perfect solution, as it gave us the contemporary vibe we sought, as well as a theme we could further execute with less expensive additions. The colorful frog artwork provided a youthful feel, but could easily be changed out later as our son’s tastes and personal preferences emerge! The ultra-soft white shag rug was a play on snow, but also made of easy to clean fibers in case of accidents. Baby’s birthstone is aquamarine, which also happened to be mom’s favorite color, so our palette was the obvious choice! My favorite part of this design is the real aspen trees we clustered in the corner. We mounted them through the ceiling by drilling holes down through the tops from the attic to ensure they were sturdy and safe! Pulling together our woodland theme was so much fun, and now it has become a comfortable space for the three of us to spend time together!