We were delighted to introduce you to Nicole Worth and family a few months back. You made it known that you were just as delighted to view their son’s incredible modern nursery. And like us, you thought, “Hmmm? Do I dare copy this look? Is it really difficult?” So without further adieu, Nicole shares with us her mural making secrets and you don’t have to be a graphic designer after all…

Melisa at Project Nursery asked me to write a how-to on creating our alphabet mural for a nursery, and I am happy to oblige!  Being that my husband and I went to art school during the days when hand-lettering was a class, we decided to create a mural that not only reflected our son’s crib bedding but also let us take a step back-in-time and put our hand-lettering skills to the test.  Although we built our mural using alphabet letters, any design can be created to get the same effect.

Here’s how we did it:

We started the process by figuring out which colors worked best for our design.  Knowing we wanted to use a color that went with the Dwell Studio Bedding we chose, we decided on blue.  Using BEHR paint from Home Depot, we chose three shades of blue:  the base color- which covered all the walls- is Cumberland Fog and the other two colors-Little Dipper and Silver Strand-are a lighter hue and a darker hue of this same blue shade.

After painting our wall with the base color we started creating the design for our mural.  Being graphic designers, we decided to use Adobe Illustrator to layout our design. Knowing we were going to use two different color values, we designed the mural to have an overlapping effect for interest and depth.

Once completed, we then printed out the design and used this printout as the stencil for the wall.  Using a projector in the room, we projected the printout on the wall and proceeded to outline the design very lightly with a colored pencil.  Luckily enough my husband has an amazingly steady hand so he was able to handle all the large straight lines without a straight-edge.

Once the design was transferred to the wall, the real fun begins.  Using varying size paintbrushes, the design was then outlined in paint. Since we used two different shades, the light color was put down first so that the dark could overlap it.  After the light shade was all outlined, we used a small paint roller to fill in the color.  Waiting till the light color was dry, we then proceeded to outline and fill in the remaining letters with our darker color.

All in all it’s a simple procedure used in creating the mural.  A steady hand with a paint brush was the hardest trick, but the design can truly be translated into anything you want!

Nicole is kind enough to answer any questions and can be contact directly at nicole{at}formcode{dot}com. Stay tuned for more information on the official launch of FormBaby toward the end of this year.  FormBaby will offer one-of-a-kind wall art and designs especially for baby which answers our second most popular question, “Where can I get that monkey wall art?”

Thank you to Nicole and her beautiful family. We look forward to seeing more of your great designs!

Tags: Alphabet, Blue, DIY, Murals, Paint

Leave it Emmy Award winning broadcast meteorologist and environmental reporter, Mish Michaels of WBZ Boston (CBS) to create a breathtaking “Four Seasons” nursery for daughter Nalina. Mish knew right away that her nursery needed to include weather and nature not just because that’s her bread and butter, but because Nalina means Lotus Flower in Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language). With the help from a friend, painted murals were designed for each wall, each one representing a different season. Find a local muralist in your neck of the woods to create a fantasy nursery through Find A Muralist.

When Mish is not chasing storms, she enjoys spending time with her family and water coloring as a hobby. She hung several of her own paintings on the wall to add a little of her own passion into her daughter’s room. Most of the furniture was selected from Pottery Barn Kids.

Mish’s favorite element in the room is their “friends and family” tree which includes photos of those closest to them. It must be so nice for Nalina to see so many loving faces around her.

Mish says, “I love my daughter’s nursery! It is like a magical little island in our home.”

This nursery is truly a one-of-a-kind! Well done Mish and thank you for sharing with Project Nursery! It must be pure delight for little Nalina to fall fast asleep each night on her own private island..

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Inspiration, Murals, Paint, Wall Art, Whimsical

Sadie’s coming in just a matter of weeks (July 21st!) and Mom Sarah is busy in the Netherlands preparing her nursery. Thankfully for Mom, she has a great friend Alexandra who channels her inner artist on weekends to create a fun, friendly animal mural with a white picket fence and all.

Now that the amazing wall mural is up, Sarah reached out to Project Nursery for bedding and window treatment inspiration…

“I was thinking light blue, solid, (close to the wall color) with maybe two or three satin ribbons of color along the bottom. This would work but then I also want to hang wall letters above the bed spelling out Sadie’s name but I’m wanting those to be in pink and red (which do not clash if you ask me, especially since they were my wedding colors!) or at least something girly. Then you have the problem with the pink and red wall letters right above the bedding which is going to be light blue. Of course the bedding can also be pink and red but then it doesn’t match the curtain, which is on the other side of the (small) room. What’s a girl to do?”

So with Mom’s genuine love of pink and red in mind (just like Hailey’s room) here are Project Nursery’s suggestions…

Bedding: Go Farm Girl Fresh! Incorporate patterns and textures with a gingham bumper, floral sheets and denim pillows. Red, pink and blue will go great together. Think Ralph Lauren meets Shabby Chic!

Photos: Potterybarn Kids (Super on sale and maybe worth the shipping), Baby Gap (Go organic, go Gap or even better, copy this look with red piping instead of hot pink), DucDuc at Nursery Instyle (Majorly modern plaid)

Drapes: Simple and solid is the right idea. But because you are having a girl and the room is small, go white! Girly doesn’t have to be frilly. Keep it casual - think cotton twill or eyelet. Love your ribbon idea. Trim the window treatments in red or pale pink ribbon. Also make sure your run the drapes from the top of the ceiling to the floor to add height and drama to the room.

Photos: PB Teen’s ribbon drape has the right idea for a clean, simple look and the Warm Biscuit Bedding Company fabrics inspire sweet dreams.

And simply for the love of decorating, here are a few fun, unsolicited recommendations for the nursery:

Photos: Innermost Delight Drum Shade at Design Public (Contemporary yet whimsical ), PB Teen (Sweet and personalized), Rosenberry Rooms Wall Letters (Hand painted inspiration and so many to choose from), Kiwi Sheepskin Rug (From New Zealand, ships internationally).

Best of luck Sarah, Alexandra and Dad Marco! Please share with us the end result - including Sadie of course!

PS: For more pictures of the mural by Alexandra, check out share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcsWTNm2bMTA

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Bedding, Murals, Whimsical

One of the best parts about parenthood is seeing your own parents marvel at their Grandchild. Both sets of my son’s Grandparents get giddy just talking about him. And when each precious visit comes to an end, they won’t leave without many kisses and the next visit planned! We thought we would honor a few special Grandmothers in today’s post.

Taylor’s Grandmother created a nursery in her own home for her first Grandchild, a real home away from home. And this isn’t just any room with a crib. The walls display elaborately painted murals complete with a carousel, tree house, tree swing and family bulldogs Hailey and Lucy. “They wanted it to be happy, cheerful and playful with elements of us personally.” says Taylor’s mother. Mission accomplished! The hours of planning and painting must make baby Taylor feel extra loved.

Rhonda, owner of Giggles N’ Sugar Kisses teamed up with her daughter’s mother -in-law to create a nursery for their first Grandchild. They let the parents choose from over 200 themes. Frogs and Turtles was chosen and a nursery was set in motion. Both Grandparents had so much fun planning and bringing to life this darling nursery.

“This was our first grandchild, and we were as excited as the expecting parents. I sent my daughter a link that had approximately 200 nursery ideas, and they fell in love with frogs and turtles…They choose the wall color last. They wanted a color that would soothe and calm the future prince, so they decided to paint the walls blue…The diaper cake shown on the dresser was made by the loving hands of Gran. My daughter cherished it so much, she has refused to take it apart. My son-in-law meticulously painted the walls and lined them with the adorable border. The nursery is absolutely beautiful. I love rocking and reading to my grandson among the frogs and turtles when I visit.”

Thanks to all Grandparents out there who help us so much and give our children all that amazing TLC!

Tags: Inspiration, Murals