Two Peas in the Pod

I could be referring to the twins… or I could be referring to the talent Susan Brown from For Pete’s Sake Pottery and I… follow along and YOU decide!

As if getting the news that we were expecting twins wasn’t overwhelming enough… imagine planning a nursery! We have plenty of room in our house, and we decided to still have them share a room, but guys, I really, really dislike themes. I am OK with colors, but when it comes to adorable elephants, dinosaurs, man/babe caves or twinkle twinkle little star, PASS. Oh, and I didn’t want to paint, so thank GOD there was a neutral green in there.

A part of me just thinks themes are tacky, and the majority of me just cannot fathom spending ALL this money on baby-nursery-cohesiveness that will need to be redone in a few years. When they are older and can decide, power to them!

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After a collaboration with Susan on wedding invitations, somehow we got to talking about my nursery frustrations. Initially, I was thinking “Classic Storybooks” with a mix of everything “classic kid toys”. I guess it took me verbalizing how much I hate themes for her to point out that I already had one that was filled with meaning: family. heirloom. everlasting childhood.

YES. That is EXACTLY what I wanted. These babies are making our family complete, and I would just love for each element to be a keepsake for that baby when they become full grown. Wheels turned…. and turned… and turned… and Susan never said “no” to anything I threw her way as artwork inspiration. After all, if we could combine her artwork with my calligraphy, everything would turn into a keepsake, right? Jackpot.


So Greetings, from the welcome wagon.
come on in!

What was most important to me was to make our girls felt included. One of the only items I purchased was a little red wagon from Radio Flyer that I could use as a shelf on the nightstand. My two year old threw her little pet pig - Doug - in it, wheeled around the hall upstairs, and the rest of the girls followed suit with their well loved animals. I watched and became inspired.

For the next week, “Hey Susan…” messages were sent as she helped me illustrate what I saw, and her heart and talent nailed it. Witch each component individually drawn, I was able to design several layouts with these well loved childhood animals. Including the twins first “stuffies”, which the girls picked for them!

As a child, I was always reading the Shel Silverstein books. So on the pillow, I added my calligraphy with “The Bridge” from A Light in the Attic. It is beautiful, about achieving dreams and growing up. But ultimately, you will have to spread your wings and fly to become your true self.

Next up: Gettin’ Cozy with the Minky Blankets!

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I love that no one in my family asks me what I am up to anymore. So when I asked Ben, his parents, my parents, and my girls to all write on a piece of paper “you are so loved”, I was surprised that I could get away with my idea to make the perfect baby blankets. I was able to scan and digitize their writing and create a pattern with my bow and Susan’s lil’ red tractor and have fabric made for this one of a kind keepsake, that will keep everyone close to them forever. Bonus? I also went ahead and made pillows for the girls as a gift when I go into the hospital!

 
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Next Up?

<— Hand lettering by yours truly of a lyric from one of my kids favorite songs to sing, A Million Dreams from the Greatest Showman. The first song they ever sang that brought tears to my eyes!

And of course, some vintage Wizard of Oz, because there is truly no place like home.

Over to the right? Drawings of the twins first stuffed animals, printed on vellum as an overlay to two special musical pieces that I thought were perfect for twins:
Stand by Me (Ben E. King), and
My Best Friend (Tim McGraw). —>

Oh, and hung with the baby booties of my mother and I!

The Finishing & Almost-Finishing Touches

Birth Plates: I know these go deep in tradition, so they were a must for me! Once again, I enlisted the help of For Pete’s Sake Pottery and ya’ll, she made these plates from scratch. She DOES offer them complete with names and birth stats, but I asked if I could try my hand at calligraphy on them once we know the names and details. Im praying I don’t mess up her gorgeous artwork!

Large, empty frame: Well of COURSE this is reserved for the beautiful work of Rachel Mummery Photography! I love the way that large prints look, and think since our little ones will be sharing a room for a bit it would be so dear to stick a snuggly newborn photo in there. In the least, I’ll be able to glance at it when I am up all night to remember they can be adorable, right?

Geometric wall shelves: Though they look rather trinket-y, these shelves are among my favorite in the nursery. They each have one, and I placed tiny heirlooms from the childhood of Ben, me, and even grandparents on them. You will find Bens first spoon and fork, his old metal tractor, baseball, my first walking shoes, a book given to me from my grandmother, and more. The perfect hand me downs!

Birth Certificates: These are blank, obviously! But Susan and I teamed up to make beautiful birth certificates since the ones in the hospital are - well - crappy. Her recognizable art print is combined with my calligraphy to make a beautiful keepsake for their albums (or boxes, cause I don’t have time for the albums!)

Piggy Banks: Once again, our babies first piggy banks were hand made from Pete’s Sake Pottery!

Wizard of Oz Vintage Dolls: So that the babies will always remember there is “no place like home”.

Coming home outfits: OK, they won’t stay in the nursery but I thought they were too cute not to share ;)

Not shown? Their birth announcements, of course! You better believe I left wall space and a frame for their much thought out birth announcements that will be on display in their bedrooms as well.

Next Up? Waiting Time.

I think that my span of nesting is over, and I’ve been off my feet more so than on. I’ve been busy working on Save the Dates for bridal clients, as those 2020 weddings are coming quick! I always have a peace of mind with things are finished.

This special nursery helped in more ways than one. Of course there is the fact that there is a complete room for the babies, but I feel like I needed this to give them more of an identity. In this period of exhaustion, it helped to bring back my excitement for our growing family. Pregnancy is hard. It drains you, emotionally and physically, and well, it just hurts. I am glad this was one area where I could combine my expertise, fellow artists, and even family to keep the excitement alive!