Turning a Tiny Space Into a Tiny Retreat

Childhood is a time for the imagination to thrive, dreams to grow and go wild, and the chance to explore what one was destined to be before they were even born. Parents have a job to cultivate and grow the minds of their child(ren). Society and the culture of this day makes these innocent lives grow up way faster than necessary, so it is essential for parents to take advantage of every opportunity placed in their path.

For my daughter I wanted nothing less.

So I started reading and singing to her in the womb. I then went a step farther to decorate her nursery as a space where she could imagine, explore, and grow.* I stayed away from the "norm" of princesses and tv show characters and went instead with a country look of butterflies, dragonflies, and tractors. There is nothing wrong with the "norm," and for some parents that is exactly the look they want, but I decided to choose something different.

The hard part for me though as I started this process was the fact that we live in an apartment, also use her closest for storage, and the room itself is on the smaller end of the scale. I wanted my dream nursery I had envisioned from a little girl: painted, pale purple walls, stenciled butterflies and dragonflies, and maybe even a touch of green at the bottom of the walls to indicate grass. But, alas, I live in an apartment where painting is allowed at an extra fee that I would rather not pay. So I looked into Option B: decorating with purple and accenting with butterflies, dragonflies, and tractors. I did have one positive aspect at the start of this whole affair - our walls are a tan color, not white!

I then started on this journey of creating a place of retreat for my daughter where her imagination could flourish, childhood could reign, and butterflies and dragonflies to dance along with her, even if they were not stenciled on the walls. ;) With the help of family and friends, I placed finishing touches on my masterpiece for her the day before she was born. I think even with the restraints placed upon me due to our current situation, I believe it turned out better than expected in the end. What do you think?

*My friend convinced me to post this, even though this post is super outdated as we no longer live in above said apartment. Who doesn't like to see pictures of cute nurseries though? ; )

Organizing Emmalyn's toys! Ben made that shelf! He's awesome. :)

The room layout before decorations.

Ben also made the shelf on the far Left. Yep, he's that awesome. :)

Clothes folded in the handy drawer under the crib.

You can never have too many diapers and wipes!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this awesome stash!

I love this little setup: 3 things that seem small but mean so much.

From Left to Right: A picture frame from my sister with a picture of me, Ben, and 16 week old Emmalyn, before we knew we were having a girl. <3 Eric Carle's caterpillar stacker from a dear friend. A piggy bank from Emmalyn's great grandma Nannie and a bag of pennies to go with it, her great grandpa's favorite reward for good behavior. : )

My beautiful sister Bekah (Aunt B ;) helping me decorate Emmalyn's nursery the day before my C-Section. My how long ago that feels now!

A shelf, also made by Ben, with dragonfly lights and tractors on it.

Emmalyn's John Deere tractor piggy bank! Who doesn't love John Deere!?

My boom box! A necessity for every child's room to play lulling music in. ; )

Ah, that flower arrangement. It was a struggle to put in that bucket, but it was such fun!

Her crib, a free blessing from the next door neighbor.

More John Deere! This changing mattress cover was made by Grandma Pam.

Taking a break after a long day! The room was ready to go, and we were anxious to meet our sweet angel!

Soon after we got home from the hospital. Look how tiny she was back then!