Making it Lovely

Tag: Eleanor

  • Eleanor’s New Bedroom

    Eleanor’s New Bedroom

    Eleanor’s room is done! She’s a fan.

    The pink walls, lighting fixture, and curtains that I made are still in the room from when it used to be my studio. There is a detailed list of sources on a separate page, so do take a look if you’d like to know where something specific came from.

    Here’s the vintage dresser from her nursery that we painted pink. I hung a mirror (it’s named the Eleanor Mirror!) above to reflect light from the window on the opposite wall, and the basket on the floor is for Eleanor’s laundry.

    To the left of the dresser is a rocking chair and her closet. To the left of that are her bookshelves.

    She loves grabbing toys from them.

    There are three framed prints above the bookshelves. I made the Que Sera, Sera print in the middle (download it for free here!), and the other two are by The Black Apple and Lulu Dee. The frames are from Target.

    Download this print for free!

    I also made the recycled paper banner that hangs above her closet.

    There are more toys on the other side of the room, behind the door. The smaller things are in toy boxes, and the larger toys are tucked away in a little alcove.

    And then there are the books.

    The girl loves to read.

  • Eleanor’s Room (Sources)

    Eleanor’s Room (Sources)

    Furnishings Partially Provided by The Land of Nod

    I’ve made a page listing all of the sources for everything in Eleanor’s room. I think it’s a nice mix of vintage, reused, and new, and I can’t wait to show you the finished result!

  • Eleanor’s New Bedroom (It’s Almost Done!)

    Eleanor’s New Bedroom (It’s Almost Done!)

    I have a few more little peeks into Eleanor’s new bedroom for you today. The vintage dresser from her nursery that we painted pink is there. It needs something above it, I think. Oh, and pay no attention to the holes in the wall next to the hooks! I may have repositioned that one on the left a few times.

    Eleanor’s rocking chair is off to the side, between the dresser and the closet.

    And here is Eleanor’s bedside table, sans any styling. It’s always filled with books. I’m considering painting it one day, but white is fine for now.

    Tomorrow, I’ll share the sources for everything, and soon I can share the finished room!

  • Taking Great Photos of Kids

    Taking Great Photos of Kids

    I’m working with Shutterfly on a sponsored three-part series to share some of my favorite photography tips with you. Over the next few weeks I’ll tell you how to photograph your cute home, and I’ll talk about documenting your baby’s growth like I’ve done with my monthly baby pictures. Today though? It’s all about taking great photos of kids.

    First of all, kiddos are short. You’ll get better results if you get down to their level.

    Of course, sometimes standing over them can give you an interesting shot. The occasional Dutch angle is good too (just don’t overdo it).

    Don’t be afraid to get close.

    Closer.

    And even if you don’t know a thing about composition, or the technical aspects of photography, you can never fail when capturing emotion.


    “I’m not so sure about this…”


    “It moves!?”


    “This is the best!”

    See that? Pure joy! Nothing better.

    This content series is brought to you by Shutterfly. Make your photo book just the way you want with the all New Custom Path.

  • Toy Storage in Eleanor’s New Room

    Toy Storage in Eleanor’s New Room

    Partially Furnished by The Land of Nod

    Eleanor was happy to sleep in her big-girl bed, but bringing in her toys really sealed the deal on her new room.

    There is a nook behind the door to her room that lends itself well to toy storage. It used to look like this when it was still my studio:

    Storage Behind the Door

    Now that all of the studio furniture has made its way down to the basement, I put a couple of storage bins for toys along that wall. I was going to switch out those curtains that I made, but I decided that they were too cute to get rid of.

    Larger toys go in the opposite corner under the eaves. It’s looking a little messy already, so I think I’ll add a big basket help contain things a bit.

    We gave Eleanor a train set for her birthday, and she’s been having a lot of fun with it (“CHOO CHOO!!!”) on her play table. I like that there is a trundle underneath for storage too. That’s where her vintage colorforms blocks and a few other toys are.

    The bookshelves in her room are gorgeous, but they could use a little bit of styling. Nothing too over the top (this is a toddler’s room), but a little prettying up wouldn’t hurt.

    I need to figure out what to do above them for art. You can see the closet to the right there, with the recycled paper bunting that I made a while back, and that’s staying. The bunny clock was in Eleanor’s nursery and I like it in her new room, but it isn’t necessarily staying where it is. I think the fabric ‘e’ might get hung too, but I’m not sure what else to do. Maybe a big art grouping? Any ideas?

  • Twenty Four Months Old (Eleanor’s Last Monthly Photo)

    Twenty Four Months Old (Eleanor’s Last Monthly Photo)


    I took a photo of Eleanor sitting in the Eames rocker and wearing her felt pin each month until she turned two years old.

    The end of this photo project seemed so far away when I started it, and now I can’t believe it’s here. I will continue to take a yearly picture, but our monthly shoots are at an end. I wanted to create something special for Eleanor, and these photos are a way for her to see what she was like as a baby. The documentation of a time in her life that she is most likely too young to remember.

    I also created some great memories for myself along the way. I can’t believe my baby is two years old.

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    The First Year • Thirteen Months Old • Fourteen Months Old • Fifteen Months Old • Sixteen Months Old • Seventeen Months Old • Eighteen Months Old • Nineteen Months Old • Twenty Months Old • Twenty One Months Old • Twenty Two Months Old • Twenty Three Months Old • View All