March 2009

Next in our Vintage Eye Candy Giveaway is little Carter’s nursery. Mom, Priscila, has sent in some great photos including a large variety of vintage pieces that are truly amazing. She’s even included an adorable collage she made (last photo) using vintage cowboy books, pictures and a vintage sheriff badge!

Here’s a tour of Carter’s nursery in Priscila’s own words…

“This is my son Carters room “cowboy Carter”. I was very inspired by the vintage type fabric by Michael Miller. I searched and searched while I was pregnant for a perfect nursery for my little one and just saw the same kind of nursery decor at different stores. I wanted his nursery to be special and to be very personal. It’s my favorite room in the house and I love to just sit in his nursery and rock him to sleep while looking at all the special vintage items I picked up for him. I wanted it to have a “Im going to dress up like a cowboy” instead of a very grown up cowboy feel. I think its fits well and I know its a theme we can have for a long time. I would like to eventually make this theme into a playroom once he is interested in something else! Enjoy the pictures!”

Next stop in our Eye Candy Giveaway tour comes from Gabrielle. Is chocolate or vanilla your favorite? Strawberry maybe? Whatever your taste, you’re sure to love the sweetness of this adorable neapolitan-inspired bedroom. Here’s the scoop in Gabrielle’s own words…

“This is my daughter’s room. It was inspired by a room I saw in a magazine. I had the chenille bedspread made. The tea cup pillow is made from a tea towel.”

“The little cupcakes come out so she can play with them. Here’s a close-up of a sprinkled cupcake and a piped frosted one.”

“A framed collage I made hangs above her bed.”

“A bedside table chandeliers in pink and gold make me swoon!”

“A friendly little spot for tea with her dolly. The table was mine when I was little.”

“Her retro play-stove from Pottery Barn Kids…”

“Her dresser has twp ever so popular suitcases with a knitted cupcake on top. Next to it is my favorite thing in the room. A vintage Enesco girl with a cupcake hat!!”

For more great photos of this one-of-a-kind bedroom, check out Gabrielle’s blog! We’ll be featuring her daughter’s vintage-inspired birthday party in a future post! Thanks Gabrielle!

Only a few days left to enter our Eye Candy Giveaway! Be sure to enter for your chance to win over $100 in Baby Gardner merchandise!!

We’ve been working on a whole new section of goodies over at The Baby Gardner! Since our new BABY SHOWER collection has been so well-received, we’re now in the process of developing multiple designs for our BIRTHDAY PARTY collection! This collection will include all sorts of vintage-inspired goodies from favor bags to picks to banners and more. We’ve even developed new party invitations to coordinate with these items!

We’re adding the finishing touches, so be sure to look for this new addition to the shop in the next few weeks! UPDATE: Our Sweet Confections and Birthday Sing-Along party lines have arrived!

Emily from Massachusetts has sent us photos of her little one’s vintage-inspired nursery — another adorable entry in our Eye Candy Giveaway. Inspired by vintage pieces from her father’s childhood, Emily created a wonderful, original nursery design for Baby Paul.

Emily takes us on a tour…

“I [created] the nursery (with some help from my mother and husband) for my 4 month old little boy.  When I found out I was having a boy my mother went through my father’s old things and dug out some of his baby clothes and dishes.  We decided to use those, along with some other vintage pieces picked up at flea markets and online to decorate the room.”

“The clothing on the wall was my dad’s.  One of the plates was also my dad’s and the other one was a lucky find at a flea market!”

“I chose Michael Miller’s “Dick and Jane” fabric and some other coordinating fabrics and sewed the curtains and all of the bedding for the room. This crib was mine as a baby.”

“This is the changing table area (aka closet).  I used a vintage tool chest to store extra bedding in and added a cushion on top.  Eventually we’ll add slow-closing hinges and use it as a toy chest.  I framed some copies of vintage prints that I cut out of a book and added a vintage Lettie Lane paperdoll print inside the closet.”

“This bookcase was my dad’s when he was little, I painted it “Asparagus Green” to refresh it a bit.  The clothing hanging above the bookcase were my father’s as well.”

“The blanket on the chair was made for my baby by my mother.  [Here's] a closer view as she used vintage patterns to make the quilt.  The peachy orange gingham fabric in the quilt was originally the curtains she made for my nursery as a baby!”

“I absolutely love the way the room turned out and we enjoy spending time in there.  I think it’s a room that will be able to grow along with my little boy as well!”

Thanks, Emily, for the great photos! Love the family ties you infused in the room!

Next in our Eye Candy Giveaway is Melodie from Tennessee and her extra-special guest room in crisp white with cherry red accents. Check out all the vintage flair this room has to offer including bright pink bedside lanterns, framed vintage handkerchieves, and a satchel with a vintage strawberry print hanging on the antique crib. Small details really make this room fresh and unique!

A few comments from Melodie…

“This is a baby nursery [and] guest room. We don’t have children yet, so it’s a place for me to collect all of my vintage, and for our friends kids to sleep when they come over for the evening or pass through town. Someday it will be used as our nursery! I hope you enjoy it!”

Thanks, Melodie, for the fresh inspiration! 

Stay tuned for Baby Paul’s vintage-inspired nursery! And be sure to enter YOUR vintage-inspired nursery or child space in our Eye Candy Giveaway! Deadline for entries is April 1st!

Just wanted to share with you guys our latest product feature. The gang at Mothering Magazine has featured TWO of our products in their March/April 2009 issue. How great is that? And how absolutely adorable is that sweet little baby on the cover?!

Check out these products in the shop: Little Lamb Vintage-Inspired Baby Rattle and Rabbit Food Needlefelt Necklace. Easter is just around the corner!

Another entry in our Eye Candy Giveaway comes from Melaine T. in Washington. No detail was missed when Melaine created this amazing ‘corral’ for her little cowboy. Melaine takes us on a tour of Cody’s western bedroom.

“I had so much fun decorating my son’s room, I thought I’d share with you his space and where I found some of my most favorite treasures!”

“I found this chair at a garage sale for $50.00. I got on my cell phone called my Mom and said, “get over here!” When she arrived I said, “can you sew a cover for this, pretty please?” We picked out different fabrics with a vintage appeal and she created this! It even has a reversible seat cushion! Genius! Part of the fabrics are faux suede and the rest are a really thick cotton. The star pillow I got at a antique store. It reverses to red. I made the other pillow! I spent many nights nursing [Cody] to sleep here in this very spot!”

“His log bed was a antique store find. My Mom and I were going somewhere and took a wrong turn. That wrong turn led us to the antique store! I was only 1 month pregnant, didn’t know what I was having, but had to have this bed! Good thing it was a boy! My Mom made all the bedding! The walls were inspired by some I saw in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. I ripped out the page and taped it to my husbands forehead. Not really, but I made sure he didn’t lose it! The color was a custom mix.”

“This table was a flea market find. I think it was a whopping $15.00! The lamp my Mom found for me and gave to me for Christmas one year. I found this lampshade that had the same pattern as on my chair so I had to get it! I pinned on a little “sheriff” badge!”

“This hutch I got at a junk shop and it previously was in our dining room and painted cream. I added the red vintage rubber horseshoes to the front with a little glue and painted and distressed it black. The baskets are from Ikea and the chalkboard labels are from Pottery Barn Kids. The closet doors my wonderful neighbor made. I just told him I wanted something that resembled barn doors, and 2 days later he brought these over to me, free of charge! Now that is a good neighbor!”

“[My neighbor] also made these saloon doors that I painted with, “cowboy’s place…well, come on in” They lead to Cody’s bathroom. I decoupaged the star with Western papers!”

“Canteen, gun and holster set, vintage cowboy clothes…..”

Thanks so much, Melaine, for taking us to the rodeo! Great pics! To see more photos from Cody’s bedroom, check out Melaine’s blog, My Sweet Savannah.

Up Next? Melodie’s Vintage-Inspired Guest Room

Be sure to enter YOUR vintage-inspired nursery or child space in our huge Eye Candy Giveaway!

Welcome to Vivian Jane’s adorable crib — another entry in our Eye Candy Giveaway! Her nursery is filled with all kinds of wonderful vintage finds. Thanks so much to Sarah M. from Michigan for sharing her decorating talents. Here’s the highlights in Sarah’s own words…

“The bedding was made from House Inc. fabrics. I bought some of the things from House Inc., but my friend made the bumper, diaper stacker, soft blocks and comforter (which is just purely for aesthetics, ha). The mobile is chenille bunnies (new Wendy Bellissimo).”

“The hanger is a vintage reproduction.”

“I found the green cabinet from an antique store in my hometown in Marshall, MI. It can be turned on its side to use as a toybox, but I would need to install a safety hinge. Found the nursery canisters at a flea market– vintage decals on vintage glass jars. The hankie is vintage with Jack & Jill.”

“The Jenny Lind crib and changing table are new (from Penney’s!). We painted and distressed the letters over the changing table to spell out ‘Vivian’.”

“The clock is a reproduction. The picture of the child in the raincoat is vintage. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but every color is a different piece of fabric or felt.”

“The chest of drawers was my brother’s as a kid (he’s 38, so is that vintage?). It was navy blue, but we painted over it, and I love that some of the old navy blue has been peeking through in areas of wear.”

“The lamp is vintage. I tea-stained the shade and added the pom fringe.”

“The chenille rocker is new. The quilt was made by my aunt for Vivian when she was born. The curtains and canvas storage bins around the room are Target Shabby Chic.”

Absolutely wonderful, Sarah. The eye candy is to die for. Thanks again for the inspiring photos!

Stay Tuned! Cody’s Wild West room coming soon!

It’s Not Too Late! Enter photos of YOUR little one’s room in our huge Eye Candy Giveaway!