I think that one of the first things most women think of when they start trying to conceive or get pregnant is the nursery. What room will it be in? What colors will we use? Well, plans I had in my head for what it would be like to start a family and be a mother changed pretty quickly when we found out we were having 3 babies instead of one. Despite what God continues to teach me about my plans vs His, I am a planner. I like knowing how my whole week is going to go when I wake up Monday morning haha.
I had planned as best as I could before we even started trying to conceive. I contacted our insurance company to find out how much it would cost us out of pocket to have a baby. For a few years I had been working temporary technical recruiting jobs for large IT companies full time, and building my portrait photography business in the evenings and weekends. The hope was that I would be able to leave corporate America and be a photographer full time when we started a family. I figured I would be out of work for maybe 2-3 months and then I would pick my photography business back up. Well… I learned pretty quickly that my plans were not God plans. My temporary job that had been extended several times and was slated to go through August, ended without much notice in June. I was just starting my 2nd trimester carrying triplets and was unable to find another job. I also could not do photography much longer because of the physical constraints that come early on with a high order multiples pregnancy. We had purchased what was pretty much my dream house a year earlier and I had imagined us starting a family in that house. I pictured myself, with my husband by my side, carrying a newborn baby through the front door and up the stairs to the nursery. It became apparent pretty quickly that we weren’t going to be able to stay in our house with 3 babies on the way and only one income. Plus, we knew that we would mostly have some hefty hospital and medical bills after everything was said and done. So… a bit brokenhearted, we sold most of our belongings, put the rest in storage, and moved in to my in-law’s basement about 2 hours away.
I ended up being admitted to the hospital less than 2 weeks after my baby shower at 26 weeks. There I remained until the girls were born at 31 weeks. Since the hospital was a couple hours from my in-law’s, going home was not an option. I was pumping and breastfeeding along with recovering from bed rest, preeclampsia (lots and lots of swelling), and a c-section. The girls each lived in the NICU for 77 days. For 110 days total, the hospital walls were our home. We were discharged with 3 preemies on feeding tubes and had some obstacles ahead of us still but were just so glad to be leaving the hospital. We couldn’t wait to be able to hold and kiss our babies when we wanted to.
It took most of an entire day to get all 3 babies discharged. By the time we got checked out, and drove the couple hours home through a blizzard, it was pretty late. We walked in the house and downstairs with 3 tiny babies. They walked me over to a room (that was previously my mother-in-law’s sewing room) and to my complete surprise, they had put together a nursery for us! It was beautiful! As happy and emotional as I was that we had a nursery when I didn’t think we would have one at all, I still yearned to be able to pour my heart and creativity and style into a room for my precious girls…. some day.
We were finally able to move back into our house when the girls were almost a year old and I vowed to decorate a nursery if it killed me (not literally). I wanted so badly to create a beautiful space for my girls. I knew that our family would have so many pictures and memories in that space and it had to be perfect. First was the paint color. I decided it needed to be mint but there are so many shades of mint. Did I want it to be bright, or more pastel? More blue or more green? These were not easy decisions. I finally decided on a subtle mint but still wasn’t sure how to choose the exact color. My husband was going to buy paint for me so I found the perfect mint shirt that was Lily’s and sent it with him to have them color match it. He helped me paint the walls mint, I painted the changing table coral, and that was my starting point.
I had some large tissue paper flowers that my sister-in-law made for my baby shower. She had kept them for me and I knew I wanted to use them but I wasn’t sure how. I initially thought they would hang on the wall but then I thought about the ceiling. Then I thought how amazing it would be if I could cover the entire ceiling! I started looking on Etsy and Pinterest for tutorials and/or a shop that could make some for me since time was not something I had a lot of. I ended up finding Pretty With Sprinkles and thought her tissue paper pom poms mixed in with the larger flowers from the baby shower, would be perfect (in my head anyway). There was no way to really know what this was going to look like without doing it… so I went for it. She made me about 50-60 poms in different shades of pink, peach, white, and coral. They were also in various shapes and sizes. I was planning on making a few giant crepe paper flowers and lanterns myself to add but after making one flower and one lantern, I realized I was not going to be doing any more. It was a lot of work! As the flowers were being hung, the room and my vision started to come to life. It. Was. Perfect. Even more beautiful than I had imagined. It really had become the focal point of the whole room and like nothing I had ever seen before.
I started getting more ideas and ordering things online and slowly but surely it was coming together. Every time I thought I was about done, I would see something else on Instagram or Pinterest and find just one more detail the room needed. Well, it’s finally done… and it’s everything I had dreamed it would be.
I love supporting small businesses and working mamas whenever possible and I am overjoyed that I was able to have so many amazing shops contribute to my vision. Below all of the images, I am providing links to where you can purchase almost every item in the room.
My hope is that you enjoy this space as much as I do!
Tissue paper pom pom on ceiling: Pretty With Sprinkles
Pom pom pillows, mini pom pom and animal pillows, pig pillow, small canvases on bookshelf wall, sweetie dolls on bookshelves: Live Sweet Shop
Gold glitter name banners: The Bannerie
Gold polka dot crib sheets and changing pad cover: Ivie Baby
Plush camera toys: Bloom Theory
Door Silencer: Latchy Catchy
Gold sequin “hello” pillow cover: Cushion Cut Decor
Canvases “Happy Girls Are The Prettiest” and “Small Steps Every Day”: Vine & Ever
“You Are Loved” peach with gold foil print over changing table: Lucy Darling Shop
Floral scripture card over changing table Colossians 3:2 : She Reads Truth
Crochet bunny rattles: The Faded Wildflower
Floral gift wrapping paper on changing table shelves: Love Mae
White wood house shelf on wall next to window: DeMeeuw handmade wooden houses
Triplet Illustration on canvas over crib: A Spoonful of Faith
Handmade custom baby dolls: Sew Many Pretties
Peek a boo house pillows: Ink & Bobbin
Floral “R” initial card: Lucy Darling Shop
Floral hoop art names on door: Miss Tweedle
Toddler pillow cases: The Olive Grove Shop
Teal metal storage table: Amazon
White fur rug: Rugs USA
Cotton knit storage basket: RH Baby & Child
White rocker lounge chair: Houzz
Pink pom pom trim baby blanket in knit basket: A Little Lady Shop
Pink smiling cloud wall hook: Eina Designs
White floating bookshelves: Smart Furniture
Hoop hair accessories organizers: LuLu & ChaCha
Cribs: Ikea
White fawn nightlight: Pottery Barn Kids
Cloud pillow with pink bow: Cali Cuteness Couture
“Jesus Loves Me” and “A Parents Prayer” prints: Sacred Made Shop
Where did you get the changing table
It was a hand me down from some family and then I painted it. I’m not sure where they originally got it
Can you tell me where you found the changing table? I love the open shelves and drawers and the color is great!
It was a hand me down from some family and then I painted it. I’m not sure where they originally got it
I love this. Thank you for sharing. Where did you get the changing table? I realize you probably painted it but I love the shape of it. Thanks in advance.
I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing this. The changing table is painted and I’m not sure where it’s originally from because it was a hand me down. Sorry not much help
Do you by chance still have name of the paint color the room is? Thanks!
Hi Savannah, the paint was a custom color. My hubby was going to buy paint for me so rather than have him pick it out, I found an item in our house that was the color I wanted and sent it with him. He had them match the color.
Beautiful girls room! I was wondering where I can find the large flower Pom poms. God Bless
Curious where you got all the little naked dolls on the shelf with the animal hats. this room is gorgeous. I have 2 girls that share a room. Love all of this
They are called Sonny Angel dolls and you can get them on Amazon. Unless you buy a whole set from Amazon or eBay, you usually don’t know which doll you’re going to get. You just buy one from a certain collection and it’s random
Where are your cribs from!? They are perfect!
Hi! I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond!! I somehow missed your comment earlier. The cribs are from Ikea
This is such a lovely room! My 9 year old daughter would absolutely love a room like this. Thank you for sharing it. You have motivated me to make changes in her room!
Absoluty love all the details! Beautiful! I am 20 weeks pregnant with triplets (all boys!), and I have two older kids (another boy and a girl). We will need to put the older two in one room and I’ve been thinking mint would be a great gender neutral color. Can you share the paint color(s) you ended up with for this space?!
Hi Lauren, congrats!! Mint would absolutely be a great gender neutral color. I got this color by sending my husband to the hardware store with a shirt the mint color I wanted and had him get a gallon color matched. I just searched my home for anything I had that was the color I wanted. They can color match anything you take in
So beautiful!!!! I LOVE following your journey of motherhood to those 3 precious girls!!! I feel blessed every time I see one of your posts, your words of encouragement meant so much to me and still do!!!!
Nicole I absolutely love how our paths crossed through photography years ago and you’ve been such an inspiration to me as well!
This has to be one of the most beautiful nurseries I have ever seen! So many carefully chosen and LOVELY things. I am honoured to be a part of your story and your amazing taste! Thanks for including my hoops!
Thanks Katie! Your hoops are gorgeous and were the perfect accessory for the room