Real Nursery: Owl and Birch Forest Room on a Budget

A dreamy forest of birch awaits this lucky little boy. In only a few weeks,  Ruth from Grace Laced put together an owl-themed nursery for her affectionately nicknamed son Cinco, her fifth boy. All the boys have had rooms that reflect their dad’s greatest interests. “Number 1 had an airplane themed room complete with a runway. Number 2 had a woodsy, hunting and fishing room. 3 and 4 both slept beneath a Mopane tree I painted in their African themed room. I came to the realization that the process of creating a nursery might very well help me embrace the upcoming arrival with a little less exhaustion, and a little more enthusiasm. I’m not sure if I was successful at the exhaustion part, but we are definitely excited to bring the little guy home to his new room.” So Ruth said goodbye to Africa, and ushered in a stark forest of birch.

With a budget of under $100, Ruth got to work recycling and making art for the new nursery room. “I started by making a simple appliqué quilt, which I decided to use for a wall hanging. The quilt determined that the colors for the room would be teal, orange, brown, and off-white. An old friend from college saw that I was in need of a tree branch, and brought over the lovely piece the quilt is hanging from.”

“I considered the many options for owl art on etsy, but I whipped up a quick painting of dad’s favorite, the Great Horned owl. He requested fierce…not cutesy, on a bicycle, or wearing glasses. Though I still hope to add these to my owl art collection.”

Ruth whipped up some coordinating decorative pillows with fabrics from her craft stash and recycled pillow forms. She gave her changing table a makeover with a few coats of spray paint in the perfect shade of teal.

For an inexpensive pop of color for baby and the room, Ruth made some decorative yarn and grapevine balls to hang from the ceiling. And a quick sketch in Photoshop produced custom artwork for a recycled and spray painted frame.

“A dear friend painted a tiny treasure featuring a baby owl peeking out into the world. And I received the sweetest hand-knit sweater vest from another friend. The vest has five little owls on it, how perfect!”

A paper lantern pendant light, and cushions purchased at World Market, coordinate perfectly.

“I quilted a little teaser to hang from a recycled frame, purchased for only $5 at Salvation Army. Yet another dear friend made an owl mobile for my baby shower, which now hangs above the crib.”

Thanks Ruth for sharing your nursery with us!

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