Owl Nursery and Books Inspired by Pinterest

I’ve been planning and creating this outdoor themed owl nursery for my baby boy for over a year (since before he was born, he just turned 1).  It’s been coming together piece by piece as I find inspiration.  My husband and I made this tree bookshelf to display picture books and owl trinkets.  I love picking books off of it at bedtime and looking at it while I rock him to sleep.

A Quick How To:
We measured our wall then picked out boards at Home Depot. My husband cut them to size, cut notches in them to fit together at the trunk. Then we sanded all the surface and edges and rounded the ends. I stained them to match our dark wood furniture. My husband hung the boards on the wall with brackets screwed under each branch.

Pinspiration:
I was inspired to design this when I saw the first bookshelf below on Pinterest.  It says it was originally found on ETSY but the posting is gone so I’m not sure who to give credit to.  I wanted our shelf to be more tree-like and I wanted the bottom shelf to be too high up to climb on (I’m not sure how long that will last).

Owl Nursery:
I have a whole pin-board of owl nursery ideas on Pinterest. Come check it out for more ideas. Also inspired by Pinterest, I created a branch window valance, hanging basket mobile and bird house with a book for a roof.

*Pinterest use is by invitation only so if you still need an invite, contact me by email (right column button).



















 
Young House Love is having a Pinterest Challenge. Check out all the fun projects people have made as they are inspired by what they see on Pinterest.
Here are some other views of the nursery. Click here for close-up details and Before and After pictures.


Notes: My favorite Lazy-Boy recliner that I got for $50 from our neighbor. It is big, but so much comfier than the hard glider I used for my older children. The $10 retro wood dresser I found last month at a thrift store.  The twigs (in a frame I found at a garage sale), the tree branch window valance (I cut from my yard and strung matching fabric leaves from). The brown curtains are chocolate color with a texture that looks like a tree trunk, found at Wal-mart.


Notes: The crib I found on sale at Target in 2010. I got the vintage desk for $25 at a thrift store. I’m using it as a changing table and diaper station for now but it will be a great desk for our son as he grows. The grapevine wreath from Joanne’s is around an owl birthday card I found at the post office. The clock I found for $1 at a thrift store and added matching fabric. The macrame owl (I grew up with one of these) I found for 75 cents at a thrift store (I take it off the hook and let him play with it during changing time). The bird basket I bought at Tai Pan Trading (with a gift card I won at Bunco) and attached the fake vine and real pinecones I found at our park. I spin it with my hand once when I start changing his diaper then it twists back and forth.
BOOK CORNER:
The big stuffed owl is in a nest. He flaps his wings and sings “Summertime, Summertime Sum-Sum Summertime” and is my son’s favorite toy right now. The little stand is an old hutch from a desk. It fit my 3 book baskets perfectly.
Here are some of our favorite board books on the tree shelf.

Owl Babies: Martin Warrdell Wow! Said the Owl





Nesting doll owls (I hand painted), bird house and candle (from Esty, see below)





Good Night, Gorilla The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle The Runaway Bunny

Peek-A Who?







Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson Guess How Much I Love You Board Book





Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins




I saw this flameless candle (that smells like vanilla and has a timer) in Darcy’s nursery at Just a Night Owl. Darcy’s sister sells them in her IKR Designs ETSY shop. It is one of my favorite things in our owl nursery. The colors and design were perfect, it is safe and my baby loves to watch it glow.
My BIGGEST inspiration, my owl baby!


Enjoying his nesting owls.
Great OWL BOOKS:

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DIY Owl Nursery Ideas Before and After

A work in progress. I’m always hunting for owls to add to our owl nursery.  Here are some of the projects I’ve made along the way.


The Tree Bookshelf, see more here:
Framed Tree: 
I found this idea on Pinterest.  The original by Cleverly Inspired is much fancier. I wanted to make a more rustic looking one.  I found this frame at a yard sale for $2 the week after I saw the original idea. I ripped out the quilt square and put this branch from my yard inside. I love the look.

Tree Branch Curtain Valance:
After seeing some pics on Pinterest I cut down a branch from a tree in my yard and made a valance.  I cut out fabric houndstooth leaves and used thread to hang them on the branch.  We used curtain brackets to set the branch on. The leaves flutter in the air when the air conditioning is on. Our baby loves leaves outside, he’s always pointing to them.  I just finished this valance yesterday and in the morning I found him sitting up pointing to the leaves smiling. I think he loves it.

Owl Nesting Dolls: I just found these nesting dolls at a yard sale last week for $1.  I’ve been looking for some to make into owls. I just painted over the lions and made my own.


You can order blank nesting dolls on Amazon to paint - any style you choose.

Macrame Owl: I saw this funky macrame display at a thrift store for 75 cents. I thought it had great owl potential. I changed it and hung it for my baby to play with while I change his diaper. I just take it off the nail then hang it back up.

Birdhouse Book Shelf: I found this box at a thrift store for $1. This book was just right to put on top. It can hold our mini-board books.

The bird house clock: I found this for $1 at a thrift store, painted the accents brown and covered it in houndstooth fabric.

I made the changing pad cover with the houndstooth. I couldn’t find brown snuggle fabric for months so I made it with mint green and it looked horrible. I finally found brown and re-did it.

Bird Cage Mobile: The hanging basket and fake vine from Tai Pan Trading. I used thread to hang pine cones (found at our park) and an owl pinecone (found at Michael’s Crafts last year in the fall).

Make your own canvas art. Mini canvases from Michael’s, covered with card stock, decoupaged pictures of owls on top to make a set of 3.



For more on the tree bookshelf and Owl Books click here.

These are just a few ideas to make an owl nursery.  Check out my Owl Nursery board on Pinterest.


Find more great DIY projects at:

And Today's Creative Blog: Get Your Craft on Tuesday