It is true that our tastes change over time. I am seeing more clients that would like to refresh their current, relatively newly decorated rooms. The rooms are currently traditional, but they would like to make them more transitional. Add more modern. Give the room lightness. Add something that is unexpected. Ok the last sentence is my theory.  My current client has a little girl that is growing out of her crib. The nursery was very traditional. We will have to keep some of the furniture from the nursery.  Her  crib bedding, named Greta,  was from Serena and Lily. All very lovely.

The pink in the Greta bedding is a bit dusty. It is a tough pink to work with, since it is hard to find complementary pink fabrics.  The old decorator made a valance out of the same damask pink fabric and the walls are also the same pink. Lots of pink!

Realizing how difficult the pink was to match, the mom bought the complimentary sheets for the big girl bed in the same Serena and Lily pattern.  Called Gracie, Serena and Lily has since discontinued it.

So now, my job is to change the nursery into a little girl’s bedroom  and add a modern feel to the space. So lucky that this Gracie bedding  can easily harmonize  with some modern elements.   The mom also  bought this fun Andy Warhol print that we will use as inspiration.

For the bed, I would like to do a high headboard upholstered in white faux patent leather.

I found these pillows at the last gift show that will add a little sparkle to the bedding. They are so delicate and sweet. From one of my favorite companies, Sivaana.

At the end of the bed I would like to put this upholstered  brown and white linen storage bench .

We will keep the nightstand.

I found a crazy fun lamp to put on it.  We may change out the shade.  But how fun is it!

We will keep the simple white dresser

And add this mirror.

A nice bookshelf is needed…

A loveseat will sit underneath the Warhol with a very cool fixture

I wish I could blink and it would be done. How easy that would be….

See you…

Christina

A customer came into the shop looking for  a gift for her good friend’s new baby girl.  She wanted to give her vintage blocks that spell her name.  The customer knew she had room on a shelf in the nursery for short name.  I needed to  sort through my collection to find the letters. I was excited to find the blocks that she needed.

Looking through them, you can see a little bit of  cultural history. Most of  the  blocks date around WWII.

So sweet the images are…

Love these stylized animal blocks…

Silhuettes are just fantastic..

I heard the friend’s gift was so very well received. The mom loved the blocks for her daughter  Cici!!

See you…

Christina

Just browsing through some of my vintage children’s books, I came across a lovely book, Children and Animals.  From the School of Emmy Zweybruck, copy written 1935. It seems this book was originally printed in Austria. These pictures are so stencil like and stylized. You can really decorate a kids bedroom or baby’s nursery  nicely with these pictures. How great they would be  as art.

I just love them.

See you…

Christina

At the intersection of Main Street and Maple Ave, in Armonk,  is an incredible frame shop,Framings. Every work day, I stop at the intersection before turning into the parking lot for Cici Crib. Yesterday, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of a large piece that was in her shop window. Cars behind me honked. So I quickly turned and parked and marched right over to Judy and Carter’s jewel of a shop.  Not only are they some of the nicest people I have met, but also some of the most talented.

Judy told me she completed this project  for a designer. The designer had saved all her daughter’s shoes and Judy created this long shadowbox. I think it is about 12 feet long. I can imagine it will be hung in a bedroom,playroom, really anywhere..

It is so sweet. It really tells a story from the parent’s excitement of having a baby girl to her first walking shoe, a ballet slipper, a trip to Disney World  to a the last shoe, that perhaps the little girl picked out. A black rugged hiking shoe.

I hope the Mom keeps the shadowbox. Fast forward 25 years.. Wouldn’t it be nice to see in her granddaughter’s nursery…..

See you..

Christina

I sold my vintage sock monkey in the store last week. A bit sad about it. I will miss him.  Another customer picked up her bumper made with this great monkey fabric..

Monkeys are such a popular inspiration for decorating a baby’s nursery or a child’s room.

Vintage sock monkeys makes their appearance…

New Arrivals bedding and accessories….

Monkeys used in wall stickers…

More  mod monkeys…

Look how Tobi Fairley decorated for her daughter’s playroom. Tis the season…

Happy Holidays! See you…

Christina

I was in the sort of new  Conran shop in the basement of ABC Carpet the other day.  The sign on the landing is the first notice of the shop that lies below. I guess we shop owners are all the same in our goal of making a customer’s visit a personal experience.

The merchandise is surely well edited and really fresh.

A ping pong table with a chalkboard surface..

So I found my 2 favorite items. Love the robot…

What about these bird pendants for a nursery..

So cool.

See you…

Christina

I found these brushed aluminum letters at a flea market not long ago. They are quite large.  The dealer told me they came from  an old car dealership. The letter A went into a little boy’s bedroom. We mounted the A on top of a large aluminum framed bulliten board. I still have the letters F and C. I wish I had more. The font is so simple and clean..

Collecting letters and putting them up thoughtfully can be a really fun way of decorating a nursery.

Shabby chic letters in a shabby chic nursery…

You don’t need an entire alphabet to make an interesting statement. Just begin by collecting the odd letter at a flea market and look what you can create…

This is one of my favorites…

This is no ordinary mural in this modern nursery…

At Cici Crib, Binth’s alphabet poster is oh so stylish.

This print has alphabet whimsy..

Crib bedding with an alphabet pattern.

Many different alphabet directions.

See you..

Christina

I would say one of the nicest parts of my job is meeting some really good people.  I remember the first time Bari  made her way into Cici Crib. Her smile filled her entire face as she talked about the upcoming birth of her daughter, Leryn.  We discussed many details of the nursery.  After months of planning and waiting, the moment finally came. Leryn arrived in early July.  It’ s so nice to see good things happening to good people.

Bari wanted the nursery to have a bit of a bohemian feel. Very soft and relaxed.  Perfect for baby. The bedding completely inspired her. It is by Elizabeth Allen.

A petite chandelier was needed in this cozy little nook.

Storage bins from Macbeth were purchased from Bari’s registry at Cici Crib.

The artwork is from Oopsy Daisy.

Birdies and butterflies are delicately painted  through out  the room  The inspiration was taken from the bedding, as well as the artwork.

A lovely nightlight fits right in.

And, of coarse, a vintage pin caddy that came from Bari’s nursery when she was a baby.

Thanks Bari for sharing your daughter’s lovely space.

See you..

Christina

After I came back from a short trip to Pittsburgh, I told Miles that we needed a birdhouse. My sister’s small city garden in Pittsburgh is a bird’s paradise. There is gourmet birdie food and fresh water daily. You hear chirping all day long. When I came home, I realized how silent our yard  was. So we went to the Wild Bird Center and picked up all the bird necessities. We set it up and waited. It took 3 days for the birdies to discover the new restaurant. Oh my goodness, it is out of control now. So many different kinds of birds. Cardinals, woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, gold finches…..

The yard is full of chirping and it is so peaceful. I see how we are inspired to decorate with birds.  We see birds in lots of nursery decor. So cute for  baby. At the same time as our birdhouse was set up, these charming clocks came into the shop. Handmade in the USA.

There will be more birdie decorating stories in the future.

See you.

Christina

We wanted to go out with the boys  before they left for their summer journeys. So last night we went to see the broadway show, Fela. Wow the music and dancing were so original. So cool. So much fun. It was a true story of a legendary man named Fela Kuti.  The Shrine was the name of Fela’s nightclub in Nigeria during the 1970′s. It was a wild time. The costumes were great and the set was interesting. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of it. Too bad. It was so colorful. One corner was decorated in African masks.

It’s clear that tribal  masks can make a great design statement. Check out this room from Elle Decor.

A real feeling of Africa come out of these tin animals I have in the shop. They are made by artisans in Zimbabwe. They would be a great inspiration piece in a baby’s nursery. All lined up on a shelf. How neat is that.

It was a fun night out!

See you.

Christina