Inspired Decor

Alexis has had her own room for a little over a year, and I have yet to fully decorate it. A few weeks ago I swapped the bookcases in her and Deuce's rooms, and suddenly felt inspired to get some stuff on the walls!



I wanted something cute and girly, but not too "babyish" (Alexis will be two in a few weeks!), something with a Black girl, and something without a face (I've never liked artwork with faces... ), soI decided to make these little wall hangings. I haven't done anything particularly crafty in years (grad school will kill your creativity), so it was nice to have them turn out so well, plus Alexis REALLY likes them - she keeps asking to hold them (she refers to them as "hair" because that what stands out the most to her).



I have to say that these were inspired by some of the things my Aunt Emily made. Aunt Emily had to be one of the coolest great-aunts EVER, and Martha Stewart wishes she was as crafty. Aunt Emily could sew like you couldn't believe and did some of the most amazing needlecrafting I've ever seen, so when she passed away a few years ago I asked my mom if I could have some of her stuff.


These little girls were the "base" inspiration for the wall hangings I made. One is hanging clothes, one is churning butter, and the other is praying at the side of her bed. I didn't want to put something so "domestic" in Alexis' room (concerns about psychological imprinting - I've been in school WAY too long!), so I took the idea of the little girl praying and came up with the idea of having a little girl reading.

I didn't zoom in on the pics to show the detail, but this is all needlework. The patches on the "quilt" on the bed - all individually done. My mom let me borrow these for inspiration.

I told my friend Charlene that I would post some other pictures of some of the things Aunt Emily made. This mini-quilt is in Alexis' room already. Click on the picture to see the detail (I left the file "large"). I thought it may be a little too "old" for a toddler room, but I often find Alexis staring at it and checking it out, so I decided to leave it.







This is by far my favorite piece - Aunt Emily used to have it on the main floor of her house. I painted the frame black a few years ago, and was a nervous wreck about getting paint on it. All needlecrafting - check out the French knots that make up the baby's "hair."




So... no, I won't be making anything like the stuff Aunt Emily made, but a little inspiration can go a long way. I think I've even figure out some stuff for Deuce's room. I'll post pics when I'm done!