Eco-Friendly Cardboard Finds For Baby and Tot

Kids love to play with cardboard! Mama spends lots of money buying toys for baby that are fun and educational — but doesn’t it always seem that baby’s favorite “toy” is one that isn’t really a toy at all? Cellphones and cardboard boxes are the toys of choice in lots of households — including mine! — and many designers (and DIY warrior moms) have jumped at the chance to create eco-friendly cardboard toys for baby and tot. And that got me thinking, what fabulous cardboard items for could I find for the nursery?

Check out these 5 eco-friendly cardboard finds for your nursery or toddler’s room!

My Pink & Green Obsession {Handmade Baby}

These handmade baby items make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

1. Retro Baby Mobile, $35; 2. Farm Fresh Clothespins, $4.75; 3. Custom Baby Birth Print Pink/Green/Turquoise Blue 8 x10, $23; 4. Verna Baby Quilt no. 2, $125.

‘Til tomorrow!

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Fun, Fresh and Makes Me Blush {Real Nursery Spotlight}

This darling little nursery belongs to Zoey. Her mom is a design fanatic and DIY enthusiast, and her dad is handy. With a color palette inspired by fabric, this fun and fresh nursery will make your jaw drop!

Child’s Name: Zoey

Child’s Age: 3 months

Location: Cincinnati, OH

What was your inspiration for the room?

We knew we wanted something fun and modern for our daughter without being super girly. Since nurseries usually have a ton of fabric we knew that would be the place to start. After finally landing on the coral, lime, and light blue fabric collection over at spoonflower everything else just fell into place.

Describe your decorating style.

That’s a question I’ve been trying to answer for as long as I can remember. It varies from space to space, but always clean lined and fairly simple. After being exposed to so many different styles in design school it has been impossible to settle on just one ever since. My home is anything from modern to industrial to rustic.

Favorite items in the room.

Zoey’s wall of framed fabric. Super fun project gathering all of the various frames and we had fallen in love with the fabric from the start.

Any words of advice to share with us?

Have fun with it. Think ahead. They’re only babies for so long. Create a room that allows for some growth.

Focus less on the coordination of different pieces and more on what you really love. The end result won’t fail to make you smile every time you enter the room.

Give us all the details about your room! Don’t forget to share with us any money saving tips you might have learned along the way.

Wall Paint Color: Ben Moore, Stonington Gray HC-170. Gray is a perfect color if you’re looking to make everything else in color pop!

Crib: Babyletto Modo Crib from Babies R Us – $379.00

Crib Bumper Fabric: Spoonflower’s Heather Dutton, Power Paisley – $/yard

Crib Skirt Fabric: Spoonflower’s Heather Dutton, Kelp Dot Green – $/yard

Window Panels Fabric: Spoonflower’s Heather Dutton, Barnacle Net Coral Colorway – $/yard

All Bedding and Window Panels: Made by RockyTop Design

Glider & Ottoman: Babies R Us, Graco Avalon Glider & Ottoman – $220.00

Rug: Cost Plus World Market, 5 x 7 Shag Rug – $229.00. We can’t wait for Zoey to start crawling. The shag will be so much fun to roll around on!

Love Print: Made By Girl, Love Pattern Print – $9.50

Framed Letter “Z”: Homemade

Letter “Z”: Anthropologie, Zinc Letters – $18.00

Crochet Elephant – Etsy’s Five Sisterz, Elliot the Elephant – $14.00. I love any handmade touches in a child’s room and since I’m not much when it comes to crocheting we took the Etsy route!

Duck Print – Ikea, Kort Art Cards 5-pack – $5.00

Galvanized Tub: Lowes – $20.00

Dresser: Ikea, Expedit Bookcase – $69.99

Dresser Double Drawers: Ikea, Expedit Insert with 2 Drawers – $35.00

Dresser Single Drawers: Ikea, Expedit Insert Single Drawer (no longer sold) – $35.00

Coral Knobs: Anthropologie, Granita Knob – $6.00

Dresser Legs: Ikea, Capita Leg 4-pack – $10.00

Galvanized Bins: Lowes, Galvanized Storage Bin – $10.00

Green Lamp: Home Goods, Not Sold Online – $30.00

Frames: Thrift Stores, Home Goods. A little spray paint can do wonders!

Window Blinds: 2″ Faux Wood Blinds – $29.00

Frame Ledges: Ikea, Ribba Picture Ledge – $15 & $10

Changing Pad Fabric Cover: Spoonflower’s Heather Dutton, Rockweed Coral Colorway – $/yard

Framed Fabric: Spoonflower’s Heather Dutton, Collection – $/yard

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Thank you Jessie for sharing your home with us!

*Read more about Jessie’s renovations on her blog Cape 27.

Brody’s Recycled Nursery

We’re hosting some fabulous giveaways through Feb. 13, 2011 to celebrate our belated blogiversary! Check out the event page for details.

I found this beautiful owl themed nursery on one of my favorite design blogs yesterday.

Not only is it gorgeous, it’s ‘green‘!

The new parents used found and recycled materials “to create this neutral, modern and playful nursery with an impressive bunch of DIY elements.”

I love the vintage crate and baby bottle lamp!!! I wonder how they made it?

And the salvaged wood tree installation?! Drool.

I must get in touch with this creative duo to see if we can get the details for some of these projects!

Looking around the room, I do recognize a few items like the Petit Collage Bamboo Mobile, the Modern Rocking Chair, and the DwellStudio Owls Crib Sheet.

quote and images via designs*sponge

Splurge vs On a Budget: Boy and Girl Twin Nursery

Last week, I told you all about Kristy {a facebook fan} who is expecting boy and girl twins. I came up with a color scheme for the mixed gender twins and this week I’m sharing with you a complete design board.

Two, actually!

The first is the Splurge! nursery with a price tag of approx. $3,935. The second? That’s the On a Budget! nursery. By replacing just 3 items, the price tag on this one is $1,400 less.

Details.-

1. The color scheme: I’ve chosen four colors for the room. Lilac and a light blue are the primary colors for the design. Lilac for the baby girl. Light blue for the baby boy. Sage (light green) is the complimentary/unifying color. It looks fantastic with both lilac and blue. Gray is the neutral background for the entire color scheme and the wall color.

2. Baby Girl Bedding: Serena and Lily Crib Bedding Set Lulu, $395.

3. Baby Boy Bedding: Serena and Lily Crib Bedding Set Dylan, $395.

4. Cribs: Oeuf Eco-friendly Sparrow Crib, White, $690 each {splurge!}; Storkcraft Sheffield Stages Crib, White, $99 each {on a budget!}.

5. Ceiling Lamp: Normann Copenhagen Norm 03 Lamp Shade, $200 {splurge!}; Ikea Knappa pendant lamp, $34.99 {on a budget!}.

6. Dresser: Ikea Hemnes 8-drawer dresser,White, $299.

7. Fabric for Curtains: Serena & Lily Fabric by the Yard Diamond Leaf, $50 per yard {splurge!}; Home Decor Print Fabric-Croscill Felton/Kiwi, on sale for $14.99 {on a budget!}.

8. Rug: Shaggy Raggy Lime Jersey Cotton Rug, $66.

9. Glider: NurseryWorks Empire Rocker, $1,100. A chunk of the budget went to this chair but it’s my favorite piece in the room. It’s elegant, neutral and can be moved to any other room in your home once it’s done it’s duty in the nursery.

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