Come join us for a tour of Ellie’s room…

I guess you can call Ellie’s room a Montessori-inspired room. (Here and here is a little bit about Montessori bedrooms. I don’t subscribe to everything Montessori, but I like some of it’s child-led approaches and so I have taken what I like and applied it here in her room as well as from other philosophies too). Being a preschool teacher and infant/toddler caregiver for twelve years before I quit to stay home with Ellie, creating an environment for the child was a large part of my job. It was one of the most joyful parts of my job. So when it came down to creating a space for my own daughter, I felt like I should have put this together a very long time ago. She’s just been so close to me for these past nine months, rarely leaving my arms and when she did, she was very close by to Mama at all times. That’s how she liked it and that’s how I preferred it as well.

Until about a month ago, when she mastered the crawl. Now she’s wanting far less to do with Mama and so very much more wanting to explore her environment. It was time to create a space all for her, a place where she could play and sleep and be safe and explore to her hearts content. I had a vision in mind and of course there was pinterest and many lovely blogs for inspiration. There are still a few more odds and ends I would like to add to the room, but so far, it seems to be pretty perfect for this little explorer I have.

A soft basket of stuffed animals, some are Mama made and some are gifted animals.

The floor bed is an Ikea mattress. We originally tried a crib mattress in here but it was just too small for our wiggly girl, so a twin worked better. The quilt is one Gramma made as well as the matching pillow. I made the ELLIE letters and would like to get them on the wall at some point. The Steif bear was mine as a child. The banner was handmade by me. The cloud mobile is from etsy and the art is a Maurice Sendak print from In The Night Kitchen. I have most of the art up high enough so that she can’t get to it, but low enough so she can see it well. I would like to put up some art at her direct eye level and for her to touch but haven’t had the chance yet.

This was a print that was a part of my own collection. I am a big children’s book collector and loved this piece when I saw it online. Funny thing is, the middle book in the painting is ELOISE. We didn’t realize this until after she was born! It looks perfect in Ellie’s bedroom.

I love blankets, so of course in every room there is always a few extra blankets lying around. There’s Ellie’s main quilt, but she also has her beautiful crocheted blankie her Great Aunt made her and a little blanket that belonged to me as a baby. The sheepskin was put down in front of the bed in case she rolls out, a little added cushion. These are Ellie’s toy shelves. They are just perfect for little hands to grab toys right off of as well as pull herself up on them to a standing position. I found this shelf at Target. The toys on the shelves will be rotated to keep her interest. The fabric boxes on top were also made by Gramma. The art is another Sendak print from Where The Wild Things Are.

The window sill is adorned with these great vintage blocks I found at an antique market a few months back. They are earthquake puttied to the window sill so they can’t fall down. The lovely stuffed animal is an etsy find.

The reading corner needs a bit of work, but it will do for now. I have a little soft basket filled with books I will rotate. The colorful mat is something I made years ago. On the wall adjacent to the reading corner is the full size acrylic mirror I got on clearance at a teacher supply store. Jeff bolted it into the wall and it’s been the big hit of the room.

As you can see, Ellie is very excited about her new room. We have been spending some time in here every day, exploring, crawling around, playing and napping. It’s a nice space for this growing girl, a space that will grow and change with her development and needs. Right now it’s simple, sweet and perfect for this nine month old. A space she can truly call her own.