Gracen’s Room Tour {& the Transition from Crib to Bed}

While on vacation in Victoria recently, Miss G slept on an adult-sized bed for the very first time.  We were staying at Brad’s cousins place (where there’s no crib) and we’ve never owned a pack and play, so we decided to just wing it and see how it went.  Luckily, it went fabulously (though it did mean that I slept on a couch and Brad slept on a floor while Miss G had the master bedroom – hah!)  I’ve read many stories about great sleepers transitioning to a bed and suddenly bedtime’s a battle and night wake ups are frequent, so I was a little apprehensive (okay… terrified) about making the switch.  Over the last two and a half years, we’ve worked very hard to ensure that Gracen became (and stayed) a good sleeper and was/is always well rested, so the last thing I wanted was for it to all fall apart.  But I should have known better than to worry.  Our easy-to-please little lady was excited about the switch, and because she’s such a rule follower, getting out of the bed wasn’t an issue. Our time in Victoria came and went, and we were faced with the decision of what to do in her room back home.  Originally, the plan was to make the switch when we arrived in the Okanagan for the summer, but because we had been so successful with a bed already, we wondered if it would be better to just ditch the crib, set up a floor bed, and continue along the path without stepping backwards.  In the end, we decided to ask Gracen what she wanted to do.  Her decision?  Setting up a big girl bed in her room at home.  So that’s what we did.

Before dismantling the crib and switching things around a little bit to make room for a bigger bed, I made time to take some photos of her bright, cheery little bedroom {something I’ve been meaning to do for a long while}…  It’s an eclectic mix of colours, patterns, and old/new/handmade/gifted pieces, and I sort of love the pieced together mismatched feel it has to it.  It’s colourful, happy, and a perfect representation of our little lady and all of the people who love her.

IMG 7028

IMG 7030

IMG 7032

Her crib is probably the most basic one you can buy, and I like that about it (we had the same one in her Kuwait nursery too).  Her gorgeous quilt was made by her Auntie Roz for her second birthday.  It was her first ever quilting project and she was sweet enough to let us choose our fabric (isn’t it beautiful?!) online before ordering it and putting it all together for Miss G.  The paper bunting on the wall above the crib and the felt babushka doll were both handmade by me, the button ‘G’ was handcrafted by my Auntie Viv, and the two canvases are a project Grae and I do each year around her birthday.

IMG 7033

IMG 7057

Trinkets

The black and white birdie curtains are a favourite from IKEA, the pom garland was handmade for her first birthday party, and the wooden toy box used to be her Papa’s when he was little, though the magenta colour is new.  Up above her curtains are some of Gracen’s most fragile treasures.  The Peter Rabbit treasure container and letters were both gifts from Grandma Charlotte and the beautiful little porcelain flower arrangements used to belong to her Great Grandma Amy long ago.  Off to the side in the white frame is her first ever finger painting (I adore kids’ artwork on walls) and down below is one of my best thrifting finds – the pink wooden doll crib which is now home to Tess, a vintage doll from Grandma Sue.

IMG 7034

IMG 7069

Memory Blocks

Framed art

The giant catch-all shelf that is home to part of Grae’s ever-growing book collection is one of IKEA’s classic EXPEDIT pieces (we’ve seriously owned tons of these over the years).  On top is her first birthday party hat, a couple of wooden angels (one of which my Auntie Lou gave me years ago and the other from a favourite student of mine), a beautiful set of wooden memory blocks from Grandma Charlotte and Poppop, and a frame customized with Amy Butler fabric by Auntie Rozi.  Up above on the little clothesline hang some of our treasured pieces from when our girl was teeny tiny (the striped sleeper was her coming home from the hospital outfit and next to it is her first ever dress).  The frames on the shelf and beside the shelf are filled with free prints from some of my favourite blogs… The ‘Babies Don’t Keep‘ one from Lay Baby Lay and the ‘you is kind / you is smart / you is important‘ one and the ‘Life is a Beautiful Ride‘ one are from irocksowhat. The glass piggybank is a gift from a family I babysat/nannied for from the age of 12 until well into my twenties, and the glass house piggy bank that is hiding behind it is one of the few pieces we brought home from her Kuwait nursery.

IMG 7035

This little shelf, which is one of my other {rare} thrifting finds, is home to a set of Olliblocks I made for her, a jar full of our homemade ribbon wands, some family photos, and her little collection of photo books I’ve made in the past.

IMG 7041

IMG 7056

IMG 7047

IMG 7048

IMG 7077

The other side of her room is home to another space saving shelf from IKEA, some vertical pom garlands (also from her first birthday party), her beloved closet book nook, and some colourful artwork (the marker drawing on the left by her cousin Korbin and the blow paint piece on the right by Grae).  The inside of her book nook also features some artwork done by Grae, plus ‘Papa Baby’ one of my childhood Cabbage Patch Kids (who was found in this exact position might I add).

IMG 7045

IMG 7042

The final little corner of her room is home to one of her very favourites – her dress up centre built by Poppop.  Up above is a felt heart mobile I put together for her, which is very difficult to photograph nicely, but looks quite magical as it moves.

Well there you have it – Gracen’s cheerful little bedroom pre transition to a big girl bed. ☺ There were still some projects and little things I wanted to do in it, but those things all got put on hold when we decided to move back to Kuwait come summertime.  The exciting news is that Grae will have a giant room (with her own ensuite!) in our Kuwait apartment, so it’ll be a ton of fun to set up something new from scratch.  I’m already dreaming of a well-stocked crafting nook, a cozy corner for reading, and a permanent sensory table of sorts…

If you’re new to Mama.Papa.Bubba., welcome!

Stay on top of the fun by liking us on Facebook here and follow us on Instagram here. 

17 thoughts on “Gracen’s Room Tour {& the Transition from Crib to Bed}

    1. Thanks so much! I really love that part too. It’s a great reminder of how quickly time passes… Helps me to cherish each day – even the tougher ones. :)

  1. I love you blog, is so inspirational. All ideas of you are great and so much fun. Well done mama. And also, your little lady G is adorable, it is a real joy to follow her adventures. Best wishes.

  2. Aw, thank you so much, Yasmin! That’s a very sweet compliment. I’ve been enjoying your blog too – thanks for linking up your posts on my Facebook page!

  3. Great post Jen!v Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. I have been hoarding buttons for such a long time and use them whenever I’m crafting, but have never thought to make letter like Gracen’s gift! Fantastic idea! Definitely going to give that one a go for Baxter!

    1. Hah! This made me laugh, Jenn, because I do the same! ‘Ooooh! Pretty buttons – must have’ but then have no real plan for them. I’ve made several of these as gifts now and they’re really easy and look great in the basic IKEA shadow box. The other thing that will be fun, and maybe once Baxter is a little older (I don’t know if he’s still putting everything in his mouth or not), is a little button sorting game. We did one with an egg carton, but there are lots of options!

      https://mamapapabubba.com/2012/09/28/egg-carton-button-sorting/

  4. I came across this post whilst hunting for your healthier crispy rice recipe (as wanted to share it on a forum: they look so good! Anyway, I digress…).

    Such a cute and tidy room! You sparked my interested in the post when you talked about working hard to make sure your little lady became (and stayed) a good sleeper, and is always well rested. I’ve also been keen to make sure my daughter is well rested and like to ensure that she is in bed early and gets her lunchtime nap. However, I’ve had some resistance from my family who haven’t always been supportive of this approach (deeming us inflexible)…I just wondered what you did to ensure Gracen was well rested?

    1. We were/are the exact same… Since fairly early on, we’ve made sure that we were at home for nap times and bedtimes, as well as made sure that Gracen’s had a dark, quiet space to sleep. It definitely is tricky sometimes, especially when bedtime is between 6:30 and 7:00, but we’ve always known that sleep would be a priority in our house and both my hubby and I are willing to give up some of our social engagements in order to ensure our little lady is well rested and happy. Luckily, our family and friends (even the ones who do things differently) have been very supportive, so that makes it a lot easier for us. I’m sorry yours have not always been. I don’t know what you’ve done so far, but maybe an honest conversation about how it’s what you feel is best for your little one would be helpful? Best of luck! I know it’s not always easy…

  5. Oh – I forgot to mention – the other thing we did was teach Miss G how to put herself to sleep all on her own when she was a year old (previous to that, we’d rocked her to sleep). We used the in-room model of Dana Obleman’s Sleep Sense program, and loved it.

    1. Me again- I’m just trying to work out what the Obleman approach is (can’t seem to pin it down online without buying the package!!!)- can you summarise what she suggests you do? Thanks

  6. I have a 13 month old daughter. At the moment our rooms are semi attached ( we walk through her room to get to ours). In Sept we are finally making the big move and giving Poppy her very own BIG GIRL ROOM! I think I’m the most excited because I get to decorate her room. I am absolutely making her closet into a fort!!! How awesome.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.