Retro Inspiration

Cocoon Couture Enchanted Tree Sticker in our Nursery

I'm loving all the retro-inspired things for kids these days - all the clothing with gorgeous Scandinavian prints and the wide range of retro-inspired furniture and decor available.

I found the following to be a really clear description of Retro Style Decorating from Coral Nafie from About.com:

"In truth, Retro Style Decorating actually encompasses several decades of styles, and the term itself is used to describe almost any interior decorating themes that are influenced by trends and styles from the past.  And while this definition means that just about any era could be considered "retro", the term is more commonly used to describe decor from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Go back just a little farther and you're bridging more on vintage style, although the two styles can (and do!) frequently cross over.  Retro style decorating usually has a fun, lively feel to it, with bright colors, wild designs and an overall sense of 'flair'."

Many of the gorgeous nurseries I love to admire and read about on Ohdeedoh and Project Nursery are retro-inspired or encompass vintage pieces in their design.  Whether imitations of those gorgeous designs of the past, or actual vintage pieces that belonged to family members (or from thrift shops), there just seems to be something really appealing and special about including 'old things' in a child's room.  I actually didn't know 'thrifting' was so popular when setting out to decorate a nursery, but can certainly see why.

I must admit that I have embraced the retro trend (to some extent) when it comes to decorating my kids' spaces.  There's something about it that evokes a sense of nostalgia (me being the very sentimental girl I am!) and many of the retro designs and vintage pieces take me straight back to the happy, fun and carefree days of my childhood.  Besides, all those gorgeous colours and patterns characteristic of the 60s and 70s can really brighten up a child's room, making it all the more fun and inspiring!

Below is a photo of one of my favourite things - a vintage wooden puzzle (Galt Picture Squares) with gorgeous, colourful Scandinavian-style images.  It was found amongst a heap of teaching resources given to me by a lovely friend and colleage when she retired.  Love it - so do my kids!

Galt Picture Squares

Stay tuned for examples of retro style in my home ...

Doggie's Birthday

The kids are now asleep (well, for the moment anyway), housework is done (I like to have a tidy house before going to bed), so now for a cuppa and some 'me time'.  I'm thinking it's going to be a little challenging to find blogging time with these very busy boys and young baby - I wouldn't dare attempt to sit at the computer during the day, but will do my best to update it when the boys are sleeping.

So, apparently it was 'Doggie's' birthday today!  I'm not talking about our 'real' dog, Jovi, but referring to my four year old's favourite toy dog (you know, the sort that gets carted around absolutely everywhere and is almost impossible to sneak into the washing machine unnoticed!).  Well, we had to celebrate Doggie's birthday so of course we needed a birthday cake.

The boys love helping me to bake.  They decided on a chocolate cake from my hand-typed book of favourite recipes and my four year old picked out the design he wanted from the good old Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book - yep, that classic book of fantastic birthday cakes my Mum had when I was a kid.  What fun it was to pick out the cake we wanted each year!  I love that I now get to make and decorate all sorts of weird and wonderful cakes for my kids' birthdays too - lots of fun!

The cake-making went pretty smoothly today - only one egg missed the bowl and half a cup of milk was spilt all over the floor!  Regardless of the mess, it ended up being a really delicious cake!  The boys had a ball decorating it as a clock (similar to the Hickery Dickery Dock cake in the book), although I think my two year old scoffed more of the Smarties than he actually put on the cake, hehe.

When Daddy arrived home, we did the whole 'candle and singing Happy Birthday to Doggie' thing.  My boys are still learning how to blow out candles, so it took them a while but it really was just too cute!  My hubby lit the candle several times, just so we could chuckle at them trying to blow it out! We all then sat down to eat some cake - well the boys really only wanted the icing!

Apparently Doggie enjoyed his birthday :)

Icing Doggie's Cake

 Blowing out the candle

Hooray!  I did it :)

Welcome

Welcome to The Bluebird Nest - a blog about me, my beautiful family of busy boys (the bluebirds) and my home (the nest that I enjoy creating for them).

My wonderful hubby and I have three very sweet little boys - four years, two years and eleven weeks old.  We also have a beautiful, boisterous Border Collie.  The four of them keep us very busy and, although we may be rather exhausted most of the time, they add so much joy to our lives and we love every minute spent with them.

As well as a mum, I am a teacher.  I am currently on Family Leave to be at home with our children.  I've had almost ten years of teaching experience and love my career choice, but when our first son was born, taking unpaid leave was an easy decision for us.  I also have a degree in Psychology (Behavioural Science) which is a fascinating field of study.  I look forward to returning to teaching when the time is right, but for now I am loving being at home with my young family and 'feathering the nest', so to speak.

So, stay tuned ... I'm about to share my journey as a mum of three boys, my passion for interior decorating and ramble on about all things I find beautiful and inspiring x

Now time for a cuppa and 'another' read of my newest, gorgeous mag! :)