Nursery Reveal: Cooper's Cabin

I am soooo excited to finally share the pictures of Cooper's nursery! My OCD kept me from posting until everything was complete, but I have one minor project that may not be done until he leaves for college... so I gave up on that one for now and am happy to get to post LOTS of pictures! 

To say I had fun while putting together "Cooper's Cabin" would be a vast understatement. Before even finding out the gender of our baby my mind was already racing with nursery plans - there were so many beautiful options for girl babies, but the choices for boys were more than a little lacking. Pastels and dinosaurs just didn't fit with our style, so I started building my version of a little man's dream room. 

There was one small problem - I couldn't decide if a boy's dream room would be sporty or outdoorsy. I went with the only practical solution - both! I wasn't sure exactly what that looked like but I knew I wanted lots of texture so my incredibly talented father added a wood wall, we installed new carpet and combined it all with burlap curtains, a cowhide rug and the rich velvet fabrics of the bedding. I was really pleased with how it all came together and while I'm dying to tell you all the frilly little details, I know you're here for the pictures, so below you will find Cooper's new little home and when I can't stand it, which will be the majority of the time, I'll give you little snip its of the back story on certain pieces! Hope you enjoy!

There is a little tiny entry wall when you first enter the room - I took advantage of this small, slightly odd space by adding a collection of family photos that were outdoorsy. There are some that are recent and some that go wayyy back. Nevertheless, I love the thought of adding to this collection as Cooper gets bigger and has the opportunity to hunt and fish with his daddy, uncles, grandpas and cousins.

The view when you walk in the door...

One of my favorite details - the whitetail chandelier! Every room needs a chandy... it's like the cherry on top! (Granted, our bedroom has a ceiling fan and the hubby refuses to part with it... You win some, you lose some!)

I found this whimsical deer head on One Kings Lane and instantly fell in love with it! The cowbell hanging below, my parents bought for us when we returned from Austria/Switzerland because I had emailed them and told them how much we loved the sound of bells ringing as we hiked through the mountains!

These were one of my favorite purchases - Boys Life magazines from 1948! They all say "Twenty cents a copy" on the cover and two are Norman Rockwell drawings. I found them at an estate sale and thought the boyish images were a perfect fit. I ended up framing the entire magazine because all the pages, articles and ads were pretty awesome and I couldn't stand the thought of tearing them up!

These tiny little llama moccasins were purchased in Peru when I was about 14 weeks pregnant and we weren't sure if Cooper was a girl or a boy, but we so wanted to bring him home a present... We spotted these at the Pisac Market and knew we had to have them!

I have always been a lover of books and in the last few years I've started collecting old books with fun names and books that pertain to law or medicine. I LOVE decorating with them! In Cooper's room I went for books about boys... Some of the titles include: The Adventures of a Modest Man (1911), The Rover Boys in Camp (1904) and Best Stories to Tell to Children (1912).

Speaking of books - I needed a place to put all of Cooper's books so that when he was big enough he would be able to see the choices and reach them. I didn't have the wall space for a book shelf so, at my friend Sheridan's suggestion, I tried displaying them in this vintage pram. That Sheridan is a smart girl! I was very pleased with the way it turned out!

Above Cooper's armoire I threw together an assortment of things - vintage University of Oklahoma yearbooks from the '60s that I had previously displayed in my office at work, a big ol' deer shed that I found in my parents' garage, a bundle of wheat, old minnow bucket, and my personal favorite - baseballs. Brandon was a baseball player and I so enjoyed getting to use his old baseballs from the Little League World Series, high school, college and his summer teams to decorate his little boy's room. (There is one that is signed by Brandon's team when they were little tiny and the big, awkward signatures are absolutely precious!) Definitely one of my favorite details of the room...

This little rocking chair was one of our most difficult finds! We hunted high and low for the perfect rocking chair. The ones that were the most comfy (we are talking sitting on a cloud comfortable) were never in fabrics that meshed with the room... not to mention they were also astronomically expensive and not something I'd want to use post-baby, so we modified our search for something affordable, old or old looking, and comfortable. Brandon actually spotted this guy when he sweetly stopped in a store on his way to work to see if they had anything I might be interested in - that's a winner husband right there folks! The distressed look, comfortable seat and great price made it a no-brainer.

The Zermatt poster was my inspiration behind the entire room. Brandon and I bought this poster in Switzerland when we were in the little ski village of Zermatt. I loved the colors and the vintage feel... At the time of purchasing it babies weren't exactly on our mind so it was intended for our office, but ended up in our nursery! 

This picture is another one of my favorite details! As you may have read earlier in Love and Marriage: In the Beginning, Brandon proposed using sweet little handwritten love notes hidden in Easter eggs. Each note told a reason why he loved me and wanted to marry me. This note: I love you because you are patient with children and will be a wonderful parent some day! hangs beside the rocker so that on those long nights when Cooper can't be consoled, I will remember that Brandon loves me for my patience with children.

On the little table beside the rocker is a picture of Brandon that I've always loved,  (surprise!) more books and the cutest little brass rocking horse you've ever seen! I want to point out the bottom book, Papa was a Preacher, because Brandon's grandfather whom he referred to as "Papa" really was a preacher... Obviously it needed a spot in the lime light!

Cooper's bedding was made by an incredibly talented lady in my hometown, Anna! That girl is crazy amazing and I can't sing her praises loudly enough! I've never designed bedding before and I sent her a drawing of what I wanted it to look like, along with the fabric. (Note: nobody said that what I drew was technically possible... or that I even picked out the right type of fabric...) By golly, she nailed it! Thank you Anna for sharing your ridiculous talents with us!

Before I even start - yes, I know, nothing needs to be IN the crib other than a baby or you negate all safety warnings/features/etc. Cooper is not currently sleeping in his crib so for now, it's going to look cute, when we put him in it everything else will come out. But thank you for your concern! This little bear with only one eye was mine growing up - my mom made him while she was pregnant with me (she gave him two eyes, he just lost one somewhere along the way!) and he has been on my bed my entire life. Now, it seemed only fitting, since I can't sew a lick, to pass him down to Cooper.

And last, but not least, the little shelf over the closet. It has the crown that I used to tell Brandon we were having a baby, an antique Remington tin box and the tiniest little football pads I've ever seen! My mom snagged those at an estate sale and very sweetly shared them with us! 

That concludes our tour of Cooper's Cabin! I managed to make that a novel, raise your hand if you're surprised... yeah, me neither. I hope you all like it half as much as I enjoyed putting it all together! I think it fits our little man perfectly and will, hopefully, grow with him a bit! Have a great day, I'm off to snuggle!

Be Blessed,

Raegan