Dane and I have been on Parental Leave for about five weeks now. Don't get me wrong -I love being at home to snuggle on my baby as long as I can until I'm forced to go back to my full-time job. But to be honest, it can be quite boring. 

I mean, every day looks the same. We get up around 6am to feed her, we sit on the deck and drink our coffees while we listen to the birds, we eat breakfast, and then I'm inside all day snuggling with Lenna in between naps and feedings while Dane is in the workshop building for clients. 

Today we decided to try something new. We decided that instead of going through our daily motions, we would use our Parental Leave to introduce Lenna to new things. So we chose to start with the Saint Louis Zoo! Dane is a current member of the Zoo Young Professionals Board, and really enjoys learning more about what our zoo has to offer. It just seemed like the perfect starting point.

Can we just take a moment to talk about her adorable Flamingo outfit?! Dane dressed Lenna this morning, and I'm just a little obsessed with his choice of festiveness. I couldn't have done better myself! Proud wife moment right there!  ​

Of course when you bring a tiny baby anywhere, it draws a lot of attention. We always get LOTS of comments about the amount of hair she has, and stories about how their children's hair stood up just like hers. I mean, it looks like we start her days off at the static ball at the Magic House.  

We know that Lenna will not remember experiencing anything from this trip. But we did our best to make sure she could look back on these photos to refresh her memory. It was a nice change of scenery for Mom and Dad too. ;)

With each photo we've posted to our Instagram, we used the hashtag #LennaExplores. We hope that when she's older, she'll appreciate being able to easily look back at all the cool things she's done and all of the cool places she's been. 

Have you created a hashtag for your children? -Fur children count too! Let us know how it's worked out for you in the comments below! 

As quickly as she's growing, it was important to me to design her nursery in a way that could grow with her. It isn't themed or decorated in any one specific way. There isn't one color palette. I kind of mashed a bunch of playful colors together.

If she's anything like me, her tastes will change with the wind, and well...I can't afford to redecorate every time she has a new favorite thing (although I wish I could!).

I want to raise her to be creative. I want her to not be afraid to try new things and new ideas. I want her to believe in herself and her dreams. So I decided to design her nursery solely on a vibe: creativity. I wanted it to be playful, fun, and childish.

The focal point of the room is her wallpaper wall. You see it as soon as you enter the room. It's a brushstroke pattern in the color Seafoam. I found it on Wayfair and somehow convinced Dane we needed it. You can find it here. ​

It matches perfectly to the dresser Dane and I had refinished. I mean, really. It couldn't match more perfectly! The dresser was something I originally purchased to fix up and sell a few years back. It's a hobby of mine. I just love giving old pieces a new life! After I had finished the dresser, I loved it too much to sell, so we moved it up into our Master Bedroom even though it didn't match anything else in the room. When we found out we were having a daughter, we knew her nursery would be the perfect home for it. ​

Above her nursery you'll find a very large 'L'. We purchased the large cardboard letter from our local Joann, along with an ombre yarn, and I wrapped it until I was satisfied. We also bought blank canvases and made our own playful art to hang in her room. I tried to think of art that a real child would draw. I remember drawing rainbows and houses as a kid, so I added those elements to the room. And because neither of us are great at drawing, it added to the childishness of the room!  ​

Because her room has such a small footprint, I knew we needed sleek furniture that wouldn't make the room feel smaller than it already is. We got her crib from Ikea, and chose the Beach color to add some contrast and texture to the room. It's also a nice gender-neutral color so we can reuse it for her future siblings. ​

As she continues to grow, my plan is to switch out the crib for a 'big girl' bed and move the rocking chair out to create a corner for her toys. Maybe Dane can build her a little dollhouse? ;)

I hope you'll hangout a bit longer and read up on the tassel project I did to carry the playfulness into Lenna's closet!

​Anyone else love a good tassel? For me, I love how they add personality, texture, and a bit of coziness to a space. They’re also a great way to add in a pop of color! 

I knew I had to add them in when designing Lenna’s nursery. I wanted the room to feel cozy and playful, and tassels were the perfect touch! I used them to add detail to a few bins she has in her closet, but they can be used for things like earrings, bookmarks, garland, wall decor, and so much more!

​And the best part? They’re inexpensive and SO easy to make! For Lenna’s room, I used embroidery floss I picked up at my local Joann, but you can also find it at just about any craft/hobby store. 

Since I quickly breezed through the process without taking any photos, I’m going to show you how to make them yourself using yarn I have leftover from another project. You can use any type of material you’d like. Even fabric!

​Okay, let’s get to it. Here’s what you’ll need: 

- String/Yarn (or whatever material you’d like to use)
- Something about 4x4 to wrap your material around 
- Scissors

First, you’ll wrap your material around your 4x4 piece until you get your desired thickness.

Cut the wrapped material free from the rest of the strand, making sure your loose end is at the bottom of your tassel. 

Then you’ll carefully slide the material off of your 4x4 piece and​​ tie a separate piece around the top portion. I like to leave this piece as long or longer than the tassel so that when trimmed to length, it blends better. 

Then you'll take another piece of material to thread through the top loop you've just created. This will allow you to hang the tassel. 

After the knot is tied and trimmed, I like to hid the knot inside of the loop. Cut the bottom of the tassel so that you have loose ends instead of a big loop. And there you go! Quick and easy tassels! 

Again, for my project, I used embroidery thread. This tutorial is done with yarn, but I think it's a great way to show that you can make these tassels with any material you have on hand! 

Be sure to share with us your completed tassel projects in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by! :)