Maternity Pants

Today I went to get some pants tailored and the gentleman behind the counter asked me if they were maternity pants. (They were not.) So in honor of that little mishap... today's blog is about nursery trends!

Green is a good gender neutral color. A good alternative to the pastel mint green is a fresh grass green or celery green. A brighter color will grow along with your child better than a pastel. I also like bold stripes. The key is to use similar colors and place stripes about a foot apart.
Place the crib in the center of the room instead of against the wall. The crib is, after all, the focus of the room! In addition to being pretty, it allows you to access either side.
Hang canvas prints with ribbon for a softer touch and a pop of color.
Repaint an old dresser to make a changing table. You can then put in dividers to hold diapers, clothing, etc. It's a piece that will grow along with your child.
Instead of traditional wooden letters, have the baby's name made into wire wall art. There are companies that can make it for you or it's easy to do with some heavy wire and a pair of pliers!Go green! Paint the walls of the nursery with environmentally friendly paint that doesn't release VOCs into the air. I know you can find it at Home Depot but I think you can get it almost anywhere now. There are also many more options in organic all-cotton bedding. Once only earth tones, it now comes in an array of bold colors.

For older kids:

Paint the lower half of a wall with chalkboard paint, to foster creativity! You could even use it to paint simple shapes like trees or zoo animals and let the kids fill in the details. OR paint a large square around framed wall art and let them design their own chalk frame. Chalkboard paint comes in traditional green and black but you can also use Martha's recipe to make your own custom color.
You can paint a wide stripe of magnetic paint on a wall, let it dry, then paint over it with your room paint color. Magnets will then stick to that area, but you won't be able to tell it apart from the rest of the room. It's a great place to hang the plethora of colorful drawings that they bring home.