Jungle Safari Nursery Design

Parker Crib Bedding by Maddie Boo

When decorating boy's nursery, people tend to go with traditional blues & greens.  You can incorporate this color scheme and shake things up with lions, elephants and monkeys by creating an animal jungle themed room.

Make your little Tarzan the King of the Jungle with today's safari nursery design!

We chose the classic blue Parker crib bedding by Maddie Boo for today's idea.  Shades of dark blue and lime green stand out with a patterned ensemble of giraffes, hippos, elephants and more. We bring out the lime green accents of the set with our furniture collection.  

1. Wonderland Changer: This changing table is a really functional piece in the nursery and features lots of storage space for diapers and wipes as well as clothing and other necessities.  Aside from functionality, it is a really exquisite handcrafted piece with crystal hardware and a distressed wood finish.

2. Beadboard Open Toy Chest: Playing off the green accents of the changer, this toy chest's open form ensures the safety of child.

3. Straight Edge Name Plaque

4. Ivory Crystal Dangle Glass Ball Large Lamp Base with Modern Green Lamp Shade

5. Doodlefish Grand Recliner Glider

We dress up the walls with artwork and room accessories that are all about animals. The elephant and giraffe canvasses are personalized pieces that feature a gallery wrapped giclee print.

The giraffe wall clock incorporates blue and chocolate color accents and has a sweet message of "Life's a Jungle" written on the face. The giraffe switchplate cover compliments this perfectly!  Finally, the safari parade artwork brings together a range of jungle creatures in a dark blue canvas with a charming chocolate frame. 

Tips to Help Kids Get Over Fear of the Dentist from Parents Magazine

Owl Tooth Pillow

Kids & dentists just don't mix.  It's practically a fact of life.  In spite of this, there are some excellent tips we found from Parents Magazine that help ease children's fear about their cleanings and visits. 


1. Start Early with Visits to the Dentist


Parents recommends starting visits at the age of 1 or when the first tooth is visible.  Starting kids off young at the dentist will make them feel more comfortable later on when they have to come in for regular visits or in the event of an emergency. 


2. Watch the words!


Dentists and parents can make the visit better by using positive phrases and avoiding anything that may sound scary or alarming (aka "shot", "pain", "hurt").  


3. Pretend Visit


You can always play pretend with your child before their first appointment.  Parents recommends using a toothbrush to count child's teeth or holding up a mirror like a dentist would to check their teeth.  Picture books are also a good idea if child is really nervous or anxious. 


4. Prepare for Fussiness


Children may cry or whine (or even scream a little), which is completely normal.  The dentist and their staff are used to this, so stay calm and just try to make child feel comfortable.  


5. No Bribes!


"Many experts do not recommend promising your child a special treat if she behaves well at the dentist. Doing so will only increase their apprehension. Saying, "If you don't fuss or cry, you'll get a lollipop," might make your little one think, "What's so bad about the dentist that I might want to cry?"" After the visit, simply praise your child for behaving well and for being brave through the visit. Or bribe them with great decor like the Butterflies and Daisies Keepsake chest which features a first tooth envelope on the lid. 

Keepsake Chest with First Tooth Envelope

NEW: Designer Diaper Bags

Magnolia by Amy Michelle

New to our collection this month are a few fabulous diaper bags from OiOi, Timi & Leslie, Amy Michelle and Kalencom.  Since a few of us here at AnnaBean are most definitely "bag ladies", we get very excited about adding these designer styles to the collection.

We've configured a list of totes, handbags, and messengers that are ideal for a few different kind of "bag ladies"!

The Magnolia bag by Amy Michelle is one of the designer's most popular styles.  The chic faux patent leather fabric looks great and is an easy to clean, durable surface for messes.  If you like a slouchy bag, the Magnolia is your bag as it features a chic, modern slouch hobo shape.  

We've also added to our OiOi collection with a few messengers, totes, and carryalls.  The Chocolate Weathered Tote is a high fashion bag featuring a unique weathered exterior in chocolate with classic antique brass hardware accents.  Protective metal feet on the base will ease your mind when you have to set this beautiful bag down.  This is the ideal bag for the momma who does not want to sacrifice style at all!

The Black Quilted Carryall is a more casual bag featuring OiOi's jacquard microfiber fabric.  This quilted diaper bag comes with an insulated bottle holder, changing pad, wipes bag, shoulder strap and so much more.  It's definitely a more laid back look for parents who want to share a diaper bag. 

Kalencom's Gypsy Paisley Green Diaper Bag features a laminated messenger style, perfect for the mom who wants a long-lasting design that can handle the wear & tear of baby.  We love the bright, paisley pattern of this buckle style bag as well as the fact that you'll be well protected from spills and other messes with the laminated fabric. 

The Farah Dual Canvas Messenger by Timi & Leslie is another bright and colorful bag with plenty of personality.  This is the ultimate bag for the mom who prizes efficiency and organization.  The Farah bag features plenty of pockets, including insulated bottle pockets as well as double handles for comfortable wear and an easy to clean poly canvas exterior. Plus, a matching changing pad comes with the bag. 

DIY Craft with Fabric

                                Photo Credit: Twirl Blog

As you might have noticed from browsing through our store…we looooooooovee fabric.  From classic damask prints in various colors to colorful floral designs and more, we have found hundreds of unique fabrics from our favorite designers.  


Fabric isn’t just pretty though!  It can also be an affordably chic way to dress up your home.   

When decorating baby’s nursery or kid’s room, you can often save money on window treatments, pillows, and other decorative accents by making a do it yourself fabric creation.  Today on Pinterest, we found a crafty DIY project that is all about FABRIC! 

These do it yourself dishtowels make great, personal gifts and are a really pretty addition to the kitchen.  Compliments go to the blog Twirl.

Ingredients:

½ yard of fabric

Flour sack cloth (usually in the dish towel section of the grocery store)

Iron

Straight pins

Sewing machine (and hopefully some sewing skills!)

Pinning together fabric on towel                          Credit: Twirl Blog

Ready, Set, Go!

1. Lay out the flour sack cloth/dish towel

2. Fold fabric over until it fits across the bottom of the towel

3. Iron the seam down to make a crease and then cut along the edge

4. Fold edges over again to create a clean hem and iron down

5. Using straight pins, pin down fabric to towel.

6. Set sewing machine to do a straight stitch and sew together.

Favorite Fabric by the Yard Prints from AnnaBean!

1. Pink Tulips Fabric by Doodlefish

2. Filigree Fabric by Doodlefish

3. Candy Store by Doodlefish 

4. Cartwheel Spring Green by Maddie Boo

5. Ambrosia by Maddie Boo

6. Cartwheel Spring Pink by Maddie Boo

7. Luxe Light Blue Swirl by Caden Lane

8. Dandy Damask in Pink by New Arrivals

9. Rose Dot by Caden Lane

Toddler Girl Birthday Outfits

Ribbon Ruffle Sundress

Celebrating girls birthday is always an exciting time to bring out the balloons, the cake, and that classic birthday outfit!  Between our classic personalized dresses and some new styles we've added to the collection, we figured it was a good time to showcase our favorite toddler birthday dresses. 

The ribbon ruffle sundress is one of our newest additions to the AnnaBean collection from designer MudPie. 

This adorable ensemble features a cotton dress with grosgrain halter neck and layers of pleated chiffon and a coordinating headband.  

Girls Personalized Clothing

Our personalized pique dresses provide a dressy birthday look for girl with a classic dress and a grosgrain ribbon sash that ties in a bow at the back.  These monogrammed dresses are a wonderful keepsake that can get a new look each wear with multiple interchangeable sash colors.  

Finally, push girl's birthday outfit over the top with headbands, hair clips and other accessories.  For winter birthdays, leggings and a warm sweater will keep her warm and give her outfit a modern layered look.