River's Nursery | Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

River’s Nursery | Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

Decorating has NEVER been a strong suit for me, so I’m pretty proud of how this outdoor themes boy nursery came together! In fact, I have more empty picture frames on my walls than I do framed pictures- so this is a BIG deal for me. As a photographer… that’s BAD. I think my lack of decorating ability stems from my inability to make decisions. I know… I know. SO silly. Decorations can easily be changed out. ha! It’s the 7 in me, I’m sure of it.

It didn’t take me long to hop on Pinterest to search for nursery theme inspiration. I was quickly drawn to an outdoorsy theme with subtle greens, blacks, and browns. Everything that was popping up on Pinterest just seemed SO trendy or over the top. I also learned that I’m not a huge fan of super baby-baby related things. The baby woodland theme was cute, but just not right for us for River’s room.

The Crib | Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

So, how did this room come together? The first thing I bought was the crib. It popped up on an Instagram ad while I was scrolling and I fell in LOVE with it. It’s The Winston from Million Dollar Baby.

This particular style of crib was out of stock for a while, but I finally got my hands on it and I’m so glad I did! The crib was a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but it converts to a toddler bed and then to a full size. It’s a piece that I plan to hold on to for years and years to come.

Originally, I planned to invest in all new furniture for his room, but once we started looking around at the pieces we already owned and had in the house we thought we could try to use them! Cha-Ching! Drew loved the sound of this because it meant we didn’t have to buy a rocking chair, diaper changing station (currently using a beverage station- LOL), side table, or a dresser. Seriously, talk about saving some cash! The best part, they were all already in the black/brown style that I was desiring for the overall nursery look.

Another reason why I think I dread decorating is that I can’t imagine spending money on most of the decorations. 😂 If you have followed me for any amount of time you probably know I’m more experience driven. So I will choose an epic adventure over pretty curtains any day. However, 2020 kinda wrecked those travel plans and made me realize how much I do enjoy a put-together home- Drew does too! So it became my mission to figure out a way to decorate while spending the least amount possible. Once again we looked around at what we already had around the house.

The Fish| Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

Drew inherited these fish from his grandpa. And this was a rod that Papaw fished with and Drew too- until he snapped it. ha! He brought it home and instead of throwing it out, we hung it on the wall next to those special fish. These fish are from 1972. I really love the history and sentiment of the fish on the wall. Drew loves fishing (in fact he is currently out fishing while I write this!). And our gender reveal incoporated fishing. So it just felt right to have them on the wall. The large map on the wall near the crib is also from Drew’s papaw. It was well loved on, super crinkly, and folded up for years. Drew inherited it also. I took it to Hobby Lobby and had them frame it. It’s the perfect little thing for that wall.

Random Decor| Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

Speaking of Hobby Lobby, I found that Yellowstone print there on clearance for $7. SCORE! ha! The wooden stiched/streched canvas is also a Hobby Lobby find! The painting hiding behind it I painted while at the beach with my family! It was something I saw off Esty and fell in love with so I thought I would give my hand at hand painting it! Pretty much everything else you see decor wise, came from my favorite store- Finder’s Keepers. I have so enjoyed decorating this room and doing it while finding incredible deals.

The Gifts| Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

Lastly, I incorporated gifts! SO MANY GIFTS were perfect for this space. Lots of practical things you see were given to me off our babylist registry! Thank you so much everyone! You made this space practicle and effiecient.

One of my brides surprised us with the most precious cross stitch. She used one of the photos from when we announced that we were pregnant and turned it into a life long keepsake! I cried when I saw it. I love it so so much. My mom gave us the little red boat shelf- I love mini things. (Note the mini tent and tiny hiking boots… heheheh) It was the perfect addition to the top of the dresser. My mom also made River a little bunny last Easter, shortly after we told them we were expecting! He is cuddled up next to the bookshelf. 😍 The little bennie baby dog on the top of the boat shelf we bought while on our honeymoon. Unfortunatly, I don’t remember the exact location were we found him, but Drew and I saw him and decided to buy him with intentions of giving it to a future kiddo one day. For the past 4 years, Fetcher, has been waiting. Hopefully, River will like him as much we do!

The Final Touch| Outdoor Themed Boy Nursery

The Yosemite painting above the crib was a gift from my grandma. And River’s wooden name came from friends in our small group! With a little low temp hot glue places carefully on the frame in a few places I combined them to make the perfect piece for above the crib. I wanted to put a powerful reminder above his crib. Something that would be a reminder and spoken over him daily. I really struggled to find exactly what I would be the perfect thing. The painting of Yosemite couldn’t be more fitting. This is a valley view with the Merced River. Merced is spanish for “mercy”. I want my son to grow up with the constant reminder of God’s forgiveness and unconditional love for him. And I always want him to rest and wake under the meaning and reasoning of the name God gave us for him. That he would have rivers of life flowing from his inner most being. That he would be strong and couragageous and carve pathways through thick stone. That he would be a gentle trickle when neccessary and give life to those around him. That he would connect and be a tributary for something greater than himself.