We made a few small updates to Clara’s nursery wall while we’re busy with some kitchen work (more on that tomorrow). Since we’ve been gradually growing her gallery wall as she gets older, we wanted to share the updated layout and explain what’s in each frame. Here’s how the wall looked before:
And here’s the arrangement after adding a few more frames and shifting a couple of pieces:
Below is a quick rundown of the framed items on the wall:
- John’s baby photo and my (Sherry’s) baby photo — a fun comparison that Clara enjoys looking at.
- A playful doodle of our dog Burger that a friend drew on Facebook; we printed and framed it.
- An Etsy print of a girl and her dog that reminds us of Clara and Burger.
- A personalized canvas that says “Clara Kenley.”
- A bright, stylized photo of Burger in a field of flowers that I edited and printed.
- Two faux butterflies mounted in a small shadow box with patterned paper backing.
- A homemade silhouette of Clara cut from paper and placed on striped paper.
- A giraffe print (Clara’s a big giraffe fan, along with puppies).
- A framed magazine ad with a giraffe that we liked and displayed for fun.
- A large letter P decoupaged with colorful paper for a playful touch.
- A typographic print of peas in a pod made from repeated letter P’s — extra meaningful since our last name is Petersik.
- A silhouette of Burger that John had made years ago, backed with patterned paper to fit the nursery vibe.
- Clara’s hospital bracelet, glued to pink construction paper and placed in a chunky, glass-free frame.
- A cute Sweet’n Low magazine ad with an owl that we framed for enjoyment.
Several of these items were low- or no-cost: the baby photos, the Burger doodle, the stylized Burger print, the magazine ads, and Clara’s hospital bracelet were all either things we already owned or prints we made ourselves. It’s a great way to add personality to a room without spending much, and the pieces keep Clara entertained during diaper changes.
Many of these pieces originally hung in Clara’s first nursery as well, but in a slightly different arrangement. We like rotating and reusing favorites to keep the space familiar but fresh.
One of our favorite parts of the wall is the pair of baby photos. Clara loves pointing and saying “Daddy baby!” and “Mommy baby!” — we enjoy comparing features and guessing who she resembles more. Here’s John’s baby photo up close:
And here’s mine:
We both love that our mouths are wide open in the photos. Who do you think Clara looks like more? We’d love to hear which side you’re on.
Most of the family insists she looks like John, though I see a bit of myself in her too — perhaps I’m biased. Either way, the gallery wall is a simple, personal touch that grows with her and keeps the nursery cheerful and engaging.