Finding Inspiration in the Trenches

In the final weeks of my pregnancy with Norah I spent hours gently rocking in my chair in the nursery dreaming of her face. This was my first pregnancy where the need to nest was strong! I found project after project to pour every ounce of my love into her little space, so that when she joined us she could feel our love radiating all around her. Daily reminders of how treasured she is.

If you’re an expecting mother then you probably know what nesting is. If that term is unfamiliar to you, it refers to the stage in a woman’s pregnancy when she feels the intense urge to prepare for her babies arrival. This. Was. Me. I made wall art. Antiqued an old rocking chair. Painted walls. Organized clothes. Scrubbed floor boards...there was no end to the need to just DO. From the outside I’m sure my husband just saw frenzy, but for me it was a way to utilize my nervous energy and creativity to celebrate Norah’s arrival.

The best work from my nesting days will always be the crib mobile that I made her. Being in the forest has been a place of peace and inspiration for me since I was a child and I wanted to find a way to bring the feeling of being in nature into Norah’s nursery. Right away I knew I wanted felt animals for her mobile. I knew the natural textiles would invoke the atmosphere I was striving to achieve in the nursery. I scoured Pinterest for woodland animal inspiration and the design began to take shape in my minds eye. The little wolf had a pack over one shoulder and the fox had a tribal headband. It was boho cuteness overload, modern, and completely unique. These sweet little critters were paired with a floral chandelier that was hand-crafted for the ceremony when Sam and I were married. It seemed fitting that Norah should have that. She was a surprise honeymoon baby after all! I was glowing when I hung that floral chandelier monstrosity and I swear when she’s done with it one day I will hang it over my own bed!!

I didn’t know it at the time, but Norah’s felt crib mobile was the seed that Nested Chick would sprout from. I hungered for new meaning in my work, something to draw upon my creativity, and enable me to cherish these days with my children instead of struggle through them because work demands superseded all else. When I decided I was ready to take a leap of faith and strike out on my own to create something new that was when Nested Chick began to blossom in my heart.

Choosing a product to be the foundation for my Amazon business was no roll of the dice. I don’t like risk. I like calculated certainty and return on investment...this was going to be scary enough without launching a product that would be a gamble. I started my research overflowing with ideas and the more I learned the more potential products I crossed off my list of ideas. It was disheartening and I started to get worried that I wouldn’t find my niche.

One night Norah was extra fussy from teething and I was rocking her in my chair in the nursery. I was beyond exhausted. My eyes were heavy, my head was aching, and I was sure I wouldn’t survive another sleepless night. As I held my baby in my arms I leaned my head back and gazed up at the ceiling and there it was. This gorgeous crib mobile that I had crafted for Norah in anticipation of her arrival. I couldn’t help but smile. It reminded me that there was a time that I was anxious for these sleepless nights just so I could hold her in my arms. It reminded me that the love I have for her has no limits because she filled me with joy before I even knew her. In that moment I felt more awake than I had in years because I was suddenly overcome with anticipation.

I want to touch the lives of expecting mothers and their little angels. I want the whimsy in my creations to inspire children to dream, to let their imaginations run away. I want their parents to experience the joy of seeing the world through the eyes of their precious gifts. To see these dancing critters casting shadows on the walls and hear giggles filling up the nursery. To create a modern heirloom that mesmerizes each of their children as their family grows.

I promise to always treat you like family because to me you are. I promise that every mobile is handcrafted to the highest standard and if I wouldn’t hang it in my own children’s nursery, then it isn‘t ready for yours. I promise that I will never recommend a product I haven’t used under my own roof and in my daily life. I promise to always be transparent and honest. I may stumble and fall, but I hope you will accept me as I am. A woman with flaws who laughs too loud and a mother with a big heart.

Nested Chick is me. A mother of three relishing a simple life on her nest with three little chickadees.

Nested Chick is every expecting mother anxiously preparing for the arrival of their sweet blessing.

Nested Chick isn’t a brand it’s an ideal that together as mothers we will better serve our children in community as a tribe of like-minded and compassionate lady warriors. Thank you for making my dreams come true.