Crochet Bunny. Bunny Rocker. Claris Book. Claris Fashion Book. White Farmhouse. Teal Townhouse. Bottle Brush Trees.

Photography of Georgina and I by McKenzie Coyle Photography

When I was a little girl, my mom would decorate my bedroom for Christmas. I had a garland with ornaments and pink velvet bows hanging over my head and a little tree with my favorite ornaments in the corner. I remember feeling so special when I put on my holiday pajamas and got into bed. Even though Georgie is far too little to understand Christmas or even remember the decorations, my mom and I wanted to create a little Christmas magic in her room. (Mostly one of us would watch Georgie while the other decorated!)

I’ve had a lot of people ask about the ribbon in my main Christmas tree and I did it exactly how I ribboned Georgie’s tree, just on a larger scale. You’ll need to get wired ribbon from a craft store like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. The key is to cut pieces between 8-24 inches, depending on your tree, and tuck them into the branches at random diagonals as if they are woven throughout the tree. Do this after you add your lights but before you put any ornaments on.

The ornaments came from Hobby Lobby, Target, Caitlin Wilson Design, and Neiman Marcus. There are far too many to link individually, but I did link one of my favorites in the slide below. I also linked these darling holiday houses I used to make a little snow village for Georgie; they’re absolutely darling and you could really add them anywhere in your home. I added some snow fluff and vintage-inspired bottle brush trees for a little charm. I linked most of the snow village setup in the slide below.

Georgie loves looking at her girly Christmas tree and little snow village each day. And I have to admit, I appreciate having such a pretty view as I spend so much of my time in her nursery with her. Feeding her, changing her, and rocking her while I enjoy pretty holiday decorations has been a blessing throughout these busy new-baby weeks.

If slide above is not appearing, please click here to view and shop items pictured in this blog post.

Map Illustration by Lori Burt.

Out of all my content, travel guides are probably my favorite to write and create. I love sharing the little details that make a destination truly special. I spend hours going through photos I’ve taken, trying to find the one that conveys the spirit of a place best; one that gets it just right. Which is why I was a little sad I wasn’t able to share our incredible driving trip through the United Kingdom with you last year, even though I had the best reason possible.

Upon returning from our trip, I discovered I was pregnant with Georgina and began experiencing morning sickness almost immediately. I had planned to wrap gifts, pack up our car, and work on my travel guides while on the way and while at my family’s home for Christmas. But I soon found out it was nearly all I could do to sit in the car and not be sick. I had serious morning sickness nonstop well into February. And by then, spring was around the corner and it seemed strange to share photos of chilly London and Christmas in the Cotswolds, so I waited and am happy to share with you a year later.

If you like this type of content, I’ve created many different travel guides you can search in the search bar or and browse in the ‘Travel’ category on this site. I also documented a similar driving trip through France – you can find the detailed itinerary here with links to travel guides for each destination.

This trip was less structured than our France driving trip because I lived in London when I was young and my mother’s family still lives in Wales, so I was more familiar with these places than the ones we visited in France and we didn’t need travel guides to interpret and explore new sites. And this trip was all about a cozy Christmas journey through the United Kingdom. Personally, I love the U.K. during the winter because their winters are very mild, all the holiday decorations are up, and the pubs feel extra cozy on a damp, chilly day. While our France trip focused on a spring/summer vacation, this trip is focused on seeing Christmas sights, venturing out to a few Christmas markets, and being cozy. Enjoy!

London

London Holiday Travel Guide

Is there a better place to experience the holiday season than London? I think not. The windows are bedecked in the most tasteful holiday decor, the doormen are wearing wool uniforms with gold buttons, and there are Christmas markets and holiday events galore. We stayed at the classic Stafford Hotel in London which was within walking distance to everything we wanted to see, but the newly opened Belmond Cadogan Hotel is also on my list since its in my old stomping grounds. I’ll touch on all my favorite holiday stops in the city in my upcoming London Christmas Travel Guide.

Allow a few days in the city to soak in the magic of Christmas done the British way, then head out toward the countryside to relax, stopping at Shakespeare’s birthplace Stratford-Upon-Avon for lunch and a bit of a walk. I suggest stopping through on a Sunday when you can enjoy a delicious Sunday roast at one of the original pubs; there’s nothing like a cozy pub meal on a chilly day. There was a charming Christmas market going on when we passed through as well.

Wales

Wales Travel Guide

Continue the drive from Stratford-Upon-Avon into the northern part of Wales where fluffy wild ponies wander in beautiful Snowdonia National Park. Stay at Palé Hall, a stunning castle with an incredible restaurant tucked into the misty edges of Snowdonia. Wales is a romantic, mystical place; there’s something very special about it that you’ll feel as soon as you arrive. Waking up at Palé Hall felt like an absolute dream, from breakfast served bedside by the fireplace to seeing the ponies in the field and the forest surrounding us outside our windows.

Allow a couple of days to explore Snowdonia Park, walk through the impressive Harlech Castle, and meander the Isle of Anglesey where Prince William and Duchess Catherine lived when they were first married. I loved the seaside village of Aberystwyth where I purchased Welsh gold jewelry from the family-owned jeweler, Rhiannon. And I’m quite partial to my great grandmother’s home of Swansea, where wild waves crash against the vibrant seaside village known as Mumbles.

As you make your drive toward The Cotswolds stay at Thornbury Castle, an actual Tudor castle set amongst original English gardens dating back to the 1200’s. The castle has a fantastic restaurant nestled in between stone walls with a cozy fireplace, so there’s no need to venture out for dinner.

The Cotswolds

English Countryside Travel Guide

While on your way from Thornbury Castle, you may want to make a few stops in the English countryside. Bristol and Bath are main cities along the way, and I wouldn’t miss the charming villages of Castle Combe and Lacock.

The Cotswolds were probably my favorite part of this trip. John and I both love the country; pulling on our wool and wellies and mucking about if necessary. We enjoyed the more peaceful pace of the Cotswolds, the charming villages, and quaint restaurants. During this time of year there are Christmas markets galore here – I think we went to one in nearly every village we visited. With spiced wine and holiday carolers and little stands selling cozy things, it’s definitely worth making the rounds.

We stayed in our own cozy little cottage at Dormy House, which manages to create a space that simultaneously captures the quaint nature of the Cotswolds with the sumptuous interiors and fine dining of a luxury hotel. You’ll feel torn between having a slow morning, a day at their beautiful spa, and dinner at their restaurant… Or going out and about, exploring the charming Cotswolds villages. Luckily, you can do both. Dormy House is outside the village of Broadway, which was my favorite we visited. But I would allow at least a few days to visit the surrounding villages such as Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Norton, Burford, and Upper and Lower Slaughters. Allow a half day for lunch and shopping at the exquisite Daylesford Organic Farm near Kingham.

Back to London

On your way back into the city, I would suggest stopping to tour Blenheim Palace and visit the city of Oxford. Blenheim always has an absolutely stunning Christmas display throughout the house (you can purchase tickets ahead – it’s worth every penny) and had a charming Christmas market going on while we were there. I would plan to visit Blenheim in the morning and leave after lunch, stopping in Oxford in the afternoon, and planning to arrive back in London in the evening. I would allow another night or two in London before you leave since there’s inevitably something that couldn’t be squeezed into the first stay.

Nursery Designed by DeWitt Designs

Photographed by McKenzie Coyle Photography

When I first thought about Georgina’s nursery I knew that, first and foremost, I wanted this to be a room that could grow with her. I also wanted to capture my own style; all things classic, European influenced, and most of all… cozy and comfortable. But I also wanted to incorporate the things that inspired me while I was pregnant with my daughter. During my pregnancy, I felt especially drawn to gardens; I would browse the picturesque English country gardens in magazines (my camera roll is full of them) and walk through our local garden center endlessly, breathing in the floral fragrances and admiring the newest blooms. I even had my baby shower in a Victorian conservatory at the Denver Botanic Gardens. My love of gardening comes from my father and his father before him… And being out in nature, amongst the flowers, has healed my spirit more times than I can count. My hope for Georgina – my little “Bunny” – is that she appreciates nature as much as her ancestors have and that she allows it to restore her and give her peace when she needs it most. I hope that when she feels lost, she can return to nature and find herself again, as I have.

I hadn’t expected to get pregnant so quickly, so I hadn’t done any preparation whatsoever. When I realized I was pregnant, the “nursery” was still an extra storage room filled with shelves of craft materials and PR boxes and the closet was full of my out-of-season clothing. It took my mom flying out a few times and helping me empty the room, donate the furniture and clothing, and sort so many photographs and mementos to finally get the room ready to decorate. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her – it felt so overwhelming at the beginning, but my mom is a saint and helped me through it. Luckily, this coincided with my nesting and as we went through everything I realized something important… Less clutter means more happiness. It’s true. The more things we hauled away to donate, the happier I became and the more clarity I felt in my mind. It’s one of the main reasons I don’t blog the same way I used to, featuring new clothing and items every day.

Once we emptied the room and closet, I began working on Georgina’s closet organization; you can see a blog post on this here. And then someone came to prepare the walls for wallpaper and fabric trim. I’ve included the “before” photos in black and white below.

The final step was the “install” – window treatments, moving in furniture, and adding the finishing touches with decor. DeWitt Designs (along with my mom!) created the perfect dream garden for my little girl; it’s now my favorite room in the house. I was concerned about the small size of the room, but I was surprised to see that the window treatments and beautiful furniture actually made Georgina’s little nursery feel much larger and more open! I still find myself walking into it in disbelief, unsure if this room is really the same one that was lined with shelves of ribbon, boxes of photos, and piles of new beauty products just a year ago. It’s incredible to see the transformation. We all love to spend time in Georgina’s nursery; it really is such a peaceful, tranquil space for us to enjoy.

Most of the items in Georgie’s nursery are custom from DeWitt Designs. If you’re interested in the draperies, light fixture, crib, bookcase, dresser, chair, side table, or dresser/changing table you will need to contact them to order and discuss color/paint/design options. A few things I like about these pieces are the bookcase, which has dimmable lights to showcase items on the shelves, soft-close doors, and slide-out shelves in the lower section for easy access to toys and books. The chair has a removable Sunbrella fabric slipcover to make it durable and washable in the event of stains and spills. The changing table topper removes to become a dresser Georgina can always use. And the light fixture was custom painted to make the colors a bit softer in line with the rest of the room and includes moveable magnetic crystals. I do know the wallpaper is called “Romey’s Garden” by Zoffany and we used a sweet fabric trim to create a less formal feel than crown molding.

We were given such sweet gifts from friends and I’ve even incorporated items from my own childhood room in Georgina’s nursery, but I’m including the sources for absolutely everything I could find after the second set of photos below.

Bed

Restoration Hardware Bedding. Hermès Small Check Knit Blanket. Small Crochet Bunny. Soft White Stuffed Bunny. Owlet Camera and Sock.

Please note the pillows and blankets are taken out of the crib when Georgina naps in it. We hope to remove the front crib panel and turn this into an upholstered reading nook when Georgina is older, so we wanted the pillows to match and I honestly don’t mind taking them out each time she sleeps; I think they look beautiful when the bed is made!

Room Accents

Sherpa Bunny Rocker. Hermès Baby Blanket on Chair. Porcelain Bunny Lamp. Silk Lamp Cord Cover. Gold Bee Frame. 18K Gold Ribbon Frame from Gorsuch – Similar Here. Hermès Baby Shoes.

Bookcase

Leather Bound Books: Charlotte’s Web. Winnie the Pooh. Peter Rabbit. Anne of Green Gables. The Secret Garden. Black Beauty. A Little Princess. Heidi. The Wizard of Oz.

Top Shelf: Vintage Wedgwood Peter Rabbit Coin Bank: from my childhood room – One Available Here. Jemima Puddleduck, Ducklings + Egg, and Peter Rabbit all by R. John Wright.

Second Shelf: Floppy Bunny. Hermès Silver Rocking Horse Teething Ring. Gold Bee Frame. Linen Box from Laura Murray Photography. Pink Rosette Baby Shoes from Gracious May.

Third Shelf: Blankets, Quilt, Silver Spoon: Gifts From Friends. Antique British Plate + Plate Holder: from my childhood room. Bunnies By the Bay Ballerina Bunny. Reed & Barton Turtle Music Box. Reed & Barton Ladybug Music Box.

Fourth Shelf: Pink Bunny: Gift From Friend. Vintage Royal Albert Beatrix Potter Figurine “Hunca Munca”: Gift From Friend – One Available Here. Sonogram Frame.

Bottom Shelf: Vintage Royal Albert Beatrix Potter Figurine “Jemima Puddleduck”: Gift From Friend – One Available Here. Mackenzie Childs Sugar Bowl.

Changing Table

Wedgwood Gold Oval Mirror. Changing Pad. Pink Changing Pad Cover. Vintage Peter Rabbit: from my childhood room – One Available Here. Pipette Baby Oil. Pipette Baby Balm. Bunny Painting: from my childhood room (matted in fabric scrap from the drapes!)