A Dreamy Nursery Mural

A hazy landscape scene full of personal touches & love

Today, we have another nursery mural to share (though this one was technically painted in 2025)! As I believe about any space, murals (colors, patterns, shapes) have the power to set the emotional tone of a room. And as a firm believer in “fake it till you make it” (aka: show up on the outside and you’ll feel it on the inside), I always want my murals to evoke the feelings you hope to experience while living with them. For this family, that meant peaceful, dreamy vibes.

During our curiosity and foundation-setting session, we used delightfully cliché phrases like “flower power,” “dreamy mountains,” and “soothing peace,” but cliché for all the right reasons. On my end, I wanted this mural to make 3:00 a.m. feedings just a little more bearable. I wanted it to feel like a visual lullaby. And most of all, I wanted to give this sweet new baby girl a space that invites wonder and wandering views every single day (without the bugs and poison ivy, lol).

Planning the Vision

Our goal was to create a mural that melded florals inspired by a mountain-view painting created by a grandparent, honoring their memory in a deeply personal way. We balanced intricate foreground florals with simpler shaped backgrounds to create depth without overwhelming the space. The detailed elements draw you in, while the soft background keeps the room feeling calm and breathable.

The florals weren’t chosen just because they were pretty. They were selected intentionally to represent family and hold personal meaning for these parents. And because color plays an important role in early brain development, we made sure the palette was rich and layered. In total, we incorporated 12 colors (three sets of four ombré tones) to create subtle movement and harmony throughout the wall.

The ultimate goal? To design something that could grow alongside their daughter, from newborn days to toddler adventures to young adolescence, without needing to be redone in a few years.

From Mood Boards to Paint

As always, I create a mood board or two to explore possible directions. We ended up going with the above option and decided to focus on a color palette that was dreamy, hazy, and stayed rooted in teals and blues, blush pinks, and lavender purples. The final design decision we debated was whether to outline the more intricate foreground florals. In the end, we all agreed the outlined version better supported the “detailed but grounded” vision.

And with all of our decisions made, it was time to paint.

(Scroll for some process shots and a little timelapse moment of me in my element. For more content of this project, check out these posts: Before and After, Process Painting, Details and Details)

Restoration Through Creativity

Mural projects are restorative for me, but specifically in the hands-on phase. There’s something about physically painting that gets me out of my head and into my body. It’s similar to why I love dance or making things with my hands in general. It’s an invitation to slow down, quiet my inner critic, zone in, and simply be.

But I won’t lie, sometimes it borders on hyperfixation, and I have to set alarms to remind myself to eat and drink water (and pee, lol). It’s kind of funny if you think about it, because even though I’m slowing down and being in my body, I’m still having trouble recognizing my own cues. But instead of judging myself, I’m learning to work with my patterns instead of against them. It’s hoping that with enough practice, I’ll be able to recognize those cues without an alarm (And accepting that it’s okay if I end up needing those alarms long-term). It’s really just about knowing what you need, and the harder part, actually doing what you need to take care of yourself, right?

It’s important to clarify: it’s only restorative when I’m in the creating zone. Planning, logistics, and problem-solving chaos? It’s not restorative, but it is necessary. It can be fun in the way I think puzzles can be fun; however, they are not the same. That’s why literal, hands-on projects will always be part of my work. And honestly, I think that’s also why my analog hobbies are artful in nature (watercolors, calligraphy, pencil drawings, plate painting, wallpapering, ornament making). I genuinely just like trying things. I’ve adopted this “the first will always be the worst” and “everything is an experiment” mentality as a reminder that as long as I keep trying, I keep getting better. For me, I’m learning that creativity is a form of resilience training. And resilience, like anything else, is a practice in confidence.

working in 2026

2025 was a revealing year. For the second time in my 33 years of life, I prioritized my health (and mental health) above everything else. I slowed down. I said no. (Which felt funny, considering so many people around me were proudly saying “yes” to everything.) I found what calm means for me. I built routines that support it. Not perfectly, of course. Life shifts, and not every self-care box gets checked every day, but it’s been intentional; I’ve been showing up and trying.

And that’s been the key to this mental health journey. These practices, for me, aren’t about perfection. They’re about knowing how to return to myself quicker. Knowing I have grounding tools when my chaos kite lifts me off the ground. Knowing I’m not stranded in depression, anxiety, or stress. I love the Irish translation of sadness as “sadness is upon me” rather than “I am sad.” We aren’t our emotions. They visit us. They move through us. And believe it or not, we have more influence over them than we sometimes think.

So in 2026, while I still have big goals and projects I want to bring into the world, the real focus is self-care sustainability. 2025 was about doing the work: recognizing patterns, running experiments, adjusting variables.
2026 is about protecting what works. Setting loving boundaries. Being intentional so there’s longevity. Doing less so I can show up as more. Holding space for myself so I can show up better for others. And no, this isn’t the toxic “be selfish” narrative that sometimes gets misconstrued around this space. This is grounded, curious, loving self-preservation. The kind that lets you stay creative for the long haul. Because in what sometimes feels like a continual dumpster fire of being a human in this world… we all deserve softness. We all deserve care. Especially from ourselves.

Never stop taking care of yourself.
Never stop envisioning.
Never stop creating.
Never stop living.

Wishing you a healthy, joyful, and magical 2026.