This is the story of Cuddle and Kind…and Hudson the Polar Bear. Recently, while searching endlessly online for black and white “babystuff”- toys, clothing, decorations for the woodland nursery- this image kept popping up of these irresistibly adorable hand-crafted toys.
Something about their sweetness caught my eye, so I clicked on the link and discovered this cuddly world of wonder…with a twist. These beautifully hand-knit dolls were created for one reason…to eradicate childhood hunger around the world.
The dolls are lovingly hand crafted in Peru by local artisans-and the effects of the sales of these adorable dolls are far reaching.
The mission?
For every doll sold, ten meals are provided for children around the world who would otherwise go hungry. Where do those meals go, you ask??
Such an amazing goal!
After browsing through page after page of cuddly cuteness, I chose this particular doll-Hudson the Polar Bear-because he is black and white (naturally) and has a woodland feel to him. And he is super cute and super soft. Check out the fineness of the stitching!
So Hudson the Polar Bear is now resting comfortably in his new home-perched on the crib in the Black & White Woodland Nursery. And he’s happy knowing that he is spreading the word, and the kindness, of the folks at Cuddle and Kind. Who, at this writing, have provided over 10 MILLION meals for hungry children.
To honor that remarkable achievement, the family of Cuddle and Kind is having a contest…enter for a chance to win an elephant or two! This is a win-win…you win a pair of elephants, more hungry children are fed. The message of kindness is spread.
Along with Hudson the Polar Bear doll, I purchased a whimsical print that pairs beautifully with the theme of the baby nursery…and also provides an additional 5 meals to the Cuddle and Kind mission! Simple and sweet…You Can Move Mountains…for our new little bear.
Whom, by the way, has finally entered the world! Our new infant grandson is quite camera-shy so I’m not posting any pics of him. But I will tell you that his name is Torin (which translates to chief in Gaelic…the perfect name for a child who will be moving mountains someday.) So, if you head over to Cuddle and Kind …to browse or hopefully purchase one of these amazing dolls…be sure to tell them that Torin sent you! Have a kind and cuddly day, everyone.
xoxo Susan
I’d forgotten how teeny tiny newborn babies are until my daughter showed me a sweet little onesie from H & M-this dresser should be adequate for quite awhile! It was one that I had refurbished a few years ago for my own “nana-nursery” when our first grandson was born.
I’ve really not had much use for it, since I have a bookcase and a changing table with loads of storage. So I offered it up to her for the black and white nursery. Originally, the entire dresser was stained brown. For my room, I had repainted it with teal accents
and used a vintage map for the door inset. (and yes, the map is upside down-I never noticed it, even after I hung the door and placed the dresser in the nursery : O )
But, that old map print wasn’t going to work for the black and white woodland nursery! As it just so happened, I did have some pieces of 
Using that, I replaced the map with the birch trees, instantly transforming the dresser from nautical to natural!
Along with the map, the handles-which were teal blocks of wood-needed a change as well.
You know, the thing about 
Then I sanded down the drawers, restained and then polyurethaned them, as well as the dresser top and the door frame surrounding the birch paper. Although the little wood plugs didn’t take the stain as well as the rest of the wood, the contrast was barely noticeable once the twig knobs were added.
The rest of the dresser was painted in 
Another project done, more to go! And baby still hasn’t made his appearance, much to his mommy’s chagrin. Next up, the art of the nursery. xoxo Susan
I put together this flannel quilt with fabrics I chose from the vast selection at 
There were so many to choose from, I had a difficult time deciding.
But, in keeping with the overall woodland theme, I went for the same types of fabrics-
trees and mountains and leaves and baby animals-along with a few inspirational quotes for the baby-to-be.
All in black and white and framed in graphic black and gray buffalo check.
This soft flannel quilt is not hand stitched-at this point in my life I have neither the patience nor the inclination to produce that type of quilting masterpiece. Instead, it is machine stitched and machine washable-perfect for a typical messy baby : )
Two pieces of fleece, any size, back to back. Cut squares into the corners, cut along the edge in 1-2 inch increments all the way around. The wider the cut, the fatter the fringe. The deeper the cut, the longer the fringe. Then you just tie knots to attach front to back. Warm and soft and very cute-and also machine washable!
Even though they are white, they do a nice job of blocking out the late afternoon sun that beams into the nursery. Pillows-the graphic one from 
The first step was to decide on the scope and scale of the mountains, then tape them off. There is no right or wrong here-the only thing I did measure was the angle of the mountain tops to keep them in some sort of symmetry.
Once the sky was dry, we started with the light colored mountains, then layered the darker ones on top as we built the range. There was quite a bit of taping and re-taping as we went along. Just remember that the paint needs to dry and cure before you re-tape over it-otherwise it will peel right off with the tape!
Once that was completed, we re-assembled the gray 
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