Another fun tweak to the nursery has been the addition of a Nate Berkus Tortoise Shell, or as my kids call it the “turtle shell”. My older son loves the turtle shell so much, he made a strong case to have it installed in his superhero room or to trade rooms with his brother. But, it ultimately works best in the animal themed nursery.
I had little interest in the rest of the Nate Berkus collection…it was too masculine for my tastes. I found the diamond rug for my kitchen and other than that the only thing that caught my eye was the tortoise shell. I was convinced my son’s animal theme nursery needed a tortoise shell.
Getting the actual turtle shell was an event all it’s own. When the Nate Berkus line came out my Target hardly had anything. I checked a few days in a row and then I finally spotted an employee putting out some of the bedding line. I knew it was a long shot, but I asked if they had the tortoise shells. It was obvious they were not as familiar with the line as I was, but they were so very helpful.
At one point I think there were three Target employees helping me. There was limited information and no proper product name for the turtle shells online, so the Target team members were trying to figure out just how to look up the stock on their scanners. They finally found out they did have them in stock somewhere in a box in the stock room. They brought the whole box out to the floor for me, so I could see the green, mustard, and cream shells first hand. I picked the cream and thanked them profusely for all their help. They went off to figure out where to put the turtle shells on the floor, and figure out how much other Nate stuff was hiding in the stock room.
I merrily went to the register with my turtle shell and a few other items…only to discover I left my wallet at home. Ugh! The cashier was awesome and offered to put everything on hold for me. I went back later that evening to pick up my goods.
The turtle shell is perfect for the nursery. It was well worth the wait to find it. Nate’s version is about half the price or more of other decorative turtle shells. The cream looks amazing against the dark plumage walls.
When I installed the shelves over the desk cabinet, I displaced the paper letter name bunting. The turtle shell was looking a little lonely over in the other corner. I hung the name bunting above the turtle shell. I think it makes the turtle shell feel like a crest or shield. There is a bit of pageantry to the name bunting hanging above it.
Once we get the room situated with a new big boy bed, I think the turtle shell and name bunting will find a new home above the headboard. Until then the shell is happy hanging in the corner with the convex mirror.
I had to have that turtle shell…in white as well! And like you, it’s the only Nate Berkus for Target item that I’ve purchased, though there are a couple other things that I have my eye on:). It looks great in your nursery!!
Thanks Beth. Just curious…what else are you eyeing in the line?
Looks great against those dark walls. Ladies be sure to check out the coupons on Targets website. I printed one for 20% of any Nate Berkus decor item!
Great tip Patrina! I always forget to check the website…I think I am afraid it will make me want to buy everything I see a coupon for. Target is good at sucking me in like that :)
How big is the shell?
Kerry, I don’t know the exact dimensions, but it is somewhere near 16 x 20 inches.
How funny…I looked at that shell as well for my daughter’s room! (Her Kindergarten class was the turtle room.) It was too big for us since we have a small shelf I wanted white accessories on, so I bought a REAL shell off of etsy and will be painting it myself :-)
Great solution Gina. I had no idea you could buy a real turtle shell, but I guess that makes sense. I love turtles! In college (I studied Biology) I got to do volunteer work with sea turtles. They are so cool.
Just in case anyone else is curious, here are links to the green turtle shell and the yellow turtle shell.
Love the aqua color in the mirror! Do you know brand/ name of the exact color…. Do you mind sharing it please?
Thanks
Julie
Thank you Julie! All the details on the mirror makeover are right here: http://www.tealandlime.com/2012/07/convex-nursery-mirror/
Question….loving the curtains…where are they from??
Hi Mandy. The curtains were a DIY project from a shower curtain. You can read about them here: http://www.tealandlime.com/2012/01/no-sew-shower-curtain-curtains-tutorial/