Being from a big family, and wanting a big family, (mixed with a bit of stubborn and strong willed genes) I don't want any of my kids to feel like they were "left out" or didn't get the same treatment as their siblings. (Full disclosure - I don't feel like I was left out in my family, or any of my siblings for that matter.) I am an avid crafter and creator. I love to make things. When I'm pregnant and designing baby's nursery, I like to make as much of it as I can. It helps me anticipate and "spend time" with baby - if that makes sense. This little dude is getting a "woodland" themed nursery. I am so blessed to be able to have the space I need for baby to get his own room! When I was planning out how I wanted the layout, I knew I wanted a way to display my Wild Bird ring sling and other fun decorations. I got the idea to use of of the branches that fell in our yard this winter. (Thank you snow storm + security camera for capturing the break!)

(freakiest thing ever to hear that crack and then be able to see it! Luckily all the dogs were inside and my house or fence was not hit!)

     I started out by gathering my things. I had saved a branch that was pretty level on one side and the perfect thickness in my garage so it could dry out until I was ready for it. Then after a quick stop to Home Depot, I got some cup hooks and hanging brackets. 

      My log was a bit longer than I needed, so I set up my Miter Saw in the garage and trimmed it down to my liking. (My neighbor came over and started talking to me thinking I was Danny, nope! Haha! Little does he know that these are my tools too!) 

     After that I measured about every 4 inches and drilled some pilot holes for my cup hooks to screw into

     Before I screwed in the hooks, I flipped it over and found the two flattest points on the log and marked where they were. Since my log isn't straight and is an organic item, I didn't worry too much about making sure these were perfectly level - I ended up just eyeballing it. Once marked, I hammered in my hanging brackets. 

      Then I was able to flip it back to the front. I had already decided how I wanted it to hang, so I just started screwing in the hooks. It took all of like 30 seconds to do 5 of them.

     With all the hardware installed, I was able to take it upstairs to the nursery and hang it up! Once again, since it's an organic object - I didn't worry too much about it being level, I simply held it up to the wall and marked where the hanging brackets were with a pencil. As soon as I got it hung up, I started staging it! That's the best part when you make something - seeing how it all comes together! I'm very pleased with how this turned out! It goes with the feel of the room perfectly, and better yet, it's another check off my "Before Baby" list! What do you think?