A great start to decorating a nursery for baby is basing the design on a theme. Once you have one in mind, in the form of trim, wallpaper, a themed crib, bedding, drapes, or even a picture, build on it by picking colors and designs from the theme. Dont forget to include the furniture in your theme. Great accents include the frames of the door and window, shelving, the closet, and the crib. Let your imagination soar, and babys will too.

Boy theme ideas

• Bugs, Lizards and Frogs: Friendly ants, green frogs on lily pads, geckos, yellow and black bees, and dragonflies. These themes are full of interesting and contrasting colors, and are great to acquaint baby with the creatures hes going to share his world with. Match accent paints to the theme, such as yellow and black for bees, or green and brown for lizards.

• Sports: Lots of action, shapes, and color. Football, soccer, hockey, baseball. Extend the theme, such as buying a baseball-shaped lamp, sports pendants for the walls, and a crib painted with soccer balls.

• Race Cars: White and black checkered flags, metallic blue and red cars, and bright yellow dotted finish lines are a great, exciting choice. Look for pictures of race cars for the walls, perhaps a race track pattern for the carpet, and shelves with toy cars.

Girl theme ideas

• Fairies and Elves: Gossamer wings and friendly, feminine faces - though Legolas fits this picture, were thinking more of a Victorian flower elf theme! Wands with sparkling magic, waterfalls, and fairies flying between lilies would make great wallpaper. Soft pinks, frosty blues, lavenders and glitter makes great accents. There are many fairy and flower-themed cribs available.

• Pink Princess: Always a favorite. Silver crowns, tiaras flowing gowns and glass slippers. One idea is to design the nursery as a room in a fairytale castle, complete with a decorate canopy crib, soft stone walls with stenciled vines, and furniture accented with gauze.

• Butterflies and Bees: The multiple hues of butterfly wings and metallic colors of dragonflies make a great theme. The lush greens of trees, red flowers and blue water compliment the room. Make or buy butterflies to stick to the crib, the curtains and the lamps.

Themes for both boys or girls

• Sports and Activities: Soccer is great for both boys and girls, as well as swimming, softball and horseback riding. Pick a theme and build on it. For soccer, think of the geometric shapes of the ball, for swimming think of water, goggles and the lines of a pool, and for horseback riding think of the stirrup and natural colors of the outdoors.

• Moon and Stars: Sprinkle the room with yellows and whites, and think of moon cutouts and the glow of moonlight. There are lots of moon and star bedding sets, so send your imagination into outer space!

• Teddy Bears: Always a favorite. Create borders of teddy bears, have plenty of the stuffed animals on shelves, and paint the room in browns, yellows, blues and reds. Think of bowties, stripes, polka dots, and teddy bear stencils.

If you dont feel like any one theme, just use color! Stripes, geometric shapes, borders, checker patterns, polka dots, and whimsical designs. Balance it with a calm background, and your nursery will be the perfect sanctuary, and baby will be stimulated by the wild colors and designs.