This room has definitely been a labor of love; I have made a lot of the things you'll see in this room. I'm especially proud of the fact that I used quite a bit color in here. Don't get me wrong, I like colorful rooms; but I tend to be quite the color phobe when decorating in my own home. I admit without shame- I love beige. It's easy and I never suffer from color remorse.
This room has been constantly evolving ever since I began updating it from Cameron's first nursery to a big boy room, and finally to a shared gender neutral room for a baby and toddler.
I started building the bookshelf last July and applied the last coat of stain in December. Truth be told, this is my absolute least favorite piece of furniture I've built, from a construction stand point . I can see nailheads and a few shelves are slightly bowed; it bothers me because it reflects my poor craft, but I cut myself a little slack knowing that I have learned from the mistakes I made. Regardless, this piece is functional and is very solid. And I do love the color of the stain.
I found the green storage crates at Target for throwing random toys in. I love that fish tank (so does Cameron!)- we've had it over 6 months and I have cleaned it only once. It's the perfect size and has a great, quiet filter.
If you remember, I built the oversized abacus last spring, and never got around to hanging it up. Finally, it has a place on the wall! Cameron is always counting the beads.
I decided to keep the rocking chair around even though space is tight in this room. We read books in this spot every day and night, and it's nice to have a place to feed Kylie in the wee hours of the morning.
I know alphabet posters are super popular (and perhaps a bit overdone) in kids rooms right now, but I personally love the trend! I made this one up in InDesign and picked colors I thought would go well in the room. I sent it to mpix.com do the printing (same place I print all my photos) and put it in a frame I already had laying around.
I had a really hard time looking for a nice coat rack for this room. I had a few requirements (inexpensive, lots of hooks) and never could find one I really liked. I spotted a utility rack (like one you'd hang brooms and mops on) at Target, and jazzed it up with wooden dowel caps from Hobby Lobby. I used the same paint from the abacus, so it matches perfectly.
The other side of the room is pretty bare. I recently decided not to put the energy into getting more stuff on the walls, since we're going to be selling our house VERY soon (we hope to get it ready and have it listed by the end of summer)! I'm already dreaming of gender specific rooms and can't wait to do a girly room for Kylie.
This is the toddler bed I built for Cameron last fall when he climbed out of his crib. I built the bed in about 5 hours, but it took about 2 weeks to stain since it was so hot and humid at that point. See that pillow on his bed?
I always said that I wouldn't be the type of parent that let their kid plaster their room in Disney characters (nothing wrong with that, just not my cup o' tea), but I thought a Buzz Lightyear pillow wouldn't hurt. Cameron loves Toy Story and there wasn't a great selection for boy fabrics at JoAnn's when I went last week. He loves it and well, so do I. =)
Even though the room isn't complete, I'm so happy that it contains my passion and hobby of being able to make things for my family. We spend a lot of time in this room- it is very well loved!
Until next time!
