Girl's Bedroom Transformation, Part I

New house, new furnishings.  My three-year-old daughter had outgrown the colorful nursery we designed in our old house and wanted a purple "big girl room."  Achieving her dream was no easy task, because this is the "before" we started with --- a dark, cabin-like bedroom previously occupied, decorated, and loved by an outdoorsy teenage boy:

That's a lot of knotty pine, right???  

We're still working on accessorizing the space, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of part of the room to show what a heckuva lot of Benjamin Moore Atrium White paint can do.  It's the same color used on the millwork through our new home, and the color I chose for the paneling in the adjacent playroom remodel.

With a new Pottery Barn Kids Catalina double bed, PBK lilac bedding, a new nightstand we bought raw and painted Atrium White, and a simple PBK bedside lamp, the room now looks fresh, youthful, light, and cheerful, just like my three-year-old:

The Little Castle black-and-ivory Central Park toile glider in the corner was repurposed from my eldest's old nursery and accessorized with purple and cream silk throw pillows.

The frame over the bed reminds me of the Organic Bloom frames I used in my youngest daughter's nursery, but I actually bought it unfinished from Cut It Out and painted it lilac.  The photograph was taken at my daughters' joint Woodland Fairy birthday party last summer:

The old laminate desktop benefitted from a DIY treatment like I used in the playroom: I used thick amethyst wrapping I paper I had leftover from my youngest's christening party, under a $35 glass top.  Lavender crystal drawer knobs and the lavender-trimmed Napa ruffle chair from PBK complete the look.

That's it for now. Check back again soon for more pictures and details!  Have a great week!

(Are you new to the cul-de-sac?  I blog about nesting, nurturing, reading, traveling, and most of all, celebrating life with my family! If you like what you see, please consider joining the conversation via GFC or email.  I'm trying to get this blog off the ground and would love to get to know you! :)

Sharing with Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, Serenity Now,  Remodelaholic, Not Just a Housewife, DIY By Design, A Stroll Thru Life, Seven Thirty Three, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, French Country Cottage, Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Charm of Home, Tatertots and Jello, Six Sisters Stuff, I Heart Naptime, Homemaker on a Dime, Under the Table and Dreaming, and Making the World Cuter.

Playroom in Progress

Last summer, we moved a few miles down the road to a house more spacious and in a better location than our old one.  We were thrilled by the large, shady yard and the generous interior square footage.  But every home purchase necessitates compromises, and among ours was this: the new house lacked a playroom.  Remember how I desperately dreamed of a playroom while in my previous home? I had to find a way to create the space that my daughters needed to dream and play, and that I needed to maintain my sanity.

So we started with this "before," an upstairs spare bedroom, as decorated by the original owners:

The original blue paint, crazy wallpaper border, and dark wood belied the spaciousness of the room --- about 18 x 13, with an additional 7 x 6 walk-in closet.  I knew it would be a lot of work, but with ample northern light and tons of built-in storage, the space had promise of transforming into a light, bright, happy, and practical playroom for my three little girls.  We tackled the project in four steps.

First: Paint.  After seeking pinspiration,  I decided on a turquoise, pink, and white color scheme.

Every inch of dark wood was painted Benjamin Moore's Atrium White, the milky color of the millwork in the rest of the house.

For the walls, I chose Benjamin Moore's Jamaican Aqua, which seemed to be just the right shade of turquoise -- almost a Tiffany blue.

Second: Update.  We removed the old ceiling fan and installed the airy Ikea Maskros pendant lamp, a bargain at less than $40, and replaced the old Roman shades with inexpensive white blackout shades from Lowe's and no-sew cornice boxes from Jo-Ann's.  The fabric on the window treatments is Premier Prints' Twirly Candy Pink.  

Third: Accessorize.

The ubiquitous IKEA Expedit serves as toy storage and seating. We ordered the custom bench cushion from Cushion Source and chose hot pink sunbrella fabric, to facilitate cleaning and mitigate fading.  Cushion Source offers fabulous customer service, by the way.

Target canvas storage bins work for now and are labeled with contents for easy clean-up; I am still looking for pink bins that fit the space more efficiently, though.  

The bare wall above the storage bench is still searching for the right piece of art. I am hoping to focus on that this summer.

Inspired and directed by the fabulous Sada at Casa de Lewis, my mother made the fun ruffled monogram pillows which spell out PLAY.  Each pillow measures 16 x 16 inches, and the colors mirror the art work on the opposite wall.

My parents also designed and handmade this beautiful dollhouse for the girls last year.  The facade is a replica of their lakehouse, which is perhaps my daughters' favorite place on earth.  The dollhouse was a labor of love and gets lots of play.  It's bolted to a table on casters, so even the little ones can move it around the room as necessary.

Above the dollhouse hangs this set of 11x14 prints from YassisPlace.  "You Are My Sunshine" is the lullaby I sing to the girls every night, and the first song each knew by heart, so I thought it was the perfect sentiment for their playroom:

Another etsy find: a bright pink "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" print from fieldtrip, which I hung in the reading corner, over a comfy owl beanbag we bought from Pottery Barn Kids years ago.  The girls often sit in that corner, read, and daydream as they watch the deer traverse our backyard.

In the center of the room, we re-used a tea table from my oldest's nursery and recovered the chairs in the same fabric as we used on the window boxes.  I'm still looking for a cute rug to anchor the space.  Suggestions are welcome!

The built-in desk and dresser provide plentiful storage for art supplies, puzzles, and board games.  I splurged and dressed them up with aqua circus calliope knobs from Posh Tots.  

The old forest green laminate desktop had to go, but where?  Turns out that replacing that small a piece of laminate is tricky, as most vendors won't take on that small of a job.  Painting the laminate seemed burdensome and risky --- the three-week cure time was a major deterrent.  So instead I opted for a cheap and quick fix.  I covered the laminate top with this whimsical "Princess Playground" gift wrap from The Container Store that I already had on hand, and hired a discount glass supplier to cut a top to fit.  Total cost: $35.  And, we can change the look anytime we choose!

These keepsake boxes from Aaron Brothers hold up to fifty pieces of artwork and allow the kids to rotate their art displays as often as they choose:

Above, books from some of our favorite authors are on display, along with stuffed animals to soften the space:

On an adjoining wall, this canvas print from Shutterfly:

Across the room, the Ella Bella Fairy Pendulum Wall Clock from Allen Designs is both practical and whimsical:

Fourth: Organize the Closet.  With 42 square feet, the closet is an integral part of the playspace.  The girls call it their clubhouse, as it includes their play kitchen, dress-up wardrobe, their fleet of ride-on toys, and all of their bulky toys and bins of manipulatives.  The shelving in the closet helps keep everything visible, organized, and accessible.  You'll note that the wood is still the original dark stain; I initially chose not to have it painted out of economy, but I regret that decision now.  In the next round of remodeling, we'll have our painters tackle the closet as well.  For now, though, it works, and the girls are very happy playing for hours in the closet! 

The not-quite-final result:

A big improvement from the "before" I think, and thus far, a peaceful and happy playspace for my kiddos.  It has made a world of difference in our family dynamic!

(Sharing this week with Remodelaholic, Involving Color, Metamorphosis Monday, Savvy Southern Style, Thrifty Decor Chick, Seven Thirty Three, Transformation Thursday, Six Sisters' Stuff, Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime, DIYbyDesign, Lil Luna, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home, Common Ground, Ladybird Lane, House of Hepworths, Serenity Now, Five Days...5 Ways, Nifty Thrifty Things, Suburbs Mama, Under the Table and Dreaming, Homemaker on a Dime, Making the World Cuter, A Stroll Thru Life, Southern Lovely, A Humble Creation, The Real Thing, The Girl Creative, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Fidlers Under One Roof, and My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia)

Book Club...for Toddlers

Before I was a mother, I participated in a monthly book club.  As educated, professional women, we read serious works of literature which featured strong female protagonists. We intensely debated feminism and our roles as women.  We cultivated deep friendships.  We drank a lot of wine.  

That was pre-mamahood.  Now, between working full-time and rearing three young girls, my schedule doesn't allow for a regular book club commitment.  But I still love reading books.  I still love talking about books.  And most importantly, I want my children to love reading and talking about books.

So I was ecstatic when I read this blog post on book clubs for kids, and when my youngest's playgroup decided to spin off a "Toddler Book Club."  On a Friday morning once a month, our group of 12-15 toddlers and their mothers gathers to play, read, and participate in a hands-on activity related to the book selection.  We rotate houses to share hosting duties. We've been going for almost a year now, and both my toddler and I eagerly anticipate each meeting.

For example, one month we read Chris Raschka's A Ball for Daisy, and the kiddos made "paint ball" art by coating tennis balls with washable paint and throwing them against white paper canvases (outside of course).

In the fall, we read Joe Troiano's The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin and painted mini-pumpkins.

During the winter holidays, we read Ian Falconer's Olivia Helps with Christmas and constructed Christmas ornaments.

In the early spring, we read Kevin Henkes' My Garden and planted marigolds.  

In other months, we've read Blackout, I Want My Hat Back, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

And when I hosted recently, we read Marjorie Priceman's How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World: 

The kids snacked on apple cheerios and Sprout's apple, cinnamon, and oatmeal pouches.  Each child used fabric markers to decorate her own apron and chef's hat (both purchased in bulk from Amazon), and then, after reading the book, we baked miniature apple pies!

We used this Pillsbury recipe, minus the nuts.  

Given that they were made by two-year-olds, the results weren't Martha-Stewart-pretty...

...but they sure were tasty!

The keys to a successful toddler book club: (1) Keep it simple.  Avoid over-planning or over-complicating the activity. For example, I prepared most of the pie filling in advance so that the children could focus on spooning the filling into their crust and then folding it into their pie shapes.  (2) Be patient with short attention spans, and don't expect much "discussion" of the book.  The point at this age is not to teach the art of literary criticism but instead to explore, in hands-on way, the themes of the book.  (3) Provide healthy snacks. (4) Allow for outdoor playtime whenever possible.  Toddlers have lots of energy to burn.  :)

Our toddler book club reflects its members' shared love of reading, culture, and hands-on learning.  I feel so lucky that my daughter and I can participate!

(Sharing with The Jenny Evolution, Sun Scholars, The Educator's Spin On It, and The Real Thing)