Girls Room Makeover...Finally!

So after much longer than I would like to admit, I finally finished my daughters bedroom makeover. Normally I'm an instant gratification kinda gal. I'll go to great ends to find it, decorate it, and finish it. But not so with this one.... It had to be just right, and with the complete lack of time, it was near impossible. 

It's always so easy to make decisions in other peoples homes, but as it turns out, it's been super hard to get my house "just so". 

Now, when I started redecorating, I wanted a light, eclectic, nature inspired room. Though it all got clouded somehow, with my love of birds. If you don't know already, I have a strange healthy love for anything birds. My craft room, houses my collection, and I know my husband is happy the room has a door....but it has seemed to trickle into other areas of my house. 

I'm working on it :)

 So now,  I'm finally ready to show you her "big girl" room. 

So for the bed, we went with an Ikea, adjustable bed (Minnen). I've told you before how much I despise toddler beds, they are so hard to decorate around. I feel like I'm living in some sort of doll house on steroids...weird. So the adjustable part of this was my compromise. The bed grows into three lengths, and the mattress  comes in three pieces. So you push it out, and add the piece of mattress...until you get to a regular twin size bed. The bed is simple, yet still girly, and in white metal.

 For the bedding, I purchased the quilt at Stienmart. They have some really cute, girly quilts. They didn't have a twin of this one, so I just cut some off, and stitched the edges. I made sure to leave enough so when the bed is made into a twin it still fits. Ahhh, who am I kidding, I'll be redecorating her whole room by then....it's a sickness. 

The quilt is reversible, so using the extra piece I cut off, I made her two little throw pillows, from the reverse side, to go with her pink sham. 

Be sure to check out the super simple,  Grassy Nightstand Makeover, if you missed it. 

 One of my favorite things in the room, is this adorable cloud pillow! Could it be any cuter, look at those eyelashes!! She was on my Holiday Gift Guide, if you missed it.  

Check out her little cloud and star friends, and all of Viola Studio's other amazing creatures, on her Etsy Shop (she even has stuff for boys).

 Above her bed, I was hesitant to put any artwork, my daughter has a habit of messing with everything (what toddler doesn't). I knew I wanted to paint something, but this is what really took me the longest to decide on.  I went with a bird theme, so of course, the verse had to have something to do with birds...I know you are all rolling your eyes right now :) 

Psalms 91:4 says, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge". I thought that was so beautiful, how God draws us near and protects us. That is just what I want for my children. 

 The fun little kitchen we got her for Christmas, ended up in her room (so not part of the plan, but I'm rolling with the punches). I used the art I originally created for above her crib, over the kitchen. For this, I just used an un-primed canvas, painted a base color, and used an brighter version for the stenciled pattern. I then put it inside of an embroidery hoop (3 sizes), and hand painted the butterflies on afterwards. 

Not a painter? Add a three dimensional butterfly to the art piece instead. 

The kids favorite spot in the room, of course, is the giant bean bag chair. It was left over from a bit of a room makeover,of the oldest child. This thing is so big, me and both the little kids sit here to read books at night. It's the perfect corner filler. Above it, hang a water color bird I painted years ago, and a sweet feather print from Satchel and Sage on Etsy.

This garden trellis piece, I have had for years! Since before I was married....My husband never understood why I carted around this old, crusty metal piece, each time we moved. But it always finds a home! 

A colorful strand of wool-ball garland, is keeping it company now. 

On the dresser, a collection of old books, and vintage jewelry boxes, are on display.

This beautiful porcelain lamp is, of course, from Target. I originally bought it to act as a nightlight, and even with a 25 watt bulb, its' still to much bright. It's such a fun, unexpected design for a lamp, that I couldn't get rid of it. It puts off a neat glow at night, casting shapes all over the wall. 

 This little house, serves absolutely no purpose, except for being unbelievably cute (I think originally made to be a pincushion). From Pink Prairies on Etsy. 

The flower box was a find at Target, but originally in a dull grey color, it did nothing for the space. A quick brush of blue, gave it the pop it needed.

 The grouping of tissue paper pom-poms was easy to make. I used 5 colors, and mixed in some lace lanterns. Hanging them with fishing line from the ceiling. Check out a tutorial via Martha Stewart, cause no body does it better that Martha Stewart!

So there it is! 

I finally walk in the room, and it feels complete...not always clean, but complete.

It's a hodgepodge of my favorite things, and it's still girly. 

Hope you love it!

Check out the grassy nightstand tutorial, here.

Check out the before, of her semi-completed nursery, here.

Make sure and swing by some of my favorite Etsy shops, to get some goodies of your own!

Viola Studio

Pink Prairies 

Satchel and Sage 

Grassy Nightstand Makeover

These days, things around my house, seems to take 4 times longer, than they should really take me. I get 5 minutes here, 15 minutes there...but rarely ever a solid block of time to get a project, much less a room done. It used to really bother me, I felt like every room in my house, still needed work. In all actuality that IS still the case. But I think I feel a little more accomplished doing several little things each day or two, rather than one room in a couple of months. That may just be my exhaustion talking!

As I had told you before, I was making over my youngest's, bedroom. I know, I know, we haven't even lived here two years...it's the constant re-decorator in me. 

In the fall, we purchased her a toddler bed, so the room had to change along with it. It sort-of looks complete, but needs a couple finishing touches. Should be able to show the big reveal next week sometime. For now, I wanted to show you the grassy nightstand makeover. 

I searched for months to find a table that was just the right size. Toddler beds sit really low to the ground, so the table also had to be low, but not to wide for the proportion of the space. 

I ended up making a simple table, with a top, and screw on legs from Lowe's.

I started with a coat of blue spray paint, then gave it a coat of white paint. Once dry, I sanded down the edges a bit, so the blue would show through. The blue itself would have been much to bright.

Against the white bed, It now seemed a little to simple in her room. Yet, I didn't want a  color that would take away from her bedding, and art on the wall. I kinda went with a nature theme for her room, and by nature, I mean...I imposed my freaky bird love on her :) I did add flowers and such, to detract, but mostly so my husband wouldn't commit me. So I thought the night stand would be the perfect spot to bring the nature back in. 

I always love to add greenery, and texture into my decor, it really warms up the space, and this did both. 

This would work for any kind of outdoor, camping, woodland, or floral themed room.

Here's what I did...

I started with the round nightstand.....but this would also be cute on a coffee table in a playroom, on a low window seal, or even on the back of a toilet tank, with some flowers sprouting up, or bugs walking along it. 

The plastic grass is from Hobby Lobby. They come in these 12" squares, and are about $5 a piece. This is part of the Easter decor..but during most of the spring, they have these in stock. I used three pieces, for this project, and still had left overs.

 I didn't want this to be glued directly to the table, so I needed to attach the grass to something else. 

I happened to have a plastic desk pad from Ikea,  from my older daughters room. It's clear, so you can still see the table underneath, and hefty enough, not to slide around. Projs Desk pad, they run about  $6. 

I cut it into the shape of the table top. You could use chip board,  poster board, with double stick tape, or even cardboard painted with the tables color. 

Next I cut the grass pieces. Laying them on the table to see where my cuts were. Since the tufts of grass were in intersections, you may need to use some weird cuts to fill the space. 

Using a hot glue gun, I attached them to the plastic pad. 

Once the main areas are done, you may end up with some sparse areas around the edges.

I just cut small sections, and filled any bare looking areas.

And VOILA..... A Grassy Nightstand

Here's a sneak peak on how it was finished off. 

 The lamp was from Target, about 12 years ago :) The awesome little bird is from West Elm. 

This plastic grass, is good for all sorts of projects, check out these other fun ideas....

This was at my old house, in my sons nursery. I used two sheets of grass, to stick the diaper basket and wipes on. Made the changing table a bit more fun and quirky. See the whole woodland  nursery here.

Who doesn't need an ottoman made of grass??? 

Just don't make this if you have pets....they may get the wrong idea. By GH Designs.

Grass Charging Station, by Kikkerland...Simple enough to make I'd think. 

Wearing it....Earrings??

Ummm, maybe not.... By Ashley Jewelry

No water required....now that's my kind of grass!!

The "Wants"

In my line of work I'm in alot of peoples homes. Some are nicely decorated, while others are in need of the decorating and paint,  which is why Im usually there. I started faux painting when I was in my teens, so of course, I couldn't afford what was in most of my client's homes. Doing this, day in and day out, you start to develop the "wants". I want that couch, I want that house, I want this, and that, and I realized very quickly, that it just made me feel bad about what I did have. 

I remembered the 10 commandments from child hood, the 10th commandment says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, nor anything else that belongs to him.". 

I think this day in age, this is a hard commandment to follow. Especially with the invention of Pinterest. The goal is to pin stuff you love, stuff you want to buy, or stuff you want to make (but usually don't have time to do). Luckily most of us know we are not going to be able to afford, the 4 bedroom beach house, and all the amazing decor inside. But its great inspiration for what we are able to afford, or make. 

By now I have a house I love...well I'm making it into the house I love, and the wants are gone. 

Well sort-of. 

I think I have always tried to make do with the budget I have, and my taste and style, and make it work for me. Thankfully the eclectic style is really in, and cheap, cause that's what I've been doing for years!

The area where I struggle with this the most, is at the model homes I work on. Most model homes, are your basic, run-of-the-mill decor. Stuff you would find at the local shopping stop. Usually leans a bit toward cheesy, but you still like the overall feel of the house. This is not the case with some of my favorite decorating ladies, at Dy Lynne Decor. Dy Lynne, and Janet are a perfect team. They take your basic decor elements, pair it with antiques, found objects, amazing paint treatments (thanks to me, lol), high end furniture, and work it all in together. This turns it into more of a home, than a house to me. You really walk into these spaces feeling like it was collected, over time, and it was. Some of it sitting in a warehouse until just the right moment, some picked up at antique shows, and others taken from houses, her husband  Jack Dabney, a local builder, has torn down, or remodeled. 

This en-lies the problem,  it would be hard to track down some of the things I love, or to even find a duplicate, and I love sooo much of what they do. I have been known to tell the girls, they may not see some of the items when they show up the next day.
The last house I did with them, I could have moved in...literally. I wanted everything in there!! I have since remembered the 10th commandment , and I'm working on it :)

I can't wait to show you pictures from that house. 

But for now..here is another fabulous model I worked on with these girls.
This is a Monticello Home, in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio.

The beautiful dining room. I loved this room, it makes such a statement when you first walk through the front door. The paneling had great detail, and above that, a deep blue grass cloth (I need some of this).

 

The living room space, is open to most of the down stairs, so she used the same color scheme through out, and added some different kinds of elements and textures in each room, to tie them all together.

The mirror above this piece of furniture is so unique. It is aged, in a lace patterned design, amazing. This is one of those, one-of-a-kind things. 

This kitchen feels so light and open, you just want to pull up a stool, and have a meal.

Clearly, I love the color blue, but I like how it really pops in here, with the softer neutral colors. It is still soothing, and is easily changeable with seasons or styles, since it is such a small piece of the room.

Another great aged mirror, over the black dresser. The deep blue chaise is the perfect resting spot after a long day, all you need is a good book, and a glass of wine. To bad it's just a model home!

The master bathroom in this house was huge, bigger than most of the models we work in. 

Again they made great use of the mirrors in here.  It opens the room up even more, brings in the light, and gives the illusion,that is is larger.  There are two large, separate vanities. The shower is behind the tub, you can walk all the way through, and if you saw this bathtub, you would have locked the door, and started running the water. 

This is a less formal living area tucked just outside of the kitchen. It is still open, but feels cozy and secluded. She made great use of wood, on this back wall, with the lap board. This giant piece of a tree root, makes a unique design item and brings in the wood elements from the other rooms.

The laundry room is not a space where we want to spend alot of time, ladies you understand. The truth is though, we are in there more than we ever thought we would be... how can kids go through soooo many clothes! Mind as well make it a pretty spot, you enjoy coming into. 

I hand painted a quote above the window in a navy blue, which got a small pleated shade treatment.

The entryway of a house should of course make a statement, I think this one defiantly does. The whole stairwell is open to the upstairs. There is a settee to the left, and a great table to drop your keys and purse at, to the right. Love these gold finished glass lamps. I think I actually screamed when I saw them!

Upstairs there is a open loft area, with a pool table, and bar. There is also a amazing theater room off to the side, with a giant T.V., and a sectional. I think it may be hard to get potential buyers of of that room.

There are three bedrooms upstairs as well. 

This is the first girls room. A soft color palette, and this is such a gorgeous wallpaper. It looks like its hand painted. 

This is the other girls room. 

I am in love with the wallpaper! Bird cages and birds, and flowers, and lots of color., how could you not be?

She took the doors off the closet, and added some more square footage to the bedroom. There is now a fun little seating area, and even a chandelier. I hand painted some designs on the back wall to mimic the wallpaper, bird cages, and flowers. The bed was originally a rod iron look with some silver accents. To tie it in with the gold pieces in the room, I painted certain areas with a gold leaf finish. 

Lastly the boys room, with a neutral, vintage flare.

If you have the "wants" too, your not alone. Just remember the 10th commandment!