Before and After: From Extra Large Master to Kid Bedroom/Playroom Combo

When we moved into our house, almost two years ago, we encountered lots of interesting paint colors, light fixtures and fans. This is the master bedroom in its original (or how we found it) state. It's an incredibly large room, roughly the same size as our living room. Things we loved about having it as a master were the fireplace, wrap around windows and large, double closet (something rare in a one hundred year old home). There were, however, drawbacks to keeping this as the master.

We mostly just sleep in our bedroom. All hanging-out occurs downstairs. It didn't make sense to have such a large chunk of the house for that sole purpose. Our basement is not finished, therefore, when we have our small group on Wednesday nights, there isn't a rec room for all ten kids to play in.

So, we decided to swap rooms with Collin and convert this room into a kids' bedroom/ playroom. Killian will eventually move in here with Collin and, heck, if we wanted to have eight kids, there would almost be enough room to line beds up on every wall, ala Annie or Madeline orphanage! ;)

Anyway, we moved Collin into the big room and, over time, have slowly brightened things up and made it kid-friendly. One of the first things that had to go was the garrish, poorly-painted red on the walls. Nick and his dad tackled this project after Christmas. We went with the same color we had in our Marietta, Ga living room-- Spring Melt by Martha Stewart. It's the perfect, pale minty-aqua-greeny-blue. So soothing and calming! Exactly what that room needed!

I apologize for the grainy iPhone pics! Someday I hope to properly photograph each room of our house, but until then, you get the picture!

I designed the 20x30" "Adventure Awaits" banner from a public domain Ansel Adams photograph of the Grand Tetons. If you are interested in something similar with a custom quote and a similar nature scene or more feminine, floral look. Let me know! I'm planning on listing these in my shop for $199. If it's not there, just convo me and I can make you a custom listing.

You'll see our trusty $5, 70's explosion reading chair is still a fixture! At some point in the future, I'll probably have it recovered, but in the mean time, it's still comfy and kitschy! The rug is a favorite from Ikea, our friend Mary snagged us the vintage chairs from a soon-to-be dumpster pile at the school where she works.

Nick made the chalkboard from a piece of sheet metal, framed it and painted it with chalkboard paint. It's fun to have the magnetic element and I worry less with the old fireplace covered! We aren't big fans of TV's in bedrooms, but it's worked out really nicely to have this one in here for when the brood of ten kiddos at small group start getting antsy and our sweet 10 and 12 year old baby sitters need to change up the activity. 

So, that's that! The boys love playing in here. We love having this space for kids and it just makes more functional sense for our way of life! Someday, if we sell the house, we'll stage it as a master bedroom again. In the meantime, we don't miss having it for ourselves and our livable house space just got a whole lot bigger!

Killian's Circus Nursery

My original plan was to write this post in early December, but Killian surprised us by coming three weeks early. You may recognize the room as being Collin's former room. We decided to make the bigger room Collin's big boy room, seeing as how he'd actually be playing in there and, for now, Killian would just be sleeping in his room.

The paint color was formerly a pea green that did nothing for your completion or mood. It was nice to brighten the small space up with this lovely shade of grey by Behr called Dolphin Fin. I can't say enough about this grey. It's the perfect mix between cool and warm.

Since it's such a long room, there was room to keep a guest bed. I have to say, it's one of my favorite features of the nursery. A great spot to read, nurse the baby, fold baby clothes or take a cat nap. Furthermore, it gives us a place to house guests, should we need it. We'd just have K sleep in our room if we had people staying over.

I had originally thought about doing a lions and lambs theme, but ultimately decided going with a vintage circus theme would allow me to re-use a lot of Collin's zoo nursery items and then, down the road when they share a room, their themes could mesh well.

 I found a book on Ebay called 100 Years of Circus Posters From Around the World for a total of $12 and framed a few prints. Can't beat vintage artwork for that price!

 There is already another closet in the room, so I used this space as a changing nook. I snagged some cheap, wire locker baskets on ebay to story diapers and swaddling blankets. The vintage suitcases have been collected over the years.

 Couldn't find a strongman print I liked, so I designed the one above. You can buy it, along with other vintage circus prints in my Etsy shop.

This shot  below was taken a day or two after we got home from the hospital. It perfectly showcases Collin's curiosity with his new brother!

Friendly Strangers-- Decorating with Vintage Portraits

Remember my $5 thrift store find? I ended up naming her Millie, thanks for all the suggestions! She's still reading. That book must be hard to get into. I've since moved her to our dining room/kitchen wall. I kind of imagine her eavesdropping on our dinner conversations. 

Another amateur portrait, I'm particularly proud of finding at my local Goodwill, is this Spanish lady. She sold in two days for quadruple the price I paid and is now getting back to her roots in sunny, Southern California.

Country Living, in a decorating for Halloween article, showcased a wonderful, semi-creepy portrait of a bride-- creepiness courtesy of an added construction paper mask. I'm not really a fan of creepy decor, but even without the mask this woman must look ominous.

Source

Check out these rooms, replete with friendly strangers:

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

I'm now thinking Millie needs a few friends to keep her company. Here are the contenders:

Toddler with a spray tan?

Source

Sad or spacing out?

Source

Particularly fond of the brooding 1920's gal in the lower right.

Source

This woman looks a little like a  young Judy Garland.

Source

By far, my favorite!

Source

What do you think? Yay or nay on adding a friendly stranger to your walls?

Costal Getaway Giveaway- hey, hey!

Leggett and Platt, makers of adjustable beds are doing a giveaway with Emily Henderson of Design Star fame and here is where you can enter. You do have to 'like' Leggett and Platt on FB to be eligible. I am not shy about declaring my ardent design crush on Emily Henderson's style. I really do love everything she creates. Anyhoo, she is judging the contest and the winner will receive a Leggett and Platt adjustable base bed and headboard. Fun!

The gist of the contest is to create a pin board on Pinterest, featuring a Leggett and Platt bed and encompassing one of three themes. The theme I ran with is Costal Getaway. Here is a sampling of what my board looks like:

You can see it in its entirety here and while you're at it, follow me on Pinterest!

I really do think I am reliving my childhood dollhouse days when I get to create things like this. Also, I stayed up waaay too late making it. You know you are a mom when your guilty pleasure is pinning after your baby goes to sleep. Ha!

If you end up entering this contest, post the link to your board in the comments section. I'd love to see what you come up with!

What Can Brown Do For You?

I love the color brown. It's warm, comforting and evocative of chocolate fondue or a comfy, worn-in leather chair. Maybe that newfound crispness in the air is getting to me, but I'm ready for fall and all the yumminess it brings.

I like the idea of using brown with unexpected color combinations-- steering clear of pairing it with other earth tones and instead juxtaposing it with teals, mints, citrons and pinks. Seems fresher that way.

source

source

All these brown colorscapes made me think of UPS trucks and how awesome it is that the company hasn't changed its colors or done much to change the look of their fleet of bubble-nosed vehicles in over 50 years. Hats off to them. Does anyone else dislike the fact so many companies/sports teams/brands change their colors or overall look to be more modern? Keep the old, I say! I don't even follow sports, but really enjoy it when teams wear their throw-back uniforms (all the men reading this are breathing a collective, exasperated sigh). Maybe I'm the only one who has such passionate feelings about color...

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Read more about the evolution of the UPS truck here. Happy Wednesday, mes amis, it's all downhill to Friday now!

source

What I'm In The Market For...

When it comes to furniture, I'm sure many of you are like me and do not have the budget to pick something out of a catalog and have it shipped and assembled on whim. This can, at times, be frustrating, but it does force me to be creative and always on the alert for items with potential at Goodwill, on Craigslist, or at a granny estate sale.

So, without further ado, I present to you my long term wish list:

A vintage china cabinet that is narrow enough to fit in our dining room. I have a whole set of lovely china from our wedding and a bevy of retro cake stands just itching to be displayed! Alas, they will remain in boxes, nestled in their newspaper cocoons, until I find the right home for them.

(source)

Nightstands for our bedroom. I have paid our bedroom only a fraction of the attention I have given the rest of our little farmhouse. I'd really prefer not to go buy crappy mdf side tables at Ikea, so I will wait until the perfect little set (or even mismatched pair) with character pops up. My husband hates me even mentioning that I want to paint real wood, but I think he'll get over it if the nightstands are cheap enough;)

(source)

(source)

(source)

A new Sofa. There's pretty much nothing in our house, furniture-wise, that we've spent over $100 on. In fact, the great majority of our items are hand-me-downs or estate sale finds. Go us! That being said, when we are ready to purchase a couch we will probably not go vintage. Why? Well, vintage is great for accent furniture and side chairs, but nothing beats the comfort and durability of a modern sofa. I've hunted down a few models that have a nice vintage look without the smell and discomfort factor;)

So, in a magical world, I'd stumble across these beauties in a bargain basement...

Love the Anson Sofa from Room and Board!

Azure Sofa from Crate and Barrel

Greenwich Sofa from Pottery Barn

Ahh, isn't the internet fun for window shopping? What's on your wish list? Maybe I'll come across it the next time I'm thrifting and can snag it for you! Just leave me a comment with a few links!