Thursday, August 7, 2014

Charlie's Bedroom Project ~ The Result of My "Pinter-Nesting" Pregnancy


There are many reasons why there isn't a "DIY" tab up there in the drop down menu. With a family of 6 boys, most of my DIY expertise lies in patching holes in walls and rearranging furniture into odd patterns in order to cover carpet stains, and I don't think you really want to read about those home repair 101 projects, am I right?

Every once in a while, however, I get really brave and decide to actually do something new with our abode.  This usually happens when I'm pregnant and the itty-bitty part of my brain that houses the reason function isn't functioning. Most of you know that I was a tad bit overdue with Joseph (if you're new here and need a little more drama in your life, here ya go.) Anyway, I was in a little bit of what I like to call a "Pinter-nesting" phase during the last couple months of pregnancy.

Pinter-nesting happens when you can't sleep at night so you browse Pinterest for approximately three hours and then try to conquer all of the organizing, baking, gardening, and painting tips that you pinned the next day on 4 hours of sleep and one single solitary cup of coffee. It's like nesting x1,000.  And, if it weren't for my contractions being 2 minutes apart, it may have been the reason why I almost asked my husband to hit the Starbucks drive-through on the way to the hospital.

For the most part, Pinter-nesting is dumb. Please don't do it.  If you are pregnant, stay away from Pinterest.  Everything I organized is now unorganized, everything I baked has been consumed, and the garden is currently buried somewhere beneath a canopy of weeds and webs of unidentifiable insects.

But, as for the painting? Well, that's the one and only fruit of my Pinter-nesting ambitions.
After browsing page after page of kids' room ideas, I "accidentally" discovered  a lil' inspiration on this website which motivated me to break out of the beige box and trick out some stripes on the walls of Charlie's and Joseph's room. Thanks to our sweet friend, Elena, who also happens to be a crafty sort of gal, and who also fell in love with Charlie this summer (who can resist that boy?), we made this happen:
I wish I had a before picture of Charlie's room, and some pics of the painting process, too.  Just imagine 4 light-light-light tan walls and the usual ruins of a toddler room.  Then, picture a very rotund moi, and a very fit Elena, doing step aerobics up and down the ladder taping and painting, taping and painting while the children sat quietly watching in awe *grin*.

Do you want to know how I chose the colors for the stripes? Well, I'm gonna tell ya.  It all started right here:
My younger brother, Scott's wife, Stephanie, sews the most amazing quilts.  Seriously, she should have an Etsy shop, because she is crazy talented.  I can sew on a button and that is where the glory of my handiwork ends, so to me, this quilt is a true masterpiece!  I love the colors so much, and thought that the brown, orange and blues would be the perfect palette to create a striped pattern for the walls.

After painting, it was time to accessorize....on the cheap.
After scanning Craigslist day after day for a rocking chair that I could re-paint or add a slip-cover to, I wasn't able to find anything that quite fit the bill.  So, I decided to give myself permission to step it up a notch and purchase something new, yet reasonably priced (feeding #6 at 2:00 a.m. makes you feel free like that).

I snagged this glider from Target during their online furniture sale last spring.  It's really comfortable and, with it's neutral color, will make a nice addition to any room after the baby-rockin' days are over (which could be never - just sayin').
Since I wanted to maintain the stripes as the focal point of the room, I kept the wall decor to a minimum. Elena and I dashed into Kirkland's one day and found this fun mirror on sale.  For $19 bucks and some change, it works perfectly over the crib!
With two beds, a rocker and a dresser already squeezed into this room, there was little space left for bookshelves.  And, for our family, books are a necessity in every room! In my search for a solution to the space issue, I discovered this genius idea (guess where) to use spice racks from Ikea to create a collage of bookshelves on the wall. 
The shelves were super-easy to assemble, paint, and mount to the wall.  And, at just $3.99 per shelf they were a great bargain (I used a coupon code from RetailMeNot.com and saved 20% off my order)!
Since Charlie loves Winnie the Pooh, I thought it would be sweet to incorporate his affection for the character somewhere in his room. This Etsy shop had several quotes with really cute fonts, and I thought this one was really sweet. Application to the wall was super-simple and I think it turned out super-cute!
Nothing makes a room feel more special than a piece of original artwork....or two!  A few summers ago, my sister's husband, Johannes, painted the clown pilot for the boys.  Then, he surprised us with a second clown painting (above the lamp) in honor of Joseph's baptism.
Both pieces a so joyful and work perfectly in the boys' room. They are such a special reminder of the gifts and generosity of family. You can view (and purchase!) more of Johannes' artwork here.
Charlie asks me every night when I tuck him in, "Mama, did you paint this room just for me?"
Sometimes I wonder if he'll look back on these photos and ask, "What in the world possessed you to paint those crazy stripes on my wall, Mom?"  Will it be a mauve and teal floral kind of moment, only in stripe form?? Oh, well, if it is, I can always point my finger at Pinterest.
Links to The Goods:
(Using coupon codes from RetailMeNot.com for most of the items listed helped me save a bundle!)

Loch Blue
Stream
Knockout Orange
Brevity Brown
(Opposite walls are Steam Beige from Valspar)

MIRROR: Kirklands


CHARLIE'S BEDDING: Macy's and Overstock.com

GLIDER CHAIR: Target.com






14 comments:

  1. That is so cute! What a great room for you little boys!!

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  2. His room is so adorable! The stripes look awesome! Can you come do that in my bedroom? :) We used knockout orange in our kitchen and love it.

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    1. Okay - I have to see pics of your kitchen! I love the orange - it's so jazzy!

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    2. I posted some here: http://jeffily.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/7-quick-takes-home-update-picture-overload-edition/

      We had to use knockout orange because according to Jeff, it is Sherwin Williams version of Clemson orange!

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  3. Too cute! Love it! And no kidding on the Pinterest thing. I didn't have an account yet when I was pregnant last time. It's really bad to have around now lol

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  4. WOW! The room looks fabulous! It definitely looks like something you would see on Pinterest. In fact, before reading the whole post, I thought the picture was your Pinspiration!

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  5. I love it! The stripes are awesome!

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  6. Shut the front door! That room is Pinterest worthy!

    I need to send Elena my home address so she can come and paint me some stripes. I'm thinking of doing a pink ombre but only on ONE wall in the girls' room.

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    1. Pink ombre would be amazing in your little girl's room! Last weekend we went to visit my parents and I was up in the night nursing and scanning mom's magazine stash to try to stay awake. The latest issue of HGTV mag had an entire section on painting stripes in rooms, and the best feature was the ombre room. You should go for it - it's so easy!! :)

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  7. Love it - so cute!!! Stripes are so cool as a way to decorate a kids room!

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  8. I'm in my last few months of pregnancy now and have TOTALLY started Pinter-nesting ... and I hate it! Haha! So glad to hear it's a real thing and I need to remember to step away from Pinterest for awhile ;)

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  9. Hmm...you are giving me ideas. Does nesting get worse each time? I am on #5, and I got it into my head we needed new dining room furniture, and hardwood floors throughout the upstairs before the baby comes... because the baby will totally notice. I am tying to rein it in:)

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    1. Amy - I'm not sure if it's true for everyone, but for me, nesting has gotten worse with each pregnancy! This last one was crazy. I was a clean/organizing freak! And, I cooked TONS of food to stock the freezer. My poor family must have thought I was Mary Poppins x 1000! I wish I would have spent more time relaxing and resting, especially the last month of pregnancy. I went to the hospital way too tired. Many blessings to you for a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery! :)

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