Tuesday, February 9, 2010

a big girl room!



The sun finally came out today, and although it was too cold to go outside to play, we had a fun lunch play date with friends inside instead. I also got some pictures of A's big girl room. She has just been so giddy with her new little environment since we've finished it all, and that it's made all the painting and re-painting furniture and walls worth it!

And with that, here we go.....



I admit it. I was one of those that fell in love and fell hard for the Brooke bedding at Pottery Barn Kids. Purchasing the quilt, shams, and the owl nearly shot my budget alone, so I bought sheets and a dust ruffle at Target and Walmart--which I feel much better about when I'm up late at night changing sheets for one reason or another.:) The bed itself is a twin Jenny Lind-style, which was found on Craigslist for $80 and painted white by my sweet husband. I felt so fortunate to find such a deal on it, especially since most antique Jenny Linds run around $500, and even a new one at The Land of Nod is $500! Please know--it pays to wait for exactly what you want at your price point! Waiting 4-5 months for this bed was nothing when I see it everyday, and it looks exactly how I envisioned for her room. The mattress and box spring were purchased new.

The paint color is Benjamin Moore Harbor Fog.



My little girl, almost 3 years old, is not into napping anymore. Well, she never was into it (I was), but I still enforce a rest time, regardless. Her grandparents bought this hanging book display at The Land of Nod, and it now makes rest-time a little more restful. Somehow she also thinks she can "read" her books during the night, too, and we often hear some shuffling and page turning by the light of her tiny nightlight.

The framed tree picture is a gorgeous photo that I won from the talented Kelly. It adds to the woodland theme in the room so much!



I've had these letters for awhile, although they were just painted white and hung in A's nursery with ribbons. I was somewhat tired of that look in her room, so I used Modge Podge to adhere some fabric strips on them. We gave her the cat on her first Christmas. And yeah, she couldn't have cared less about it. The shelf is a hand-me-down from a friend before A was born.



My favorite part of her room is this little tree I created on top of her bookshelf! A couple of branches from the yard, some fabric scraps with green in them cut in the shape of leaves, and a cheap tin planter from Joanne's ($2) makes a little bit of whimsy for her active imagination. I had noticed that lots of children's rooms lately online and in catalogs had incorporated tree branches somehow--I love bringing the outside in. I wanted somewhere safe to put it, though, so high up and away from curious hands on top of her bookcase was perfect. I also glued some small butterflies from a kit that I used around the room (Pottery Barn Kids $30, although it's not sold there anymore) in the tree.



A little bird sits on top of the highest tree branch.





Hooks for dress up! Is the Louis Vuitton purse not the most hilarious thing you've ever seen? I love when she pretends to be mommy with it. As if Mommy actually has anything that resembles a designer brand purse. I found this accordion peg rack at a friend's parent's garage sale, and they insisted I take it for free among other things. B spray painted it white. Love!



Because her room functions as a bedroom and a playroom, I tried to make several "stations" for her playtime--reading, art, kitchen, etc. Here is her art station (although she does have table and chairs for other crafts in the dining room). One side is for paper and the other a chalkboard. Perfect for practicing her shapes and recognizing upper- and lower-case letters!



I was stumped on how to find art for a large, awkward wall in her room. Our furniture placement has had to be strategic, based on the floor vents that cannot be covered and the numerous windows, and that didn't made wall decor easier, either. I saw somewhere that someone had let their own child provide the artwork for a large wall with these art clips from (you guessed it) the Land of Nod. And for the record, I had no idea of my level of loyalty for the Land of Nod until this post. Although it makes sense when it ALWAYS appears in my ads when I'm skipping around the Interweb. Sneaky Google, knowing where I like to shop and whatnot.



Kitchen station! Her darling little Kid Kraft kitchen from Christmas two years ago. I was mesmorized by it's cuteness then and, thus, did not plan for any subsequent children that might not love the color pink for all of their toys when I purchased it. Oops. Oh, well. They aren't here yet to complain about it, anyway. But can you blame me? I made the curtains from a cute fabric I got on sale at Joanne's (also made a Valentine's Day applique for her class party on Friday with it!). The mirror is from Garden Ridge and was clearanced as damaged merchandise for $5. It used to be gold, and we did indeed break out the spray paint for this as well. Sorry, global warming. We will do better, I promise.



Hard at work being mommy to her doll--such the nurturer....



And, finally, why we did it all. So worth it, as always.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour through her room!

I've linked up with the following decor parties!

DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land

Trash to Treasure Day @ Reinvented

Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

54 comments:

Us said...

O my goodness...Oh my goodness...Oh my goodness. Can I have it? All of it??? I am going to bookmark this page forever and always for ideas! Amazing. I want it. Now.

Unknown said...

Nice Blog!! We have a wide range of Dining Room Furniture which helps you to reset your dining room.

Unknown said...

INCREDIBLE!!! will you please come to atlanta and help me decorate! LOVE IT ALL!

Katherine of The Savannah Room said...

What a beautiful space for your gorgeous daughter !

I just have to feature your space on my fan page, see here

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perth-Australia/The-Savannah-Room/102524254538?ref=ts

Katherine x
www.thesavannahroom.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/thesavannahroom

Katie said...

Alison, you did an AMAZING job! I think you could stage rooms for PBK...love what you did!

Lacy said...

Love it! Love it! Love it! And Ava is beautiful!!!

Katie Kermeen Swisher said...

This is perfectly adorable!!! I love it...

Ashleigh said...

I'm in love with this room, Alison! You did a wonderful job. There are so many great details and touches. The mirror with the curtains is awesome!

KH said...

Alison! I am amazed, you did a wonderful job. I love the book rack by the bed, I am going to use that idea. And Ava is beautiful.

Amanda said...

It's amazing! You did such a great job. I've had my eye on that same bedding, but we are not really even close to doing a big girl room. Part of me wants to go ahead and get it and save it and another part of me worries I might be bored with it by the time she uses it. Ahh!

Terri B. said...

I just came across your blog. You've got some great ideas for decorating creatively and on a budget. I was wondering if you've ever heard of a young company called Surface Collective that creates and designs a line of removable Wall Tattoos. We like to describe it as The only tattoo you’ll never regret

At Surface Collective, www.surfacecollective.com, our passion is to create wall art that speaks to your soul and to your budget. Priced from $39, our line of removable Wall Tattoos lets you make your mark, without using a drop of ink.

More than 50 designs and dozens of colour combinations
Design themes for every room in the house, from nurseries to powder rooms
Application is painless and takes just a few minutes
Removal is simple- Wall Tattoos come down in seconds and don’t leave a trace

Surface Collective provides an easy solution for the way you want to decorate your life. Check out the entire collection of Wall Tattoos at www.surfacecollective.com. We guarantee you’ll find a design to suit your unique style.

Email info@surfacecollective.com with any questions or comments. We’d be happy to give you more information on the company and our products and services.

Have a great day.
Terri

Becky said...

What a fantastic room, you did a great job! I would find myself playing in there too, if I lived at your house. I hope you are doing well!

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Fantastic--I love the tree and the butterflies!

Sabrina said...

So full of whimsy and a bit of hip modern flair. Not your cookie cutter style little girls room which is super cool. Nice job!

Meredith from PenelopeLovesLists said...

What a sweet, beautiful and, more than anything, thoughtful room you've put together for your baby girl.

anne said...

WOW Alison! That is AMAZING!
NICELY done. :)

Ally said...

Wow! It's beautiful! I too love the Brooke bedding and I too have a daughter named Ava. She's only 8 months old, but when I think of transitioning her to a big girl bedroom I will definitely remember this post!

Amanda said...

Beautiful room. I love the butterflies.

Shanade said...

This is absolutely gorgeous! It's exactly what I've been wanting for my little girls room. Thanks for the inspiration.

Leslie said...

gorgeous room!

and way off topic- love her curls!my baby girl has a few of those too (though her head is not near as full of hair as your little one). If you have any tricks to taking care of it- I'd love to hear them! :)

Just One Week said...

So impressive!! It makes me embarrassed at how little decorating I've done. I have it on my to-do list though - though I'm not sure that means it will get done!

J.J. said...

I love that mirror over the kiddo kitchen sink area! I also love that pink rug. I just want to walk around on it in my bare feet :)

Clean Mama said...

LOVE IT! I am a Land of Nod lover too - we have an outlet store miles from our house :)
I did a DIY on my blog on how to make the Land of Nod clips you might be interested in for the future. Here's the link:
http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/2010/02/creating-crafting-space-part-ii-wall.html

erin said...

This is awesome, I adore your ideas. Lovin' the butterflies on the tree!

MrsJenB said...

Found you through Kimba's site and I'm so glad I did! What an awesome, awesome room you created. I am so jealous and I'm way too old to be jealous about such things. And Ava is just beautiful.

Tiffany said...

So beautiful! I LOVE it all. I don't even know where to begin. I love every single detail. The little tree is perfect and well, it's all perfect. Thanks for the great ideas!

Sassy Gal said...

SO FAB!!! BEAUTIFUL. Where did you get the fabric to cover the letters....I would like some for window treatments!!! What inspiration!!!

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, all of it! I love the small tree the most, the one with the little bird on top. I have three boys, so this is the type of room I'll never get to design! You did a wonderful job, and I can tell it was all done with love!

Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top said...

I *LOVE* this room!!! So perfect! So adorable for an adorable little girl. The details are to die for.

Amy {The Red Chair Blog} said...

What a wonderful room! Your daughter is darling too!

Stacie@HobbitDoor said...

Gorgeous! You did a great job! What a wonderful bedroom!

Kristi said...

Love the room! I just wanted to let you know you should totally check out http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com because the girl that writes it comes up with DAILY plans on how to build your own Pottery Barn/Land of Nod furniture. The bookcase and kitchen set are in her list of plans. Your readers might be interested! (I'm not affiliated with her in any way- I'm just crazy about a good bargin!)

Molly @ thecreativemaven said...

I love, love, love the blue on the walls... so unexpected in a girls room... but it SO WORKS with all the pink toys :)

Tanis said...

IN-CRE-DI-BLE! What a lucky little girl she is!

Brooke said...

You have truly inspired me! My poor little girl didn't move into her own bedroom until she was 18 months old, and even now that she's over two years old I still don't have it fully decorated. (4th child syndrome!)

I love your budget friendly, kid friendly ideas. The branch, the butterflies on the wall, the art line, the mirror and curtains above the kitchen...all such lovely touches. Your little girl is blessed indeed to have such an inspiring, nurturing, beautiful place to call her own.

Great job!

Prior said...

What a sweet room! I love the tree you created to, and the kitchen set is darling. very cute! Lezlee

Mandy said...

sooo cute! i'm in awe of your creativity, and that sweet face in the last picture makes me smile. miss you!

Jill@Barnes Yard said...

Cutest little girl's room ever!

Julie said...

This is a beautiful room. Exactly my taste.

Unknown said...

this room is stunning...I love the butterflies. So many different fabrics...simply fabulous!

and the sweet little smile at the end is worth all the work...just wonderful!

lschigut said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica said...

Beautiful Room! I was wondering where you got the white curtain I see next to the bed??? I'm looking for something exactly like that! Thanks for the help.

jforbeck@tctelco.net

Lapiz de la Guerra said...

Love it! Since my daughter was born almost 2 years ago I have been slowing trying to finish her room design, which based on a family tree theme. Now that's older and it's been such a hassle, I plan on just doing a woodland theme and adding what little bits of family stuff to it. Your room reveal is such inspiration for me! Thanks so much!

Sarah P. Henry said...

gorgeous! i'm about to post pics of my little one's big girl room, too. she'll be 3 on saturday!

i also adore land of nod.

question: is your husband in the ministry? i saw something that said, "married to the ministry" on your sidebar so i wondered. it gave me an error when i clicked it though.

just wondering because i'm married to a pastor in (west central) texas as well, and i'm from dallas! :)

happy friday!

Simply Domestic said...

What a precious room!!!! Also, love your blog! Count me as a follower!

Koo and Poppet said...

great room, great smile!

Anita said...

What a wonderful job. Great colors and so creative. I am so proud of your accomplishments. What a lucky little girl to have a great mommy like you. Love the book shelf and the tree with the bird. How sweet is that. Wow..Wow..Wow...Love it and I love the sweet little smile...of that beautiful Ava..

Lovely Little Nest said...

This room is so cute and colorful! I love the handmade fabric letters :)

Julie said...

Just wanted to say I loved your butterfly tree so much, I did my own version of it here:
http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2010/02/copycat-creativity.html

Thanks for the inspiration!

BAILEY said...

This room is great. I LOVE the butterfly tree.

I featured you on my blog. Thanks for the inspiration.

http://doehlerdays.blogspot.com/2010/03/im-inspired-butterfly-trees.html

RickinSC said...

What a bunch of good ideas and beautiful selections.

As a grandparent I tried to look a the problem of toy clutter from the kids point of view. Believe it or not, they like things in order as much as the parents do. It is just not easy for them since their attention is not focused on the consequences of spreading toys around when they are looking for toys.

So I thought I could help them avoid spreading toys all over in the first place. In my garage I built a toy cabinet with a mechanism that keeps the other toys until the child puts one back. It is easy for them to put toys away one at a time.

You can see a video of it here.

What do you think?

Liz said...

I showed my daughter this room and she said, "I want that!!". We move in a month so I cannot wait to get started once we get the new keys.

Liz
Loving This Mom Stuff

criticpapa said...

very cute smile from a cute lovable girl! and added by warmth photos of cool room! waht a blessings.

anyway I'm william
mind if I put a link back to you?


(clickable) ------> Black Suit

Unknown said...

Quanta coisa linda, tô encantada com essas borboletas! Parabéns!

E que sorriso mais fofo essa garotinha!

Bjos!