Sometimes friends see rooms in my house and think I can help them pull together something similar on the fly. What they forget is that it takes me months to decide on, shop for and execute the design. My 2-year stint as an artist at an interior design firm after college taught me a little of the trade, but I make no claims to be a professional. I have to really live in a space to best figure out what the heck to do with it.
Putting Songbird’s room together has been so much fun the past few months (okay, almost a year). And by fun, I mean effort. So please excuse the avalanche of photos that follow; I feel an urge to over-document! If you want more details on a specific project, scroll to the link gallery at the end of this post.
After installing this ceiling shade pendant light, I used white banner paper to create a 3-dimensional “slip cover” to add a bit of whimsy.
In our house, your 5th birthday is a big deal because that is the right of passage for gum-chewing. When Handsome and I bought our first home, this gumball machine was a housewarming gift from my Dad (he knows my deep love of candy). It got a color makeover and now is Songbird’s coveted accessory, complete with a stash of quarters she earns from odd jobs.
The painting is a Songbird original and I scored the antique nightstand on Craigslist for $10, then painted it.
Candles have come a long way in my day. A couple battery powered pillars inside this lantern look real with their wax exterior and flickering flames. It’s our new favorite nightlight.
Songbird is learning to tell time on an analogue clock, so I found this one at Target for her room — perfect color, but too small. To make it appear larger, I painted a floral “frame” on the wall around it using the same color as the clock.
This drawing is a chalk pastel work I did in college of koi fish. It’s been sitting in the attic for years, until Handsome pointed out that it would fit great in here. Right now I think my kids totally take my talents for granted; they assume everyone’s parent can paint a mural or sew up an elaborate costume the night before Halloween. But I like to think that someday they will reminisce upon those things and remember fondly growing up surrounded by walls filled with their Mom’s art.
A magnetic dry erase chore chart and shallow knob-hooks make use of an otherwise dead space behind her door. And washi tape adds a pop of unexpected color along the door edge!
Can you believe this gorgeous desk was once abandoned in an alley waiting for the garbage man?! The horror. A pink desk was Songbird’s only specific request; all it needed was paint and a handful of cute new knobs.
A clear acrylic makeup organizer is just the right size to hold Songbird’s craft supplies. Markers, tape, and a desk drawer full of white paper and stickers give her a special place to sit and create. It’s the only thing that gets her through my mandated daily “quiet time.” Hey kid, you don’t have to nap anymore, but Momma still needs a sanity break.
These shells I bought from a gal on Craigslist were super ugly at first, but there’s very little that spraypaint can’t fix.
This smile was worth the effort!
- Upholster a Panel Bed
- Shade Pendant Lighting
- Sew a Kids Bean Bag Chair
- Rebuild a Lampshade
- “Big Helper” Board
- Wood Sunburst Mirror
- Washi Tape Door Edges
- Make a Fabric Garland
- Paint a Throw Pillow
- Floating Bookshelves
- Corkboard Revamp
- Ombre Scallop Tutorial
- Paper Feather Garland
- Pride of Ownership
- Hang Keyhole Hardware
- Desk Rescue