Let me start by saying this project began in February. Yes, February. I realize that was a long time ago but it's really be a two phase project. The first was actually transforming our downstairs guest room into a kid room by removing furniture and changing paint colors. Once that was accomplished, we moved Cece and her crib downstairs from
the nursery. We decided it was time for her to transition to her "big kid" space downstairs, which is where she'll stay until she goes to college (and let's face it, probably after). It's much quieter down there during nap time and bed time so we don't feel like we have to tip toe around at night anymore. Plus, we figured the sooner we move her the better. She's farther away from us now and if we waited until she was older to make the transition, it might not go over as well. Turns out, it was a piece of cake. Cece loves her new room. So anyway, these first few pictures are from the first phase of the project. You can tell because Cece is a peanut and there is still snow on the ground.
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| Daddy's little helper. |
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| The walls are three different shades of mint green. |
The second phase, which we just finished, involved setting up a "big girl bed" for her and decorating the room. Cece's still sleeping in her crib for now, but we hope to transition her to a twin bed within the next 6 months or so in order to use the crib for the baby. Eventually, the plan is to have them share the room for a few years until Cece's ready for her own space again. We do have another bedroom and the room we used as a nursery for Cece so there's plenty of room for the kids to have their own space but several friends have told us that their kids prefer to share when they are little so that's the theory we're going with for now.
Here are the details. The bed frame is actually one of two in a matching set that I found at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $25. We painted them white. I searched for awhile to find the perfect bedding. It has ponies on it. Need I say more? The quilt at the foot of the bed was made by my friend Suzanne at Cece's birth (also featured in her
nursery post). It's priceless.
I bought several wooden birdhouses at a craft store and painted them fun colors. The bird decal was a random Ikea find but it's been a big hit. Cece loves talking to her birds. I made the bunting and the cloud mobile that's hanging over her crib originally for her nursery but seems they seem to work ok in her new space as well.
The glider was originally purchased for the nursery but has a cozy new spot here. I found the print hanging over her crib on Etsy. I made the paper garland in one night, it was surprisingly easy and works to cover the large amount of space on that wall. I made the fleece fox blanket for her crib last winter.
Cece's play house was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. Cece loves it (so does Summit) and it's the perfect little spot for reading books.
Speaking of books, we added a small bookshelf between her door and closet. It's a good thing it's not too big because the contents of it get emptied almost nightly. I can't tell you how many times I've put books back on the shelf. And this is only one of three (Cece) bookshelves in the house. I feel like I'm constantly picking up books!
The last thing we need to do to finish the room is hang clothes racks in the closet. Right now there are two dressers and a laundry rack in there. It's functional but would be nice to tidy up loose ends and finish it off. By the way, the closet is huge. She'll love that when she's a teenager!
So there you have it. It feels good to cross that project off the list, especially before this baby comes. Cece really enjoys her big kid room and it's fun to see her get so excited to spend time in it. Fingers crossed the transition to her big girl bed goes smoothly in the months to come!
And for anyone interested, the specifics:
Bookshelf, Ottoman, Picture Frames, Bird Decal, Accent Pillows -
Ikea
Curtains: Target
Faux Sheepskin: Target
Bunting, Garland and Mobile: Handmade
Cece's quilt: handmade (fabrics:
Birch)
Fleece fox crib blanket: handmade (fabric: J
oAnn)
Ottoman cover: Handmade
Mr. & Mrs. Fox: Handmade
I love this room! I wish I could decorate a cute kid's room, but Bradford destroyed my initial attempts by pulling pictures off of walls, tearing out pages of books, breaking window blinds, etc. That kid is an animal. So their room is pretty basic.
ReplyDeleteMy kids share a room, which we decided to do so we could keep our guest room (3 bedroom house). Our guest room is also home to my clothes, and finding a new home for them would be a bit of a challenge. As it turns out, the kids love sharing a room. They are already asking if they will still share a room in Utah (probably). I think sharing the space has helped cement their sibling bond. As a function of having the same room, the nap time and bed time rituals are the same for both, so that's easy for us.
Nap times are our only challenge. They go to bed at night okay, but nap time is a disaster if they are together because they just want to jump on their beds together most days. Because of this, Warren usually naps on the couch downstairs. I figure at worst, it's a one year problem. Next year Bradford will be gone at kindergarten during nap time, so Warren can nap in his bed regularly again.