Playroom!!

Our playroom is mostly done. At least, as done as it is going to be for a while. So I thought I would share how it turned out.

We ended up with this:



but let's not get ahead of ourselves!

We started with a large room and a crapload of toys. We dumped all the kid stuff in this room when we moved in, but didn't have storage or furniture for it for about a month. Quite the mess! I felt stressed out every time I went into that room!







Since I sat in this room everyday (on the floor!) for a month while the boys played, I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted and how I wanted it organized. First things first, we needed storage. This room is pretty much a media room that we were using as a playroom. So there were no closets or cabinets for storage. Just a huge open space, which is perfect for us! So figured out that I could buy four pieces of white furniture from Ikea to build a wall to wall storage area for the left-hand wall. Well, it almost goes the full length of the wall. There is a space of about 10 inches which worked out well because I could fit the boy's big car toy in that slot.





I made the road on the top of the shorter bookcases, which I posted about HERE.



Eventually I will make vinyl labels for the white buckets, but I need to wait until I borrow the cricut from my sister. This is one of many things I still want to do in this room.

I love the bigger end pieces because it fits the bigger car toys well. It also stores our puzzles and some of our art supplies we use often. The rest of our art supplies are in a hall closet out of reach to minimize messes!







Looking into the room, we added a couch (my favorite part of the room!) that has recliners. Seriously, after sitting on the floor for a month, this couch is awesome! I got it at an outlet store nearby so it was brand new for only $300. Wow! The striped pillows were made from a floor pillow from Ikea that my mother-in-law cut it in half to make two smaller pillows. I made the blue pillow and have intentions of making a second one. But my sewing machine is not up to par and I didn't want to deal with it anymore. I would like to add some kind of window treatment, but not sure what yet.



Next to the couch I put an old school desk to use as a side table. It also is another surface for the boys to build towers or drive their cars.



Looking to the right of the room, this is what you see. (and see how little the boys look...the room is really big! I had a lot of wall space to fill up which is daunting!)



I used a curtain rod and curtain hangers to make an art display at the top of the wall. This was super easy because we already had the supplies! You can tell who painted which picture because Matthew will sit and paint until he paints a hole in the paper whereas John will paint for about 1 minute and says he is all done. :)

I also added an art area for the boys. The kids table and chairs is from Ikea that we already had. (I feel like Ikea sponsored this room!) I used a coated table cloth from Walmart to make the table cloth using THIS tutorial. I love not having to worry about marking up the table and can take it off if we aren't doing an art project. I got the white hanging containers from Ikea which holds some markers, stickers, and glue.



The magnetic boards from Ikea (shocking!) and the boys love them. I don't keep magnets on our fridge because they are so messy and the boys just like to shove them under the fridge. So these were perfect for our room!



I posted about the Play Nice signs HERE and you can download them for free!




So, that about wraps it up! The boys love the new set up in the playroom and we are in here every day. One day I will finish up the last of the details, but I am just happy the room is 'done'. :)

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Playroom Name Signs

Here is another little sneak peak into the playroom that I have been working on. I made these signs for John and Matthew. I made the design on photoshop, printed it out as a poster at Walmart, mounted it to a board, distressed it, and then hung it up! Basically, I used the steps from when I made my Family Tree Subway Art.





So, these look really small in the picture, but they are 16x20. The wall is REALLY big and I haven't finished decorating it yet. Plus, I need to make a third one when we pick out a name so there had to be room for three in that space!

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EASY Road Project

As I have been setting up the playroom, I noticed that John lined up a bunch of his cars on the top of the bookshelves. So, I pulled out some vinyl and cut some quick roads and stripes. He said he wanted a curvy road, so his wish was my command!



Are they perfect and professional looking? Not really. But it does the trick and is removable, so it works for me! John and Matthew use it often for their cars...and for building towers apparently.





Sidenote: How in the world have we acquired sooooo many cars/trucks/planes??? Is it just me, or do they multiply when I am not looking? This bucket is filled to the brim and we have tons more in the shelves!




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Playroom Freebies

We have been working on the boys' playroom over the past week or so. This room is quite large (walls are 155 inches long!) so the boys love playing in there. The room isn't totally finished yet, so I am going to wait to share the whole thing. But, in the meantime I wanted to share a freebie that I made for the room.





You have probably seen these types of sign around Pinterest or Etsy. I just whipped these up using Photoshop, printed them on regular paper, and framed them with extra frames we had from the old house. Very easy and cheap! So, I wanted to share them with you- feel free to save and use (but please don't sell them!).

Here is what they look like in the playroom:





I can't wait for the room to be finished and share the rest of it with you!

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Lake Matthew sign

Remember this post on Matthew's nursery? Well, I got the Lake Matthew sign back in August and I LOVE it! I just never posted about it. Oops! :) Here is a picture of the sign with the frame my dad made. Don't you just love it?!



I love how it is slightly distressed and it is PERFECT for his room!

Here is what that wall looked like before...



and the after...




It is hard to tell from the pictures, the but the sign is pretty big. I would guess about 2 feet by 2 feet including the frame. We have tall ceilings in our house which is pretty but leaves a lot of space to fill up! :) My favorite part is my rocking chair is across from the sign so I can look at it when I am rocking sweet Matthew! Love it!


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The Nursey is {almost} DONE!!

Woohoo!!! Baby Matthew's room is DONE! If he was born tonight, the room is ready for him. Not so sure about mommy and daddy, but the room is ready! Here is the big reveal!

Let's reach back into our memories and remember what the room looked like before...



...and think back to all the hard work Brad did on the walls and the craftiness I did on recovering a bumper and night light shade.

And now, walking in the room, this is what you see:



LOVE IT!



After seeing some cute painted oars in a Pottery Barn catalog (I think!), my dad got some oars at Academy and painted and distressed them for me. Aren't they super cute?!



I love how the bumper turned out and how the crib looks. I know the ribbons look weird right now- I didn't feel like re-tying them for the pictures. My mother-in-law took the bedskirt (which is from John's old crib) and added a stripe of the plaid material across the bottom. Unfortunately, you can't see it right now since the mattress is raised so high. But I promise she did a fabulous job on it!



I found the cute sail boat mobile from Target. I had originally thought I would make my own sail boats and attach them to John's old mobile. I quickly realized it would be WAY easier to buy it instead!



I love this chair from John's room (so glad we decided on a blue chair and not boring beige!) and I love it being next to the sunny window. My mom found the anchor pillow on sale at Restoration Hardware and once I made my own pillow form and stuffed it, it is perfect in the room. I found the little fish table at Kohl's on sale and once I used a coupon it was about $8! Can't pass that up!






Another great find was this boat-shaped shelf from Craigslist. I love that it was already navy and even though it is a little scratched up, it looks perfectly distressed for the room. I am not thrilled that it is yellow on the inside, but repainting it wasn't priority so I am leaving it for now. It is perfect for the little pails for storage! (The shelves are not totally done either- I am not in love with how it is set up but I will probably wait until the baby gets here to know how I really want everything to be accessed.)







So, there is a huge blank spot on the wall above the dresser. I am ordering a wooden sign from Go Jump In The Lake on Etsy (you can see it in the link!) so once I get it, my dad is framing it with reclaimed baseboards and we will hang it up over the changing table. It is going to say 'Lake Matthew' so I am so excited about it! It is really simple and will be perfect for the room. I can't wait to get it!



My mom and dad found this cute mirror made from an old port hole. It even opens so I really want to put a picture behind it or paint a 'M' on the wall so there is a little surprise when you open it. haha! :)





Last but not least, here is the night light that I recovered. Love how it turned out too!



And there we have it...an {almost} finished nursery just in time for Matthew's arrival!