Pink Island Surf Bedroom {Updates}

Three years ago we painted Arielle's bedroom blue.  Since then I have replaced her bed, added a desk, redesigned her closet and rearranged her furniture a few times.  The retro desk and chair makeover inspired me to make a couple of more small changes.  I liked the fabric that I used to recover the chair pad so much that I bought more and made curtain holdbacks and a curtain for her armoire.  It is nice to see splashes of this fun, colorful fabric throughout the room!

The curtain for the armoire was completed in a few simple steps.  First I ironed and sewed the raw edges on the side of the fabric that I had pre-measured to fit the armoire opening.  I left the width a couple inches wider than the armoire so it would have a little bit of ruffling.  Next, I ironed and sewed up the top of the curtain leaving a one inch pocket for a tension rod to fit through.  Lastly, I ironed and sewed the bottom hem.  It was a very easy sewing project but could have been completed without sewing as well using a hot glue gun and/or iron-on hem tape.

To make the curtain holdbacks I cut four strips of fabric approximately 4 inches wide by 12  inches long.  Next, I ironed and sewed the edges up then hand-stitched buttons to close the holdbacks up.  It was really easy to do!

One of my favorite things about this room is the closet.  Since Arielle's furniture is quite large I wanted to free up more space in her room so I decied to removed the closet doors and put her dresser in the closet. I found the white beadboard shelves at a garage sale and hung all three of the side by side above the dresser.  I also added track shelving on the side of the close for additional storage. Lastly, I hung sheer panels from a shower curtain rod so we could hide the clutter at any time.

I am looking forward to making big-girl updates to Averi's room eventually!

{Retro} Desk and Chair Makeover

Arielle's desk makeover is complete and I am so happy with how it turned out!  You can see a before picture of the desk here, however I forgot to take a before picture of the chair.

It took several coats of paint to cover the desk after we primed it and sanded it.  The color is Fairaway Mist by Behr and I chose this color because it matches one of the several colors in Arielle's quilt which is from the Pottery Barn Pink Island Surf collection. 

After much debate about which hardware I was going to get for the desk make-over I am glad I chose the satin nickel bin pulls that match Arielle's silver daybed frame.

I bought the frame for the magnet board at Goodwill for $5.99 and cut up some leftover sheet metal from another magnet board that I made. Arielle and I made the seashell magnets today. It was fun and easy to do!

I purchased the chair at Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store for $2.99 and it was in really bad shape.  It was dark wood, required a couple of pieces to be glued together and the ugly old dirty fabric was ripping apart.  There is a stamp on the bottom of the chair that states "1965" so it's old but in overall good condition. 

To makoever the chair, I removed the chair seat, sanded the chair and gave it three coats of spray paint.  I distressed it heavily for the final touches so that it would fit in more with the beach theme of Arielle's room and also hide a few blemishes.  I had never recovered a chair before so I didn't know what to expect but it was really easy.  I found the fabric at JoAnn's and thought it was perfect! 

I even purchased extra fabric to makeover Arielle's bright pink curtains so that they will match her new chair. I love the fabric so much that I couldn't resist even if it involves some sewing because I know it will be worth it. I will post the rest of the room when the curtains are finished.

Linky Love:  The Shabby Nest ~ Frugal Friday, Just A Girl ~ Show and Share Day, Tip Junkie ~ Homemade Projects, The Shabby Chic Cottage ~ Transformation Thursdays, Just A Girl ~ Show and Share Day, Thrifty Decor Chick ~ Before & After Goodwill Party

Go Ra Rocks!

Ra Rocks is what Averi calls the Rockies.  Last weekend we went to a game and had a great time. 

 Arielle and Cayla...BFF's!

 Arielle loves cotton candy!

Averi didn't go to the game but she stayed home and spent quality time with Grandmom and Grandpop.  Here is a picture of her in her "new" vintage desk that I picked up at a garage sale for $5.

Furniture makeover in the works...

Here is the cute little desk that I got for Arielle's kindergareten graduation present.  I found it on Craigslist for $40 (the owner was asking $60 obo and took my first offer)!  It is solid wood, clean and in very good condition. 

We have already removed the old hardware, sanded it down, primed it and bought the paint to make it over. All that is left is to find new hardware and apply two coats of fresh paint. The color that Arielle chose is Fairaway Mist by Behr.  It is a lighter shade of green that I think will work really well in her bedroom.

These are the bin pulls that I am considering buying for the drawers.  What do you think?

Beachy Guest Room {Updates}

I have been updating our beachy guest room over the past several months because I want it to feel bright and airy like a hotel room in the tropics.  The only item I knew for sure that I wanted to leave in the room was the sea shell and coral quilt on the bed because I just love the look of it.  I also didn't want to paint it because we don't have a lot of time on our hands so I tried to add color in other ways.  A lot of projects that I have posted on this blog have contributed to this room's makeover. 

I started by changing out the throw pillows and curtains.  The curtains went from heavy green twill panels to brown linen panels that I found on clearance at Lowe's for $10 each.  The linen let's the light in but you can still keep the lights out by closing the blinds. I replaced the throw pillows with my tropical pillow slipcovers on the bed which give the room a much needed pop of color!  Then I painted my brown wooden cube shelf a light shade of blue and distressed it.  Of course I changed my tablescape on the shelf as well.  I added glass objects because the glass reflects the light and some shells because they go with the beach theme. 

My floral fabric lampshade cover was a great addition to the room as well!  Next I replaced the glass and metal nightsand that matched the headboard with a round pedestal side table that I painted white.  I like how the mis-matched furniture makes the room feel relaxing and casual.  I also changed out the wall art above the headboard to a set of four tropical prints in frames that I painted white. 

The walls on each side of the windows used to have matching palm tree sconces but they were too dark for the new look so I replaced them with framed shell art that I made above a white ceramic tray.  I am still trying to find something to hang on the other side of the wall but nothing that I have tried so far looks right. {I realized while posting this blog that I do not have a picture of this spot in the room so I just quickly snapped one. It's really out of focus and boring but you get the idea}.

All that is remaining to be updated is the light brown wicker chair that doesn't match anything else in the room.  I'm pretty sure that I am going to paint it white and distress it so it looks old and beachy.  The dark brown leather storage ottoman will be the only remaining dark object in the room but I don't mind. I think it will help balance the room out with the brown curtains.  I may consider making a slipcover for it to cover up but it will take finding perfect fabric to get me motivated! 

I'll update my blog when the room is completely finished...

Girls Bathroom {Painted} Gray

This weekend we took on an unexpected painting project! We decided to paint the newly redecorated girls bathroom. Paint was on sale and the room is so small that we thought it would be a great little project to tackle over the weekend. I am so glad we did it because the feeling in the room is so much more calm, crisp and airy.

The color we chose a light shade of gray and it is called "Quiet Rain" by Behr. Whever I paint a room this small I always paint the ceiling to make it feel more cohesive.

I love the pop of color from the aqua blue wall hooks. I got both baskets from Goodwill for $1.99 each and although I love how they match the wood tone of the vanity but I am thinking about spray painting them aqua blue to match the hooks. What would you do?

Princess in Training

The very first princess dress-up that we bought for Arielle has been handed down to her baby sister, Averi.  When we bought this Mermaid costume for Arielle she was two and half and it was a little big on her.  Averi is 19 months and it fits her very well.  She is ALL belly!

Arielle is graduating from Kindergarten in two weeks...I can hardly believe it!

Pedestal Table {Nightstand} Makeover

I really wanted a white round nightstand for our beachy guest room makeover so when I found this one on craigslist for $10 I knew I could make it work.  I'm so glad I finally took the time to do this makeover because it gave this room new life.  All it took was a good sanding {thanks to my helpful husband for doing this part for me}, three coats of white semi-gloss paint and it was done! 

I'll reveal the rest of the room later this week...

~Linky Love~The Shabby Chic Cottage~The Shabby Nest~

Girls {Thrifty} Bathroom Makeover

My girls' bathroom is small...very small...it is one of my least favorite things about our house.  It makes it hard now that there are two of them brushing their teeth every night and taking baths together but we make due with what we have.  When we moved in nearly five years ago I had a flip-flop, beachy theme in there with a very colorful, vertical striped shower curtain.  I liked it but was ready for a change.

When I saw this pretty shower curtain I knew immediately it was perfect for my bathroom makeover.  I got the Family Rules Subway Art from MellisaJane's Etsy shop.  It was just the right color blue to match the shower curtain and I love the rules that she put on it. 

The set of three royal crown wall hooks were ebay purchases and I was a little bit dissapointed when I got them because the listing said they were white but they are not even close to that.  They are actually the same color beige as my walls so they are hardly noticeable.  I plan on spray painting them either bright white or light blue but at least they are hung up for now and functional.  The third hook is on the wall directly across from the shower curtain next to the mirrored medicine cabinet but I couldn't get any good pictures of that side of the bathroom.

The accessories on top of the bathroom cabinet were from around the house and I especially love the hurricane glass jar full of travel size toiletries that I have picked up from various hotels.

Here's the cost breakdown:

Shower curtain - $10 with coupon at JC Penney's
Family Rules Subway Art sign - $56 splurge for me but it's one-of-a-kind
Set of 3 Cast Iron Wall Hooks - $27 on ebay
Bath Mat & Toothbrush Holder - $10 at Ross

Total Cost of Makeover - $103

The nice thing about a small bathroom is the low cost to decorate it! 

***Linky Love*** The Shabby Nest ~ Frugal Friday

Averi ~ 18 months

In the past six months Averi has changed...a lot!  She is still so cheerful and easy-going but very fiesty.  One of her favorite things is getting her shoes and coat on to go places.  She picks her own shoes out and insists on zipping her coat up every time.  Averi started walking at 15 months but before that she was climbing up stairs. Now that she is walking she doesn't like to climb up stairs...go figure.  She has learned how to do several picture puzzles, knows lots of animals, parts of the body and some colors.  Averi is definitely behind her sister in the speech department but she still manages to communicate really well with signs and pointing.  Some new words that she has learned are no, yes, eyes, milk, socks (pronounced ox), please (pronounced eezsh), down and Dora (all because of Dora's Halloween Adventure book).  We read stories every night while Averi sits on her froggy chair then we turn out the lights, turn on the Cloud B ladybug nightlight and say goodnight to everything in her room.  When I say, "I love you" she thinks that means that she needs to kiss me so she puts her cheek up to my lips.  Averi prefers walking over being carried practically everywhere we go and she doesn't want you to hold her hand.  This is especially difficult when we are crossing the street.  I just love her independant spirit and mild-mannered attitude!  One thing you can count on is that she always wants what her sister has but Arielle usually doesn't mind.  She is a kind and helpful big sister and I can tell they love each other so much.  It makes my heart melt.