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When it comes to decorating, go with your gut

February 14, 2015 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: The wall decals I received for free. Thank you RoomMates for so generously gifting those to my boys. All opinions are very much my own.

One of the great joys of being a mom for me is creating special places for my kids. I literally dream about it. Taking their interests and joys to heart and using them to inspire a place that they love is so fun. This is my fourth boy bedroom to start and I have learned a few tricks that I want to share with you.

DIY_boys_bedroomIf you have been following along, you know we just moved from Georgia to Indiana at the end of last year. We have been busily making our new house…home.

The boys’ bedroom has been one of my first rooms to tackle. My inspiration board for this room is truly helping to guide this process. To give you an idea of what I started with, here is a picture of the boys’ bedroom from the first week we were in our house. Also, you can see the test paint colors on the wall in the following picture.

before_boys_bedroombefore_boy_bedroomWe have completed a chalkboard wall and a stencil accent wall. I will tell you more about that next week.

This week we checked off one more of the items on our inspiration board. We hung our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle RoomMates wall decals. They are amazing. The boys did them pretty much by themselves. So you know that meant re-peeling and adjusting till we got them perfect. These things are easily moveable, which is amazing.

turtle_decal

placing_wall_decalAs soon as they were hung, the boys wanted to pose with their heroes, Raphael and Donatello. They were so proud.

DIY_boy_bedroomraphael_decaldonetello_turtle_decalAs I sat watching their joy, I thought about how we are creating this space together. They are loving it as much as me. Although I wouldn’t choose it all (like the loathed posters), I am happy that they are happy with it.

Here are a few tips I have learned from creating spaces for my kids.

1. Have an inspiration board or at least a picture in your head. All too often I have bought little things here or there-thinking that I could “maybe use this somewhere/sometime”. Those little things add up and are often the first things we get rid of when we do a big sweep purge. An inspiration board helps keep you on track.

2. Collect items and don’t be afraid of it taking time to get the space right. My J spent a big portion of last summer collecting bugs, so when these little dragon-fly lights went on clearance at the end of the season, I snatched up two sets. I have been waiting months to break them open. It’s much better to buy something you LOVE than to find things you might use.

sitting_bedroom_area

3. Homemade items help turn a beautiful space into a special space. I’d much rather err on creating a special place that can be used and honors my child than a picture perfect, magazine worthy room. Embrace that feather collection, sew a handmade pillow cover, adore the handmade gift that they receive, and hang up pictures and their art. The gifts that take time show heart. A lot of these ideas are inexpensive or free too!

DIY_pillow_cover

boy_bedroom_ideas4. Go with your gut. There are times I have questioned myself. I have thought that it might seem weird or that’s not how its done in magazines, if I go with my first instinct. That moment that I hesitate is usually the point I regret. I wanted two accents walls in this room (the chalkboard wall and a stencil patterned wall), and I went for it this time. It might be unusual, but it’s so fun and we all adore it! Mix those patterns, colors, and textures to create something you love. It’s for you or your family, so if you like it…that’s all that matters.

chalkboard_wall5. One more thing that I always keep in mind when creating a space, is that paint is cheap. Don’t beat yourself up over it. In the scheme of room design elements, paint is one of the cheapest to buy. I do paint samples most of the time, so I can see what the color looks like dried and in different lighting throughout the day. When it comes down to it though, I just start getting color on those walls. I can always change it, but the hardest part is just getting started.

roommate_TNMT_decalI still want to hang some of their art and a few signs I made them, but I am holding off until we get the bunk bed built. That’s the last big thing for this room. I can’t wait to get their mattresses off the floor, but they don’t seem to mind. They will miss these moments once their beds are lofted in the air.

boys_bedroom

What are your go-to tips when decorating? I still have a few more rooms to go in this house. I’d love to hear your input on how to create a space you love for less!

My hope in sharing the process of my boy’s room, you see that in creating a special space-you don’t have to spend a lot of money or have the best things. Adding a little color, imagination, time, and heart can create a place you and your kids love.

Create something this next week, it just might do your soul good.

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Dreaming Big (my boys bedroom plans)

January 14, 2015 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

There are moments as a mom when I sit back and just watch my kids through different eyes. Do you ever do that? Sit and watch how they talk, their little quirks, and try to burn it all in your memory forever?

When I can quiet the to do lists and tasks playing over and over in my brain, I have a much more free heart to savor these miracles in my care. They really are masterpieces.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetI love how Caleb just hungers to be near and talk to me. He will come in the room literally just to tell me something. He notices the small things and confidently gives out compliments. He has a bold aggressive spirit that just wants to succeed and do it on his own. When he pours himself into something, he is relentless and can succeed at anything. He’s so smart and self teaches himself daily. I often wonder why we ever bother doing school. Most days, he will finish my explanation of a lesson for me.

I love how J loves to give really big tight hugs. In his eyes, a hug doesn’t count unless it feels like I am pulling him up with me when I stand. He is stubborn, and when my stubbornness meets his-it usually produces some pretty epic fails. He reminds me the heart battle is more important than the issue at hand. He is hilarious and often smirks and says the most witty things. He is as slow as a snail unless it is for something he wants.

I love how Reagan often tilts her head to the side as she talks. She slurs some words and I hunger on those remains of her young-innocent toddler days. She is independent and fierce. She has enough sass to make any grown adult feel self conscious. She giggles with her huge locks of curls thrown behind her. She is gorgeous and has the most beautiful roll out of bed look I’ve ever seen. She loves to have her back scratched and I find myself doing it as often as she’s in arms reach because it is about the only way she will let me hold her.

My kids are rocks. I think of this past year and how we turned their whole world upside-down with becoming foster care parents. They had to share their parents, lives, home, schedule, things and life in a new way. They not only accepted it, they embraced and did it with us. It was a team effort and I could not be prouder. We then sold their home and moved them away from all their family and friends. It’s been a big 12 months, and now I want to create such special places for them.

When I think of how I want to design their bedrooms, I know I want to incorporate so many elements that just make them feel special, valued, loved, and excited. I want to create a space that has them dreaming, creating, playing and of course imagining.

I hinted that I had huge plans for my boys bedroom when I shared their chalkboard wall. Today, I want to share a first for me. I want to let you see the mess in my head. Here are my ideas for their room…

boy_bedroom_inspiration1. Caleb is obsessed with sports. We didn’t end up finding a house with a basement, so we knew he would need a basketball hoop in his room instead. He saw one he liked at Walmart, but it would have been like the third or forth one we have had. The little plastic hoop breaks so quickly. Matt’s parents found this one for Caleb for Christmas, and he loves it. At any one moment, I can have a sweaty boy running and jumping…even with a snow covered driveway.

2. I think I mentioned in our new home tour, that the boys’ room was the previous owner’s office. They have lots of different lighting and places to add a fun industrial take on those light fixtures. These lights I saw online, but we will figure out a DIY version because the $489 price tag was a little steep for us.

3. You may remember my boys had Transformer decals in their last bedroom. Their newest phase is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so we decided together we had to have their two favorites turtles for their room. Whenever they dress up or play turtles they always pick their favorite, Raphael and Donatello. For as much as I loath posters, I adore RoomMate decals!

4. There is never enough accent walls and patterns in my house. I want the walls to be as inspirational as the things placed on them. It’s a blank canvas waiting to be transformed. I am so excited to use this Royal Designs Studio stencil in their room.

5. Now, my J loves animals. They have a special place in his heart. When he is outdoors his stubbornness melts and he is the sweetest thing. I have to figure out a way get some nature in his room. We might do some plants and get their fish tank going again, but I also want to hang some stuffed animals on the wall (as you will see in a picture below inspired me) like this sweet moose.

6. We love the simple look of this stuffed bear I made. So adding some simple designs with bold patterns are a must.

7. Again, I want this first winter living in what I call North Mountain (for all you Frozen fanatics, you know what I mean), to be awesome. I want to be proactive in getting that little boy energy out, so they don’t get in trouble swinging from chandeliers. I love the idea of figuring out a way/space to add a climbing wall and I found these rocks.

Now, let me show you one of the funnest bunk beds I have ever seen. When I saw this picture from The Hut, I knew we needed to use it to inspire our boys’ beds. Matt is going to build the boys a bunk bed, and I love the tree house, simplicity and fun of this bed. What a fun way to also have a spacial nook in a room that you share!? We might need two of these.

bunk_bedI am also planning to create a little wall gallery with some of their art or things that I have already made them. We are going to hang up their batman board game.

DIY_batman_party_gameWe definitely need to hang this Batman felt garland back up. It was above Caleb’s red dresser in their last room and looked awesome.

Batman_party_decorI painted this sign years ago. It’s funny I showed it on our very first blog. This project alone started me dreaming of this blog now. So, cool to still have it. I’m forever thankful I didn’t sell it.

let_the_wild_rumpus_startI still like the hanging basket we had above J’s dresser too.

kids_dresserI love the idea of this felt pennant, but I would want it to say “be wild”.

DIY_felt_pendentAs you can see, we have lots of projects and are definitely dreaming big. Why not!? We only live once. There will be lots of love put into these projects, and I will take you on the journey with us. It will be fun to see if the final reveal has some or any of these elements.

DIY_boy_bedroomDo you have or know a little boy that would like this room too? Please feel free to share this post. I’d also love it, if you pinned it to one of your Pinterest boards! Inspiring others to dream big will always be one of my favorites things about this blog.

I hope and pray you can imagine and create this week. We all might not have a full day to create or start the kind of project that a tree house bed requires, but maybe we can find an hour. Carve an hour out of your schedule or mark it on your schedule, before it is claimed for you. I will too.

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Disclosure: This post does include affiliate links, but all feelings and opinions are my own.

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My Little Pony {Craft}

February 8, 2014 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

My Little Pony Craft ProjectIt might get messy. It might take a few steps and seem tedious, but in the end you could have one really happy My Little Pony fan grinning ear to ear.

This craft was a bit of an act of love for my little girl. She loves My Little Ponies. I think she has about six ponies, and they go everywhere with us. There are squeals of joy when ever she sees a My Little Pony shirt, card, show, etc.

One day we were painting and she says she is going to paint Fluttershy (one of the My Little Ponies) and I got an idea. I gave her Fluttershy’s colors to paint with and let her go at it.

toddler_paintingShe had a blast painting her Fluttershy. If you have a new three-year old, you know her painting looked nothing like Fluttershy. Yet, she was proud of it, and it truly was beautiful. I have so many paintings and “pictures” of hers like this. I decided to help her transform her art into a Fluttershy.

I found a Fluttershy image on google, saved it to word, and stretched the image so it ran off my print area. It took moving the image around my print area five times to print the complete image.

Fluttershy_pony_puzzleAfter I printed off my Fluttershy, I taped the puzzle pieces of her together, cut the image out, and laid it on top of Reagan’s painting. I then traced the pony onto the painting, and cut it out.

painting_my_little_pony

I then had a painted silhouette image of Fluttershy. I used the paper print out as my stencil. I kept cutting off pieces of my stencil Fluttershy so I could trace those exact lines onto Reagan’s painting to get the most similar image possible. This was wayyyyy easier for me than trying to draw the pony freehand.

my_little_pony_craft

toddler_paint_projectOnce I had some pencil lines of Fluttershy’s features, I went over them in Sharpie. I ended up cutting out eyes and a wing from a different part of Reagan’s painting, and I glued them onto Fluttershy’s body to give her pony another pop of color and texture.

The next step was the most tedious. I glued yarn to give her pony a more “real” My Little Pony look for the mane and tail. This added another texture that I love. I added a strip of glue and then laid a strip of yarn on top. As I went, I realized it was faster to add a bunch of glue and then lay a bunch of yarn strips on top.

my_little_pony_art_project

yarn craft 2Once all the yarn was in place and dry, our Fluttershy was complete! We think she turned out so cute, and Reagan wanted to carry her all over :).

My Little Pony Craft

fluttershyI had to convince her she was safer to hang on the wall. We ended up placing her in an Ikea frame and did a background matte like I did in this cheap wall art. I love all the color and textures and how this piece just adds another fun touch to Reagan’s bedroom.

little_girl_bedroom_wall_artSo, what about you!? Do you have a My Little Pony fan? You could easily take this concept and turn it into your child’s favorite character.

Thank you so much for stopping in! I hope you have a great weekend!

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Unique and Inexpensive Room Accessories

October 7, 2013 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

Decorating could break your bank account, if you let it. It doesn’t need to though. There are simple ways that you can be creative and think outside the box to make and come up with decor that keeps your costs down and your spouse smiling at you proudly.

I want to share just a few things that I have done in our foster care bedroom that have been inexpensive, yet they are cute and all come together to create a statement room.

inspirational_wall_art

1. Frame scrapbook paper to create wall art. I cut a hippo silhouette out and glued it to another piece of scrapbook paper and stuck the two in a thrift store frame to create a fun, subtle wall art piece. This cost about $2.00 to create.

2. Buy solid or plain pillows and embellish them to create a more expensive/nicer look. I took a $3.00 Ikea white Ikea pillowcase and embellished it with a little paint. You can get the full tutorial here. This cost about $5.oo, since my pillow insert was a $2.00 thrift store find.

3. Repurpose items to create a unique look for less. I bought a ceramic owl salt shaker in the $1 section at Target and am using it as a cute statue on my shelf. I also bought a metal owl napkin holder to hold special books.

4. Recycle cool things for a new use. I turned over a barrel used to sell candy in a candy store and created a unique end table.

5. Think past the obvious. I bought a cute little metal pail in the paint aisle at Home Depot and am using it hold little stuffed animals.

6. Don’t be scared. Try something new. See if you like it. If you don’t, you can always change it. I don’t usually like my handwriting, but I tried my hand at writing a simple message “let them be little”. It worked!

Kid _bedroom_Accessorries

This room is coming together! I have a few more DIY to show you, before the full reveal is ready. If you missed the artwork that inspired it all you can read “There is A Whole World Inside Me” here. I am so excited to put this room to use. I hope you had a great weekend and were able to be creative and use that IMAGINATION!

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