Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

  • Home
  • Our Family
    • Our Home
  • Courses
  • Shop
  • Contact

My Boys’ Room Inspiration

January 11, 2015 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

I grew up sharing a room with a younger sister. It is hard stuff to blend two different personalities, styles, behaviors into one little space. Kind of like marriage, right?

Looking back, those late night whispers, singing, and even complaining about whose side belonged to who are some of my favorite childhood memories.

Even if we had the space for our boys to have their own room, I would still make them share. I hope and pray they grow up with memories of those same little whispers, we often hear well after we have tucked them in for the night. My boys are best friends and they would tell anyone that is true. We didn’t get very far in designing their last bedroom. We had huge plans, but it was one of the last rooms to start tackling and as soon as we had space and time to really dive into it, we moved.

Now that we are in our new home, I am dreaming up a space for them that they will love.

Our boys are very different… one is all sports and people, the other is more timid and is in his element in the quiet outdoors exploring. As I have thought about how to create a space that both boys love (and that helps us in the long, cold winters), I came up with one element that would be the inspiration for the whole room.

They needed a chalkboard wall.

boys_wall_inspirationIt is funny to me that this will be the third house we do chalkboard walls, yet I have never shown you HOW I do my walls. I am obsessed with them, and I want to quickly show you how you can create one too.

First off, Rustoleums Chalkboard paint is my absolute favorite. It’s the first one I used four years ago, and I still love it today.

chalkboard_paint1. To prep your wall, you simply wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust or grime.

2. I use painter’s tape to frame in where I want to paint. I am a messy painter, so the tape helps me to stay off the window trim and adjacent walls. If you didn’t want to paint an entire wall like we do, you could also use painters tape to measure off a section of wall to create a smaller chalkboard.

using_painter_tape3. I then use a paint brush to cut in all the edges of my paint surface.

4. Next, I start rolling. It is very important to use a roller nap for a smooth surface. Light even strokes are important to create a smooth finished surface. I try to go slow to prevent much spraying and to ensure that the paint is going on evenly. After the wall is painted, I let it dry four hours and do a second coat. Since we are in a slightly colder climate this time around, I let it dry longer. I painted the first coat one afternoon and the next afternoon I did a second coat.

painting_a_chalkboardDo not worry if the paint looks more navy while it is wet, It will dry a really pretty dark, soft black.

chalkboard_paint_color5. Once the wall has two coats and is dry, we wait three days before we use it. Before writing on it, it is important to condition the wall by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface and erase. This will create a layer of chalk dust that provides the best erasable surface later on. You should then wait seven days before using a damp cloth to wash the wall. This ensures the paint has fully cured for chalkboard mode.

Now, of all the wonderful ideas I have for this room, I can promise you this next picture shows TWO things that I did not have in my design.

falcons_postersOh the posters… I loath them. I think I literally shrieked when my brothers gave those to Caleb for Christmas. Caleb shrieked as well but his was from delight. Those posters are not what I had planned for my boys’ room, but it is their room. I hope they have the memory growing up that their mom let them have a say in their room.

There’s still a huge section of this wall that can be used for drawing and writing. I hope it helps them to dream and create. I see some tic-tac-toe games in our future here while also using it during some of our homeschool lessons. I know it will get used as its intended chalkboard purpose, but I actually love the soft black color for just a wall in general too. Seeing the posters up on the other half of the wall (and the rich color that helped his posters pop {shesh those posters}), gave me an idea for another wall in the house to paint with Rustoleum Chalkboard paint too. I will show you more of that room soon!

So, do you love chalkboard walls too? Do you have a child obsessed with something that includes lots of posters?

Do you have any posters that you may or may not secretly hope they keep falling off the wall?

I am excited to share with you more of what we have planned for this room soon! For now, it’s one of the first projects we have tackled other than unpacking boxes. I hope you have a great week and get the opportunity to create!

signature

 

 

 

Disclosure: I received the Rustoleum Chalkboard paint for free, but all feelings and opinions are my own. This post does include affiliate links.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Minnie Mouse Bedroom Reveal

May 9, 2013 By Erica Deuel 20 Comments

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.

DCIM100GOPRO

I can’t believe I can finally show you Reagan’s room! I have been planning and dreaming about this room for weeks and weeks! Now that it is complete, I am just giddy. I love it. It came out better than I was even hoping.

Bedroom makeover

Just to give you a quick recap…

  • I bought the Disney Paint weeks ago at my local Wal-Mart.
  • I fell in love with it as I painted my great grandmas’ old dresser and created a DIY Minnie silhouette with it.
  • I started painting Reagan’s room last week and showed you how to do a stripe accent wall.

I am not a good painter, but I was able to paint this entire room in two days. Although I am really messy, I love to paint and I have learned a lot through the years. I want to give you a few tips that I have learned along the way.

  1. Use painter’s tape: I use painter’s tape to tape off any area (trim, ceilings, knobs, etc) that I don’t want to get my paint on. I have learned to press the tape down well to make sure it is sealed and to pull it up as soon as my project is dry to the touch.
  2. Get extra lighting: I always pull in extra lights to help me see well while I paint. This will help point out missed spots and can be especially helpful if you are painting at night.
  3. Have baby wipes close by: Although I use painter’s tape, sometimes I still get paint on the ceiling or somewhere else I didn’t want it. I told you I was messy. Baby wipes help remove the paint while it is still wet and can usually make it look like it was never there. I use a lot of them when I paint.
  4. Use drop clothes: I used old sheets and tablecloths as my drop cloths on this project, but the main idea is to cover up all the carpet/flooring to help prevent any accidents. I also used a collapsed cardboard box (since I have a few on hand :)) to sit my paint can on just for that extra added sense of barrier from my new carpet.
  5. Have company: I like to paint with someone to talk too. It makes the work more fun and the time to pass by more quickly. Thanks to my husband for keeping me smiling, taking my picture, and helping me through this project.

painting tips

painting a chalkboard wall (black and white)

After her room was painted, I started playing around with where I wanted things to go. I had fun staging and designing. For a little bit there, I forgot I was just a stay at home mom. I felt like I was on some design show. I had a blast. The actual set up of furniture placement and decor took about five days, which was good cause the speciality Disney finish I used was the Great Slate paint. It needed a week to cure, before it could be written on.

Great Slate Wall in kids room

As I set up, I realized other little things I wanted to add. For example, I wanted her to have a stool beside her chalkboard wall. So, I painted her one with my left over Disney Paint.

girl bedroom decor

I love that the Great Slate wall allows her to draw and be creative, while it is also in her reading nook. This little area in her room makes me so happy as it is a learning/dreaming set up to create! Another thing I realized this week was I needed a tad longer piece of bunting to cover the electrical cords, so I made some more.

fabric bunting

I love how the room turned out, and so does Reagan. On the day of her little room reveal party with some of her best friends we set up a lot of her favorite foods with fun Minnie Mouse decor paper items and waited for our guests.

food for a play date

She was so in love with her room, I didn’t think she was going to get off her bed at first. She just sat there for the longest time and took it all in. That was the moment I knew all the work was worth it!

Minnie Mouse fan

Once our friends arrived, we played, colored, and showed the room off. It was so fun to visit and relax after working hard and completing something I am proud of creating.

little girl coloring

eating at playdate

We had a lot of kids over and couldn’t get them all in the picture on Reagan’s bed at once. We had a blast!

Playdate party with friends

Playdate partyEveryone was so sweet about Reagan’s room! I am still picturing some of their faces and hearing their sweet comments in my head. The kids all flipped out about Minnie Mouse. I mean what little child does not love Mickey and Minnie?!

Minnie Mouse Room

Some of the sweet words the adults said were so encouraging.

what they are saying about disney paint

At the very end of the party, we had our giveaway! I made a little You Are My Sunshine sign and then I had a $50 gift-card to Wal-Mart to giveaway. I drew the names, and was so excited to give away the sign and gift-card to people I love.

drawing a giftcard winner

We had a lot of fun at the party, and I think it wore Reagan out! This room makeover was Reagan’s transition from a crib to a toddler bed. I truly believe the fun room and big deal we made over it helped make this transition easy. She has not gotten out of her bed (without me coming in for her) and took a good nap for the first time in her bed-right after the party! The beautiful Minnie Mouse comforter might be part of her love for her bed-thank you Disney!!

party girl tired

We are having a lot of fun in Reagan’s room already! I think it is my favorite room in the house. My friends laughed at me when I did a big speech while we ate at the reveal party cause I must have sounded like the biggest commercial, but I am a huge fan of Disney paint. I have painted a lot of rooms and furniture over the years, and Disney Paint is so smooth and thick. I only did one coat of the Cool Marine (teal color) on Reagan’s walls. It didn’t need another coat! I have never done that. I would totally recommend Disney Paint, and I will be using them again.

I have a lot of DIY posts coming with the how to’s of how I created some of the decor for Reagan’s room, but until then here are some pretty shots of her room.

minnie mouse bed

art wall

colorful girls bedroom

signature


 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
YouTube-Channel
Erica Deuel

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!




Most Popular Posts

Chiffon Flower Tutorial
School Desk Makeover
DIY Outdoor Table

Categories

  • All About the Kids
  • art journal
  • Blogging
  • Christmas
  • Craft Projects
  • Dancing Zebras
  • DIY
  • Eddy's postcards
  • Embroidery Journal
  • Family
  • Featured
  • Fireside Chat
  • Foster Care
  • Giveaways
  • Guest Posts
  • Home
  • Homeschooling
  • Kid Activities
  • Kid Craft
  • My Heart
  • Our Outings
  • Project Spotlight
  • Send Out Love
  • Shop
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Spoonful Lab
  • Spoonful Tribe
  • Tips + Tricks
  • Traveling
  • Uncategorized
  • Vlog

Favorite Categories

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!

Favorite Categories

© 2025 Spoonful of Imagination, Inc.