Early Reveal - Big Girls' Room

I'm not completely finished with this project, but I HAVE to take a break.  I'm about to get burned out.  Plus, Halloween is right around the corner and I have 5 little kids to get ready.  Can't let them down!

So.  I decided to do an early reveal and let you all in on the current project sucking the life out of me.  :)

Background:
Our home is a new construction.  Another family built the house and then had complications at closing making them unable to finalize the purchase.  {We found it when we came to the Saint Louis area on a house hunting trip 3 years ago.  (Hard to believe that much time has passed!)}  While it is a beautiful home and has lots of space for our family, there are somethings we would have done differently had we been the ones to build it.

Here is a view of our upstairs floor plan.

 Lots of space, as you can see, it just isn't in the best place for us to function well.  So we decided to change it up a bit to help us right now and in the future.

We don't use the 'his closet' other than for storage.  {Here is one of it's transformations.}  Our 2 oldest girls share 'bedroom 2' which has the largest floor space and smallest closet.  A closet that is already full and not functioning well.  Just imagine what it will be like when there are two teenagers using the space!  What else is there to do but reconfigure and punch a hole in a wall?  At least that's my solution, and fortunately my husband was willing to go along with my idea.

Our floor plan now looks like this:

Unfortunately, there is no getting rid of that black rectangle in the middle of the wall - HVAC lines are way out of our jurisdiction.

Wanna see it in 'Before and After' format?  Of course you do! :)

Before:

Only picture I can find, so ignore the mess.

After:

Where closet use to be.

Inside.  See where the door to Master was?

View into closet from girls' room.

As you can see, I have still have some finishing to do.  However, the kids are now back in their room and the closet can be used.  We do need to get a step stool for Girl #2 so she can reach her clothes, poor thing.

Last things to be finished up.
-Paint
-Wall decor
-Bed reveal
-Closet shelving reconfigured

We'll get there.  Any suggestions on closet configuration?

**Linked to Somewhat Simple, Sawdust and Paperscraps

Professional Drywallers - Look Away

I'm in the middle of finishing up a huge project.  DH did all the major reconstruct and I get to do the finish work.  I actually enjoyed putting the mud on the wall.  Then, when it came time to sand, I realized just how much compound I shouldn't have put on the joints. I feel like kicking myself, too.  I grew up with 2 uncles that made a living doing drywall and I never once thought to take any lessons from them.  Oh, the sanding I could have saved myself!  Well, live and learn.

My deadline for this project is Friday.  Crossing my fingers that I can do it!

So, what are some projects you've done that are really out of the usual for you to attempt?

Sneak Peek

I have about 10 different projects going on at once right now.  I don't know why I do this to myself, but that's just the way I am.  Here is a little peek into the biggest, most time consuming project (for me and hubby) currently in the works.

(This is a good man, here, people!)

Kids' Closet: Part 1

This is just about 1/3 of the way done.  When will it be complete?  I have no idea.  So, instead of waiting to show you the finished project, I thought I would go ahead and get this part up.  I can always post as more parts of it are completed.  Plus, I'm pretty stinkin' excited about it and wanted to share!

As you have seen from other posts, my husband is quite handy.  If you haven't seen any projects he has done around our place, click on 'hubby projects' on the right side under 'Labels', and you can see just a few.  Let's face it, though.  There are only so many hours in a day and Kevin spends roughly 12 hours of the day away from home.  He can't do every project my crazy brain dreams up.  *sigh*

I needed a fix for this closet.

We took the doors off several months ago to keep them from getting broken and to save little fingers from  getting smashed.

The clothes where up way too high for a 4 yr old and 2 yr old to use.  Plus, the clothes (summer and winter) were packed in and hard for me deal with.  There needed to be a lower rod and some shelving/drawers of some sort.

My first attempt was a flop.  My faceframe split on me and I had trouble getting the joints right.  So I took a break.

The kids HAVE to be able to help out around here and that includes being able to put clean clothes away.  So I got the bug again a couple of weeks ago.  Round 2 went much smoother.

I took over a small part of the basement and got to work.  I had the MDF cut from Round 1 and decided to confiscate a couple of 1x2 pine boards from another project.  Once it was all put together, I painted it white.

It then fit like a dream in the closet!  Now both kids can put clothes away and get dressed all by themselves.  A huge help for me and a huge boost in confidence for them.  Win - Win!

I secured the shelf to the wall using drywall anchors and screws.  The lower rods are left over from a Closetmaid purchase made last year.  It's lacking a top, but I'm still trying to decide what I want - painted white or stained wood.

Close Up

Honestly?  I had SO much fun with this!  I'm ready to get Kevin's shop set up in the basement and start busting out some woodworking projects.  (Have you seen www.ana-white.com?)  The table saw is truly intimidating.  I'm sure I would get over it with practice, though.  Also, I'm thrilled I purchased a Kreg Jig over a year ago.  (Just wish I had gotten around to using it sooner.)  It made putting this together quick and easy with no noticeable nail or screw holes to fill.

I'll let you know when I've decide on a top and if I'm going to make drawers or just get baskets for storage.

Big Girl

We survived our usual whirlwind weekend.  So much is scrunched into our Saturday and Sunday as a family that it is always crazy.  We didn't even go anywhere this time, and we are all still worn out.

The most eventful of all our happenings has to be the purchase of a big girl bed.  Our youngest daughter will be 2 in October, but the crib she was using is now needed for the baby.  Hard to believe it's that time already, but it was inevitable.  Time for an upgrade.

She did such a good job, too.  She stayed in bed all night and we are still waiting for 'sleeping beauty' to grace us with her presence.

One more step in getting the room completely finished.  Next is to give the rocking chair a new home, then get the bed frames ready and moved in, bed skirts and finally figure out what to do about what to do for comforters.  At least the list is a little shorter after the weekend.

Little Girls' Finished Room

I posted my start to this room last week.  I actually got it finished on Thursday, but completely ran out of time to post since I had to pack for a weekend trip.  Better late than never, right?

I didn't want another pink room.  When you have girls it is sometimes hard to convince them that there are other colors in the world besides varying shades of pink.  This time I just didn't ask and made the decision on my own.  Bibbidi Bobbidi Blue (a Disney color by Behr) is now on the walls.  (I could make some cheesy comments on magic and such, but I'll refrain.)  I've had the purple curtains for a couple of months and I'm really liking them in the room.

All the dots on the walls are bug/butterfly wall decals.  Really cute, removable and reusable.  I put them on the walls, on the door.....

and even on the light switch.

The look on her face when she saw the room completed was great!  Made it worth all the effort.  

One of these days I might put pictures up.  All the bugs are above the reach of little girls, too, so some grass painted around the room in places might be cute or a tree painted in one corner.  I think I'll move on to the next room and do some more thinking on the embellishments.

Keeping Busy

There's no shortage of projects ideas for me.  My problem lies in trying to decide and priorities which projects to do.

Here is my most recent endeavor.  I've had the paint for about a year.  Sad, I know.  Still, first coat up today and, hopefully, the second tomorrow.  (Or late tonight.)  I'm trying to have it done to surprise child #3 when she returns home next week.

Kids' Headboards

Remember that Room Revamp I was attempting last March and June? I didn't get too far on it before I changed my mind and made it into the guest room. SO TYPICAL! I seem to have trouble sticking with an idea or having way too many of them.

Anyway. While out searching for the perfect full size headboard, I came across a set of these beautiful (heavy sarcasm) twin headboards at a local thrift store.

They weren't horrible, but they did need some work. The best part about it was the price - $5 each! How could I pass that up?!

So, off to work...... I even schnoockered, er, enlisted my husband into helping with the process.

The end product come out better than even I hoped! I decided to have Hubby take the front sliding thingy off to avoid little fingers getting pinched. (Like the sledding polar bear sheets?)

So, for $10, a bit of elbow grease and a small can of paint the girls have some pretty cute matching headboards in their room. Even a little extra storage space for their special trinkets.

I'm hoping to get more decorating done in the next few weeks. Let's see if my pregnant body will keep up with my over ambitious mind.

Bedspreads are found here.