NURSERY

I've finally got the photos of the finished nursery all together!

Here is the revealing of Greta Mae Kersten's future space! 

[photo: Betsy Kersten]

This room used to be my studio and was already painted white with one orange accent wall.  We moved the Flor carpet squares from our living room into the nursery and got a new cushier rug for the living room.  The crib is from Amazon.com (Baby Letto Hudson 3 in 1 convertible crib in white), Curtains are fabric from IKEA that I hemmed, and the Chevron Bedding & sheep rocker are from Pottery Barn Kids.  The quilt was a gift made by my friend Kristen!  I decided since the colors were all gender neutral, the girl needed something girlie!  So I made her the silver branch mobile with crystals hanging from it for some sparkle & bling.

 [photo: Betsy Kersten]

We hung baskets that I got from cb2 a while back on the wall as book holders at a lower level for her to reach.  The side table was a plywood project I built in college, the teal lamp is from Crate & Barrel, and the dachshund night light is from 2modern.com (OFFI pet lamp in white).

 [photo: Betsy Kersten]

The banner of her name was made by a friend, Victoria Luhrs, for a baby shower my best friend threw me.  Victoria sells all kinds of printed party items on her etsy shop.

 [photo: Betsy Kersten]

This is an old dresser my parents had in their storage room forever.  It used to be brown wood that was very worn down and scratched up.  I painted it flat grey and sanded around the edges and over the burly wood detail in the center of the top drawer.  I put the original knobs back on and lined the drawers with wrapping paper that I liked.

The closet was already painted orange and we added the chunky white floating shelves ourselves a while back.  They were designed with the plan of hanging clothes beneath the lower one for this very purpose.  The dresser is my husband's childhood dresser with new knobs for a facelift.

[photo: Betsy Kersten]

The tall white bookshelf is from West Elm, the bright-colored animal cube boxes in it are from Amazon.com (3 Sprouts Storage Boxes), and the changing pad cover is from BuyBuyBaby (Skip Hop Treetop).

[photo: Betsy Kersten]

My friend Megan hand-made this crocheted wiener dog for me!  The mason jar is decorated by my mom for a baby shower and is filled with advice and notes friends wrote to me.

[photo: Betsy Kersten]

This necklace was also hand-made by a neighbor who makes awesome jewelry.  She put Greta's name on it with a decorated pearl and even made a tiny pearl bracelet for Greta!

 [photo: Betsy Kersten]

TOH Contest Entry

Check out Makenzie's Room on This Old House!

Reader Remodel Contest 2012: Paint Ideas: This Old House:

The project was entered into the 2012 Reader Remodel Contest under the "Paint Ideas" category!  You might remember my post a while back about her bedroom transformation; No More Princess...

...who knows you might see some familiar photos in the late summer issue of This Old House!  Keep your fingers crossed!

_________________________________________________

Bright Stripes Perfect for Niece 

Sent by: Kara K., Prairie Village, KS

Image 1 of 6: After: Striped wall

Remodel timeline: Less than a year

The hardest part: The hardest part was waiting for certain colored stripes to dry on the wall before being able to paint more stripes next to those — had to go in phases. We used frog tape and taped almost every other stripe along pencil lines we drew with a level for the first round. Plus, they needed a few coats.

How we saved money: We built a floating desk in the back corner with a light above for her to do her growing amount of homework. We made a chandelier ourselves, did our own painting, and bought a few pieces of furniture from garage sales and repurposed them with paint, tile, fabric, and hardware!

               _______________________________________________

New Cork Floors

My mom just finished having cork flooring installed in their bedroom and office.  There was originally frieze carpet there [which is soft and awesome], but her unruly dogs kept reminding her that they like it better than grass.  She'd had enough of the old-age dog accidents and was ready for an easy-care option.

There is slate tile throughout the rest of the main level that we could have used, but these two rooms needed a warmer option.  Cork absorbs sound better, has more cushion under foot, and with the dark stain feels warmer like hardwood.  It also repels water better than hardwoods, resists mold, mildew, and insects.  It made sense that doggy accidents would be less damaging on cork floors than carpet, or hardwoods.

Here is my good friend, Christopher, installing the cork strips in the office

[he will hate that I used this picture of him!]

 The Office:

 [I didn't get a chance to snap any before photos of the office that show the carpet]

 We preferred the cork strips rather than the tiles, purely because they resemble hardwood planks.

This specific project called for something that looked more like hardwood to contrast with the slate tile.

[my dog, Jaeger, in the midst of shooting pics!  He's too cute for me to handle!]

The Master Bedroom:

 [before]

 [after]

Happy Closets

Matt & I just finished a small project I've been wanting to do for a long time.  We built chunky floating shelves for my studio closet out of mdf board from Home Depot, caulked the edges & seams, and primed and painted them white to pop against the orange background!

Before                                       After

 After we bought the house, we painted this room white with one orange accent wall and across from that, the inside of the open closet.  Previously, the closet had a curtain on a tension rod and everything was beige.  The clothes rod (above left) was already there.  We took advantage of that and built the shelves around the existing pieces.

We left the bottom of the lower shelf open so you can still use the rod for hanging clothes, but it's hidden behind the front panel. (I should probably paint the underside white, although you don't see it unless you're on the floor)

Here are a few other small closets that I find happy and inspiring:

 crafting closets                            kids play area

 vanity area in small closet        closet with patterned wallpaper

 office closet

 reading nooks

 kids retreats

tiny desk area

Let me know if you plan to do something cool with a closet of yours or send me pictures of finished projects!

Peace & Happiness

Here are the photos from a 13 year old's bedroom that I helped decorate.  I assisted in picking out her bedding, wall colors, accessories, and her curtains.  Also shown is the painting I did as a gift for her hung above her bed.

Wall paint is "Green Vibes" from Sherwin Williams; chandelier, bed frame, and rug are from West Elm; curtains, beanbag, and bedding are from PB Teen.

 I painted the Peace canvas for my friend Shayna's Bat Mitzvah.  It's textured with blue and purple torn tissue paper, modge podged, splashed with many colors of acrylic paint, then lacquered with a high gloss. Small glitter tiles and mirrors adorn the top.

 The room is a light-filled space full of happiness, youth, and peaceful rest!

Mural Mural on the Wall...

My mom and I painted this African-themed mural on the walls of my cousin Tucker's room.  The lower pattern that surrounds the room was inspired by a piece of pottery that my mom had. 

my favorite elephant

I thought the hippo my mom did was so cute!

There's Simba!  I looked at a picture from the Lion King to paint him.  That green frog is 3-d and is hanging on the wall!