Our Sitting Room // New Wingchair

How good do you feel when you score a really great item at an affordable price?  And when that item is a piece of furniture purchased over the Internet, without the benefit of an in-person inspection, isn't it even better?  I feel that way about a wingback chair I found on Overstock a few months ago.  It works perfectly in our master sitting area and is actually pretty comfy. 

It's a pretty cream color with silver nailhead trim along the bottom and sides.  I think it goes great with the rug and coffee table I moved upstairs.  

I only ordered one initially, to make sure I liked it in person, but I'm thinking a pair would work well in this space.  This is where I go to watch "Mom TV" alone or sometimes chat on the phone from this spot.  I've had it styled different ways, with different side tables, sometimes a lamp.  

I love to have fresh flowers here and Whole Foods is such a great place for gorgeous flowers.  

*Update- Ah! Need to switch up the chair legs- so funny!

Source List

Paint // Sherwin Williams Anew Grey 

Chair

Rug (on sale) & Similar

Pillow (out of stock, similar)

Throw

Coffee Table  

Side Table (out of stock, similar)

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Thank you to my friend Andrea (Worley House) for having me at her blog.  We share a special connection because our kids are about the same age.  Her daughter, Ava, is the cutest thing ever!

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On Honey We're Healthy lately:  



Healthy Homemade Granola

Working Out and Breakout Solutions

My Favorite Workout/Running Shoe

Baked Fish in Parchment Paper

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Spin Class

Big Boy Room Paint

I hope you all enjoyed a nice long weekend!  I made some progress on my son's room, including changing up the wall color and adding a colored ceiling.  You might remember his nursery walls were light blue "Blissful Blue" by Sherwin Williams and the ceiling was "Divine White" also by Sherwin Williams.

Now, he's got darker walls "Indi-go-go" by Benjamin Moore (color matched at Sherwin Williams) and a light blue ceiling "Honest Blue" by Sherwin Williams.  There is a Sherwin Williams near my house, so that's where I get all my paint. 

Below are the paint formulas if you're interested.  I can't wait to get his bed (should be delivered this week) and drapes (backordered until late June!). 

James' Room // West Elm Shower Curtain into Drapes

For James' room, I wanted wide horizontal blue and white striped drapes, and made them from a West Elm Shower Curtain.  The color is called dusty navy and the material is 100% cotton.  Three problems: 1) I prefer a rod pocket as opposed to the way it's meant to hang on hooks, 2) it's too short for the room at 74x72 inches, and 3) it's not lined.

I'm no seamstress, but I figured I could try what Amanda Carol did and buy three curtains, and use the third one for added length.  She chose the gorgeous grey and white for her office. 

Here are how my blue and white drapes turned out in James' room after I lined and hemmed them.

For the lining, I figured I'd use a lightweight fabric shower curtain liner so the width would match and it would be less expensive than fabric.  They do not cover the length of the drapes, just about below the window sill.  

I simply stitched them along the top of the drapes, just below the rod pocket I made by folding over about 4 inches of fabric on top. 

I used white rope and an inexpensive wall hook as a tie back so the room can still receive lots of sunlight.  On the picture below, you can also see where I added the extra fabric to the drapes.  I tried to line up the stripes so the width of the stripes would be about the same, but it's not perfect.  Also, I should have used blue thread so you couldn't see the seam as well.

I ordered these curtains from the store and they were on backorder forever.  While on backorder, we received the canopy, which was way too much horizontal stripe action for the room.  So, the canopy is going to live in the playroom-that-was-intended-to-be-a-media-room (it will fit better in there too) and James will have more room to move around in his bedroom now.  

This shower curtain also comes in yellow and white stripe which would make a pretty happy bathroom!

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Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids Reading Nook Challenge (Vote to Win $500 to Pottery Barn)

Hi friends! As a huge fan of Pottery Barn Kids and PBS Kids, I was delighted to join in a Reading Nook challenge where I was asked to create an inviting kid-friendly space in my home with Pottery Barn Kids goodies.  Five other bloggers are participating also and YOU get to vote on the Book Nook you like best.  The blogger who created the winning space will get to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn.  I hope y'all like what I've created and that one of YOU wins the gift card!  You can cast your vote on Pottery Barn's new blog, Building Blocks.



I found lots of inspiration for my design via Pinterest and created an inspiration board you can find HERE.  The products I chose to work with are pictured below:

Canopy * Bean Bag * Bookcase * Rug * Lamp * Galvanized Magnetic Board * Books * Dalmatian Bookend * Glow in the Dark Star Decals

You might remember that, just before the challenge began, James' room looked like this (after clearing out most of the furniture):

And after incorporating the items from Pottery Barn Kids, he now has a perfect little reading nook to call his own.  

The inspiration for the reading nook began with the blue and white stripe Rugby Play Tent Canopy.  Not only is it a super-cool place for a kid to hide away for some reading time, it makes a bold statement in the room.  It's made of durable polyester and is really sturdy.  We hung it from the ceiling with a small hook.  

A Dr. Seuss quote fits well with the space and is framed just outside the canopy.  I simply printed it from my computer.  Instant, inexpensive art! 

For cozy seating, inside the canopy is the Red Madras Anywhere Beanbag.  James is about 3 feet tall and fits this chair perfectly with room to grow.  The Chenille Jute Stripe Border Rug ties it all together and is really soft.

I added some pieces from our own house to the nook as well.  We are fortunate to have an old (vintage??) red wagon that belonged to James' dad as a kid that is still in pretty good shape for being over 30 years old. After a good washing, it doubles really well as added book storage.  

The big star bucket holds extra pillows and blankets for super cozy-time inside the canopy.  

I liked how the star bucket mimicked the awesome glow-in-the-dark star decals we put on the ceiling.  They really do light up the ceiling like the night sky when the lights are out!

Opposite the canopy is the Pottery Barn Cameron bookcase in white.  I'm so pleased with the quality of this furniture- it has a sold wood frame and was easily assembled in about 20 minutes.  I like to keep books as well as colorful decorative objects in the bookcase for added visual interest. 

On display is part of James' favorite train set from his Great Grandma on top along with the Solid Task lamp in red.  

The bookcase holds lots of books and I included a wire basket that can easily corral the smaller board books.  Making a label that James can "read" was easy with computer clip art and a laminating machine.  It also makes clean up easy since James knows exactly where the small books belong.

I adore this Dalmatian bookend.  It's surprisingly solid and keeps the books upright. So cute!

The Galvanized Magnetic boards are perfect for showcasing James' current art projects and I love how doubling them up increases the impact in the room.  The "GROW" sign is meant for a garden, but I thought it was completely cute and appropriate for a child's room.  

As you can see, James loves his little nook and "reads" in it everyday.  He even watches his PBS Kids shows on the iPad in there. We especially love Super Why and I swear it has given him a head start on learning to read.  I hear the catchy ABC song in my head as I type . . . 

Now for the fun part, YOU get to vote on which blogger's Book Nook you like best.  The winning blogger will be giving away a $500 Pottery Barn gift card to one of her readers! You can vote once a day until June 23, 2013.  Thanks! :)

VOTE HERE!

Creating a Book Nook in My Son's Room

I told y'all on Monday that I was lucky enough to be part of the Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids Book Nook Challenge where six bloggers were given goodies from Pottery Barn Kids to create a reading nook in their homes.  Y'all will get to vote on which nook you like best and the blogger who wins will get to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn.  Cool, huh?!



The space I'm working with is my son's room, but first I had to clean out the toys and stuffed animals!

The reading nook will be in the corner of the room where the rocking chair was.  The chair has been moved to my bedroom, can't give it up yet- still lots of rocking and snuggles to be had with my favorite 3 year-old!

The nook will be so cool for James with the rugby play tent canopy in a bold blue and white stripe and the red madras anywhere beanbag chair.  He is going to totally dig getting in there to read!

I'll add the Cameron 2-shelf bookshelf to the wall where the toy storage bin used to be. 

The red task lamp was also chosen.

Along with this adorable Dalmation bookend.

I showed you last week how the room looks now with the walls painted dark blue and the ceiling light blue.   

And now we also have a Gallery Wall.

I can't wait to get everything finished so we can start enjoying our books and I can share it with you.  Friendly challenges like this are very nice opportunities, but I can't help but hope that the nook I create is special enough for the challenge.  :/ What matters most is that James likes it right?! 

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Kid Gallery Wall

I've wanted to add a gallery wall to our home for a long time, but have gotten totally intimidated and overwhelmed because they seem like a lot of work and I don't feel like I really know how to put them together.  When we changed up my son's nursery and put the bed where the changing table used to be, I had a huge blank wall that I knew would be perfect for a gallery wall.  And something about it being in a kid's room seemed to take the pressure off.  It's not perfect, and it's not necessarily supposed to be, but since taking these pictures, I can already tell I'll be messing with it and changing it up.  

Here's how the wall looked with four symmetrical frames in the nursery.

And here's the new gallery wall.  I started with frames I already had around the house, then searched my computer for photos we'd like to have on the walls (no small task narrowing photos down when you have a million cute ones to choose from), then ran to Target to buy about 8 more frames in the sizes and colors (silver, black, and white) they had at my store.  Sort of random, I know.  

I've read many wise words about laying your frames out on your floor and arranging them how you like BEFORE you start nailing into the wall, and I do sorta wish I did that now, but at the time, I just wanted to get it up (twss Cass) and there wasn't that much room on my son's floor with all the toys everywhere.   So we did end up with a little bit of a funky gallery wall.  I wanted it asymetrical and loose, but the left side is kinda driving me crazy so I'm sure you'll see it revised soon. 

But I love the pictures we I chose!  After the wall was complete I lay in bed with my son and we talked about all the photos and what was happening in each one.  We've got almost all of our close family represented and his best friend from school too.  Every single day when I pick up James from school, his little girlfriend comes up to me and says, "James is my friend." His teachers tell me they are inseparable. 

I asked James which picture was his favorite and he said, "The white one with Mickey Mouse."  Glad I tore that page from the book! 

He asked me which one was my favorite and I said, "The one of you and me with the words, 'I love you so much.'" 

On his dresser are a few more photos and pops of red.  

He's really into the old-time Donald Duck and Chip-n-Dale cartoons so I found these pictures in an old book at Half Priced Books and framed them.  I love watching these with him- they're the ones where Donald is all grouchy, so fun. 

And the little birdie my friend gave me has moved into James' room for now. 

The glossy red tray is from West Elm. 

Do you have a gallery wall in your house?  Did you carefully plan out the positioning of every frame and object or just kind of eyeball it (like me)?

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