This Is Why I Haven't Been Around Much The Past Two Weeks
Remember when I said I *HAD* to finish decorating the playroom? Well, hand me a pen because it is time TO CROSS THAT SUCKER OFF OF THE LIST!
I'm a widdle bit excited about this.
Wanna see? Wanna see? WANNA SEE?
Too bad. I'm posting the pics anyway.
So . . . the before . . .
Basically, it was a big white box (18' x 22' of big) with crap all over the place. I have better pictures that more accurately show the volume of crap all over the place and the vast whiteness of it all, but I'm too lazy to find them right now. Long of the short, absolutely nothing had been done in the room since the house was built, unless you count Alexis' "decorating" with toys. TOTAL blank slate.
Originally I wanted to paint an elaborate Tim Burton-esque Alice in Wonderland mural in there, but given that the simple fairy murals in Alexis' bedroom still aren't done a year after I started them, I decided I better simplify. A LOT.
So, I looked for inspiration. And found it.
Mr. Husband bought this little piano for Alexis a few years ago. She LURVES it. She also LURVES playing her electric guitar, dancing, singing, and looking at herself. And, thus, she got this:
Let's work bottom to top, shall we?
It all starts with the stage that Mr. Husband built last fall. It was one of those insanely inexpensive projects that makes a huge difference. It's nothing more than a bunch of 2x4s, a large piece of particle board, some super cheap laminate flooring from IKEA, and some trim to finish off the top edge all the way around.
On top of that is Alexis' halfway decent collection of musical instruments. The drum set she got for Christmas last year from her grandparents, the pianos she has had for years, and the guitar and mic came from us for Christmas last year. I still need to find a drum stool (the lawn chair is a bit awkward), but that little bit of it is going to have to wait for a while.
Behind the stage is a crap-ton of 12"x12" mirrors from IKEA. I have been slowly buying them for months because, seriously, there is a crap-ton of them. I fully expected that the second I put them on the wall (double-sided tape is my friend), Alexis would be drawn like a moth to a flame and wouldn't be able to stop staring at herself.
I was right.
On either side of the stage are two IKEA bookshelves. I plan to actually arrange the stuff on them in a way that makes sense after Alexis' birthday party this weekend. There really is no point in putting things in their proper places right now when I know the contents will be on the floor within 30 seconds of her party starting.
Hanging from the ceiling is the greatest thing in the history of playrooms:
Oh, yes, I have a DISCO BALL! in my house. A REAL DISCO BALL! The idea was born when I took Alexis to Burn the Floor a while back. The final number involves a DISCO BALL! and when that shiny glass globe of joy dropped from the ceiling, she turned into one of the aliens in Toy Story. She was all, "Oooooooh." Later, I checked to see if I could buy one on Amazon and went, "Aaaaaah!" Affordable birthday present. She got a DISCO BALL! for her birthday (a few days early). Weeeeee!
Turning a bit . . .
On one of the bookshelves is this thing:
It's a mini jukebox that works with an iPod. We first bought one over a year ago as a Christmas gift for my father-in-law. We paid full price at that time, but when we happened upon the exact same one on clearance for $20 at Target last fall, I broke out some kung fu moves and high-tailed it out of there with the thing stuffed in my pants. I may have stopped to pay for it, but only because SCORE!
Moving right along . . . I like to call this wall the Alexis' Mom is a Genius Wall.
Alexis creates "masterpieces" Every. Single. Day. The only way I could manage to have a fridge big enough to display it all would be if I had a meat locker, so I needed another way for the kid to hang up some of her favorite things. PERFECT! It's about six feet wide and three rows tall, so there is plenty of space for her to change things out and hang up whatever she wants.
The top row, however, is mine. I picked what goes there and until the kid grows about two feet, she can't do a darn thing about it.
Where else would I keep her first ballet slippers?
Part of the reason I think I'm sort of a genius for thinking of that little display is that it is made of all things we already had around the house. See:
Curtain hooks, wire, and eye screws. The red ribbon came from my Christmas stash. I did add the black frames, which I found on clearance at IKEA last week. Alexis had a blast picking out what she wanted in each frame. She managed to declare this her favorite photo of all time:
All together now . . . Awwwwwww!
Moving along . . . SURPRISE! More IKEA stuff!
There is a $15 floor lamp and several flower-shaped wall lamps. The wall lamps are another thing that I have been collecting for quite a while, assuming that I would eventually figure out a way to make them work with everything else. (This is the only room in our house that wasn't wired for a ceiling light fixture, so I had to find ways to make use of outlets.)
The tree mural is a giant vinyl sticker that I found on Etsy.
I really do enjoy painting wall murals, but that took less than four hours to put up. That's . . . uh. . . 600% less time than painting something would have taken. WIN.
(One of the things that isn't done about the room is that I want more butterflies and birds to scatter throughout the room. Eventually.)
Then, in the corner, is Alexis' kitchen play area.
The High School Musical kids are babysitting Ariel and Belle. Obviously.
I'd like to find a new kitchen, preferable a red retro style one that has separate pieces for the fridge and oven, but for obvious reasons that's not a priority. Also not a priority is the fact that I still have three more IKEA flower wall lamps to hang behind the kitchen. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Possibly.
The super boring red curtains are the suprise win of the room. I looked and looked and looked for a print that would tie in all of the colors in the room, but couldn't find anything. I finally happened upon the solid red faux silk ones at Garden Ridge. They were regular $15 but on clearance for half price, so WIN! AGAIN! The best part is that they actually look pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Lastly, the wall paint. It's the same boring beige/cream we have in our dining room. I actually HATE it in the dining room and plan to repaint in there, so it made sense to use what was left of that paint in the playroom. I think I like it in the playroom because there was no need to go bold with the paint, especially considering that there is a lot going on, what with the DISCO BALL! in the middle of the room. (Yes, DISCO BALL! has to be written in all caps. It's a law. Somewhere. I think. Alexis sure does seem to think it has to be pronounced that way.)
So. Playroom. Done.
Alexis is one happy camper.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Reader Comments (52)
I will try to keep track of how many times Juliana tells me she needs a disco ball for her room just like the one that Alexis has...
The art wall is complete genius!
That room is so full of win it makes all other rooms pale in comparison. Girl, you did an amazing job!! I love that you have been stockpiling items for potential use. I wish I had that kind of foresight. I don't. Also no vision for how to make a room that fabulous come together. Alexis is one lucky girl!
Love it! I'll pay you to come over and make some sense out of our game room.
@tehamy--DEAL! Just don't make me go to IKEA. I think I might need a loooong break from there now.
Pretty damn impressive.
I want to be Alexis when I grow up.
Good lord, that playroom is more kick ass awesome than my entire house right now. Clearly worth the wait.
Keep patting yourself on the back until your arm gets tired. Then make your husband do it. Because you deserve it.
I... I-I... just... the words... inadequate...
Will you be my mommy?
OH MY GOD. Best playroom EVER. This needs to be in every magazine out there. SO AWESOME. Do you have any openings for a playdate in 2011? WELL DONE. SO awesome.
@Jayna--I'm moving in there because it's definitely the best room in our house. We won't even talk about all of the half or not-at-all painted rooms around here . . .
@Odana--Do you sleep through the night? In your own bed? Because a trade might be a possibility.
This playroom is freaking awesome! Let me know if you are available for design consults. Jack's playroom is currently just a room of taped and mudded walls.
That looks amazing! I can't wait for the day when we have a playroom downstairs in our house to contain the daily toy explosion- although I'm sure ours will pale in comparison!
GOOD JOB!!!! It's completely fantastic!
That room is all kinds of awesome. I love the DISCO BALL! Wish I had a room like that for the kids and all their stuff.
So...uh...just sorta wondering....are you, by chance, looking to add to your family? I have this....uh...friend....she's cute and sassy, polite and funny; picks up after herself, can do her own laundry and...AND...sleeps all night, in....wait for it....her OWN bed! She's 32 and loves to clean.
Just sayin' ;)
Looks AWESOME! It's beyond awesome and there is no way I am showing this post to Morgan. Great job! :)
That room is totally awesome. Whenever you can't find Alexis, just look in the playroom and I bet she'll be in there!
@mattieflapp--That has always been the case. The playroom was a magical black hole where kids went and didn't come out even when it was just a plain white box.
Awesome. Times twelve.
You are the Playroom Queen.
First! THIS ROOM IS AMAZING! I love decorating and organizing and can't wait til i have kids so i can do a project like this for them one day!
Also! WAY TO BARGAIN SHOP! seriously awesome! I never buy anything full price. NEVER!
Second, the masterpiece section! LOVE IT! I have had a little display like this in an old apartment. We weren't allowed to hang alot of things on the walls and i can't stand to have bare walls. The Eye Hooks leave very small holes, so patching without painting (if your walls are white) is very easy. Another way to hang photos and items and such is binder clips off the wire (helps for larger or thicker items!
Anyways, now i'm rambling.
LOVE THE ROOM!
Oh. My. Gawd. Seriously, that is the best playroom, EVER. I am in awe.
That is an awful lot of awesome in one room! The room looks so much bigger, too.
Dang girl! That is awesome! Just so you know, I may be stealing some of these ideas for our playroom in our new house. Not sure Bubba would go for the disco ball and the stage -- wait, scratch that. He TOTALLY would go for that, but not sure we have the room.
Wanna come help me do my master bedroom in my new house? 'Cause I need some help.
It looks awesome! Emily is going to come home with all kids of ideas. Damn you!
I am so jealous! I think that is probably the best playroom ever. Plus - you have a DISCO BALL!! How cool is that?!?!?!
Oh my god, are you kidding me?? Amazing.
WOW!!! What a fun, fantastic room. Filled with imagination and all kinds of outlets for creativity. Thanks for sharing with us!
Best. Playroom. Ever.
I love all the different play areas - you really made good use of the space and still managed to tie it all together.
Alexis is one lucky little girl!
@Kathy--I KNOW! Granted, if I had known a DISCO BALL! could be had for under $50, I would have had one years ago. Somewhere. Possibly mounted inside my car.
@Michelle As a 20 year old college student, I am not at liberty to answer that question until I turn 21. I will, however, say that Sunday through Wednesday I do, in fact, sleep through the night in my own bed. :)
Amazing! I feel so inadequate now...
So... I have this mostly brand-new apartment that's almost entirely white. How do you feel about hiring yourself out as a part-time decorator? I can pay in cookies. :)
Great job! That room is amazing. Thanks for posting the mural information. I've been looking for something like that for a while now.
@Di--That Etsy seller shipped pretty fast and the order was accurate, so I give them a thumbs up. However, I did convo them asking how much it would be for extra butterflies and such and they never answered. Communication might be a bit suspect there.
Wow!!! Wow!! This is just WOW!!!
Will you adopt me, please? I know how to cook, I'm an expert at making Indian desserts, and I can make really good chocolate peanut butter cups too!
that settles it...i am totally coming to live with you.
LOVE! Ana White/Knock Off Wood has plans for play kitchens. I say if the husband can make a stage, he can make a play stove, fridge and whatever else that room needs.
Um, WOW. I thought my basement rocked as a kid, but it had nothing on Alexis' playroom. Wow, again.
Holy crap! That's one lucky kid. I'm glad my kids will never see that room lest they realize how deprived they are living in the city (i.e. that room is bigger than both my kids bedrooms combined). Actually, screw that. I'm glad my *husband* won't see it. I'd never get him away from those mirrors.
Seriously the coolest playroom EVER!
When you come to my house for the Superbowl, can you accidentally re-do my entire house? I promise we have IKEA. Um, somewhere. I think.
Wow. The stage is the best idea in the history of playrooms. I want one my own self. That could bring me peerless air-guitar playing to another level.
Is it legal to adopt someone older than you are?
One note about painting birds and butterflies and stuff around the room. My sister did that with her house, and is constantly finding little cat-paw prints on the walls in the vicinity of each one.
@bluzdude--If you want to get a cat to leave some fake birds and butterflies alone, turn on a DISCO BALL! Instant distraction that leads to kitty brains splattering everywhere. Heh.
Lurve. Totally.
(Especially lurve the tree...I think you get the win on that one!)
Since everyone is hating on your room and no one can find a single nice thing to say, let me be the first to show you some love!
Wow is all I've got.
That and I so want to hang out on that stage. Sharpay and I could do a few numbers together (if my kid would not first fight me off the stage).
WOW! I am so jealous of that stage - I wish I had one!
You mentioned you were looking into a new play kitchen - I saw this one made out of Ikea stuff: http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-build-a-play-kitchen-from-ikea-components-066719 Maybe you could do something similar?
As far as the wall mural goes, this site (www.wallmonkeys.com) has lots of individual butterflies and other awesome wall decals.
Can I PLEASE come over and play? That room is a dream I had once when I was a little girl... ;) I mean WOW. I adore that tree mural, so pretty and the stage is phenomenal. Looks like much fun it yet to be had in there!
That is just awesome!!!
wow. i wasn't sure it could be possible for me to be jealous of a little girl's playroom. But I am. I want a disco ball. badly
awesome job
My kid-self is seething with jealousy. Holy crap that is an awesome playroom. !!!!
That is gorgeous!