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Spring is in the air just a bit and I'm growing towards the third trimester, about two weeks off I think, or maybe a little less.
I thought I'd post a bit about what I've been up to in what is now the girls' room - here is the first section of what I had to work with - a very small space, dark walls, and one window:
(It was an office)
And here is the other little section of this odd room space:
(plywood floors painted white and in this portion of the room there is white-ish vinyl type siding.)
The door to this office space is a open glass, heavy front door type door. I thought it would be practical to leave it just as it is since it's so nice to be able to look in on them when napping or sleeping without having to open the door.
I have chosen white for my girls' room because white can be bleached when dirty and look white again, where as colors fade with much washing and have been much harder for me to get clean once children have used them! And because, I like white. This liking was originally inspired by the decorating book by Victoria called: "At Home With White." I plan on possibly picking an accent color to go along with the white in their room. I'm presently leaning towards a pale blue. Maybe by way of one pillow on the bed and a solid pale blue frame or jar/vase - thrift store style.
(directors chair I found on the side of the road in someone's trash - painted it white and made new coverings for it)
Some details about the bed: the headboard was one my sister in law was no longer using. The box spring and mattress sit on the floor so that it is easy for the girls to climb on and off of, and no injury for falling if they should. The bedspread is a twin spread from Wal Mart bought several years back for around $15.00 - yes, I waited for Wal Mart to mark it down and when I did, only twins were left!
But, a twin was big enough to fit the double mattress just fine, especially with the bed against the wall, which of course it had to be there as the room is very, very small. The Pottery Barn white fur throw is the "prize" of this room - it was a shower gift at Morgan's birth.
One thing I really like is TEXTURE in fabrics. All the different white fabrics have different textures and thickness, etc. Makes you want to feel everything  .
The canopy I bought at a garage sale for ONE DOLLAR. I love it and so do the girls. I brought it home, took it apart, washed/bleached it and it has a good worn look, which I like. The canopy also helps lighten up the wood walls.
 
The pillows are an assortment I have made from scraps/old baby blankets/a canvas bank bag, and two pillow shams Robert and I got when we were first married.
The mirror over the bed someone was throwing out and I picked it up and Robert mended it for me. The little night stand also came out of someone's trash - I cleaned it up, white washed it and sanded it down a little around the edges with a hand sander.
(*correction on the lamp stand! I had it mistaken for another little one I found in a trash that is similar to this one ~ this one is actually one that came from my grandparent's and it came into the family (my grandmother's family) in 1942, and it originally had a lime oak finish. Dictionary, Bibles, and Bible reference books were stored on the bottom shelf and it was in the living room. It has moved about quite a bit from my grandmother's parent's places, to her own home, and now to mine. I did paint it white and sand it down for a different finish when I took it on. I will save it for one of my daughters for sure.*)
 
The window edge is lined with glass jars I've collected for practically pennies a piece. On the night stand is a 25 cent Goodwill frame I let Morgan decorate with acorns and such from outside and a neck fur that came from my dad's mom - I would guess it was possibly her's or my great grandmother's. When playing dress up, Morgan has often wrapped it around her own neck.
The lamp was a Kirklands clearance sale item for about $10. The starfish is a touch of Morgan's.
- Robert is great at re-wiring lamps, so if I see one for a good deal, I don't mind picking it up even if it doesn't work properly. This one was bright gold-ish so I painted it with white craft paint and then before it dried, took an old rag and wiped it down some to bring out a little detail and just a touch of the gold.
Above the window, I screwed an old white shutter Robert picked up for me somewhere off the side of the road - I screwed it in sideways to do something different than just a regular curtain rod. Then I took some fairy-like white striped curtains I've had for years and hung them from the shutter, loosely, with very small nails nailed inside the curtain loops.
On the wall when you first enter the door, there is another old mirror that someone was tossing out - this one was actually a pale greenish/blue before I painted it white a few years back. I am wondering if I would have liked it better left it's original color now.
Under the mirror is a little peg/coat hanger that I picked up at Michael's craft store when their natural wood items went on sale. I brought it home and painted it white and sanded it down.
For the decor there I hung a small canvas purse I've had, a woven Trader Joe's grocery bag turned backwards, a white straw-like woven beach bag I bought at a thrift store for less than a dollor, and a black hat from the early 1900's - again, another find I believe from my grandmother's? Morgan enjoys all these items and plays with them regularly. I noticed today she had also hung a silver and white "princess" head piece up there as well and it looked so pretty.
The room is sort of in a small "L" shape - the vinyl area which had no outlets and I'm not sure what it was originally for, I turned into a large closet space by dividing the area with a wooden pole and white light weight canvas curtains. This area has been wonderful for storage, as well as being used as the master bedroom closet, as there is none.
Robert put up white closet racks and such that were already in the building when we moved in - this gives lots of clothes hanging space. A house he was redoing was getting rid of closet shelving; this is now our closet shelving.
There is an awkward corner of sorts in this room between what is now the girls' room and what is now the large closet area. In this space, I needed storage for the girls' toys, picture books, reading books, and dress up clothes. The hutch I put there was one my mom had when I was little - now white washed.
A little chair (another dump piece redone) sits with a lamp low enough for Morgan to turn on. The match to the previous lamp I mentioned. Behind the chair is the matching shutter that hangs over the window - this covers up the wiring and electrical cords that Robert had to run into the bedroom because of lack of outlets.
On the wall beside the hutch is a small picture board made of cloth and ribbon. I have a few pictures, but also two white baby gowns that were once my great grandmother's/grandmother's? hanging there. They are beautifully used and pieces of art to me.
Storage for the girls' clothing is a tall closet type piece I got off of Craig's List for $25. It was already white and had black trim. Inside works perfect for their clothing and shoes. On top of have a few brown clothe like boxes I found for a dollar a piece and a picture of Morgan when she was two days old.
Since there was no overhead light in this room to begin with, I hung the neatest frilly/Shabby Chic type hanging light (a gift) along with the white lamps. It gives the room wonderful soft lighting and the girls LOVE this light, especially on just by itself in the evenings.
For decor on the hutch in the corner, I painted old frames white and again, wiped the edges before they tried to give added detail and depth, plus one new frame that was a gift. I have white, very inexpensive slip cover photo albums labeled for Morgan's picture books. These take so little time to do and are kid proof to look through.
And so that is presently the transformation from the office space to what is now the girls' room and large closet. It is functioning nicely and I am quite pleased, I admit, that Morgan makes her bed herself, very neatly. Most of all, I am so happy to see the girls have a room! After sharing with their brothers, this has been a great joy.
It is a place of serenity for them. One of my favorite times of the day is putting them to sleep at night. Reading them a bedtime story or telling a story of when I was young... praying with them, and kissing them over and over.
The verse that comes to my mind when I see this room is the one where it talks about being "washed whiter than snow." I think of God's goodness to wash us, to cleanse us, to see us as white when we are so full of darkness. I think of His purity. His transparency. His mercy to see us as He sees us! Clean and new and white because of HIS life given for us.
a. ann~
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| | Posted 2/21/2009 6:53 PM - 9386 Views - 70 eProps - 36 comments
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