At any given moment, on any given day, know that I am itching to paint or wallpaper something in our house. Nella’s dresser has had a painting target on it since I bought it (for $25 off Craigslist!) several years ago, but I gave it a good run as a white dresser first. I could wait no longer so finally, a few weeks ago, I succumbed to the itch and bought several cans of glossy green paint. And then it snowballed because I thought the gorgeous green dresser would look lovely against some floral wallpaper. If you give a mouse a cookie…

The results are delightful. (Here’s what it looked like before.)

I have had the little owl hanging on her door since she was in a crib, and it’s made the cut to stay for every room change-up.

The dresser was super easy to paint. I just lightly sanded it and removed the drawers and hardware (I spray painted the hardware metallic gold before I put them back on.). I used Rustoleum Gloss Spray Paint in Emerald Green.

The wallpaper was a really good deal from Wayfair, and while it isn’t removable (peel and stick wallpaper’s are usually a lot more $), it was so easy to install. I love the way it brings all the elements in the room together. The room actually feels bigger with the wallpaper.

I really wanted sconce lights above the bed with a clean no-cord look but didn’t want to create a more complex design project with cutting the wall and hiring an electrician. My sister told me about an installation hack she discovered from Nesting With Grace, and it’s AMAZING. You attach battery remote control-operated puck lights into the sconce shades (we used industrial strength Velcro to do that) and then attach the sconces to the wall with the wiring tucked into the wall plate (or you can cut the wiring off).

And then with a little click of the remote, you have light! The puck lights (6-pack) come with batteries already in them and the remote has several settings for dimming the lights. They’re perfect, and I love the look and functionality! I ordered these sconce lights from Amazon (they come in so many cute colors) in green but ended up spray painting them with the dresser paint (fast and easy) because I wanted a perfect match).

Of course we kept the Yes You Can banner in the room (I love it so much!) but just moved it above the other dresser to switch things up. I love the rattan mirror–only $20 at Marshalls. And I fell in love with the red toadstool (T.J. Maxx) and only wish I would have bought the second one that was a little taller because I went back to buy it later, and it was gone. I’ve found so many hidden gems from Homegoods, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx for my kids’ rooms (red Swiss Cross tin is also from T.J. Maxx–we use it as a piggy bank–as well as the Kate Spade pink floral sheets on the bed).

This was the curtain in the room before we switched it out. Even though the panels were white, they still felt really heavy; and the curtain rod needed to be moved higher to open the space up.

The new sheer curtains (super affordable) lighten up the space up so much more. They’re still white, but they are sheer and have playful subtle polka dots.

We added a little art gallery wall.

Retro Florida Map, Face Puzzle – Moon Picnic, Welsh Terrier Art (Friday!), Coneflowers Print – Juniper Print Shop (digital download), Andy Warhol Soup Print – Amazon (shaped notecards–I just added mounting squares to the soup one and mounted it on white matting), Ever Upward Pennant, Every Day I Get to Spend With You Pennant

…and a few other little touches to complete the look. Nella loves it. She’s so easily pleased and oohs and aahhs over everything, so it’s a lot of fun to reveal the room to her.

This mirror decal is from Daisy Natives, but Booooo!–they don’t sell it anymore. I love it so much.

Peaches duvet covers are from Urban Outfitters.

I’m debating painting a single rainbow stripe across Nella’s closet doors, but that’s still in the air (Instagram poll voted in favor of the stripe). In the meantime, please enjoy the marker doodles on her bedroom door and a sorority sign that says “Sig Kap Loves Nella” because she loves it.

And, of course, spillover lodging for relatives of the Hedgehog Family. Dollhouse can’t house everyone.

The big question is…what gets painted next? (I’m looking at you, kitchen cabinets.)

 

 

Source List

Dresser: Rustoleum Gloss Spray Paint in Emerald Green
Floral Wallpaper – Wayfair
Sconce Lights – Amazon
Battery-operated Puck Lights with Remote – Amazon
Curtains – All Modern
Peaches Duvet Covers Urban Outfitters
Pink Star Pillows
Rug – World Market
‘Yes You Can’ Banner – Oxford Pennant
Lifeguard Station – Candylab Toys
Rattan Sunburst Mirror – Marshalls (it was only $20!)
Toadstool – TJ Maxx
Swiss Cross Tin (we use it for a piggy bank) – TJ Maxx

 

 

 

Kid rooms are my favorite thing to decorate, and the challenge of creating happy, creative spaces for kids is one I love embracing. We frequently change things up in our kids’ rooms for fun, but items can add up. All my kids’ rooms include a mix of items we splurged on from our favorite stores as well as thrifted finds and steals we found digging around the Internet. I’ve been collecting some favorite kid room items I found on Amazon and only wish I had a few more kids to decorate for.  Since I don’t, I’ll share them with you.

1. Toy Storage Basket Love the modern Swiss cross design, natural cotton canvas and the fact that it can fold up when not being used. Great for toys or laundry and pretty enough to leave on display.

2. Moon Lamp It’s gorgeous even when not illuminated, but when it’s glowing…wowza. Comes with a remote to change the lamp to 16 different colors.

3. Pom Pom Star Pillow I love shaped pillows on kid beds. This one is super affordable at $12.95 and has the sweetest pom pom trim.

4. Wool Felt Ball Garland We have colorful wool garland hanging in several different places in our home, and it’s such a source of happiness. Makes a cheerful statement in any kid’s room. This set comes with 2 strands, 24 balls each.

5. Cloud Pillow Another whimsical toss pillow at just the right price (kids’ toss pillows can be expensive!).

6. Retro Schoolhouse Clock I love the simplicity of this clock and have seen similar ones that cost much more. Comes in black or two punchy colors–orange or mint green.

7. Natural Matted 11 x 14 Frame At $15.99, this classic frame with mat is perfect for buying several an creating a gallery wall of photos.

8. Balloon Dog I love finding unique items that are heavy enough to hold up a stack of books on a kid’s dresser. This little guy is a fun conversation piece in any kid’s room. This is the 10 x 9 inch one, but this mini one still adds a cute touch to a dresser top.

9. Rainbow Macrame Garland Such a fun pop of happy colors and texture (and only $10!). Would be darling hanging over a kid’s bed or dresser or hung along the top of a window.

10. Copper Wire Twinkle Lights  These babies are a staple in our home and a big part of my “things that make me happy” collection. I love adding a little magical twinkle to kids’ rooms–they’re also great for hanging in forts. I personally like the ones that plug into the wall because I hate changing batteries (and always forget to turn them off before bed).

11. Wood Garment Rack This sturdy garment rack is great for displaying play clothes, creating more storage space where closet space presents a challenge or helping develop some organization and responsibility in a kid’s room (by laying out a week’s worth of clothes and shoes for morning routines).

12. Rainbow Plush Pillow There are some pricey rainbow plush pillows out there (I’ve had my eye on a few), but this one is a nice middle price point. Rainbows make any kid’s room better.

13. Llama Head Wall Decor What kid wouldn’t want this llama friend hanging on their wall?

14. Floating Book Shelves A great way to display favorite kids books but also works great for framed pictures. This 3-pack rustic wood shelf set is narrow enough when you’re short on wall space.

15. Magnetic Wood Picture Hangers I LOVE these! They’re a fun alternative for picture frames and make switching out art easy and quick. They’re also a great way to hang kids’ art projects.

For the seventeen years I’ve lived in Florida, people are often surprised to hear we’ve never been to Disney World. We have no definitive reason why we haven’t other than every time we thought about it, we decided to explore somewhere else instead, concluding that what it costs for a day at Disney could get us several days in another town on our bucket list. That said, we know lots of people who love their Disney excursions and figured we’d take the family there eventually. It happened by accident last week after we realized the weather forecast was going to be too cold for Volcano Bay where we were planning to take the family on our weekend trip to Orlando to celebrate Dash’s birthday. We gave him the choice between a party or a weekend adventure with the family, and he chose adventure because he is Dash.

The Orlando sky when we arrived was singing Happy Birthday Dash.

We found a 3-bedroom Airbnb so my dad and Gary could stay–the perfect setting for our own little family birthday party. We cooked dinner together, played cards, ate cake–all the birthday things.

As for Disney, if you’re looking for “how to do it” tips, don’t listen to me. I simply don’t know enough about it, and I’ve realized there’s basically an unwritten encyclopedia of ins and outs and secret tips and ways to navigate Magic Kingdom that can make a day go smoother beginning with “Never visit Disney on a Saturday.” Saturday is what we had for this trip, so that’s when we arrived–at park opening–and we still dealt with overwhelming crowds and wait times, even with the disability pass. Nella’s disability pass allowed us to check in at rides and come back at a given time rather than stand in lines, but she had to be riding for it to work for the family; and she was very hesitant about getting on any rides that day. Thankfully, Disney employees were very understanding that siblings got bummed out, so they made accommodations. And we did what we do best–had fun given the circumstances.

Arriving to the park…

We were exceptionally lucky to have the most amazing weather the day we visited–cool enough for sweaters in the morning, my favorite.

It took some convincing to get Nella on the Small World ride (another woman in line was selling it to her–“It’s just a pretty boat ride! Not scary!”), and I’m so happy she finally agreed.

The fast pass line for the Peter Pan ride was still a really long wait, but one of my favorite moments of the day happened when we stepped off. Dash realized his birthday wish when he blew out his candles the night before came true–he wished he could fly.

One of the best things we did–thanks to lots of people recommending it–was bring our stroller even though our stroller days are over. We used it to stash our stuff and periodically hold a pooped out kids who needed to sit.

Other favorites…

Mickey treats.

Mouse shadows.

The parade!

The 4-D Donald movie (the kids really loved this).

Lainey’s rainbow Minnie ears.

Having the poppas with us so we could split up when needed.

My favorite photo of the day.

This stinkin’ Minnie wand I made the night before we left–made her happier than any ride.

Watching Nella and Dash fill their Disney journals when the day was over.

Climbing into bed Saturday evening.

Our birthday celebration for Dash continued this weekend with family and more cake and a proud birthday boy who insists he’s much taller now that he’s seven.