More Boys' Room Inspiration~

I have to be honest, decorating children's rooms is my favorite part of designing.  I like the freedom that comes with not having to take things so seriously.  With being able to add a good dose of whimsy to a space.  Children's rooms are just plain fun. 

So when I know that I get to redo the kids rooms, like I will in our upcoming move, I spend inordinate amounts of time planning and daydreaming about the spaces.

Of course, this time around I have some practical issues to contend with as well...like fitting three boys in one room.  I shared my dreams of a bunkroom in this post, but I also have to realize that the room the boys are moving into won't allow a huge built-in bunk space.  So I have been searching online for bunkbeds with trundles, and other bunk inspiration.  And that's when I found the new line from Restoration Hardware. (Okay, just so you all know...Restoration Hardware is not paying me for this post...this is just me...having some serious infatuation with their new products...)

Holy darling stuff, Batman!  I admit that I got excited when I found out a couple of years ago, that RH was starting a line for babies.  And I liked it.  But I wasn't wild about it - everything was pink, green or blue with polkadots or stripes- that's it.  So even though I received their emails, I didn't often take the time to read them.  Until this week when I saw the one with the picture of the bunkbeds.  I didn't know RH made bunkbeds, so I clicked on it.  And fell in love.

I am big into a soft-industrial look, especially for the boys' room...so these spaces are all right up my alley.

I love the zinc-finished wall pockets and the storage behind the bed.

Here I am in love with the bedding....and the vintage lockers. 

I would live at the beach if I could, so nautical rooms are always a favorite.

I love the stencil letters on the wall...and check out those cute floor pillows.

So much inspiration in one room.  I love the vintage school chairs and the table with the metal top (I'm seriously considering getting a metal-topped table for our dining room- virtually kid proof.)

I love the metal storage baskets, and the amusement park art.

I adore this menswear-inspired bedding.  When we moved into our last house, I was determined to find menswear-look bedding for the boys room...not as easy as it might sound.  And now, here it is.... hmmm.

Lovin' the locker-style desk and the ticking stripe bedding.  And those cute vintage clipboards used as frames!

This room is just plain soothing. 

A leather headboard....don't know if I dare with my crazy kiddos...but I love it.

And here's the bunkbed that caught my eye.  Lovin' the dark stain...and the heaviness of the piece.  It even has a trundle.  Alas, I think the pricetag might be a bit rich for my blood.  But a girl can dream, can't she?

So I'm off to plot and plan for the boys' room some more...I'm having too much fun!

Nature Center Outing~

I just love to discover fun, new places to go with my family.  And if they're educational, that's even better (especially when the educational part is slyly disguised as good old fashioned fun.)

A couple of weeks ago, a group of bloggers in my area was invited to discover the Ogden Nature Center,  152 acres of preserved  land just 25 minutes from our house.  There was so much to see and do, and my kiddos had such a good time that they've been asking to go back ever since.

The Nature Center had a trail filled with birdhouses made from recycled and found objects.  The kids just loved seeing all the creative ideas!

 They had a chance to make some fun paper snakes...

And even got to pet a real one...

My little boys discovered this "cave" and they didn't want to come out.

Mr. Three (my 4-year-old) thought this mask was pretty funny.

There were a few turkeys wandering around the grounds.

My kids loved seeing these big old birds up close. 

 These were some happy kiddos! 

Here's a little photo of me (just to prove I was actually there - ha ha!) with Meg from Brassy Apple.

Photo Credits:  1st photo from Ogden Nature Center,  All Other Photos are mine.

Thanks to the Ogden Nature Center for inviting us up for the day.  It was such fun! 

From their website:

Visitors enjoy 1.5 miles of walking trails, picnic areas, tree houses, bird blinds and an exhibit of live birds of prey.  Two of Utah's greenest buildings are on site to teach about sustainable structures. A unique gift shop is located in the Visitor Center. The Ogden Nature Center offers a wide variety of classes & workshops for all ages including art, photography, birding, wildlife in Utah, outdoor recreation, conservation, sustainability, summer camps and more.

 I'm always grateful to find a hidden treasure. Do you have one in your area? 

Bunk Rooms: Shared Space Inspiration~

As I mentioned in this post, we are moving.  And in the move, we are going to be downsizing.  So all of my boys are going to be sharing a room.  I have been wanting to build a bunkroom for ages...and this gives me the perfect excuse opportunity.

So today I want to share a few bunk room ideas from my inspiration files...

I love the nautical theme in this bedroom and the  "porthole" window near the lower bunk.

traditional kids design by chicago general contractor Stonebreaker Builders & Remodelers

I love the built-in beds, the drawers underneath for added storage...the "wainscotting" molding on the sides of the beds.  Perfection.

traditional bedroom design by boston architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

In this room, I'm in love with the sconce above the top bunk and the planked walls. mmmmm.

contemporary kids design by atlanta interior designer Brian Watford ID

Although not technically "bunks", I love the built-in cubbies for each bed...and the curtains for privacy.

eclectic kids design by birmingham interior designer Tracery Interiors

This room has amazing use of space...love the built-in bookcases and workstations on each side of the bed ( although that top bunk needs a higher safety railing, if you ask me.)

traditional kids design

This room had me at "hello". I love the putty colored built-ins. The stairs/ladder is pure perfection. And I simply adore the addition of the built-in bookcases at the head of each bed.

spaces design

I have been enamoured of this bunk space for a long time. I love the juxtaposition of industrial elements with feminine elements (and that oversized photo is amazing!) Of course, remove the butterflies and the twinkle light "chandelier" and this space could work just as well for a group of crazy boys like mine.

spaces design

All rooms above via Houzz.com

This is perhaps my favorite bunk room image of all time. It's from BHG, and I've had it in my inspiration photos since, well, I've lost track of how long it's been there. I love EVERYTHING about this room. The bunks are amazing, the built-in workstations are inspired, the colors are perfect.  Now to figure out how something like this can translate to a smaller space. Ohhhhh the possibilities.

via BHG



Sure does give me a lot to think about.  Whether you have kiddos or not, I hope that you've been able to gather a little inspiration from this set of shared spaces too!

Have a great day~

Mothering~

Having children was a hard won victory for me.  The hubby and I tried for 4 years to have our first baby.  But finally, after what seemed like a million trips to the fertility specialist and at least that many different procedures, crying every month when I discovered I wasn't pregnant, finally conceiving and miscarrying, the first of our four perfect babies was placed in my arms at the hospital. 

My  OB had a tradition of singing a Swedish birthday song to every baby he delivered.  He had a beautiful voice.  But my eyes were only for my baby.  How I had longed for him.

And yet, even though I had dreamt of that moment everyday for all those years, I had no idea how quickly and how intensely I would fall in love with that beautiful little creature.  How my entire identity would change the instant he was born.  How I would forever be his mother.

And now, almost 11 years later, I have four beautiful children.  And I am insanely in love with all of them.  And I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the gift he has given me in them.  And I pray that I will be worthy of that gift.

And how grateful I am for my mother who gave me the gift of life, and who is, unquestioningly, one of the strongest women I have ever known.  And to my sweet mother-in-law who is as  much my mother as she is the hubby's.  I am so blessed to have these two wonderful women in my life to mother me, to give me advice, and to listen when all I want to do is complain. 

Happy Mother's Day.

Going Ape Over Turning 4~

My baby turned 4 last weekend. 4!??! This age is a great age, though. Old enough to be somewhat self-sufficient, young enough to still want cuddles on a daily basis.

All the kiddos wanted to show you how old Mr. Three is. Mr. Three is the busiest of my four kiddos. And true to his busy nature, he had a hard time narrowing down the type of party he wanted. So, in the end, I "helped" him. I knew that last week was going to be a crazy one for me, so I wanted a party that was light on prep time. And while looking through the "party" aisle at Tar-jay a couple of weeks ago, the theme was decided for me when I saw these very cute invitations by Paul Frank. (What? Pre-made invitations? I know...so NOT me...but like I said...they're cute...AND busy week + desire for minimum prep = pre-made invites.)

I purchased these fun pre-made party hats. But, of course, they needed a little sumthin', sumthin'.

So I embellished them. This was super simple to do. I used my 3" circle craft punch to punch out these great monkey faces from some Paul Frank wrapping paper that we already had on hand. Then I just glued them on to each hat.

To add the fringe, I simply used red construction paper (which happened to be exactly the right length to wrap around each hat.) I cut 2" strips, then folded them in half and cut the fringe. To attach them to the hat, I simply stapled the bottom layer to the hat up near the fold, then folded the top layer back down to hide the staples.

For the party favors, I opted again for simplicity. I simply filled clear cellophane bags with some candy and punching balloons, then stood noisemakers on their ends so that the fun mylar came out the top of each bag, and tied them with curling ribbon and tags made from more red construction paper and monkey faces cut from the same wrapping paper.

The cupcakes followed suit. Rather than making cupcakes as I usually do, I bought them. GASP! To make them more personal, I added sprinkles, placed them inside colorful cupcake cups, and added toppers made from more of the wrapping paper. SO EASY!!!!!

To entertain this little group of 3-5 year olds, we made "sculptures" using toothpicks and marshmallows...this required a little bit of supervision, but nothing my bestie, and my two older kiddos couldn't handle.

Mr. Two eating his sculpture.

Then we played monkey-themed games including a relay race where each kiddo had to hold a banana under his chin while running the course, freeze dance (yeah, okay, so that really had no monkey theme), and red-monkey, green-monkey (the ape version of red-light, green-light).

My bestie and her cutie-pie (one of Mr. Three's besties...isn't that convenient?)

One of Mr. Three's favorite gifts...he's already worn the batteries out...no seriously.

Quite possibly the easiest party I've ever thrown...and the kiddos loved it!

Especially this kiddo...which is the whole point!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Three! We love you!!~

Celebration~

This weekend was special in our home. In our faith, when children turn 8-years-old they can choose to be baptized. So on Saturday, the Princess was baptized. It was lovely. And afterwards, we had our family and close friends over to our house for refreshments. The decorations turned out so cute, I just had to share with you.


I based the color scheme on the announcement which I ordered from here. I just loved the pretty pink and brown, so I ran with it. (In case you're trying to figure it out...the Princess is holding up 8 fingers in the framed photo to show that she's 8-years-old. The matte cut her pinky finger off...so I thought I'd better explain.)

I chose to use a pennant theme for the table which I first covered in a pretty brown and white damask table cloth. I made several small pennant flags (tutorial to come) and placed them in a little creamer which I, in turn, placed on top of a small cake plate and used as a centerpiece.

I also made a little cake bunting (again, tutorial to come) which I used to make the cupcake tower look more festive. With all the preparations I made for the party, I actually forgot to get more frosting bags, so for the first time in my cupcake making history, I wasn't able to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. It was good for my perfectionist OCD self to have to simply frost the cupcakes and deal with it, and you know what? They looked just fine. (Especially with the cute bunting on top.)

I finished off the table with some homemade lollipops in pink and brown, and a pennant banner made from the same papers as the centerpiece and cake bunting. As well as a pretty, glittered congratulations banner from Martha Stewart's craft line. Family and friends brought the remaining goodies (pot-luck style) and with everything going on I didn't actually get a photo of the table all full of food...but you get the idea.

All in all, a lovely goodie table...for a lovely day....for a lovely daughter...whom I adore!

Have a great day~