Creating a Pre-Teen Bedroom

My daughter is starting gr 4 tomorrow and she is nine years old. She has been slowly moving out of the "pink and pretty" type of decor for a little while now, but is still very much a young nine. I had hoped to fend off her requests for a room makeover, but I had worked on her brother's room last winter and she was anxious to have a fresh start in her room as well.

I couldn't really blame her. We had taken possession of this house and moved in all in around 2 weeks which left very little time for decorating. It wasn't a bedroom which echoed her personality and as she and her friends hang out there more, I wanted it to feel like a fun spot. 

I did not want this to cost very much as I have a feeling that her tastes may change as she gets older, but I think that there is a lot in this room that will be able to change with her. I started to keep my eye out for things on my treasure hunts.... I knew she needed bookshelf space. I knew she needed more drawer space. I knew she needed a new bed frame. Aside from these things, I really didn't have a vision..... Then, along came Pinterest. S I G H.

I was SOOOOO inspired by this room. If you are on Pinterest at all, you have probably seen it somewhere as it is a pretty popular pin. Take a look ~ it is so pretty and really spoke to my girl's personality as well. She was adamant about wanting to stay away from pink, but she thought she would be okay with coral (YAY!). I wanted to use bright and energetic colours and chose to paint the walls a bright turquoise.

I also wanted to paint the closet wall with chalkboard paint so that she and her friends would have a place to doodle and have some fun. It would also be sort of a unique feature. To bring the black into the room, I thought it would be nice to have a black and white wallpaper along the long wall. I did a brave thing here ~ I took her with me to Lowe's. They have a really awesome wallpaper aisle and they have a great selection of black and white papers in stock for under $40 a roll. I told her she could choose from any of the black and white they had. I really tried to let this be her choice ~ the one she settled on would not have been my choice, but she loved it and I do love the way it turned out! 

I had found the 2 little matching dressers at a thrift store in spring. I had to buy them because it is hard to find 2 matching dressers that size! Initially I was planning to use them in the master bedroom makeover I am planning, but as I thought it over, they seemed like a great fit for this project! They would give her lots of storage space, but would not overwhelm the room. She is still sort of small, so she can easily reach all of the drawers and they are shallow so they can be kept reasonable neat. (Fingers crossed on this one!).

The bed is a Hemnes model from Ikea. I found it on Kijiji without any of the hardware needed to reassemble it. I decided to paint it black and distress it a little to add the needed character. I went to Ikea (ON THE SATURDAY OF A LONG WEEKEND!) and waited in line at customer service to see if they could find the correct hardware. The models can change from year to year slightly and this exact design (brown stain with round spindles) has been discontinued. They were very helpful and since I only needed about 8 pieces, they did not charge me at all.

The bookcase is another thriftstore find. I thought it was great to have the closed lower storage and lots of room for books and her endless odds and ends. I loved the yellow in the inspiration room, so I decided to take the plunge with more colour. I really love the way it turned out! I added some black and white wallpaper along the back (it is not the same print as the paper on the wall ~ just extra I had left over from other projects). As you can see in the above picture, this wall across from the bed is a bit tough. That door goes to the Jack and Jill bathroom that the kids share. It is a great feature, but the drawback is that it adds another door to each bedroom, reducing furniture arrangement options. I still need to find some art or a mirror to add to this space....

I added the wire frame in yellow on the opposite side of the window from the bookcase to just add a little more yellow to balance that wall out a bit. I am still on the lookout for some pretty curtains to hang (that is why the frame is slightly off-centre). The bedding is from HomeSense and made by Cynthia Rowley. I love it SOOOO much. It is perfect in there!

This room is not finished yet, but the spirit of it is. I want to find some art and fill in a few spaces and have some fun with the details. I just wanted to share some of the projects I have been working of for my home too!

I had a decorative dress form that I added and she went crazy! If I had known how much she would love it in her room, I would have given it to her earlier. As you can see, she has it dressed in her outfit she chose for her first day of gr 4. So cute!

I tried to add up the total cost of the room makeover including paint and wallpaper and it came in under $300! This was pretty dramatic and just took a little extra time and patience (and work!), but I think it was worth it. She loves her new space and I do too!

I apologize for the darkness in the pictures. I tried with the blind open and with it shut and this seemed to look better, but it is tricky to get the lighting right in this small room!

Now I just need to get inspired for my own room!

Rosebud Mercantile Delivery Day!

How many Timbits can a person eat in an hour while driving? The answer is that you DO NOT WANT TO KNOW. Just know that it is probably far, far too many.... ugh.


The hour25 selection was a bit light at Rosebud so it was time to take another trip out east to re-stock. It was a beautiful morning today and nice to drive while it was still cool. I just wanted to share a few of the pieces that I added with you...

This is a great dresser that I painted the popular turquoise. I did the drawers in a patchy style with some pretty scraps which I think turned out quite nicely.

The leaner ladder is new and I did up a few more BookPage Wreaths.

Lemony Snicket BookPage Wallflower

This is a more traditional wreath using sacred choral music and a little leftover (non-pasted) wallpaper.

I used the bookcover for the base of these "Wallflowers" and stacked the "petals" to cover it so it ends up looking a little like a flower. This one is pretty large ~ I used a vintage book called Yearbook of Agriculture 1949. There are a few cool illustrations peeking through that I like.

This is an old window frame which had glass in very nice condition. I added chalkboard paint to the centre so that the background would still show through. It is large and will make an interesting statement in a kitchen or entryway. I love this piece!

I did up a few little side tables and some small wooden bowls and some small chalkboards too. The midcentury style table is painted the same coral colour as the dresser I sold this week. It is really pretty! I am looking for another piece to use it on!


I like the little 6-sided table with the caning on the bottom too. The legs are very pretty and interesting with all the details distressed.

I made up a few more wire frames and added little clothespins with vintage bookpages on them to fancy them up a bit. I will definitely do more of those ~ they are so charming and cute!

Speaking of charming and cute, my daughter came along today and I paid her in Timbits (the ones I didn't eat...). She is very helpful with setting things out and holding doors. 


I am excited to have these pieces installed and ready for purchase! Let me know what you think if you are in the area ~ I love feedback!

March 29, 2012

{Shabby Shutters}

$80

I am just loving how these look in my house. I am hesitant to sell them!

I found them hiding in a thrift store corner ~ they looked absolutely brand new... I painted them Cloud White from Ben Moore and heavily distressed them. They are finished on both sides with slightly different relief detail, so that makes them sort of reversible!

They are tall and beefy without being super heavy. I really LOVE how they look on a mantle ~ they totally pop!

They each measure approximately 


43.25" tall (to top of the curve)
15.75" wide


I think I might be okay if these don't sell... :)


I am working on a big commissioned right now project so that has slowed me down a little bit. I will post it soon ~ it is a table with 4 chairs and a gorgeous hutch! I am pleased with the results so far and I am almost done. I think they will go home this weekend...

February 8, 2012

{Navy Blue 3-Drawer Dresser}

[SOLD]

I have had this little guy sitting in my basement for a couple of months. When I saw him, I knew he needed a fun make-over, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

I really liked the handles and the simple lines. I do a lot of more feminine pieces, so I wanted to try something for the boys (not that this would be for a boy specifically, but you know, generally...) I loved the way the colours worked with the desk I did in January and I decided use that as inspiration for this dresser.

I primed it and painted it a nice light navy blue from Benjamin Moore. I went with orange on the legs and mirror support as well as on the slim little line details on the double handled drawer. I used the original hardware and sprayed it a cheery green.

It is lightly distressed so any distressing added by an active kiddo will not be a problem! I am thrilled with how cheerful this sweet guy seems.

32.75" high (58" with mirror)

33" wide

15.75" deep

If you are interested in this item, please email me at lisabaron70@gmail.com or check out the kijiji ad here.

{Sofa, So Good Table}

[SOLD]

This is an fantastic sofa table with really great lines and subtle detail. I picked it up on Kijiji looking like this:

This is screaming of the 90s. The honey blond needed a touch up... This is solid oak and a really lovely piece, but please!

I painted it using a dark grey called Midsummer Night from Benjamin Moore (one of my favourite neutrals right now). I tried to distress it mainly to highlight the details on the apron area and the legs. I am such a sucker for a sofa table and I don't know why...

47" wide

28" high

18.25" deep

Drop me an email if you are interested in this beauty or check out the kijiji ad here.

As always, I am ready to rework something that you may already own. I am starting to look at booking into March already so let me know if you are considering a project and we can talk about what you would like to see!

Don't forget to leave a comment here (if you can ~ there have been a few problems with comments it seems...) or on my Facebook page if you would like to win a BookPage Wreath from hour25 on Feb 17 (my first anniversary!). You just need to be able to get it from me in Airdrie (you can send your 3rd cousin if you wish!).

Refilling!

I made a quick run out to Rosebud this morning to fill in a few holes from some pieces that have sold. It was a beautiful drive, although I was VERY pleased that the snow that was forecast for SE Alberta chose to stay away while I was on the road. That wind is very cold and a reminder that true winter is coming...


I have been messing around a little with the Book Page Wreaths. They turned out nicely and seem to be a popular seller.

A Rectangle Shaped Wreath.

Using a Graphic Novel. I think it adds a little interest ~ not for everyone...

I wanted to make a non-traditional Christmas Wreath. I really like the way this turned out.

I should add that no books were really harmed ~ well okay, they were taken apart, but I get all of the them from the withdrawn books at the library. They have all lived good and healthy lives and were deemed too "used" to be on the shelves. As a book lover, I hate to see books destroyed, but it is nice to have them used in a new way if they will be thrown away. By the way, the Christmas Wreath was made using John Steinbeck's East of Eden ~ one of my favourite books. Not really a Christmas type of book, but still....

This is a really large frame that I lined with chicken wire ~ great for displaying photos, artwork Christmas cards or just looking pretty.

A nice and heavy side table. The light is not great in these pictures as the tour buses were pulling up (you can see the tires) and the passengers were starting to fill up the space so I was in a hurry!

The light is really bad here, but the table is really shabby and distressed. I used old hardware and gave it a new look for the drawer. I also made some more of the pretty framed dry erase memo boards as the others had sold fairly quickly.

A couple of the larger pieces are still available. I am getting to work on a couple of commissioned items this upcoming week that I am excited about! My 11 year old son has had his bedroom torn apart for about a month in anticipation of a makeover. We sold his bed and so the poor guy has been sleeping on his mattress on the floor. I have been so busy that we haven't been able to tackle the rest of the pre-teen overhaul so I need to dedicate some time to him.

For more consistent updates, you can also visit my Facebook Page and even "like" it!

    Refreshing...

It's not just for Furniture.

As I write this, my suitcase sits, unpacked in my closet. I am leaving on a plane tomorrow morning to a nice, sunny and warm place with no children or meetings or lists to write. My husband is holding down the rodeo here with the kids, his job, soccer, track, volleyball, birthday parties, spelling tests and piano lessons. There are probably a few more things that I forgot. Anyway, I am off for a few days of refuelling so I won't be listing anything until the end of next week. 

I thought I would leave a sneak-peak of what I have in the works right now.

This desk/chair combo is a commission for a good friend of mine. It is pretty much complete and I am anxious to share it. I had some fun with the chair and I think it paid off!

This was a thrift store find from Edmonton. 

This amazing cabinet was a score from Kijiji and it was purchased with my son's bedroom in mind. It just needs some final touches and will then be ready for installation. His room is going through a makeover right now and I hope it comes together well enough to share here. 

A local thrift store treasure ~ I  may have a home for this so I am not sure that I will be able to give it up....

This is an incredible vanity table with LOADS of jewelry storage. It is a commission piece and I am excited to get working on it.

And ~ a moose antler! Decorating with antlers is fun!

So thanks for your patience for the next week or so. If you have a project you would like to discuss, please shoot me an email and we can make a plan! I hope to be back with lots of energy....