kids room revamp...using crap from the garage edition.

I know I've been saying this for months, but progress on the bathroom is underway.  No, seriously.  The electrician came out Monday and rerouted some outlets and prepped the ceiling for my pendants and chandy.  And as I sit here typing, I can hear the plumber making all sorts of noise with a saw.  Later today the drywaller is coming to seal up the ceiling...the attic space above the shower has been exposed for the last three months and has permeated my bedroom with an unpleasant, musty smell.  AND then, later later, the contractor will hopefully be by to put the subfloor back down so that I don't have to worry about any of the kids falling through the drywall into the basement.  Folks...we may have a functional bathroom within a few weeks.  Hallelujah!!!

 This happy news is a great segway into the title of this post...kids room revamp {using crap from my garage}.  With my budget pretty much zero {due to all things bathroom}, I was forced to to revamp the kiddos bedroom using stuff I already had in my possession.

So, I decided to scavenge the garage and house to see what items I could reuse.

I had a ton of leftover wood veneer from my dresser project.  It is absolutely beautiful and I hated that it was sitting in storage collecting dust.  I decided to create some hexagon "tile" with it...since the honeycomb motif is all the rage right now.

It was a super easy project {I simply cut the hexagons out of the veneer with scissors}that has a lot of visual impact. 

I painted some, but also left some natural wood because I love the color and grain of it.


I also used some of the left over veneer to make some customized artwork.
An embroidered, ombre "R" for Rowan

and a super cool image of master Yoda for my Star Wars fanatic, Beckham.

Who knew you could print on wood veneer?  It took a little coaxing and multiple attempts, but I finally got it to work.  {because the veneer is significantly thicker than paper, you have to manually help it through the printer so that it doesn't get stuck}.

The kiddos needed some shelving for housing a few personal items, so I decided to make some "half hexagon" shelves out of a plank of wood I had bought awhile ago for some reason that I can't remember now. 

I used one 4x8 plank of wood which runs about $6 at the home improvement store, and was able to make four shelves out of it.  I think they turned out pretty good considering they were only $1.50 a piece to make.

I made the kiddos new pendant lights for above their beds using some wicker, food cover dealies I found for $7.  This project was so easy and cheap.  Don't you just love customized lighting?!

I revamped the nightstand {for the third time}
{green phase}

{blue phase}

using some spray chalkboard paint I had on hand.  I actually like how resistant chalkboard paint is and how easy it is to clean.  And since the kiddos have a knack for doodling all over furniture, I figure I'm one step ahead of them now.
{black phase}

The white blinds have been bugging me for a long time.  I'm over plain white blinds.  I love matchstick/bamboo blinds, but they are super pricy and purchasing some was not in the budget.  So, I grabbed my can of chalkboard paint and went to town.

I think the "not new, but greatly improved" black blinds are much cooler than the white...at least aesthetically speaking .  I'm always amazed by what a can of paint can do....and better still, the revamp only cost me $10 {I ran out of paint and had to buy two more cans}.

I don't know about you, but my kids aren't always the most accomodating when it comes to bedtime.  I decided to try out some "mommy mind tricks"  to see if it might aid in the bedtime ritual.  I made this simple/inexpensive hopscotch mat out of cork board squares.

Cork tiles are readily available at Walmart and Target and cost around $5/ four squares.  I stensiled the numbers on using regular, old craft paint and attached the squares together using duck tape.

The hope is that when it comes to bedtime now, the little ones will be excited to hopscotch their way right into bed.  I don't know how long the novelty will last, but here's to hoping.

The last space to be addressed is this little reading/play area.  Every kids room needs a kid sized rocker and faux sheep sking rug, no?  I found the rocker a while back at the thrift store for $5 and I stole the rug out of my bedroom.  I think some wall storage for books and toys etc. might be in order since the room is majorly lacking in storage, but I'm still in the blue print stages of the design. Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion!!!

For now the space serves as a little reading nook/baby doll rocking area.

Aside from the laminate and carpet, this little revamp only cost me around $50.

Carpet in the kids room...finally.

The kids' room has new carpet...finally!

What a glorious feeling it is to walk in the room and smell new carpet instead cat pee. 

If a girl could be in love with carpet, then this carpet would be it for me.  It is so fun and colorful and sophisticated and....well, here just take a look for yourself.

I was giddy when I came across these carpet tiles on flor.com.  I had been wanting to try some of their product for a long time and I finally just bit the bullet and did it.  They are a bit of an investment, but the trade off is that the carpet is totally modular.  If you end up moving or decide you want the carpet in a different area you just gather them up and you're on your way.  I just love that!!!
Oh, and did I mention that right now everything at flor.com is 25% off? And no,  I am not sponsered by these guys, but I totally should be.  I just wanted to share the wealth, or savings rather, should you be interested in getting your floor/flor on.

The tiles themselves are super easy to lay, but I didn't realize until after I had purchased them that they cannot be put down directly onto radiant heat...which we have.  So, before I could lay the carpet, I had to put down some new flooring as a buffer.  I ended up using some laminate from Ikea, which I also love...though more just as a friend.

The motif of the room didn't really seem to jive with the new carpet, so I did a little tweaking and revamped the rest of the space while I was at it, but that's a post for another day...like tomorrow.

I'm off to the mall with the kiddies to make a stuffed bear or something.  But if you're in the mood for some more kids room inspo, check out some fabulous ideas here on a great new DIY/all things home site I just came across (topreveal.com).  I'm already making plans for my next kids room redo.

15 minute- $12 DIY pendant light

Okay, first off...preschool graduation was yesterday which means I have the whole summer now to dedicate to projects and neglecting my children.  Yee haw!

Secondly, I just started a little room make-over for my two youngest kids.  Wanna know how it all started?  Well sit down cause I'm gonna tell you anyway.  It all began last summer when the eldest fruit-o- my-loins brought home a kitten.  I didn't really want to keep it, but at the same time I couldn't turn away an orphaned little ball of fur...even if it did make my throat itch and my eyes swell shut.  Well, that little ball of fur grew into a big ball of fur...that peed all over the carpet in my kiddos' bedroom.  I tried having the carpet steam cleaned, but that only made it smell more like a porta-john.  And still, months later the pee pee smell is quite pungent.  The reasonable solution is to replace the flooring, which is what I am hopefully going to get around to this weekend.  Here's a little sneak peek at what I'm thinking of doing.

I can sense your trepidation, but don't worry.  I know what I'm doing.  I think.  No, for reals, it is going to be awesome.  I can't wait to show you when it's done.

Part of the kids' room make-over was adding some lighting over each of the beds.  Before, the kiddos were sharing a lamp which sat on a night stand right inbetween their beds.  But oft times one would fall asleep before the other and would have the bright light from the lamp glaring right into their sweet, sleeping angel face.  I decided having isolated lighting over each bed would work better this time around.  So, that's what I did.

I decided to make custom pendant lights for this project.

I found these cute baskets at TJ Maxx not long ago.  I think they are meant for covering dishes at picnics or something Martha Stewart-y like that.  To me, they were just the perfect size and shape for hanging lights.

And the price was perfect too...   

These lamps took me all of 15 minutes to complete.  No, seriously.

I removed the handle

cut out a hole large enough for the light socket to fit through.

inserted the socket from the topside of the basket

then secured it with the removeable ring on the underside. 

{I feel like some of you are thinking the mesh might be a fire hazard, but rest assured it is made out of metal, not fabric.}

Oh, and it might be useful to tell you that I used a $5 plug-in {not ceiling mounted} light kit from Ikea.

Then using the eye screws and hardware included in the light kit, I mounted the lights above each bed and Ta-da!  There was hanging light.

Mounting them took twice as long as actually making them, primarily because the task required me to have the balancing skills of a ninja and tight rope walker combined.  But, it got done and I didn't permanently injure myself or anyone else in the process.

It's hard to see just how great they look without revealing the not quite finished bedroom.  But, just trust me.  They are great!

Before, I used to think that plug in pendant lights were kinda tacky what with the cord just hanging there and all.  But, now I'm tooting a totally different tune.  Not only am I okay with the cord hanging there, I love the fact that the lighting is completely modular and can be moved elsewhere in minutes.  Just unplug and unhook and it's ready for a new home.

So, if you are in the market for some new, custom lighting or just want an easy project for kicking off summer, try making your own pendant light.