So you know that room I’ve been pretending to be interested in fixing up for months now? For those of you who don’t, I won’t link back to previous boring posts, I’ll just clue you in really fast. Three years ago I bought a big ole house that I absolutely love. Back then my little IzzyB was only four so her room was purposely placed close to mine even though there is an upstairs room perfect for a little girl’s dreams to grow and come true. We’ve never used this room for her because to have her way up there at the back of the house was just too scary for me (not her). Not to mention there was black paint on the walls from a failed attempt at a teen trying to have a red/black Asian themed room. There were giant holes in the walls. We’ve been using the room as storage for months.
Nothing fancy or expensive was planned. We did what she wanted from the very beginning. The thing is, we’ve had to do all the work ourselves. I have no creative talent whatsoever in drawing, painting, etc. I’m not being modest. I can’t draw. I envy those of you who can. We didn’t buy stencils, so be kind. This stuff is free-hand, and at times, painted in by a seven year old!
Anyway. I took “before” pictures of the room, but for some reason they didn’t save, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late to take more. There is no way to describe what we took on when we began this project. It took three coats of primer just to cover the black. And that was after days of scraping and tearing down wallpaper that was used on the ceiling. We had to plaster holes in the wall that ranged from the size of an eraser to big enough to put an infant in. Yes I’m really proud of us because we didn’t bail after the first few days and get someone else to do it even though we really wanted to!
As I mentioned, nothing expensive went into our project. Just to break it down for you, we didn’t buy any new furniture. Our supplies totaled around $350. They included primer, plaster supplies, all the paints, new bedding, cute floral wall hooks, and of course, all the brushes and cleaner. We had the long curtains placed at the beginning of the hall but bought the small ones on the window.
The first shot is straight through the door into her room. The bed is to the right and there is the little hallway to a drop down into a little nook of sorts.
The second shot is of our artwork to the right of the room with the little built-in drawers. The ceiling is slanted there. That wall is only about three feet high.
The third shot is to the left side of the room.
The fourth shot is to the front left side of the room. It’s the corner to the to the left of the door. She hasn’t finished putting her dollhouse back in order yet!
The fifth shot is of the slanted ceiling above the bed. All the ceiling space has those big blue clouds with a “sun” painted around the room’s light fixture.
The sixth shot is through the hallway into her sitting room. That long bench is built-in and I’m in the process of sewing a pad that will go all along it to make it a comfy sitting bench. However, the top is broken into three compartments. The top is on hinges and opens to show you all her toys! That brown chest holds all her homemade blankets, quilts, etc. I’m still deciding on whether or not to paint it. Those windows are tiny. This whole area is just a little room tucked into the house. I can’t describe how cute the setup is.
The seventh picture is to the left of the bench. This used to be another set of built-in drawers, but they were broken and unusable, so we pulled them out and made her a cute storage nook for all her stuffed animals.
The next one is a little built-in bookcase that’s on the left next to the doorway. She hasn’t finished bringing her books upstairs yet. I think she’s waiting for me!
Finally, the last shot is standing in the little room looking down the hallway out the door of her bedroom. That hallway is only just over five feet high at the peak of the slanted ceiling. I know this because, other than Bella, I’m the only person who can wall through it without bending over.
I purposely tried not to get too much of the floor in the pics because we have to do some work on it, too. Not much, though. To be almost a hundred years old, it’s in really good shape! Just needs some sanding here and there to get up stains, etc. For now, we have some area rugs with all the colors she chose for her room in flowers, bugs, etc.
I really wish the pictures showing the room before we began had saved. It’s so hard to point out the changes we made and how much of a difference they made. As you look at the pictures, just imagine that everywhere you see the white ceiling there was faded floral wallpaper and everywhere you see the green paint, it was black!
I’m absolutely thrilled to be finished. She has been moved in for about a week now, and so far, she’s keeping it really pretty and clean. So this should be the end of my ranting over this one particular project. Aren’t you thrilled! Of course you aren’t because if you know me, you realize it’s time for me to start the yard work which means rants, raves, and tears over that. Just like every year, huh. At least I’m consistent!
Thanks for going along with me!