Whimsical Children's Rooms Blog Party

Today is the party hosted by Laura Bray at katydiddys! As I was madly taking photos of my two wee one's rooms, I realized that they weren't up to showroom quality. I mean, who wants to see Tinkerbell undies strewn across the floor, or Barbie shoes sprinkled on the carpet? I decided that since the unmade beds & dollhouse debris wouldn't make for impressive snapshots, I would take pictures of special things in my girls room instead: close up shots that make you THINK the atmosphere is tidy.

We moved into our house 5 months ago & you'd think that would be enough time to get settled in. But, it's not. I'm not sure what the problem is, but my girls' rooms don't have that warmth & "homey" feel to them. They've shared a room for the past 2 years, so this is the first time they've had their own rooms. Maybe I just need to give them (& their rooms) some time to find their own decor identity. Anyway, I hope to get some ideas from other participants in this blog party on how to make their rooms more cozy & girly & less cold & uninspired.

The picture at the top is how I store my oldest daughter's dress-up attire. The large puffy dresses get hung right on the wall above her bed! It's artwork, it's a dress, it's artwork, it's a dress.

I painted the hangers to make it "extra special". And look! It's a cupcake! This was one of my very first cupcake paintings, about 5 years ago--long before I realized that I loved them so! I think I copied it right from a catalogue.

My daughter's pink bed is one of my favorite pieces. My mom picked it up at a garage sale for 3 bucks. I wish I had a "before" shot. It came with a headboard & footboard--but it belonged to a bunk bed. It was nasty looking. I sanded it, painted it, distressed it, waxed it, added finials to the posts & adorable white wood embellishments to each end. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. It was a surprise for her 2nd birthday---a big girl bed!

And I LOVE using mismatched linens--both old vintage & new vintage-looking. My oldest has pinks & blues & my youngest has yellows & greens.
I found this drawer to an old desk in someones trash! I added vintage kitty wrapping paper & hotglued buttons to the outside & now it hangs above my daughter's desk & holds her precious keepsakes. Free stuff rocks.

Hanging under the drawer is a banner I made. I found some vintage "ABC" clipart online & copied them, punched holes in them, strung some ribbon through, & swagged it above her desk. It's not only decorative--but useful: she refers to it often when stumped on her alphabet.

A trip to a nearby pottery painting studio resulted in this adorable hanging sign.

Artwork is very important to me & my kid's get to put theirs just about anywhere. Zoey decorates her door with loads of paintings & drawings.

I love the wooden letters you see at craft stores. And the wacky odd sized letters are right up my alley. I painted them out in different colors & hung them with that tacky putty stuff.

I also gave each of my girls a painting when they were born. Pazely has this above her desk.
Another cool find was this piece. I was told it is for holding patterns?? I use it to hold my girls magazines & coloring books. It sits in our living/dining room right next to a baker's rack which is FILLED with their art & creative supplies.

This is weird, but everywhere we have ever lived I have always had an obsession with making the girls bathroom cute. I love bathrooms! They are tiny & make-over pretty quickly.

The shower curtain rings were purchased from the Target $2.50 bin. I added the vintage buttons.

Above the girls towel rod is this vintage hand mirror that used to belong to my grandmother. I hung it on the wall at kidlet height so the girls can see themselves---you know, for that final check before heading out to play.

I love being "hands-on" in my girls' rooms. Most of their things have been thrifted or handmade. A lot of inspiration comes from books or magazines. Better Homes & Gardens puts out really cool Special Publications about "quick & easy decorating" or "kids' rooms". I snatch these up when I see them because they give SO many great ideas.

Now that you got a peek at MY children's rooms, go check out Laura's blog post (dated July 11 2008) to see links in the comment section & find other great children's rooms!! Party on!