A Reading Nook

I have made no bones about the fact that reading has been a real struggle in this house. And I am beside myself with worry, frustration, and impatience. All things that are not conducive to creating a peaceful environment for learning. But all of that changed last week when I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a peaceful space for McKinley.

I browsed Pinterest one afternoon for inspirational reading nook photos and found tons! If you have a lot of time, and money, and space on your hands, you can create some magnificent spots for your children. But as luck would have it, I had a limited budget and space to work with, but in the end I think it turned out just right.

McKinley's room always seems to be a work in progress. Remember when I was trying to decide where to create a good work space for him? Did I go with the tradition kitchen table or go for a space that was just for him? Well, I turned a small corner in his room into that work space and guess what? He uses the kitchen table for all activities for school. And that table in his room became the catch-all for literally everything! Just like it did in the basement. So I cleaned off the table, carried it back downstairs (where I'm sure it will catch all the toys), and began my work in his room once again.

He hasn't used his changing table in quiet sometime. Or at least for its true intentions. I made it a mini library awhile back and it worked out really well. We read books to him every night and all of his favorites, and then some, were always on hand. And aside from the library shelving, we also have his underwear, socks, and pajamas in the drawers and storage baskets. We still use the table for several purposes. However, it's a huge piece of furniture and takes up a lot of room. My mom had the brilliant idea of putting the table inside the closet. Brilliant I tell you. Until I had to clean out the closet. 

You see, I have a lot of clothes and I utilize two closets in our house. However, because I'm not really working outside the home these days, I don't really need the corporate America wardrobe that is housed inside both. So, I did a major purge. Some things were donated while others were stored in a flat wardrobe box and it's currently stored under one of our beds. I still have several things that need to be stored elsewhere and I may bribe my mom to let me use one of her closets.....again! Oh, and I had to clear out all the shoes that were in that closet as well. And clear out I did. I donated a huge box of shoes and I'm prepared to sell the others. I still have more shoes than I actually need, but what woman doesn't. But I did it! And the transformation is perfect! (And yes, there is still a small portion of my stuff in his closet. I truly can't purge it all....)

From there, it was time to create the peaceful reading nook. I knew I wanted to use the corner of his room for a portion of the space, but I wasn't really sure how to execute it. I thought a bean bag would be super cool based on the photo above. But did you know that right under my nose was McKinley's Pottery Barn Kids chair? This poor chair has been moved around and around our house, but I think it finally has a good home. I found a build it yourself bookcase at Target and it will work for now. I would like to find something a little bigger and one that runs horizontally versus vertically. I would like it to house his art supplies in addition to all of his books he will eventually be reading. For now, the books are arranged according to paperback versus hardback. All Little Golden Books are on the same shelf. His larger books are on the bottom. And all the paperbacks are on top. He's got his art caddy, Jingle Pup who is super integral when reading Jingle Pup, and his albums and record player for when a little light music is needed. Isn't it sweet?

The top of the bookcase needed a little something so I went scouring around the house. I found his seashell collection and sand from the Outer Banks. I added his favorite antique car which was my dad's when he was little. We have our marbles for the marble reading jar. And what six year old doesn't need a Lava Lamp? That was mine and it was time to pass it down. All things have meaning which makes the space complete!

When I first showed McKinley his new space after school last week, he immediately asked if he could have his afternoon snack there. Of course! And he asked if he could have a basket of books next to the chair so he could lean over and grab one. Absolutely! I wanted him to know that this was all for him. He used the extra floor space this weekend to color and I loved seeing that. And, he did read there last night, with a little coaxing by me, and then he "read" a Richard Scarry book called Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. At least he used it!

We need a little artwork on the large open wall space and I think I'll fill it with his school artwork as it comes home. What a perfect way to showcase those pieces that aren't on display in my office. I'm hoping this space becomes one of a haven of opportunity for him. The opportunity to become a successful reader. A space for listening to soothing music to help fuel the soul. And a place that's all his own to feed his body, mind, and spirit. 

XO,

Andrea

Home Decor: Updating Our Den

About two years ago or so, I spilled turquoise nail polish on my favorite rug in our den. I mean blue, blue, blue in turquoise and the rug was cream! I tried nail polish remover, Simple Green, and rug cleaner. Nothing worked. It was bright blue for a couple of years. At the time, we were using our antique green coffee table, which didn't help conceal the spot, and I ended up trading it out for a wicker trunk that housed extra pillows and blankets. It was nice in theory, but it didn't work for drinks due to the fact it was wicker. There was no solid top, just the waffle of the wicker, which caused drinks to tip easier and spill through the cracks onto the extra pillows and blankets underneath. Needless to say, it wasn't the best coffee table. So, I gave it to my mom and she uses it as a trunk to house McKinley's toys. The green coffee table made a comeback and so did the stain that had been hidden by the wicker trunk. It was time to find a new rug!

During a recent trip to Home Goods to look for outdoor decorative pieces, and a black bathroom rug, my mom and I found an amazing rug for the den! It's definitely not something I had been looking for in design, but when we laid it out on the floor of Home Goods, we knew it was a winner! The only issue was the fit in our den. We decided that if worse came to worse, I could put a portion of it under the couch to help keep the rug from taking over the space. I didn't need to do that!

I took some pictures for my mom that night just so she could see what it looked like it the space. Then I added the old coffee table. What is glaringly obvious?

It was time for a new coffee table! I immediately went online and found several. I loved the look of this one. This Mid Century Mod table was perfection but not the price! And this one was nice as well, but I wanted something not so new. I have this thing for antiques. A thing for pieces that are a little beaten up. That have a ton of character. That tells a story. I chatted with my mom and we decided it was time to go dumpster diving! Or to our favorite antique store, Mission Road Antique Mall. That's when we found the perfect coffee table.

It was sitting in the middle of the hall. No price tag. No one in sight to tell us about it, and we were about to walk away, when the owner came around the corner. I asked if it was for sale and she firmly said no. It was her display table. After showing my disappointment, she asked what I was going to do with the table. I proceeded to tell her I was going to cut down the legs and make it my coffee table. She was so upset at the prospect of the table losing it's legs, but after a few minutes, she made an offer. We countered. And it became ours for $70! A school house table that had been used for painting, as you can see from the paint stains. I was so excited about my new table! 

After getting it home, there was some work to do, so my dad come over one afternoon to help me. He brought over his portable circular saw, clamps, L-Square with level, and we got to work. (I'm not allowed to have knives so using the circular saw was out of the question!) Other than cutting off the legs, nothing else was really needed. I had originally planned to sand down the table and stain it, but after looking at more closely, I decided I loved the color stains, the roughness of the wood, and the years of use its seen. Nope, leaving it just as it was! Blogging about turning it from work table to coffee table later!

The table has been in the den for a little over the week and I've been making tweaks to the room ever since. This rug and table have really been a motivation and inspiration for me to get this room back to a room I love spending time in. I had lost my love for our den. It was over crowded, dark, and just not a space I found joy in anymore. There were piles of this here and that there. And it just didn't scream family friendly or inviting. Aside from my office, it was space of a frustration. Not anymore! I love it! Let's take a tour.

Here is what the space looked like before. I'm adding back in the before office photos so you can get a perspective of how this whole room has really taken shape and become more light and airy.

Here is the rug with the concealed nail polish stain.

And do you see that black table in between the chairs? Well, there were two and they had made their way to either side of our couch. It dawned on me, once I got a larger table in the room, especially one so light, that there were way too many pieces of furniture and it was dark. I felt like the walls were closing in and something had to go. The end tables were the answer! They are now in our booth in Louisburg waiting for a new family room. (And you are getting a birds eye view of just how messy my house is on a daily basis!)

It was time to get this clutter, and dark room, back to its old/new self. I got to work cleaning out all the books, making piles of the ones I'm going to donate to our schools upcoming mobile library, and the ones that I wanted to keep. The end tables made their way into my mom's Explorer. Then it was time to clean out the hat boxes over in the right hand corner and consolidate old photos into the larger of the boxes. Two hat boxes are now making their way to the booth! Then it was time to dress up the coffee table and get this room in shape.

After a solid week of work, and proper placement, I'm happy to reveal the new space! 

And I've already made a decorating note. We need either an incredibly large print over the sofa or a wall full of art. Excited to get that started!

Can you see the paint spots?

 

The next thing on my agenda is to take down the ballet posters and pointe shoes from over the yellow cabinet and turn it into McKinley's art work wall. He as painted and created some amazing pieces this year, that they need to be on display. Can't wait for all the artwork over the next few years to be added!

And every room needs a bar!

What do you think? Do you like it? Have a favorite spot or piece? Do you like the new coffee table? All of the pieces you see on the table are from Michael's and they were on super sale! You don't have to spend a fortune on small room accent pieces. I love Joann's, Home Goods, and Michael's for these exact reasons. A room on a budget is everyone's favorite thing, right? 

I will make sure to share my updated art walls once they have been completed. Up next, our bedroom! I've been dreaming and scheming for a while now and I just need to make the final push to actually do it! 

XO,

Andrea

A Kid Friendly Work Space

I love our house. I've loved it since the minute we drove into the driveway! And, it was the perfect starter home. We were going to live here for roughly five years and then upgrade to the next level home. Fourteen years later, we are still here! For a family of three, it works, but at times it's a little tight. We have a two story home, with three bedrooms, but one of the things we like most is that it's multi-level. We have the main level with a kitchen and living/dining room. We have the upstairs with three bedrooms and two baths. We have a room downstairs from the living room, our den, but then we have another level down to the basement which is partially finished. It's McKinley's playroom on one side and the laundry/storage room on the other. It's perfect for what we use it for currently, but I'm now looking around and wondering where we can build a work space for McKinley. 

For those of you new to the blog, I created a home office earlier in the year in our den. It's a long narrow room, so I took the opposite end of our living space and made it a little office. I don't have much there. A desk, nice upholstered chair, and a little antique cabinet I "stole" from my parents for my storage cabinet. I love it! And now, I want the same thing for McKinley.

Now that he's in Kindergarten, he needs an area to work on afternoon activities that are required for him to earn SOAR tickets each day. These tickets are super valuable as he's able to turn them in for something from the treasure box as a reward for completing his work. I've loved working with him in the afternoons on math, sorting, writing his name, alphabet scavenger hunts, and other fun things I've come up with with the help of Pinterest! And, he was able to earn a little firetruck he's had his eye on since she introduced the treasure box on the first day of school.

Right now, we use the kitchen table, which is the age old space where kids have done their homework for years. But, he has this darling table and chairs in his playroom that is currently being used to collect toys that he doesn't feel like putting in their proper place on shelves! It's a pit and you can't even see the work trucks that are painted on the table top. I want to find a place in our house for this cute table to be utilized. I'm thinking of a little corner in his room that houses a chair where we gave him nightly feedings when he was a baby. That chair is the catch-all chair for clothes, blankets, and other things. I see a pattern here. If we moved out the chair, the table would fit nicely and we could use this space to do school work and other fun arts and crafts throughout the year. 

 But then there's the issue of just having the table and nothing else. Yes, he has his playroom, so I guess technically he has a place to play, so this new area would be specific for work. So if we carved out a little nook in his room, we could add shelving to the walls around the table to give him cubbies and other places to put things like crayons, construction paper, and such. And I've found some spaces, again on Pinterest, that I love and that have brought about some inspiration.

Okay, okay, so the ones on the bottom are a little far fetched, but how cute are they? And I love how bright and cheery they are. I could really get to work in a happy space like this! However, the top two are much more realistic. I love the loft idea with the bunk beds and the work station below. It would grow with him as he grows older. I would definitely jazz it up with color. I love pure white, but he needs a little color and pizzazz! 

So this is where I am in the newest "finding space to use" in our house. I'm constantly trying to help our home evolve, but eventually we are going to run out of room. I'm in constant denial regarding a potential move that really isn't necessary. But, it would be nice to have a little more square footage to give everyone the personal space they need.

What have you done to prep your home for a space that your child can call their own? Are you thinking that a playroom is enough and to use that space wisely? My fear is that he won't really concentrate in that room just due to the fact his toys are all around. It's so easy to loose focus when your play thing are so close at hand. Does a child need a work space? Should I simply rely on that age old kitchen table where I too did my homework year after year? 

Let's chat!

XO,

Andrea