McKinley’s New Room

 It has been ages since I’ve blogged and I’ve missed it. I’ve missed sharing all the things we’re doing, which hasn’t been tons, but we’ve been active all the same. Mini golf now that the weather is warmer. Walking the neighborhood. Weekly tennis and drums lessons for McKinley, one in person the other virtual. We’ve been to Top Golf, Union Station for the dinosaur exhibit and model train layout. And ice skating several times during the winter months. We aren’t going out often, just trying to add some things to the mix from time to time, getting out of the house and going on a few adventures when we can. We love adventures!

When we aren’t getting out of the house, I’m making slight changes to the interior of it! When you’ve been home for over year now, okay one year and a few weeks, you see all the things that need improving or updating. With the help of my dad, we made some repairs to major cracks in our hallway and we will be doing some major improvements to our living/dining room. But the biggest transformation this past month was updating McKinley’s bedroom. He will be 10 next month! Double digits, as he likes to call it, and it was time to take his bedroom from the little boy room he was occupying to a room that will grow with him into his teenage years. His room isn’t big. None of our rooms are. So playing with the space he has, and giving him more, was key. I hit up Pinterest for some inspiration and found the perfect set up! Flanking his bed with bookcases and adding a shelf across the top to frame out the entire look was the winning inspo!

Getting his room to this point was no small task! It required cleaning out all of the stuff. All! The! Stuff! My son likes to “collect” things, and when I say collect, I mean hoard! So it was up to me to edit the choices he has made. Like throwing them in the trash! Now, I do my fair share of “keeping” things, so I edited myself as well. Art work that wasn’t that great, school work that seemed important from Kindergarten, and other less necessary artifacts where trashed. Not sure if he will ever know they are missing. We weeded out books that didn’t seem needed or liked anymore. Those will go to donation. And clothes! Oh my word, the clothes! He has outgrown everything! So we have a selling pile, a donation pile, and a pile that will go to friends far and wide! It felt really good to purge! 

McKinley made the difficult decision to sell his vintage wooden kitchen. He loved that kitchen, but he got it from Santa when he was two, and now at almost 10, he towered over it! We kept some of the food and pots and pans to take to Meme’s. He loves to cook in her kitchen when she’s cooking major meals. I told him that maybe it was time to start using the real kitchen with me and cooking up something together. We also sold his changing table that was in his closet. We used it for storage of clothes, but it needed to go. So did the armoire that was sitting on top of his dresser. The dresser is now in the closet, full of new clothes that will fit for maybe a year, and it freed up a lot of space that we needed within the room. I found a chest of drawers at a local antique store that I gave a facelift with white chalk paint and lined it with new drawer paper. It’s a great piece for the new room. 

The bookcases I found on Amazon. The shelf is a pre-painted board from Home Depot that we cut to size and bolted to the top of the bookcases. The cases themselves are also bolted to the wall. Don’t need anything falling in the middle of the night! And why is it always in the middle of the night? We filled the bookcases with all the important things in McKinley’s life. His favorite reading books, bird and insect books that he loves to search when he finds a new creature, a globe that he asked Santa for for Christmas this past year and we added some items from places we’ve visited. Signed bowling pins from two different birthday parties are finally getting showcased, the new amethyst crystal he got in Lawrence, and some very special gifts from Granddaddy. These antique toys were in his office and McKinley has played with them for years. Dad said that the wanted to give them to now and the special meaning wasn’t lost on McKinley. Lastly, we added his two pairs of Mickey ears, dad’s old tennis racket, since McKinley now plays, and several other trinkets. It’s McKinley in every since of the word! 

And when you create a space for a kid who’s turning 10, you get rid of the construction bedding and get something super cool! We scoured the Pottery Barn Teen website and he picked out this Mid Century Modern design. Kid after my own heart. We brought back the MCM chair from his nursery, it was hanging out at my parents, and changed out his old bookcase to display all of his beloved Nutcrackers. Remember, he’s a collector of things. I moved some of the smaller things around and this space couldn’t be any more McKinley. 

Upon its completion, McKinley has spent all of his free time in here. He’s watching YouTube videos on his bed, reading in his chair, and showing off his room during video chats with friends. If he had a TV and Alexa in there, I’m not sure we would ever see him again. We are considering the TV, but we haven’t taken that final leap. Maybe summer.

Is this not the perfect room for a boy turning 10? A room that he can grow into as he turns into a teenager? Sure, some of the things will change. Collectibles will probably be replaced. It won’t stay as clean, even a week from now. But in this moment, McKinley is settling in nicely, and he’s found a space in the house he can call his own. Happy Early Birthday, sweet boy! Enjoy the new digs!

XO,

Mama 

aka Andrea

From Bedroom to Craft Room

Eighteen years ago this coming May, we moved into our house. And for nearly seventeen of those years, we used one of our three rooms as a spare bedroom. And in those seventeen years, I think I can count on two hands the amount of times it was used it for guests. 

In August of 2018, I was asked by Better Kansas City if I would like to come on their daily morning show and share one of my current projects. I jumped at the opportunity. I went on the show and talked about my kitchen update and how I did it myself. And as fate would have it, I have been on every month for a full year talking about everything from front porch updates, DIY lighting, and craft projects for kids and adults! 

And as I result from this amazing experience, I found that I needed to create a space to call my own for working and finalizing projects. Up until then, I was using either our kitchen table or coffee table in the den, leaving behind a giant mess until the project was complete. Sometimes it would take a few days. Others weeks. Last year I took matters into my own hands, and decided to convert the spare bedroom that no one was using (except for a catch all of all the things) and turn it into my very own work space. I dubbed it, my craft room.

It all started with clearing the entire space out! Ridding ourselves of the iron bed, that's still for sale by the way, gifting the mattress and box springs, cleaning out the chest of drawers and donating/pitching its contents, and selling it to a family for their kids room. We were down to bare bones!

I had a few ideas of what I wanted the space to look like, but I wasn't exactly sure how to make it come to life. I wanted girly glam with pink walls, touches of golds and accents of black. But my husband was not buying into the pink. He kept giving his input on other colors that he thought I would like. Like yellow or lilac. Nope! Not colors I liked or wanted. I wanted pink. Not bubble gum pink. I wanted pale pink. Ballet slippers pink. A hint of pink.

So how I did I decide? I'm a huge fan of the SureSwatch product. It comes with four sheets that you paint with various shades of paint, allow them to dry after two coats, and then hang in the room you are looking to paint. Move them around the room, allowing different light to hit them throughout the day, so you know what shade works best in the space. And for me, it was Barely Blush! The small piece of paper attached to the swatch was a wallpaper I was thinking of using on the accent wall, but instead I went with all painted walls and would later add photos.

Because the room hadn't been touched in seventeen years, the ceiling needed a fresh coat of paint too. And before the paint was barely dry, I was working with my dad to install the antique wire egg basket we turned into a light for a DIY project for Better Kansas City! I had always wanted to create my own light fixture and this was the perfect time to do it! It's amazing what you can do with a light kit and a little imagination. I love this piece. It's probably my favorite DIY to date. And I especially love how the orangy rust patina plays off the pink walls around the room! It's stunning!

Finally, it was time to paint! However, when I applied the first coat, I felt a slight panic. The lighting from the overhead light cast odd shadows and bright highlights. But I continued with my quest. When I turned off the light, and allowed the natural light to flow in from the window, all was calm. All was the perfect shade of pink! This room was knocked it out in a weekend! Walls in a day! The trim, baseboards, and window were bright white and completed by Sunday!

If you remember, several years ago I took a small portion of our den and turned it into my office. I painted one wall grey to give it color. I used a small sofa table as my desk, an antique cabinet for storage, a tufted desk chair, and bright yellow rug for a little pop. For my “new room”, I knew it needed to be a dual purpose room. A craft room yes, but an office as well. So I took the existing desk, chair, and cabinet up to its new home and played around with placement. We ended up putting the desk by the window so that I could look out at the world while lost in what to type next. I placed my yellow cabinet along the "entry" wall, so that when you walked by, it was the first thing that caught your eye. I find it to be the sweetest little cabinet and I love the aged paint. And I added the cutest chair to the mix!! Who doesn't need a shaggy gray chair in the corner to provide a space for reading or just pondering what project to work on next! 

The art deco mirror came from the old office as well. And I finally had a place to hang my wedding bouquet that was under the spare bed for nearly seventeen years! The rug was found in my parents basement and how perfectly does that pink compliment the walls and the green the chair?!? Fate!! 

 

The kitchen island that my husband gave me for Christmas makes the perfect crafting table! It has amazing storage, the middle drawer pulls out on both sides, and the open shelving helps display pretty sequins, glitter, and other shiny objects! 

Some of the little things that helped the room take shape were the addition of bright prints in different shapes and material. The frames were originally a bleached wood, but after covering the glass with paper grocery bags and blue tape, I spray painted them all a glossy black. I dug out my "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" print from the basement and hung it on the wall above my desk. Again, the colors pair perfectly. And lastly, I painted the closet doors with chalkboard paint so that my son can doodle while hanging out with me! It's a craft room after all! 

What I love most about this room is that it’s perfectly me! No, I'm not typically a pink girl, but the color reflects the mood of the room. A calming space for creativity, relaxation, and escaping when I need a little me time! 

When creating a new space within an existing room of your home, it doesn’t have to be costly. Mine all came together with odds and ends of things that I already had around my house. Pieces that worked in a smaller space still work in a "larger" one. I shopped out of my parents basement, and around their home as the yellow cabinet was borrowed from the a long time ago, but purchased new when needed/wanted and I added my own touch to amp up the chicness. And now, when I step into this room, I finally have a space that is just for me.

XO,

Andrea

Bedroom Update Complete

Sixteen years ago this past weekend, Joel and I moved into this house. This was going to be a starter home, living here possibly five years, and then moving onto something bigger. That didn't happen! But that's okay. I love our house. There are many things I find annoying about this house. Like not having a two car garage. Super small closets. But, if those are my only list of faults, I guess the house is pretty good, right? 

When we moved in, this house needed major updates in every single room. We weren't into the 1980s decor. Wallpaper covered in flowers. Drapes that swagged. And carpet in the kitchen. We lived in our lower basement, watched Trading Spaces that we taped on our VCR, and updated a room at time before our wedding weekend in November of that same year. We wanted to invite our out of town guests over to see the new house in all its updated glory. And we did! Even our realtor couldn't believe it was the same house. Our blood, sweat, and tears are in this house. And the sweat just keeps coming.

I am a girl who is always looking to make updates. Adding a little something here and there. We've updated the kitchen three times since we moved in with the current color being navy. We've updated my bathroom three times with new tile in the shower, granite counter tops, and black and white stripe paint on the walls. We've updated Joel's bathroom once taking down the mauve tile and replacing it with gray paint, new tile in the shower, and granite counter tops as well. I've changed out bedding in all the bedrooms at least once and changed the paint color in McKinley's room when we found out we were having a baby. The living room got a new coat of paint years ago and it's next on the list of refresh! Lots of changes coming there! And lastly, and most recently, our bedroom! 

This is what our bedroom looked like when we finally moved from the basement. Super boring! A quilt I had in my bedroom in my apartment. Furniture that my parents gave me when I first moved to Kansas City 21 years ago. The bed was new, a gift from my aunt, and maybe a picture or two on the wall. That was it. Plus, we didn't want too much going on for when we moved five years down the road. 

So when that didn't happen, I went hog wild! My mom made us a quilt as a wedding gift and it replaced the quilt originally had. We had Roman shades made by Ethan Allen and I painted the walls the ever chic harvest gold that every Pottery Barn featured in the early 2000s. Throughout the years, I changed out the bedding and added curtains, but never changed the walls. I meant to paint them gray, but life happened, so things stayed the same. It was definitely time for a change!

I still had the idea of painting the room gray and I looked at so many different shades, comparing them to the curtains we had hanging in the room and the color of the walls in Joel's bathroom. I finally chose Benjamin Moore's Shaker Gray. I purchased new bedding almost a year ago, all white for a stark contrast from the walls, and I asked my dad if it was okay with him if I painted the furniture black. It was theirs, after all, and I didn't want to make changes if they didn't approve. He said go for it, so I did! With the wall color mixed, white trim paint purchased, I was set! And I started out with gusto. One week in, the walls were cutout and painted and the trim work was next. I was slowly losing steam. By the first weekend, the trim around the doors and window, the window panes themselves, and the baseboards had all been painted. Every muscle in my body hurt and I was pretty sure that I couldn't do another squat if my life depended on it. But, next up was the furniture. Man, I was tired!

I debated on how to go about painting the furniture. Originally, I was going to sand down the varnish and get to the wood. Mom purchased some paint for a table for the booth and it was the perfect black. But then I chatted with a friend who had recently painted a dresser in her office with chalk paint and it sounded like a dream. You didn't have to sand anything. You just painted. Full disclosure here, I used chalk paint last summer on a different table for the booth and hated it. It was gloopy and didn't go on very well. At the same time, it was cheap paint that I picked up for a quick turn around, so that might have been part of the problem. She had used Amy Howard Home paint and loved the result. Looked like I was going to go down the same road. And, it turns out another friend loves her paint so I was truly on the right road! I love it too! I didn't use the "brushes" that everyone uses with chalk paint. I used a regular bristle brush and painted. I applied a wax I found at Michael's and it worked just fine. Don't buy into all the tools they say you need. You just spend more money than you need!

I purchased new curtains for the windows and new pulls and knobs for the furniture. I tried spray painting our doorknobs for the closets and other doors in the room, but it just left paint on our hands, so I went with new knobs there too. I thought about getting a tufted headboard, thought about painting the existing bed black, or using a black iron bed of my parents, but decided to just keep the existing bed. It's nice to have something not black or gray in the room. And with the pillows, it just kind of fades away. It all truly came together and simply love it. Want to see it? Well, scroll down!

Little things that need to be done at this point are faceplates being added for the light switch and outlets. Joel needs to turn off the electricity for that and plans to do it while we're on the road to VA. I'm going to add a small family wall gallery to the large wall next to the chest of drawers. They are framed and ready to go, but I need to space them out and decide exactly how I want them. I'll share that later. And I want to put a photo, from a series that my dad shot during the 60s, on the wall leading out of the room. But all in all, it's done. It's calming, and in my personal opinion, so chic! A big update from it's previous state. Sometimes, your decor needs to change with you and that's exactly what happened here.

I wanted the room completed before summer and I achieved my goal. Now, it's time to plan the living room update, which won't take place until after McKinley goes back to school. In the meantime, I'm going to spruce up my front porch with pretty flowers and a new front door rug and get my patio up and running. Summer is meant for outdoor play and I can take refuge at night in my peaceful grownup bedroom!

XO,

Andrea

Den Gallery Wall

Hello fellow readers! Yes, again, it's been a long time. February wasn't much better than January. There was flu and pneumonia that hit our house and we were sick three out of the fourish weeks of the month. But, spring is on its way and I am hoping for blue skies ahead!

And with spring comes spring cleaning, and in my case, new house updates all around! It all started with a segment on Home and Family. Ken Wingard introduced a gallery wall in their family room on their set and I immediately needed to create one in my own home. I have this wall above our couch in the den that I never noticed was so bare. Yes, there is a framed piece that we've had for years, but it just needed something more. And Ken's gallery was the inspiration.

His design tips were amazing! My mom came with the assist by visiting local craft stores and scooping up some amazing finds. But the biggest find is the rustic clock. I found several that I liked, but they ranged in price from $50-$100. Not really within my price range. That is, until we hit Savers. We found this clock for $7! Talk about style for a steal! And I commissioned my dad to great a custom piece as well. And when I say commissioned, I asked him if he would take pictures down on the Plaza so I could hang it in my den! I love it! It's perfect! The rest of the pieces are somewhat personal. The K is for our last name and the small scale tobacco basket is an homage to my great grandparents who were tobacco farmers. And I just loved the vintage style window. Much like one from an old farm house.

Ken suggested to cut out your pieces on paper first and then hang them on the wall. In doing so, you won't be creating nail holes that you don't need. Genius, right? So that's exactly what I did. It was such a time saver and my husband thought we should just leave the paper. What a kidder! We placed the framed photo first and then added the clock to the other side for balance. The smaller pieces were exactly what the center needed. 

Then it was time to hang! And when your husband is home on a Friday, and your child is in school, it's the perfect time to get it done.

And here is the finished project! I am obsessed with it! It truly finishes the room and fills the space. Something that really needed to be done. 

  

I'm thinking of creating a gallery wall in McKinley's room of all of his artwork from school. Okay, not all the pieces, but the ones that he really took his time creating. We have several, and now that I'm armed with such amazing tips, I'm ready to tackle his room!

What do you think of the gallery wall? Is this something you would create? What pieces would be perfect for your room?

Have a great weekend!

XO,
Andrea

Gallery Wall - Inspired New Look

Do you ever look around your house and think, "This room could use something." But, when you look around the room, you can't put your finger on what it needs. A fresh coat of paint? New furniture? A dusting and vacuum? For me, it's more the latter, but I am always on the hunt to freshen up the rooms in my house to make them a little more chic. A little more relevant. A little more like my ever evolving style.

I was watching my daily morning show earlier this week, Home and Family, and Ken Wingard changed my life! Okay, not really changed my life, but changed my view on what I thought I wanted on my den wall. I was thinking originally of replacing the current print with two larger ones of my dad's photography. But then I saw him create a gallery wall on their set and I was done! This is what I have to do over my couch in the den. And I've already started creating inspiration boards on Pinterest and scouring the stores for ideas!

This is currently what my wall looks like. After decluttered all the growing furniture that had been collected in this room, I realized that this print was dwarfed by this large wall. It's been hanging there since we moved in 15 years ago and I just never really thought about changing it out. Again, my style is changing so my house needs to grow with it! Man, look how clean this room is! It doesn't look anything like this right now. I need to get busy..... That dusting and vacuum is a must!

So here's what I'm thinking I need to create!

How amazing are these walls? And I have so many different ideas of how I want to create my wall and I'm overwhelmed by which one I like more! I'm leaning toward the upper left, but I love the center bottom! What I do know is that I want an oversized clock, a mirror, an artistic piece, and then a large photo of something my dad has taken around KC. Either a downtown iconic building or something from the Plaza. I can't wait to see what he has!

While out yesterday, I took some pics of pieces that I like from both Target and T.J. Maxx. I haven't pulled the trigger on anything. Right now I'm collecting ideas. But these are stunners!

 Now, I know that if I were to do the starburst mirror, I wouldn't go with the starburst accent piece. However, with the copper mirror, how gorgeous would those two pieces be together? And, I'm thinking of trying to find an antique clock that no longer works to add to that rustic aged look I'm going for. Seriously, I'm giddy!!

What do you think of a gallery wall? How would you design yours? Any of the above inspired walls have your attention? Let's chat!

XO,

Andrea

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