Step right up to the wall ‘o fun! Sounds like a carnival ride, right? Don’t worry, there will be no clowns or motion sickness. It all started when we moved Clara’s crib out of her room, and shifted the dresser that used to be on this wall to the former crib wall (more on that here). Which left the wall to the right of the bed completely bare. So we decided to bring in a lot more fun to that blank space, now that there was room for it. Clara already has some baskets of toys and books along with a play-table where she loves to build castles and draw, but things like her play kitchen, refrigerator, and food cart were all relegated to other rooms for lack of space before the crib got the boot.
Yeehaw! Amiright?
At first, it wasn’t looking very exciting. Check out all of that bare white wall going on.
And here’s where I show you my chaos and say “welcome to the first ten minutes of any project.” It almost always looks like this. There was a lot of fun and colorful art leftover from her nursery and her playroom in the last house that I couldn’t wait to hang up on that blank white wall. So I just started laying things down on the bed (Clara helped me pick her favorites) and we ended up with this gorgeous progress shot.
She also really wanted a mirror at her height, which was a request that John and I couldn’t wait to fulfill. It was a lot like her “I want a clock” request (the blue cuckoo clock that I made her is still her favorite thing in the entire room) and we knew she’d really appreciate if we hooked her up with a place to study her funny faces and show her dolls the latest hairstyles that she was giving them instead of having to trek into our room and use our big leaning mirror in there.
This mirror is actually the one that we removed from our half bathroom back in July, although the brassy finish wasn’t exactly complementing the silver hardware on her play kitchen and refrigerator, so I thought I could spruce it up for Clara with some fresh paint and a fun little pattern. First I laid it down on a big piece of cardboard at the kitchen table and wiped it down with liquid deglosser, just to get it paint-ready.
Then I used leftover white paint (BM Simply White in semi-gloss) that we use on all of our trim and doors, just to give it a clean base coat. You’ll notice that I got a little paint on the mirror pane itself, but that’s easy enough to remove (more on that in a second). So the most important thing is just to get a nice even coat. That includes that crack where the mirror meets the frame. Then just let that dry and give it at least one more coat if it needs it for the coverage. Mine just needed two coats and it was good to go.
As for how to remove any paint that gets on the surface of the mirror, I’m a big fan of just scraping it off with a straight razor. And for curved shapes like this, an exacto knife can actually be really easy to slide along the mirror’s surface to peel off any paint that’s on there, just like this:
Now for the fun part. I had some metallic silver paint among my little tubes of acrylic colors, and I thought it could be fun to add some pattern to the mirror with it. So I just squeezed out a blob of it on the cardboard…
… and used a small flat craft brush to make little arrow-like shapes all the way around the mirror. I just spaced them by eye, and I liked the almost heart-like effect of them. I also didn’t mind the imperfect “painted by hand” look, so I resisted the urge to go back over anything and smooth it out or futz with it.
Once it dried, I hung it back up, and voila! Clara was ENAMORED that we fulfilled her mirror request, and we both love that it adds some pattern and interest to the wall while bouncing around more light (and allowing me to watch Clara even if she’s behind me, which further convinces her that I have eyes in the back of my head).
Bonus points for being able to spy on Burger too…
Here’s a panned out shot of the wall. I also hung the shelves that John built for her very first nursery along with her favorite art picks and her new mirror. All of the frames were light enough to be held up with a regular old picture nail into the drywall (no anchors) and the shelves got some extra long screws and anchors, just to be sure they could hold some weight. The mirror also got an anchor and a screw since it’s on the heavier side, along with two 3M heavy duty velcro strips at the bottom (so it’s even more secure and can’t hop off the wall on anyone).
We love that the shelves can come in handy for kitchen items, books, toys, etc. And now between using those to store and display things, playing with her kitchen/fridge/food cart, looking at her favorite art, and enjoying her reflection in the mirror, well – there’s a lot to do on that little wall of hers.
And it looks pretty darn cute with her pink door and wall full of raindrops too. Here’s a shot of her getting in on the fun, just to show you the scale of things. She can easily reach that top shelf and see herself in the mirror (with a little headroom for when she grows a bit more).
Now that there are no longer bare walls everywhere, the room is suddenly feeling a lot more finished, although I’m sure it’ll continue to evolve as she grows. Just kidding Clara, no more growing is allowed! Plus I still have some pretty lofty goals for her big walk-in closet (that thing is destined to be a hidden playhouse within her room – she actually picked this room for that closet).
Oh and with seven days to spare, we’re officially working on Clara’s Christmas present (it’s a tradition of ours to hand-make something for her, like this, this, and this). Looks like it’s going to be down to the wire again… which seems to be an annual tradition for us as well. Are you guys doing any last-minute holiday shopping/building/decorating? How about adding little pockets of fun to a kids room? Or finally hanging art that you’ve been meaning to get to for, oh, half a year now?
Psst- A few folks have told us about an unsavory ad for League of Angels on our sidebar and an annoying pop up for Aveeno, both of which aren’t authorized, so we’re working on blocking ’em. Please let us know if you ever see anything inappropriate (or any pop-up whatsoever) since they’re never cool with us, and we’d love a screen grab and the url/site that it links to so we can get them blocked. Sorry for the trouble!
Melissa@TheChicDream says
Wow! The room is looking great. I love the kitchen shelves. A little, modern tea set would be precious on one. I would have loved that room as a kid. Lucky gal!
Kelly says
I would have loved a room like this as a little girl! Great job!
Alisa says
I am actually trying to finish up a play kitchen for my little love before we go out of town for the holidays. I may be going a smidge overboard as her kitchen now has a tile backsplash (bought a sheet of tiles for only $1! How could I pass that up?), and a stainless steel fridge/oven (yay contact paper!). I’m probably way more excited about it than she is, but she’s just going to have to get use to the fact that she has a crazy mother sooner than later.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds like so much fun Alisa!
xo
s
bethblntn says
Totally on the “down to the wire” thing when it comes to Christmas. We don’t do gifts for ourselves (me and my Darling husband) but only do gifts for others and make the gifts so its totally tradition here to still be finishing projects on the week before and even Christmas eve since there’s no rush for Christmas morning (our family always gets together for dinner Christmas day). I love it. It’s always so much fun making stuff and seeing everyone light up when they get their gifts. It’s like that IS our gift :D
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet!
xo
s
Reem says
I have envied a lot of kids room, but this one is beyond perfect. The colors, the openness, the natural sun light, the rug, the bird cages, the home made kitchen, the mirror hung on her height, the rain drops and canopy. I have a thing for kids rooms, they are just so fun. Good job J&S.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Reem!
xo
s
Erika says
Hi guys! What an adorable update, my inner 3 year old is so jealous of Clara’s room.
Question- did you all move the Nest from your old house to this one? I am considering it as a present for my mother and wanted to know how you were liking it!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually got the Nest after moving here, so we have only ever had it at our new house. I totally think I’d move it with us if we had it in our second house though (or we’d have purchased another one for here) since we LOVE IT! Couldn’t be happier with it!
xo
s
Lauren (in PA) says
Love it! The only thing I might have done differently would be to paint the mirror the same color as the door.
Mostly because I LOVE the color of the door!
Clara picked fun art!
Mary Kaye says
Simply adorable! Good job!
Rosemary says
Love it. Clara is such a lucky girl to have such creative parents.
Random question: Does she know about the blog or does she ask why you guys take pictures of everything in your home?
YoungHouseLove says
She seems to understand that we work on the computer and that parts of our job are doing things like painting and taking photos and typing stuff. She also recognizes our book and knows that we wrote that and worked on projects and photographs for that, so I think it’s a very general understanding, but she seems to like this strange little life that we’ve all fallen into.
xo
s
Lauren says
hi guys! off topic, but i didn’t know where else to ask. did you creat a calendar template for 2014?
thanks!
lauren
ps…congrats on the bun in the oven!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lauren! We’re furiously working on that right now in hopes of sharing it with you guys tomorrow! Hope we get ‘er done!
xo
s
Sarah says
Oh I SO love this post! I think it is so awesome that you involve Clara so much in the design of her room at such a young age. I had a sort of overbearing mother who liked to make “suggestions” that always ended up trumping my ideas. I’m now expecting my first and would LOVE to incorporate his/her ideas just like you do with Clara. Clara looks so tall in that picture of her standing in front of her kitchen!
I also can’t WAIT to see what you guys are whipping up for her for Christmas. I actually thought of that on the 1st of December and got really excited to hear all about it. Good luck with the it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Sarah! That’s so sweet!
xo
s
Justine says
I really love everything that you guys have done to Clara’s room. I am loving walls full of frames, and want to add more to my home. I was wondering if you have a rule of thumb in terms of spacing the frames? It is something that I always struggle with. (It’s probably the same reason I’m an awful at parking the car, too)! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’m the worst parallel parker that ever lived! But as for frames, my trick is to try spacing them about 2″ from each other. That seems to help them relate and not look too disparate, but they don’t feel that cramped either. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Mickie says
Too cute! Love the wall o’ fun and how the whole room has come together.
I have to ask – where did you get the stuffed penguin bunny(?) on Clara’s bed? It shows up in the upper right corner of the third pic.
My niece would luurv that! Thx y’all and happy holidays!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that cute?! A reader made that for Clara and gave it to us at a book signing! It’s a penguin dressed up like Burger! Cracks me up!
xo
s
Christine S says
Several iron’s in the fire at our place……….I am working on the “cuckoo” clock that Sherry posted on a few weeks ago. My daughter saw it and immediately said “I want one for my room!!” We also just installed “faux” board and batten in our hallway with new lighting…………..time to paint! And if that’s not enough the week before Christmas, painting the family room also. Am I nuts?!(rhetorical question)I’m pretty sure that I’m a little “cuckoo”!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, good luck with everything Christine! You can totally do it, and it’ll all be worth it! Happy cuckoo-ing!
xo
s
bekah says
Dang, she got tall! The wall looks wonderful!
KathyG says
She’s getting so tall, you’re going to have to put some legs on that kitchen! You are very lucky she doesn’t get out of bed to play all night! My niece would get up and put every block, every toy, into the bed with her!
Aside, are you only posting once a day these days? (other than the giveaway on mon) I know everyone is superbusy, so I don’t blame you, just asking. thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kathy! We shared our little posting change at the top of this post a while back for ya!
xo
s
Megan says
excuse me while I go rearrange my daughters room…. CUTEST EVER!!!!!!!!! I swear we need to get you out to California!!!!! Love the room!
Megan says
Also can we get a source list on the art??
YoungHouseLove says
Most of it is from Etsy (sellers: The Wheatfield, Roz, Audrey & Gem) and local craft fairs that we go to in Richmond (called Handmade Holiday). Will try to make a more official source list for you in a future post!
xo
s
Erin says
You guys rock!! I have been trying to hang a picture wall in our newly-painted (well it was newly painted in July, so not so it’s a not-so-newly-painted) front room and I haven’t been able to commit to much yet. It’s been a journey –> http://mommymcblog.com/2013/11/06/50-shades-of-every-color-but-gray/
I very much appreciate this little post as it has motivated me to get it done and enjoy it!!
Keep up the great work, you really amaze me!!
PS Happy Holidays to your awesome little family :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Erin! All the best with the front room!
xo
s
Lina says
I think I’ve had some unhung art in my daughters room for about a year. She’s two and I’m pretty sure I finished making her some things about a year ago….REALLY need to get to hanging those!! But now the thought of having another comes to mind and if we do she’ll switch rooms….so should I or shouldn’t I? LOL!
YoungHouseLove says
I say do it! Although I’m the lady who waited 6 months. Haha!
xo
s
Kayla says
Clara’s room is so fun and cheery!! This is such good inspiration as we have our first little one on the way and I want his/her room to be fun, cheery, and able to grow with them over time. Nothing too baby-ish. =)
Mary H says
Thank you for the laugh out loud moment when I saw Burger in the mirror. Merry Christmas!
Suzanne says
I’m a little confused as to why you’d want Clara’s AWESOME play kitchen in her bedroom? I’m assuming you don’t normally want her on a different floor than you during day hours, so why would you make her bedroom a place to play? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have it in the family room or even set up in a part of the kitchen so her playtime is just incorporated into the daily house as opposed to segregated in her bedroom? Bedrooms are for sleeping, not punishment (go to your room) or entertainment. I think migrating kids to their individual rooms rather creates a pattern for a family that lives together but doesn’t actually interact
YoungHouseLove says
I’m sure it’s different for every family, but we spend a ton of time playing in her room with her throughout the day! Duplo blocks in the morning, dollhouse play after lunch, etc. Sometimes we’re downstairs working (where she has her toy closet, her drawing desk, her chalkboard, her train table, and a few baskets of toys) and sometimes we’re upstairs with her (where she has her building table, her dollhouse, and now her play kitchen). On either floor as she plays we might be nearby with a laptop doing comments/posts/editing photos or even taking photos of a project on that floor – or we might be interacting with her directly while the other parent types/paints/drills away. Since we do projects all over this house, it just makes sense to have play areas upstairs as well as downstairs.
xo
s
LARY@Inspiration Nook says
Love her room! Looks like such a happy room. Is crazy how much her rooms have transformed with the years. Love them all!
Janis Dickson says
Hi guys…pop-ups I get are Amazon and Just Eat.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! So sorry about that Janis! Thanks for the tips! Also if you happen to see which ad on the side matches the popup (for example, if there’s an amazon ad in the top square or the one under the search bar at the same time) it helps us know which network to block those on! Thanks again!
xo
s
Shannon [Our Home Notebook] says
It’s beautiful! One of my favourite rooms of yours. So glad Clara loves it.
Meg M says
It looks great! Clara is one lucky girl!
My partner and I choose to be childless, but we love spoiling others’ children. Our big homemade Christmas present this year is a kid-sized picnic table (made from scratch, design and all) for a friend’s two little girls. We used redwood for the beautiful coloring and grain and then stained it with transparent periwinkle-colored stain. It turned out beautifully and the color and grain variation of the wood is still totally visible! It was a win-win scenario, too; we love building furniture, but we are out of room for it in our own house! Next up on our workbench is a TV console for a couple of friends who are moving in together this weekend.
*So glad that annoying Aveeno pop-up is on its way out of town!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds amazing Meg! They’re going to flip for it!!
xo
s
Meredith says
We have a daughter who just turned 2 and I am drooling over this big girl room. We’ve made steps in the direction of “big girl” room but this is just amazing. I am especially jealous of all your colorful framed prints. I’m sure you’ve had posts along the way about how you’ve acquired them but I’d like one of each, please! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Meredith! Most of them are Etsy or a local craft fair here in Richmond that we go to every year (Handmade Holiday).
xo
s
kim says
Where did you get the table and chairs for her room?
YoungHouseLove says
The chairs were from a thrift store and I just painted the backs of them red with chalk paint. The table was actually a side table from Target but John shortened the stand and we added a wider round top so it would work as a play table.
xo,
s
Donna says
Oh wow! What a great, fun, and happy-looking room for your sweet little girl. It’s really awesome. When I was looking at your mirror project for the room, I was thinking that I wish I were more crafty, but don’t know where to start. It would be so great if you had a tutorial on one of your Weekly Crafty posts on how to get started, products you love, and what the heck Mod Podge is! :) I just love your craft posts, they look so fun. Merry Christmas, Petersiks!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Donna!
xo,
s
jenna says
Just wanted to say thanks for taking care of the League of Angels ad. I didn’t see it on your blog, but have come across it on others & it frustrating to see trashy stuff pop up. (especially when the hubby & kiddos are nearby) Just wanted you to know it’s appreciated!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jenna! It sounds like it’s still somehow getting by our filters, so they’re definitely doing some not-above-board stuff with their code. Really hopeful that we can nip it in the bud as soon as possible!
xo
s
Nicole says
SO CUTE! I love it. We have #2 due in May, plus a transition to a big girl room for our toddler, so I have kid rooms on the brain. Cannot wait to see what you two come up with for the nursery!
P.S: We don’t have any overhead lights in our bedrooms either- so annoying! We had our electrician friend help us install one in our daughter’s room, and will do the same for the nursery.
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that so baffling?! How can all the bedrooms just be without any lighting! So glad you got one added to your daughter’s room. Must be so nice! I can’t wait to get to that here someday!
xo
s
Chasity says
I love love LOVE Clara’s room! I have definitely done the right-click-save-image many time to a little folder I have called “Ideas for Life.” My husband and I are trying for our first baby and while I personally have no design sense I am hoping to create a nursery similar to her room one day – colorful, fun, and child-like without being commercialized and overly plastic. I would love it if you would consider posting about nursery ideas, things you like and are considering, etc. I need more inspiration before I begin!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Chasity! All the best with everything! We’ll definitely chronicle every step of putting the nursery together. We’d love to dive into that in January!
xo
s
gemma@thesweetestdigs says
Aww – this post makes me so happy!! That whole little area is so sweet, and the room looks cheerful and lovely. Nice work!
I did my little girl’s room in somewhat similar colours (white walls + pink + hints of turquoise and yellow) here: http://thesweetestdigs.com/2013/07/29/project-nursery-before-after/
And… I’m SO touched that my little worm print made it up onto the wall!!! Wahoo! https://www.etsy.com/listing/117006146/the-clara-worm-85-x-11
YoungHouseLove says
Such a sweet room Gemma! Thanks so much for sharing the link! And Sherry loves her worm so much- she picked it out of the pile herself when I said “which ones are your favorites?!”
xo
s
Holly says
Awe! The wall looks amazing! I am painting little wood peg dolls for my 4 1/2 yr old. I have a few different shapes and sizes. I have never painted tiny faces, so I am a bit nervous. But I am so excited to give them to her! :)
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! My friend Heather made 6 of them for Clara and she LOVES them beyond words!
xo
s
Kate says
Looks great!
I think you had posted the source for that rabbit on hot pink print once before, but would you mind reminding me where it came from again?
Also, as far as boy color schemes go for your next room you’ll be working on… I did our son’s room in blue and orange. We didn’t know what sort of baby were going to have and I figured blue/orange/yellow could work either way. I played up the orange more when Hal arrived, but had he been a she, I might have played up the yellow. Here’s a link to some pictures of it (cause I know you have nothing else to be doing this afternoon). :) http://projectnursery.com/projects/bright-and-happy-for-baby-h/
YoungHouseLove says
Sure! That rabbit is from a local craft fair, but she has a website too I think! Here’s that post: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/12/holiday-by-hand/
As for your son’s room, I love it! Thanks for sharing the inspiration!
xo
s
Dayna says
Loving her room! I think that wall of fun was the final touch it needed. I know my little girl would love to have that room!
LauraC says
Very cute! We’re working on redoing the kids’ play kitchen for Christmas and it’s going to be a lot better than their old one, which may, er, have been left out in the rain over the summer. :(
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! I bet they’ll love that!
xo
s
Sarah B says
Oh my! Clara is one lucky little lady!! I want that to be MY room!! And I totally want a hidden playhouse… nevermind that I’m 29…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Me too! I keep having to remind myself that the closet is not going to be my playhouse… it’s for the bean!
xo
s
KathyG says
P.S. I am getting pop ups from the lower left side, doesn’t seem to be from your ads? Is it me?
Earlier this week there was a Starbucks one, just now there was “one site survey”.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so sorry Kathy! If you have a screen grab of it that would help! We’re trying to track them down, but they seem to be coming from a bunch of different places/companies.
xo
s
Amy@TheBlissfulBee says
Oh my gosh, I’m OBSESSED! So stinking cute! I love all the happy colors together:)So sweet!
xo, amy
Liz says
This room is so sweet. You’ve added so many fun details without making it seem at all baby-ish. Clara will love this room for years to come! I can’t wait to see what Clara’s Christmas present will be.
My little girl is getting a kitchen this year. I’m so excited for her! :) I have so many wonderful memories of playing with my kitchen when I was little. I love that Clara enjoys hers so much!
Sarah says
love the freshness of Clara’s room. Very nice.
Aveeno pop up is on Miss Mustard Seed blog and The Graphics Fairy…to name a couple that come to mind. Very annoying and tired of Jennifer Aniston’s face interrupting my reading!!Ha.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, have you seen it on ours today?! We thought we had it blocked since last evening, so please let us know if it’s back somehow! Sneaky Jennifer Aniston….
xo
s
Brittany says
I can’t believe how tall Clara’s getting!
Maybe it’s just the wall of miniature furniture but she’s looking very grown up.
Sherri says
Gosh, Clara is getting so tall! It always makes me happy to see her really enjoying her room and being creative there. The room I grew up in was much smaller, but I had lots of activity areas crammed in that small space and had so many happy times there. I’m sure Clara will always look back at this as her special happy place. :)
Tiffy says
Thanks for making want to decrease the blah in my life.
Ashley says
I love it! My daughter has a mirror at her height right before you walk out of her bedroom so she can check herself out before school :) So nice to have that personalized touch!
Jen says
This is an amazing space…drooling over here :)
Mele Kalikimaka!
Jen
Sue says
The walls in my 3 year old son’s room have been bare for three months! I’m dying to hang some artwork, but can’t decide between doing a picture wall or hanging 2 large pieces of art. Does anyone else think it’s harder to decorate a kids room than adult living spaces?
YoungHouseLove says
I think in some ways it’s harder because you get your whole house to hang non-kid stuff but just four walls for a kiddo, so it’s like you have less real estate (which is hard if you have multiple ideas, haha!).
xo
s
Katy says
Even her stuffed animals are cuter then other children’s.