Decorative Domingo: Lorelei's Nightstand
Oh, so it's not technically a Sunday/Domingo. Who cares, reeeally?
My latest decorative fussing has been tweaking Lorelei's room. We recently hoisted her bed up up up onto its frame, so now she needs a two-stair stool to get into bed. It's actually kind of cute, because she says each night that she has to go "upstairs to bed" and then climbs "upstairs" with her book and a grin.
Of course, STAYING in said bed is a different story, but whatever.
So, with her bed finally NORMAL and not in some twilight zone of toddler transition, I realized that we could really use a nightstand for her.
Lucky duck me, at a local artsy place that refurbishes old furniture, I found this gorgeous--and huge!--and HEAVY!--nightstand. This sucker is SOLID. It will be able to withstand all sorts of abuse from Lorelei.
I love the unique look of the nightstand. No Pottery Barn Kids here! Also, I wasn't sure what we'd do with the little glass door thing. What might go in there? Well, I need not have bothered pondering, because within about 10 seconds of the nightstand getting into place, the girls had turned it into a pretend oven for all their pretend baked goods, baking cakes for pretend birthdays. Pretty nifty, right?
Lorelei's room is one of my favorites in our house. It's bright and airy and has a hint of seaside in it, I think. Maybe it's the blue? Anyway, the distressed look of the nightstand gave a bit of a beachy vibe without being cutesy beachy---no stenciled seashells or anything obnoxious like that.
Next, we needed a lamp. I found one at the same place, handmade, that I LOVED. It was so unique. And so pretty. Alas, it was also way too tall for the nightstand and looked totally goofy. Sadly, I passed on the lamp and went to HomeGoods to see what made-in-China treasures I could find.
There, I found a lamp.
I really liked the dark gray shade (it really is gray, not blue, which is sort of how it appears it this photo) and the rustic yet geometric base, also gray (but lighter). Charlotte was with me when I bought it, and pouted in jealousy. "Now Lorelei's lamp is bigger than mine!" Yeah, well. I found one (actually, Charlotte found it) that is SO Charlotte, but it was pricey-pricey. And, well, I had maxed out this month's decorative budget for Lorelei. (Seriously, I have to limit myself to small spurts, because I could go on decorating FOREVER.) Sorry, Charlotte. Put it on your birthday list.
Anyway, we combined the lamp and nightstand and it has been great. It serves as a bit of a barrier to keep Lorelei from rolling off (not a problem for her but still. . . .) and having a nice glow to read to her in bed is lovely. I feel like her room has been half-done for almost a year, as we got rid of the crib last summer, then put the crib mattress on the floor, then the big-girl mattress, then the mattress and box spring, and now finally FRAME. It's also a reminder that my baby girl has a little-girl room now. She's growing up. Even if she does still poop in her undies.
And here's what we've been reading:
On Lorelei's nightstand (hey, she really does have one now!): Charlotte has been reading her Go, Dog, GO! which both of them love. Charlotte is so freaking cute, engaging Lorelei with questions like, "Which dog is your favorite on this page?" and using funny voices as she reads. I'm telling you, this girl is a phenomenal teacher ALREADY, RIGHT NOW. And Lorelei is no easy student.
On Charlotte's nightstand: We finished Leroy Ninker and continue to toil through Strawberry Girl. We will for quite some time, methinks. We've also added The Tale of Desperaeux by Kate DiCamillo. Two chapter books at once? She's starting to take after her mother.
On Mommy's nightstand: I finished Jo Frost's Toddler Rules, and would recommend it for some basics on toddler behavior. A good refresher and I think my Lorelei-parenting has improved a smidge as a result, but nothing too groundbreaking. I did not particularly care for the chapter on healthy eating and obesity prevention. I think we're far too caught up in what foods are going IN our young kids rather than their RELATIONSHIP to food, which I think is a lot more important long term. Food is not an enemy, and I'm uncomfortable raising GIRLS to think it is BAD, existing as we are in a body-obsessed culture.
I also finished Ed King. It started off strong but left me feeling pretty underwhelmed. Yes, I got the "dark humor" promoted in its marketing copy, and the wry narration carried it across just fine, but I was glad to be done with the book, which isn't the greatest sign.
Finally, I also started (and finished) Frank Conroy's A Walk Through Nantucket, which also failed to impress me. This one was a disappointment, because I had high hopes of getting an atmospheric and ironic sense of place, but the text was mostly a diatribe (understatedly, because it's Conroy) against change. I finished the book with zero desire to go to Nantucket. Which might've been his aim.
So, with those books done, 1-2-3, I just started The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald to ameliorate a hankering for the 19-teens/twenties/thirties that I haven't quite shaken since finishing the fantastic Rules of Civility.
My latest decorative fussing has been tweaking Lorelei's room. We recently hoisted her bed up up up onto its frame, so now she needs a two-stair stool to get into bed. It's actually kind of cute, because she says each night that she has to go "upstairs to bed" and then climbs "upstairs" with her book and a grin.
Of course, STAYING in said bed is a different story, but whatever.
So, with her bed finally NORMAL and not in some twilight zone of toddler transition, I realized that we could really use a nightstand for her.
Lucky duck me, at a local artsy place that refurbishes old furniture, I found this gorgeous--and huge!--and HEAVY!--nightstand. This sucker is SOLID. It will be able to withstand all sorts of abuse from Lorelei.
I love the unique look of the nightstand. No Pottery Barn Kids here! Also, I wasn't sure what we'd do with the little glass door thing. What might go in there? Well, I need not have bothered pondering, because within about 10 seconds of the nightstand getting into place, the girls had turned it into a pretend oven for all their pretend baked goods, baking cakes for pretend birthdays. Pretty nifty, right?
Lorelei's room is one of my favorites in our house. It's bright and airy and has a hint of seaside in it, I think. Maybe it's the blue? Anyway, the distressed look of the nightstand gave a bit of a beachy vibe without being cutesy beachy---no stenciled seashells or anything obnoxious like that.
Next, we needed a lamp. I found one at the same place, handmade, that I LOVED. It was so unique. And so pretty. Alas, it was also way too tall for the nightstand and looked totally goofy. Sadly, I passed on the lamp and went to HomeGoods to see what made-in-China treasures I could find.
There, I found a lamp.
 |
| All put together. And yes, I'm aware that the seahorse toy bin is overtly "seaside," but we get a free pass on all things seahorse-y because Lorelei is obsessed with seahorses. That's not annoying beach theme. That's a LORELEI theme. |
And here's what we've been reading:
On Lorelei's nightstand (hey, she really does have one now!): Charlotte has been reading her Go, Dog, GO! which both of them love. Charlotte is so freaking cute, engaging Lorelei with questions like, "Which dog is your favorite on this page?" and using funny voices as she reads. I'm telling you, this girl is a phenomenal teacher ALREADY, RIGHT NOW. And Lorelei is no easy student.
On Charlotte's nightstand: We finished Leroy Ninker and continue to toil through Strawberry Girl. We will for quite some time, methinks. We've also added The Tale of Desperaeux by Kate DiCamillo. Two chapter books at once? She's starting to take after her mother.
On Mommy's nightstand: I finished Jo Frost's Toddler Rules, and would recommend it for some basics on toddler behavior. A good refresher and I think my Lorelei-parenting has improved a smidge as a result, but nothing too groundbreaking. I did not particularly care for the chapter on healthy eating and obesity prevention. I think we're far too caught up in what foods are going IN our young kids rather than their RELATIONSHIP to food, which I think is a lot more important long term. Food is not an enemy, and I'm uncomfortable raising GIRLS to think it is BAD, existing as we are in a body-obsessed culture.
I also finished Ed King. It started off strong but left me feeling pretty underwhelmed. Yes, I got the "dark humor" promoted in its marketing copy, and the wry narration carried it across just fine, but I was glad to be done with the book, which isn't the greatest sign.
Finally, I also started (and finished) Frank Conroy's A Walk Through Nantucket, which also failed to impress me. This one was a disappointment, because I had high hopes of getting an atmospheric and ironic sense of place, but the text was mostly a diatribe (understatedly, because it's Conroy) against change. I finished the book with zero desire to go to Nantucket. Which might've been his aim.
So, with those books done, 1-2-3, I just started The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald to ameliorate a hankering for the 19-teens/twenties/thirties that I haven't quite shaken since finishing the fantastic Rules of Civility.
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