Decorative Domingo: The Playroom
Okay, a mums update tomorrow. Maybe. I'm too emotionally pooped from the ups and downs to update, and my mind has processed a LOT from the turn of events, but in short: she's not going to North Carolina with us, as hoped or as planned. More on that tomorrow or . . . whenever.
Let's talk about decorating instead, because I had already drafted most of this post. And it's Sunday.
I know I keep beating this poor horse, despite the fact she's dead, but Chris does not does not does not see the value in forking over dollars for decor. But hey, I make moolah too, so I shockingly "wasted" twenty freaking bucks on a piece of wall art that caught my fancy (in the clearance section!) at Home Goods, a long while ago. I knew it would look adorable in the girls' playroom, which I've been trying get to lean a bit vintage-y Victorian, which is a challenge when it's filled with Disney princess shit.
Anyhoo. The wall was waaaaaay too big for just this piece of artwork (centered in the photo), so I had to get creative with how to decorate the rest of this wall without getting an exasperated sigh from the mister. I got lucky. Michael's was clearing out these lacy wooden frames for a gazillion percent off. So I bought TWO of them for a grand total of $1.60 and painted them creamy off-white. I then bought two letters--a C and an L, for obvious reasons--and mixed paint to get to the same peachy pink that the center artwork had. I painted the letters. Ta dah!
Except that I had to nag Chris for months (literally) to hang my pretty project. (I'm not allowed to hang stuff, because I don't measure---I eyeball. And Chris can't abide this.) It took about 8 months (yes, I'm serious), but . . .
FINALLY he got 'er done. Yay!
I couldn't be happier with the result. And with the two letters clocking in at (I think) $4 a pop (but I might've had coupons--I don't remember because it was So! Long! Ago!), I did this artwork for no more than $10. (I already had the paint.)
I love how it turned out, and the girls LOVE having THEIR letters on the wall. "That's my C!" Charlotte cries, and Lorelei points to the L and says, "L for Lorelei!" It is, after all, their room. A terribly large playroom? Judging by the basement-sized playrooms I see over and over again, nope. But it's well-organized and fun and pretty. The girls do the most amazing, creative things in this room. Yes, there's marker on the wall, and yes, the train table doubles as a computer table, and yes Charlotte will need a real desk at some point, but . . . it's a hell of a lot more than I had at their age!
Okay, so what have we been reading? Charlotte and I finally finished The Tale of Despereaux, which I totally recommend. We recently started reading the second Betsy-Tacy book, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, which is a smidge less juvenile than the first (as Betsy et al. grow up) but still captures Charlotte's fancy.
Me, I'm reading a strange combination: Persuasion by Jane Austen (oh, Austen); Delicious!, which was recommended to me by Auntie Cheryl (I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far); and Toddlers Are Assholes: It's Not Your Fault. This last one is a fast, joyous read that every parent of a toddler should read, if only to not feel like you are the shittiest parent in the world. It turns out . . toddlers are just jerks. Adorable and sweet and (yes, yes, worth it) . . . but jerks.
I also recently finished The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin, which is a fictionalized account Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Overall, it was enjoyable, but some aspect of it didn't quite deliver for me. I can't quite pinpoint what. Perhaps the clunky telling of their early courting? Dunno. Still, I'd probably recommend it. Much of it is quite good.
Let's talk about decorating instead, because I had already drafted most of this post. And it's Sunday.
I know I keep beating this poor horse, despite the fact she's dead, but Chris does not does not does not see the value in forking over dollars for decor. But hey, I make moolah too, so I shockingly "wasted" twenty freaking bucks on a piece of wall art that caught my fancy (in the clearance section!) at Home Goods, a long while ago. I knew it would look adorable in the girls' playroom, which I've been trying get to lean a bit vintage-y Victorian, which is a challenge when it's filled with Disney princess shit.
Anyhoo. The wall was waaaaaay too big for just this piece of artwork (centered in the photo), so I had to get creative with how to decorate the rest of this wall without getting an exasperated sigh from the mister. I got lucky. Michael's was clearing out these lacy wooden frames for a gazillion percent off. So I bought TWO of them for a grand total of $1.60 and painted them creamy off-white. I then bought two letters--a C and an L, for obvious reasons--and mixed paint to get to the same peachy pink that the center artwork had. I painted the letters. Ta dah!
Except that I had to nag Chris for months (literally) to hang my pretty project. (I'm not allowed to hang stuff, because I don't measure---I eyeball. And Chris can't abide this.) It took about 8 months (yes, I'm serious), but . . .
FINALLY he got 'er done. Yay!
I couldn't be happier with the result. And with the two letters clocking in at (I think) $4 a pop (but I might've had coupons--I don't remember because it was So! Long! Ago!), I did this artwork for no more than $10. (I already had the paint.)
I love how it turned out, and the girls LOVE having THEIR letters on the wall. "That's my C!" Charlotte cries, and Lorelei points to the L and says, "L for Lorelei!" It is, after all, their room. A terribly large playroom? Judging by the basement-sized playrooms I see over and over again, nope. But it's well-organized and fun and pretty. The girls do the most amazing, creative things in this room. Yes, there's marker on the wall, and yes, the train table doubles as a computer table, and yes Charlotte will need a real desk at some point, but . . . it's a hell of a lot more than I had at their age!
 |
| This little piece of artwork, which I bought in Charlottesville way back in grad school, caught my eye. I thought I'd someday decorate a nursery around it. Well, I never did. But I DID decorate the playroom around it. And it is, of course, freshly hung. BECAUSE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO HANG STUFF. |
Okay, so what have we been reading? Charlotte and I finally finished The Tale of Despereaux, which I totally recommend. We recently started reading the second Betsy-Tacy book, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, which is a smidge less juvenile than the first (as Betsy et al. grow up) but still captures Charlotte's fancy.
Me, I'm reading a strange combination: Persuasion by Jane Austen (oh, Austen); Delicious!, which was recommended to me by Auntie Cheryl (I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far); and Toddlers Are Assholes: It's Not Your Fault. This last one is a fast, joyous read that every parent of a toddler should read, if only to not feel like you are the shittiest parent in the world. It turns out . . toddlers are just jerks. Adorable and sweet and (yes, yes, worth it) . . . but jerks.
I also recently finished The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin, which is a fictionalized account Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Overall, it was enjoyable, but some aspect of it didn't quite deliver for me. I can't quite pinpoint what. Perhaps the clunky telling of their early courting? Dunno. Still, I'd probably recommend it. Much of it is quite good.
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