Tuesday, March 20, 2012

122 Catherine's Birthday Surprise Bedroom Makeover

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been working on some spaces with a local blog reader, Becky.  She and I had such a great time making over her dining area and living room, that I was blessed to be invited back to help her in surprising her daughter with a bedroom update as well! 

Seriously?  A little girl's room?  I. Could. Not. Wait!  And the fact that is was a birthday gift was the icing on the cake!

The room was previously being used by their son, but it was soon going to be Catherine's new personal haven.  Here is the blank slate I was given to work with:


Catherine already had a lovely white bed frame and I was given some fabric swatches her incredibly talented grandmother was using to make her new birthday quilt, which is what I used as inspiration for the entire room.



The plan was to paint the room a super light and airy neutral {I selected Behr's White Truffle}.  This was beyond my comfort zone as I typically want to add boatloads of color to a space.  However, my goal was to give her a room she could grow with, so neutral was the name of the game.  To give the walls a little extra interest, I proposed a stripe focal wall {painted in Behr's Ocean Pearl}.  A simple valance would have to do the trick, since the window would be tightly framed with furniture due to the overall size of the room.  A gallery wall of frames filled with the fabric swatches would add some life to the walls, as would a large tree decal combined with 3D wallflowers.  She already owned a desk and chair, I just proposed the desk legs be softened with some twine.  The light fixture was still builders grade, so I envisioned a simple drum shade to replace it.  Finally a decorative mirror, floral pillow and baskets for the closet would finish things off.

Here is the kicker.  Because we wanted to surprise Catherine, the whole project was going to be done in a single day.  You read that right.  ONE DAY!  To make this happen, I gave Becky some homework, like getting the walls painted with the solid color and priming these pieces of furniture that I planned on reusing in the space:


The hubs and I showed up on Saturday morning, goodies and tools in hand, and went straight to work.  Bryan started taping out the stripes on the wall...


While I quickly gave the furniture a coat of paint {which was already primed for me}: 


Once I was done painting the night stand and storage cabinet, it was time to tackle the striped focal wall:


While the paint dried, Bryan began installing a new closet system, very similar to the one we used in our boy's bedroom here.  I took the 14 cabinet knobs outside and stuck them through a piece of cardboard to be sprayed:
Still lots to do!  Like dress up the owl lamp shade with ribbon and the desk legs with twine:


And install that giant tree decal:


Once the knobs were dry, they were a little too bright pink for my liking.  So, I just used a craft paint dobber to add a softer rosey pink dot to the middle:


Bryan finished up the closet, installed the hanging drum pendant, valance, picture ledge, mirror and a surprise chalk board feature.  The sun was starting to go down and we just finished in time to snag a couple of photos before the big reveal!










So what did Catherine think? 

The reveal went wonderful.  She entered with bright eyes and after a solid, "Wow!" she was basically left speechless!  I loved watching her sit on her new pouf and just take it all in.  You could feel her delight and it was a very touching and amazing experience to be a part of!

I had so much fun working with Becky and her family on their spaces, a huge THANK YOU goes out to them for letting me invade their home and play with paint!



122 comments:

  1. Jen, that room came out beautiful!!! I love the little workspace in the corner... the decal is gorgeous and great idea on wrapping the legs with twine! Another post leaving me in "complete awe!"

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  2. I thought wow as well, it is so beautiful.

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  3. Wow Jen! I've always wondered what you would do with a little girl's space and this is lovely! Love the color palate and all the special touches!!

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  4. Combing the wall decal with the 3D flowers is such a smart idea!

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  5. Amazing make-over! What a special birthday present!

    Question for you - where did you get the tree decal? I love how that turned out!

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  6. Beautiful makeover! Such a cute room for a little girl!

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  7. You are amazing!!!

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  8. It looks so beautiful. I love the bold stripes!

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  9. What a sweet little girl's room! Love it!!!

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  10. Beautiful! Love everything about it! Did you actually make the chalkboard yourself or did you buy it? Great job!

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    1. Thank you so much!

      The chalk board was actually just an old frame that I had. I gave the frame a coat of white matte spray paint and painted the frames pressed board interior with 5 coats of chalkboard paint. :)

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Does the chalkboard need that many coats of paint in order to work better? I just made a chalkboard for my kids but did not do that many coats of paint.

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    3. I have always done extra coats, let it cure and then prime it with a piece of chalk. All of these steps were on the back of the can {I didn't realize that my first time around using it}. I have had OK luck with the paint, as long as I don't use the chalk pens {although, those are great for vinyl chalk labels/boards}. Erasers don't work either, we just clean up with a microfiber rag and water and it does the trick.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  11. Wow is right! I love the subtle stripes and the owl lamp. Did you paint the chalkboard on the wall? Oh, and where did you get the tree decal and the pink ottoman?

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    1. Thanks Jessica!

      The chalk board was actually just an old frame that I had. I gave the frame a coat of white matte spray paint and painted the frames pressed board interior with 5 coats of chalkboard paint.

      Here is the source for the tree decal: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81617513/76-large-tree-removable-wall-decal-vinyl

      And the pink pouf: http://www.landofnod.com/kids-floor-cushions/kids-furniture/pink-leather-seats-come-standard/f9748

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  12. Jen that looks amazing! Oh how I want you to come decorate my home with me haha!

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  13. That is one of the cutest kids room I've seen! I love the color palette. Great job!

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    1. Why thank you! That's quite the compliment! Smiles!

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  14. I love the owl lamp as well. Where is that from? :) Great job!

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    1. Hi Lindsey!

      The owl lamp is from Target.com: http://www.target.com/p/Black-and-White-Owl-Lamp/-/A-12151210#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

      We just swapped out the shade.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  15. Catherine LOVES her new room! We were just thrilled to work with you Jen and would do it again in a heartbeat!!

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  16. absolutely beautiful! very inspiring! I love the stripes!

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  17. I love it! A couple of questions for you: where did you get the owl lamp, hanging system (pink buckets) on the chalk board, and mirror?

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    1. Thank you!

      The owl lamp is from Target.com: http://www.target.com/p/Black-and-White-Owl-Lamp/-/A-12151210#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink
      We just swapped out the shade.

      The rail system for the buckets is IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50201906/ The pink buckets were from JoAnn.

      The mirror was actually from my Guest Bedroom, lol. I had found it awhile back at HomeGoods {about a year ago}.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  18. WOW!!! this is absolutely stunning.. Simple and Sweet, and I love the Tree painting on the wall.. You are very Talented!

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  19. So amazing! I wish I could hire you someday to redo my whole house! :)

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  20. I love the stripes on the wall. Beautiful color palette and transformation!

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  21. Awe! SO beautiful!! What a fun project!

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  22. I love it all!! I have to know where the tree decal came from please!!!

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    1. Thank you!

      Here is the source for the tree decal: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81617513/76-large-tree-removable-wall-decal-vinyl

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  23. Beautiful! I wish you could ass where you got all of these cute accessories (especially the owl lamp and white mirror over the bed) like you do with the scroll-over feature in your home tour. I "need" some of this for own daughters' rooms :)

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  24. Omg--- I meant "add" above! As a past English teacher, you would think I would check for typos before hitting the send button!

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    1. Lol, it's OK Stephanie, you gave me a giggle.

      The owl lamp is from Target.com: http://www.target.com/p/Black-and-White-Owl-Lamp/-/A-12151210#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink
      We just swapped out the shade.

      The mirror was actually from my Guest Bedroom, lol. I had found it awhile back at HomeGoods {about a year ago}.

      Feel free to let me know if you are looking for anything additional.

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  25. Gorgeous! Love the simplicity of it, so inviting.

    Elisabeth @ Simply Parkers

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  26. Lovely, soft and cute! Xoxo V.V.

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  27. Amazing transformation! I would have thought you would've painted the wood trim, but it looks good with the wall color change. Quick question - what's the secret to getting decals to stick well? Is it the paint finish, the quality of the decal, the application?

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    1. Hmmmm? Not sure, I have never had any trouble with decals sticking? I would imagine a clean dry surface works best. I use a transfer tool {or mostly just a credit card} to transfer the decal onto the surface. It just takes a small amount of pressure to do the trick.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Thanks! And did the painted furniture have to be sanded before priming and painting? I'm new to DIYing :)

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  28. Where did that adorable owl lamp come from? I must have it! Such a lovely room for a girl to grow into!

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    1. The owl lamp is from Target.com: http://www.target.com/p/Black-and-White-Owl-Lamp/-/A-12151210#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink
      We just swapped out the shade.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  29. So beautiful - and such a great example of a room that's clearly meant for a girl without being all PIIIIINK!!

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  30. This is great--you are so talented, Jen!

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  31. Wow! What an awesome surprise. :)

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  32. Seriously obsessed! You did such a great job with this! What a lucky little girl :)

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  33. darling room - love the colors. where did you get the desk? i love the twine!

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  34. Hi, the room looks great!! I saw one photo with part of the drum shade in it (ceiling).. so is that a whole light system, or did you just attach a shade to the existing light fixture? I would be interested to know what you purchased if it is a system. I am looking for an affordable drum shade system for my ceiling.

    thanks!

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  35. Hello Jen, I recently stumbled across your blog by chance, I live in the UK and now I find myself checking in every day to see what's new! Just wanted to say what a pretty room, I can't believe you created such a beautiful space in such a short time - very inspiring! I love the colours, although like you I have 3 young boys, so I am going to 'borrow' the lovely design you did in your own home for the younger two - I have already started by dismantling our bunk beds! Keep up the good work, I love your style x

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  36. Beautiful work! I am obssessed with your blog. Youhave motivated me to organizemy whole house! I LOVE your taste. Wish I was local :) Where did you get those pencil cups? I love both of them especially the one that has all the blue pencils!

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  37. What I love about this the most is this is totally a room she could grow with. I could see this working for a young girl and then with just a very few changes working for a teenager too. Very neat!

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  38. Great job! Looks really nice. I too am in the process of decorating my baby girl's room. What color did you paint the night stand? Is that the same color as the stripes?

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  39. OMG!!! I love this room, now I want to re-do my daughters room and use the same color palette that
    you used. Her bedroom furniture is white so this makeover would look great in her room. I love the tree decal and thanks for sharing the link I am definitely getting one. I also love how you painted the knobs for the dresser. The room turned out perfect. Just one question I just did a chalkboard for my kids but did not put that many coats of paint. We are having a hard time with it erasing could that be the problem?

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  40. Gorgeous! What a beautiful room to grow with her as she gets older. I love the pink pouf, too!

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  41. Well done once again! How great that you get to venture out and do other people's spaces! It's too bad you live so far from me {tear}.

    Where did you get the wall decal from?

    ~ Ferly
    Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}
    www.GiftsWeUse.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Ferly!
      Here is the source for the tree decal: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81617513/76-large-tree-removable-wall-decal-vinyl

      ♥ Emily

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  42. Soooo pretty!!! I LOVE the idea of painting the knobs versus buying new ones (which can be expensive) Question: How do you get the twine to stay on the legs of the table?

    ~Bianca Z.

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    1. Hi Bianca!

      I started by tying the twine at the top of the leg and using some hot glue to hold it in place. Then I just used small dabs of hot glue every once and awhile as I worked my way down.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Thanks Jen!!! I love it, it's simple but pretty. :)

      ~Bianca

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  43. I love the tree in the corner, and the fabulous colours!
    Chalkboard are always fantastic as well ;)
    xox
    Kerri at HollyMuffin

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  44. This is amazing - so beautiful. I love the tree. The owl lamp is my favorite!
    -Maureen

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  45. I can't believe how you painted all that furniture in one day. I have tons of furniture I would love to repaint or refinish but am so nervous I will do it wrong and it will peel or look cheap. What can you advise me to do with an old dresser I have that I want to paint white for my daughter's room like the one you did here?

    I don't have any fancy tools.

    Your stripes make the room...they look perfect! What wonderful partners you and your husband are! Bravo!

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    1. Hi Kassie!

      I typically use a good oil based primer, sanding wedges and a good paint brush. For pieces that have more solid surface, a foam roller is great as well. I am working on a piece of furniture for our playroom right now, I will plan on doing a tutorial of the process soon.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  46. I hope you didn't already answer this question, but I was wondering, when you are about to redo a room, where do you start to find the accessories/furniture you need? Do you start with an accessory, then choose paint, or choose paint colors first? I am clueless when it comes to decorating, and if you ever start doing this again, I am first in line to be your customer. Do you hear me people?! DIBS!

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    1. I typically start with the items that I know are going to be part of the room in the end, and work my way out from there. For this space, I had fabric swatches and a bed to base my design on. I held the fabric up to boatloads of swatches in the store and brought a stack home to look at them in the natural light. Maybe a post on the subject in the near future would be a good idea.

      Thanks so much Jen, that means worlds to me! <3

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  47. Jen....OMG you did an awesome job. Love the soft colors with the small pops of color too. I heart it!!! :)

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  48. Love it! Can you tell me where you got the cute little pencil holder that is holding the blue pencils?

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    1. Hi Lisa!

      It is actually a bud vase from IKEA, but I can't seem to find it on their website at the moment. It was under $3.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Oh, thank you! You are so sweet!

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  49. Love the room! Do you have a post on tips for painting furniture?

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    1. I don't and I really need to do one {this was such a quick day with so much going on that I didn't have the capacity to tutorial this time around}, but hopefully I will have something soon on the blog. Until then, there are a lot of other super fabulous tutorials in blog land and on Pinterest {Centsational Girl especially has great info on her blog}

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  50. oh *swoon - love this so much. I love the walls the most!

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  51. That is just beautiful!! The thing I absolutely love most about these two room makeovers is that you made them look gorgeous even with the oak trim. I am living in a rental and keep telling myself that the oak trim is my problem to really enjoying my space! Ha, I just need to see past it obviously...

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  52. I love it! How old was she turning?
    I really like the tree behind the desk. I would think it shouldn't be blocked, but I think it really invites you to sit down and be creative!!

    -and I thought the gutter-turned-bookrack was really great in the original room too - I have a little bookworm for a daughter that would LOVE that :)

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  53. It's all in the details for sure! You've created such a space to grow and create in...so lovely all around.

    http://gosimplysavvy.com/blog/

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  54. The best little girls room I've ever seen. Fact.

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  55. That looks so amazing. I have been trying to find a quilt / crib set for my new soon to be born girl with those exact shades of orange and pink but so far no luck.

    thanks for giving me lots more inspiration!

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  56. You must have had a blast doing a girls room. It looks absolutely fantastic. So soft and pretty without being tooth-achingly sweet.

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  57. Yep, wow indeed. What a difference. Woman, you're good, you're damn good. Congrats!. :-)

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  58. I love can't get enough about your home ideas and this is like a dream room!

    I've given you a Versatile Blogger Award!

    It's a great way to share and support the blogs you love!

    http://www.style-pick.com/2012/03/versatile-blogger-award.html

    Samantha xx

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  59. you did a lovely job!!!! I love looking to your blog for inspiration!!

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  60. Wow! A beautiful transformation! You and your husband dida wonderful job! I just need to know where that chalkboard came from? Thanks!

    Eileen

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    1. Hi Eileen!

      The chalk board was actually just an old frame that I had. I gave the frame a coat of white matte spray paint and painted the frame's pressed board interior with 5 coats of chalkboard paint. :)

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  61. This room is so cute. I love the concept. so simple and functional. Love the wall art with the chalk board and the hanging baskets. my favorite is the Owl lamp base. too cute. great job.

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  62. Beautiful. I would be speechless as well. You pulled off an amazing transformation.

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  63. Wow is right!! I love the focal wall and the tree decal. What a great room for a little girl to grow up in!

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  64. Love this! I see the link for the tree decal, but didn't see a source for the 3D flowers...can you point me in the right direction? Would love to steal this look for my daughter's room. Maybe even spray paint her flowers pink prior to putting them on the wall! Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring.

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    1. Hi Jen!

      Love the idea of painting the flowers! :) Here is the link for you: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015TI1RE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=iheaorga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0015TI1RE

      Thanks so much!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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    2. Thank you for the link! Checked them out and they are available in pink also - perfect! Now I know my next project...

      Delete
  65. Wow! This combined my love of awesome design with a quick turnover. :) I truly fell in love with the striped focal point, 3d tree decal and the twine table legs. Thanks for posting!

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  66. wow this is amazing! love your blog and what you do!

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  67. I like everything about it. Awesome job. Especially like the tie-in to the quilt (beautiful quilt!), the twine around the desk legs and the pink knobs.

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  68. Beautiful room!
    Can you give a source for the white container with the cutwork design that's on the desk? Thanks!

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  69. I love everything about it! I hope you don't mind me sharing it over at my blog (with your link, of course!).

    Best wishes!

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  70. Hello ! Congratulations, it's a wonderful job. Could you tell me about the desk : how cover legs with twine ? I imagine you turn around, but how to fix twine ? Sorry for my english (I'm French). I love your work, sincerly.

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    Replies
    1. Hello!

      I started by tying the twine at the top of the leg and using some hot glue to hold it in place. Then I just used small dabs of hot glue every once and awhile as I worked my way down.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  71. What a beautiful room! We have those white flower magnets in my daughter's room and I love them. Great idea to use them with the tree decal!

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  72. Wow. What a great job. I especially like that you covered those standard Ikea desk legs with twine. *Pure. Genius.*

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  73. I found this post via Pinterest and like many other commenters I'm totally in love with this room! I'm considering getting a big chalkboard like the one in this room. Do you have any tips for hanging such a big piece, so that it stays stable while the kids are busy chalking it up? Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

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    1. Hi Rachel!

      We air-nailed it right to the wall. That thing isn't going anywhere! You could also just hang it like you would any other frame and then add the strong picture hanging command strips to each corner behind the frame.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Hi Jen!

      Thanks so much for the speedy reply. I'll definitely research air-nail guns! Thanks for all the great posts. I'm really enjoying your site!

      Rachel

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  74. You did such a beautiful job. I recently started following your blog and it inspired me to not only organize my home, but to start a blog of my own! I mentioned you in my very first post ( I hope you don't mind). I love the color of the stripes. I have had trouble thinking up a perfect shade of grey for my guest bath and I think the Ocean Pearl may be it! Colors are so hard to tell in pictures, but it looks like a soft grey. Did you use it on the little end table as well or is that the Ashwood color?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Veronica!

      The Ocean Pearl is a very nice greige color. You are correct, the nightstand is Ashwood.

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  75. Thank you for the fast response. The color definitely has a beige look to it. Ps, love "greige," I'd never heard it before, but it describes it perfectly.

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  76. This is lovely, Jen. My favorite part is the tree and the 3D flowers. I also enjoyed the other post looking at their homeschool area....I am going to be homeschooling for the first time this fall and it was really helpful.

    By the way, we just repainted my son's room and you definitely influenced me. I decided to add a stripe around the room right above his chair rail. Never would have thought of that "pre-Jen!" It turned out GREAT. :0)

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  77. Amazing job and I am so impressed that you made it all happen in just a day. GORGEOUS!

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  78. Ok, love this!! I've been trying to change my shared room for son and daughter. I'm doing a nautical theme, but want to go more subtle/cottagey and not primary. Their bedding is blue and lavender solid. And their bunk bed is a medium brown. One, do you think this color scheme on the walls would work? And, two, what color white did you paint the bed? Thanks!

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  79. Hi, do you have a tutorial or recommendations for spacing the stripes? We want to do a stripe wall, but having a hard time deciding on the width between the stripes and how to tape them off? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Danielle!

      I always just go with 12 inches as most ceilings are 8 ft and it ends nice and even, however, if the ceilings are taller/vaulted, I go with 18 inches.

      Hope that helps! xoxo!

      Delete
    2. Thank you! So if I went with 12' stripes, dumb question, how do I tape off to account for the width of the tape? I feel like then my stripes wouldn't be the same width?

      Delete
    3. Hi Danielle,

      We measure from the top of the ceiling down, and mark every 12". Because the existing wall color is a stripe, the tape should fill that wall color and leave the "to be painted" areas open. Hard to explain, but you can see a few more tutorials on my blog below:

      http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2013/07/seeing-stripes-in-dining-room.html

      http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-challenge-project-projects-boys_13.html

      xoxo!

      Delete

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