From Goodwill to the garage to her room - a desk REDO

Okay - so this desk is ugly.  Oh, so ugly.  But, the lines were cool and it was definitely the right price at $8.  Score!

Before purchasing this desk I took a look at how I might be able to update it.  My favorite blog, Young House Love, has been inspiring me for years but I have rarely acted on it.

The two shelves on the desk are easily removable and the top had a very distinct line, so I figured I could tape it off and paint it.

First, I took the shelves out and spray painted them with a glossy black.  Then I taped off the feet and top and sprayed the rest of the desk with a metallic silver spray paint.  I used the whole can of metallic paint doing 3 even coats on the desk frame and I didn't really feel it was great coverage.  But, it looks pretty good from a distance - just room for improvement if I decide to do this again.

I had planned to buy chalkboard contact paper online and cut it to fit the desktop but I ran out of time to order it.  So, I purchased a can of chalkboard spray paint and taped off the rest of the desk.  This was after leaving the rest of the paint to dry for a day.  The chalkboard paint took about 3 light, even coats.

It's so fun to see Anna adopt this desk as her own.  I gave her a chalkboard marker to use and she quickly covered the desk in some of her favorite Bible verses.  I think her only complaint is that she wishes the desktop was much larger!  But, it fits her room great.

I went back a few days later and grabbed the matching chair.  I had originally passed it up because I thought it might be too ugly and I wouldn't be able to redo it.  But, I looked more closely and realized that the 60's plastic seat and back could be recovered (I hope), so I'll be attempting that in a few days.  Stay tuned!!

Note:  See the entire room transformation here!

Tween Room Transformation

There are just 4 short months until my 12 year old turns 13.

Interestingly, when she started 6th grade we began to notice huge changes in her room.  She took everything she didn't care for anymore and placed it in her closet with a huge sign draped across that said "Pre-6th grade".  I didn't have permission to throw anything away so it all stayed there.

I avoided her room and I waited.  I waited the whole school year until the middle of the summer.

We spent 2 weeks this month sorting through all those MANY items.  We sorted into keep, throw away, put away and give to my younger sisters.

Then she left for camp and the real work began.  I worked on the painting and accessory purchasing for several days and then called in my good friend Kayla to help me arrange the furniture and hang things on the wall.  This is the friend whom my daughter has asked to call Aunt Kayla because she loves her so much - so her helping was very touching for my girl.

Here is her room before the big changes but after some decluttering.  She decorated the wall and I think she did a great job, it just needed some updating and sophistication.  In this room, the color was very dark (we didn't choose it) and the bed was impossibly big for her smallish room.

And here is the before of the closet side of the room.  Cluttered, full of things she wants but can't really get to.

And TADA!  This room now truly represents her and allows her creative freedom as well.  She wanted a black and white themed room so I did my best, while still leaving room for her to add colors here and there. 

 We added a desk (thrift store before and after - more photos coming soon on that) and got rid of that huge bed. Many of the other things were found at Goodwill or Ross. The matching chair will require a bit more work, so I'll just say - the fabric is chosen and purchased and sitting on the chair in the garage.

  

Did I mention I only had 4 days to get this room done?  I visited Goodwill several days in a row - plus about 3 other thrift stores in town. My budget was VERY small.

Here is a closeup of the front of her desk.  The two vases and small pitcher were from Goodwill. The mirrored tray with jewelry was also from there. The mirror on the wall I already had.  The lamp was white, I taped off a couple stripes and painted it glossy black.

The desk was originally really ugly, so I updated it.  I spray painted the top with chalkboard paint so she can write all over it.  When I asked her what her favorite part of the room was, she said the desk! I'll share next week about how I did it. 

The framed photos came out so awesome.  She loves shoes and has been wearing women's sizes for a few years now.  So these are just a great fit with her personality. Of course, I won't actually be buying her any of these shoes. I found the photos online and framed them with some thrift store frames.

I even worked on her closet in the last 30 minutes before she came home. Organizing is my gift so I figured I'd better use it! I was able to hang a special shelf from her Grandma and put several other special or necessary items that just didn't work in her room now.

We are currently using her bookshelf for her clothes.  Perhaps someday we'll find her a dresser that works, but for now this is just easier.

And one last photo - here is the difference between one coat of Valspar High Hiding Primer (on the right) and Kilz2 Primer (on the left). It took me an extra few hours to double coat 2 walls with the Kilz since I had run out of the Valspar.  I was pretty surprised at the big difference.  But, using primer was worth it - I only had to put one coat of paint in the room.

Notes:  Curtains are from Lowes - with light blocking panels behind.  Paint color is also from Lowes - Valspar. I found the exact color referenced in a Q&A about black and white rooms so I just bought it without even testing it.  It's a very mature color and has quite a bit of blue in it.  The duvet cover was found at Amazon.  I wanted a cover that would work with the room, be comfortable and not cost a fortune.

A predictable child becomes a bit unpredictable

We have three daughters.

Two are crazy and one is not.  Well, wasn't.

Enter hormones, body changes, getting older.  Enter 10 1/2 years old.

Our sweet nearly 5th grader has always been so gentle, kindhearted and consistent.  She still wants to say "Don't let the bed bugs bite" and blow us a kiss every night.  But, at the end of 4th grade we started to see some major changes.  And this summer it has blown up much bigger.

She sometimes just breaks out bawling at the dinner table and runs to her room.  We all look around bewildered.  She will start yelling at her younger sister seemingly out of nowhere.  Outbursts, crying, confusion and more. And she does NOT back down from her older sister anymore.  (I'm kindof proud of her on that one.)

I have comforted her many times by re-assuring her that it is not really all her fault.  She is still that sweet girl inside, her brain and personality is just being strongly affected by all the physiological changes.  I can say this calmly because her older sister was way more Crazy (with a capital C).  All things seem easier the second time around.

Hang in there sweetheart and your patience and humility will be back pretty soon (we hope!).

Generally a very happy girl.

Whoa - my daughter is going GOTH!

Okay - that was me just a few months ago.

I'm not sure the difference between Goth & Emo but we were treading some lines here with our oldest daughter.

First day of 6th grade

She was very into beauty, princesses, fairies and dress-up during her elementary years.  We know she is creative and we have always encouraged her to express it.

Enter Middle School.  The first few weeks were filled with trendy clothes, trying to fit in, requests for athletic shorts (all the kids wear them Mom!) and pleas to wear makeup.

Then a few weeks after that all color disappeared.  We were informed that she was in her "black stage" and all colored clothes were moved out of her drawers and into a storage tub she found in her closet. (Other items in that tub were relocated in a heap to the corner of her closet - Mom cringed.)

Double pierced ears
were a Christmas present.

Feeling this was a phase, we tried to ignore it.  I did more laundry since she only had a handful of all black clothing.  She started spending all her spare money on black clothing.  She went to stay with Grandma and came back with a bright red streak in her hair.  She invested in black lace gloves, black shoes, black jewelry and even adamantly demanded black underwear!

This continued for months and months and all the way to the end of the year. People started to notice. Of course she always looked polished and put together.  Most of her black clothing was x-small women's clothes.  Clothes you might wear to work.  It was like pulling teeth to get her to wear jeans and a t-shirt.

She also began to withdraw more and more - I don't have many pictures of her since she didn't join a lot of our family activities.  She wanted to be included but at the same time just wanted to be left alone. (Can't say we are out of the woods on that one yet.)

Then came summer.  School let out and she decided to take a break from it all.

Analysis:  At this point I really think the black was just an escape from the overwhelming task of deciding what to wear and how to fit in.  It was infinitely easier to choose from a single color palette. And I think it was very important for us to not make a big deal out of it.  It never became an issue for us.  I didn't understand why she was doing it but it seemed to be essential for her to cope with middle school. And now, I am beyond thrilled to see her colorful self again!

So - let your pre-teen express themselves, let them push those boundaries a bit even if it doesn't make sense to you.  Even if you've always picked out their clothes.  Even if they used to explain everything to you.  They  may not even know why they are making these choices.  They are just trying to cope with not knowing who they are yet AND the choices they are making at this age are not necessarily indicative of who they are going to be in the future.

So pretty, creative and ready for 7th grade

12 year old birthday

This year the request was a small party with a nice dinner out.  She recently fell in love with Indian food so we headed to the nearest Indian restaurant in town.  Anna invited one close friend and they had a movie/sleepover night after dinner.  The night reflected the in betweenness of the age of 12.  She wanted to be with her friend but wanted everyone else there too.  She's between so many different stages, sometimes I think she's not sure how to feel.

Anna is a fun person to celebrate.  She reacts perfectly to praise and adoration and we all enjoyed being with her on her special day.  The girls always have the choice to invite their sisters or not and I was glad that Anna chose to involve them.

My homemade cakes are getting better.  This one wasn't tipping too much in any direction.  Phew.

At the restaurant.  The biggest issue was the TV playing Bollywood style videos throughout the meal.  Some of them were a bit strange and we did some seat swapping to keep the peace.

Anna's been wearing her new watch a lot.

A cute hat for a cute girl.

This hat totally fits Anna's personality.  Just awesome.

A lot of candles!