The Big Girl Room

When we bought our house nearly 5 years ago, we were a wee family of 3. Instead of having a guest bedroom, I gladly relinquished control of the third bedroom to my husband, who could use it as a home office. Well, a few years later our baby girl came. There was no rush to get her into her own room. She would be in a bassinet for a few months in our room. The next fall W started graduate school, so we both wholeheartedly agreed that he should keep the extra room for studying and um, QUIET.

Fast forward 2 years. Our kiddos have been sharing a bedroom and have done great. Until one night this past spring when someone coughed then someone cried. They started waking each other up every single night. I had a 2 and 4 year old who were like newborns in the night.

Thus, the room reformation was born.

Here is what we started with.


The room, our third bedroom, once all the furniture was removed.

The bed, graciously given to us by W's parents. This was the first bed my husband and his brother had as their "big boy beds." I think it's so neat that it's being used by the next generation of our family. The process of refinishing was time consuming, but not difficult. I aggressively applied three coats of liquid sand paper, then applied two coats of an oil-based stain killer/primer. Next came the paint and I used a specialty High Gloss Acrylic/Enamel. I probably used 3 full coats to achieve the look I wanted. The spindles proved to be the most difficult. I tried 100% to not have any runs, but painting one side of a spindle then switching to the other side (back and forth, back and forth) created a couple small runs. I didn't want to sand them out lest I disturb the other smooth paint, fearing I'd have to do it all over again. (Photo was after liquid sandpaper, with a touch of the primer on.)

The dresser. I used the exact same process with the dresser as I did with the bed, except one thing. I only used one coat of primer/stain killer. And you can tell. After a minimum of three coats of the paint, you could still see distinct grain lines. I (at that point) just kept on painting but feel confident a second coat of primer would have eliminated the grain strokes.

The bed. I was feeling crafty and made the canvas montage on the wall (based off her bedding).

Obviously before they were hung.

The dresser. What I had the hardest time with was the handles. Initially I spray painted them (what I thought to be) a light pink. The contrast between the white and the pink through made them to look like they were dipped in Pepto Bismol. And, they are brass--but I didn't sand them. The pink paint immediately started chipping/peeling off. I then got a textured spray paint that almost looked like sand. I sprayed on top of the pink with a little showing through... and couldn't decide if I loved or hated it. With the help of some friends we thought it made it a bit beachy... which is fine if it were, um, in a condo. It just didn't work for our big girl room. So, I took some of my white acrylic enamel paint and added some light green acrylic craft paint. I sponged it on the sand looking layer and it worked. It is so faint it's almost white, but enough that it's not.

Also, the quilt hanging is so precious to me. I have a tender spot in my heart for handmade quilts and when Sam was christened a sweet woman in our church who works with all the local pastors gave it to us. A friend of hers made the quilt, and the detail and perfection is overwhelming. I hope Sam will cherish it as much as I do.

The reading nook/doll bed. A precious friend of our family gave both Sam and T-Pup these anywhere chairs for their birthdays. They love them, and so do W and I! They are so comfy and it's extra fun to bring them downstairs for a movie night. The doll bed was an unexpected addition, but another precious family to our family (who helped with the kids while we were in Costa Rica with their children) gave this to Sam. This was their daughter's baby bed, and she just started her freshman year of college at Belmont. The bassinet comes up and there is storage underneath which I love!

I love that everything has a story. Even the roller shades! We went with those because they are room darkening (obviously the picture is contradicting me) and more "energy efficient." Our upstairs rooms are hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so we've made a few changes to help with that this summer.

I STILL NEED CURTAINS! I have looked up and down but can't seem to find any that fit what I have in mind. I don't want valances but I don't want long panels. I don't want a solid but don't necessarily want a print. I've thought if I could find a nice light green then I could sew some cute ribbon around it, but haven't found a green that I like. If anyone has any suggestions, by all means, SUGGEST!

The end :)

PS: homegirl cannot part with all of the animals on her bed. She wants every.single.one. in the bed with her. I know the day will come when she will not want any, so I'm not pushing it :)

PPS: I want a vinyl wall decal with a scripture to hang above her bed, but can't decide on a scripture. Any suggestions on that?

The "real" end :)