Grandchildren Room Unveiled

WARNING: This post is long and photo intensive!

Have you ever heard the term
"brand loyal"?
One of the brands I am loyal to is
Sherwin Williams Paint.
It could be because my brother
has worked for them for over 30
years; it could be because they
have the best paint; or it could be both.
I found the perfect colors for the grandchildren
room at another store.....
and when I took the chips to Sherwin Williams,
they were able to match them for me.
I then bought 12 Spice Racks from IKEA.
I should say, my sweet husband stopped
by IKEA on the way home from Denver's
Airport and bought them for me.
These IKEA spice racks turned book racks
have been all over blogland and they
were out when we tried to buy them
several other times.
This is what they look like hanging on the wall
with the beautiful primary color paint on them.
The top book rack is being used
for my grandmother's vintage teddy bears.
The first time Caleb was here after the
bears were displayed, he took them
out and had me tell him the story of
"The Three Bears" so they are still bookish.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
curtain from Pottery Barn Kids.
It is actually a shower curtain but
don't tell anyone.
If you look very closely at the curtain
rod, you will see it has butterflies
on the end. That was David's idea.
This wall was a little bit of a pain for
my sweet husband because instead
of the shelves being put up randomly,
they had to all be in straight lines.
He was so wonderful about hanging all 12!!!
Very Hungry Caterpillar rug (bathmat)
from Pottery Barn Kids.
The white bookshelf isn't full of
children's books yet because I haven't
had the energy to move them all.
The shelf was a garage sale find for $2.00.
I just read yesterday that bookshelves
should be 10% empty so you
can actually search for books in them.
This is a wide shot of the room.
Another wide shot.
Books!
Books!
Books!
I can't tell you how many times Kelly and
Jeremy checked out The Year at Maple Hill Farm
from the library when they were kids.
The book with Caleb on the cover
was made by his mom on his first birthday.
Dogger is a precious book that my sister-in-law
Terry sent me. It is about, not sibling rivalry, but
sibling love.
I found the red table and chairs for $40.00
at an antique mall. They aren't antiques, but
they are cute.
The typewriter is from a yard sale.
We gave Kelly a typewriter for Christmas
when she was in about 3rd grade and have
never lived it down because she thought
it was the WORST gift ever.
Kind of like a husband giving his
wife a vacuum cleaner for Christmas.
On the other hand, Caleb, Aaron and David LOVE it!
The train table was found at a yard sale last summer for $40.00.
It had all the toy pieces with it and was in perfect
condition. Thank you, Jeremy, for finding it!
I really wanted a library-ish rug for the room.
I priced them. $400 plus was a little
out of my price range. I found this one at
Target for around $30.00.
You might remember this card catalogue
find from a previous post.
This little file folder also holds
books. It was a Marshall's find.
David painted the closet doors with
3-4 coats of magnetic paint and then
2-3 coats of green chalkboard paint.
As you can tell, artwork is already
proudly being displayed.
I have had this author's chair for ages.
When I go to reading conventions
where authors are going to be in
attendance, I take the covers off and
take a paint pen and get autographs.
It is the perfect reading spot and also
the perfect resting spot.
I just sit and let the grandchildren
play all around me.
A perfect chair for the little guys
to sit and read.
David said the other day that he had a feeling
that this room might never be finished.
There is one more project in the works.
I am going to make a book cover headboard.
Thanks Jenny for helping me collect book
covers. Stay tuned for the reveal.

Thanks for taking a tour of the grandchildren room with me.
We started it before I was diagnosed with cancer,
and it has fallen to my sweet husband to
do most of the hard labor. I mostly did the
sitting down stuff, like painting the
book racks. It has been great therapy for me, and
as you can imagine, the grandchildren LOVE it.

Comments

Mindy S. said…
I love it! Love it love it love it! Don't you just love that Eric Carle stuff from Pottery Barn? I wish I had a room to decorate right now. But I love how you used it and I saw several ideas that would be useful in my girls' rooms. I may have to add a few projects to my list. I know your little boys will have a lot of fun in that room. :-)
Anonymous said…
This room is amazing! I wish I had the time, energy, and creativity to make a room like that for our kids here! You are a fabulous grandmother to many more than just your own. Thanks for sharing your amazing ideas.
Allison Green
Karen,
It turned out so, so cute! And I bet you had fun planning it! I love the idea of the headboard, and can't wait to see how it turns out.
Lynn Leaming said…
What a fun room!!!!! Besides all the fun books and colors and toys it is full of the best thing of all....LOVE!! You are going to be blessed with many, many years to enjoy it with those grandchildren!! What a blessing!!!!
Amy said…
wonderful! Your room is super! Thank you for the comments about the empty nest. Your words are helpful and comforting. Blessings!
Kelly Evans said…
What a beautiful and fun room! Claire was thrilled to see your "callapiller" theme.
Anonymous said…
Really like the room! So fun! And Clara would totally go for the typewriter too! Lots of fun times ahead in this room!
Erin
Absolutely wonderful! what a great space for a child to grow strong and true within! You are an inspirational grandmother! So happy to be following along with you!
Please join me at my history blog - I'd love to have you!
Ann
emily said…
Oh man! This room is awesome!!! I want to be one of your grandkids!! It looks fabulous & I love every little detail!!! Can't wait to see the headboard!! Take care of yourself, Doc!

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