Semi-Homemade Bedrooms: Big Boy's Vintage Trucks

I'm finally sharing Gman's big boy room with y'all!  And I'll let you in on a secret... his room was the first one done in the new house...  and has actually BEEN done (all but switching out a chest of drawers for a black bookcase) for months... Pictures taken... Complete.  But I didn't LOVE the pics, so I kept thinking I'd retake them (because I can be a perfectionist like that).  But you know what?  Life with 3 kids and a more.than.fulltime job is crazy.  I'll never retake those pics.  So... here you go, imperfection and all!

The idea:  Vintage Trucks

The inspiration:  Gman's love of all things with wheels, but especially trucks.  This boy is ALL boy.  Except that he tells me he's not a boy, but a man.  A BIG man.  His words... ;)  So babyish themes with cartoonish vehicles was not gonna work for my lil - err - BIG!! man.

The sentimental touch (and focal point!):  The old truck of mr. fix-it's dad, aka Papa.  This old truck is now solely used on their farm and goes literally only yards in a day.  Papa loves that truck... it's a reminder of a simpler time.... and, to the kids, it's part of who Papa is.

Last June, I took several pics of Papa's truck. I took them with this room in mind (three of them hang over Gman's bed and are the focal point of the room), but I also ended up using them for Gman's Semi-Homemade Vintage Truck Birthday Party last summer.

The fun touches:  There are vintage trucks throughout the room, of course!  This one happens to be a fire truck....

My sister Ellen got Gman these vintage truck pillow cases last summer for his birthday.  I had found them on Etsy (of course!) and they are just too, too perfect!  Love 'em!  They go perfectly with the bedding I (finally!!) found him (it's Tommy Hilfiger from overstock.com, and I love the bold colors of the set, and the stars on the pillowcases!)

Remember back when we lived in the Summer House last year?  Um, yeah, I've mostly blocked it... but while we lived there, I found 2 of these great metal wall hanging on super low clearance at Hobby Lobby.  Each one has 3 vintage vehicles on it, and they're hanging on either side of his red (super cheap - $10!!) curtains.

The color scheme:  Gman's Semi-Homemade Pirate Nursery was - and maybe still is! - my favorite of all the kids' rooms I had designed at that point.  So I decided to keep the elements I loved in that room (the navy blue paint - Pittsburgh's Star Spangled - and the white beadboard) and throw in red to go for an Americana feel... to pull in the patriotism and wholesome feel of the time when Papa's truck was new.

I love the canvas hanging over this dresser.  (This dresser will soon be moved to another bedroom and replaced with a black bookshelf.  When we went shopping for Gman's big boy furniture, we found that we were drawn to black furniture.... again... somewhat similar to Sissy's... what can I say?  We're consistent.)  :)

I love this license plate frame (HL again!!) and a few more metal vintage trucks (yes, HL.  I know, I have a problem.  But the frame, and the trucks... each item was under $10!) 

And the license plate frame ties in to the picture of the US by license plate... which is hanging over the vintage red chair I found on one of my trips to Canton with Mrs. Everything.  That chair was.... are you ready?  $22.  Amazing, I know.  And I took some navy blue vinyl and put Gman's name on it - he loves that!  Lastly, the clock hanging over the door reminded me of a hubcap... and was a $12 clearance item at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I love it when a ton of clearance buys come together! 

Ahhh, looking at that last picture, with that tiny baby in the doorway.... I took these pics during my maternity leave.  Can I go back?  ;)

Happy weekend, y'all!  Next up.... the Semi-Homemade Modern Black and White Safari Nursery!

Sneak Peek: Semi-Homemade Black & White Nursery

Because I want to prove to y'all that I really AM still here... because you haven't seen peeks of ANYTHING fun and semi-homemade out of me in forever..... because it's spring and nothing says spring like LIME GREEN!.... and because, if you're like me, it's been one of those weeks where you could definitely use a pick-me-up.....

Here's a sneak peek of Baby #3's nursery! 
There will likely be a decal in the space above the crib... Just waiting to see if it needs to be boyish or if we're gonna go girly!

I just LOVE the bedding!  I sent some fabric ideas to Mellissa at Mellissa's Boutique on Etsy and she made it happen!  She let me mix & match my own set, based on what I wanted or didn't want... and that helped me keep my costs low. 

I also got some great stuff for #3's room at my shower last weekend! 
My sister ordered a custom mobile - elephants in black, white and chartreuse! - from Lollipop Moon on Etsy.  Looks like Sarah is trying to catch up on orders, so she's taken her listings down... but as soon as mine comes in, I'll be excited to share it!

And my brother and his girlfriend (okay, let's not kid ourselves,  my brother probably STILL doesn't know what they got the baby!) bought us this cute hamper!  Now GT can have his blue one back, and the nursery is set for all the onesie laundry this kiddo can bring!

Whew!  After an evening of Braxton Hicks, lower back pain, and spending the entire evening on the couch... this momma is off to bed.  Happy weekend, y'all! 

3 Semi-Homemade Bedrooms - Ready, Set, Go!

I'm super excited to start decorating/designing three VERY different bedrooms, each with its own semi-homemade theme.  I'm hoping to have a super productive weekend of unpacking so that I don't have to hold these projects hostage any longer!  ;)

Bedroom #1:  the nursery

Semi-Homemade theme:  black & white with lots of lime green!  And modern elephants thrown in for fun

Details:  I'm working on some fun decals - just need to start contacting Etsy sellers.  Contemplating adding some fun Babar stuff. 

I got the bedding last week and I couldn't be happier!  Mellissa was so easy to work with.  I sent her my ideas and some fabric ideas... then she helped me pull it together.  Check out her shop:

Mellissa's Boutique

Here's the bumper...  stripes and mod elephants and lime green... love it!

And the inside of the bumper is black minky - won't Baby love that?

And the crib skirt... lime green with elephant trim at the bottom.  And a lime green sheet!

Bedroom #2:  Sissy's room
Semi-homemade theme:  A Madhatter's Tea Party
Details:  I have tons of ideas here, lots of them DIY... but I've got more work to do in this room, so it'll probably be the last one done.  I'm focusing on clocks, keys and custom decals.  :)

And here's a little taste of what's to come:  Sissy's Wonderland!

Bedroom #3:  G-man's big boy room
Semi-homemade theme:  Vintage trucks - because what boy doesn't love trucks?
Details:  G's room is pretty much bought - I just need a little time to pull it all together.  Only real project left to do is go through all the pics I took of mr. fix-it's dad's old truck and print and frame them.

A few of the details:

And a few more.  See, I told you I'm about done! :)

It's almost weekend, thank goodness!  It's been a long week and I've still got work to do tonight to prep for my big meeting tomorrow!
xoxo,

Oh, Alice!

It's come to my attention recently... just how closely my emotional well being is tied to our HOME.  Most specifically, I'm at my happiest and most creative when I'm entertaining, decorating, project-ing (that's a word, right?)  And so... this summer.... (in the Summer House)... I just haven't been myself.  Have I? ;)

So, I'm going to start virtually working on the new house.  I'm starting with Big Sis's Madhatter room.  I was going to explore a couple more options and build storyboards around them, but... let's be honest.  I've had that on my to do list for 5 months, and it's not any closer to happening.  So... here we go!

I came across these Antique Keys in my search for a 'key to Wonderland' feel... and I figured, at $5, they'd satisfy my need to buy something (even though that's not fitting in the budget right now!) 

Right before I sealed the deal on this purchase, I decided to browse the rest of Queen Flourishes antique shop on Etsy.  I came across this Vintage Frame and I'm wondering if a) I can pop that picture out and replace with something else, b) if I could spraypaint the frame black, and c) if I'd even love it after all that.  What do y'all think?

She also has this Vintage Silver Creamer set, but looking at it again, I'm undecided.  I originally got a funky/creepy feel for it, but... I'm looking for teacups/teapots with lots of fun color, so maybe I stick to that.

I'm building my ideas on KEYS and CLOCKS - can't wait to share with y'all!

We went to Wonderland!

March Hare:  Why don't you start at the beginning?

Mad Hatter:   Yes, and when you reach the end.... Stop.

Ahhhh, yes... LOVE that movie!  Just wanted to share with you the totally enchanted morning we had last weekend at the Gaylord Texan!  Upon news that Sissy's bestie was moving (and quickly!), we set out to plan THE perfect last weekend in TX for her.  See, this is her sister and partner in crime... the girl that makes her giggle... the girl that knows ALL her secrets (whatever that my be when you're not yet 5 years old!)  And perfect is what that day was...

The picture above makes me both happy and sad.  We had so much fun getting the girls all glammed up.  The four of us had been spending more and more time together - miss them already!

Below is the girls with Alice and the White Rabbit.  This year's Summerfest at the Gaylord featured scenes and characters from the Lewis Carroll version of the story.  I loved the umbrellas and flamingos and teapots that surrounded us at breakfast... every detail was perfect.  And you've never met anyone half as sweet as Alice!

Alice led the girls in all sorts of wonderful activities... things you can't do anywhere but in Wonderland.  Like standing on a chair for pictures.  And eating chocolate for breakfast (at the White Rabbit chocolate fountain!)

The menu was full of yummy Wonderland treats like:

The Hatter's Mad French Toast

Tweedle Dee-licious Eggs Benedict

The Humpty Dumpty Omelet Station

Queen of Hearts Chocolate Fountain

We're all mad here...

The girls pose with Alice and the mommas (I was still in my old glasses then... I just wonder how much fun I would have had if I could SEE that day!)

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.  Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't.

And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would.  You see?

And because we were celebrating Bestie's time here in TX... the girls had to get in some time as Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!  (This looks like some interpretive dance?  Maybe a little too much So You Think You Can Dance?)

Curiouser and curiouser...

After breakfast, we walked around Wonderland.  Amazing!  And what would Wonderland be without mushrooms?  If you look closely, you can see a giant caterpillar sitting on a mushroom in the distance behind the girls.

In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures...
Each display had a book with information on the artist and materials.

Drink me

Off with their heads!

Why, you're nothing but a pack of cards!

As we approached a giant scene with most of the pack of cards in various stages of painting the roses red... we couldn't help but notice the fragrant smell of roses in the air.  They left no detail undone!

Here's our favorite little spades.... (we let them turn the cameras on us mommas, too - hilarious!)

This is just part of a scene built from SAND, which included the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, Tweedle Dee and Dum, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit... and, of course, Alice herself.

I got soooo much inspiration for Big Sis's Madhatter bedroom!  I'm working on a wall of clocks - vintage/new, working/not, whimsical/serious.... We've hit a rough patch with medical bills lately (nothing serious, but including an adnoid removal for G-man the day before we went to Wonderland!), but I'm planning to start building the clock collection as soon as I can!

(Oh, and do you see that cute Alice in the pic at the left?  So many girls dressed in costume.. loved it!)

These pictures do NOT do this justice!  Just know... that keyhole was on the side of a rocky ravine... and stood at probably 10 feet tall... and the golden keys laid across the water below and were just as big.  SO cool!  (I'm also working on a variety of key accents for Sissy's room - I've found some amazing treasures on Etsy, as always!)

Every lampost was covered in scenes from the book.  And I scored a coloring book at the gift stop with all these same pictures.  Except I didn't tell Big Sis I bought it.  See, I'm thinking I might frame some of the most recognizable prints... THEN give her the rest of the book to color!
The bottom pic shows you just how excited those girls were to be together and in Wonderland... they couldn't help but skip thru the atrium!

And who.... are.... you?

The Caterpillar presides over his section of the atrium, atop a giant mushroom... and the Mad Hatter's mad hat sits on top one of the resort's restaurants (and again, this hat was GIANT!)

The second I saw the singing flowers, I instantly broke out in Golden Afternoon.  In my head, of course. ;)  These flowers were equal parts creepy and totally cool.  Nearby, we strolled thru topiaries of flamingos and the White Rabbit.

A few more details included a shower of colorful umbrellas that started at the 9th floor (and worked its way down), the Gryphon made of balloons, the Rise of the Jaberwok sculpture, and a 256 sq ft chess set (like the ones I've seen in pictures at some of the amazing Alice-themed birthday parties!)

When I get home I shall write a book about this place... If I ever do get home.

We didn't WANT to go home!  What a special morning for 2 special friends.  Oh, and the girls, too! ;)

Semi-Homemade Girly Bedroom Concept #1: A Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I was originally going to share with you the millions of ideas I have come up with or come across for Alice in Wonderland parties... but.... as I thought about it more and more, I've decided:
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Alice in Wonderland is a contender in the next theme for Big Sis's room!
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What do y'all think? I'm going to brainstorm other ideas, too... Show you some of the details.... then maybe I'll set up a vote! ;) What's funny is, I swore to myself before I ever became a mother, that I'd never.ever.eva! do one of my child's rooms in character. But... this is kinda character couture, dontcha think? ;)

And so... concept #1..... Big Sis in Wonderland!

The inspiration:

Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton, in theaters now

The color palette:
What's awesome about this theme is how the color palette plays into Big Sis's current bedding perfectly. Woo hoo! This takes the pink & green from her bedding... color scheme from Paper Presence!

But this adds the dimension of color I want... the purple and blue that are totally necessary...

The walls:

Y'all know how much I love vinyl decals for a big bang for your buck! Lil Decal Shoppe has the cutest stuff! Like this big Alice decal

and these chess pieces! So cute, marching around the room! (Also found some fun teacups that could also be set up to parade across a room, too!)

Oh, and then you can customize the room (y'all know how much I love that!) with this decal from Personal Touches

It almost seems necessary to have a big tree decal in a corner... but it would have to be really dense, if that makes sense... and almost dark... maybe too scary! ;)

The new Alice movie is so vibrant and bold.... I'm thinking I'd want to incorporate lots of color on the walls.... and her hot pink/lime green bedding (which I don't have plans to replace yet!) would work in perfectly. Still brainstorming on details like chair rails, bead board, anything as a wall interest!

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The furniture:

Teacup nightstand ~ I'm waiting to hear back from Donna on where to find these giant unpainted teacups.... I'm picturing painting them vibrant colors... (love the Cheshire cat one!) and then putting a tabletop on it.... as a nightstand or something! Check out the amazing Mad Hatter Tea Party she threw - love it! Here's the inspiration for the teacup nightstand:

Read me bookshelf: I love all the fun phrases in the movie! I've been thinking I'd get a (cheap!) black bookshelf for her room.... and put a vinyl decal on the side that says Read me! (a play off Eat me and Drink me!) To give you an idea, here's what I'm thinking, shown on my armoire...

A simple decal on a closet door and the closet is playing along, too! This is Big Sis's current closet.... Alice'ed up to say Dress me! (Don't ya love that font? With a viney, fantasy look?)

The repurposed table & chair set: Remember this set from Big Sis's current pink & green preppy room?

Imagine if I... spraypainted it all Cheshire Cat pink. Painted light pink stripes on the table legs. Then got a decal of the Cheshire Cat's infamous grin... to put on the tabletop? So cute!

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The accessories:

I'm picturing fun throw pillows with lots of the catch phrases from the movie. Like "curiouser and curiouser!" Maybe "Dream This" (again, as a play on the "Eat this" and "Drink this" phrases). Appliqued white rabbits, pocket watches.... or maybe a set of 4 pillows, art prints of a heart, club, spade, diamond! These pillows would be cute in hot pink & lime green!

And you can find anything on Amazon... like this cute, plush Cheshire Cat.

The bedding: You could go over-the-top on bedding....

But we're going to stay with color-as-a-theme bedding that we already have! (At least until the next house...)
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The lighting: last but certainly not least!

I found a very similar (maybe this exact!) chandalier last weekend when Mrs. Everything and I went to Canton. How perfect is it?

Lamps: I'd either try to fashion a lampshade out of a Mad Hatter's hat... :) or repurpose what we have to say Light me!

So..... what do ya think of this Alice in Wonderland themed bedroom?

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The pros (as I see it):

Super fun

Super unique

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The cons:

Too trendy (but don't forget, we only have to live with this for 2 yrs!)

Too loud (but we like loud!?)

Too character-y (anyone buying my idea of character couture?)

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And for those just getting to know me.... my hubby is a builder and we move about every 2 years. I loooove decorating, esp kids' rooms, and if I had enough time and money, I'd go all out and do 1 of the kids' rooms every year. As in, over-the-top. But, I'm limited on both time & money, so I get creative and do it all semi-homemade!