Jill's Game Room

I am helping my friend Jill with her kids game room and here's a sneak peak at some ideas.  You can also follow her board on Pinterest.

DIY Swedish Style Paint Finish

I have a ton of furniture pieces to paint in my home at the moment.  I am pondering whether or not I am going to try and paint a couple on my own.  If I do, I definately want to try this Gustavian paint technique via Martha Stewart.

Also just found this DIY link too. 

Yes please, I'll take all three.

My jaw hit the ground when I saw these gorgeous Sarah Storage Towers from Ballard Designs.  Yummy! 

Fabulous Furniture for Kids

Looking for a little bit of the unexpected in your child's room?  Check out this great post on Good Bones, Great Pieces.

Restoration Situation - To Buy Now or Wait

When Restoration Hardware Baby and Child debuted this gorgeous pint size writing desk, I almost fell out of my chair.  I love it in everyway possible and I am obessing over it for my duaghter's room. 

So...here's the situation, do I buy now with their $100 off promo; or wait and hope another one comes along?  I wasn't planning on buying it now, but I am tempted.

Jonathan Adler Junior: Home Furnishings for Children

At the recent NY International Gift Fair, the beloved Jonathan Adler debuted his new Junior line featuring home furnishing for our little ones.  Below are just a few images from the fortunate ones who got to preview the goods in advance.  Can't wait to see these goodies in person!

Photos by Laura Fenton via Shelterpop.com

A Touch of Turquoise

I am very taken with the color turquoise lately.  Not too much turquoise but just a touch.  I think it’s ever since I bought the play table chairs for my daughter.  I love these rooms for the single bold statement.

Made by Girl

Love only the turquoise walls.

House of Turquoise

Check out how TheStamfordwife.blogspot.com added just a touch to the inside of her changing table/dresser.

Here are few more items if your looking to add just a touch.

Bla Bla Accessories

Retro Kitchen

Step stool accent via Kohls.com

The Coming and Going Coat Rack from Urbanoutfitters.com

A Morrocan Pouf from Tazi Designs

Turquoise Lamp from PBteen.com

Before & After: Sittin' Pretty

When I needed a new chair for my studio with no money allocated to this "necessity" I headed to my local Goodwill store. I found the chair below for a whopping $5! Recognizing its good bones and potential I snatched it up and headed home.

I started by reupholstering the chair back and seat and added extra batting to give it more cushion and comfort. I also monogrammed the chair back and added a little nail head trim to the camel back top. A few coats of spray primer and antique white paint was all it took to complete the transformation. What do you think?


The total project cost me $20 from start to finish and I couldn't be more pleased. My studio is very neutral and kind of a blank canvas (more photos to come later) so I wanted this one element to be feminine and a little pop of color. Plus I love the fact that I can move it to my daughter's room later when we add a desk to her big girl space.

Before

After

Somebody Pinch Me Please!

I am in LOVE and OBSESSED with these precious chairs for kids from Target. It is taking every little bit of self control I have to not buy the pink tufted one for my daughter's room. They are only $79.99 plus free shipping!

There has got to be a cheaper way!

Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few days, work has me chained to the sewing machine lately. Anywho, I was searching for inspiration for my daughter's play area in our game room and I found these for $680!!! Geez!!





I don't know about you all but $680 for a table and two chairs for my kid is too much. So I got to thinking, can this simple Ikea table and chairs below look the same with an artistic eye and paint? $39.99 for a table and two chairs is a lot easier on the pocket book.



I bet my friend Melissa could make this Ikea table look worthy of a $680 price tag. She's an uber talented artists who paints canvas artwork for children. I HOPE you'll be seeing her Etsy shop up soon.

So am I wrong? Is this too much to pay for a play table and chairs?

Playtime for Pennies

How do you go from this...

to this for under $40? Okay, so maybe it costs more than just pennies, but nonetheless it's still a chic-on-the-cheap decorating idea. I can't take credit for this crafty creation, my friend Rachel made this precious playtable and chairs set for a friend's daughter. I thought it was a beautiful and thoughtful gift and one anyone can make for their own kids.




The table and two chairs come as a set from Ikea for $25 and it costs about $15 to jazz it up with paint and fabric. I should mention that I gave Rachel the fabric for this set. I let her rummage through my scrap fabrics, so if you have scrap fabric or a friend that stocks up ask if they will donate some to your project. You can also use any of these gorgeous oilcloth and vinyl coated fabrics below available here.

Step 1: Paint the wood before you assemble and let dry overnight.
Step 2: Cut your fabric pieces to fit the chair seats and table top. You'll need one large cut for the table and two small cuts for the seats.
Step 3: Wrap the chairs' seats and table top with fabric and stable or glue to underside.
Step 4: Assemble chairs and table. Follow the Ikea instructions that come with the set.

It's that easy! If you want to use fabric that is not pretreated like the vinyl coated or oilcloth below, you can iron on a vinyl coating available a most fabric stores and available here. That's what Rachel did for this set and I watched her prep the fabric. It's really easy and all you need is an iron and a pair of scissors.

So there you have it. Now go and make your own adorable set so your kids will stop destroying your expensive furniture. Have a great weekend!