Room to Grow – A Toddler’s Room

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October 23, 2012 by Decorum DIYer

Happy Tuesday, all!  Today is the day that I show you Clairisse’s toddler room!  Are you ready?  Here it is…

Clairisse finally has a mostly finished room to call all her own. It is outfitted with the needs of a two-year old.

But of course, as is with any dragged-out redecorating project for an ever-growing toddler, this room has already had a few reincarnations.

The room first looked like this just after moving in the furniture:

At first we needed to fit both a toddler bed and twin-sized bed to accommodate both Claire and her cousin, whom we agreed to have overnight once a week.

Just as we got Claire into her room, we realized that her toddler bed was great for naps, but not so much for sleeping through the night.  So, we were forced to bring the crib into her toddler room.

The crib’s appearance in the room shortly after moving in all of the toddler furniture. It was better for all of us.

And then things changed again….  our son was born.  I guess he is going to want that crib back?

Our son, Ascher.

And then Santa gifted Claire with a dollhouse bookcase, a doll cradle, a doll high chair, a table, and chairs.

Just what was Santa thinking?

(Just as an aside, not all of what you see in Claire’s. This is the loot for all three. Roman’s and Ascher’s goodies are just wrapped and placed behind the tree and furniture.)

So, we had to figure out where to put it all.  Luckily for us, my niece no longer needed to stay at our house once a week.

So, the twin bed was removed to create more space.  This is Claire’s room as it was after the holiday:

Clairisse’s toddler room:  It is a tight squeeze, but appropriate for Claire’s needs. Although it is a small space, the room functions amazingly well.

The wall as one enters the room. Claire loves to sit in her chair and ‘read’ books. We also managed to keep the glider in the room for those ever important bedtime stories and snuggles.

Claire’s toddler bed has stayed in the same position through the entire process.(Except when it was replaced by the crib for a few weeks.)  As you can see, I opted to skirt the toddler bed.  This wasn’t easy.  Initially, I was looking to purchase a toddler bed skirt, but they were difficult to find.  So, I used the crib skirt from the ‘Nursery Rhyme Toile” baby bedding that I had from Roman’s nursery.  I simply shortened the bedskirt to toddler size by using a staple gun to adhere the bedskirt to the frame of the toddler bed.  I rather like the look.

Again, THIS is the room today…

We managed to find room for Claire’s sleeping, dressing, and playing toddler needs. The dollhouse bookcase (used primarily to store baby doll and play kitchen accessories), table and chairs, play kitchen, and doll high chair also managed to squeeze in. Claire is really enjoying her room this way. Everything is just her size. Her little brother, Ascher, and big brother, Roman love playing in her room as well. (Anyone out there notice that the ‘toddler-sized’ bedskirt is gone?  Well, let’s just say that bedskirts and the stomach flu don’t play well together.)

A better view of how we squeezed the glider and ottoman into the opposite corner where the twin bed once was.

The finished closet. (Clearly before I moved the glider.)

The organized closet that houses a dresser, hanging clothes, a hamper, and tons of storage.

The interior of the closet. I use every inch of space – I have to! Remember, this room is only 8.5′ x 11′.

The hamper tucked into the side of the closet and shoe storage that hangs from the bottom of the wire shelving and behind the hamper. Super efficient and Claire’s height to help her be organized.

Repurposed and painted items for drawer organizers.

And a little inexpensive, free, or gifted artwork…

Monogram mirrors that I made and told you about in a previous post.

A lovely gift from a dance parent and her daughter/former student, now both dear friends to me. I treasure this print.

A reused, painted vinyl name graphic.

A mismatch of ‘art’ on the shelf above the stencil. Two of the pieces (butterflies and ballerina’s tutu) were made by Claire with help from her brother. The framed baby phrase (gold frame) was a gift from my mother. The bear teapot is a gift from my niece. The bunnies were made with love by my mother-in-law, Claire’s Mom Mom. And of course, the obligatory hospital photo.

I don’t think it is too shabby considering our limited time and budget.  Sure, it has taken the better part of a year for us to chip away at this, but it was worth it.   Allow me to break down this room’s budget and sources for materials.  Be sure to click on the hyperlinked items to view the corresponding posts.

• Twin Furniture Set    $200.00 – Craigslist – (bed, nightstand, 3 drawer dresser, hamper, vanity, and vanity stool)
• Toddler Bed $20.00 –  Craigslist
• Glider FREE   –  Craigslist (wood scrap for seat, fabric scrap from Roman’s nursery)
• Upholstery Foam   $22.00 – Target (actually purchased a Full-sized memory foam topper)
• Toile Ottoman  FREE  – (reused from Roman’s nursery)
• Ceiling Fan $50.00 –  Craigslist
•  Ceiling fan light bulbs        $8.00 –  Home Depot
• Nursery lamp        FREE – (reused from Roman’s nursery)
• Closet Organizer $30.00 –  Craigslist
• Gingham/wicker baskets  FREE–  (reused from Roman’ nursery)
• Rug $60.00 –  JC Penney
• Curtains $40.00 –  Craigslist (total of six panels)
• Curtains for closet $20.00 – Craigslist
• Curtain Hardware  $6.00 –  Target (closet tension rod), (spray-painted existing curtain rod and brackets)
• Spray Paint $10.00 –  Home Depot
• Paint $110.00 –  Home Depot (Behr’s ‘Silverberry’-walls, Behr’s ‘Cottage White’-furniture, trim, stencil, Behr’s ‘Celery Ice’-ceiling, closet interior, closet dresser’s interior, Martha Stewart’s ‘Dusk’-closet dresser, glider, toddler bed)
• Stencil for feature wall  FREE – You can get the template at this blogger’s post.
• Drywall and repair  FREE – (drywall scraps and spackle from previous projects)
• New outlets and covers $12.00 –  Home Depot
• Gallery Shelf   FREE – (wood scraps and brackets reused)
• Wall bookshelf    FREE –  (repainted and repurposed trophy display made my Chris’ Dad for Chris)
• Mirrors and Frames  $ 10.00 –  Dollar Tree
• Toddler Bedding  FREE – (reused from Roman’s nursery)
• Fabrics  FREE – (extra fabric from Roman’s nursery,used for his no-sew window treatments)
• Purple Dresser $15.00 – (free dresser from mother, floral knobs were extra from other CL purchase, crystal  knobs from Target ($15.00))
• Drawer liners $ 10.00 –  Dollar Tree (black/cream floral @ $1.00 per roll), (paisley gift wrap backed with white contact paper @  $1.00 a roll)
• Twin bedding $30.00  – JC Penney and Company Kids (quilt is gift from mother; green floral sheet set, $6.00; green fitted sheet,  green pillow case, and purple gingham sham, $24.00)
• Doll Cradle $10.00 – friend
• Doll high chair $30.00 – Amazon
• Dollhouse bookcase $20.00 – Craigslist
• Toddler table and chairs $12.00 – Craigslist

Budget Total: $755.00

(Some of the items listed above were also ‘Santa’ gifts given to Claire, but I included them into the budget, as it was still money I spent to outfit the room.  I did not include general supplies like screws, spackle, and the like.  I also did not include the original cost of ‘FREE’ items that I had on hand.  Although I paid the initial cost for those items, I think reusing something one already has is generally accepted as a non-cost.)

Again, may I remind you what this room looked like before?

The office/laundry room.

And the ‘before’, before when we purchased the house.

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2012/10/transformation-thursday-no-175.html

<img border=”0″src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kFtfN67KadM/Tnsugs_MyyI/AAAAAAAAGwE/oWf6YALNB8I/s1600/wow-me.png”/>

A lot of hard work and sleepless nights went into this room.  Remember, we didn’t just redecorate, we essentially transformed a retro-fitted laundry room into a little girl’s bedroom.  I painted, with some help from my sister, husband, Roman, and Claire, every inch of this room.  Not a single surface was left untouched with a new coat of paint.  I hope that you have enjoyed this transformation.  Would you believe we are already contemplating moving Clairisse into a twin-sized bed?  I’ll leave you with a slideshow of this transformation.  Until next time…., happy painting and Craigslisting!

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