Dare to be: THANKFUL

Today is the first part of the Dare to DIY series and to be honest I almost didn't make this post. At about 4 p.m. I had that Oh Sh*t moment and I remembered that I needed to do something.

I took some inspiration from this Pinterest Photo and decided to create a "Tree of Thanks" in Emma's room.

 

The branches are things that we are thankful for! 

 I love the result and it is a great daily reminder to Emma, and all of us, that we have so much to be thankful for!

 

Be sure to also check out what the hosts of the Dare to DIY series did for their projects

Decor and the Dog

Maybe Matilda

Shift Ctrl Art 

Newly Woodwards

Emma's Room

I realized that I've never shown Emma's room fully! It is still a major work in progress... Matt started building her a loft bed two years ago and.... yeah from the photos below you will see that it is not yet completed! I guess the best things are worth waiting for... I've been tempted to just go to IKEA and buy a loft bed but I think that it would cause a HUGE marital fight.

Well here is the room:

When you enter you are imediatly reminded of who occupies the space! EMMA. These are craft letters from Jo Anne Fabrics that I spray painted white. 

This is Emma's desk area...

I made this bulletin board for her special items.  Like all of hr 5K bibs, a letter from my former boss, and proof that she beat me once at the game Pay day!

Above the desk are more special items that are showcased on shelves that I painted white. 

And there is the bright yellow chair that I had found at at thrift store for only $5.00 and refinished. I also bought that desk for only $9.99 and refinished... I'll share that project tomorrow.

Here is Emma's current bed... NOT a loft bed... On the map above the bed Emma puts a little flag on the country if I'm on travel.

The duvet was actually a sheet that I found on a work trip to India and I had them sew additional fabric to make teh sheet into a duvet. 

I LOVE the elephants in purple, blue, and pink! The colors go with her room perfectly. 

For the space by her closet... There is a reading nook at the base of her bed with a beanbag chair... and the closet doors are painted with chalkboard paint. I just need to put something cool on them.

Ever since Emma was three she would say that she wanted a deer head in her room... this is our compromise... 

 

For he dresser... I painted each of the drawers a different color to create the ombre effect. 

 

What was originally a plain all white dresser from Target now has some personality! 

 

The top holds more treasures... like this jingle truck and a coke from Afghanistan and a turtle from Hawaii. 

There is also some artwork that Emma did showcased above the dresser! 

So that is the room as it currently stands.

Still on the to-do list for this room:

• Rug
• window treatments 
• LOFT BED w/ sofa seating area under
• crown molding
• Fun design on the chalkboard closet doors
• New light

Making the world POP!

I'm here to show you that a little spray paint make over can make something that is already an okay decor item and just make it POP!

Emma has wanted a globe for a while and when I found this one for only $5.00 I couldn't pass it up.

The plastic holder however was not doing it for me... It also isn't the look that I want to achieve in Emma's room.

Wait... don't I still have some yellow spray paint left over from her chair project???

After two coats of spray paint... The globe just pops in her room.

Now it actually contributes to the design scheme that I have! AND Emma finally has a globe!



New Trash Can for Emma's Room

You might remember from my thrift store post that I purchased a great solid wood trashcan for only $3.00

This beauty has some great classic lines… the painting on the side however not my jam…

I can appreciate that some one took the time to hand paint it but it just wasn’t going to work for my house.

The first step was to sand the sides… Emma was super excited to sand and I was happy to have the helper!

After the sanding I applied a coat of BEHR Blackberry Farm paint. I had this paint left over from another project that I took on recently in Emma’s room.
**If you do not have a huge item to print I GREATLY recommend heading to your local home improvement store for the small tester containers. It is an easy and cheap way to get just the right color you were looking for.


After letting the paint dry I did a light sand and applied a second coat of paint. Next I let the trash can dry overnight.

The next day I pulled out my trusty Silouette Camo machine to assist in making Emma’s monogram into a stencil. If you do not have a Silouette machine you can easily print a monogram on plain paper and cut out the letters.


Once the vinyl was cut I removed the letters.. leaving the backing

I really need to get the little tool that makes it easier to lift up  the decals.

Applied transfer paper

Placed the stencil on the trashcan and applied pressure to make sure that it would stick after I pulled the transfer paper off…

Next I whipped out some gold paint that I had on hand and applied the paint to the stencil.

Pulling the stencil off while the paint was still wet!

I am so happy with the results and Emma loves it too!

** Trash can was purchased from B-Thrifty in Woodbridge, Virginia