Let there be light
Now that the incredible cute, and extremely young, electrician has left and fixed up my lighting problems I have taken photos of my handiwork. Plus a few extras.
This photo is in DS1's room. I love the unit in the corner. The little frames are also from IKEA and I put some of his recent kindy artwork in them. He loved that idea. As you can see we love books and this is only a small section of them here. All Dr Suess. Crazy books. But really fun and I am amazed he can say some of the words I trip over when reading. That says a lot for the imagination of the young.
This next photo is also in DS1's room and is of his bed . Note the fact that he currently is choosing to sleep with his head at the wrong end. I was forever having to go in there to place back wayward pillows when he was sleeping so solved the problem by rearranging the room and butting up the bookcase against the foot of the bed so that the pillows have somewhere to rest against. There is not much space between the bookcase and the wardrobe but enough for him to squeeze in and have a little hidey place to play and read in.
It has been a whole day and DS2 has not yet destroyed his room! Well I think that is because it has been so dark in there we haven't really been in there and played, but he did pull himself up on the unit, opened a few drawers, and played with the cool wooden lighthouse type stacker toy I also bought at IKEA. Yep, too much shopping. But it goes with the rest of the room which has quite bright colours in it. As you can see by the snippet of the wardrobe next to it.
This wardrobe is such a favourite of mine. When I was abot 36 weeks pregnant with DS1 I decided I had to have a wardrobe just to put his stuff in. We were renting in an apartment and all my clothes were in the built-in in the baby room and DH's clothes were in our room. They weren't going to fit together and with all the stuff we were buying we needed more room. So a hunt through second hand stores turned up a 1930's kitchen cupboard which was lemon yellow and covered in 70 years of grease and fat. Yuck. I cleaned it, stripped it, painted the whole thing with 3 coats of white paint, then added colour. It still looks so good 3.5 years later. And for a second hand piece of kitchen junk it has been so handy. There is a rather unattractive photo of me painting this in my knickers with baby belly covered in paint (well it did stick out a lot by then). I had DS1 early, about 5 days after I finished this and the other piece below.
Believe it or not but this is the top half of a kitchen built in unit that someone chopped off because it didn't fit properly, and the top is an old door off another cupboard. It started life in our house as the TV stand. It was finished in a blue and white crackle paint back then. The draws fit videos in perfectly and the PS and peripherals fit in the side cupboard. But now it has life in DS2's room. I love furniture that you can strip and repaint as the mood hits you. Very eco friendly.So there is a little insight into my world. Into a very precious part of my life. My boys. And my obsession with colour and painting. ;)
The photo's look great - love the colour in the rooms!
I also have the problem of both the boys changing their pillows to the opposite side...when you go check in the middle of the night, you can never be sure which way they will be...lol.
Posted by
Leighanne |
July 29, 2005 3:38 pm
LOL does your man read your blog? Dan was asking this last night in general of all the bloggers, after Cat's post :-)
I love the photos! And I love the IKEA stuff AND the wardrobe you picked up and painted yourself AND just wow. You really are a handy woman indeed. I think it's really cool that you recycle and repaint furniture to suit.
Thanks for sharing. You mothers are bloody making me clucky I tell you!
Posted by
Mary |
July 29, 2005 5:02 pm
You've done a great job with the furniture - well done !!! I have to ask the question though - who says which is the right side of the bed for your head - just because it is called a headboard doesn't mean you have to sleep with your head that side !!!!! We used to go through and K wasn't in bed - look all over the house - couldn't find her anywhere (knew she couldn't get out because of the security !) and then go back into her bedroom and she would be sleeping under the bed !!! She used to sleep in some really funny places - hope that is all past and as she grows older only sleeps in her own bed - alone !!!! Maybe we should all send our kids to Mary for the day - that would cure her of any cluckiness she may be feeling !!!!
Take care and have a great evening !
Me
Posted by
Me |
July 29, 2005 5:30 pm
aww kiddie furniture, almost cute enough to make me want to have 1... almost. but not quite. you can have more and i will look at them, that will be good enough :) i see meese and beaves *honk honk*
Posted by
Cat |
July 29, 2005 7:32 pm
wow- looks great!! you definitely did a great job rejuvinating the old kitchen cupboards & they look fantastic! very bright & cute for a kiddies room! I like the way DS2 sleeps back to front, very cute :)
Posted by
Kt |
July 29, 2005 7:46 pm
wow - it looks so cool! You are such a clever cookie. Love the bright colours - i would have loved that room as a kid. :-)
Posted by
Kate |
July 29, 2005 8:39 pm
smart, dandy AND a handy girl too! Amazing woman you are Margaret, it is such a delight to have known you!!!!
Posted by
Argy |
July 29, 2005 9:25 pm
The furniture looks fantastic. The boys must love their colourful, fun rooms.
Posted by
Suzy |
July 29, 2005 9:50 pm
HI! Stopped by to say hello and was taken by the beautiful job you did painting the furniture pieces for your boys...gorgeous and inspiring!
Posted by
mary bishop |
July 29, 2005 9:59 pm
Is IKEA any different in OZ. Here its foreigners, all speaking different languages eating little meatballs and Cinnamon Buns the size of their heads. I own IKEA stuff, but I understand that IKEA interprets in the King English to "crap furniture". All those screws, all those twisty screw catcher thingies, and watch the humidity melt the fiber board.. Argh., Have a lovely day
Posted by
Allan |
July 30, 2005 5:44 am
I love it. You have a flair for colour and imagination.
RYN - thanks for the tip about the City to Bay. I never even considered it because I cant run but your post made me think it would be a great thing to do with the kiddies, we can walk the 6km and still be part of the great atmosphere, thanks for that
Posted by
Anonymous |
July 30, 2005 6:57 am
What great rooms - thanks for sharing this part of your life with us. I am not at all handy. In our house I have the ideas and choose the colours, Mark does all the work. When he's not out on his motorbike.
Posted by
Sue |
July 30, 2005 8:46 am
Oi! Linda is so cheeky sometimes ;-)
Posted by
Mary |
July 30, 2005 10:09 am
Wow, what a great job you did on the furniture. I'm inspired to try doing something like that myself but i'm not very good at handiwork. haha. Your boys are very lucky to have such a fantastic and clever Mum! Have a great weekend.
Bri
Posted by
Briony |
July 30, 2005 10:46 am
The rooms look fantastic - so colourful and also love the furniture. What lucky little boys you have with such a talented mum!
Posted by
Anonymous |
July 30, 2005 1:08 pm
The rooms look great. Made me remember a set of furniture that has been painted 5 colours as it went from one child to the other and back again. Kids love the bright colours don't they. When my sons were little we painted murals all over their walls. They looked great and it was sad to paint over them when they grew up.
Posted by
michelle |
July 30, 2005 8:46 pm