Tag Archives: inspiration

Distractions

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Thursday, December 13 2012

Updates and project progress around here is slow lately, mostly because there are so many fun distractions:

tree decorating,

tree

visiting that man in red,

santa

and, general goofiness, of course.

jadagoof

However, somehow, after investing in and applying 7 gallons of paint for our two-tone basement (don’t worry, someday it will be revealed), I was motivated to paint a little bit of chevron for our focal TV wall, as well.  Of course it is not done yet either, but  here is a quick sneak peek of the two-tone colors and the chevron pattern.

chevwallone

Notice, not all the chevron is connected yet, nor is the area beneath the ceiling done.  I painted this on two separate nights when the only thing on was football.  Sneaking away to the downstairs to “stencil” does not appeal to my husband, although he really likes how it is looking.  The progress shown has taken me a total of four hours…uh hum, did I mention my addiction to HGTV?  Honestly, this wall should be done.  Oh well…

Distractions.  Distractions.

Enjoy!

Laura

Images: All Laura for Monkeysonmyback

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Good Times with Gray and Pink Room Reveal

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Thursday, October 18 2012

I recently revealed this dresser that we tweaked for our seven year old’s newly decorated bedroom.

Cute as can be and functioning well so far.  Finally, with a clean room this past weekend, I clicked some shots of the rest of the space. Taking advantage of the mere 2 or so hours before the messes started morphing in the middle of the floor once more, we have a room reveal to share.   Some final  pictures follow, but first, a quick reminder of our starting point.

Actually, this is really the only picture that I have of the room before, and the mess in this picture is not far from the caliber of mess that this room still reaches from time to time.  Now, however, we do have much more storage, with each paper and toy having its designated spot…whether it ends up in that spot is another story.

The end result.  Well, almost.  I still plan to add a valance over the window, and perhaps a fun little rug somewhere, too.  But the colors are so much more calming.  We love hanging out in this relaxing room, with plenty of cozy and inviting spots to curl up with a good book; one of Jada’s favorite things to do.

This picture shows the real colors better, without the window glare.

My favorite addition to this room might just be the 3D butterflies.  Not forgetting to mention this killer headboard, AND the awesome custom-made window seat, of course!

Having started this in May, yikes, I am ready to leave this room alone for a bit and call it done for now.  Some day my motivation will draw me back to that naked window.

For now, here are a few more shots of the room.  I love where the grey and pink meet.

Room Sources:

Paint Colors: Wild Rose BM, Graceful Gray Behr, White Dove BM (trim)

Wall Art:  Land of Nod, Art.com, IKEA (Frames Target and IKEA)

Pillow Covers: Flamingo Pillow (West Elm), Dots and Giraffe Print (Etsy)

Bookshelf: Old Target purchase, painted back board yellow

Star Mirror: IKEA spray-painted Silver

High Shelf: IKEA LACK

Butterflies: Umbra.com

More info on this room can be found here, and here.

And, just in case you needed something to look forward too…

Right now, on top of soccer Saturdays and flag football Sundays, we have suddenly switched gears to the lowest level of the house, by interest of Rory.  Yep, that’s right, we are suddenly full swing into yet another project, redecorating the basement.  In other words, football season started.  I wonder what sparked his interest?  Do the words, ‘man cave‘ mean anything?  We have big plans for our basement space, which will be written about soon.  Just for fun, this is what we are dealing with:

Lots of space and potential…but Brown!  for a basement?!  The color is in the process of changing to another shade of grey, which we can’t get enough of apparently.  We are currently looking for a really warm super light grey to lighten up the space without making it feel too ‘cold’.  Any ideas?  Please share.

I’ll be back with some updates soon on that end.

~Laura

Images: All Laura for monkeysonmyback

Hemnes Hack

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Wednesday, October 10 2012

If you remember, we were pondering some customization details for a HEMNES dresser purchased recently for Miss Jada’s room.

We started with this.  A dresser that was too tall for her to see in the top drawer, while the bottoms of the rest of the shallow drawers were caving out due to the repetitive shoving of clothes that did not fit.

For our needs, this IKEA HEMNES did fit in many ways; large and short with deep drawers.

HEMNES 8-drawer dresser IKEA Extra roomy drawers. Smooth running drawers with pull-out stop.

The drawers are extra deep and the bottoms of the drawers are a rigid, colorful yellow and white stripe board; a pleasant surprise that matched our room perfectly!  Overall this dresser is very heavy-duty.  So much so, that I never did fully complete my idea of dipping the legs in pink…once this thing is put together, there is no moving it! ( I write this in case anyone is considering the purchase of this beast of a dresser, not because anyone told me to.)  For us, beasty dressers are good.

Here is our simple customization of our HEMNES dresser.

Jada loved the look of the shapes around the knobs in one of the inspiration photos,  and we decided together that it would be fun to add a pattern to the outside, as well.  She commented on how she really liked the boys’ curtains and thought we could glue some of the left over fabric to the outside…”maybe?” she asked, hopeful.  Of course, I had some other ideas up my sleeve.

Instead of taping off 12 perfect squares in the exact middle of the drawer and making them all level (which they would have never been), we went vinyl!  The squares are simple vinyl squares 4″ x 4″ and the chevron is a 4′ x 3′ vinyl sticker as well.

Jada chose the yellow knobs and it really makes that color pop in the room.  Such a sweet and personalized touch, especially because she choose the look of  the dresser on her own.

We are really pleased with how it turned out.  Now, if she would just clean her room so we could reveal the rest of it!

Dresser: Ikea HEMNES

Small Vase: Ikea

Mod Flower Poster and Frame: Ikea

Square Tray: CB2 (spray painted silver)

Vinyl squares and chevron stickers: Uppercase Living

Yellow drawer knobs: Myknobs.com

~Laura

Images: 1, 3-6) Laura for Monkeysonmyback 2) Ikea.com

Halloween Inspiration

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Friday, October 5th 2012

I am trying to find a way to match my kids’ excitement about the upcoming Halloween celebration.  They anxiously and patiently waited until yesterday, the fourth day of October, when Daddy hauled the three huge decor boxes out of the basement and yelled, “Let’s decorate, Guys!”  (Mind you, this ritual usually happens on the 1st day of October.)  So, off they went.  Z put himself in charge of blaring the Halloween CD as he stuck ghost-puff stickers all over his face, while Jada wrapped the balusters in cob webs and fake plastic spiders, and Aris tore out all the orange lights by demand of his father and plugged them all in making sure they worked.  Borris the Spider is now greeting anyone who dares come to the front porch doorway, and Dead Bones lay glowing around the front yard gravestones.  I love watching the family work as a team, deciding where each small decoration goes…and,… I. did. nothing!  Notta!  I did not decorate one Halloween thing…yet.

I am a bit behind in my excitement, you see.  I am usually the one yanking the heavy boxes from the basement, or pleading that it be done, way before the 1st day of the month.  But this year, everything seems so fast….

Okay, so I went out searching for a little inspiration, internet style, of course.

Check it out! Chevron pumpkins!  Someone else loves chevron as much as I do?This looks like it would be easy with a little painter’s tape and spray paint.

Under the Carolina Moon via Polyvore

Country Living

Such cute little ghosts!  Are these those accordion wedding bells that you can buy at craft stores?  I think so!

Laura Lindquist / Pinterest via Polyvore

Martha Stewart

Simple decor idea.

Halloween

Cobweb mat and broom stick, Simple.  I love it!  Too bad our front porch is filled with a fog blower, Borris, and a screaming Zombie head!

Halloween Craft Ideas for Kids - Halloween Craft Projects - Country... via Polyvore

Martha Stewart

A bigger front porch idea.  There are so many things I love about this arrangement…#1 No Spider!…#2 The trees…#3 the black candles in the lantern with white pumpkin…I could go on and on.

Halloween!

Loving the white pumpkin look, of course.  These even look a little sparkly, too.

halloween centerpiece halloween-decor

This simple wreath looks like a spray painted craft wreath; silvery-white, ghosts and ribbon.

#halloween decor

And, for the little monsters…

I was considering this, but I know it would get ripped down way before Halloween! However, I still might do this for Trick-or-Treat night.  Too cool! Glowing eyeballs, perhaps?

Totally doing this

Ha Ha!

My daughter would LOVE this.

And, of course, some yummy treats…

Boo! I’d serve these with a Witches Stew!

Fun idea for Halloween

I must admit, after a good three hours of searching and pinning and searching some more,  I am getting a bit more motivated and excited about Halloween.  I found a lot of yummy recipes to try, along with some fun-looking crafts to tackle, if time.

 Who knows, we just might happen to cross paths with a pumpkin patch this weekend?

Halloween decor garden

~Laura

Images 1) Countryliving.com, 2-3) Martha Stewart blog, Halloween section, All others searched key words Halloween Decor on Pinterest, origional sources unknown.

Pondering.

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Friday, September 7th 2012

Today I purchased this dresser for Miss Jada’s room make-over.

HEMNES 8-drawer dresser IKEA Extra roomy drawers. Smooth running drawers with pull-out stop.

IKEA, HEMNES

It is not exactly what we had planned, but this HEMNES from IKEA is roomy and straight; two of our main criteria.

We are considering adding a bit of personal touch to it, somehow.

What do you think?  Do you see any inspirational ideas below?

cg dresser left side

Think design ideas.  Jada is all about Pink!

Furniture Trends | perfectly imperfect | painted furniture

Perfectly Imperfect

I have a feeling that there might be a bit too much pink in this room after it’s all said and done.  But I also have to remember it’s not my room.

Below is my top inspiration picture.

Via

Those HEMNES legs might have it in them to add a bit of pink to that bad boy.  The dresser will sit against a Graceful Gray (Behr) wall.  Yellow looks great with grey.  Maybe a pop of an unexpected color like turquoise will win out?

Honestly, we are still pondering it all.

~ Laura

“to the moon and back”… Headboard Complete!

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Wednesday, August 29 2012

We are over the moon with our faux – barn wood headboard!  Our inspiration, once again, was this awesome piece.

Design Sponge

Seeing this photo online, Jada knew right away that she wanted it in her room.  What can I say?  The girl’s got good taste!  I just had to re-create it somehow, and barn wood around here is pretty pricey.  So, for a long while, I put it off and toyed with the idea of making a fabric covered headboard.  Then, one day, I happened upon some beautifully grayed Ceder fence planks at our local ReSouce center.  Bingo!  Here’s our the end result!

We customized our headboard with a little message and friendly reminder.  I traced the words onto the headboard after coloring the backside of my printed paper with chalk.  The end result was a nice outline.  I then painted the words with a paint pen from the hobby store…well, actually three paint pens.

A wider view of the room progress.

Uh oh! Noticed the nicely organized, and unmentioned -for-a- L O N G time, window seat, did you? I’ve been very bad at sharing our updated window seat progress and I don’t know why.  But we have been very busy decorating in here and love how this room is turning out.  Oh, and, the horizontal theme was not planned.  We just really like stripes!

I looked for a before picture of this space and this was all I could come up with; a very messy ‘during’ scene.  Notice how the room layout was so inviting to the possibility of a window seat.

And, a closer view of the area now.

Now, if I could just find the time to hang art, a shelf or two, and a window treatment..being very careful not to block the view of the moon, of course.

~Laura

Images: 1) Design Sponge 2) monkeysonmyback

Planning a Shared Room ~ Final Result & Sources

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Tuesday, August 13 2012

I am finally here to share the end result of the boys’ shared room, which was first mentioned w a y back in April; see that here, and here, and here.  And, considering everything (from building benches, to taking two distant vacations, from day-to-day fun), I am pleased with the speed of our progress.  That being said, why beat around the bush?  Let’s take a quick look at the beautiful bright green room beforehand, with its minimal furniture, and little storage, this room was in dire need of a revamp.

Not to mention, Big bro still thinks Little Z will sleep with him, which has not happened and is protested daily by Z.  I think Z will cave eventually since most of his toys are now stored   in this cool, newly organized, room and he has a dresser here as well.  Let’s take a look, shall we?

We are really pleased with how this room turned out.  And, in our books, the room is complete for now.  I say this knowing that at this time there is still only one boy sleeping in here full-time.  When Number 2 moves in, he will bring more toys, which will mean I get to buy more storage containers and organize again!  There is plenty of room under the bed for storage and I have already eyed up some handy low storage for the future, such as these from Land of Nod.

Storage_TubTrug_LG_Shallow_1011

I am also really considering some more book storage for when Zander moves all his books over, each his favorite so there will be no parting.  I am liking these, also from the Land Of Nod.

LockerBasket _0111

Now back to the room reveal.  Of course, we love our low storage shelf under the window that holds some books and a few baskets of toys.  The small table to the right,  fits perfectly in this strange little corner, and is used daily for Lego building.

And, one of our favorite pieces in the whole room, is the mid-century dresser that was found at a local consignment shop.  After being painted in greys, orange, and teal, this dresser has found its new home.

The stenciled numbers, in case anyone is wondering, are actually the boys’ birth dates.  They are mixed in with some random numbers.  If you look closely, you can see one birthdate, 02/07/07.  (The other birthdate is painted on the top of the dresser.) A neat way to add a little personal touch to something made especially for the boys!

Here is the Room Source List:

Bunk Beds:  Owned and painted Benjamin Moore Arctic Shadows 1559

Book Shelves above beds:  IKEA Spice racks

Curtains: Fabric is Premier Prints Storm Twill Zig Zag from Fabric.com

Bamboo Shade: Homedepot.com

Book Shelf under Window: IKEA EXPEDIT

White Storage Tub (in book shelf):  The Container Store

Floor Pillows: Made from old Duvet (PBteen still carries  this Duvet)

Small White Table: IKEA

Espresso Table Chairs: Target.com (clearance)

READ Letters/A & Z Letters: Hobby Lobby (spray paint Rustoleum Aqua)

Elephant Head: Amazon.com

Dino Sinclair Sign: Hobby Lobby

Hanging Metal Buckets: IKEA

Large Map: Wayfair.com

Duvet on Beds: Target.com  (RE Style Duvet)

Dresser Paint Colors: Drawers, Benjamin Moore Classic Grey; Outside, Benjamin Moore Silver Song; Drawer inset, Behr Citrus Blast; Stencil/handles, Behr Spring Stream
Lastly, a few close-ups of some personal touches, here and there…
~Laura

Simple Wall Art Ideas for Kids’ Rooms

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Tuesday, July 24 2012

One of my son’s favorite features of his newly decorated room, (which, by the way, is almost finished…), is the art on his walls.  I am not talking about the individual cars that I painted, each taking two hours (x 15)! Nope. He loves the simple art that I framed.  He has thanked me multiple times.  He thinks it looks, “so cool, ” and I had equally as much fun pulling the pieces together.

The best part for him, I think, is that he can relate to the pieces on his wall.  It can be easy to find wall decor for bare walls.  Here are just a few ideas that we used to ‘spice up’ his walls.

See the Potential 

Take an ordinary photo, from a special occasion, or one that highlights something special to the child, and get creative.  Play around on a free photo editing site, such as picmonkey.com,  and see how cool it can turn out!

 Wrap it Up

Using fabric, simply wrap a canvas, which can be found pretty inexpensive at local craft stores, with fabric. I found this cute grouping of canvases wrapped with IKEA fabric and thought it looked so cute.  

I just happened to have two old canvases and some of the same fabric from IKEA, so I thought I’d give it a try.

GO 3D

Have you jumped on the animal head bandwagon?  Although faux animal head decor can be pretty pricey, the idea of having an elephant on your wall is pretty cool, at least for my two boys.  Not only does this art add another dimension to the walls, it is super fun to put together!  (Search Amazon.com for your favorite animal head)

Pick your Subjects

This was a fun photo shoot.  Take your child’s favorite toys and see their eyes light up (your kid’s eyes, not the cars!) when those favorites are in a glossy 8×10 on their wall!

Go Random

Sometimes the best art is not ‘art’ at all.  We have found great framable pieces from magazines to clothing tags, and fabric swatches; all looking great behind a crisp, white mat.

Pulling it all together got us this great bedroom gallery wall; kid style!  Hope you found a little inspiration!

~Laura

Images: 3) Just Bella Blog, All other Images) Laura for monkeysonmyback

Grandma’s Dresser Update

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Thursday, July 19 2012

“Grandma’s dresser” is coming along nicely..

A few coats of polycrylic and some fancy handles and she’ll be ready to go!  Aris chose the stenciled numbers along side the drawer fronts, as opposed to simply numbering each drawer (01, 02, 03, etc.).  I think it’s looking so cool.  We can’t wait until it’s finished!

~Laura

Image: Laura for Monkeysonmyback

Planning a Shared Room ~ Hunk-o-Bunk Progress

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Tuesday, July 17 2012

Looking at this before picture again gets me really excited for what I have been seeing lately in our shared room.  Here is the refresher picture:

And our current view, a sneak peek:

I truly feel like screaming, “The bunk beds are done!  The bunk beds are done!” Which, around here, is quite an accomplishment.  I don’t recall what inspired me to try out my spray paint gun on a typical hot and gusty Colorado afternoon, (p.s. Not a good idea to spray paint in 55 mph wind gusts!) but I did, and I’d say it turned out okay.  We love the color and how it mutes the bright green background walls.  We are working on the final tweaks of our shared space as the room comes together, nicely..and, slowly.  Celebrating this small feat of spray painting bunk beds (each board individually) triple coated, of course, is surely necessary.  After finishing this hunk-o-bunk, I swore I’d never spray paint again…  Of course, that was short-lived! (Dresser reveal is on its way).

But I am proud of my accomplishments, including hauling the air-compressor to the back yard without tipping over the wheel barrow and breaking my toes!  And, the end result is oh so much nicer than the once honey-oak.

Paint color: Benjamin Moore’s Arctic Shadows 1559

Images: All Laura for Monkeysonmyback