Creating A Colorful Playroom

November 28, 2021November 28, 2021 decorandadoreLeave a comment

When you have a little one that starts to roll and become mobile, the small activity mat that you’ve used for the past few months suddenly becomes ridiculously small! A larger play space is a must. Living in a cape-cod-style house, we don’t have very many open spaces for Wyatt to move around and play in. Luckily, we had a guest room that wasn’t getting much use so we decided that converting the room into a playroom would be a much better use of that space. It took me a bit to agree to give up our guest space, but it would be another room for me to decorate — yay!

Unlike Wyatt’s neutral Woodland Nursery, I wanted this space to be colorful and fun. I first started looking for a play mat with the colors and look I wanted for the room. I found this adorable reversible foam mat on Amazon (I purchased the large size). The quality is amazing and it is very easy to clean. One side is filled with colorful animals and letters, and the other has a pattern on it similar to a trendy rug. Both sides of the mat look amazing in the space — it’s fun AND classy, all in one!

For the windows, I wanted a sheer, neutral curtain. I added these sheer white and beige curtains from Ikea. They have a simple pattern on them that matched our neutral walls, and they set the stage for all of the other colorful items.

Storage

For all things kid stuff, I purchased the white FLYSTA cube shelf from Ikea. For the bottom row toy storage, I found these neutral cube storage bins. To match, this cloth basket was a great find for all of Wyatt’s stuffed animals.

Art

I’m a big fan of finding digital wall art through Etsy so that I can customize the size and frame, or hang them how I’d like. I chose this adorable set of wall art because it matched the colors and style of the play mat. The digital download includes art for the days of the week, shapes, the alphabet, numbers, weather, and the continents. I printed two larger poster prints (20×30 inches) for over the cube shelf and two smaller poster prints (16×20 inches) for a smaller wall space near the door.

My original plan was to purchase magnetic poster frames for each print, just as I did for the woodland print in Wyatt’s nursery. However, I could not find the exact stain/color that would match the darker handles of the cloth basket and cube shelf bins. Yes, I’m a perfectionist! So, I decided I would make my own.

I found small wood trim that I cut into 20 inch and 16 inch pieces (the lengths of each poster size). Four pieces were needed for each poster, so I cut eight of the 20 inch and eight of the 16 inch. I found a wood stain (Honey Classic Wood Stain by Varathane) from Home Depot that matched the handles of the basket and cube bins, and I stained the wood and some twine for hanging. Once the wood was dry, I used craft glue to adhere two pieces to the front of the posters. I glued the bottom-back piece on and used a clamp to make sure the front and back were secure. The top-back piece looked a little different; I cut small grooves on the inside, about 2 inches from the edge, so that the twine could fit nicely between the wood and back of the poster. After letting everything dry in the clamps, they were ready to hang!

Ruler Growth Chart

To fill some empty wall space, I created this DIY “ruler.” When I saw this idea online, I thought it would be a fun and usable piece of art to track Wyatt’s height over the years. It was such an easy DIY and I loved that I would be able to customize it to coordinate with the rest of the play room.

I bought an 8 inch x 6 foot board that I stained with the same shade (Honey) that I used for the poster frames. After the stain dried, I used these ruler stencils to paint on the numbers and hash marks with a shade of white acrylic paint. It’s such a fun addition to the wall art in this space!

Teepee

Of course, no playroom is complete without a teepee! To personalize it for Wyatt, I bought a blank wood sign from Hobby Lobby, stained it with the Honey stain, and used my trusty Cricut to create Wyatt’s name with white vinyl.

I also wanted to add some accessories to the teepee to add some color and to coordinate it with the rest of the room. For inside the teepee, I placed a white fuzzy blanket for comfort. I also added four throw pillows with pillow covers from Ikea that matched the colors of the animals and letters on the mat perfectly (gold, teal, polka dot, rust).

I also made a cute felt ball garland for the front of the teepee. I found an awesome Etsy shop that sells custom felt balls in almost any color! I ordered 100 felt balls in the colors terracotta, mustard, mint, and almond. Using a thick needle, I threaded string through the felt balls to create a 10 foot garland.

Ta-Da!

The finished teepee looks so comfortable and cozy, our pups seem to think so too! This space has been such a bonus as Wyatt has learned to crawl and sit up on his own. The bright, coordinating colors are so fun, and it’s a space that he can grow into as he gets older!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found some inspiration!

DIY Stocking Tags

November 28, 2020November 3, 2021 decorandadoreLeave a comment

As a child, one of my Christmas morning memories was seeing our stockings overflow with several tiny, wrapped gifts. My family’s red and white striped stockings had our names embroidered on them, and each year my brother and I would excitedly take them out of the Christmas decor box and hang each of them in their own special place. On Christmas morning, we ran toward our stockings of goodies first before opening our other gifts.

Now that I have my own home and Christmas decor to deck the halls, I’ve discovered I love to add details to stockings to incorporate them into my decor themes and to personalize them for each member of the family like I had as a child. Yes, even the dogs get their own stockings! These simple red and white stockings that I purchased from Hobby Lobby would fit perfectly with a variety of Christmas decor styles, and are simple enough to go with any personalization you choose.

While searching for inspiration for my own personalized stocking tags, I had seen several varieties of wooden name tags with the names written in beautiful calligraphy. Although I loved the look of those, I am not a calligrapher by any means and I wanted to create something with a similar wooden look myself.

Instead, on one of my many Hobby Lobby runs I stumbled upon and purchased these little wooden letters for $1.49. Unfortunately, the specific ones I used have been discontinued, but here are similar wooden letters for the same price.

To add some Christmas flair and dimension to the stocking tags, I found tiny Christmas floral stems with berries and pinecones. I also picked out some neutral, rustic-looking ribbon to attach to the top of the letters so they can hang from the stocking hooks.

To achieve a darker wooden look, I used some of the wood stain we had from other DIY projects (Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain in Dark Walnut). To apply, I dipped a small section of a rag into the stain and spread the stain over the front of each letter. To give the letters a more rustic look, I intentionally used a lighter hand with the rag so that some of the areas are uneven and unstained. If you are looking to make a tag with a pop of color, acrylic paints would work great with these letters as well.

When the stain was dry, I used a glue gun to attach the floral to the top of each letter. Since the floral stems have wire in them, they are easy to bend over the top of the letters and maneuver the stem down the back. It’s okay that the back looks unfinished and messy, the tags lay nicely against the stocking so only the front is seen.

Lastly, I added a small loop of ribbon to the top so that the completed letters could hang near the top of each stocking.

Now, each person and pup in the family has their own personalized stocking. These were so affordable and easy to make that it will be quick to add a fifth one for our Baby Boy next Christmas. I love how easy, functional, and cute these are!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy decking your own halls and stockings for the Holidays!

Elevate your Kitchen Decor with Risers

May 19, 2020November 3, 2021 decorandadoreLeave a comment

A kitchen can be one of the busiest rooms in your house: cooking, socializing, and often a central hub for family’s everyday essentials. So, for those with smaller kitchens like us, decorating kitchen surfaces isn’t the most practical way to go. We have some year round wall art, but that’s about it. I wanted some way to incorporate seasonal items in the kitchen, but how?!

I’ve had my eye on the popular tiered trays for a while, and I wanted to mimic some of the great seasonal decor inspiration that I’ve seen online. As I searched for the perfect tiered tray, I noticed they were all too wide or too tall for our kitchen counter space. I could hear my husband saying, “Honey, WHY is this necessary? This takes up too much room.” He would be right!

I was about to give up on finding the perfect counter space decor. Thankfully, during a Home Goods run, I stumbled upon a set of two wooden risers. PERFECT! These are such a great alternative to a tiered tray if your short on space. The ones I purchased have a diameter of about 9 inches, so they won’t take up too much room. I decided that one would be used for decor, the other for dish and hand soap.

Since it’s spring, adding a small eucalyptus plant to each riser was the perfect touch. On the decor riser, I also added a spring Rae Dunn candle. The other riser holds our hand soap and dish soap (in a cute dispenser of course). In the future, I can see myself using other candles, small wood signs or letters, florals, or a reed diffuser to change up items with the seasons.

I LOVE the look of these risers in our kitchen and how they provide a sophisticated, but functional space for seasonal decor and everyday items. My husband who cooks even approves, so it’s a win for everyone! I definitely plan to find more risers to use as centerpieces, on shelves, or as a focal point on other surfaces throughout our home.

Continue scrolling to view similar items for your own home.

Inspiration for Your Home

I hope this post gives you some inspiration to use risers or tiered trays in your kitchen and home. Who knew that adding a designated surface or two to a space could create so many possibilities for interchangeable decor?! Happy decorating!

Winter Home Tour

January 13, 2020January 16, 2020 decorandadore1 Comment

After the Christmas decor has gone away, our home seems a bit plain and our living room feels like it has gained lots of extra square footage with the absence of the Christmas tree. Since we live in Wisconsin, the winter months drag on well after the New Year. Here, warm weather doesn’t spring up until the end of April. Believe it or not, one year we got 12 inches of snow in May! CRAZY! So, the dilemma: I don’t want to leave my Christmas decor up past early January, and given our weather it doesn’t feel right to put up spring decor before late March. This is how I knew I needed to have another “season” of decor for our Wisconsin winters.

From a few Christmas clearance sales, I was able to get a variety of pine cones, flocked garlands, twinkle lights, and winter floral/greenery. I was also able to use a few of my current Christmas decor items since they are white and not exclusive to Christmas. My winter theme was coming together! The simplicity of the neutral colors with flocked greenery, pine cones to match the wood tones throughout our home, and a touch of light makes our home warm and cozy until the Wisconsin spring weather decides to arrive.

Keep reading to see how each room has been styled for winter!

Entryway
Welcome to our Home Sweet Home! On the front door hangs a wreath that I customized to take it from plain evergreen to neutral winter by using pieces from four floral stems that I took apart and arranged throughout the wreath.

Just inside the front door are hooks for guests to hang their belongings, but I also love to hang seasonal items from them as it adds to space. For winter, I chose to go simple and hung this floral basket from the center hook. On the other wall is a window frame where I hang seasonal wreaths throughout the year. I used a grapevine wreath and paired it with a thin frosted garland.

Basement
Our basement floating shelf is one of the main “mantle decor” areas in our home. On top of the shelf lies a garland with pine cones. On each side stands a flocked pine cone tree. From my Christmas decor, I kept the three wooden snowflakes as the focal point of the top shelf. Inside the shelves are two tin vases holding flocked greenery, with evergreen and pine cones surrounding some year-round decor pieces. The middle shelf belongs to my husband, as that is where he keeps his gaming system. For some reason, an Xbox is tricky to incorporate into seasonal decor! 🙂

Bedroom
I don’t know about you, but I want my bedroom to be the coziest room in the house! For Christmas, I had an evergreen garland with twinkle lights on top of our headboard. I LOVED having the soft glow of the twinkle lights on at night! I decided to keep the twinkle lights, but switched to a frosted garland with berries. On the night stands, I placed evergreen stems in tin vases beside each lamp.

Opposite the bed, I have two small trees on each side of the dresser. I debated putting these away after Christmas, but decided to keep them after removing the red Christmas ribbon. Along with the pine cone lighted garland, I added these wooden snowflake stems to add another touch of winter. On top of the dresser, I have small and large flocked trees to frame the TV.

One of my favorite wall decor pieces is this wall sconce that is hung beside our bed. For winter, I added frosted greenery and berries. I just love the simplicity of this!

Living Room
This is my FAVORITE room in the house to decorate! It’s where we spend most of our time and where we have our “feature” wall of shelves.

At the center of our shelves is a beautiful window frame with a wreath of flocked greenery and pine cones. The smaller shelves each have a vase of neutral pine cone floral, a small winter house, a small wreath, a white metal tree, and a candle sitting in a flocked wreath. I also used some candlesticks and copper orbs to add to look. The bottom shelf holds a simple garland. To match the garland to the rest of the decor, I added 6 flocked greenery stems, and several large pine cones throughout. I love adding elements to a wreath or garland as it allows you to customize it to the rest of your decor!

On our coffee table, I use a neutral table tray all year round. Around my bath and body works candle (currently burning Cranberry Woods – I’m obsessed), I use seasonal floral. Of course for winter, I used more flocked greenery and pine cones around the candle stand.

On our TV mantle, I kept the garland that I had up for our Christmas decor. I removed the ornaments, kept the lights (still loving that cozy glow), and added some pine cones. The wine bottle vases hold more of the neutral pine cone floral used on the feature wall.

Kitchen
Our kitchen is on the smaller side and it functions as a hub to keep our frequently used personal items, and of course the daily cooking space for my husband. Although there isn’t much room for decor in the kitchen, I try to have a few seasonal elements. Above each window hangs a frosted garland. To match, frosted floral is used in a white vase by the sink and plant stand on the island.

Thank you for touring our home this winter! After we thaw out from this Wisconsin winter, please stop by again to see what our cozy cape cod looks like for spring.

Christmas Bedroom Decor

November 20, 2019November 3, 2021 decorandadore2 Comments

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Yes, all the halls, including the bedroom! This season was the first time I decorated our bedroom for the holidays, and I am so glad I did! In the past, I’ve kept the bedroom decor more neutral year-round, but this year I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add more Christmas decor to our home. Having the holiday colors and lights in the bedroom gives it a cozier feel!

Our king headboard is a great staple bedroom piece. It’s a beautiful shade of beige that goes with everything. The tufted headboard also provides the perfect “ledge” to set garland on. In the garland, I wove some string fairy lights to give off a tiny amount of light. The soft glow that the lights create is so pretty that I may never want to take them down!

Headboard/Bed frame
Nightstands
Garland
Lights

I bought two different throw pillow covers to put over plain pillow inserts. The burgundy pillows are 20×20 and the snowflake pillow is 18×18. I prefer to buy pillow covers because they are easier to clean, interchangeable for every season or holiday, and easy to store when not on display. The burgundy covers are SO soft, and the snowflake cover is perfect for the Christmas and winter season!

Snowflake Pillow Cover
Burgundy Pillow Covers
Throw Pillow Inserts

On each nightstand, I have cute little trees that everyone has been loving from the Target Dollar Spot. Cute little Christmas trees for $3 each?! Yes, please! I also found two matching Rae Dunn signs – “Merry” and “Believe” – to sit beside the trees. It’s very simple, but I love how these items match the red from the throw pillows and stand out on the white nightstands.