Tips for Tuesday
Somehow, this has turned out to be the year for DIY projects here at the Koster homestead, which is interesting since for me it has been a year of health issues as well. It all began innocently enough with my husband Bob wanting to put a fire pit in the back yard. It turned out fabulous, but was one of those 2-week projects that ended up taking 2 months! Then we found out I am allergic to dust, so replacing the carpet with hardwood flooring was in our future.
If you really want to de-clutter your household, I recommend replacing your flooring because EVERYTHING needs to be moved. We had talked about fixing up the basement bedroom into a playroom for my grandsons, and it made perfect sense to tackle this project before the floors so we could have a place for the toys that seemed to manifest themselves in every room.
If you really want to de-clutter your household, I recommend replacing your flooring because EVERYTHING needs to be moved. We had talked about fixing up the basement bedroom into a playroom for my grandsons, and it made perfect sense to tackle this project before the floors so we could have a place for the toys that seemed to manifest themselves in every room.
Here are Dude and Bubba in the (almost) finished room. The wall stickers came from a clearance rack and the balls hanging from the ceiling were discoved at a garage sale for just 25 cents total!
A side note: If you are about to become empty-nesters I would highly recommend insisting that ALL possessions be taken out of the nest as well, rather than taking the 10% that is wanted and leaving the 90% for you to clear out. Just sayin'. We spent A LOT of time just digging out to find the floor!
We had an old piece of carpet just lying on the cement floor, so once we dug down that far the first order of business was to get rid of that. We cut it in strips about 3 feet wide so it would be easier to manage. Once the carpet was out of the way, we gave the walls a fresh coat of paint. I decided to go with white because I'd like to reserve a wall for a growth-chart, not only marking height, but handprints as well.
One of the features we decided to keep was the shelving, so we removed them to paint and then put them back up later. I even found a fourth shelf in another part of the basement, giving us a nice low shelf that little boys can reach. Bob put in grids for the ceiling, with the tiles to follow later.
One of the smaller walls was dedicated to a chalk board. Since the boys are both less than 3 feet tall, I brought it all the way down to the floor and made it as high as I could comfortably reach since you're never too old for a chalk board!
After making the wall as smooth as possible and applying a base coat of white paint, I purchased chalk board paint at a home improvement store and followed the instructions on the box. It comes in a lot of different colors, but I went with black because I didn't want the boys getting the mistaken idea that they can write on just any wall! While I love the look of a new black chalk board, unfortunately if you don't "season" it by rubbing chalk all over it and then erasing the board, whatever you write will be there forever. I used a big stick of sidewalk chalk, which made it go much easier and quicker.
Here is the "corral"! Bubba is in the foreground riding the pony I bought for his mama on her first birthday. Dude is astride a horse we'd been given by friends whose children had outgrown it.
Here's a coat rack that I had for my children when they were little. The boys love to wear hats, so this made a perfect hat rack! (The kneeling pad is for Grandma, because the peel-and-stick floor we put in doesn't have any cushion for her aging knees!)
I was fortunate to find two road map rugs very inexpensively at garage sales this summer. It's the perfect throw rug because Dude is just now getting interested in driving cars and trucks, which I saved from when "Uncle" was a little boy. (And according to the boys, if it comes from "Uncle", it must be good stuff!) In the corner is a container for the cars which is always empty because the only thing more fun than playing with cars is dumping them out of the container grandma would like them to be in!
This teepee (peep-peep according to the boys) is a hand-me-down from "Uncle" and one of their favorite places to hang out.
Another hand-me-down is this barn Papa made when our kids were little. For now it resides in the second bed frame since only one of the boys is even close to big enough for a twin bed.
I adjusted the shelves so I could maximize the space. The top shelf is all Legos, and Papa can't wait until the boys are big enough to start playing with him them! Right now they're training with Duplos which are on the floor below.
I also have a TV that only plays videos, and a friend who graciously lent me some of her tapes so I don't have to watch the same two Veggie Tales tapes over and over (and over and over...)
Here you can see what the shelves look like when the toys are picked up. Good thing I took a picture because I may never see it like this again! Which really is the point of this room. The boys can play and we don't have to pick everything up all the time because it's no longer covering my living room floor.
Lisa
I've been known to link up with: Living Proverbs 31, Soli Deo Gloria, Inspire Me Monday, Titus 2sdays, Tell Me a Story, Teach Me Tuesdays, Courtship Connection, Into the Beautiful, God Bumps & God Incidences, Word-Filled Wednesday, Winsome Wednesday, Simply Helping Him, Weekend Whatever, Spiritual Sundays, True Vine Challenge, Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday, The Beauty in His Grip, Playdates With God, Inspire, Thrive at Home, Knick of Time, Hope in Every Season, Funky Junk Interiors, Frugal Friday, Inspire Me Please, Feathered Nest Friday, What Have You Redone, Home Sweet Home, Thrifty Things Friday, DIY Sunday Showcase , Think Pink Sundays,
What a great playroom! I think every Grandparent should have one...me included! I too have toys all over my living room! Thanks for sharing at TTF!
What a great space.
Sherry