Amy J. Bennett

It’s been nearly a month since I updated you on progress in the girls’ rooms post-water leak.

We left off the week before we went on vacation. It feels like an eternity.

We were trying to get the painting done so we could have the carpet replaced before we left.  We ended up very last minute getting the popcorn ceiling removed (totally worth it).   

However, that pushed the carpet installation until after we got back from vacation.

So, after we got back from vacation, the white board had cured, the carpet got installed and finally, we were able to start putting the room together.

Over the July 4th holiday, Scott installed the new closet system. 

 

If you just even KNEW what this closet looked like before the water leak, you would be so impressed.  The whole reason the water leak had gotten bad is because you couldn’t see it for all the clothes and stuffed animals in there.

The stuffed animals have moved to Lexi’s room and we really cleared out Emma’s clothes.

Tip: paint your closet walls.  My mom insists it makes the biggest difference and it really does.  It makes the room feel bigger and the closet more “done”.  I really regret not painting our master closet. 

Emma doesn’t need it all this closet storage now but it will be great for her as she grows and I think will be great for resale value.

Once we got the closet settled, we put the bed and dresser in.

The last big piece was something to hold all her school stuff. 

She’s currently obsessed with all things teacher-related. She has notebooks and binders and papers and pens and textbooks. She needed a serious storage system.

As soon as I saw these bookcases on The Pleated Poppy I just knew they were perfect for Emma’s room.

 

 

So, I bought the crates and then stained and painted them like she did but we ended up with a different configuration so we could put a top on them and use it for more steady desk space.

It’s still in-process, but this is how the room is looking now.

I’m telling you, there’s no way I could have organized the school stuff without my mom.  I’m admittedly horrible at organizing and we had four big moving boxes full of stuff from their previous room that just about did me in at just the thought of unpacking.  

My family was over for Scott’s birthday dinner this past Sunday and Mom stayed over to help empty every single bit of it.  Left up to me, it all would have been trashed or in unorganized piles.

 

One thing to note in the pictures above are the bins under Emma’s bed. 

The shoe system we had in the closet before was just not working.  The shoes rarely made it into the closet and then it was like torture getting them to actually put the shoes on the shelving.

So, we bought two plastic bins that slide under her bed and neatly arranged the shoes in there.  It’s been working beautifully for Emma to be able to throw them in and hide it under her bed.

Emma loves the white board but admits it’s hard to erase.  I wish we would have done more sanding of the wall before we painted anything to give it a smoother surface.  Still, it’s a ton of fun.  We had a family game of hangman just the other night.

We have a lot more decorating to do. In fact, I’ve already been painting to get rid of all the black stuff in the picture above.

 

I’m hoping to hang a few things above the bookcase, add something cute above her bed and call it done!

 

Meanwhile, we’ve started the heavy-lifting changes in Lexi’s room. 

Here’s the inspiration picture for Lexi’s room:

Isn’t that so cute? As you can see, it’s a big task for Scott. 

He worked on it all weekend, even working on Sunday on his birthday, while I painted the walls.  Isn’t he the best?

This is where it stands today:

Lexi’s main goal is to make it like a jungle—as long as there are animals involved, she’s happy (note the rabbit she added to the tree house already). 

She wants to add these leaves that you get at IKEA and possibly paint some grass near the floor.

We’re working on more bookcases for her too.

Oh, and we added a reading nook in her closet including a rope ladder that I’ll have to photograph when we do another update for her room.

 

Whew.  So. Can you tell I’ve been painting a lot? Organizing a lot?  Going crazy a lot?

And did I mention our regular house cleaner has been having family issues and hasn’t come in a month?

While redecorating has been a ton of fun, this summer has felt totally off-kilter with these two makeovers thrown in unexpectedly. But make no mistake, I love the process.

I’m hoping everything will be back together before school next month and I’ll be back to update you on the progress then!