Margo's Big Girl Room in Full Bloom!

Margo’s big girl room was a lot of fun to put together and I really wanted to make it special for her, especially with a new little brother coming onto the scene soon. I was lucky enough to receive custom made twin beds with applique'd bows on the head and foot boards that were my nieces, as well as some beautiful custom made bedding that my sister literally never used on them. While I felt a bit challenged with colors that were not in the pink palette, I was so excited to have such beautiful and luxurious things to work with.

I wanted to find some art that would compliment the bedding and that would have a young, fun feel to it. “You are my Sunshine” being my signature song for Margo, I began my search within that theme and landed upon some precious pictures from my favorite, etsy.com, artist here. The artist customized them for me a bit and I think they look absolutely perfect, bright and fun with the bedding! Margo loves them too, especially the blue birdie.

Next on our project list was refinishing the dresser and mirror that goes back to my oldest sister’s childhood furniture. It is a great solid brand, Drexel Heritage, and I loved the curves and lines of it. I thought it would be a real shame to let it go to waste, but did not like the old finish with the painted on decorations, so the uncrafty and unhandy pair of us got to work. My mom had previously mentioned chalk paint to me and then I read about it on another blog. This is a product that claims to require no sanding, stripping, priming, etc… That is right down my alley and despite the extra cost of the paint, it was much more cost effective than paying a professional to refinish the furniture.

Before

 We started with the clean piece of furniture and worked for a few hours a night. It took about a week to complete. We did two coats of Annie Sloan’s chalk paint that we purchased in New Braunfels with a free little tutorial from the sweet store owners. After the first coat, I was a bit panicked. The brush strokes were very obvious and I was not getting the smooth look that I wanted. I switched from Annie Sloan’s pricey brush to a regular wide natural bristle brush from Home Depot for the second coat. This was easier to use and gave the look I wanted, plus the second coat just made a big difference. The next step was distressing a little on the edges and cleaning things up before we put on the signature clear wax coating which seals everything in. I painted and Cary waxed because the wax is more toxic and requires more muscle to apply. Here, we ran into a snafu… you are supposed to use a soft, clean cloth to buff the wax until it is no longer tacky feeling. The shirt I gave Cary to use had lint on it, which got stuck in the wax. He tried to buff it out with no success, I freaked out and we decided to add another coat of paint. Too bad, I think it looked better before the third coat of paint, but it worked to cover the lint and Cary finished the project the next night with a lint free t-shirt!

After

 I would say that being seven months pregnant and sleep deprived from insomnia, this was a tough yet easy project at the same time. For the amount we spent on paint ($100), it turned out incredibly beautiful and I am really pleased! My family said it looked like a piece you could buy at Doodles or Nest and Cot for over a $1000. We will see how it holds up. I hope Annie Sloan’s chalk paint lives up to its name. I would definitely recommend it and use it again after this experience and I am proud of us for trying something new and challenging!

I also had Margo go and pick out a little Christmas tree for her room and she knew exactly what she wanted… the metallic aqua blue tree. We had a little argument over the star because she wanted a clashing bright green, but she settled on the silver one once I pointed it out among many others. She picked the silver skirt and then I left it in the car for her to forget. Margo’s GiGi got it all decorated for her before the unveiling of her big girl room! Needless to say, she loved everything and was very excited when we brought her in. She was looking all around at everything grinning from ear to ear! The transition to her big girl bed has been so easy and she is so proud of her vintage Sesame Street sheets and her new stuffed animals to accompany her in bed. One room down… now the nursery to go and I have my work cut out!! I hope our little sweetheart will enjoy her pretty room for many years to come!