As if I don’t have enough to do all ready

As if my plate isn’t all ready filled…with the end of summer…the restocking of my shop…living with an active 18-month old…

I have decided that I need to reclaim some of the “Adult space” in my house – right now there are toys ALL of the floors ALL throughout my home. Sure, it’s fun. Sure, Layla seems to seamlessly travel from one creative thought to the next. Sure, we put the toys to bed every night (almost). But it sure does drive me crazy to see the bomb of play exploded everywhere I look. And the more I think about it, the more I am reminded of the other homes I’ve been in with little children…most have the same creative chaos. But something must be done.

Layla has a beautiful nursery upstairs. The colors of the walls are the same as when we moved in (I was pregnant and didn’t want to add another painting project to the list). It is cute, with animals I painted on the walls…a project I never did finish. But, I have decided that, having a crib she never uses, in a room we are hardly in is craziness. This is my new, big, project. This week, little by little I have begun the process of organizing and excavating. I have all the ideas in my head and I am super excited to make the room a character with the spirit of my little girl. I want the room to have a personality as much as its owner. Sure the walls are going to be white – yes, white – but there will be color splashed EVERYWHERE throughout. Many of the things are going to be repurposed – a limited budget that needs to accomplish a great many things.

I want the room to have nooks, corners, and playful experimentation stations. I want as much of it to be as interactive as possible – and I would like the room to promote independence in exploration of idea, dreams, and designs. Something wordy, something scientific, something dramatic, something artsy, something peaceful – a comfortable place to be one with the room and to be inspired by the room (A tall order for an 140 square feet).
So, over the coming weeks you will be privy to a make-over adventure. Some ideas will work; some will be a work in progress; and others will work themselves out. Grab a cup of hot tea and meander a while with me and the child within…an exploration of functional design and learning through play.

Oh yeah….and the color palette: This is the first quilt I ever made (these are the fabric swatches on the wall) – when Layla was a baby she would curiously explore and play with the swatches of fabric…when she could stand she would pull them off the wall and put them back on the wall…when I finished the quilt she was incredibly fascinated with the colors and patterns. When I first opened it up to show my husband a huge smile appeared on her face and she got all giddy. She reacts the same way (a year later) when I open this quilt for her. Originally I had intended to sell it on my shop….but after seeing her reaction, time and time again, there was no way I could part with this endearing combination of colors and patterns. And so now, it is the inspiration for her room…and at the core of its character.