The playroom, so far

Over Christmas break we turned our spare bedroom downstairs into a playroom for Braxton. We don't have guests over often so the bed in there was only taking up space, we kept the computer in there, and then we used it for a catch all for our stuff. Extra, clean, clothes and towels, random toys that Braxton never played with, all of my shoes…it was borderline hoarding for no reason haha. I'm guilty of doing the whole Black Friday shopping thing. I'm not the crazy kind who forgets about Thanksgiving dinner and stands in lines for random stuff though. Anyways, this year after everyone was asleep and I was somehow wide awake at 11 pm I went to Walmart and found a play kitchen for only $50. Best Christmas present ever for Braxton because he's really getting into pretend play and cooking. When Brian saw it the next day the first thing he asked was "where the hell are we going to put that?" and that was the start of the idea of a playroom.  It didn't take long to clean out really because the room is pretty small so that was kind of easy. Finding the time in between two children was the difficult part but it got done.

I wanted to have a space downstairs that was just for him, where he could hang out, feel comfortable, and have fun. Oh, and somewhere where I could just throw his toys into and close the door in case I needed to. Mom cleaning, right? I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on it because who realistically has loads of extra money hanging around after the holidays? Yeah, not us. I reused a canopy and the crib mattress for a little comfy spot. I saw something similar on Pinterest ages ago and I thought it was really cute. I didn't want much of a theme because I wanted to stay on a budget (themes can get very expensive for a detail oriented person) and because a 3 year old likes what he likes. Hence the Monster's University pillow, his choice. I had been wanting a $19.99 table and chairs set from IKEA for the longest time for him but there's no IKEA anywhere close to us, of course. I'm really cheap with shipping costs, I hate paying too much, but finally I decided to just give in and pay the $15 shipping. I added a $19.99 rug from there as well to make me feel a little better for how much I was paying for shipping. I was making it worth it haha.

Braxton refuses to keep the crayons in the designated cup. 

 Upstairs in his room we have a Martha Stewart storage cubicle that I love so I wanted to get another for the playroom. It's at Home Depot and it's only $46 which isn't too bad. The quality is pretty good considering the price. The fabric bins are only about $5 each. Storage is huge when it comes to toys. Each bin has it's own purpose which really helps during clean up time. One bin has all of his cars, another has all the play food/pots and pans for the kitchen in it, there's all the small toys like Little people and stuff in one, and then for the other it's Play-Doh/coloring books/etc. Braxton pays attention to what goes where and he does help…by putting things in one, by one, oh so slowly of course. He has loads of books upstairs (including a pretty awesome vintage Dr. Seuss collection) but we brought down a few favorites to read on a rainy day…under the cozy canopy of course. We love our Melissa and Doug toys, and I love how both Braxton and Ava can both play with them and that they will last. That cat piano was also a Christmas gift this year and after about 15 minutes it would drive anyone crazy, same with the dog guitar. The cubicle is perfect for all of that stuff.

While I was at Home Depot picking that up I bought some chalk board paint. It was under $10 and I thought it could be fun. Brian usually does all of the painting projects in the house but this time I wanted to do it, just so I could say that I finally painted. (And so I wouldn't have to wait weeks so he could "find the time" to get to it.) I decided instead of doing a full wall to just do the chimney. I'm so glad that I did because I think it looks awesome. One night after Braxton and Ava were asleep I did the first coat. It took maybe about 30 minutes which included taping it off, edging with a brush, and rolling the paint on. You're supposed to wait 4 hours until doing the next coat so I waited until the next night to do the final coat. After that's done you have to wait 3 days to condition it with chalk but I have to tell you, make sure you buy a lot of chalk to do that. I went through almost a full box of 12 sticks just doing that. Now that we can write on it Braxton thinks it's so neat. Here's to hoping it doesn't encourage writing on the other walls haha It was so much easier than I thought and after I was done I was ready to paint everything chalk board.

Since the house is old we have old light fixtures in some rooms. Hanging from the light fixture is a Logitech UE BOOM speaker. It's wireless and it's great for music in the playroom. 

Now I'm not completely done with the playroom and I'm not quite sure what I'll do next but I thought it would be nice to give a little peek so far. I need a few more ideas with storage for the bigger toys. Braxton is a climber so I need something that can't be used as a climbing device. Boys, right? 

That banner was part of a birthday banner that was made for Braxton's party this year. My lovely friend makes great banners and other festive things, check her out!

Please excuse the eye sore that is my husband's junk. He thinks he should have a corner in there for his guitar stuff.