Playroom

The past couple of weeks, I have been working on a playroom for the girls. I never thought we'd have a designated playroom because our house is so small. But the older Eloise got, the more clear it became that the nursery was a waste of space...a cute one, but a waste none the less. We cosleep at night and Eloise often naps in her swing, so she was using her crib about three hours a week...or less. The only thing I use the nursery for is diaper changes. Meanwhile, toys were taking over our little house, and I was frustrated with the lack of a designated safe place to play.

[This change comes just a few weeks after I redid our dining room. I'm awakening to the fact that half my family is comprised of children, and my house should reflect that, rather than hiding it :) I'm still love to decorate, but I want family-functional rooms.]

So I sent out an email saying I was selling our nursery furniture and bedding. The furniture was sold to a client within an hour. I'm about to put the bedding on Craigslist. We bought Eloise a very inexpensive Ikea crib that matches Marlee's bunkbeds and put it in Marlee's room. We debated even doing this. I was just going to use our Pack N Play for a few months until we can put E in a bed, but it's so darn uncomfortable! The crib converts to a toddler bed, which may or may not come in handy. I have a feeling the girls will end up sharing the bottom bunk for a while...they love the sleep together.

A trip to the antique store, one to Ikea, and one to pick up a Craigslist find, and I had some pieces for our new playroom. It's about halfway done now. The girl's room now holds only books--no toys. It's a space for relaxing and sleeping. The playroom is an organized fun zone. I think it's going to work out well for us! I need to do a bit more storage-wise, and I plan to paint it a cheery color and make some curtains.

Oh, and the playroom is now home to all my "toys," my sewing and craft stuff!

Here are a couple of pictures of the room in progress. I'll be sure to post more when it's completely finished!