Iris' Room

Iris broke her toddler bed several weeks ago.

Before the foot board broke.

She's long since outgrown it (I mean, she's the height of a six year old, sleeping on a crib mattress? Child, please) and I had been on the search for a decent (free) twin bed. At the same time, I'd been preparing myself for Asher transitioning into using the toddler bed. He is also outgrowing his crib (also it's one of those now-illegal drop-sided cribs. But even before they were "outlawed" his particular crib was in pretty poor shape... I'm shocked it's still usable right now and it will be promptly destroyed and set out for the curb as soon as possible).

Iris' current room, more or less.

Now, with the toddler bed broken (granted it's still usable- she only broke the foot board while playing on her bed like a jungle-gym. The sleeping part is still in tact. But it's ugly and broken) we can't pass that one down to Asher.  So now, instead of just one, we are in search of 2 decent (free) twin beds.

That pile of junk in the corner isn't there anymore...

And because we are upgrading both kids' beds, I translate that to mean I get to completely redo both kids' rooms!

New beds = all new sheets and bedding.
Bigger beds = furniture has to be rearranged (and, in Asher's case, big kid-ified altogether)

Those things are a given. What I'm also lumping in to this makeover is new paint and accessories.

I'm dreaming of vintage, shabby chic eclectic fun rooms (since everything we buy will have to be second hand). Kitschy kiddie cool. ( I would LOVE to be able to rip up the carpeting in her room- it is hideous! But we rent the house and redoing the floors in a house I don't own sounds like too much work.)

So I asked Iris what she wanted her new room to look like. She's getting older and one of the things I have to embrace that comes along with that is the fact that I cannot just do whatever I want to her stuff. She's got opinions, too.

She wants a princess room.

Gag.

I really don't like the princess thing that goes along with having a daughter (there is no avoiding the princess stuff. People will always buy a baby girl princess stuff). I was a bit of a tomboy myself, and I look forward to raising my daughter to be a strong woman. Not a snobby, spoiled, waiting-to-be-rescued princess.

But, it's her room. We can work with that. She wants princess, she'll get princess. But not Disney princess. We'll be going for a more vintage inspired princess.

Iris and I brainstormed together. I asked her what a princess room should look like. I wrote down her responses. This is her list:

• Beautiful
• Has a table with a mirror and stool
• Mirror is dark pink
• Wonderful
• Orange
• Purple
• Green
• Blue

Luckily the bed frame that I am taking from my mom and dad (my sisters old bed) fits in quite well with the princess idea: A cream colored metal daybed (whose shiny gold accents have already been spray painted a textured silver tone).
I've been scouring Craigslist in an effort to find a cheap vanity that we can princessify (and of course paint the mirror just the right shade of pink).
And I'm planning on replacing the drawer pulls on her yellow dresser to something a bit more royal. Something brushed nickel or jeweled.
I've also been on the hunt for some classy, cute-but-not-too-cute accents and accessories. Thank you Mary Graham for the inspiration to rip up some old children's books and frame the illustrations! This may be the only Disney aspect I allow: vintage princess illustrations from the 70s. Like these I found on Etsy (though I'm hoping maybe my parents already have some):

 I found other images on Etsy that would be really cute on the walls. One is a poster that was once used in a classroom (has a school stamp on the back apparently), the other is an illustration taken from a book from the 1920s or 30s:

Also found this banner that would be cute in front of a window. Very obviously princessy, though.

And, of course, what would a princess room be without a canopy over the bed? This one is from Ikea... I really don't want her to have an "Ikea Room" and her toy shelf is from Ikea, too... I think this is subtle and cute enough that it won't be entirely too obvious. Though I'm hesitant to add the canopy given Iris' penchant for using her room as her own personal jungle gym.

So, those are my ideas so far. Oh, and the walls are going to be some shade of purple, just around the windows, but I haven't decided what.

At some point, I'm going to have to start thinking about Asher's room too. That's for another post...