Our finished kidspace- I'm hooked

You may recall my post a few months back about our lackluster basement and my dreams to transform the finished part into a fun place for the young ones-- and hopefully a creative, cozy and imagination-inspiring place to homeschool in a few years.

A lot of time has passed for how much work went into it (not a whole lot on my part), but I can now say that I enjoy the atmosphere down there. And it was completed on a budget of less than $250- including fabrics, sewing supplies (it's been a while), wood, closet doors, the easel ($25 at Ikea), the map rug ($20 at Ikea), lighting and any accessories or tools I had to have along the way-- for the kids. I was going to get the map poster framed, but then I found out how expensive that is-- even the cheapest, most basic black scraps of debris. Heck no.

It shall never look like this again.


A little boy and his vehicles could get lost on this rug. Jack has to take his socks off in the "water," and if you ever come to visit, you'll be asked to do the same.


Mike added the innovative little shelf between the pole and wall. Breaks up the space nicely. That sweet pillow case with the sewn bike and sun? $1.00.

I had forgotten we even had these neat stackable containers from Ikea- now being used to store crayons and number magnets, etc.


I couldn't justify getting rid of that Albrecht Dürer bunny print from my parents' old house. I had never really paid any mind to the quote at the bottom, but after hanging it there, I thought it an appropriate place for it, as the quote reads: "THE ARTIST NEEDS BUT A ROOF, A CRUST OF BREAD AD HIS EASEL, AND ALL THE REST GOD GIVES HIM IN ABUNDANCE. HE MUST LIVE TO PAINT AND NOT PAINT TO LIVE..." (Albert Pinkham Ryder)
I love the warm ambiance in this corner. The kids like just the paper lantern on and nothing else. I can see little people in a tent down there in years to come-- with some Christmas lights strewn about.


I reupholstered a worn, yucky ottoman in some fun fabric- a much simpler task than I had built up in my mind.


These fantastic flash cards- I scored at a thrift store for 50 cents. They worked perfectly with the colors down there, though I think it drives Mike crazy that they're aligned asymmetrically. The old white bookshelves that were left by some old apartment tenants when we first got married were transformed with some raisin-colored paint and some leftover paint from another project for the shelf backing. I have to add that when I brought home the paint and Mike asked what it was for, he made a face of disbelief or doubt or disgust-- something not encouraging (he may remember otherwise), but once the shelves were completed, he commented how nice they looked-- a shocking confession. And he was right.

Here's a closer-look at the valance-- previously a metallic-y pink beaut.


The kitchen area feels a little homier now. That African print junks up the scene a bit, but I like it. It was a gift from a friend who went there as a missionary.


That cute old doll highchair was my mom's when she was little. The wooden table and chairs were mine and my sister's (as were the kitchen and all of the food and accessories). The shelf, another freebie, I painted with old dining room paint.



The green doors were another aspect of the room that received a look from my dh. They've been this way for months now, and I still like them. Is anyone with me? Anyone?


I'll even show you inside the closet. Mike installed bi-fold doors to hide this neat alcove, where the kids will no doubt be engrossed in a few years-- with games and whatnot. Who do you think came up with (and executed) this idea? (computer programmer husband). A nice homeschooling addition too.


Ta-da!

I was hoping to get a mural or two before I turned it over to the blog, but I've done all I care to for the next several months. I still plan on it-- maybe just something in black, similar to the Shel Silverstein ones in the examples in my first post, only smaller in scale.
I'm so thankful to Mike for all of his help down there. Every request I made for the room, he was right on it, sawing boards, fixing loose chairs, screwing screws, etc. Thank you, my sweet!

The subjects approved.






Now that you've come to the end of this ridiculously long post (18 PHOTOS-- WHAT WAS I THINKING?! A confession: I started this a few days ago), go check out Disney's Haunted Mansion and other "hooks" at Julia's Hooked on Friday's blog party.