It's taken us a few weeks... But today I'm proud - and relieved - to proclaim The Boy's bedroom renovation project complete! Joy of joys!
If I go back and peruse our original wish list, I think we managed to stick to the plan pretty much. We kept the whole thing relatively inexpensive. We used a lot of stuff we already had kickin' around. And we kept it reasonably simple. All in all, a success I think.
Want a look-see? Okay, let's head on in!
When I say we kept it inexpensive, we did. We kept the bed, the dresser, the rug, the shelves, the overhead light fixture, the pouf, the old red cushion, the tall cabinet. We also used other stuff we already had: the aquarium stand, the study chair, the quilt, the other cushion, and all the storage containers.
That's not to say we didn't splurge on a few things. We did. Like all the paint and the supplies for the roman blind, for example. And I also bought a simple white duvet cover. I know. I could have made one easy. But I decided instead to give myself a break and buy one. Sometimes, it's nice to treat yourself, you know? And I supported a local linen shop in the process, so it's all good. We also bought two light fixtures for focussed lighting: one for the head of the bed - The Boy reads every night - and one for his new "study".
Also, several months ago Lo surprised The Boy with a poster he ordered online. It's a large, divided Tintin and Snowy poster and it's quite quite lovely. When it arrived, we ooo-eh and aww-ed, and then we put it back in the box and never put it up. Aren't we awful? Finally, the thing has come out of hiding, and it's found a place on the wall. Feelin' a little better about that now, eep.
As I take a look around, I'm a little aghast at all the stuff we've made in this room. Besides the desk, the shelf brackets, the refurbished fish stand, the blind, the cushions, and the brown dresser made by Lo's great-grandpa, many other projects in this room are also handmade.
Lo, The Boy and I made the black and orange airplanes that hover above the dresser. Hanging on the walls are a few of the pretty paper airplane garlands I made for The Boy a couple years back. Sitting on the dresser is the wooden tower crane The Boy and I constructed together last summer.
You may well know that the bed quilt is my very own "City Streets". Also, the denim pouf is a popular tutorial here on Michele Made Me from back in 2011. Two summers ago, The Boy and I put together the small woven sun wall-hanging. The denim chair cushion in the closet-study is my very first Shop project (which, by the way, is still available as a PDF downloadable template/tutorial right here)!
It's interesting really... To think of all that time spent making all those things... What an investment of energy! But over time, you really don't notice it. You just enjoy the moment, you know? Still, I sometimes ask myself why I make stuff. I look around at our Boy's simple bedroom - now complete - and I see all these projects at work. And actually, I'm proud. One answer to that why-I-make-stuff question becomes obvious. I make things to bring a little of myself to this earthly place. To leave my mark here. And to make it home.
That's a good enough reason, I think.
♥M
