Getting those artistic juices flowing!

In an attempt to indulge my artistic side I've been focusing on decorating Livylu's room.  After Christmas we moved her into her 'big' girl room.  I wanted to make sure that we did this well before the arrival of baby Marshmallow so that she didn't feel as though she was being pushed out and replaced.  I've been doing a lot of reading on how the introduction of a new baby can affect an older sibling and want to do as much as possible to make this a positive experience for Livylu.  But more on that later!

The boring part of wallpaper stripping, painting, furniture sanding and painting took ages to do, mostly because I kept putting it off.  New carpet was added and a super duper new bed purchased.. and the entire time all I could think about was blinds and duvet covers and wall art!  Finally I get to let myself loose.

Ikea is amazing.  I found some fantastic lampshades there, a fun net canopy and useful baskets there.  I'm a sucker for a bargain and HomeSense  (an affiliate of TKMaxx or TJMaxx if you're Stateside) came up trumps in the bedlinen department!  I found a beautiful Cath Kidston duvet cover for a fraction of the price.  Somehow it still takes second place in my daughter's eyes to the heinously pink Hello Kitty duvet cover that my husband brought home as a surprise.

I'm still trying to get the accessories and wall decorations right.  I find Pottery Barn Kids to be a fantastic source of inspiration, although I could never justify paying those prices! I especially like the Cherry Blossom ArtI'm hoping to have Livylu help me to paint a large canvas to hang on the wall over the fireplace using this as an inspirational starting point.  I think that seeing her artwork on the wall will give her a great sense of accomplishment and pride in her work.  My wonderful friend and writer of the FoxyMilk blog framed a picture Livylu drew during one of our visits.  Nothing fancy, just a white frame with a white matt, but it looks amazing!  I'm hoping to hang a collection of them together on the wall, Livylu's own little art gallery!

My newest contribution was hung last night, home made bunting.  Considering that my sewing skills are rudimentary at the best, I'm very pleased with my accomplishment!  I purchased some fantastic fabric offcuts on ebay(the patterns are gorgeous, this picture doesn't do them justice!)  and followed some instructions found online and voila! Fun, festive bunting!  Terribly easy and wonderfully effective!

One thing I'm still searching for is a large white wall mirror to hang over the dresser.  I have an idea in my head of exactly what I'm looking for but thus far have yet to find something within my price range.  I'll continue my quest for the illusive mirror and perhaps find something completely different and much better in the process, here's for Sunday optimism!

Another idea I'm considering is hanging cork board on the wall under the bunting.  I like the idea of having a place to display Livylu's newest artwork but I'm not sure how I feel about thumbtacks in a 4 year old's bedroom.  Perhaps I'll hold off for a few years!