WW: DIY Embellished Towel

From Krakow to the Big Island

I bet you're curious how I attached all of these awesome maps around my boys' bedroom, aren't you? Yeah, it's something to lose sleep over, really! 

I did spend a few days wondering what the best approach would be. Staples--too many holes in the wall. Tape--too tedious, not to mention difficult to remove. Poster putty--too easy for little boys to take off the walls. Mod Podge--might have been the smoothest and easiest to work with, but I only had about 6 ounces on hand and didn't want to invest in gallons of the stuff. I also haven't worked with Mod Podge enough to know how easy/difficult it would be to remove. Wallpaper paste--too expensive and very difficult to remove.

 So that left.... flour paste!

Yup! I mixed flour and water until I had a consistency like pancake batter. Then I just painted it on the wall in sections. 

Oh, look! I never painted around the door!


I only had whole wheat flour on hand and I think white would have been better. The high gluten content made my paste a little bumpy. It dried pretty smooth though, so all's well that ends well!

It was pretty simple: paint the wall, smooth the map on the wall. The wrinkles worried me, but most of them disappeared when the flour paste dried. The extra paste was easy to wipe up when it was wet, and any extra can be wiped off the wall, though it takes a little scrubbing. Several corners have been pulled off by curious little guys, but a little paste puts it right back on. I'm not sure what a real removal would be like--I don't know if you can salvage and reuse the maps, or if they rip and tear. Time will tell!

We were given a huge variety of maps, mostly from National Geographic. There are state maps, country maps, topographic maps. There are recent ones and ones that show the USSR, as well as historical maps of the United States.

I slightly overlapped the edges and corners of the maps. I wanted the display to look like it grew over time, as well as hiding corners from small fingers! 

I lined edges up with the door and window trim and cut a hole for the light switch.

I staggered the height of the maps and tried to mix the subjects. I also kept the top and bottom edges random.

I wrapped maps around the corners. I made sure there was a recent US map at eye level for my boys to learn the states!

I tried to keep the "stuff" on the walls to a minimum. I love that the colors of the maps go so well with the room and they really helped tone down that John Deere green!

In the closet, I only did maps below the shelf, but put them all the way to the baseboards because had didn't paint the closet beforehand. I think it makes a fun wallpaper behind the boys' bright dressers!

So there you have it! From the Great Lakes Region to Alaska, from the Canadian Provinces to Africa, from the Holy Land to the Civil War, from Krakow to Hawaii!

So there you have it! Did you know you could hang papers on the wall with a paste made of flour?





Thank you to Amanda at Serenity Now for featuring my boys' room tour! If you missed it, here's the link to that post. 

Have a groovy Tuesday!

Inspiration Files: Advent Calendars

I can't believe it's less than two weeks till Christmas! I'm certainly not ready this year. I still have gifts to make and a tree to decorate. But I'm a procrastinator at heart, so it's all good. 

After showing you our Advent Calendar for this Christmas I realized that I had tons of other ideas floating around in my inspiration files on my computer. Do you do that? The problem I have is spending all of my time looking and not doing. It's so fun to look and surf and even save the pictures that inspire me, but then all my time to actually DO something is gone and I'm in a last-minute panic. Oy vey.

Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and post these Advent Calendars and Christmas Countdowns because I want a place to come and find them next, say, June, so I have time to put one together. 

So many fun ideas, so little time! 

Christmas ornament advent by Life as a Thrifter

Shoe organizer countdown at Eighteen25

Farmhouse Advent Calendar by OhHelloMagpie on Etsy

Countdown boxes by Polka Stripe Studio on Etsy

Christmas Countdown by SewUnique55 on Etsy

Modern Christmas Tree by threegeese on Etsy

 A new ornament each day by Pottery Barn

Goodies in buckets by Pottery Barn

Ornament Advent by Pottery Barn

Candle Countdown by The Yellow Cape Cod

Decorate or undecorate a small tree by Martha Stewart

Surprises in baby socks by Martha Stewart

Are you counting the days till Christmas? Any other procrastinators out there who haven't decorated their houses or finished shopping or making gifts? Anyone?

Travel Themed Boy Room

Hello friend! Guess what?! I'm finally done with my boys' room! One little project this week was all it took. I don't know why I do that to myself--it's been almost done for over a month. Oh well. Come on in, I'll show you around!

No, that little guy doesn't live in here. He's still in his amazing nursery that I puffy-heart-LOVE!  

Under the loft bed (plans by Ana White, and more info about the build last March here and here) is a super-fun play space, but first let's go up on the ladder and take a peek.

Isn't this a fun and cozy space for a little guy? 

Ok, now let's check out the area under the loft bed. Notice the staged littles playing so nicely for half a second? Aw... No, really, in all seriousness, they love their room. I love it too--bright colors, awesome maps, fun beds, lots of toys and room to play! 

Yup, they're cute! 

The toy bin is from Target, as is the striped rug. The red bean bag is from Aldi (a discount grocery) and I wish I had gotten the blue one too. Oh well!

Here's another view without the littles. I put the US map right here at their level so I can start teaching them the states. My oldest knows where Iowa is, as well as Washington and California!

The boys painted the bird houses and I thought this was a fun way to display them.

If you look up from under the bed, you'll see how we cheat at making the beds! We don't use a top sheet, just their awesome jean quilts and an additional blanket for the winter. The quilts are a standard twin size, but instead of tucking some under the bottom and on both sides, we wrap the quilts lengthwise around the mattress. Hmmm. Clear as mud? Well, pretend the mattress is a hot dog and the quilt is the bun. Any clearer? In any case, that leaves the under side of the mattress covered by the quilt too, which is so much nicer to look at and SO much easier when making the bed.

So where does the other kiddo sleep? Across the room! We chose to have the underside of the loft bed be a play space while this bed resides against the opposite wall. 

Is it just me, or are the maps really stinking cool? It is just me? Oh. 

Little cutie #2 wanted to show you where he sleeps. He wouldn't hold still for a second, but that's ok.

Behind Cutie # 2 is the painted drop cloth turned faux roman shade that I made. I really need to glue on another blue stripe on each side, don't I? Yeah, I do. I'll get right on that. 

To go along with the travel theme, and because like all little boys, mine love all things that go, there are two airplanes suspended in front of the window.

On either side of the window is a small bookshelf for more treasures. Up high are the books my husband and I had when we were little, some pictures and a plant. 

Toys and stuffed animals go on the lower shelves. These shelves are a hand-me-down from my Dad for my first house, but I think they're originally from Pier 1.

Did you have a red tricycle when you were little? I remember getting one for Christmas when I was 4. I road it all over the house, just like my boys ride this one! (Thanks so much, Noelle!) Another of their favorite toys is the barn in the background (thanks, Aunt Sharon & Uncle Gale), and of course all of the John Deere tractors (thank you, Grandparents!). 

True story: When I picked this color I was going for a vibrant kelly green. {It's called 'deep rhubarb leaf' and it's by ColorPlace which is Walmart's paint. I'm very pleased with the quality and coverage.} I wasn't thrilled when I painted this room and felt like I was in a John Deere factory! The color calmed down once I added the maps to the wall, and I've come to feel it's quite appropriate given my boys' affinity for all things John Deere! We do live in John Deere country, after all!

Next up is the closet. I decided to leave the closet doors off. For one thing, it makes the room seem bigger. I also couldn't figure out where to put the dressers! I love them in the closet, but it would be better with a light inside. I also tried to keep everything except church clothes in the dressers. Anything too small, too big or out of season goes in the bins on top.

I painted these dressers before I blogged with no before pictures. The yellow one used to be brown and was looking beat up, so I broke out the spray paint. Did I mention it used to belong to my husband when he was a boy? It's true!

This shiny red dresser (which shows otherwise invisible fingerprints in photographs) was my husband's younger brothers when he was growing up. Super fun, right? 

In this hidden corner is a shelf for extra diapers and a few shoes (most live in the coat closet, as do their coats and jackets), the laundry bin and a diaper pail. I painted the shelf navy and plastered all of the wall under it with maps. Have I mentioned how much I love those maps?

From the closet you can look back  and see the play area and Cutie #1 and #3. 

By the door is a propeller with hooks for a few dress-up items. 


Don't forget to look up! We scored this light cover for free at Grandma's church's Service Center. It might not be the latest style, but I love how it goes so well with the colors and travel theme of this bedroom. 

So there you have it! One last look at the room from the doorway. Looks like Cuties #1 and #2 are trying to teach #3 how to crawl. It won't be long! (We might add #3 to the mix when he outgrows the crib. That will mean another bed build, a dresser re-do and some name letters and we're good!) 

Thanks for taking a long and overly detailed tour with me!