actual progress! Bowie's nursery almost finished...

It started like this... This war zone was the Ground Zero of our little man's nursery. This is one of the short side walls. Each side wall looked the same - both had closets. We decided to keep this one, and turn the other closet into a bookcase (more on that later...)


We tore out the ceiling and I thought, "Why not take his ceiling all the way up?" Yeah. It was a huge project. The whole room has been a victim of what we project managers call "Scope Creep." But, I think it will be worth it.

So Steven built up the wall with studs and insulated the whole room. He re-wired everything, getting rid of the knob and tube. We planned out new outlets, cable, phone, etc.

The black felt paper went up to act as a moisture barrier, so it provides insultation. But most importantly, it will prevent light from showing through the gaps in the wood that went up on the walls.
Ahhh.... the wood. You know those highway projects where they have to tear down old houses and barns to make way for the new highway? We began salvaging materials from these projects... Not only is this the best sort of recycling, but it adds tons of character. Bowie's walls are covered in walnut planks from an old barn's hay loft. We have no idea how old the barn was, but the planks have saw marks on it from the tractor blade used to cut it.

We like to think that someday, Bowie will appreciate the character and daydream about all the horses that might have lived in that barn.

The sidewalls, and the little weird angles in the corners, were covered with beadboard. I think it gives a nice contrast to the rustic-rough walnut planks. This used to be a closet...

But now, it's a custom built-in! Two arch-top bookcases were built especially for Mr. BoBo's toys. He already put some of his favorite trucks on them. We like the way these turned out, so we are thinking about adding two more! The floor vents are functional. We decided to incorporate the HVAC vents into the design of the bookcases. The vent covers will be painted black.

A close-up of the bookcase. The angle comes from the roof line of the house. We think it will provide a cozy spot for Bowie's elephant collection.

And here is the closet we kept.


The ceiling is up next, and it will be a bear. It will be covered in corrugated steel with decorative wood beams.


The walls will be pale blue, the ceiling creamy white, the trim white. All outlets and fixtures will be matte black. The hardwood floor will be redone in ebony stain.

So much work, but we are in the home stretch!! (Hey, the project has only taken 3 years!)

Look at that ceiling... all those angles are like origami! I am sure there will be some choice words uttered with that project...

the perfect baby boy blue

I am super picky about my paint colors. I am always painstakingly looking for the "just right" blend of cream and white. Or the "not Pepto" pale pink. For Bowie's room, I needed the perfect baby boy blue. Not a pastel blue, but a pale blue with the perfect tinge of gray to keep it from being "too precious."

I think I found it. Through Trial and Error, of course. Paint swatches in the store? They are flat out liars, I tell you. You will find a dreamy dreamy color, buy a quart just to be sure, you paint the patch on your wall and... UGH! It is too bright. Too purple. Too sky blue.

It happens. I admit it. Those little paint chips are just too small to make an informed decision. But I did manage to find what, is in my opinion, the just right color for our little Bowie Morgan's walls.

Here is the first batch of colors that I tried out. These are in natural sunlight. Top left is Behr's Velvet Sky, which at night with the lights on looks purple. Top right is Disney / Behr's Blustery Day. At night, it looked bright sky blue. Bottom Right is Valspar's Tsunami Sky. At night, pale gray. The only color I am using is bottom left, Behr's Cream White. Cream White will be his ceiling color.

Now for some winners... These are all Ralph Lauren... Top left, Beach Water. Top right, Organza. Bottom, Spa. In this picture, Spa looks very bright, but in the room, it is actually pretty subdued. The Organza, which looks just right in the picture is actually pale barely-there.

It is really between Beach Water and Spa... Leaning toward Spa because Beach Water has a tinge of green, which is gorgeous, but I am looking for blue.

I will be checking the colors out tonight with the lights on to make a final decision. :)