OUR NEW PLAYROOM

Morgan got to play in her new playroom for the first time the other day, and she loves it! It feels good to have it done! Of course, there are lots of things I still want to do (like paint the colored bin shelf and the table and chairs white), but for now, it's functional. There are still empty shelves and bins, too, but that's okay. It will give us room to "grow" as we get more toys and "stuff" in the future. I also want to put out some games and puzzles and some of her educational toys, too, eventually. It's nice to be "done" though! It's also nice to be able to have her play in the room when Jared and I need to be down in the basement working on stuff. We haven't used it for tot school yet, but eventually once I organize my new closet in the basement, and get all our supplies moved down, we will do our tot school at her little table.

Those white shelves are the ones I've been "slaving over" ... I mean painting the last few weeks. They used to be in my classroom at school and were that dark fake wood laminate stuff. I researched how to best paint cheap laminate, and even though Jared was not too keen on me using oil based anything, the blogs were right. The Zinsser oil based primer for all surfaces (including glossy) was the key. They don't look like laminate shelves anymore. I think they turned out great. Yes, I didn't necessarily like working with oil based primer, but it was worth it.

Those cubbie shelves were the only thing I went out and bought for the room, and I used a gift card to pay for part of it. The bins I got on Amazon using my Swagbucks gift cards. Everything else was from my old classroom or items I had in the house already that I got at garage sales. Above those cubbie shelves, there is a big blank wall. I hope to convince Jared to let me hang up a big bulletin board right there. Ooooohhh....I hope so. I love decorating bulletin boards!

I also want to put up our alphabet cards all along the wall above the toybox (which was also that ugly brown laminate color before I painted it). And the one thing I don't like about the room but I can't change is that power breaker box right above the easel. Maybe someday we'll paint it or put a little cabinet thingy around it. Who knows.

The room is kinda small, so it was hard to get any really good pictures to give you an idea of how the room really looks all together. It is not the "Pottery Barn" style that I'd love create if the budget would allow, but to me, I love it, because it's......"schooly." And of course, I like that. I feel like even though I don't have my own classroom right now to set up and decorate, I have my own little school room to have fun with right here. :)