The Homesteady

A Vintage, Naturalist-Inspired Room for Our Five-Year-Old

I wish I could hug a wall. If I could, I would hug this one all day! 

The buffalo plaid accent wall in Miles's newly updated room is my new favorite, and guess what – that's not wallpaper, we painted it! 

(Yes, paint! It's true!)

Keep reading for details and more photos. Links to (nearly) everything are at the bottom of the post.

My favorite big kid is now five-and-a-half! We go outside a lot as a family, and usually end up with pockets full of rocks, feathers, and pinecones. One of his most loved TV shows is "Wild Kratts" (we got tickets to go see them live in Worcester in October; he doesn't know yet!), and he loves to read and learn about animals, nature, and wildlife. 

We've been living in our new home for two years, and I thought it would be fun to give his room a little update that celebrates those interests. I started a Pinterest board and began collecting treasures from thrift stores. Early on in the process I texted my wife Kristie that I wanted the room to have "vintage naturalist vibes with a little mythology and a lot of texture." It could still use a few more mythological touches, but other than that, it came out just how I imagined it! 

(Those of you who have been around for awhile might recognize a few items from Miles's nursery in our old house – boy, does that feel like a long time ago!)

Miles is pumped about the new bed! We ordered it a few weeks ago and kept it on the porch in the box until the day we put the whole room together (including doing the painting) while Miles was at school. My parents came up thankfully and helped with it all! We couldn't have done it without them – nor would it have been as much fun. 

Oh this wall. I can't believe how it turned out! While my dad and Kristie put the bed together, my mom and I followed this tutorial. (A few notes about that: We didn't do the white base coat since the wall was already white; the paint person at Lowe's had no idea what I was talking about when I asked the paint to be mixed to 25%, etc., so I simply chose colors I thought were in the same family; and our squares are 8" as opposed to the tutorial's 4".)

I didn't trust the ceiling, floor, or other walls in the room to be perfectly level, so we started by measuring down and marking 8" from the ceiling, then using a laser level to get the tape just right. Of course, the level's battery died, so we ended up doing some shrewd eyeballing as well. I was actually doubtful while we worked as to whether the colors were right or whether we were even measuring correctly. It wasn't until we peeled the last round of tape off the wall that it was clear that it had worked, and had worked so well. It's not perfect, of course, especially with having to rush against the clock, but wow, do I ever love this wall!

This little stool was $3.99 at the thrift store. I ripped the dirty shearling fabric off and replaced it with a polka dot print from Joann Fabrics. Doesn't it look like a little toadstool mushroom?

This trinket shelf was another thrift store find. I gathered up some nature items from around the house to display here. I'm sure over time Miles will add more treasures. (Oh, and I used a little museum wax to help some of the more unyieldy items stay put.)

This needlepoint was made by my grandmother – Miles's great-grandmother. His middle name is her maiden name, so it feels really special to have this piece of art hanging in his room.

Miles calls the loft bed his "upstairs bed" and the mattress on the floor his "downstairs bed." 

This paint-by-number was a lucky flea market score and only $12!

There's a shelf next to Miles's "upstairs bed" so he can easily put away books after reading at night. Kristie attached that touch light to the wall with stick-on Velcro so he can turn it on and off without having to get out of bed. 

Miles picked out this painting himself from the thrift store!

The desk is so so lovely. It was $10 at the flea market, and the chair fits perfectly. I can't believe what great condition it was in for that price! It opens so he can store paper, markers, etc. inside. When he first sat down at the desk, he said, "Mom, I look like a big kid doing my homework!"

A few treasures on top of his dresser: feathers, a thrifted lantern, and a coconut he brought back from Florida. 

LINKS

Dresser / Amazon (affiliate link)
Drawer knobs / local hardware store
Floor lamp / Target, then spray painted (affiliate link)
Desk and chair / thrifted
Footstool / thrifted
Footstool fabric / Joann Fabrics
Vintage lantern / thrifted
Trinket shelf / thrifted
Hello Sunshine pennant / Three Potato Four
Loft bed with slide / Amazon (affiliate link)
Paint-by-number / thrifted
Bug sheets / Target (affiliate link)
Floral pillowcases / thrifted
Green cozy blanket / Target (affiliate link)
Star sheets / Target (affiliate link)
Wall bookshelf / IKEA (discontinued)
Cat touch light / IKEA
Acadia National Park tile / thrifted
Teddy bear jar / thrifted

Ways to Repurpose Old Children's Books

FOUR friends of mine are currently expecting little ones, and I've been keeping an eye out for gifts to celebrate the new babies. While exploring a boutique in Florida last month, I came across these letters that had been cut from covers and pages of old children's books. I think I'll always advocate first for these books to be read and loved if possible of course, but this was such a creative way to reuse them! (I thought of a few books I'd thrifted without realizing some had pages missing.) Here are a few ideas I like to repurpose children's books when they can no longer be read.

Frame an illustration
Make a bunting banner
Cut out cupcake toppers [affiliate link]
Build a birdhouse
Make a scrap notebook
Use larger pages to wrap gifts
Make pinwheels
Decoupage illustrations onto wooden blocks [affiliate link]

Tiny embroidered felt dinosaurs

I like to make my children one of their birthday gifts each year. Last year I knitted Frog & Toad for Miles's 4th! I truly don't know how that one'll ever be topped. But this time around he's in the middle of a dinosaur phase – I knew I'd saved this pattern [affiliate link] for a reason.

I used scrap felt and embroidery thread from my stash, and cut out the pieces using my Cricut Maker (my own birthday gift this year; affiliate link). I've made little felt toys before (including a tiny bunny, a unicorn-themed quiet book, a little Mae Jemison doll and accompanying rocketship). Let me tell you, I was enjoying the Cricut prior to using it in this project, but once I did – wow! This was a game-changer. I used to spend so much time snipping out fiddly little felt pieces, my hands cramping from the tiny curves and cuts. This as a change was quite frankly amazing. The machine did the work for me, and I finished the whole project in record time (for me) and with so much more joy! Highly recommend. (If you have a Cricut and want to try cutting felt too, I used the rotary blade, the felt setting, and the purple mat.)

Side note: Oh, how can we have a five-year-old? Wasn't it just yesterday we were holding our first baby in our arms, worrying and wondering over him? I love being Miles's mother. Every day I get to laugh, snuggle, argue, learn, wrestle, and play with one of the most special people I'll ever know. He has a fierce, sensitive, funny spirit and I love him endlessly.

Favorite Kids' Books for Halloween/Fall

It's spooky season! (Well, almost.) Fall is my favorite season, so we always get started a little early with decorating – and reading! I've rounded up a few of our favorite children's books celebrating fall and Halloween. (Watch the reel!)

I'm sharing affiliate links to Amazon below, but if it makes sense for your family, please check with your local bookstore first, or place an order through BookShop to benefit your local children's bookstore. 

Ghost Afraid of the Dark
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Goodnight Goon
You're My Little Pumpkin Pie
Little Acorn
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
Big Pumpkin
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

PS – My skull mug is from Target! (Affiliate link)

DIY Pull-Out Step Stool (& Our New Bathroom)

This project has been on my list since the day we closed on our house – and was easy enough to do while on maternity leave! 

The vanity in our bathroom had this great wide pull-out drawer. I fantasized for the longest time about turning the drawer into a step stool that the kids could use to wash their hands or brush their teeth – and then it would disappear back into the vanity. 

Now that Logan's four months old and tolerating car rides a little bit better, I knew it was time for him and I to make a trip out to Lowe's so I could finally cross this project off my list.

When I tell you it was easy, honestly it was almost disappointing how quickly it was done! (When a window of creative hyperfocus opens for me, I love to spend it all hard at work on something cool.) 

Here's what I did...

• I bought a piece of 3/4" plywood and had it cut to fit on top of the existing drawer
• I nailed it in place
• I patched the nails and sanded it
• I painted it with a coat of clear polyurethane

I also made an Instagram reel showing the process if you want to watch a short video! 

Note: The sliders on this drawer were already super sturdy. If you try this, make sure you feel confident putting weight on your existing sliders. If not, you can buy sturdier ones and switch them out pretty easily.

Scroll for a "before" photo!

And the only process photo, because it really is that simple.

Miles loves it. Anything he can do without our help is a big deal. And I can just imagine Logan up there with him in no time!

I also wanted to share a little bit of what our bathroom looked like right after we moved in...

...versus how it looks now! Another successful nesting project my mom and I finished before Logan was born. (Sources are listed at the bottom. I don't have the paint name handy but I think I could dig it up if anyone's interested.)

SOURCES

These are all affiliate links.

Shower curtain / Target
Hand towel / Target
Bath towels / Target
Small faux plant / Target
White face planter / Target
Bath mat / Target
Bonjour print / Etsy (just $4.50!)
Toilet paper holder / Urban Outfitters (no longer available online)
Towel rack / Urban Outfitters

Sewing: A Summer Tank Top for Miles

This sweet cotton gingham fabric was a remnant I snagged at Joann Fabrics last time I was there – I cannot resist that section! It ended up being just a little more than I needed to sew a new summer top for Miles.

I used this pattern from Etsy [affiliate link] and was not a huge fan of the shoulder snaps at first, but they're growing on me, I have to admit :) This is a similar snap fastener kit to what I used [affiliate link]. 

Pattern alterations: I decided to make only one pocket instead of two and move it up to the chest, and added a little embroidered sun peeking out. The pattern itself was clear, simple, and easy to follow. 

Miles is a tall kid for his age so I made the 6Y size, and have no idea if it fits yet as naturally he refuses to try it on, ha! 

Sewing: A Hand-Tied Whole Cloth Preschool Quilt

Since starting preschool more than a year ago (!), Miles had been bringing a vintage whole cloth quilt for his nap time blanket. (He doesn't take a daily nap anymore, but still has quiet activities, books, and blanket snuggles during rest time.) That blanket, while so beloved, just couldn't stand up to the weekly laundering and was starting to fray, so I decided to make a replacement.

I wasn't feeling up for piecing together another quilt like the playmat I'd just finished for the baby, so I decided to replicate the blanket Miles was already using and sew a simple whole cloth quilt with hand ties. It's reversible, and since everything he brings to school needs to be labeled with his name, I embroidered that in one corner before putting everything together. 

Both flannels (and the batting) are from Joann Fabrics. The navy blue yarn for the ties was from my stash.

I can't remember exactly what size fabric I used. (Isn't that terrible?) And as it's Thursday when I'm writing this, the quilt is currently living at preschool. I'm guessing it's around 45" x 60". 

I started by pre-washing everything except the batting (the label said there was no need). Then I used transfer paper and a transfer pencil [affiliate links] to trace Miles's name backwards, then ironed it onto the fabric and embroidered over it. 

Next I laid one of the flannel fabric pieces over the batting, and used safety pins to mark where I wanted the hand ties to be. It's a bit hard to see, but they're in the picture below.

Then I used a large needle threaded with navy blue yarn to tie the batting to the fabric where indicated by the pins. 

Afterwards, I trimmed the extra batting from around the flannel piece. 

Next I laid the floral piece of flannel right side down on top of the checked one (so right sides together with the batting layer underneath), pinned it into place, and stitched almost all the way around, leaving a gap through which to turn the quilt right side out. 

I clipped the corners, turned the quilt right side out, and carefully stitched the gap closed. Top-stitching is an option here too but the quilt is doing just fine without it. 

I washed the quilt right away to remove the transfer pencil marks – and the yarn for the hand ties frayed immediately! It still remains securely knotted though, and I don't think Miles minds :) Next time I'll make sure to use superwash yarn. 

This project was simple enough to do in an afternoon, and Miles was sooo excited to get a blanket of his own after watching me knitting one for baby for such a long time. I really love the colors, and the flannel makes it so cozy. Plus, so far it's standing up well to weekly washing!

Knitting: Frog & Toad

I knitted Frog and Toad (from the beloved children's book series) for Miles for his fourth birthday last November! This was a joy to work on, and I'm so pleased with how the friends turned out – although toward the end I started to get tired of balancing the sharp little double-pointed needles on my growing belly. 

Pattern
Kit

A calming corner for our 4-year-old

Miles, our newly 4-year-old, has been talking lately about a few different spaces in his preschool classroom, like the "big feelings table" and the "one-person space." I thought it would be easy to create a calming area in our home too, where he can find tools and books to help him self-regulate. He's started referring to it as the "one-person space" at home too! He likes identifying the emotions on the feelings chart, and trying different yoga poses (links to those printables below). 

I gathered a few things from around the house – sensory toys, books about big feelings – and put them with a comfy pillow in a corner of our living room. I want to add more pillows and maybe a super-soft blanket, for the time being, Miles has really taken to it! He's added a few of his own toys to the basket, and heads over there whenever he's feeling frustrated, wants to be alone (while still feeling close by) or space out, or just wants to try out different emotions or feelings. 

In the basket:

• Sensory toys. I added this pop-it [affiliate link], a glitter wand from here, a calm-down bottle that we made together with supplies we already had (so many tutorials on Pinterest!), a squishy bath toy, a soft cuddly friend, and a little stuffy with reversible sequins (that I think originally came from Once Upon a Child)
• Books about big feelings, meditation, and mindfulness. I searched through our bookshelves and found a couple titles that it made sense to include. We have a lot of the Slumberkins books, so I put in the one about stress relief and the one about feeling mad. He's familiar with these and knows the stories pretty well. I also added Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing and The Snow Bear: A Mindfulness Parable for Kids, which was actually illustrated by our old neighbor!
• Cards with coping options. I bought the calming corner printables from My Party Design after seeing them on my Pinterest feed, laminated them, and put them on a ring so he can page through. (This collection also included the feelings printable that's hanging on the wall!) 

Printables

• Feelings chart
• Yoga chart (free) 

It's cuddly over there, and really does feel calm. Miles can go in whenever he wants to play, read, or just get away from us for a little while!

A Boston day trip

Miles's preschool was closed on July 5 for the Independence Day holiday, and we decided to spend it visiting an old friend of mine who lives in Boston.

We packed up the car the night before, and drove the hour and a half east in the morning (even managing to leave a little early for once!). After a year-plus of sticking rather close to home, this was Miles's longest car ride in his memory, and I was feeling a little apprehensive. We'd prepared, though – I used my favorite car trip trick, which is to collect a few new little toys and books, and wrap them in wrapping paper ahead of time. Then we wait until his boredom with other car activities has absolutely reached its limit before pulling one out. The anticipation and excitement of unwrapping an unexpected present is a distraction in and of itself, and then of course there is the toy to play with! On the way home he also watched about 40 minutes on his tablet. 

We met up with my friend at the New England Aquarium (Miles had been there once before as a baby), and then went together to Boston Common for swan boat rides, ice cream, and even a trip on the merry-go-round. I packed our copy of Make Way for Ducklings, which we read in the shade while dipping our feet in the pond, and we visited the duckling statues too. 

This trip felt charmed – which I think was thanks to part magic and part planning. I'm glad we purchased our aquarium tickets ahead of time, and prepared Miles for mask-wearing and hand-holding in the crowds. We followed his lead much of the time, like letting him wade in the Frog Pond with Kristie while my friend and I waited in line for the carousel, catching each other up on our lives. (It was such a gift to reconnect with him.) The day of course featured a couple near-meltdowns and two outfit changes (see soaked shorts below!), but we pulled into the driveway as evening settled marveling at our good, good day. I'm ready for more summer adventures with this crew.