Big Changes for our Big Boy!

 2013 has brought lots of change for this little boy!

 And he has held on for the ride full of joy and excitement!

At the end of January, potty training began! He was by far my easiest child to train and for that I'm very thankful- as he hasn't been my easiest in many other areas to date. :-) He was ecstatic, ready to be a "big boy" and the quick success was confirmation of how "ready" he was. 

Next on the list was also a little home project...
his big boy room! 

When we moved into our home last year, this was his nursery:

Before the potty training, we made the move to toddler bed! I highly recommend this, as dealing with the wet bed at night through the transition is A TON easier on a waterproof mattress, without the crib bars to deal with! Just another reason why he was the easiest to train, I'm sure! Jeff put this together and Joshua was beyond excited! He told everyone for weeks, "Daddy made my new bed!" 

This is him sleeping soundly the very first night!

Once training was complete, I got to work! As I shared in THIS post, I've got the "makeover bug" and couldn't wait to make my vision come to life in J's new room!

This is a mix of some "before" furniture:

I've always wanted to do a room with two twin beds that match... and though I was able to get my hands on two that were FREE, they didn't match. Painting them navy blue was my way around that issue.

This bed is old, right? Yeah, it was my dad's... and then my brother's! I'm SO thankful that my parents held onto it all these years! It used to be part of a bunkbed set, though my dad doesn't know which of his brother's (if any) has the other part. :-)

 The rails to this bed are metal... 

but not to worry because chalk paint works on this too!

Bed #1 after it's makeover

 

This bed was made by Jeff's dad for him when he was a little boy. His own creation, 30+ years old. 

Bed #2 after

I wanted an old dresser for cheap that I could paint and ended up getting two... I only have room for one, but for $60 for the set, I took both. I'm sure I can refinish the second and make a profit here... or use in a future space of my own. 

I didn't want everything navy because the room is small and I didn't want it to seem too heavy... so I went with light blue (kind of on the gray scale). I put a white shirt hanging so you can see the color better. The best part about this is that I didn't use Annie Sloan (aka expensive chalk paint) on any of these items... and this allowed me to match the dresser color to the wall color. I bought a gallon of the light blue and separated out the amount I would need for the chalk paint recipe. The rest stayed in the gallon and went onto the walls. 

My space limitation for a nightstand was just 24" so I spent a couple weeks in the new year making my way around resale shops with a tape measure. I came upon this piece and for a price tag of just $30, it was the perfect fit... not in this color though. It was a bad paint job and very scratched up...

After

 

While I was painting and after we had sold Joshua's other dresser and were prepping the room for makeover, this was his bare little space- with finished dresser on the left.

While I was finishing up my part of the work, Joshua's godfather spent a day helping Jeff put up bead board. I have always wanted a bedroom with this and was SO excited to have it working with our budget this go-round! (only because I got such deals on all the furniture!)

 

Once it was up and nail holes covered, I got to painting. I LOVE to paint... it's like therapy for me to be shut away in a room with just my music and a brush. Probably one of the reasons I love doing all this furniture too... it's peaceful and SO rewarding!

I love the blue I chose... it just fits perfectly with everything else. 

  And for one day, he slept in solitary confinement as I did some last minute shopping for the decor.

And now for the reveal! I'm in love... I leave the door open all day because I love walking by and seeing the vision completed that I've had and have been talking about for months.

I intended for this to be Joshua and Ryan's room and one day it will be (I bought and painted a red R too) but for now Logan is making the move. Ryan is SUCH an early riser and we will all benefit from our late sleepers being together and Ryan being able to have a bit more freedom in a room of his own.

The room from the doorway

Closet side... I love the shelf over the closet. One day I imagine we'll need a spot for trophies and that will be a perfect spot! May need to add one in the other room too, actually!

This hat rack was in Logan's first big boy room and the trunk... oh, isn't it great?!?! It was in my mom's GARAGE! Yes, just sitting in the back holding old junk. I think it's being put to much better use here... and all it needed was a little washing. 

The laundry basket was the first purchase I made for this room. It was my inspiration piece... and then I found the quilts online and was ready to go!

We did a ledge trim above the bead board so we could just set things on it... like this little addition. 

So you know how much I love the final product... but did you know how much this guy loves it too?!

He's thrilled and now that stuff is up on the walls, I can't wait for him to return home from Grana's tomorrow and see it all put together! I tried to photograph his true joy on the first night...