Grey & Yellow Reading Nook Redo

Happy January!! Now that it's almost over, I'm finally back on the blog! It was a nice break for Christmas. Then I've been so busy doing projects, I just have not had time to sit down and blog about them. But now I have too many new projects to share, so I've got to get posting :-) So stay tuned for some fun new projects....

After cleaning up Christmas, I felt this tremendous "need" to update several decor items in our house! Many, I have been thinking about for a long time. First up was this little reading nook.

We have this unique small space at the top of our stairs. It's only 4 ft. x 6 ft. When our 3rd was born and we had to move all the kids around in their rooms (only 2 rooms for 3 kids), I ended up pulling the book cases out of the kids rooms and making this little nook into a reading area. My kids LOVE it! They sit there everyday and read books. I'm obsessed with reading and books and try hard to pass this on to my kids.

I have 1 girl and 2 boys so I needed something gender neutral and really wanted it to be fresh and bright.

The Before Pictures:
Notice, the hand-me-down 90's/2000 flower arrangement, rug, generic photo's, old hallway lamp. It was all just leftover stuff that didn't fit anywhere. I finally got rid of all of it, and put our personality into the space. (but I appreciate all the hand-me-downs, mom! It worked for 11 years!)

The After Picture:
Notice the new color scheme!! Grey and yellow!! Love it! When you only have a small space, you've got to make every inch work! Here's the updates:
Custom Artwork (ABC's)- I bought this print file on Etsy (My Posh Designs) and had it printed locally. I LOVE it! You'll notice I had this cute ABC poster that I got from a teacher supply store but it was generic and too large and no way to really hang it. I love this new print!

Flowers- Some new yellow Ranunculus in an old blue Ball jar that I had in storage. I also moved our paper back, chapter books up high so the little ones wouldn't be able to ruin them.
Chair Update- This chair was pink and white with my daughters name on it. She's too big for it now, but it's perfect for my boys. So, this chair got a new coat of white paint and new gender neutral cushions and pillow. Fabric is from the Fabric District in LA. The grey circle is Robert Kaufman.
Book Wall Hanging- I always pull out books that pertain to the holiday or season that we are celebrating. I never really had a good spot to put these, so I ended up making this wall hanging to hold our "featured" books. I change them sometimes weekly, just depending on what books we have. This is a heavy canvas material and its even plastic on the back. It doesn't fray so I didn't have to finish the edges. I simply made a pocket on the top so I could insert a wooden dowel. I then took plastic vinyl (sold by the yard at Walmart) and sewed some large strips across it to make 6 large pockets. They could easily hold multiple books. I hung the dowel with some grey and white polka dot ribbon on a nail.
New Lamp- Grey Lampshade, Silver Metallic Lamp- From Home Goods

Globe- I just love this accent item. I got it from Home Goods and mainly loved the colors. But my kids LOVE it! There's something about looking at it on a globe versus google earth that they really love. I love the 'old school'.

Hand Artwork- One of our favorite books is "The Kissing Hand", about a raccoon that has to go to school but is too sad to leave his mama. So the mom makes him a kissing hand so he knows his mom loves him no matter where he goes. So, we made our own kissing hands. I got each kids hand print and gave them a heart (kiss) and had them put their initials. I love this because it relates to a book. The kids love it too.
Vase- I love the new yellow vase (from Home Goods). I want to get some large stick/flowery things to go in it but haven't found the perfect thing yet. I also cut down on a few frames.

Blue Runner- I loved this simple muted blue fabric and thought the runner helped break up the large white space of this cabinet.
A Big Reading Pillow- Many times I'll have 2 or all 3 of my kids hanging out here reading books or my oldest will hang out reading when her brothers are napping. I really wanted a big pillow they could use to lay down and relax to read. They love how soft and fluffy it is. I love the colors!

New Rug- From Ikea. Love it!
I know it's a small space, and it's a 'walk-through' space, but I love having it feel special. I love that it has a purpose and feels pulled together. Now onto other rooms... :-)