Saturday morning was a wildly exciting one in our house! The kids have been anxiously awaiting the story of their rooms in the Dallas Morning News….and it ran this weekend! They raced outside to grab the paper and practically ripped it open to the Lifestyle Section, and smack on the front page was Babygirl’s grinning face and room, with our Son featured on the back page.
You can see it online here, but since you have to create an account to read it, I’ll share the article and pictures with you: (I changed our last name because I’m scared of freaky-deaks).
Sloan, 5, and Jackson, 10, have stylish spaces with lots of special details to call their own. Sugarplum, 38, overhauled the bedrooms with the future and a budget in mind, and she gave the children lots of opportunities to get involved and personalize their rooms.
Cassie, who chronicled the bedroom projects and more on her blog, found much of the inspiration for the rooms online and from heirloom pieces and accents from her grandparents. Rather than starting with themes, she chose color palettes to build the rooms around. Sloan’s is a soft aqua with dramatic splashes of radish pink and a high-gloss yellow. Two pieces of furniture with classic shapes got a youthful new look with a fresh coat of paint. Cassie snagged a full-size bed off Craigslist for $60 and added a major shot of personality with deep, intense pink paint, and a high-boy chest of drawers that belonged to her grandfather became the room’s focal point after it was painted yellow.
“It helps that I had good bones for this room,” Cassie says. “The bed and high-boy are serious, sophisticated pieces.” The other statement-making piece in the room is the homemade pelmet that the room’s only window wears. Cassie built the piece out of foam-core board, duct tape and fabric. Then she personalized the bright pink piece by adding a felt monogram.
Cassie found inexpensive options for art by framing pages of a vintage Parisian calendar, post cards and even magazine ads that she personalized. And though she was fearless when it came to adding a faux molding treatment or taking the closet doors off the hinges to create a reading hideaway, Cassie wasn’t about to take on projects that required sewing. She found ways around it by using hem tape to create no-sew floor pillows for an art station and on Sloan’s bed.
There’s lots going on in the room, including a gallery wall with mirrors, art, photos and a place for Sloan to keep her treasures, but Cassie made sure to keep everything in the same color palette so it wouldn’t get overwhelming. Playful details such as pom-pom fringe, rick-rack, polka dots and fabric bunting keep the room from getting too serious. “I didn’t have to shop in the kids’ department to find ways to add whimsy,” Cassie says.
The same decorating philosophy is exercised across the hall in brother Jackson’s room. Rather than furniture getting the dramatic treatment, it’s a wall. The room is anchored by an accent wall with orange and brown stripes. “I’m kind of addicted to stripes,” Cassie says.
There’s not much pattern anywhere else, though. A simple brown and white comforter dresses the bed, and linen-colored drop cloths trimmed with grosgrain ribbon serve as drapery. “Keeping everything in chocolate and white unites it all,” she says.
Painted shelves and a mini desk that doubles as a nightstand give Jackson plenty of spots to show off his trophies and other goodies. Cassie wanted Jackson to have lots of places to add his own touches to the room, including his ever-evolving gallery wall. She also made sure to give him lots of baskets and buckets for storage.
“If you give them a space and place for where things go, they are more likely to put things away,” she says.
Cassie says Jackson couldn’t be prouder of his high-style room, which she surprised him with while he was away at his grandparents’ house. He’s very particular now about making sure things are where they belong, and he keeps things picked up and the bed made, she says.
Don’t think in terms of creating for a child; think of creating a great space. “I didn’t shop with a 5-year-old in mind,” Cassie says, “I shopped for things with impact.”
Find items that can grow with the kids. Cassie skipped the cartoon-y themes her daughter first asked for, and instead went with a subtle Parisian theme.
Think outside the box. Find uses for an object beyond what it was intended for. A magnetic strip meant to hold knives and other kitchen utensils became a storage rack for trinkets and art in Jackson’s room. It was such a hit with him that Sloan requested one, too.
Have fun with color. “Kids love color, and you can get away with it in a kid’s space,” Cassie says.
We had so many calls and well-wishes from friends and family who spotted us, and my son already has a copy pinned up in his room. Thanks to the fab reporter, Jamie Knodel, for helping me to sound somewhat coherent!
Then after the excitement died down, we put our son on the bus for his first overnight Summer Camp! *gulp* He’s been away from home before, but always at a friend or grandparent’s house. I fear this pang of panic is the first of 1000s to come as he gets older. And in four weeks, Babygirl starts Kindergarten! Life is moving much to fast over here. Lucky for you, painting is always a good distraction! First Living Room Project coming up tomorrow!
Congrats!! How exciting! You deserve it.
Congrats on such a great story. The pictures are awesome. Especially the one with your two kids!
How exciting for you and your kids have their rooms featured in a newspaper! You can tell that your kids are so proud of their rooms. Great job!
Ahhh, Cassie I am so PROUD of you! My little rockstar! I was wondering how I could read the whole article without being a subscriber, so thank you for sharing! And btw, that last picture… you look phenom! That one needs to go on Mr. Sugarplum's desk, stat! : ) A well-deserved congrats, love!
I just love both of their rooms!! I can't even imagine the excitement they must have had to see themselves in the paper like that! How exciting! I have a highboy I inherited from my grandmother and I can not wait to paint it now!!
That is seriously SO exciting Cassie! The article and photos turned out great! How are you doing today with your little guy at camp? And kindergarten- such a bittersweet feeling I'm sure- James starts preschool in 3 weeks too! 🙁 🙂
A well deserved feature – Way to go Cassie! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the article and congratulations! That is so exciting!
I know how you feel about baby girl. My oldest starts kindergarten in a few weeks, too. I can't stand it.
How incredibly exciting!! Congrats! I live in Ft. Worth…so we are neighbors! Ha! Anyways, I keep looking up your daughter's room because I want to emulate it! I hope one day to make my kids rooms as unique as your children's rooms! Again, congratulations!!
Cassie- This is wonderful and such an amazing story to have saved in print! This is so well deserved and I'm just thrilled for you! Congratulations!
abby
Congratulations Cassie! So deserving. I know the kiddos are so proud of their mom and their new rooms!!
CASSIE!!!! congratulations!!!
we have been waiting for this write up and it came out awesome!!!
your pics are beautiful in the paper!!!
A big CONGRATs to you and the team!
Rashon
http://www.ilovethrifting.com
how exciting! congratulations on the feature 🙂 it is a great room! xoxo jillian:: cornflake dreams
Congratulations! The article was lovely, and the photo of you and the kiddos is just too adorable!
Congrats to you, Cassie! Loved the article and thank you for sharing it with us. The kids must be so proud of you!
Ahhhhh! It's amazing. You must be on cloud nine. Fantastic article and that photo of the three of you is GORGEOUS. So exciting. Camp and kinder . . . so much change.
Those pictures of the kiddos turned out so freakin' cute!!! Not to mention how fabulous everything looks! Congrats and enjoy the attention, you (and the house) deserve it, girl!!!
WOW!!!! That spread looks fantastic!!! SO SO awesome!!
I saw the article and it led me to your blog. I love it!
Also, you might want to edit the text on a couple of the photos, for privacy reasons.
TJ
This is awesome, congrats!!
that really is exciting…congrats! you have a beautiful home.
that is amazing! what a fabulous article, and the pic of the three of you is gorgeous!
Congrats! So excited for you 🙂
How awesome is that – a front page story!! The rooms look fabulous and your family gorgeous. Congrats!!
Wow- congratulations to you! You have done amazing work and it's great to see it recognized so well! 🙂
This just makes me beam with pride (like I had anything to do with it). So happy for you and so well deserved!
Congrats! Very exciting news!
Congratulations, Cassie! It's a fabulous article and you are most deserving of the recognition. Very exciting! Love the photo of you and your two adorable kids.
YEAH! What a great feature! It is awesome. Yippie!
Congrats! What a great article! You do wonderful work!
Bravo!
Cassie this is really exciting, congrats!! Your family is so darling.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
A New Giveaway from Dr. Perricone, do come and enter!
Congrats Cassie! Pictures and article are lovely.
What an honor to have your rooms in the newspaper!! They photographed so well and I love that they are in color! Congratulations!! 🙂
Congrats on the feature! Such a great momento for the kids!
Congrats on the well-deserved feature! How very very exciting! Their rooms are perfection (and so is that last pic of you guys)!
Wow, Cass! This is amazing. Such an awesome article. And you know I'm in love with both of their rooms (:
Congrats on the feature! I love how you made design functional and fun!
P.S. You've mentioned that you watch The housewives on Bravo, I hope you are watching the NYC Reunion, it is hilarious!
Congrats Cassie! This must have been so exciting for all of you! So well-deserved! We only have 2 and half weeks left of summer – went by way too fast!
Congrats on such a FABULOUS spread…so fun to learn more about you and your sweet family! Very very exciting!
That's pretty cool …… kudos to you!! Glad I found Hi Sugarplum.
Sooo exciting!! Congratulations! How fun it must have been for the kids to see their rooms featured in the paper! The rooms are so beautiful but so fun and full of life. Great job!!! You have such wonderful ideas!
congrats cassie! i was actually in your neck of the woods this past weekend buying our house. i wish i had picked up the paper! we settled on a home in prosper and will move in the end of august. so excited! (hopefully it won't be triple digits then as this seattle girl is not acclimated to that kind of heat!) pam
Oh Cassie! How thrilling for you! Congratulations on that feature story! Your home is so full of color, whimsy, light, and such a happy feeling! LUV! I want to thank you, too, for adding me to your "This Melts My Butter" feature! I'm honored! 🙂
xoxo laurie
Very, very exciting! I truly admire your creativity and I love your thought process and philosophy behind design. Congrats on this very wonderful accomplishment and *cheers* to many more.
Very, very exciting! I truly admire your creativity and I love your thought process and philosophy behind design. Congrats on this very wonderful accomplishment and *cheers* to many more.
Very, very exciting! I truly admire your creativity and I love your thought process and philosophy behind design. Congrats on this very wonderful accomplishment and *cheers* to many more.
Good thinking on the name change. I do the same on my blog. Lot of weirdos out there.
that is an awesome article Cassie!!! Congrats!
Congrats! That's so exciting.
Cassie, what a great article!! It's so exciting to read about all of your hard work through "the Media's" eyes. You did a fabulous job on both rooms…you deserve a magazine spread next! Congratulations!
Congratulations. You are so talented and you make all your decorating tips and tricks reachable for all of us.