Jamieson's Profile

Great idea! But I do think its a bit odd they come with "starter" tubes...

I have an area for my son in my craft room. I didn't repaint the walls (they are light gray), and I don't think you need to unless you really enjoy painting or a splash of color. I did get a rug with a child's theme, but not a tacky super bright one -- it is from Land of Nod and has a grey background (like the walls) and has the alphabet in nice muted tones so it is appealing to children but doesn't look out of place in the room. I got some of the Trofast shelves/bins for organizing his supplies and he has a small table with chairs. I put up some hooks and bulldog clips to hold his finished art work. There is also a small fabric bin with some toys.

Personally, I believe that we don't need "kid-up" everything. I think children can, and should, learn to play and work in adult spaces and appreciate interior decorating that isn't just for children. Again, just my personal belief, but I think it is important for them to learn that the world doesn't in fact revolve around them. It is your office... I presume your daughter has her own bedroom that is tailored more to her age/style. That being said, I do think you can make accommodations that would make the room a bit more inviting to a child without compromising the design you already have in place. I think you could add a small rug in her area that has a playful motif in black and white to match the rest of the room. Or, you could choose one or two accent colors and get a solid rug in that color. For the walls, you might paint or hang a blackboard, as it would go with your current color scheme.

@blakesgirl, It is incredibly frustrating to me that products were/are available only to the trade. I don't have the money to hire an interior designer at this point in my life, and I have a fair amount of design sense myself so for now I just do it on my own... Thus, I find it extremely frustrating when products aren't available to "lay" people like myself. I like to think that if/when I have the money some day to hire an interior designer, I am paying them for their design skills, not their access to goods that I couldn't purchase on my own.

Number One Rule of Parenting: Don't let others tell you how to parent.

What works for someone else, what someone else may swear by, may not work for you... and conversely, what someone else may say is a waste of money may end up being essential for you. Everyone is different and their needs/wants for their babies are different.

That being said, we never had a swing, bouncy seat, exersaucer, pack and play, etc. My son slept in his crib from the early weeks, learned to soothe himself without being rocked, we placed him on a blanket during the day when we couldn't hold him, etc. Of course, he was a pretty laid back baby,was great at entertaining himself, and slept very well, so we never bought or tried out any of the extra items that most of my friends have/had for their babies. You can certainly live without all of the "extras" -- we ended up donating or selling any the second hand ones we were given. And as our son grows up, we also don't buy or keep any of those toys that light up/make music when buttons are pushed. I can't stand the things and I'm sure my son will survive without them.

It all comes down to your parenting style, your personal believes/values, and your baby's personality. Do what works for you.

I love paint.

I have an antique East Lake style double bed in my basement if anyone wants to buy it for $1000, otherwise I am going to PAINT it some day when we have a house with a guest room. It is in lovely condition but I hate the color of the wood finish. I love wood, I truly do, but the midtone finish just isn't my taste. It is my bed, I can do with it what I wish.

These beds belong to her, if she wanted she could have burned them in a bonfire. Everyone is entitled to their own taste.

And last time I checked, IKEA doesn't sell a single bed that looks like this for $25, much less a pair. So I'm baffled by that comment.

First, read the tutorial before you post about the magnets ending up in tummies -- she said she tried hard to pry them off but couldn't. Second, your child using the same glass over and over throughout the course of the day isn't going to harm them germ-wise. And worrying about flies on the cups? Really? Why do you have flies in your house? And what other things do you think are floating around in the air that would contaminate the cups? Couldn't these same things be in your cabinets, where you presumably keep your cups? (FYI, the air in your kitchen is the same air in your cabinets... And yes, there is dust in cabinets too!!!) Also, wouldn't you be breathing in these same airborne contaminants? Maybe you wear face masks I guess...? I'm baffled by some of these comments.

A recent study showed that children who attend daycare and get sick on a regular basis (i.e. are exposed to GERMS!!!) are significantly less likely to develop asthma and allergies than children who don't attend daycare and aren't sick as often (i.e. lower exposure to germs). Developing a tolerance to germs is a GOOD thing. Although I'm still baffled why this applies here since the child would be using their own cup, not someone else's, thus only being exposed to their own germs.

Totally unrelated to the nudity... I would love to know where the dollhouse in the daughter's bedroom is from. Love it.

We got a moses basket instead, the lovely canvas one from Serena and Lily, as it has a more clean lined look than the actual basket ones. I love that it can be used for something else after the baby out grows it -- right now we store stuffed animals and pillows in it, but it is ready to be used again soon as we are expecting our second child. I adore the bassinets in the photos above, but I would have a hard time spending that much money on something that couldn't be used in a different way later... Plus we only spent $100 on our crib, so it would be a bit odd to spend more on the bassinet!

I think it is fun and whimsical. I know its not for everything, but I love the idea and execution. I'm sure it will be a pain to remove some day, but until then, I think it will be much enjoyed.

What a great, original idea for a birthday party!