Quick note: Tonight we’ll be in Minneapolis at the West Elm on 3879 Gallagher Drive for cookies, cocoa, and a book signing at 6pm. The parking lot is small, but there’s a larger lot at a nearby Macy’s and a ramp to a parking garage nearby — arriving early, carpooling, or getting dropped off will help. We’d love to see you there!
You’ve been asking for photos of our insanely packed playroom — the one overflowing with secret book projects, yard sale items, and pieces destined for future rooms — so now that the book projects are public, I can finally share the chaos.
Was your jaw on the floor? Same here. Now that those book-related surprises are out of the bag, we don’t have to worry about spoiling anything — you can see the partially stenciled wall, the gray trim around the window, the green planter, the wooden headboard, the yellow branch wreath, and other familiar pieces from the book.
Here’s a vertical shot that shows the full extent of the madness.
When my mom visited recently we decided to tackle the cleanup together (me + mom = organizing nerdfest). The second I put Clara down for her nap, we sprang into action and started sorting. Because the items had different destinations — some were book-auction pieces for charity, some were yard sale items, and some will be used for future projects — our first step was clearing everything out into the entryway, where there was more floor space. We set up three sorting zones:
- Yard sale items
- Book auction items
- Things going back into the playroom for future projects
Most of what you see in the next picture ended up going back into the room: luggage in the closet, shelving for a future build, and so on. My mom took on “closet duty,” sorting gift bags, tissue paper, and ribbon while I handled the yard sale and auction piles.
About an hour and a half later we could actually see the room again — it felt like finding a secret extra room. Pro tip: don’t let a room collect junk and you won’t have to rediscover it after a marathon cleaning session.
As the playroom emptied, the entryway and hallway filled up with sorted piles. This was our yard sale pillow pile — not pretty, but necessary. We eventually moved yard sale items into the sunroom to keep them separated.
Once we loaded things back in, the room looked much better. The smaller auction items that had been left under the window were snapped up, and the rest stayed in the room for now. We even rehung the old bedroom curtains temporarily so they’d stop getting balled up in a closet — they still need ironing and retraining, though.
It’s still a bit cluttered, but so much better than a few hours before. Big thanks to my mom for her help!
Here’s the view toward the daybed — Clara’s future big-girl bed — currently buried in pillows. Yes, I collect pillows, but they’ll get used in the daybed and in Clara’s new room eventually. Maybe we’ll have another yard sale down the line.
See that large blue rectangle on the wall? It was one of several backdrops we painted for book photos. That wall was painted three times for different projects: navy for a headboard shot, paprika red for cloud shelves, and then blue for a tip about paint edges. We really went through a lot of paint in January. The green chair and twig mirror in the corner were auction items and are now gone.
Speaking of the auction: we raised $500 for charity from the silent auction at the R. Home for the Holidays event. We’re incredibly grateful to the local bidders who gave those items good homes. We wanted to open bidding more widely, but shipping large, heavy items would have been complicated for a small team and would have eaten into the charity proceeds. To anyone who bought something locally, please share photos of your finds in their new homes — and to everyone else, if you DIY anything from the book, we’d love to see your results.
My mom’s closet organization was next-level — she loved sorting gift bags and ribbon almost as much as seeing sweet Clara. The closet now looks neat and useful.
That odd paint line to the left of the closet? Yet another wall we repainted multiple times for book backdrops. We sure were busy.
At last, the entryway and hallway were cleared. Victory!
I hope these long-awaited before-and-after playroom photos were fun to see. The original before picture still gives me the willies.
Do you have a closet or junk drawer that’s a little scary? Tell me I’m not alone. Clearing this room means we’re one step closer to converting it into Clara’s big-girl room — though we still need to finish the hall bathroom, the basement, the sunroom, the carport, and the guest bathroom. We tend to bounce around projects, so those rooms will get attention soon. Bring on paint, fabric, and the moose lamp!
Update: Nope, I’m not pregnant! I, Sherry, solemnly swear that I’m not with child. Spread the word!