Remember that laminate painting debacle a few weeks ago?  Well, it did turn out alright and I finally got around to a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

As any mom out there knows, getting your 4 year old to pick up after herself. But I came up a solution…

And guess what?  It has totally worked!  Now Abi is a pro at putting her stuff away on her own.  No more fights  about where stuff goes.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine and their heat transfer material to make a label for the front of the baskets we have for her Expedit bookshelf.  That stuff is so easy to work with, you just cut it out and iron it on. And no, I was in no way compensated for talking about Silhouette.  I just really like them .

There is a box for each of Abi’s 8 major toy groups: Kitchen toys, animals, dolls, My Little Ponies, dress up accessories, misc toys, doll house accessories and blocks.

Now there is a place for everything and everything is in it’s place.  Yay organization!!

Do you have any good tips on how to get toddlers to clean up after themselves?

Remember a few weeks ago when I designed the mood board for Abbi’s room?  Well, I decided to finally getting around to painting the black Expedit bookshelf that we inherited from the people living in our apartment before us.  I wanted it to be a nice crisp white.  So I ran to the local hardware store and spoke with the man at the paint counter.  I let him know that I was painting over laminate and didn’t want to sand so I needed a primer that would cover and adhere well.  He recommended the two-in-one ultra paint & primer and assured me it would work great.

A few hours later I was happy with how shiny and white the bookshelf was looking so I closed the door and let it dry over night.  The next morning I opened the door, happy and optimistic, to find that the paint/primer the man swore would work great didn’t work so great after all.

Whamp. Whamp.  It just peeled right off.  I didn’t even have to try it basically fell off on it’s own.

Once Abbi and I had returned the whole shelf to it’s original black I jumped online to do some research from sources that I trust – home DIY blogs.  And I found exactly what I needed…

Go Ahead & Paint that Laminate via Centsational Girl

I just followed her directions to the letter. After a quick trip back to the hardware store for the Zinnser primer she recommended I was back home and within a few hours had a nice coat of the correct stuff on the bookshelf.  I let it dry over night then followed it with two coats of the paint/primer that failed the first time.

When I walked in this morning I was a little hesitant.  Gone was the happy optimistic girl of yore.  But I was stunned.  That paint is staying put.  I even tried to scratch it with a nail file.  Nothin. Not even a hint of black showing through.

So, take it from me.  Make sure you use the right tools for your project or you’ll be one said lady for a few days.  Trust me.  I can’t wait for it to finish curing so I can make it cute!

Have you every had to learn the hard way when doing a DIY project? 

Remember when I went to New York for BlogHer ’12 a few weeks ago?  While I was there, I attended an event sponsored by Carpet One. It was such a fun night!  I’m going to apologize in advance for not having any photos of the night.  I was so busy that I totally spaced taking any.  What kind of a blogger am I?

Carpet One wanted to show us their new line of stain resistant carpets by Relax…it’s Lees®.  And what better way than cocktails (or mock-tails in my case) and mini pedicures!  At the bar, the bar tender would mix up the drinks pour some in our glasses, then dump the rest right on the carpet.  And we’re talking drinks containing orange juice, Kool-Aid and pomegranate juice.  They weren’t messing around.

These carpets are amazing guys.  The spill didn’t even soak in!  She just wiped it up with water and a clean rag.  Water!  And a Rag!  That’s it! It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. If we weren’t renting I’d run out right now and carpet the house in this stuff. It’s their new EverTex™ technology.  The fiber itself is stain resistant, not just a coating that will wear off like most carpets, so you’ll be worry free for a long time. And it’s so soft and plush.  It really is great.

So after I learned about this carpet and realized the benefits that could be gained from having it in a house with a 4 year old that has no concept of food staying at the table no matter how many times I tell her, I decided to put together a little mood board for her room using the new Lees EverTex™ carpet as the starting point.

Our bedrooms are the only rooms in our small apartment that I haven’t gotten around to decorating yet. I figure it’s high time I start on Abbi’s.  Especially since it probably won’t get done until Spring if I don’t start soon; there’s a good amount of furniture painting that needs to be done and I have to do that outside while the weather is still good.

1 – Curtains – I love the neutral gray-ish dots.
2 – Striped Bedding – This bedding from Lands End is a little pricey for me so I’m going to work on a knock-off to achieve the same look.  I love that it’s girly without being too princessy.
3 – Paint Chip Chandelier – I love the look of this and it’s so easy!  I could even have Abbi help me punch out the paint chip circles.
4 – Expedit Shelving – The people that lived in our last apartment before us left a black one of these behind.  I gladly accepted, but I’m going to put a shiny new coal of white paint on it.
5 – Dorna Boxes – I currently have the white one (which may not be available anymore??) in the expedit.  I’m going to cut out some little pictures on my Silhouette to put on the front of them for labels so that Abbi will know better where to put things away.
6 – Jenny Lind Bed – I found on of these at the thrift store for $20 last summer.  I know, right?!  Even though it’s a nasty burnt orange color I snatched that right up.  I was going to paint it pink, but I’m leaning towards a nice clean white now.
7 –  Table Lamp – I already have a lamp very similar to this one only reversed; it has a pink base and white shade.  It’s lacking the ruffles though.  But that is a very easy fix.
8 – Time of Your Life carpeting in Mojito by Relax…It’s Lees® – Like I mentioned before, we’re renting so I can’t put this in the whole room.  An area rug will just have to do for now.

I can’t wait to get going on it (so be looking for a bunch of these projects in the next few weeks)!

Have you guys found a carpet that can withstand the wear and tear of kids? 

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I did, however, receive a super cool sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*