Eight weeks...one room (or should I say closet)...and a toddler beside me. I'm going to channel my inner "Little Engine That Could", and say "I think I can." I know I can.
Since 2021, I have participated in the One Room Challenge while trying to get pregnant (bedroom), then during pregnancy (nursery nook), post partum (bathroom) and twice after a move with a three month old baby girl (new home kitchen and living room). Was I glutton for punishment? Maybe. But, to me it is therapy. I was so proud of my work and I couldn’t believe that it was published in https://www.apartmenttherapy.com
…Who is also the media sponsor for the ORC. The articles are also be linked on my website AurorabyJacqueline.com
The One Room Challenge is a way to encourage yourself and others to transform a room in your home in only 8 short weeks. It's not a contest, but a community full of people like myself, who want to showcase their ideas, inspire others, make new friends and learn from other designers and DIYers alike. I decided to not participate in this past Spring's ORC. I wasn't in the right mindset, I was struggling mentally and physically and wanted to take a break from the madness, even if DIY is my therapy.
The projects I took on during the last few months were not documented as much, because not everything NEEDS to be shared. I DIY for myself and while sharing with others is part of my business…sometimes social media gets too heavy and brings more anxiety than I already have. *Not to mention we went through a skunk catastrophe when our dog got sprayed by a skunk over the summer and it destroyed our home (blog about that when my PTSD calms down a bit ).
I also continued writing my book when I could…but more importantly I wanted to spend time with my family more than anything.
So now here we are at Week One… I love the ORC, it’s a wonderful way to learn, grow, inspire and encourage yourself and others to transform a room in your home as well as yourself along the way. Feeling more like myself now, I wanted to tackle Vienna’s closet. When we moved into our rental with Vienna at 3 months old, her closet was a dumping ground of all her baby items that once had a home in her nursery nook that I made for her at our old apartment. *Since she has now grown into a curious, smart and wild two year old beauty; I wanted to create a happy place for her to sit and read and play (with storage still of course). It just made sense to give it a purpose other than just clothes. Not to mention it was bland, boring and the shelves were not stable.
I’ve been afraid of this change, every time I see her face I notice something new. There’s an inquisitive sparkle in her eye paired with a new skill she’s learned all on her own. But change is good. For myself included.
In each picture, you can see the evolution of the space, once cluttered, to organized and then back to clothing storage with a little couch inside that was thrown away (during the skunk debacle). Since I decided not to sell her nursery armoire to the buyer from Facebook Marketplace (it was too sentimental for me since I refurbished it for her while pregnant), her clothes fit in there and in the changing table dresser. This left room in the closet for us to “play with.” 😉
I plan on:
-removing one of the shelves and clothing bar
-replacing brackets
-painting and wallpapering
-adding non-wired lighting
-making an Ikea hack for toy storage
-adding floating book shelves
-purchasing a few items combined with what we have already to add comfort, play and visual storage for her books and toys (with a strict budget since my husband and I decided together that we wanted me to be a stay at home mom and raise our only child. This means we sacrificed having only one income. The sacrifice is more than worth it 💕).
I hope you come along with me for the ride. If my ideas, words and thoughts can inspire you in some way then my job here is done 💕💫
#apartmenttherapy #oneroomchallenge @apartmenttherapy #renterfriendly #closetreadingnook #readingnook #toddlerideas #aurorabyjacqueline
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