It's So Very Mary…Making Her Room Her Own

 Today, I'm linking up with Kim over at Savvy Southern Style for her Wow Us Wednesday party.

Yesterday, I shared Mary Catherine's bedroom reveal.  A room fit for a queen tween!

While mainstream media/pop psychology might consider the average 8 or 9-year old a "tween" we prefer to keep our under-10 crowd in the "child" category in this house.  *wink*

That being said, I do realize that my little girl is growing up, and that it is time for her to have a bedroom befitting that of a grade-schooler.

After all the updates (bedding, wall art, window treatments, etc.) that we made to the room, it was feeling a bit…"big box store-ish".  (More Images here)

So, to combat the "model-home" look and feel to her room, I gradually started adding back in cherished dolls, keepsakes, quilts, etc.

The first thing that I did was to begin working on a quilt for Mary's bed that the dog can lay on.  In addition to allowing Mary to pick the wall color (she originally wanted the room hot pink…yikes!), I took her to the quilting/fabric store to pick out her favorite patterns and colors.  Although still a work in progress, here is what her bed quilt is starting to look like…

Mary laid out all the squares to be pieced together.  She insisted that she like the order and layout of the squares…(obviously, we have not had a quilting lesson on contrasts…light vs. dark…large print vs. small..no two of the same pattern together…etc.)

So, this is her quilt. The quilt that she designed and that mama is just piecing together and then quilting for her.  Love this girl.

(Sorry for some blurry pics…still working on learning how to shoot in manual mode…)

I have a ton of work to still do on this quilt…sashing…border…quilt and binding, but at least you can get a feel for warmth/personalization it adds to her room.

In addition to her full-size bed quilt, Mary Catherine made a doll quilt for her American Girl Doll, Suzanne, with help from a quilting friend.  According to my girlfriend, Mary has quite the affinity for the sewing machine and took to piecing right away.  (Mary has more patience than I can ever dream of having!  She's a super easy-going kiddo!)

Notice that the doll quilt is from a similar fabric line as her full-size quilt.   I love how they compliment each other.   LoVe.

Wall Art.

In October, my husband and I traveled to the beautiful Ozark Mountains for a little Fall Get-Away…and to celebrate our 20-year wedding anniversary!

While peeking into windows of different art galleries and antique shops of Eureka Springs, AR, I saw these adorable one-of-a-kind original canvases.  The minute I saw them, I knew one would have to come home with me…

…after years of infertility and loss, our daughter Mary Catherine was our dream come true…and to this day, I think of Mary when I hear this song.  This little canvas is part of the vignette over her bed.

In addition to the wall art, we placed my vintage Holly Hobby doll cradle at the foot of her bed to house her American Girl Doll collection.  I've toyed with the idea of painting the cradle, but for now, I'm going to leave it as is…

Her First Holy Communion Veil.

I just can't bear to pack this up yet…even though her dress has been cleaned and bagged.  Such a beautiful and special day for our girl.  I get teary-eyed just thinking about it!

Sorry…I got side-tracked there…  *wink*

And finally…a unique doorstop.

I am always looking for unique and creative ways to keep bedroom doors propped open during the day, but easily removable at night for safety (fire) reasons.

Recently, my mom gave Mary a vintage travel make-up case that belonged to her.  Mary LOVED this gift and inside of it is stored all sorts of jewelry, lip glosses, hair pretties, etc.  It is her treasure box…albeit, a very pretty one!

So there you have it…just a few of the ways that I've made Mary's space her own with one of a kind wall art/vintage toys/handmade items, etc.