corner play area

 So I've been throwing this idea of having a "play area" in our living room for awhile now, and I'm happy to say that we finally got all the components to make it happen. I would love to have a dedicated play room, but it's just not possible in our current home. However, we absolutely needed a place to store all of Jaqs' things, and of course, we wanted a little organization to boot!

Enter the beloved Ikea Expedit Shelving Unit. Who doesn't love these things?! They provide tons of storage, and they're aesthetically pleasing, too! Hard to beat that.

 The "Love of my Life" canvas inspired the color scheme when I picked it up on a whim one day at Hobby Lobby. I couldn't pass it up! I put one of J's 1 year pictures in a matted frame, and the rest of the stuff I collected/painted from around the house. Jaqs painted {most of} the small pennant canvas :) I'll share that one with y'all soon!

 I know it's nothing grand or anything, but I kind of love having this little corner of happiness in our living room. It makes me smile every time I walk by, and I really love being able to have a "home" for all of the toys and books at the end of the day.

I'm linking up with Leslie for Create It Thursday.

play area plans

First of all, I just want to say "hi!" to my new followers! I'm thinking most of you came from Mateya's blog, and I'm so excited you found my little blog interesting enough to follow along! I'm glad you're here! :)

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I think anyone that has a child can attest to how quickly their stuff can take over your house. Even though our little bit is not even a year old, she's been given plenty of toys and trinkets in her little life, and I find myself corralling all of it every day! We don't have an extra room to dedicate to a play-room in our current house, but we do have a spacious corner in our living room that would work perfect for a "play area." She's a little young right now, but I'm envisioning a kid sized table with a place for creating, coloring, and imagination! Add in some storage on the side, and we've got the perfect place for all the toys to go!

 I was looking around on Pinterest (where else?) when I came across the PERFECT play table! It has a PB-Kids look without the price tag, and the plans look pretty simple. I'm hoping Jaqs & I can talk G-Pop & Daddy in to constructing this one for us ;)

How adorable are theses DIY pallet shelves? I think I could even pull this one off!

Here are a few other inspiration pictures I came across:

 source

I love, love bright colors, but I also need the area to flow with our living room, so as much as I love sunshine-y yellow, that probably won't be happening. I'll file that one away for a future playroom! I do love the pennant banners (obvs) and the frames for interchangeable art in the future. Such a great way to put your kids' masterpieces on display without them cluttering the fridge!

How do you keep the toys organized and put away in your home?