Mark has been very hard at work recently — for our wedding anniversary, he transformed what used to be our dining room into a wonderful creative space for me and the girls. He installed all new flooring, lighting, and a pegboard wall — all budget-friendly!! This could win him Husband of the Year Award!
I L-O-V-E it!!!!! I have been dreaming of having a space like this for years!! The girls and I have been spending LOTS of time in here!
I thought it would be fun to take you on a virtual tour!!
He didn’t spend a fortune on the laminate flooring, either. It came from Sam’s Club and is made with FSC certified wood. It was a very welcome change from the dingy carpet that used to be in here! As mentioned in this post, the kids table & chairs set was a thrift store find ($35), and the large easel was a yard sale find ($10) — it needed a new coat of chalkboard paint, and it was as good as new! I love that there is plenty of room for the girls to invite their friends to come paint & craft with us!!
The chaise lounge was from our family room, and is the perfect spot for reading or sipping tea.
On my work table (our old dining room table, now re-purposed), I used some bulletin board trim along the edge. The bright colors make me so happy!! The pegboard is great for storing craft supplies, scissors and hole punches. The mirror was inherited from my grandmother. I like that something that used to belong to her is now in our special creative space!
And look!! There’s even a spot for my cup of tea…. bliss!!
Do you recognize the paper bird houses?? You can make some of your own with the free printable here!
The hearts on the wall are sticky notes!
This was our dining buffet, now repurposed to hold fabric, craft, and art supplies. I added a few inexpensive shelves, and fabric bins to organize sewing patterns, ribbon, paint, brushes, scissors and more. Everything has a place!! (Wow, I totally sound like my mother!!!!)
The lanterns hanging in the window are from the dollar store.
With two large windows, there is plenty of natural light. Between the light fixture and lamps, there is plenty of good lighting for late-night crafting too!
So….. that’s our little creative space! Now off to create something fun, fun, FUN!!!
Wow!! What an amazing space! Can I come use it? 😉
Dear Valerie,
You know, some couples go.. traveling.. on their 10 year anniversary. 😉
Love,
Mark
That is so exciting! My 10 year wedding is coming up, but we don’t have a room to transform. LOL!
Oh I love it! Wishing you lots of happy, creative times in your new space. And looking forward to seeing what you create in there.
He did such a nice job! Very sweet.
It looks fantastic! Drooling over your new crafting space!
Wow….that is amazing. I would so love to have a space like this. I know you and the girls will now be absent bring us more wonderful crafting ideas and I cannot wait! Great job Mark 🙂
That is LOVE!
And I love the space! We celebrate 10 years this month as well =)
Wow! Send Mark to my house please!
Mark needs to have a talk with my husband.
I love it! Wish I had one!
LOVE it! It’s just beautiful! I especially love your thrifted kid’s table and peg board. That floor is so beautiful. I suspect you’ll get much use out of your lovely space.
Becca
what a WONDERFUL present!!!
It looks so cute! Wish I had an extra room in my house for this!
What a lovely bright space for you to be even more creative in!
What a fun space! I feel creative just looking at it.
That is AWESOME!
I’m in the process of transforming our crafting/schooling area into something usable.
This space is SO you! You are a blessed lady…now, get busy and CREATE!
I am totally JEALOUS!!!!
Valerie, I’m so happy for you! But I’m just wondering one thing…did you decide that you don’t need to eat anymore? 🙂
Oh my gosh!!!! That is AMAZING!! It looks like one of those magazine pics where you look at it and think “Oh yeah. RIGHT!!!” Your hubby is amazing!!
But, where are you going to eat now and what are you using as a table…??
Tiffany
Thanks, Tiffany! We have an eat-in kitchen, so the dining room was rarely used…. Other than when I would take over the table for sewing!
i LOVE it!!!! lucky you!
Awesome…. so much room to move around in and host in…. awesome!
congratulations, valerie. it’s a gorgeous space, and now we’re going to expect even MORE amazing things from you 🙂 but i’m wondering — where do you eat?
awwwwwww… that’s virtually the best anniversary ever!!!! now you’re really making me envious! mark is totally the best husband/dad. you three lucky girls! 🙂
now i’m expecting more ideas and updates from you with this awesome creative space. happy crafting!!!
Awesome! I know that space will get a lot of use. When I was a kid, we had a dining room that we never used (except for holidays) because we had a kitchen table and ate all of our meals there. Today, a lot of my friends with houses that have an eat-in kitchen AND a dining room have converted that seldom-used dining room into something more useful – home office, playroom, craft room, library, etc.
What a wonderful space! You are lucky to have such a thoughtful husband.
Very nice. The heart sticky notes is such a cute idea.
Oh my goodness – this is perfect! Wish my creative space looked like this… at the moment it’s my kitchen table!:D Looking forward to seeing more of your amazing ideas created in this gorgeous room.
I have been following your blog for some time now (and always excited to see the next post you send out). Your crafts are amazing. Your children are beautiful and this room is priceless!!!! Great job. It’s the room I’d love to have in my home.
I am in love!! I so need a space like this for crafting and schooling.
Wow. Love it. Inspring too. Just checked Craigslist for a buffet. No such luck.
Best gift ever!
Miss Valerie, I am so excited that you have such a beautiful place to craft and spend time with your girls having fun.
Mark, you did a great job on this room – the perfect anniversary gift!
Smiles,
Jody
Ooooo…I love it! 🙂
Say, I just found TWO crafts for our 5 Day Club we host at our house at the end of the month! THANK YOU!!! I was digging around at family fun and then I thought, “Hey, I should check Valerie’s place out!” So glad I did! 🙂
Wow, that is awesome. I love the layout and the fact that you didn’t have to spend alot to get this. I love your creativity. Just giving me ideas for our new home. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. (Mom of 6)
What a fabulous space…I love it and can imagine how much fun and learning will be had in the space. Thanks for sharing.
Found it! Looks great 🙂
Mark definitely wins the Husband of the Year award. What a neat room! So jealous!
Dear Valerie, I am a big fan and I cannot be silent about it anymore! I love your blog and the wonderful things you do with your gorgeous girls. I am so inspired to get off my lazy butt to do more with my 3 year old.
PS I now know what to ask for my next wedding anniversary 🙂