WIld Kratts with PBS

Happy Friday gang! Today I have a fun little makeover to share with you that I recently finished.  Lest you think that I somehow managed to complete a dining room makeover AND this other room in the space of a couple weeks, think again. When I say ‘recently finished’ I actually mean ‘I did this over the summer,’ and I am finally able to share it now. I hope you enjoy!

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I recently had the opportunity to work with Overstock.com and PBS to create a Wild Kratts-themed space, and I know what you’re thinking ….

“Wild Kratts? Like, the cartoon?? The cartoon about animal conservation??? Good luck!”

Maybe that’s just what I thought to myself.  But you know, the show is all about educating kids in biology, zoology, and ecology, and teaching them small ways to make big impacts, so actually that is a pretty awesome theme to be working with. I was excited to get going!

I decided to go with the ‘educating kids’ route by making over one of the most unappreciated and unloved areas of my home – this sad, sad little computer nook upstairs:

So sad.  So beige.

This is supposed to be a ‘homework station,’ but my kids never do any homework here, probably because it’s kinda depressing, and also the lighting is terrible at night.  Only one single recessed light attempts to light up this space, and fails miserably. Plus, the beige. My whole house is so very beige.

But with a little love, I figured it could be a fun space that actually invited the kids in.  “Come!” it would beckon. “Sit here and learn all the things! Drink the sweet nectar of knowledge! Bask in the glow of discovery!” I was very optimistic about this homework nook.

I hopped on over to Overstock and made a plan.

My goal was fun and functional with a lot of natural touches, and of course, animals!

But first, how about the big reveal?

Ta da!

One of the first things I put in my Overstock cart was this cement planter. It has a nice hefty weight to it and was perfect for bringing in some rugged and natural texture.

How cute is the alligator bookend set? It’s sure to inspire some wonder in the kids. Hopefully they will wonder about the vast and magical world of animals, and not about why mom bought this random collection of books at the thrift store just because they were white. Seriously, is that Diane Keaton’s autobiography in there? Yes. Yes it is.

This little elephant not only adds a fun punch of color, but it also does a knock-out job of representing education and conservation.  It was hand-crafted by artisans in Kenya who take recycled flip-flop rubber collected from factories and turn them into works of art. Not only does this help foster environmental sustainability, but it provides income for the artisans and their families. I mean, c’mon. This guy is a WIN!

I love this stencil so much, I used it again. You may remember seeing it first in my mini-bathroom makeover.

Although I will never use it anymore, because I chopped it up into pieces so I could work around the corner. File that under “Stenciling Tips That Are Useful But Not Really.”

Even with the walls darker, it feels brighter. Hanging the pendant lamp overhead helped too.  This one simply plugs in, no wiring required.

Also, here’s an easy painting trick I used that can give a window maximum impact: First, I taped off a wide border extended from the window, about 4 inches, and painted it white.  Then I left a smaller border of black around that and started the stencil out from there. The end result: my window looks huge! And I didn’t even have to break out the power tools or hang trim! This trick would obviously work without a stenciled wall too.

This was a fun little makeover to work on, special thanks to Overstock.com and PBS for helping make it happen!

Sources here:

Recycled Flip Flop Rubber Elephant

White Chair with Wooden Base

Cement Planter

Black & White Striped Rug

Floating Shelves

Alligator Bookends

Drifting Arrows Stencil

Happy Weekend friend! Thanks so much for hanging out here, I truly appreciate you!