Thursday, February 10, 2011

Grown-up Playroom

*Hey Pysch fans-can you spot the pineapple?


This is the first house that we've had an actual "playroom". Most of our houses we just had a pile of toys in the corner of the living room (and several other rooms as well). We don't own a dining room table and so in our last house we called the dining room the "playroom". It was decorated around a train table and had kinda a transportation theme decor. Our new house has an official playroom, but our kids are way beyond choo choos. Hubs was excited and called dibs on decorating the new hang-out. Since decorating is not his favorite thing, I was thrilled. He's very artistic and has wanted to paint a mural on a wall for years. I really wanted him to do a version of Starry Night with of view of our street instead of whatever Van Gogh saw outside his window. He was inspired by this:

It's by Piet Mondrian. Click here for a quick art history lesson.
Here's our wall. He drew on the lines and then we used painter's tape to mark it off.  The yellow was a pain-I think we did about 89 coats (and it was even the kind w/ the primer in it).
Hubs is a huge collector and I think he just wanted somewhere to display all his "treasures".  His parent's loaned us some antique signs.  I love this coke bottle cap.

I know the chair doesn't belong. We've got and antique dental chair that will take it's place as soon as we fix it up.
Bad pic. I guess I should have figured it would happen if you try and take pics of licence plates.  Can you see the targets on the far right wall?  Those are new additions.  Subtle messages to any teenage boys interested in our daughter.
Santa brought us a ping-pong table and my son a new electric guitar!


If you come visit, you get to sign.

My Mom got these for me in Poland in 1991 and I love them. Russian leader stacking dolls-the idea just makes me smile.
Assorted stuff that Hubs collects.
In Germany they have these awesome chocolate eggs filled w/ toy surprises called Kinder Eir (kid eggs). Here's our collection. You can't by them in the US b/c it's against the law to put non-edibles inside edibles. If you're ever in Europe, buy at least a dozen b/c they're awesome. Rumor has it you can also get them in Canada.

It's everyone's favorite room.  I'm not crazy about the sporting event plastic cup collection, but overall I approve.   The kid's love showing it off and getting people to sign the wall. 

13 comments:

  1. What a cool room! It looks amazing!

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  2. This is great! I love it! I found you through Made By You Mondays and am now a follower.

    Melanie
    youmadethat.blogspot.com

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  3. I love the wall! Mondrian is one of my favorite painters. I also like the cubbies filled with the German toys. Where did you get the cubbies piece?

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  4. Kinder eggs are available in Canada if you ever come visit us.

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  5. I didn't know you could buy Kinder Eggs in Canada. I didn't know to look last time I was there. @Annie-I'm not sure what cubbies you meant. The large black ones are from IKEA and the thing that the kinder eggs are in, I found at a garage sale.

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  6. Kinder Eggs are awesome..but I throw out the toys after a day or two but now I'll be sending them to you. The room looks great!

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  7. I love the Mondrian mural. Looks like a fun hangout!

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  8. Love that you can sign the wall!! Thanks for auditioning for OMTWI!!

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  9. that is cute; I was an art minor so I know Mondrian. love that painting!

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  10. Way cool! My poor teens have to share the playroom with their little siblings. My favorites are the license plates and signing wall. So fun. Love the kinder egg toy collection. We used to live in Japan and they have a similar thing called Choco eggs with little toys inside-my kids loved them.

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  11. You can certainly buy Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs in Canada. That's where I live. I had no idea they were banned in the U.S. Finally - one thing Canada has that the U.S. doesn't! (Oh, and Smarties too!) We drive to the U.S. to buy all the cool stuff we can't get here.

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