Kids' Room Redo

Since we have lived in this house, almost 4 years now, this kids' room has already
 had three different looks.
Each new grandchild required some new accommodations!

 There are now 4 children, with more soon to come.
So, now we can sleep at least 4.
(More when you consider how little they are, so 2 can easily share 1 bed!)

 Top bunk.

Bottom bunk.

Temporary mattress on the floor, waiting for the new bed.
(There's also a trundle under the bunks that can be pulled out when needed.)

On the opposite wall is a large world map. I bought it from Amazon and I guess I didn't realize there wasn't much color to it, so I made a colorful banner across the top.
 

Under the map, I set up an art station.
 I spray-painted some tin cans to hold pencils and other items,
bringing in more color.
(Red was specifically requested!)

 
 In this corner, I combined a small chest and bookshelf, painted them both red.
 On top is a ship that belonged to Grandpa when he was a boy.

 It's hard to tell it isn't just one piece of furniture.

 I added some other details: Grandpa's Boy Scout lantern;

a star chart that was once in their father's room;

a globe and favorite books inside old Carnation crates;


 row boat shelf  and oar

small red chair and hand painted star pillows.

Cute corner!

Little red lantern and western vest that belonged to their great grandfather
 hanging from one of our quick little projects:

 just a piece of wood with some cute knobs screwed into it;

We put this room together in 2 days, using whatever we had,
and I can't wait for the next visit!

I think the kids are going to love it!

Decorating a Rental, Part 2

Decorating in the Details: January Mantel

Finally getting around to decorating the living room mantel. It has looked like this since I took down the Christmas decorations at the end of December.

I usually have a large painting of Plymouth, Ms above the mantel because it is too big to put anywhere else. Besides, I like it and it reminds me of a fun trip I took with my daughter.

But I decided I wanted to keep a quilt up there since I don't hang them on the wall any more (I don't really know why). So I decided on this one. I made it one year when my kids and I studied American history through my family tree. Each square represents some of my family and the historical events they lived through.
For example, the top center square is Burgoyne Surrounded, a design made at the time of the Revolution to celebrate the turning point of that war, and represents ancestors who fought there.
The bottom right square is a Log Cabin, representing those ancestors who traveled west during the mid-1800s.

I started putting some accessories on the mantel. I liked the lantern and pitcher right away, but tried out some other things to see what I liked best.

It helps me to look at pictures to get a better view, so I take lots as I work through the process.

This is what I finally ended up with.

 Long shot.

 

But now that I am looking at this picture, I think I might go for the second globe.