Camp Cole – Bedrooms in The Woods

We are still not done with Camp Cole. By the time I get this room done, he’ll be in high school at this rate, but nonetheless I wanted to post some pictures. Mostly I need to get things installed and hung – does anyone else struggle with that part of the installation the most too? I am trying to learn to be handy but when it comes to wall brackets, mounts, and drilling I get stalled. I’m happy to get out a drill and go to town but the end result usually isn’t pretty. I need some formal handy training so I can do installations all on my own.

The hardest part for me in putting together the Bedrooms for a little one is the destruction element. It’s a miracle that the dresser has lasted as long as it has but after years of use it’s time to update/replace it as its no longer functional for a kid. I remember painting that like it was yesterday and its now 6 years old. Time flies. Now I need a new dresser that is lower and longer in length since we are officially entering into the phase where he wants to dress himself. This taller dresser just isn’t going to work and big boy status means putting his own clothes on so everything must be attainable from a lower height.

Sometimes I like dead space. I kind of like the dead space above his bed between the moon light -which is probably getting removed. I scored canvas utility bags that are shelves for the wall and some artwork. Again, installation is the issue as the Mr. won’t get out his drill and stucco walls are terrifying to put anything into, so I’m hiring a pro for this task. We also took a saw and literally chopped up the bed frame. We decided that the bunk bed option was not as safe as we had hoped and just cut that part off. You can’t even tell that this was once a dual bed frame.

I must say, every night when we read, his IKEA camp light is a win. It dims and he loves to turn it on and off, almost as if to say goodbye to the day itself when we are done. I think it cost all of $20. You can’t beat that – and it survived. The biggest testament to a good product.

Other things that are changing are his bookshelves. I’ve loved these Pottery Barn kids shelves I scored years ago. They’ve been so versatile and sturdy. The only problem is that they are not easily accessible in the space and our space is small. So, I’m replacing these with the canvas shelf bags right next to his bed for easy access.

I had this idea for a camping “dollhouse”, aka the “camphouse”, and created it last winter. Afterall, why can’t a boy have a dollhouse too? I found this white frame from Target that I thought would be a good base point to start building a camp themed dollhouse of sorts for him. From there, I collected almost all of the pieces in it over Christmas last year. It’s amazing how many camping themed holiday items actually exist – or as they call it, “woodland” theme. It worked perfect to come up with this theme for the room. They are all ornaments that I trimmed down or altered so they looked like toys. I glued a pic of us in the ornament frame at the top of the house, kind of hard to see, so that he sees our smiling faces every time he plays with this – mommy tactics for sure! So far this has been a total win and he plays with it all the time and takes the creatures camping.

Lastly, our orbiting planets. A total bust. While I think they are fun and look cool, they are a disaster to work with. I believe I got these at a bookstore years ago but can’t say I’d buy them again. They don’t hang too well and even with fishing line they fall easily as their weight is pretty heavy. They are going away but he’s enjoyed them…and the all five that are left there and haven’t rolled away, been chewed on by a dog, or smashed. This room is a work in progress still!