Well over a decade ago Trevor and I sat across a dining room table from a lovely couple, eating banana cream pie and negotiating (and I use that term lightly) the purchase of their darling house. After we shook hands on the “deal” the elderly gentleman walked away from the table and returned with the deed and a full set of architectural plans for the house, built in 1936. It was the sweetest thing. Obviously, there were a few more administrative things that needed to happen – such as, um, actually purchasing the house – before the plans and deed were truly ours, but in short order we had them in our hands. And then we had them in our storage room – for years. I never really knew what to do with them, until one day that dilemma intersected with my quandary over what to do with a large wall in our living room. I decided that displaying the architectural plans was a perfect way to preserve the history. I had enough plans for eight frames, but knew that I didn’t want to spend that much on professional framing. For six of the plans I used inexpensive Ikea frames, but had them fitted with conservation glass to protect the prints. For two of the plans that were in particularly good shape I splurged and had them professionally framed. The plans show their wrinkles and are damaged in some parts, but that’s part of their authenticity and charm. More than any other display in this house, these plans – although plain and simple from afar – generate interest and conversation among guests and really draw people in (including, still, us) to take a closer look.
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We’ve had a fair amount of activity in the house lately that has focused on Ella’s new space, so I thought it would be good to do a few updates to Taylor’s room as well. Even at this young age, you can tell that kids keep track of this stuff! For a year or two Taylor has been loving the show Wild Kratts, and he continues to show a keen interest in animals, so I thought I would go that direction (somewhat selfishly, in an effort to keep the theme of his room from turning full on Star Wars for as long as possible). The animal in the project was intended to be abstract, but he immediately was thrilled that it was a cougar, so we’ll go with that! Materials and instructions for this easy and inexpensive project are below.
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My most recent Décor/DIY post was “Ella’s Room at Grandma’s House” (link to full post here), where there are so many cute accents it continues to keep my daughter filled with wonder and glee every time she visits. One of Ella’s first discoveries was this darling lamp, accomplished with a simple DIY project of dolling up an ordinary shade. Materials and instructions below.

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