Little Boy Bedroom Reveal + Airwick Review

This post brought to you by Air Wick. All opinions are 100% mine.

(First things first, if you haven't entered the Better than Perfect giveaway, head HERE and do so now now now!) 

This seemed like as good a time as any to 'reveal' Forrest's bedroom (as if it's been some well-guarded secret). I keep putting off sharing any rooms in my house until they're finished, and I need to just accept that none of them will probably ever actually be finished, and so what if they're not quite the Pinterest-worthy designs you've come to expect from all these fancypants bloggers? Ain't nobody got time for that.

For Forrest's room, I was hugely inspired by little Henry's nursery at Newly Woodwards. You really ought to pop over and check his bedroom out if you haven't seen it yet--I love its classic style, the masculine 'un-baby' color choices, and the overall preppy look. So perfect, and exactly the feel I wanted in Forrest's room. I think it's a look that grows with a child and won't feel too babyish as they get older--as much fun as designing a room can be, I don't particularly want to have to redo it because it looks too little for a growing boy, and I love that Kim's design for her son will look just as fitting for a 3- or 5- or 10-year old as it does now for a baby.

So here we go--my stinky little boy's room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I painted his room a very soft gray (Valspar Comet Dust), and I stuck with mostly navy blues for accent colors. The curtains are those cheapy sheers you can get for a couple dollars at Ikea, and I taped them off and used paint to create the dark blue stripes. You've probably seen a zillion tutorials for similar painted curtains on Pinterest. I love how these curtains look in photos, or from a distance, but to be honest, I definitely wouldn't use this technique again unless I was truly desperate for stripes and really couldn't swing it any other way. They look, well, painted. And crispy. And it's been almost a year since I made them and they haven't uncrunchified yet. Maybe I did something wrong? Probably. But they make a nice bold impact and look good as long as you don't get too close, so who cares. And I lined them with black-out fabric, which prevents the light from shining through and emphasizing the streaky painted look, so it isn't terribly obvious, I guess. The map above the bed was a years, years, years, years ago purchase from a thrift store, and I love how it looks above his crib.

This little corner's kind of cute, huh? That's actually his time-out chair (frequently utilized), but that doesn't seem to turn him off from thinking that having his very own little goober-sized seat is fun. He loves sitting there (when he isn't in time out, that is) and coloring on his chalkboard, which was a purchase from my mom's boutique, Amenities (in Heber, UT). The name sign was the gift I received from my partner in the Craftaholics Anonymous handmade gift exchange last summer, and it fits in his room so perfectly . . . love it. Once upon a time, there was also a cute little paper bunting above that name sign, but it has long since been torn down, and I'm too lazy to put it back up. Surely you've come to expect such things from me. I aim to please.

This view isn't terribly exciting--just a toy box, his little dresser from Craigslist, and an unfinished wall that I haven't quite decided how to decorate yet.  But that brings us full circle to my favorite part of his bedroom . . . 

His little fun-size reading wall! One thing I really hope to inspire in my kids is a love of reading . . . and I'm not 100% sure how to go about doing that, but having books easily accessible in his room where he can see them and look at them and flip through them anytime he wants seems like a good start. The little shelves are just spice racks from Ikea that I painted white and hung low enough that little hands can easily reach the books (and I'm slightly concerned that he'll try climbing them like a ladder one of these days, but I guess he hasn't realized how fun that might be yet). The 'read' letters are just large, flat, plain letters purchased from Hobby Lobby and covered with cute polka dot scrapbooking paper and Mod Podge. Plus a little garland punched from decorative papers and sewn together, that I have never noticed until just now kind of looks like a creepy clown smile. Hmmm.

My favorite area in his room, clown smile or not.

(Now, it's time for the part of the post where I get paid, everyone's favorite!)

This boy is smelly. I mean, I grew up with three older brothers--I was under no illusions about the interesting fragrances growing boys subject their poor families to--but wow. It's another beast entirely to have one in your own house, the house you invite friends and guests to, where you hope to not subject them to the stench of stinky little boy feet and tiny sweaty clothes and yesterday's diapers. Suffice it to say, I'm a tad self-concious when it comes to the way my home smells, and I'm constantly trying new air freshening products to keep it smelling fresh and nice and not like a stinky little boy. 

So I was more than happy to try out some new scented Airwick products and see how they stood up to this boy's stinkiness. You may have noticed a little plug-in scent warmer in his pictures above . . . if not . . . (please take note of my expert paint job around that outlet--ha! Anti-perfectionist in the houuuusssse!)

The Airwick plug-ins have turned out to be a nice solution for this smelly kid and his smelly room. I've been hesitant to use a wax warmer in his bedroom in case I forget to turn it off at night, or what if he tugs the cord and tips it onto himself? Maybe I shouldn't be worried about this, but I like that this Airwick warmer unit is so small and unobtrusive, and he hasn't even noticed it there yet. 

The scents I sampled are: Grand Canyon Cactus Flower & Warm Breeze, Samoa Sweet Coconut & Island Palms, Hawaii Exotic Papaya & Hibiscus Flower, Ocean Spray & Sparkling Sea Minerals, Bright Citrus Splash, Lavender & Chamomile, Magnolia & Cherry Blossom, and Island Paradise.

My thoughts: I really liked the Grand Canyon Cactus Flower & Warm Breeze, the one pictured above that I used in Forrest's room. It's got a sweet scent, but it's sort of deep and not too 'fruity,' so it's perfect for a boy's room. It tends to get a bit strong and overpowering if left plugged in for too long, so I've just been unplugging it every day or so when I notice it getting a bit strong, and the scent lingers for another day or two before I need to plug it in again. My favorite scent is definitely the Samoa Sweet Coconut & Island Palms--if you're a fan of coconut scent, you'll love this one. So light and refreshing. I put it in a bathroom and love how it gives the room such a fresh scent (and unlike the Cactus Flower one, it doesn't ever get too strong, even in that small room, so I just leave it plugged in all the time). The Magnolia & Cherry Blossom also has a great, sort of romantic scent, and I love the fresh feel of the Ocean Spray & Sparkling Sea Mineral. They've really freshened up the rooms they're in, and I love how they make my first thought on stepping into Forrest's room, "Mmm, nice!" instead of "holy diaper odor, get me out of here."

Two of the scents I sampled, Bright Citrus Splash and Ocean Spray with Sparkling Sea Minerals, are brand new and available only at Sam's Club, where they (and other Airwicks products) are an awesome value and a better deal than at other retailers like Walmart, so I'd suggest heading to Sam's Club if you'd like to try some yourself!