Appropriate age group(s):
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Time needed:
Weekend

Description:
This farm theme provides a bright and cheery room for young children. The walls are blue skies above and sunny yellow below with a border of farm animals between. The bedding is durable denim with gingham accents. The addition of a cow print beanbag and nightstand add a little whimsy. Also, the main piece of art in the room is a quilt hung at the head of the bed. This is not only a fun alternative to framed art, it is safer for young children who tend to get a little rowdy sometimes!

Materials:
1 gallon medium yellow flat finish interior paint

1 gallon pale blue flat finish interior paint

1 quart bright white semi-gloss interior paint

1 quart black semi-gloss interior paint

Clear varnish

Sandpaper

Paint roller

Paint trays

Plastic drop cloths

Masking tape

Yardstick

Sea sponge

One-inch paintbrush

Two-inch paintbrush

Farm animal print border (1 roll per 15 feet)

Denim comforter to fit bed size of your choice (Ralph Lauren makes a nice one)

Red gingham dust ruffle, European sham(s), and curtains (available at pottery barn kids)

1-2 European size pillows (1 for twin bed, 2 for full or queen)

CafT curtain rods for each window

4 navy bandanas

2 yellow bandanas

Pillow stuffing (available at any fabric store)

Needle and white thread

Cow print beanbag (I?e seen this at local Wal-mart)

Rocking horse

Big pink piggy bank

Stuffed animals (dogs, cats, cows, horses, pigs, sheep)

Brightly colored quilt in farm theme

Wooden nightstand that you are willing to paint

Existing furniture

Instructions:
1. Remove furniture from room or move it all to the center of the room and cover with plastic.

2. Wash walls with warm soapy water (use 1/2) teaspoon of Dawn per 2 gallons of water) and allow to dry.

3. Mask molding at floor and ceiling and around all doors and windows with masking tape.

4. Lay plastic drop cloths on the floor and tape down to secure.

5. Measure three feet from the floor with yardstick and make a mark with a pencil. Do this every 12 inches all the way around the room.

6. You will use the blue paint first. Make sure the paint is well mixed by shaking the can before you open it and by stirring the paint with a wooden paint stick after you?e opened the can.

7. Pour a small amount of paint into the paint tray.

8. Dip your roller in the paint and pull it backward to the edge of the tray to remove any excess paint.

9. Roll the paint on the upper portion of the wall only (above your pencil marks) using a criss-cross motion.

10. When upper portion of wall is fully covered, allow the paint to dry.

11. Time for a second coat of blue!

12. When second coat of blue has dried, follow the same painting techniques to paint the bottom portion of the room yellow. Make sure you finish with a second coat for the best coverage. (If you are painting over a dark color, you may need to apply a third coat.)

13. After your yellow paint has dried, you will need your white paint and your sea sponge.

14. Pour some of the white paint into the paint tray you used with the blue paint.

15. Lightly dip the sponge into the paint and blot to remove excess. Begin sponging white paint on the blue wall to form cloud shapes (3-5 sponge spots blended by dragging the sponge makes a nice sized cloud). Paint as many or as few could as you like.

16. Return to your yellow paint and use a brush to paint a sun in one corner of the room.

17. Wash one of your paint trays to use in hanging border.

8. Get the yardstick back out and make measurement marks every six inches along the wall at 33 inches up from the floor. These will be your guide marks for hanging the border.

19. Unroll your first roll of border, and re-roll it so the pre-pasted side is out.

20. Lay paper in a paint tray that is half filled with water and drag it out so that all the paper comes in contact with water.

21. Begin in a corner, lining the border up with the edge of the wall and the guide marks you made earlier.

22. Work slowly, pressing the paper from the center to the top and bottom edges. Make sure you flatten any bubbles before the paste dries.

23. After you have finished hanging the first roll, make sure the image on the beginning of the second roll matches the image at the end of the first roll so the border will look continuous after the project is completed.

24. Once the paper is hung, it? time to move the furniture back into the room.

25. Put the bed together with the denim comforter and the gingham dust ruffle and shams.

26. Hang curtains on the cafT rods.

27. Place rocking horse in a corner opposite the bed.

28. Put cow print beanbag at the end of the bed with a stack of books next to it.

29. Put the big pink piggy bank on top of child? dresser.

30. Hang quilt with farm or animal theme at the head of the bed. Having a soft quilted piece of art here is much safer than hanging framed art. Glass, metal and sharp wooden edges are not child-friendly!

31. Place stuffed animals at the foot of the bed and on top of the dresser.

32. Now, go find those bandanas.

33. Place 2 bandanas (same color) face to face. Stitch along edges, leaving three inches at each end, so when you are finished none of the corners are sewn together.

34. Turn the bandanas right side out and stuff with pillow stuffing.

35. To finish the pillow, tie knots in each corner.

36. Follow this same procedure with the other bandanas (you should end up with two navy pillows and one yellow one). Toss the pillows on the bed.

37. Last project! Sand the nightstand to remove old paint, varnish, or dirt and to smooth out any imperfections.

38. Paint the stand with 2-3 coats of white paint, using your 2-inch brush and allowing paint to dry between each coat.

39. Using a pencil, draw large irregular shaped spots on the nightstand and using your smaller brush, fill them in with your black paint.

40. Allow black paint to dry thoroughly.

41. Apply a coat of varnish with a clean paintbrush.

42. Just allow the varnish to dry, put the nightstand next to the bed, and you?e DONE!