kids spaces Archives - Emily A. Clark

Walmart’s New Eclectic Decor Collection (Flower Home)

May132019

This post is sponsored by Walmart.

If you’re into eclectic, Walmart’s newest home decor collection is for you. Flower Home is the new line designed by Drew Barrymore for Walmart and there’s a little bit of everything.

Flower Home is just what you’d expect from the actress; it’s offbeat, colorful and a little quirky. And as you would expect from Walmart, it’s affordable. I added pattern to my teenage son’s room with this happy yellow bedding set. It was just $65 for the queen quilt and shams, and I think it adds a fun contrast against his dark green walls.

The dog-in-a-suit art print is just strange enough to work in boy’s bedroom–and I like the colors. (Also under $60 and a great size at 24×29 inches.)

Besides affordable bedding, the collection has some other standouts including a really cute dog bed (although I don’t have a dog) and this lamp with a face. I also highlighted some of my favorite Flower Home art in a recent Saturday 6 post. (And don’t forget Walmart’s free 2-day shipping for all orders over $35.)

I think it’s fun to see Walmart teaming up with more celebrities. What do you think of Drew’s line?

Our Twins’ Shared Bedroom: A New Color Palette

May92019

This post is sponsored by Behr. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our boy/girl twins are still sharing a room (and will be for as long as possible!), but I had quickly painted it after we moved in and didn’t really ever finish the rest of it. I used the framed animal prints from our last house and my daughter insisted they scared her into getting up and coming into our room every night. . . (I personally think this has been her most creative excuse so far.) So, it felt like the perfect time to call her bluff and give their room an updated look with a new color palette.

This is how the “very scary” room looked before:

And after a new wall color (I used BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® interior paint) and some fresh accessories:

The room doesn’t get a ton of natural light so I wanted something lighter and brighter. I love the soft quilts they already had on their beds and pulled my main wall color from those. An all-American red, white and (shades of blue) color palette felt like a good, classic choice for a boy/girl bedroom.

In case you’re up to your eyeballs in swatches. . .

A few of my best tips for choosing paint colors:

Choose your paint color last. This is such a tempting place to start for a lot of people, but it actually makes a lot of sense to choose your furniture and accessories for a room first. Then, pull out a main wall color and complementary accent colors from fabrics, rugs or art, for example. My palette for this room: Tranquil Sea PPL-73, Red My Mind MQ1-10, Basswood MQ2-46, Compass Blue MQ5-54 and Snowy Pine PPU10-13.

Take advantage of paint samples. For just a few dollars, you can pick up a sample of the color (and sheen) you’re considering. Painting a large swatch—on a board or the wall—can save a lot of time and effort.

Use the leftover samples to have your kids create art for their space. Even if it’s very “abstract”, the palette will work perfectly and it’s a sweet, personal touch.

Need more help with choosing a color? Join me for the Behr Color Clinic on Thursday, May 16th where I’ll be joining a Q&A session on the Behr Facebook Page from 10a.m. to noon EST.

Gift Ideas for Younger & Older Kids

Nov212018

Since I end up buying Christmas presents for a good range of ages, I’m sharing my gift ideas for both younger and older kids. The younger kids are fun. They like anything and forget what they’d asked for in the first place! The older kids (mine are 14 and almost 13) are tricky. They like small, expensive things–and did I mention, they’re very specific? By the way, I asked my son and daughter to add a suggestion to this list. She said a water bottle. He said an xBox (basically the love of his life–for now) so, there you go. . .

See my other 2018 gift guides here: