Macke Monologues: Big Girl Room + Prints From Mpix

Portions of this post are sponsored.

However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This has been about four months in the making... Act surprised.

In January we pulled the trigger and converted Julia's room from nursery to Big Girl. At first I was really apprehensive of the whole deal. She'd never tried to climb out of her crib, and the idea of taking away that... um... cage?... aspect was frightening. It's not a mystery Julia has a mind of her own. The thought of her staying in a bed by her own free will didn't seem likely. However, at 3.5 years old, it was time. She had to learn the ropes of an actual bed at some point.

Alas, the Big Girl room was inevitable.

The vision of her room began months prior to any changes. I wanted to keep things light and airy with pops of color and rainbow accents. I also wanted to try and incorporate a few items from her nursery decor.

The bed and dresser were easy purchases. White seemed an obvious choice. Though, with my filth-prone daughter I still question that decision on the daily...

An old, dark mahogany colored nightstand was taking up valuable real estate in our garage. I pictured it with a coat of bright paint and hardware from Julia's old dresser. Once revamped, I placed on the bed stand an OK to Wake clock (we're still trying to get the hang of that thing), a rainbow LED projector that may be the coolest thing ever (and horrible to photograph - just pretend the room is dark and you see a rainbow projected in the room over the ceiling and wall), as well as the sweetest 4x4 framed print (more on that soon).

Bedding and sheets took more of a concerted effort to find. I wanted the feel of rainbows without anything gaudy or obnoxious. After endless hours scouring different sites I landed on bedding and pillows that still makes me smile every time I walk into Julia's room. The sheets do have actual rainbows and unicorns on them. But the grid print and muted colors fit my vision.

I also have to toot my horn on the way we now store bows. Before, bow storage was madness, and just looking at the way bows were lying around gave me anxiety. This clear makeup storage kit takes up minimal space on the dresser, I can see almost every bow without opening it, and it forces me to really keep the number of bows we have in check. Only the bows we love and wear the most stick around. The rest are history.

I did hang on to a few items from nursery: a couple of framed prints, the mirror, the butterfly lamp and shade, the book shelves we made from dish drying racks and paint, and the curtains.

A small Disney tribute can be found with the silhouette of Julia, which we had made during one of our Disney visits.

The hardest part? Finding things I loved in which to hang on bare walls.

This rainbow tapestry is beautiful, hand woven, and with the most perfect color combo.

Last, but certainly not least. The thing I feel ties the whole room together, and kind of puts a bow on it all... The prints over the bed. I found the prints themselves from this cute indy shop way back in February. But it took me a few months to decide just how I wanted them displayed.

Mpix, yet again, came to the rescue for all my print needs. I wanted the Love You Mean It prints on poster size paper, and of a quality paper that would last. Mpix had all the options I could ever dream of. After playing around on their site with different sizings, frames, and styles, I landed on 12x18 poster prints.

I also used Mpix to print the most adorable 4x4 photo, with frame, to place on Julia's nightstand. The quality of all the prints are second to none. The 4x4 frame is incredibly sturdy, and I know it will all stand up to the rigors of Julia. I'm starting to get the itch to give Marcus' room a good update/sprucing, and once I jump in feet first with that I'll utilize all of Mpix options to complete his room as well. Now through April 24, Mpix is offering 30% (!!!) off all cards and small prints (up to 8x10)!