Sneaky, sneaky me.

In the girls' room, there's a little room adjacent to the closet that most people would use for storage.  My kids claimed it for a playspace--- in spite of its dark, creepy interior--- the moment they discovered its existence.  I've been hoping to do a mini-remodel on the DL for ages, and last week I did the deal.

This is pretty much what the interior looked like when I started.  Studs everywhere, wood floors---lovely but decidedly un-cozy--and insulated snugly and finished with cardboard boxes.  Seriously.  My first stop was at ReStore to grab some carpet and padding.

The carpet was actually a foot narrower than the 10'x5' space, but I was planning to cover that side with book crates anyway, so I was pretty happy with what I carted home for my ten bucks. 

I thought about painting, and just couldn't see it in such an awkward space---it's kind of triangular---so I headed stashward instead.  Equipped with staple gun, a high tolerance for pain, and mucho fabrico, the ceiling took on the look of a badly pieced quilt.

Once I'd finished with the ceiling (well, mostly---you know how I am about finishing things...) I moved on to the space between the studs.  Armed once again with swathes of fabric and my trusty staple gun, I covered the boring drywall. 

Next on my list---adding shelves.  I hightailed it to my home away from home and picked up a couple of 2x4s, which they obligingly cut into 15" segments for me.  Upon my return home, I remembered how important it is to measure twice.  And how important it is to measure yourself, even when the 12 year old you've delegated to seems perfectly competent.  I headed downstairs for a little quality time with the table saw.  Twice.  Then my drill and I rediscovered the wonder that is making pilot holes, and the shelves went up in what passes for a jiffy around here.  (Remember that all of this was done on the sly---no small feat when one has a three year old following one's every move.)

Then I carted in vast amounts of books, soft toys, and pillows.  I added a few blankets to the mix and hung the music-box that was in my craft room in Des Moines.  Did I ever mention how bad I am at keeping secrets?  I gave up on Friday afternoon, and showed the girls my handiwork.

They were so excited!  They've been in there pretty much every waking moment, and the boys actually slept inside on Friday night.  Totally worth schlepping myself and all manner of sharp tools in and out of this glorified closet all week long...