Avlynne's Room

Yes, a room is just a room, a place to sleep and store your clothes. However, to me a room is also a place to escape from the world, a sanctuary of sorts. When we found out we were having a baby, my mind started dreaming of creating a special little nest for our little one. With limited time and resources, yet an endless list of ideas and possibilities, I enlisted the troops. The room came together in such a fun and special way that I can only be reminded of how the Lord is truly interested in even the most seemingly insignificant details of His children's lives. I wanted to make sure and document these details so as to never forget to give God all the glory.

Fabric: I am blessed to have a Mom who can sew and quilt like its nobodies business. KJ and I picked out some fun Amy Butler fabric at the Top Stitch. One of the things I love about KJ is how he is willing to go into a fabric store with me and actually get excited about finding just the right fabric. This fabric is extra special because the collection was being discontinued the week we found it and the amount left in the store turned out to be the perfect amount needed to make the items we wished for. My Mom made the curtains for both windows, bumpers, a skirt for the crib and a beautiful quilt. She is amazing!

Paint: We wanted colors that could be used with a variety of other colors depending on the future members of our family. We had fun picking these out...the green is called Retro Avocado and the brown was made to match the fabric. KJ and a guy he knows through Young Life, Gavin, did the painting. I must admit that when I saw the colors on the wall, it left me wondering if we should lay down bright orange Shag carpet and call it good. I am also wondering when the day will come when Avlynne states how much she hates the colors green and brown and just wants a pretty pink room. All well, for now we love it and she seems to like it too. My favorite is how the green "glows" on a beautiful sunny afternoon, I just can't help but be cheered up!

Furniture: One of my favorite things about Avlynne's room is how every piece of furniture holds within it different memories. The bookshelf came from IKEA along with other pieces to a bedroom set my Mom bought for me with some of her inheritance money when I was a junior in college. The deep shelves are perfect for storing all kinds of treasures and I can't wait to see what Av and other Johnson kids will fill it up with over the years. The changing table was a hand-me-down from a friend who used it for her sweet daughter, Addy. The crib came from Seattle. My brother-in-law, J.B., retrieved it for us from his brother, Sam, after they were done using it for their two kids, Elise and James. The dresser was a hand-me-down to my parents 44 years ago when they moved to Kirkland for my Dad to be a Pastor at Rosehill Presbyterian Church. A family with 4 daughters, one of which was named Lynne, who I am named after and now Avlynne is named after, gave it to my parents. My Grandpa striped and refinished the dresser long before I entered the Clegg family and I have fond memories of having it in my room as a young girl. I diligently dusted and polished the dresser as if I knew I wanted to take good care of it so it would last for my children someday. I gave it some special touches with new knobs from Anthropologie (Thanks to Jillian Zieske) and cute paper from World Market lining the drawers. The rocking chair was a steal of deal we found at Shopko. My mother-in-law and KJ's Aunt are Rockstars when it comes to the Morning-After-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. The chair originally cost $500 and was a doorbuster item on sale for $150. They got there early, fought through the crowds and laid their claim on one of the brown chairs. As an extra bonus, my brother-in-law, Eric, works at Shopko and got us his employee discount! Lastly, the Rug found us at Bed, Bath and Beyond. KJ and I weren't specifically looking for a rug that day although we had been hoping for one as we wanted a least one "soft" place in our house of hardwood floors. The rug was 75% off and we snagged it without knowing if it would be the right measurements. Of course when we got home and unrolled it we were excited to see how perfectly it fit!

Other Special Touches: I love lamps and we had to get creative with lighting in this room because there is no ceiling light so we rummaged through our house and found what we could. The Owl light on top of the bookshelf was the only purchase made for lighting, it came from Target, a store I LOVE, and was too cut to pass up, especially since it matched the owl painting. My dear friend Amy Mack gifted us with a certificate to use to find something from UpperCase Living, which she sells. I found these dainty little pink flowers which I thought were perfect for brightening up the dark brown wall. Lastly, some very sweet women I used to work with at Avalon Care Center made Avlynne her very own name sign.

So that is Avlynne's precious room, a smattering of memories, blessings and stories. Most importantly though, is the gift of the little girl who plays and sleeps in this room. We feel fortunate to have been able to create a nest for her and don't ever want to take it for granted. Ultimately, we know the most important part of her room are the memories that have and will be created within it's four walls!