It’s been a while since I’ve put together a random mood board. Last time around, I put together a tween boy’s room (inspired by the 12-year-old version of my little brother). Since then, I’ve had a few email requests for a tween girl’s room, so I thought it would be fun to dig into my inner-tween (Oh yes, I have one. I watch the Disney Channel) and put together a fun, fresh and girly mood board…

What I love about this room is that is can easily grow up. Just take away the One Direction poster and switch out the owl side table and you’ve got yourself an airy feminine room. Okay, keep the owl side table. I love it too. Now, for the 411…

Finishes // Barely there “greige” walls, dark walnut wood furniture with simple lines and navy blue and coral accents.

1 //  Charles White Round Mirror // I’m in love with this mirror. The simple lines will tie in with the furniture but the round shape will add some needed curves to pull off the girly vibe. Look for Less: Try out a DIY version by cutting small white PVC and gluing the pieces onto round, white-framed mirror.

2 // Wyatt Bed with Storage // This simple bed brings a nice streamlined style and soft upholstery to the bedroom and even has a hidden drawer that pulls out from the foot of the bed for extra storage space – something every tween girl can use.

3 // Bulldog Pillow & Ikat Pillow // These two pillows are the perfect mix of fun and class. The bulldog shows a bit of modern personality, while the Ikat brings in a little class that moms will love, too. Look for Less: Search Etsy for affordable and stylish pillow covers.

4 // Mercury Glass Lamp // I switched out the lampshade that comes on this lamp with a plain white drum shade to tie in with the crisp white bedding. The base will add some fun metallic texture and be a nice contrast against the dark wood side table.

5 // Modern Chair // I’m such a big fan of this chair (in every color!). The gray version is soothing and plays as a great backdrop for the bright accent colors throughout the room. Oh, and I “stained” the legs darker to tie in to the side table (thanks to some Photoshop magic). It would be pretty easy for any DIYer to sand the legs down, stain them, and re-apply a thin coat of polyurethane.

6 // Owl Garden Side Table // This little garden side table adds a touch of whimsy and is perfect for a classy tween girly girl.

7 // Heirloom Rug // Adding yet another big pop of color, this yellow rug is kind of like adding fresh tomatoes to a pesto pizza – it adds the perfect amount of acidity to balance everything out. Is it lunch time?

8 // Steppe Nightstand // The solid wood construction of this night stand is made to last through the teen years. Look for Less: This nightstand is made from less durable material, but it has the same lines at a fraction of the price.

9 // Bodega Storage Box Set // These storage boxes tie in well with the color scheme and are a perfect place to stash notes from friends and important keepsakes. Look for Less: Paint a set of unfinished wooden boxes (found at Michaels) with high gloss coral paint and embellish with silver nail heads or thumb tacks.

10 // Be You Print // Fun, modern art and a great motto for a tween girl to live by. The metallic gold text will bring in some glam that every girl needs.

11 // Fetco Cork Board // What’s a tween room without a memo board? A few of these little cork boards lined up over a desk will be great for reminders, photos and notes from mom. And they’re on sale for $6!

So, what’s the verdict? If you were a Tween again, would this room be your cup of tea?

…or at least how I installed one anyway. Something I’ve wanted in the house since Day One is a gallery wall. I mean, come on, who doesn’t love a good gallery wall, right? Haha. I didn’t want anything major, just a little tid bit of organized chaos that happens to look pretty. I just needed an excuse to put one together.

Just when we were nearing the end of decorating the foyer, we got to the awkward skinny wall by the front door. It was too skinny to put a single piece of artwork, not enough floor space for a coat tree and too wide to just ignore and do nothing. And right then and there, I was handed an excuse for a gallery wall on a silver platter.

We had a stack of frames stashed away in the guest room closet that weren’t being used, so I gathered them up along with scissors, scrap sheets of card stock, a Sharpie, tape and a good amount of Command Picture Hanging Strips.

First off, I traced the outer edges of the frames on pieces of card stock then cut them out.

When they were all cut out, I taped the “paper frames” on the wall one by one until I  had a design I liked. Being a visual thinker, this proved to be a really valuable step that saved me a lot of brain power. I used clear tape rather than my go-to paper tape so I could get a really good visual of the spacing between the frames.

Oh! The umbrella stand. Greg and I found this super neat vintage porcelain umbrella stand at a local antique mall  (Cold Harbor Antique Mall for you locals) for $23. I was shocked when I saw the tag because I’ve been searching for one similar and the cheapest one I found was around $120 plus shipping. So, needless to say, I snatched that baby right up. I’m now on the search for a few fancy umbrellas – the kind with the pretty silver handles. It will be something fun to keep our eyes out for during our shopping travels. Okay, back to the gallery wall…

We had some frames that were the same size but a different style, so to plan out things a little further – because I’m weird like that – I laid them out on the floor to put together a collection that geared toward the look we were looking for (casual, collected over time and not trying too hard). The rest is pretty self-explanatory… time to hang the frames!

Because the frames were going on a wall with a door, we wanted to make sure they were going to be very secure. So, we opted to use the Command Strips. We used these on the tile wall in the kitchen, and they haven’t budged since the day we hung them. Another perk of using these is that if you hang it a smidge crooked, you can easily lift it up and try again.

We’re really happy with how our little gallery wall turned out. Now we’re able to display some of our favorite photos (like this one of me and my grandma cooking in her kitchen sporting matching Mickey Mouse aprons) including the mat our friends and family signed at our wedding and our paint shirt art.

One of our favorite pieces on the wall is this art print of a quote my great grandpa used to say (which is now available here over at Brown & Barkley). I never got the chance to meet him because he passed away a few years before I was born, but I hear stories all the time about what an amazing man he was. So, it’s neat to have a little piece of him here.

Another favorite are these framed vintage numbers. I bought the cardboard numbers on Etsy for about $4 (including shipping) and taped them on a piece of white card stock. I decided to put them in a large frame to give it a more modern look. Oh, and the 29 – we were married on the 29th of December. The numbers look a little flat in the photo, but the texture in person makes them look even cooler.

We can’t end this post without a before and after…

Yeah, we still need a few umbrellas for the stand, but I think it’s safe to say that with that, my friends, we wrap up the foyer. It feels so good to mark an area of the house off the list. I think I totally deserve a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper.

Since we do projects and post them in real-time, you’re normally reading about a project less than 24-hours after it’s been done. That being said, for the past three days, Greg’s been super busy with a project at work, and I’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing due to the fact that I have a killer cold. Not just any cold… the kind that comes with baggage like chest congestion, blowing your nose every three minutes and feeling your pulse in your teeth. Yeah, not fun. Not fun at all.

However, in the midst of all that, the UPS guy delivered a package yesterday that suddenly made me feel a little bit better and Greg a little less stressed…

You may recognize the gal on the cover, Kelly Edwards, from HGTV’s Design on a Dime. Along with a ton of other TV appearances, she recently teamed up with celebrity interior designer, Thom Filica to cohost My Awesome Room on the Style Network. Way back last fall, we got an email from Kelly asking us if she could use a photo of our kitchen in a book she was writing, The Design Cookbook. Needless to say, we didn’t have to think twice and jumped at the chance. Knowing that the book wasn’t going to be coming out until Spring of 2013, I’ve been chomping at the bit to check it out and see our kitchen – a room we live in, where we cook daily (okay, almost every day), make coffee, and walk through carrying laundry to and from the laundry room – in a book…  a book that’s sold in Barnes & Noble (!!!!!). Does that make me sound like a crazy person? I’m sure it does.

The book was finally released last week, and I must say – and I’m not just saying this because our kitchen is on page 83 – it’s really, really good. It’s filled with great photos of spaces from all different styles, and Kelly gives you the “recipes” of how to achieve a similar look. It’s kind of like the end all and be all of design magazines – with instructions! Genius.

So, if you’re looking for some reading material for the weekend, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Design Cookbook. You’ll be happy you did, and I’m sure you’ll be marking it with Post-Its in no time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a box of tissues.