"big boy" brainstorming

we took the front off of bennetts crib this weekend, which left him with his own little toddler bed.  he was very excited and has spent much of his free time utilizing the fact that he can get in and out on his own.  i have found him several times quietly reading in his room on his bed.  seriously, i think this "change" has been a very good thing!
we put one of those under-the-mattress railings up the first naptime, but he just spent the first hour of his nap trying to get it off.
also, so far, he has stayed in his bed.  i know he knows he can get out, but he still calls me when he wakes up instead of leaving his room.  i completely expected to be woken up this morning with a snotty nosed kiss, but alas all i got was the usual "mommy!!  awake!! mommmm-aaaaaaaah!!" over the monitor.  we shall see how long this stick-to-your-bed thing lasts :)

this weekend my sister and i also ventured to a local church who was having a fabric sale - a local fabric warehouse had gone out of business or something and donated all their leftover fabric to the church to sell in support of their mission trips.  in general, it was a huge church gym full of eighties-inspired botanicals in mauve and cornflower blue {*GAG*}
BUT all bolts were only FIVE DOLLARS, and there were also large remnants for only $2.  with a little bit of rummaging and re-tracing our steps a couple times, i ended up spending $15 and left with two bolts, two remnants, and "ten bags of buttons for $1".  it was a fabric hoarders interior designers dream.

bennett found and carried the red and blue one around the entire time we were there, saying "bennett's fabric!!". when i asked him to put it back, he basically told me "no" bc it was "bennetts fabric" so i bought it for him for $2. it has already served its purpose earlier today:

and finally:

 {yes that is barbara barry for kravet :)}

i seem to have been stuck in a rut with bennetts "big boy room" design.  some of it has to do with the fact that our house is for sale and i feel a bit in "limbo" with what to do/what not to do with our house right now.  some of it also has to do with the actual furniture - remember this post? well i called around and it will cost no less than around half our savings to either refinish, stain, paint, or oil {if they will even oil it, most people dont want to mess with that} it.  and you better believe this self-proclaimed do-it-herself-er will NOT be spending her time working on this during this summer pregnancy.  my realism actually overruled my idealism this time.
so project "whole lotta wood" seems to be kapooey. 

instead, i have been contemplating upholstered twin beds.
stephens initial reaction was just short of a big fat NO.  hes all about not having "junk" in our house, and, as much as i am in 100% agreement with him, i do believe boys that are not interior designers sometimes need to trust the professional opinions and visions of their wives who are interior designers at least some of the time :)

anyway, i am now seriously considering using one of the fabrics i bought this weekend on bennetts headboards. {the blue and white greek-key-esque graphic design - its a little more navy than the picture lets on, and it and the green remnant of the same pattern are treated with a slight scotch-guarded finish, which i think would prove extra durable and easy-to-clean.  in real life the fabric also isnt as shiny as it looks in the photo...}

and now just for stephen, or for anyone else out there questioning the good of upholstered headboards, here are my reasons for wanting to go this route vs. traditional wood four poster beds or similar:

1.  he is a boy and is likely to wear heavily on his furniture to put it lightly - dont want to be worrying about chipped/scratched/gnawed-on/banged up expensive furniture
2.  he is a {big} boy and will outgrow twin beds sooner than later
3.  we are now having a girl and i imagine her "big girl room" will take a much different route than bennetts...therefore not providing future use of purchased furniture. HOWEVER, we can easily re-upholster twin headboards for her one day and kill two birds with one stone.
4.  if something does happen to the upholstered twin beds, it is very inexpensive and easy to remedy.
5.  to be honest, chances are my/our/bennetts tastes will change over the next few years, or at least be tweaked, and again, its easy to change something like upholstered headboards.
6.  i want to spend our "big money" on things like our DEN.  :)
7.  plus, i just love the look! see for yourself below:

what do YOU think?

{ok bad blogger moment, no links for each source, but if you click the picture and look at the end of the file name you should get an idea :)}