A room for Josie.

There has not been many blog posts in February and this is part of the reason.

We moved into our cottage three years ago and because it was so small, our three teenage daughters had to share a room. Although they have not complained too much about it, all three of them have been looking forward to more space. In December last year our extension was finally finished and another room was freed up in the house for the girls. Alana and Alex are both 15 and like a lot of the same things so did not mind to continue sharing. They moved into the newly vacated room and Josie was left with the old girls room all to herself.With a little help she has made it into the new favorite room of the house.

Josie has autism and has been looking forward to having her own room for a long time. After the girls moved out the room was in great need of some paint and a few new ideas.

The windowsill needed to be ripped out as condensation from the window had caused it to warp and get a bit damp. We removed some of the wood underneath, dried out the space and treated the remaining wood with wood preserver. To even it out again we added some bonding and let it harden and dry for a couple of days. It was then time for some tiles. We have found that tiling a windowsill is a great way of stopping any condensation from harming it and also good if the potted plants get watered a bit too vigorously. Today we have grouted it and now only a final polish remains. Josie’s cats could not even wait until the grout had dried to move in.

Two more cats moved in as well, on a very old picture that once belonged to Josie’s great grandmother’s sister. We think they are very sweet looking for being about 80 years old.

Josie chose primrose yellow and soft blue for her walls, a lovely change from the mottled purple previously on the walls. For the built in wardrobes, we painted over the black chalk board paint with white. The result is a much brighter room with a warm and relaxing feel to it.

For a bit of fun we got some branch and bird stickers for the blue wall and added a bird box a friend had painted for Josie. We found some great curtains in the local charity shop for €15 and added some paper ball LED lights to them. On the floor we put a big round rug we have knitted from some old duvet covers and gifted yarns. It is very soft and comfortable to sit or lie on. We always try to make things from recyclable materials rather than buying them when possible.

Josie wanted a bunk bed so her friends can come for sleepovers and the bottom part of it is used as a cosy sofa for the rest of the time. We put some big cushions from our sofa onto it just for the pictures, and soon we will make some especially for Josie in fabrics that she likes. We have an old school desk in the shed that we will move in soon. After that the room will be finished and Josie can do her homework, sleep in her own quiet space and have her siblings, parents and friends come in to share her space when she wishes. She is so happy to finally have all this for herself and seeing her like that makes the whole family happy as well.