HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL MEMORY BOX!

I can hardly believe that we are more than halfway through September and that the school year is well underway. I love a fresh start and I always feel like September is the ideal opportunity for a reset. It’s the perfect chance to start a good organization project and today, I’m excited to share a project that I put together over the summer: school memory boxes for our kids! I really wanted to start this year with a place for all of their art, report cards, work we’ve kept and awards they’ve earned in one happy place. This school memory box is something I have only just discovered is ‘a thing’ and even though our kids are 8 and 10, I approached this project with the same motto I approach life…it’s never too late!

school memory boxes for kids

SHOP THE POST…

While this is definitely not the least expensive project I’ve done, I think it’s well worth it to have a memory box that you can hand your children later in life that documents their school years in a really practical way.

school memory boxes with kids
school files in a box

Ready to make your own school memory box? Let me walk you through how I did it.

  1. Order a letter file box. I ordered this clear box, but any hanging file box will work.

  2. To personalize the box, use decals for either their initial or name. These white decals worked well for our kids’ boxes!

  3. Choose letter-size files WITH tabs; I loved that these files had 3 different colours for our 3 kids!

  4. Order labels for each category/grade that you want: I used Mabels Labels and loved that I could customize them!

kids looking through school memory boxes
folders with school grade labels
school memory box

If you end up doing this project, I’d love to see! Tag #WDschoolmemorybox on Instagram and I’ll share them as they come in!

THE JULY EDIT: FAVOURITE PICKS OF THE MONTH

July marks the beginning of summer break here in Canada and with the heat wave that we’ve experienced over the past week, that means summer is officially in full swing! We love making the most of the summer sunshine that we get here in Vancouver and this month’s edit is all about our favourite picks for the outdoors and summertime!

backyard bocce ball game

SHOP OUR PICKS!

At home, we love playing in our backyard after dinner and this bocce ball set is a favourite after dinner family game! We just hung this wooden kids swing on our front cedar tree and the kids wake up and go straight out to swing on it. Our kids’ (yes, all 3!) first bikes were these wishbone bikes and I love that they can start on three wheels and then convert to two. They are truly the perfect first bike!

We hope you’ve found something to inspire you in our July shopping guide! For more Winter Daisy favourites, see our May picks and our blog post about 8 summer books to inspire a love of nature!

A COST BREAKDOWN OF OUR KIDS' BATHROOM!

You asked…and so here you are!! With so many of you interested in the costs associated with the remodel of our kids’ bathroom, we are sharing the budget breakdown below. I have never shared costs of the spaces we have designed previously, but given this is a bathroom in my own home, I am happy to share the nitty gritty details with you.

white kids bathroom with mirror and hand towels
cost breakdown of modern kids bathroom
cost breakdown of kids bathroom with bathtub and shower curtain

You can find the before and the plan for this space here. Of course, costs of labour vary by area and we hired professional tilers and plumbers for this project, which you could DIY if you are handy!

All prices listed are in Canadian dollars.

$60 - Paint (Colour is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace)

$250 - Re-enameling the bathtub

$120 - Shower Curtain

$30 - Bath Mat

$650 - Vanity (with countertop and sink, no longer available)

$410 - Toilet

$350 - Shower Wall Tile (bought through tiler)

$78 - Floor Tile

$160 - Matte Black Faucet

$165 - Mirror

$28 - Towel Bar

$40 - Toilet Roll Stand Holder (I do not recommend this - it’s wobbly!)

$30 - Hand Towels

$50 - Art Prints

$60 - Photo Frames

$35 - Garbage Bin

$40 - Wooden Bath Bar

$23 - Tray

$20 - Stacking Cups

$12 - Hand Soap

TOTAL: $2611 + tile installation and the plumber to hook up the faucet water and toilet

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KIDS BATHROOM REVEAL!

From the moment we saw this house, we knew we needed to make a change to the kids bathroom for the house to truly be functional for our family. I’m so excited to say that today is the day I get to share the new bathroom and the first bathroom I’ve ever designed with you all! The kids’ bathroom from our rental house #3 is FINALLY finished!

If you haven’t, go back and see where we started and if you’re on Instagram, head to my highlights to see the process from start to finish (trust me, it’s worth it!).

modern black white and wood kids bathroom
modern organic bathroom with windows above vanity

The intention for this space was to create a bright, airy and CLEAN bathroom and maximize the small space that we were working with. By removing the door and adding a barn door (see below), we were able to use the entire footprint of the bathroom.

You can see that we used a simple white subway tile on shower walls, and decided to have them tiled in a basketweave pattern to add something a little bit unique. Keeping in mind that this is a rental house, the floor tile was chosen mainly because of price point, but I love how the fun pattern turned out so much! You can find it here!

barn door leading into modern bathroom
bathroom soap detail with fresh flowers
art prints in modern kids bathroom
bright and airy modern bathroom

Since this bathroom is on the smaller side, using every last inch for functionality was essential. While I wasn’t sure how to approach the windows above the vanity (do we put a mirror over top?), I decided that it would be most practical if the kids could walk up to the mirror to look into it and there is enough space next to the vanity to do that. Bathroom art is hard! I chose these art prints for a bit of playfulness and also because they blend so naturally into the colour scheme.

bathroom with toilet view.jpg

In searching for bathroom ideas, a few things seemed pretty difficult to find. For good reason, not too many people share their toilets in photos, but I wanted to show this here as we really needed to use a workaround. It’s also fairly unusual to have windows directly above the vanity, and while I love the light that comes in here, we still may add frosting for added privacy.

Here you can see the before and after of the same shot! If nothing else, this shot shows how much more open the bathroom entryway is now and how by adding a barn door, the entry into the shower is open and accessible - a true essential for safely bathing kids!

bathroom before and after reveal
modern monochrome kids bathroom with wood accents
bathroom view with the sun shining in
modern bathroom with wood vanity
bath toy cups and a candle in modern kids bathroom
modern kids bathroom with bathtub and shower curtain

I know this post took a while to come! It’s amazing how quickly some parts go (the tile, as we had this professionally installed) and how slow other parts went (finding all of the accessories). I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into our newest home; I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

In case you missed the introduction to our bathroom and want to see more of the before photos, you can find the post about where we started and the plan of the bathroom here.

Here are all of the sources for you too. Thank you so much for cheering me on with this bathroom project and always being so invested in our rental house makeovers.

Wall colour: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (eggshell)

Trim colour: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (semi-gloss)

Shower Curtain

Shower wall tile

Floor tile

Vanity

Mirror

Art Frames

Bobby Pin Art Print

Comb Art Print

Shower caddy

Towel rack

Hand towels

Bath mat was H&M (no longer available)

Garbage bin

Toilet roll holder


WDK MEMORIAL DAY SALES PICKS 2021

It’s that time of the year! Spring has sprung and the sales are on. If you have been waiting for a key furniture piece for the playroom or a special bed for a kids room, now is a great time to bring that special item into your homes. Some of our favourite retailers are offering discounts, so today we’ve put together our top picks from our projects and home to share with you.

family friendly dining room

Serena & Lily

Serena & Lily is a retailer who we have loved for quality items for years. From our favourite baskets to hide kids toys in kids’ rooms to the bean bag chairs from some of our playroom projects, this weekend they are offering 20% off everything!

McGee & Co

I have loved watching Studio McGee grow as much as the next person, and have had this coffee table in our home with kids for years! I love the round shape for our family of five and playing family games on it! You can also shop the playroom rug from our media room turned playroom project. Everything is 20% off this weekend!

Wayfair

Wayfair has a broad range of home decor and kids furniture and has selected items from our projects and home that are on sale. Here are our picks!