Playroom Ideas - Reading Nook

a continuation of my posts on revamping the playroom....

Another new feature of our playroom is the reading nook. The Child of Wonder book suggests having a cozy quiet place where kids can sit to read. To make our reading nook, I re-purposed some cushions and throw pillows from a window seat in our previous house. Placed on the floor along the windows, they form a nice cushy nook where HB loves to read books, play with her dolls, or otherwise just have some down time.

HB has found some other wonderful uses for her cushions and throw pillows. They've become a great prop for dramatic play! She takes them out to the center of the room to become a pirate ship, or stones to step across a pond, or just piles them up to jump on.

You don't need to spend a lot of money to create a great reading nook like this. Here's how:

Look for throw pillows at discount stores like TJ Max, Ross, and Marshalls. They can sometimes be found for less than $5 each.

To make the floor cushions, you will need:
* bedding foam - I got a twin-sized foam mattress topper at Bed Bath & Beyond for $10.
* pillow shams - look at the discount stores or the sales racks at the linens stores. I got three shams for $2 each.

Fold over the foam to make a double-layer and cut rectangles the size of the sham pocket. It helps to cut the foam just slightly larger than you need so that the foam fully fills out the sham. After stuffing the foam in the sham, you can stitch the opening shut if it does not stay closed by itself. This was not necessary for the shams I bought.

If you have wood floors, it helps to put a grippy pad under the pillows so they don't slip.