Pink Will Always Be A Favorite

Pink will always be a favorite when it comes to decorating kids rooms. 

Why?  Perhaps that rebellion we all had as our mothers had to wrestle us into those pink dresses and hair bands. That subconscious moment when you realize you are doing the same with your own child.  We revolted to think that we would ride our bikes with pink tassels (not me I had a pink Huffy), and  many of us pulled the hair band out the minute we turned a corner.  Then one day, those pink little toes, pink little squishy faces and that pink little newborn body we hold for the first time redefines pink.

Our hues go up on the walls, the bedding chosen, and the glass dish that  contains  hair bows with pink accents. Our own little girls now sporting the fashions we once wore and they too rebel against what we choose to dress them in. Believe me, I know as I had similar struggles with my little girl who is now 29.  They will grow up and over the generations pink will still win out. Just walk through the department stores.

My youngest clients, little girls from around the age of four on up would always choose the pink rooms.  Mom might cringe, daddy would smile, and together they would say, "we told her she could choose".  Pink now fills the places and spaces of many little girls rooms. My little girl is all grown. I too allowed her to choose her own room.  She wanted pink.  She was the little girl I had to wrestle with on those days when I wanted her to look pristine in pink.

Here is my daughter's dream room.  As I began choosing the interiors for the Portland Street of Dreams Emily walked through my store and she chose every single design accent. She chose the fabrics, the flowers, the pillows. She even chose how the custom rag doll would be dressed.  I was not so fond of the furniture, but she loved it.  Together, at the age of six she helped in designing this room.  We then took all these elements and decorated her own room identical to this. Only she had the bunkbed.

Throwback to 1995 Portland, OR "Street of Dreams"

Keep in mind that digital cameras were not even thought of when this picture was taken.  An example of some of our custom work, note the window treatment. We still offer this valance design custom to match your child's places or spaces, in prints and fabrics for both boys and girls. Over the months I will share more of some of my favorite pink rooms I did for clients. Until then, if you have a favorite pink room you want to share be sure to find us on Instagram: @skiptomyroom OR on Twitter: @skiptomyroom We'd love to share your pictures. Also follow our weekly give-aways by following these hashtags #skiptomyroomFA & #skiptomyroom

Allowing Our Kids To Design

Do you ever allow your Kid To Design their room?  I mean really allowing them to make the decisions?  You finally have the budget to put together your child’s room.  You have chosen the bedding, the perfect artwork and after the planning and making the purchases for your kid’s room, your child steps in to say, “no”.

I have had the opportunity to decorate hundreds of kid’s rooms.  I have learned how to talk to a child about ideas for their room and helping design a room that pleases both kid and parents.  Happy kids and parents are my specialty. I take pride in the final unveiling of a completed room…the ooh and ahs fuel my passions.  That is until I decided to work on one of my own kid's room. It has been over ten years since this time, but important still in allowing our kids to help when designing their rooms.

Eric, my own son, decided that he was going to assert his seven year old design choices.  New Years weekend, a time to clean, purge and decorate in the way this designer chooses.  NOT!!!!  Not on Eric’s clock. He would have nothing of it.  My ideas, my collections to pull this room off meant nothing to him.  What did mean something to him was his own artwork.  His Lego boxes, that were carefully opened on Christmas day and littering his floor.  I was ready to break the boxes down and send them to recycling.  His favorite picture, which I was going to take down.  What do I know?  On this day absolutely nothing of what I thought I would be part of decorating Eric's room.

I sat on Eric’s floor and asked him what he would like. I apologized for thinking I could go into his room, designer mode, and redo his life.  I asked the questions. He gave me the answers.

Mom: "What would you like to do with these Lego boxes?"
Eric:  "Hang them up on my walls."
Mom:  (with a designer cringe) "Okay, we can do that."
Mom:  "What do you want to do with all your artwork?" (Piled on his desk)
Eric:  "Hang it all over my bed."

I had this image of pushpins filling the walls and shreds of paper collage art everywhere.  Which would not be so bad, but finding an organized solution that could easily change with each new piece of art was important to the designer.
Eric went off to have lunch with and I got to work. I promised him I would surprise him and he would love it.   My own son, not allowing his designer mom to do her magic and limited.  When I completed the project, Eric stepped into his room. It is the unveiling to my biggest critic. His smile was my reinstated confidence.  It was good to allow this Kid To Design.
Eric chose all his favorite art pieces from this past year.  Taking  two strands of thin rope (red striped) some brass screw-in hooks, and mini clothes pins, I was able to expand the rope, hanging the length of his bed. Giving him exactly what he wanted. He can now go and arrange his art as he pleases. No pushpins, tape or nails going in and out with each new favorite art piece.

It is hard to believe how careful Eric was in opening his Lego boxes.  He had decided, long before my designer influences, that these would be hung on the wall.  I simply slipped my hand inside each box and used a push pin to hang them.  At first I was planning to frame them and make this "real art" but for a seven year old, my guess is he may want to change these out for newer boxes in the future.

This picture challenged me most.  Eric wanted to keep the framed alphabet picture. This picture, at the time,  was 24 years old.  My first EVER designer accent in my first son's, who is now 31, nursery.  I found a piece of wrapping paper for 79 cents, and then framed it in red.  It has traveled through many rooms over the years, and will remain here.  (Window reflecting in the picture.)  Eric also wanted to keep his kindergarten "About Me" collage and told me exactly where he wanted it hung.  Yes, another Lego box displayed on this wall as well.


A very Lego wall.  Total boxes hung are five.  Again, I am most impressed at how careful Eric opened each box.  Over the years Eric has had many shelves lined with his Lego collections.He loved his new room. I think I may do a part two post which shows his teenage room. (Pretty sure that post will come).

It is important to allow your child the opportunity to help design their room. Especially if it's important to that child. I have five children. All but one really never had any problems with me going in and changing things around. I have five kids. Four of my kids do not care what I do in their rooms. I can go and change things any day of the week. Eric's room project is a good example of listening and doing what it is your child wants.  It is good to allow Kids To Design.

If you have decorated your kids room we would love to see.  Be sure to find us on Instagram: @skiptomyroom OR on Twitter: @skiptomyroom We'd love to share your pictures. Also follow our weekly give-aways by following these hashtags #skiptomyroom #skiptomyroomGA

Starting on the Give Away Journey

I just cut and pasted this post from my person blog page. (http://elizabethonthego.blogspot.com/) And in the future most Skip To My Room blogs will be updated here, but this started out as personal which is why the following post was on my person blog. Here you go.....

If you follow this blog, you may know that I have been involved in the kids retail industry for well over 25 years. Even when I took a break from the actual brick and mortar stores I was selling on Craigslist when it first started out of my garage. I guess you can say that my hands can not keep out of the retail cookie jar of kids products.

In summer of 2017 I said good bye to the last brick and mortar store. There was no way this small boutique girl could compete with the online giants. I kept trying. Trying new ways to get out and into the communities I lived in but it is the same story for many retailers large and small in my situation. Customers would come into my store, touch feel, ask questions and then buy from the online giant. There was no way I could offer a better price. Why?  Manufactures have levels of buying. The fewer quantities you buy, the higher the price. Also a little thing called rent, and utilities and employees. And so I closed my doors and put whatever was left in boxes and started selling a bit here and there on Etsy. HERE: Skip To My Room   However I know my weaknesses and I am terrible about promoting my own business. Which is crazy because I have also worked as a Brand & Marketing consultant and can hit it out of the park for my clients. Being my own client never really works for me. If you need help with the marketing stuff here is where you can find me.... elizabethtraub.com Check out the links that are highlighted.


I closed down my last and final storage unit last month. I found friends and family to give stuff away to reduce stock. After being packed up and stored it was time to figure out what to do with all these bins of left over adorable products. I took one box out last week and uploaded a few more things to Etsy. I will continue to do that as time allows, but then today I was sitting here thinking...why not give away some of this stuff. Brand new, and vintage darling kids stuff. Why not host online give aways? People have been doing this for years. I could do that, right?  Why not? I then went through all the reasons why or why not. And the why's of "yes" have out-weighted the why's of "no".

I decided to share this outward process on my personal blog. As I have to sharpen up some of my skills and learn the curve of how to and when to. I started reading up and think I am ready for running give-ways on Instagram @skiptomyroom . I am actually kind of excited about this. I think I am more excited to have the space back in my garage. Each week I will promote a new item for a give away. Post the give away on Instagram and write a post about it here with all the necessary links. I will share the give away on both my personal blog as well as on my Skip To My Room blog. This is going to be fun. Join me in first following along by clicking and following all the important stuff. LIKE Instagram where you can follow the give away. Here it is again. And this important hashtag will help you find the giveaway fast #skiptomyroomGA  @skiptomyroom 

Stay tuned as I begin to unpack boxes and bins. It's like Christmas here unpacking all the cool kids stuff.  Please join me over the next year of giving. It is my pleasure and joy to serve you.

Elephant Tea Set

 Kids Elephant Tea Set

This eight piece tea-set is a vintage treasure. I love to collect older tea-sets. They often find their way home with me. I found this set in an old country shop. It was nestled among dusty books and old flatware. I have held onto this one for quite a while and then recently decided to put it on on Etsy. It's made in Japan and we all know that anything made in Japan is considered vintage in it's own right.

Kids Elephant Teaset

I think every child should have a miniature tea set to play and pretend with. I measured this tiny set. From the first picture it looks to be quite big. However look at the next picture so see how it measures up. Check out the collections I have posted up on Etsy and see what you think. If you are reading this, please know that most of the items are one of a kind items. The picture here today, may not be up on Etsy if it sells. This is just a happy blog pace to share some of my great finds.

Kids Elephant Teaset

The Story Continues for Skip To My Room

Today I got the keys to a new little boutique. I feel 26 all over again. I started Skip To My Room when I was 26 years old.  Then circumstances closed that store many years ago.  I loved those days, years ago of my young kids hanging out in the shop, learning to work, and helping care for the store. Those days long gone.  New days are ahead.

I have always kept my toes dipped into the kids room design gig. I started a webstore called Hung Out To Buy and then had a small shop in NW Portland. Now living in the The Dalles, with inventory begging to come out of hiding I found this cute little location. "Skip To My Room" has been on the tip of my tongue all week.  I looked under a name registry and it was available so I grabbed it. I decided I wanted to go back to the very thing that launched a very blessed career.   A few years back I started this blog. I had a Facebook page. The name was available on all the Social Media platforms I like to frequent.

 Tonight I just had to take some things over. So I decided to fill the first window. This display will change over a 100 times in the next year. For now it was a few things I could get my hands on. The story continues for Skip To My Room.  A change that I felt I wanted to make. That window is not even near being completed, but the hour was late and I had to leave. It's going to get better as all the product comes over. I am so blessed and grateful for this location, for this lovely community of The Dalles, OR.

Just One Splash

I am currently working on a project that has me going down memory lane as a designer.  This project has me digging through files and wondering why I NEVER took pictures of all of my be-fore's and afters.  Files of line drawings, room layouts, fabric and paint swatches, flooring, pages torn from catalogs and not one picture.  My career began long before digital cameras.  My career did not hinge on a portfolio to present to a client. My career was based on word of mouth. A client saw a room in a friend's home and then I would get the call.

Every year for over 12 years I was featured in the Portland Street of Dreams, showcasing 2-3 kids rooms, and would have a sign up sheet if interested in my services and a business card. We did not even have a column for "email address", and yet the clients would come and I developed a wonderful reputation in my community as being the one to call for a child's room, playroom, family room and often those jobs would lead to other rooms in the house.

Betwen 2004-June of 2006 I had this handy new device. A digital camera.  The kind you paid hundreds of dollars for, and that same camera today goes for under a $100 dollars. I did not understand it's purpose or it's value, only that once in a while I would get a call to be featured in an article, magazine, or a local write up and they wanted pictures.  So I would call up a client and ask if I could come and take a few pictures. So as I piece together my life as a designer I have just that a few pictures.  

Today I came across a picture that I did not even know I had.  The one here today on this blog post.  I laughed when I saw it.  I actually squealed with delight. Almost five years since I decorated this teeny bopper girls room. I remember when the lights were installed and the room completed and the first flick of the switch. The lights went on.  We had them put on a dimmer switch, close to her bed as these would be used for her overhead reading in bed.  What a surprise we all had when we saw this amazing pattern and design thrown onto the wall.  We both started giggling and laughing and her mom said,  it was amazing at how "carefully" I had "planned" such a "stunning" look. Really?  No at all, a total surprise and I said so too.  This one splash of a pattern really made this room over the top perfect. Oh how I wish I would have taken more pictures over the years.

Now with my first project in over five years I start a bathroom remodel.  Guess what one of the first things I have done?  I have taken before pictures. Placing the camera in the same spots I will take the finished pictures.  I have another design project to start soon and that will also have it's own set of pictures.  

Just one splash of color and a room is made perfect in a teeny bopper's eyes.  As you will see on my facebook page I do like to splash color.  Times, designs, styles and design fashions have changed in five years.  There is more attention than ever before given to the design of every room in the house. More available at price points that make an amazing room on a smaller budget. Please take a moment and find me on facebook.  "Friend" me and let me know you started here and found me.

Truly  A Design Fanatic,
Elizabeth Traub
skiptomyroom@yahoo.com