Craft:

Redecorating kid rooms is fun for me, really fun, even though my best friend and my husband both think I'm a tad wacky in this area. So far, I've decorated a nursery with an underwater theme; come up with a cowboy-themed room for a toddler, a space-themed room for a school-age boy and a hip, retro sports-themed room for a teenager. And that's just for one of my kids.

Being the second child, my youngest son had to share a room with Mommy and Daddy, and then with Mommy and Daddy's desk. When he was about 2, I spent an afternoon and $400 in Ikea and cobbled together a somewhat woodsy-feeling toddler room. He had a leaf tent above his new "big boy" bed, a throw rug on the floor with ants sewn into it, and a green comforter cover. Later, we added some camping-themed flannel sheets and called it done.

But last year, I wanted to create a new theme for his room to celebrate his starting school. He asked for a room decorated from the pages of one of his favorite books, The Octonauts. This was fun and difficult at the same time. One of my favorite elements turned out to be this gussied up lamp, which came from, you guessed it, Ikea.

Once I came up with using the destined-for-the-trash, already used glow sticks I found at the bottom of the toy chest, the project just spawned from there. Some scrapbooking flowers and polka dots hot-glued to the plastic fronds made it even fancier. When the light's on, its eerie glow and tentacles evoke some kind of airborne jellyfish. When not on, it's reminiscent of a magical, imagined plant. Both states fit the room decor nicely, and my son loves it. Huzzah!