Our Reading Room Refresh + 3D Family Doll Tutorial and a VIDEO!

We've wrapped up so many campaigns over the last couple months and it's fun to finally be able to spill some of the projects we've been working on. Before Polly was born, we were asked to be a part of a video campaign with HP to launch their new photo printer. A blog post was not a part of the campaign, so this post isn't sponsored, but since it all went down in our home as part of a room refresh, I thought it made sense to share why the reading room is looking a little different these days.

We ditched the coffee table and our faux cowhide rug in favor of this lighter persian rug (from here!) that really allows our dark leather sofa from Article and dark walls (Pine Grove by Clark+Kensington) to really pop. We also finally gave up on our money tree that has been dying for a year in the corner and brought in a small chair (we found at furniture row of all places! It's actually for adults and surprisingly a super fun and comfortable place to sit!) and lamp for an additional seating option. I also decluttered the shelves quite a bit--which was the real focus of the project. Although I think it looked fine in pictures, in real life, there were some random things on there that I don't even know how they GOT there! Like a can of soup? Haha. Bottom line: the whole room feels larger and cozier now.

Here's the video we made with Spectre Films for HP documenting the process when Polly was just a few weeks old!

The wonderful thing about this partnership is we actually LOVE the printer! It's amazing quality and I have since printed many other photos around the house--you can even print directly from your phone! It's available right here on Amazon and we'd definitely recommend it.

In the video you saw us print photos to make a mood board, a digital print we purchased from Jenny's Print Shop instantly...

And we also made these 3D photo dolls of our family that are such a big hit with the girls, they now live in their doll house in the playroom permanently.

When we pitched the 3D doll project to HP, they absolutely loved it, but asked that we print them in color, instead of black and white like we originally planned. Like I said, they are a huge hit with the girls, so they don't mind either way. But I think these would make such a great kid-friendly decor piece on shelves--and especially chic in black and white. Almost like a 3D photo!

To make them:

You can see in the video, we took some quick pictures of each member of our family individually on my phone (!!) and printed them directly from my phone to the ENVY printer, and cut out the shapes. After tracing the cutouts onto a scrap block of wood and cutting it out with a band saw (you can also use a coping saw or a jigsaw), we pasted the pictures on the blocks with Mod Podge to finish them. I added an extra layer of Mod Podge on top to seal them. I also think it would be fun to paint the sides a fun color!

This room has always been a favorite place for our whole family to unwind--often one at a time. Whether I'm working at my little desk in the corner or Chris is reading a cookbook sprawled out on the couch or Greta is waiting anxiously for a friend to come over, we really appreciate the peaceful nature of "the reading room," as our family so lovingly calls it.

READING ROOM SOURCES (click arrows to scroll through)

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