Dr. Seuss Rooms and Reading Nook Ideas

Dr. Seuss’ birthday is this weekend. Our family is sitting down in our Dr. Seuss style reading nook to read a few of his books.

This is a corner of our play room. Behind me taking the photo is a mess of Legos, train tables and a Barbie house. But this corner is our reading spot.  Dr. Seuss once said to “Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks!”  We have taken that quote to heart at our house and filled every corner with books.

 

We also added a swing to this spot in our playroom. It is a huge hit. I wish we had room to add more swings because with three kids, they fight over taking turns all the time. They normally don't read on the swing but I had my son hold the book for a quick photo. The prefer the chairs in the corner for reading time.

The ceiling hooks were purchased at IKEA. THen we added carabiner hooks from Home Depot and a swing from our outdoor playset. IKEA has darling swings you could use too. We just figured we could use what we already owned. We can take it down easily to get it out of the way for other play time.

I hand painted the water color Cat in the Hat and framed it.
I found the red magnet board for $2 at a thrift store. We use Dr. Seuss magnets on it.
The lower left round stool is a Dr. Seuss popcorn tin from Christmas back in 2003. The kids keep toys in it and use it as a stool.

See the Bean Bag above? It is filled with Dr. Seuss stuffed animals but they kids love to sit on it while they read.  See how I made the Bean Bag here.

Who Let the Cats Out of the Bag?  Can you ever have too many Cat in the Hat toys? The one hanging on the door is a laundry holder. The kids unzip the bottom and use it as a basket ball hoop.

There are two windows in this room. I made the curtains years ago using Dr. Seuss fabric for my daughter’s room. I made the tab tops look like the Cat in the Hat striped hat.  I found 2 white floating shelves at a yard sale for $5 and they fit my windows perfectly so I hung them up top and set Dr. Seuss books on them. These are duplicate books we own so the kids don’t need to try to get them down.

The photo below has a poster of a photo collage of our trip to Universal Studios, Seuss Landing. The kids love to see themselves having fun on the rides there.

I remember the rotating bookshelf below from my childhood school library. I’ve always wanted one of my own, so when I saw it listed in the classified ads for $15 I went to get it right away (only 5 blocks from my house). It has the ABC’s on the sides so I just taped on the Dr. Seuss book covers from a bulletin board set I found.
  The rocking chair was also from the classified ads. It was a Winnie the Pooh style chair and I recovered it with Dr. Seuss fabric. I made the pillow cover with classic red and white striped fabric.
Our kids love to pull down the Dr. Seuss finger puppet theater and Jack-in-the-box to play with.

DR. SEUSS BEDROOM
Sarah from the blog Bombshell Bling just shared this SEUSStastic bedroom she created for her son.  Check out the Truffula trees in the corner, the book page bunting and the hand made Dr. Seuss quilt and pillows.

The box above is used for dress-up clothes. She used book pages to create the design on top and lined the entire inside with book pages too. Click to see more photos.
She used Dr. Seuss fabric to cover cork boards for the wall and seat covers for the stools. She used a bulletin board kit for the multi-signs post.

I think my favorite part of the room is this hidden book nook. She turned his closet into a reading spot. There are books inside and the huge Cat in the Hat cut out. I love the little turquoise chair too. Notice the Dr. Seuss quote framed by book pages on the wall, she is going to post the quote as a free printable on her blog soon.

There are so many more details to this room. Click here to see more photos and ideas to help you create a fun Dr. Seuss style room.

One Fish Two Fish Bathroom, Dresser and Activities

To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week, I’m sharing my One Fish Two Fish bathroom project I recently completed.
This all started with a One Fish Two Fish dresser I saw online 11 years ago when I was decorating my daughter’s baby room Dr. Seuss style. I knew I wanted to create one someday. Then I started collecting more One Fish Two Fish items and decided to decorate the kids’ bathroom with all of it.

This is a half bathroom with just a sink and toilet for our kids. The last owners did not put a shower in, but left the area as a closet. I keep linens and holiday décor in the dresser. At some point we will put a shower in here and the dresser will go to one of our kids’ rooms.

Decorating Tip: Search eBay for unique Dr. Seuss items

I got the Cat in the Hat in the tub toy (ERTL brand), the soap dispenser and fish bookends and book/bank all from eBay over the years. Check there for fun vintage items to add to your room. Search eBay for “One Fish Seuss”. I also search for sUess because many sellers spell his name wrong.

I added the words “1 Flush” and the fish image on the toilet using vinyl (see more about vinyl below).

I got the fish die cut images from Amazon.

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small portion of sales made from Amazon links. Click the fish below to see details.

We used blue painters tape to apply the fish to the wall. The kids like to move the fish around.  I made the white and orange jumping fish using vinyl.

I got the yellow frame from Cut it Out. It was unfinished so I painted it bright yellow to add some color. I added polka-dot scrapbook paper then taped on a yellow fish. 

TIP: Frame Calendar Art

The black poster frame holds a Dr. Seuss picture from a calendar I purchased a few years ago. 

Before and after photos of the bathroom. The vanity used to be a dark 80’s brown. I’d still like to remove the medicine cabinet mirror but it is very functional for now.  The three circle mirrors came from IKEA several years ago.  Here is a 22 inch mirror they have now.

I’ve been wanting to create this for years. My sister-in-law told me she just painted her bathroom turquoise and she hated it. It was too overwhelming for her to have the whole room painted.  I asked if I could see the paint and it was perfect for my project so I borrowed it from her. The turquoise paint color is called Acapulco Cliffs by Sherwin Williams.  The kids helped me finish this project while dad was out of town on a business trip for 3 days.  We surprised him.
How I Did It
I hand drew the waves on the wall with a pencil. Then I painted right under that line with a small brush. My kids helped roll the paint onto the larger section.  I used a black sharpie permanent marker to trace the top of the waves and added some accent lines in the water and some splashes above the water.

One Fish Two Fish Dresser



I bought this dresser from our local classified for $20 a few years ago.  I got new knobs for $5.00 total at a yard sale. Notice how I used the knobs to dot the letter i.

I won the yellow spray paint from Krylon (paint name: Sun Yellow) when I created these Lego Jars.  The color was perfect to match the cover of Dr. Seuss’ One Fish Two Fish book.
Using Printable Vinyl
The thing that I waited the longest to complete was creating the vinyl words and fish images. I finally learned how to get printable vinyl, print the fish on it, then used my Silhouette cutter to do the intricate cutting around the edges.  There are some You Tube videos that explain how to do this. I found my fish images online. I imported them into my Silhouette computer program. Then I printed them onto the printable vinyl sheet with registration marks using my ink jet printer. Next, I traced the shape (this part was tricky) to create cutting lines around the fish in the program. Then I ran the vinyl through the Silhouette cutting machine and it cut the fish out.
This is the Waterproof Vinyl I purchased from Amazon. Silhouette, Cricut and Vinyl Expressions also offer printable vinyl. Click the photo >>>>

I had contemplated hand painting the fish on, but I love how crisp the vinyl looks. And as I applied it, I could peal it up and move it around if I needed to.  I can pull all of it off easily if I ever want it to be a plain yellow dresser again.
Dr. Seuss Fonts
I used plain black and red vinyl to create the words using this free Doctor Soos Font.  This link has a few more Dr. Seuss fonts if you need them for other projects.

I hope you liked our Dr. Seuss One Fish Two Fish bathroom and dresser.
Click here to find the Free printable fish matching game I created.

Try this Free Printable Fish game to work on numbers with your younger children. There are versions with addition and subtraction inside the bowls too.

We also love the One Fish Two Fish search game from Wonder Forge.

See game on Amazon here >>>> Click photo below

 

 I’d love to see your One Fish Two Fish projects. Share your link in the comment below.

Sharing Dr. Seuss Ideas on Instagram

You'll find me hanging out on Instagram more often than my blog this past year.  I love how quick I can share ideas and enjoy seeing fun ideas from other Dr. Seuss fans and creative bloggers. 

You can search the hashtags #drseuss #seuss #lorax #obSEUSSed and similar key words to find Dr. Seuss decorative quotes, parties, crafts, decorating ideas and more. Follow along if you are on instagram, my account is: @victoria_obSEUSSed.

I'm starting a new hashtag to help us share our Dr. Seuss obsession. If you have creative Dr. Seuss inspired projects, share your photos and use the hashtag #obSEUSSed2.

I designed this Dr. Seuss quote and shared it on instagram last week.

I also came across this amazingly decorated Dr. Seuss celebration at a High School and was blown away by the details.

All the huge décor and 3-D pieces really help this scene POP! 

I noticed a few pics posted by Cecil M. on instagram (@cmontalvoc) and asked if she would send me more to share here on obSEUSSed. I assumed this was for a huge party but this is what she said: “Everything was created by senior students at the high school I graduated. It was used as campaign to choose the school captain.  I just went to see the work.” 

I’d elect them all as school captains! I’d be so happy to attend school here.

Check out the One Fish, Two Fish swimming in the air, truffula trees on posts, the giant sign.

The 3-D Grinch statue and Green Eggs and Ham display.

Look at this life-size Cat in the Hat.

Cecil is a big Dr. Seuss fan. She created a fabulous Dr. Seuss birthday party for her sister. She made the striped and polka dot cupcake stand. The cake and cupcakes were made with fondant.  See more details and photos here.

Cecil also decorated her own shoes, inspired by the Cat in the Hat.

I also want to give a shout out to @SweetPeaSusie who I came across on Instagram after noticing her fabulous Dr. Seuss cakes. Her work is amazing! You can tell she has Seuss Spirit!

Thank you Cecil and Susie for sharing your photos with us to spark our imaginations!

If you have a party, craft or cake you’d like to share on obSEUSSed, leave a link in the comments (if photos are online somewhere) or send me and email and I’d love to feature your party here.

Share your creative Dr. Seuss ideas on instagram and use the hashtag #obSEUSSed2

Dr. Seuss Cupcakes

Dr. Seuss inspired cupcakes are a great addition to any Dr. Seuss party. 
I created these Lorax themed truffula tree cupcakes for our school bake sale last year.


I have seen the idea of using cotton candy for the trees floating around online.
I’ve pinned quite a few different versions of this on my Dr. Seuss Party and Cake board. Click here to see more ideas:
Follow Victoria Saley @obSEUSSed's board Dr. Seuss Party, Cakes & Food on Pinterest.
HOW TO MAKE TRUFFULA TREE CUPCAKES:
I made normal cupcakes in muffin liners then piped on some green frosting. I liked the bright green big swirl the best.
I bought some pre-packaged cotton candy and pulled it apart to stick a ball onto a paper straw (used as the tree trunk). The cotton candy was really dry and crumbled very easily. It kept falling off the stick.

It crumbled so much I decided to try making fresh cotton candy. I borrowed this small machine from my sister-in-law and it took forever to make little  balls big enough to use.

The pink and blue (pre-packaged) look more fluffy with pointed edges like the truffula trees, but would not stick to the straw. The green had a smooth look but stuck to the straw much better. The kids liked both versions. They pull the cotton candy off and eat it quick anyway so it didn’t really matter how I created them.

Below is our Lorax stuffed animal ready to read with on our Dr. Seuss rocking chair. It was a Winnie the Pooh chair that I bought through a local classified ad. I recovered the chair with Dr. Seuss fabric and it has bee a perfect reading spot for my kids.

Another popular Dr. Seuss inspired cupcake is the Thing 1 Thing 2 with cotton candy hair. This cupcake is featured on Living Locurto today along with some other fun party cakes.
I created free printable signs to use if you make these cupcakes. Click here to see the details and get the printable. Or try this link.

We had a cotton candy booth at our school Dr. Seuss Carnival last year too. The kids loved it. It was a huge mess though so this year we are going to try pre-packaged cotton candy and I’m sure the kids will still love it. 
Be prepared to experiment with the cotton candy if you make either of these cupcakes.  I’d love to see photos of your cupcakes if you make any. Share your link in the comments below or email me.

Green Eggs and Ham Egg Hunt

Green Eggs and Ham Hunt 

I am preparing for this egg hunt at school next month as part of our Dr. Seuss Carnival to celebrate our read-a-thon. The egg hunt is held in the library. 

Kids have to find two eggs that rhyme and may keep the prizes inside. We have Dr. Seuss erasers, pencil grippers, stickers and magnetic bookmarks. I ordered the prizes and a huge pack of Green Eggs from Oriental Trading Company. 

We used 8 rhyming words to match. Fox/Box, Tree/See, Sam/am, House/Mouse But you could try other words from the book. We only put one word per egg.

I tried another version for my kids at home where you put a word on top and a rhyming word on the bottom then have your kids match them up. 

This would be a fun activity for St. Patrick's Day in the classroom or at home.

A few years ago I created this free printable Green Eggs and Ham game. Click here to see the details and get the link to the free printable.  Look for the PDF file on this page.