The Changing Room: Little Sister's Turn

Okay, Chumps. Same song...second verse. Same as the first. Or is it third verse or fourth verse now? I am losing count. Let's just say that I feel like I'm growing a paint roller out of the fingertips on my right arm. You remember the bedroom remodel that I surprised darling daughter Kennedy with while she was at camp this summer? Well, I couldn't very well leave the adorable and much-less-demanding second born daughter with no make-over of her own...so the fun began all over again while she was away!

It started with a duvet cover that she had picked out on Ikea's website. As luck would have it though..it wasn't one that I could order online, so Kennedy and I made a day of it and headed off to Detroit on a random Tuesday which meant we had T-minus 4 days to pull this room together and surprise the pants off sister.

Above is the usual condition of little sister's room, (on a good day). Sigh.

Let's get this show on the road....

First we'd have to start by painting over Brecken's life verse. That seemed like a very sac-religious thing to do, but I felt better knowing that I'd be replacing it with a verse that I had found written all over her things in the recent weeks. Still...I remembered the hours it had taken me to hand cut this cursive lettering and stencil it on the wall. Double sigh.

Paint and more paint.

I started by painting the walls a creamy white just as I had in Kennedy's room. This color was Navajo white which was a bit more yellow than Kenn's Antique White. I liked the way it instantly brightened the room but we didn't have enough to complete it. So without a lot of forethought -(there never is with me) I forged ahead and did what any logical person would do who doesn't have enough paint to finish the job.

I mixed my own.

I started by taping off sections and faux painting a leather look on the wall. I was having fun and loving this new look. Slapping it up there with a brush instead of a rollar. I didn't think I'd mind the tape lines because it would almost appear to look as though it were grasscloth wallpaper from a distance.

Subtle. Peaceful. Serene.

And not at all what Brecken would ever like.

Again...Sigh. And swear. And pout.

So we jazzed it up a bit. Here's the bedding we bought from Ikea. (above)

And here's a little taste of what Brecken would like. (We hoped).

No turning back now.

I hand painted the flowers and dots on the wall with paint and outlined them all with black paint marker.

I repainted her nightstand a bright reddish-orange. Her favorite color.

She had asked for a basketball themed room a while ago. This handpainted mural (b-ball sign which I patterned after an image in her bedding was all I could muster). I just couldn't do the sports' themed room. Not on my watch. :)

I loved these adhesive flowers that we found at Ikea. Only $10.00 and they came with about 2 dozen different images.

Her new verse was from the book of Psalms. She had left herself notes with this verse everywhere so I knew she would appreciate the permanent reminder on her wall.

We pulled it off. A few late nights, a tree mural that was hand painted and then painted over, a few drips, splatters and sore arms and lots of putting everything else on the back burner that week and we were finished!

Immediately upon arriving home, she raced upstairs to unpack her suitcase and take a peek at the makeover we later found out she was anticipating and expecting...("Well, you did it for Kennedy, you'd have to do it for me, right?") and she wasn't disappointed. She said she loved it all. I suspect that I'll hear the truth of the matter years later as I usually do with two girls who try to spare my feelings in the moment. She'll probably reveal later that she actually really wanted the basketball room and that she's scarred by the fact that I'm so controlling and opinionated even when it comes to her own space.

OR, on the other hand....I have raised both of my girls to speak their minds in the moment. So maybe she is telling me the truth that she really does love her new room. She didn't hold back in telling me that the notes and letters I had hidden in her suitcase the week of camp were unappreciated.