By Pam Melton

15 years ago, I was looking for a bedroom make-over solution that would take my stepdaughter through her pre-teens and teens.  I painted the room white and the entire family, including one of my brothers, our Husky/St. Bernard mix, and our Australian Shepherd put their hand/paw prints everywhere – in lemon yellow.  Everywhere included the ceiling, which, by the way, was painted dark blue with glow-in-the dark stars & constellations.  

My 5 year old granddaughter (I call her Puddin’) calls this room hers when she visits BoPa and MiMi (what she calls my husband and me).  Now, imagine what this room must look like after 15 years.  I mean, I was a traveling, work-a-holic, wife & part-time stepmom.  Washing walls wasn’t way up there on my priority list.  Regardless, no-one, and I mean no-one, wanted me to repaint this room.  I had to promise to leave at least one of each member’s prints on the wall.  

Let’s add to the challenge that The Puddin’ insisted that if I were going to erase this shrine of days gone by, I had to paint it “all of the culders” (colors in Puddin’Speak).  Well, that’s not really practical, not to mention that the effect would blind most people.  I raided all of my paint cans in the basement and sprayed swatches of every color that I owned (except red & orange – she doesn’t like red and orange) all over the walls.  I wanted to end up with patches of color interspersed within a solid, age-indifferent color. I also really wanted to do a fiber optic night sky on the ceiling.  Do you know how much that stuff costs??!  We should take a stab at that project on this website!  There’s got to be a way to do it reasonably, safely and simply.  Anyway, I did what I could with my budget and general stuff on hand.

When “The Puddin’” saw the room, she ran back down the hall with that beatific smile that only children can wield and exclaimed, “Oh MiMi, I love it!”  Man, that is just good stuff.  See the following articles for my step-by-steps of the room redo.  I’ll let you know if there’s anything I would have done different.  And please, let your fellow Hands On Women know if you have a little trick or tip for any of the tasks at hand!

·         A Kids Eye View – Hanging pics & prints                                                

·         Creating the Culders – Painting the Room

·         Worldly Windows - Window Treatments

·         Little Treasures - Finishing Touches

Articles and Videos to Help Get It Done
Oops - a cheap way to get great paint
Get Hooked - unique storage solution
Introducing Frog Tape - great no-bleed painters' tape