The Redneck Room Reno

As a child, my bedroom was my sanctuary, my haven from the harsh realities of having an annoyingly perfect little sister, a big brother who liked to throw me onto the floor, sit on me and dangle big wet loogies in my face and parents who obviously loved everybody more than they loved me.

Middle child syndrome, I has it.

I spent a lot of time in my bedroom listening to my stereo, playing my parents' old 8-track cassette tapes and staring at the posters of John Wayne and River Phoenix I had taped to my brown wood paneled walls while dreaming of the day I would wake up and no longer be a dork.

I'm still dreaming of that day, for the record.

After years of renting, one of the things that most excited me about home owning was finally being able to decorate my kids rooms. Living with brown wooden walls for most of my childhood made me want rainbows for my childrens' rooms.

It wasn't long before I fell into a paint can and soon a tradition was born. Every two to three years, I do a mini-room makeover for both of my children for their birthdays. I kick them out of their bedrooms for a few days while I toil away, and on their birthday I reveal to them their 'new' rooms and revel in their adoration and praise for how cool I am.

It's like Extreme Home Makeovers, only less extreme and more rednecked.

It's been three years since I last touched a paint brush and tackled the kids rooms and it was past time. I meant to do Fric and Frac's room last year but between the arrival of Jumby and hurting my back, I never got around to it.

But seeing as how I was starting to twitch every time I walked past Fric's room, I figured I couldn't put it off any longer. My daughter's room was driving me crazy.

Just looking at the pictures makes me itch.

Fric was 11, in love with lime green and pink. I did what I had to do to make my kid happy. And at the time, it seemed like a good idea.

I mean, who doesn't enjoy waking up to having their retinas burned out by bright lime green walls each and every morning?

So it was with great glee and gusto I kicked Fric out of her room to bunk with the boys and started the redecorating process.

After a day spent sanding the walls and painting two coats of primer on the wall to cover the darned dots, I was thoroughly annoyed and muttering about how stupid I was not to use vinyl stickers instead of hand painting each dot. This was definitely a home decorating FAIL.

But slowly the room started to take shape. After a mishap or two. Like spilling half a can of red paint on the linoleum. Or having the dog lick the paint off the walls just as fast as I could roll it on. And I don't even want to discuss how many times I tried to wire a new ceiling lamp in. My husband insisted a blind monkey could wire in a new lamp.

Apparently I needed a blind monkey because I couldn't seem to do it myself.

Twelve days after I started the room was finished.

Fric loves it.

I love the fact my eyes no longer bleed when I walk into her room. It's a win-win for everyone.

The ceiling lamp was the inspiration and jumping off point for the entire room. After listening to Fric ask me a gazillion times if she could write on her walls, and then seeing this lamp I knew exactly how I wanted to paint her room.

There is a black shag carpet on the floor. You can see the corner of it in this picture. You can also see every piece of lint and dirt on the carpet itself. It shows everything. Not my brightest idea.

The prints are from Story People. I adore their art.

My daughter is still laughing at my stick figures. I like to think they are retro chic.

God Bless the inventors of chalkboard paint. It went on really easily and it works like a charm. I have big graffiti plans for these walls when Fric's not looking.

Every time I paint the kids walls I always paint a heart somewhere in the room to remind them I may nag them, discipline them, bore them, annoy them, anger them and disappoint them, but I will never ever stop loving them.

Next up, the boys room. Except I've run dry on ideas. Feel free to pitch any you may have in the comment section. Because at this point, even polka dots are sounding good.