My Tween Room Makeover- Bye Bye Little Girl. Sniff Sniff

Hi friends, how are we doing this morning? Great weekend here with a surprise birthday party for my soul sister Rebecca and then decking the halls. I have to say; I am not really feeling the whole Christmas decorating thing this year. Not sure why exactly but I have to say it was fun to see the tree up and the kids were really excited to decorate.
Oh, and I got to drink some Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate this weekend too, so that made this weekend kind of spectacular.

It doesn’t take much.

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So I may have a problem.
A slight one.
I we may or may not have painted four rooms in our home within a six-week period.
But there is a good reason.
A superb reason.
My husband started a new job six weeks ago and since then, he has been home.
Let me explain.

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Before, he used to work about 70-hour weeks and every single Saturday for a long six years. So we really never saw him, and we pushed aside projects because we only had one weekend day together as a family. But since he has Saturdays off, it has been amazing.
Especially for the Home Depot paint department.
You’re welcome, Home Depot.

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My oldest daughter has had her room three different colors in seven years.
When we first moved in, it was a really pretty shade of lavender on the bottom with some wallpaper chair rail.
I think it was the previous owner’s baby’s room, and it was lovely.
So we made sure that was Annie’s room because when she moved in she was five years old and it was perfect for her.

Here is the only picture I can find of the color.
Warning: this is a pregnancy picture.
Taken in the morning.
Mid-morning sickness.
And the photographer was a seven-year-old.
Who knew nothing about flattering angles? 

Then, in 2007, she wanted a change: she wanted blue.
And I was all pregnant and hormonal and thought, YES. SHE NEEDS A BLUE ROOM. LET’S LET HER PICK IT OUT!
The color was Bibiddy Bobbidy Blue.
You know, like Cinderella.
And it was nice but really, REALLY blue.
But she loved it, and it was all good.
“I never wanna change my room, Mommy!”

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Again, the only picture I can find of her room color with her, not in it.
Sorry, I don’t like to post pictures of my kids.
It’s not you I am worried about.
It’s you. Right there. Yes, you.

It’s a terrible picture, but can you see the blue?

Then in 2009, she was all, ” blue isn’t really a girl color, mommmmmm.”
Okay, fine.
Next, she picked out this pink- Diva Pink or Glamour Pink…..very pink.
Like Pepto and Bismol threw up violently all over her walls.
But she loved it.
“I never want to change my room!”
“Like, ever.”

 

I took this pre-painting because Annie’s room is never this clean, God love her.
This brings us to the summer of 2012.
“I hate my room color, mom.”
And I get it because it was violently pink. Even the color pink would think it was way too pink.
So I told her this, “Annie, the next color you pick will need to last until you go to college. So choose wisely.”
First, she thought she wanted lime green.
Then olive-green.
Then she finally settled onto the yellow family.

Summer Harvest by Behr.
Now my first instinct was to tell her it might be too yellow for her room.
But then I stopped right there because it is HER room.
And this is the color she wanted in HER room until she leaves for college.
Therefore, when she comes to me mid-junior year in high school and says, “mom, I hate this yellow!”, I can then say to her, “honey, you chose it. Sometimes life hands you a bad hand and you just have to play it. And that hand is called Summer Harvest by Behr.

So off to Home Depot again we went!

Hi John!
Hi Pat!
The kids are good, how’s the wife?
Did you finally get that wart lanced?

 

Here are the before pictures:

 

 

See how this pink made the room darker than that light blue?
It was so dark in here and then we made the mistake of getting her thermal curtains that make the room warmer.
It was like night in here.
At noon.

So off came the pink and on went the yellow.
And here is the after:

 

I love this.

 

See the above artwork?
I made it for her using an old piece of art I got at Ikea back in the 90s.
It has sat in my basement for over two years only because I really liked the frame.
The quote I had seen on Pinterest and don’t know who to credit for it, but if you know, please let me know so I can credit them.

Here it is before:

 

Along with my striped socks.

 

The curtains are from Lowe’s.
The artwork above the dresser is from my friend Rebecca.
The mirror is from my cousins Linda and Doug.
Remember when I used it for a centerpiece here?
I love it so much more on the wall and I didn’t do a thing to it.
I love the vintage look against the yellow wall.
And my tween loves she can get all prettied up in her room.

The cost to makeover this room?
Two gallons of paint = 60 bucks.
We used the low VOC, primer in paint kind and still needed two gallons.
That pink was dark.
But it looks so much brighter in here, and she absolutely loves it.
I hope she does.
It’s on the walls until she holds a diploma in her hands.