Over Christmas break, I found myself in the position of watching while my husband and parents worked to clean out the hamhouse and basement at my childhood home (and watching while my boys ran around and played in the Kentucky countryside.)

I do not like sitting and watching.

I needed something to do. So…I did something.

This room was my room, growing up. It’s where I first flexed my decorator muscles. Its first incarnation was a carousel horse theme, complete with a wallpaper chair rail border with multicolored paint stamping underneath. And blue trim. (It was the 90’s.)

The second incarnation, the remnants of which are pictured above, was done during the summer of my freshman year of college. My roommate at the time helped me–it was fun, and I have always loved it, even now when faux finishes like dragging are seriously out of style. That’s still my favorite shade of green. I wish I had a picture of the room in its heyday, but all I have is the picture of what it looked like with beds for the boys hastily stuck in there, sheets covering the windows to aid with naps, and a couple of random pieces of furniture hanging out because there really isn’t another place for them in the house.

The boys really needed their own space, not a leftover-from-moms-youth-with random-furniture space, and since painting is something I am always willing to do, I got to work. 

I’m fairly certain my mom has always hated that green, so there was no love lost there, but Ephraim was concerned about my project. (He is always concerned about my painting projects.)

“Mom,” he said, “Don’t you like the green anymore?”

Oh yes, I still like the green.

“Then why are you painting over the green?”

Because it’s just time for something new.

“Then why don’t you paint it yellow, or brown…or pink?”

We have this same conversation every time I paint. He never approves of my paint color choices. Except the french grey in the sitting room. He LOVES that color. I think he just likes dark, cozy rooms.

I didn’t have the chance to run into the store to pick paint, but since my parents were already headed into town, I had them pick up a gallon of Daydream Haze by Valspar (which they no longer carry a swatch for, but it’s still in the computer system) because it’s a great go-to neutral that’s not boring and that goes with literally everything.

It took about a day to cover up the green. Then I ran in to town to see if I could find something to spruce up the walls. I ended up raiding the Christmas clearance at Target for some star lanterns (they’re taking over every space now, it seems). Then I printed out some free art for the walls, tacked shower curtains over the windows for drapes, called it a day and we enjoyed the room for a couple of days before we had to drive back home to Georgia.

Please forgive the live models in the “after” pictures. It’s their room, so I didn’t make anyone leave before I snapped the photos. 😉

I’ve never used a shower curtain as an actual roller blinds curtain before, but I really like the length with the shorter windows at my parents’ house. I feel like floor length curtains would just look really weird.

Also, I know swagged curtains are not really en vogue, but I love them. They feel old-fashioned and cozy to me. Old-fashioned and cozy is a mark of my personal style, I think.

I saw this guy on clearance. He practically begged to come home with me.

I decided to try painting the inside of the windows black–but once I started, I was not really sure if I liked it. Ephraim liked it, though, so I kept going for him. Because, as I mentioned above, his approval is rare.

Don’t tell anyone, though, but I didn’t get them finished before we had to come home.

He said he loved the room, then thirty minutes later recanted and said he really missed the green.

Clive was happy because all of his McQueen stuff was still in there.

Anselm was just excited because everyone else was excited.

I think, all said, this mini-makeover totaled about $135. The shower curtains were the biggest cost.

I hate that I didn’t get pictures of it, but we did dig my mom’s old Jenny Lind bed out of the basement and set it up for Ephraim so he doesn’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. Oh well. Next time we’re there, I’ll update.