"Mum," she said, "I would really love to do up my room. My bedroom was cool when I was six, but I'm ten now and I really need a room I can grow with..."
In my mind it was only recently I'd done up her room in her then-favourite colours of green, pink and aqua, painting a magnet wall that was a mural of rolling hills... but actually it was over four years ago. And there is a huge difference between a little girl of six and a big girl of ten.
What she wanted now was a room that was monochrome-cool. Black and white with tiny touches of pink. A room to grow with. She had me at "chalkboard wall"...
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| [ Black Chalkboard paint from Bunnings. A 500ml tin did the whole wall ] |
It was a crazy time leading up to Christmas, and I didn't accomplish much more than painting the chalkboard wall and putting the first coat of white on one wall.
Oh and I also gave her tired old desk a spruce up with a can of mis-tinted charcoal enamel paint I spotted at Resene ($8) and some new black glass knobs from Bed, Bath and Beyond ($5 each on Sale)....
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| DESK DIY: A light all-over sand followed by two coats of water-based enamel applied with a small roller for an even matt finish; The wobbly old chair was originally from TWH. We removed the back and covered the seat with fluffy fabric from Geoffs Emporium. |
Everybody knew what to get Miss Fab for Christmas: Room accessories in Black and White.
Really, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (I found a burst of DIY energy on the Boxing Day and completed the room by 4pm)...
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| Blackboard Letter "A" and wooden name letters from Typo; Woven heart lights, zebra throw, microfibre duvet set and black floor rug from Bed, Bath & Beyond; Zigzag bean bag from KMart; Cushions from The Warehouse; Existing mirror, curtains, lamp, furniture and accessories re-used & upcycled |
Just one more thing needs to be said, a moment which was, for me, the icing on the cake.
On Christmas morning after Miss Fab had opened her various bedroom-accessory gifts, I handed her the final package: two framed black n white prints for her wall.
Like I said, not expensive gifts. But something told me she would love them.
Well.
Christmas morning, this final package was opened and there was a gasp. It was the silhouette print on top, the dancer which looked so like my flexible daughter, it could actually be her.
"Oh mum! I love it! Oh...!" There was a tremor in her voice and tears in her eyes.
Then she saw the second print: "Keep Calm and Dance On..."
The floodgates opened, she fell apart, sobbing.
My jaw dropped as she hugged me, her whole body shaking with sobs.
I mean, I thought (I hoped) she'd like these prints, but never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated such a response???!! BEST. GIFT. RESPONSE. EVER.
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So there you have it. One very happy ten year old girl, one very satisfied mama and a room to grow with.
MY OTHER DIY ADVENTURES
P.S. I've been very busy lately with DIY projects small and large.
Coming soon to a blog near you: Bathroom Makeover, Hallway Makeover, and Scrag's bedroom mini-makeover among others...!
DIY SPECIFICS: White wall paint = Half Sea Fog from Resene (a slightly greyish white, so not too stark); Blackboard paint from Bunnings (a 500ml tin did the entire wall, just); Furniture was re-painted white, using Quarter Thorndon Cream water based enamel left over from Kitchen makeover; charcoal paint used on desk was a water-based enamel found on the mis-tint pile at Resene for $8. I applied the paint on the furniture using a small (mini) roller which was super quick and gave a very even finish with no brush strokes.
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