BEFORE...The Girls' Room

I don't know what it is (maybe the lull of holidays from January to April), but at the first of every new year, I feel the need to re-decorate! I have to buy new things for the home (with funds from Christmas cash and gift cards received), rearrange furniture, paint,...whatever until I feel things are fresh and clean and inspiring again for a few months.

Well, I decided this January that Carly's room needed updated. Here's the thing: we have four bedrooms. One is for Brent and me; one for Adam; one for Carly and Jayna together; and one for "my craft room." My "craft room" is a space I gave to myself after living here for years, newly returned from across the country (far away from family), when I had a spare bedroom that was never used. Because even though my family wanted to complain that we lived in California and they lived in West Virginia for a few years, they still never came to see us much after we moved back. So I decided that that would be my space to leave things out -- projects I am working on -- and not have to worry about it with little kids running around the house. And at the time, we didn't have Jayna yet, that I can remember.....

So the reasons I picked Carly's room to update first this year are: 1. Her room was the first we ever painted and redecorated when we moved into this house 6 years ago; and 2. She does not like sharing a room with her little sister. Well, I thought maybe if I updated her room to a "tweeny" looking room, she would be more happy about sharing her room...because let's face it...she's nine, almost 10 years old, and has no need for her own room yet. And despite that, I have never had my own room my entire life...and I think she'll live to be okay. :)

When we decorated her room six years ago, we chose a pretty little girl pink (not the actual name on a paint chip) and then I took a "dry" paintbrush and lightly swished a soft purple all over the walls. I thought it was pretty cute at the time! She had a handmade comforter from her paternal grandmother, and bunk beds (in case there ever was to be another little sister -- not already there), and little homemade stuff I did here and there. I'll be honest and say it wasn't exactly what I wanted, but when you're a stay-at-home mother, you learn to live with a budget and accept that you can't afford everything you want. However, her room was really pretty and met my (and her) satisfaction at the time. But as with all rooms over time, it got dull, tons of holes in the wall, written on with a pencil, un-exciting, and as mentioned before, it was no longer solely her room. Here are some before pictures.