All three coats of hot pink paint on Grace’s walls are dry (and they have been for more than a week). We put her beloved blue race car bed into the basement and hauled out her crib to convert into a toddler’s day bed.
Never having seen them before, Grace thought the bumpers that came with her bedding were just so cool. She insisted they be tied onto the sides and back of her day bed.
Backwards.
She definitely has her own taste.
In a moment of temporary brilliance, I tied the remaining bumper on to act as a soft bed rail. It’s not terribly sturdy, but she’s only fallen out of bed one out of the last eight nights.
We tried several different furniture arrangements in an effort to give Grace a totally new room. In the end, though, we put the bed back where it had been before. That’s the only spot that allows Grace to be in the dark, without our bathroom or master bedroom lights shining on her sleeping face.
When I was putting together a few pictures of the (mostly) finished room, I found this one of her, helping her Daddy to stir paint for the third coat. It took three solid coats to even out the hot pink and make it look good.
Grace wanted desperately to be involved in this process. Redecorating might have taken a little longer with her help, but it was an experience she’ll remember – proudly – forever.
We still have a lot to do in the room. Grace asked us to paint her book shelf, her dresser, and her wooden toy box. They are going to be the slightly lighter accent pink with hot pink accents.
When we get around to painting them.
Joe and I also agreed that the ceiling needs a little paint. Joe’s going to put a thick stripe on the ceiling, right next to the walls. That’s going to be the lighter accent color, too.
I wanted to wait to take pictures until the room was really done, but I’m not sure when we’ll get around to those finishing touches.
It could be weeks.
So, here’s the room in its almost but not quite done glory.
The bed.
Remember that this was a nursery bedding set? Nursery sets don’t come with pillow cases. I’m not sure if I’m going to be content with an Elmo pillow case or if I’m going to look for one that coordinates with the bedding.
I’ll probably look for one.
See the big pillow in the bottom left corner of the photo above? That’s where Joe sits to read to Grace at bedtime. They have a really sweet routine.
The canopy
I love this canopy. It is covered with glow in the dark stars, and inside, we hung ribbons, crystals, and some shapes Grace and I made out of glow in the dark perler beads. Aside from the hot pink paint, this canopy is Grace’s favorite part of the room.
The shelf
There’s nothing new in this picture, aside from the paint. Joe and I got this shelf when I was pregnant with Grace, and Joe painted the little train cars. It’s always been one of my favorite, most nostalgic items in her room, and I’m glad she wanted it put back up.
Stuffed animals
We didn’t ask Grace if she wanted her stuffed animal hammock put back up. It’s a necessity because she simply has too many toys.
The flowers are from Grace’s old room, too. I found them when I was pregnant, and she’s always liked them. The only bad thing is that they’re sorta the same color as the walls now, and they don’t really stand out like they used to. Not sure what I’ll do about that.
Probably nothing.
The window
I really want to get the valance and curtains that match Grace’s bedding, but I just haven’t gotten time to go look at them in the store. For now, we’re still using the Baby Snoopy curtains I made for her while I was pregnant.
The wall hangings are from the bedding set that I won. I’m thinking about changing the order, and putting the hummingbird on top so that it will contrast a little better with the clock (which is also from before the redecoration, but matches so nicely with the new colors).
There you have it. That’s Grace’s new hot pink bedroom. She adores it, and I am more glad than ever that we ran with her idea when she asked if we could paint.
What do you think?
