My mom taught me many things about keeping my home attractive and clean, but first and foremost, she taught me how to love. Spreading joy and love around your home makes it a cozy nest. Home is where the heart is! It is important to make your home full of you – your loves, your memories, your colors, and your hopes. When you let yourself shine through your home, the unique love God has placed inside of you will illuminate the spaces others will see.
I vividly remember the time and effort my mom put into decorating my bedroom when I was a little girl. She decorated my room two different times – once when I was in fourth grade and again during my sophomore year of high school. She could have done the project twice as fast if she would have just done it on her own; however, she sincerely and patiently sought my advice for she knew this place was mine and needed to be stamped as such. I remember going to the fabric store with her and picking out the modern pink “flower power” print and looking at coordinating fabrics for drapery and throw pillows. I thought my new trundle bed was unbelievably cool and perfect for sleepovers. She cautioned me (although I failed to fully listen) not to select something too trendy because she wanted me to still like it when I got older. She let me have my pick anyway. I am sure that fabric I chose was not my “traditional mom’s” favorite, and looking back, I see that she wanted me to be happy more than she wanted my room to match the rest of our homes décor. I remember how special it all made me feel. I also remember six years later when we re-did the room because it no longer suited my more sophisticated taste. She gladly skipped whatever decorating dream she wanted and decorated my bedroom again, knowing the value of a special, personalized space.
Through her demonstration of respect for my taste, my mom taught me how to become a “love-spreading” mom. I have four children of my own, and I can tell you that each of their bedrooms has always reflected their individual personalities and interests; and because of my mom’s example, I have loved every crazy minute! I remember hub caps covering one of my son’s walls; for years, every time we saw a hub cap on the side of the road, we stopped to pick it up. He would wash all the grime off of it, and we would ceremoniously add it to his collection. My other son decorated his entire ceiling with baseball, football, and hockey pennants, and as I would see pennant pinwheels across the room, I would smile, knowing he was displaying his passions while being free to express and develop his very own style. When china dolls were one of my daughter’s loves, her shelves were lined with them. Currently, one of my daughters’ rooms is painted a bright royal blue because it was the color she thought would look best. She is away at college, and I miss her terribly, but every time I go into her room I am reminded of the joy we shared in decorating her personal space together.
I realize that this is probably not the advice you would expect from a designer, but first and foremost, I am a wife, a mother, and a daughter. Those relationships decorate the walls of my heart, and the beautiful pictures they paint are priceless. So let your love shine as you spend time with the ones you love in the places you create together.
Steps for Creating Your Daughter’s Dream Bedroom
Dream Together
- Browse decorating magazines! Grab a Starbucks, and spend the morning together in a bookstore dreaming.
- Identify what she really likes. Window-shop first; you can always go back. Give your ideas time to develop. Tastes tend to change the longer people shop!
- Go to fabric and paint stores. Remember to gather samples!
- Make a scrapbook of the samples you collect, and take pictures of yourselves as you design this memory-maker together.
Plan Together
- Set a budget.
- Determine use requirements for the room. Will this room be a play space or study area, in addition to a bedroom?
- Make decorating dates – set the time aside on your calendar as well as hers!
Create Together
- Make a sample board of your favorite paint shades by painting the color on a poster board and hanging it on her wall. Most paint stores sell small samples for $3 to $5.
- Make a bulletin board together. Visit http://www.uniqueprojects.com for instructions on how to make an elegant bulletin board for less than $20!
- Stencil or paint a favorite Bible verse on her wall. Go to http://www.quotethewalls.com for easy wall art alternatives.
Now you’re ready to work together to decorate your daughter’s personal space – one that reflects her beautiful personality! Have fun!
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