Oops Paint and Teen's Room

When you hit those little bumps in the road that want to pull you into the pit of giving up, a good friend with an encouraging word can sure help you to just jump over the bump.

This was the case when I entered our dirty and decoratively-challenged new dwelling.  I strolled through our new place with less-than-graceful or designer-possibility eyes.  God in His wisdom knew what He was up to when He brought a good friend to view things differently.  As I pointed out all the faults of this design- challenged home...more than had ever presented themselves to me in my lifetime.......she just smiled with, "it is all cosmetic!"

The rooms were abundant in size, yet the "slopped" (and I am being nice when I say  "slopped") on painted walls were way-less-than desirable 

I promised my son, whose wall had been "slopped" over with yellow paint to half-way cover the once-totally pink walls, that I would come to his male-ego rescue.  The shared, boys' bathroom would also be raised from the dead... as soon as I could find the money tree.

God in His mercy gave me vision for each room in the house...so reconstruction started and I have already completed two rooms' transformation.

One of the most cost-efficient ways to transform a room is with paint. However, even that can become very costly when painting a whole house.  In the past I have been known to paint full bedrooms in Oops paint.

Oops paint?  Well, they are the gallons or quarts of paint that someone brings back for some reason...usually not the color they thought.  My developed eye doesn't have trouble grabbing a gallon...usually about $5.00 or a little more, to see what I can create.  So last week, the last week before the start of school, I took my teenage son to go look at oops paint.  I had a vision in my head...he didn't.  I looked first, then allowed him to survey what they had.  He picked out exactly what I knew he would....now for the transformation.

Antique bed...spray painted in brown...mine from when I  was a teen.

I had already bought him a very reasonable (cheap) comforter for his bed...remember, teenage boy.  We attacked the walls with his chocolate paint.  He had envisioned all four walls in chocolate...I had not.  To my excitement, we ran out of the chocolate paint after two walls were completed.  There was just enough left to put my creative slant on the walls.  I continued the chocolate paint on a horizontal border going around the second two walls.  A lighter taupe...left over from a past project, finished up the walls.

Western art, metal signs and a cowboy boot has started our accents in his room. "Keep it simple, so it will stay clean" is my battle cry on teen boys' rooms....I am picking my battles.

This wall will probably hold all the sports pictures  from high school.
We still have more accents to finish.

I was on a roll...yes, a paint roll... On to the bathroom. Since this bathroom will be shared by a 22 year-old-college son, a 15 year-old-high-school freshman and our precious non-stop talker. age 5....it had alot to accommodate. The size is great...but past colors were still showing out from under every corner, baseboard and tile possible..does anyone know how to paint?  In came the color used at the top of the horizontal border from the son's room.

I gathered up all the car pictures, posters, and accents I could find from our different collections.  I ran to buy cheap...(remember, boys again), shower curtain, towels and rug.  I used these pieces to add the punch of color...RED.  In one day. I had the bathroom up and functioning well. 


I am still trying to decide if it needs a racing stripe going vertical in red....what do you think?

My motto, "If it doesn't look good....go grab some paint....and just possibly the oops paint will work the best."

Also grab that friend who can give you a new perspective.
Thanks Angie!