Decorating Randomness

Harris Mini Emulsion Roller. H&M sweatshirt. H&M Joggy Bots.

Yup that's me. Bobbly paint splattered sweatshirt and baggy saggy joggy bots. I'm a vision of loveliness :)

The Grumps took the boys camping this weekend and left on the Friday night at 5.30pm. I was up a ladder by 6pm. By 9pm I was weeping in to a cup of Earl Grey and on the phone to my friend L questioning my sanity and what I'd done to my big boy's bedroom. I'd painted the first wall and it was the most awful wet cement grey colour. Prison cellblock grey. I also had some reassuring chats with Michelle telling me it will all be alright. Just "wait till the morning" she said, "just wait".

Between then and morning, I spent a frantic hour or two on Pinterest googling grey boys rooms and started to feel a little more reassured and I came up with some little gems to make his room a little cooler. 

In the light of the morning sun, the wall I painted turned out to be a lovely soft shade of pale grey. Phew!

Anyway, would you like me to share some decorating tips? This is random and just what came off the top of my head following this weekend - sorry if it sounds like I'm teaching you to suck eggs but to some people out there, it might be useful.

1. Don't Panic.

It's only paint and you can always paint over paint if you really hate it. Paint never looks like it does in the tin. This is why it took me two years to drag out this tin of paint which I had mixed up and to actually use it. When I opened it the first time, I dabbed the smallest bit on the wall and practically fainted. It was so gloomy. So I shut the tin and put it in the garage. But it's always best to look at paint in natural daylight when it has dried properly. No matter how many patches you paint on a wall, it's still very difficult to get the full picture. Besides, I gave up painting patches on walls years ago, it takes you forever to paint out the patches on walls (pfft) and so I paint on pieces of card and masking tape them to the wall instead.

2. Prep.

Get the fiddly stuff out of the way first like filling in any cracks. Paint does not fill cracks contrary to my previously misguided belief. Filler does. I noticed quite a few cracks in the walls recently and it started me on my mission to freshen up the house. The one tip I got from a builder when filling in the cracks with filler is to use a damp sponge (like the little rectangular washing up sponges you can buy) which smooths and wipes away any excess filler as you go.

3. Make it Easy on Yourself.

Line your paint tray! Makes life easier.

Its a great song that by the Walker Brothers isn't it? Anyway, I hate cleaning up after decorating. I line my paint trays with a little cling film and on top of that, a piece of foil. Then I pour my paint in. When I've finished, I lift out the foil and cling film together. Nice clean paint tray.

Did I say I hate cleaning up after painting? I hate washing brushes and rollers. So I don't. I throw them away instead. That sounds a bit drastic but the hubs got tired of seeing gungey paintbrushes sitting in a pot three weeks after a job and eventually said to me "if you're not going to clean them, throw them away". That was a revelation. I bought myself a multipack of Harris brushes from Costco a few years back for about £15 and have been working my way through them ever since. I don't pay a decorator so this is my indulgence. Same with rollers. 

Did you notice that I rested my roller on a plastic container lid. The kind that you get from a takeaway? As I go round and switch from brush to roller, I rest whichever I'm not using on a plastic lid like this as (1) the paint doesn't really stick to the plastic and (2) I can throw it away when I'm done.

If you're not going to get the job done in one go and you need to leave the paint overnight and can't be bothered to wash out your brushes - I wrap them up in cling film and cover the top of the paint tray with some foil or cling film. I can't decorate without foil or cling film.

Or wet wipes. When I edge the bottom of a wall and it's not perfect, I just wrap my finger in a wet wipe and run my nail along the skirting board and I get a neat edge. 

4. Control.

Edging. Strangely enough, a large brush is better for edging than a small piddly brush. It holds more paint and means you can continue a straight line for longer. That I know from watching the odd decorator who I have had to use for those jobs which I simply can't do - like those walls which are sooooo high and you have to buy new ladders and apparatus and risk life and limb to paint them and it works out cheaper to get a man in to do the job. Pick your fights and work out what will save you time, money and stress. Err ... you're probably thinking, that's a tiny thin brush you're using up there in that pic Sue. Yes, it is ... I've worked through all the big brushes in my multipack and I'm down to the small and skinny ones now. Ah well.

Small Rollers. I use a roller to paint the walls. The small ones. Like in my first picture. Not a big massive thing which is so heavy when it's laden with paint, you will have an over developed muscly right arm by the time you've finished painting the room. I also don't like the back splatter with the big rollers - I don't suit white paint freckles, no sirreee! I also like the control you have getting near the edges and it's much easier to handle a small roller. Might take a fraction longer but I get a better finish and more even paint job, I swear.

5. Brushes.

I'm just doing regular wall painting so I just want pretty standard paintbrushes - I'm not glossing or painting wood furniture, but even so, I tend to buy Harris brushes. I find some of the cheaper budget paintbrushes tend to shed bristles which is very annoying when I have to pick a loose bristle off the wall. Pfft.

5. Against The Norm

Ever find yourself putting a hand on wall or leaning or scuffing the paint on that wall you've just painted by accident? That wall is probably to your left (assuming you're painting in a clockwise direction around the room). I now paint a wall and then the next wall I paint is to the left of it. That's because the wall to the left of the left (think about it) of the one I've just painted is dry so I can lean on it all I like. It's a bit weird but it works for me.

5. Decorations

Frames. I don't spend a lot on decorating Ben's room. It's usually a pot of paint and a change of picture on the walls depending on what the latest fad is. I bought some Ikea Ribba frames years back and these instantly give any pictures a more finished contemporary look. I have black ones as there are black accents in his room through the odd piece of furniture and the frames tie everything together. We've had TinTin pics, Superhero pics, Minecraft pics and these are the latest ones. I like the triptych effect and the fact that they are Dr Seuss quotes too.

Ikea Ribba Frames

Prints.  Speaking of which ... those prints above are free downloadables. FREE. A little bit of mad googling and Pinteresting and there are all kinds of free prints available. Check out my two favourite links here and here.

Prints again. Don't like anything you've seen or what you like, you have to pay too much for or it's just not quite right? Make your own. This is how to do a chalkboard effect poster. Add whatever quote you like. 

• Link to a free chalkboard-background here.
• Upload or copy the image and paste it in to a blank document. I used the Pages app which I have on the Mac.
• Choose a suitable font. I found the Chalkduster font works well on this.
• Make sure the font colour is white!!! 
• Write what you like.
• Print out.

Wall Decorations. Ben has a retro coat rack on his wall which he hangs his medals on. It has little plaques which you put your own labels on - he's a boy, he loves techy stuff so I printed lots of little games consoles and cut them to size to decorate it up. It's just finding easy ways to make sure it still feels like his room ... but done your way which is great if you're a control freak (like me).

For a similar coat rack, I found this Etsy seller The Woodworm Shop who does some lovely peg racks. You can keep it natural or paint it (I know there are a lot of Annie Sloan fans out there). Or CoxandCox do this one in a gesso finish.

Girly Things. And I know if I was a mum of girls, I would be printing and making these Hermes handbags as cute little decorations for their room. They'd look fab as a display on a shelf.

I'm not a mum of girls but I did print and make them anyway. I made all these when I had my week off with no wifi in Wales earlier this year. These diy Hermes bags actually came out in 2012 but there are still links here to get the printouts to make your own. Just make sure you use card (paper is too thin) and one that you can "fold" easily and you will need a craft knife for some of the cuts. This is what a printable looks like when you download it and you follow the instructions from there on.

They are are a little finicky to make because these are absolutely tiny but quite satisfying when they are all done and besides, don't they look lovely? And they make lovely gift bags too as I found out when Ben squirrelled one to one side and put some of his own money in it and gave it to me as a birthday present #heartmelt 

Bedlinen. I keep this really simple here. I bought some chambray/denim bedlinen sets from Primark a few years back which are still going strong. They are plain but being chambray, not quite so boring and I like that you can interchange the pillowcases with something like the one below for a bit of interest. I  (personally) don't really like buying specific children's bedding - I think if you choose carefully you can work with adult bedding and make it appropriate. 

H&M Pillowcase

For reference, this caught my eye on the M&S site and what a bargain at £15.60 for a single duvet set as there is 20% off today too. This is funky and contemporary and will bring a jolt of colour to any child's room. Works for a girl or a boy. Keep to the pale side for a girl and throw on some fuchsia cushions. Me, I'm going for the bright blue side, I've got a boy after all ... with grey walls in his room.  Let's breathe some colour in to the room - he is still only young.

M&S Talah Duvet Set

So I will stop my ramblings there - I've finished the room and Ben loves it (I did do it on a whim and didn't tell him). I was worried that he wouldn't like it as he has always had a blue room given that his favourite colour is blue but the grey has worked a treat. Seems like my boy has taken after me #lovegrey

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Last Note :

• I did Ben's room in Dulux Dusted Moss 2. Goes on a cement colour and dries pale grey and interesting. A lot like Farrow and Ball's Cornforth White from what I can see on my Farrow & Ball paint chart.

• Any decorating tips you care to share?

• George's room is up next. Arghghg!