# Redecorating DD's room....thoughts, ideas? Looong.



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

First, I am assuming DD is not the one in the middle in this photo?










This is going to sound really strange but my ex has the personality of the one in the middle but is very, very smart and clever. She sends her boyfriend out dumpster diving on Madison and Fifth Avenue in NYC for thrown away designer shoe boxes and other packaging and makes a small fortune selling the boxes on eBay. There was a guy here in Chicago years ago that sold knockoff Tiffany jewelry boxes and ribbons around Christmas and did quite well until he was shut down.

Anyhow, as you know, nothing turns a chick on more than flowers, chocolates, and anything in a little Tiffany box with ribbon. I would work that and some cool shoe boxes into your little princess' new bedroom. She will need the storage anyhow. And boa feathers. No little girl should be without them. And bling. Lots of bling.


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

OMG....I was about to say, is that little girl doing what I THINK I'm seeing?! No, that one is not mine. She's an only Princess (as you can probably tell from my obsessive post)......we do have a pic of her with Belle, but, she had to be dressed in a proper princess dress, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't shooting the finger. I don't think she even knows what that is. I, myself, believe it or not, wasn't sure which finger you were supposed to use until I was in my....20’s! I still, would have to think about it should I ever feel inclined. :-/

Good ideas....your ex sounds like an...interesting.....girl. Did you ever participate in aforementioned dumpster diving? What is it with us girls and the need to save packaging? I have, I think, every bag, and most boxes from any high-end shopping trip. But, in defense, high-end store packaging is very, very nice....you hate to throw it away! Burberry's is almost like going home and unwrapping a present, there are ribbons and everything involved. So. I do have some small Tiffany boxes (I have a jewelry pouch in my purse, I carry it as my 'color swatch' so, I can match stuff for her room wherever I am..), and I have an oversized shoe box sized one. I may put that one in her bed-side table..it has a shelf, that has a tower of fabric covered boxes in it right now, they are already black and white, so I was just going to cover the parts that didn't match. May put the T-Box in with them. Suggestions for the tiny (the best ones!) bags and boxes? Plus, I have quite a few of the black-velvet kind of jewelry box, and square ones that would be easy to cover..

A lady on E-bay actually hand-screens these gorgeous muslin ribbons with the original Tiffany logo, and makes all these other beautiful little things. A friend used some to 'bling' up a ribbon board that was covered in fabric that matches her comforter. She added this lovely hand-blown E. Tower, and other things. It is so adorable! Thanks for the idea (and laugh!) keep 'em coming!


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

"And boa feathers. No little girl should be without them. And bling. Lots of bling."

We're on the same page. I have a few pillows for the bed that are lined with 'boa feathers' and Hobby Lobby has these 'fancy' (not the cheap looking kind) full boa's, they have b/, plus b/w/pink....I was wondering what to do with them....I think I'd rather get the b/w one, and I think they have one that's just the T-blue that can be put together. 

Lot's of bling? OMG....do I have bling. I have everything from big 'diamond' rings (napkin holders for weddings.....bling is currently all the rage for weddings, so the bridal dec dept. has actually been a great resource!) to rhinestone covered candles. I have a little craft box filled with tiny things I find, I went through my costume jewelry, put all singleton earrings,and old stuff I didn't like in there, plus some pieces from broken necklaces, what-not. Plus, I hit estate sales and vintage stores, so I found quite a few brooches and things there. Probably more bling than I ever will need!


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Seems like you are all over this and Michael's and Hobby Lobby are great places. We have Tuesday Morning stores here that are sort of a tier above TJ Maxx. I try to find second and third wedding gifts there because they have higher end and unique cookware and unique discounted appliances. Wish people at it the third time would just accept money for charity or something instead. 

Anyhow, I always see women buying frilly baskets and bags. 

Of course you have to find the tiara somewhere. And every princess needs a real music box. And is she into fine "whine" yet? Mom, she will probably die really soon if she does not get IT really, really soon---like now. And teach her the omnipotent royal pout. 

And nope. I do not dumpster dive even in NYC or Chicago's finest neighborhoods. Maybe I should. It amazes me the things people throw away. My friend found an aluminum table on the street in NYC with a damaged leg. Turned out to be very special and he fixed it and sold it for $20K.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I wonder if there are sources for princesses like there are for sports fans for large electrostatic decals. They are fun. They cling to the wall and you just peel them off when done. Of course you can make your own using any large output graphic firm near you that does electrostatic films. Vinyl is another option but it is adhesive so you may need a hair dryer to get the graphics off. No biggy. Wall Words is one national supplier for things like that but again your local large output graphic place or a franchise sign place will have the capability.

Finally, I helped build a rather special museum for kids once and one of the most popular exploration areas was one where they could dress up and dance around in front of a typical blue/green screen. Just like in TV land, a camera caught them and superimposed them over the top of images that changed to fill in for the green screen. 

You probably would not want to have a green wall in that room but I have seen retail kits where you pull the screen down and you can act in your fave movies. I don't think they are that expensive. She and friends would probably love it if it comes with kid princess movies.


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

Heck, I think *I* would like that green screen thing. There is an actual game that comes with the screen and all that jazz. Thank goodness she isn't a whiner, but let's say this about the pout. She was about 2 minutes old, and I hear a nurse say "look at this baby's bottom lip! I haven't seen a pout like that in awhile!" Sure enough, I take a good look at her later, and she has this little pillow-y bottom lip that pouffed out when she cried. And she still does. Yes, I am all over this, LOL, aka: obsessed! Went to an estate auction today and brought home some interesting little wall plaques that were like, paintings on the back, a blue/green outdoor scene, usually....then, the front/glass had black 'sillouhettes' of what looked like Parisians, Marie Antoinette-types....doing various things, swinging, walking. I've never seen anything like them before.....they look to be maybe from the 1950’s or so, if I had to guess. I need to take a better look. I ADORE Hobby Lobby....I like to try and duplicate what I see in childrens boutiques/on-line, (hair-bows holders, clothing, blinged out frames,tu-tu's, stuff like that), plus some simple home decor, like those candles with the push-pin type decorations, so easy to make...it's A)much less expensive (especially the bows! I like her to have a big matching bow for every outfit, and those can be as much as $15-$18 for the elaborate ones! Not cool, especially when the get lost.) B) My small town rarely has the newest stuff C) easier to customize to our house/rooms. Plus, it's fun. I've found so many great things at HL, at great prices. 
We got a Tuesday Morning last year, and I about died of happiness. I won't say what I usually call myself when it comes to my love of linens...but they have great ones, all the time. Plus, other stuff...a few years ago I admired this silver ice bucket that had deer heads with these beautiful full, etched racks, instead of handles on the sides. All for about $300. Um, no. Tuesday Morning got them last month! Plus a snuffer, candleholders and some other things! Most expensive piece, about $90. I love, love, LOVE that place. Am I that obvious/predictable or are you my and my BF's, Third?! LOL! If I've thought it, or bought it, she just has, too. 
Last thoughts:
Wall Words, yes. Fat Heads? No.
It's ridiculous to register for a THIRD wedding. Please. I would just make an educated guess as to what charities are special to them, or buy some chickens at Ox Fam, and send a donation in their name.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Thanks. Sometimes it is not that easy. I don't go to weddings anymore and have been known to send a $9 toaster and cannot possibly make it RSVP. It does get absurd. I understand that divorces can hurt but Jeeze Louise, don't beg for appliances and rebuilding a household at age whatever. 

Last third wedding I cared about? I sent a present to the guy who was my best friend who just rushed in and chose badly for the prior two. Another friend, a retired Waterford crystal carver in Ireland with his own shop, who does some really special things for me at times did this absolutely spectacular 1.5 inch deep and huge diameter serving platter thing. 

My friends never move it because they fear the rainbows cast about the room would change. Ir's just a piece of crystal when all is said and done. They view it as somewhat magical. Third time is the charm for them I hope.

"Steve. They are always with us. All it takes is a glimmer of light and a rainbow splashes!"

Ah yes, princesses must have one piece of specially carved lead crystal from Ireland. 

This royal wedding thing is coming up and talk about bleeding princess stuff soon? I think we should teach your little girl to walk and talk like a Brit.

And assure her that if she is royalty, you, your husband, brothers and sisters must walk at all times a few steps behind her. And of course she needs nails done on Mondays, hair on Tuesdays and do please have the car waiting.


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

The royal wedding!! Can't wait! Since we are British....British-ish...(my maternal grandmother is British, but she married a Spaniard...my DD got the Brit side, she's all fair skin, dark hair and blue eyed (!!)....bad news.). The Queen walks behind no one, though. 

I am guessing that 3rd weddings are the new ’1st wedding' the way things are going today. These wedding shows we have now seem to make all the kids getting hitched nowadays think they ARE royals or Rockafellers, one of the two. I am deeply in the midst of my BIL's first wedding, to a girl whose all of 22. We have already had the obligatory 4-day batchlor/ette 'party' in Vegas. Really? We are supposed to spend $2000 (expensive tastes) to attend a party where you're given panties? Umm, no, thank you. Politely bowed out of that to the dismay of many. Really?! Pretty soon we have to attend two showers, same weekend, two nights...two different towns. The rehearsal dinner, alone, is at a country club, sit-down, semi-formal, band during dinner, with a DJ for dancing afterwards. A REHEARSAL dinner. The rehearsal dinner will have 90 people at it. How does one have 90 people at a rehearsal dinner?! DD is one of two flower girls. They are wearing $200 dresses. Now, I am all for beautiful, lavish weddings. I had one. But NOT at the expense of anyone else. My mother paid for our reception, in-law's for the rehearsal, and DH and I paid for just about everything else, including all bridesmaid's dresses/tuxes, all that.....and I was the bargain hunting queen, not the 'let's get this $100 ring bearer pillow!' type. These huge three-month shin-digs that end up costing guests thousands between hotel rooms/parties/gifts....and now airline tix and bottle service at Vegas clubs? Selfish and tacky. *steps off soap box*

That crystal sounds beautiful. I wish I had a personal Irish crystal carver on call! It's funny, the Princess was about 5, and we were at (our fave!) Tuesday Morning. I had told her she could get a toy, we were cruising the aisles, when she asked me to stop. She had fixated on these gorgeous iridescent pink and green blown glass pieces, very fanciful things. She specifically wanted something that looked like a candleholder of some sort (long 'stem', with a little ramekin-sized/shaped bowl on top...I'm not sure if it's for pillar candles, or a candy dish?). So, she wanted this piece SO badly...even though I told her that she couldn't have both a toy and that. She chose the glass piece! I was so proud! Her 1st decorative piece/decision! It even matched her old color scheme. I'm raising her right...LOL. Oh, and while the tooth fairy did come when she lost her 1st tooth, she also got to have her 1st mani/pedi at the salon. I may be spoiling her, but I just consider it teaching her things she should know. She should know how to decorate her home, and appreciate nice things. She should also be proud of herself, and keep herself well maintained/groomed. Is that horribly 'Southern'? I thought I was a modern woman, pretty progressive...until I heard myself discussing a young man I know who chose to stop working and stay home with his newborn...while his wife worked a one-step-above min. wage job, and they live in a dilapidated trailer. You can only guess what I said, and how terribly 'Donna Reed/Scarlett O'Hara' it sounded!

Oh, well..'I yam what I yam'. ;-) I painted the inside shelves of the doll wardrobe for her room a few days ago. Now I need to go back and paint over the T. Blue paint I smeared everywhere it shouldn't be. :-/ Hope I can find some white paint with good coverage.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

http://www.criostal.com/history.html

I am sure my friend Eammon would appreciate the business if you ever do need crystal carved. The economy is rather dismal in Ireland. Waterford carvers usually have short careers because of the dangers from lung disease but his own place has all the extraction equipment known to man. He is a delightful guy. I never really appreciated carved crystal much until I learned the master cutters, like gemstone folk, have their own proprietary cuts and so forth. In addition to custom pieces he does the usual dinner goblets and so forth. 

Of course if you have an extra five figure sum laying around one of Alex Fekete's crystal pieces would look great in your daughter's room. Alex blows giant pieces of lead crystal then carves them up, finishes them and sometimes joins metal to them. 

http://www.cinemagallery.cc/Fekete_A.htm

Nothing wrong with teaching your little one to have some class and some good taste. Just don't let it go overboard. Teach her philanthropy and charity too I hope. 

As for white paint that covers blue? Sounds like quality spot primer time first to me.


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

What do you think I'm raising here? A spoiled brat who'll expect to have a wedding before her wedding and a batchlorette party in the Bahamas or something? LOL. Yes, she is being taught charity. I am a soft-hearted girl, especially for animal rescues (I explained to her the cold hard facts about the city pound, and what happens when we don't spay and nueter or animals.....harsh, but now she knows the importance), I'm also big on children's charities. We do everything from have her drop a couple of bucks in the red buckets, to helping Daddy 'work' on a Habitat home. She's actually a very sweet, giving child. I have made sure to shut her down when she exhibits any sort of 'mean girl' behavior, or conceit. 
Drop $10,000 or so for a crystal piece for her room? Ummmm...that would be a no. For Mommy, maybe. Although Irish crystal would be quite appropriate, she has a distinctly Irish name. For no specific reason other than we loved it. 

I hope I don't have to prime those drips! I'm going to get a sample of one of those new paints that supposedly have the primer built in.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Sorry to break the news but ads for primer and paint in one drive me nuts. No such thing. Pure marketing hype. You are going to need two coats one way or the other.

As for animal rescue and so forth good for you! I lived in a campus town and part of graduation was for kids to just set the pets free to fend for themselves. Declawed cats did not often survive so well. I volunteer for a no kill kitty shelter here and it is so sad to have to turn so many away.

Check this place out:

http://www.elephants.com/

There a few throughout the World now. Elephants are very social animals but many spend their entire lives in isolation as part of zoos and circuses. The sanctuary in Thailand sells paintings made by elephants as a fundraiser.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

SDSester is right. You're going to need at LEAST two coats if not more. There is no reason to skip primer unless you WANT to paint more coats of finish paint.


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## RealHouswifOfOK (Apr 11, 2011)

sdsester said:


> Sorry to break the news but ads for primer and paint in one drive me nuts. No such thing. Pure marketing hype. You are going to need two coats one way or the other.
> 
> As for animal rescue and so forth good for you! I lived in a campus town and part of graduation was for kids to just set the pets free to fend for themselves. Declawed cats did not often survive so well. I volunteer for a no kill kitty shelter here and it is so sad to have to turn so many away.
> 
> ...



Well, luckily it,s just a few smudges of paint here and there, and luckily it's a doll wardrobe and not an entire wall! I think I'll let DH take care ofvthe 'clean-up'......lol.

Well, that's odd. I, too, live in a college town, and the annual 'dumping of the pets" makes me SO angry and sad. We are also a small town, with lots of 'rural' areas, so you can only guess what happens. In fact, that time of the year is almost upon us :-( our shelter became a no-kill a few years ago, so we support them. I used to physically volunteer at the shelter, but I just can't do it anymore, it disturbs me so terribly. So, now we do food/monetary donations. We have a sponsor walk for the shelter every year, and for a few years we were always one of the top 3 donation 'earners', I get serious about it, sending out pre-paid envelopes to friends and family and everything. It's worth it. 

The elephant thing, that's just spooky that you brought that up. Today is my Mom's birthday...elephants are her favorite animal. DD actually insisted on buying her a coffee table book about elephants (from,,,,,,Tuesday Morning!) to give her. I was actually looking at elephant sanctuary's, because you can 'adopt/sponsor' an elephant, and I was going to do it in Mom's name! Strange. Plus, the Pricesses’ school has a picture that was, indeed, painted by an elephant! Have you ever seen video of them grieving, or visiting an elephant ’graveyard’? It's amazing....they have tears streaming down their faces! Tears!! How anyone can say that animals don't have feelings or understand things is beyond me. You only have to watch one for awhile to see they do! Even our little guinea pig, Wasabi, shows her likes/dislikes, and 'emotion'. When Ginger, her pal, died suddenly, she became a little depressed, until we bumped up the amount of time we have her out with us, now she's a happy pig! And a funny pig... We watch tv at night in our bedroom, often the whole family on the bed, so me, DH, DD, 4 dogs...and a guinea pig, who, I believe, thinks she's just a tiny dog. We put down a changing mat and towel, and her polar fleece blankets...she cuddles up and is happy as a clam. Don't get me started on the dogs...they definitely each have their own personalities, likes/dislikes, mannerisms and 'language'.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I cannot believe that after our lengthy exchange you are now going to cop the quintessential princess attitude yourself and turn figuring out how to cover your painting mistakes to the hubby. 

And are you suggesting dolls do not deserve love and well painted spaces? Explain this attitude to your daughter!

I hate to say it but warnings about Oklahoma are coming back to me.

My fave?

"Never buy fresh seafood, on a sunny day, and from a guy with a pickup bed full and Oklahoma plates!"

With that caustic thought out of the way, check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIn1v3qWP4c


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