Bedroom for the Boy

The last baby I birthed did a terrible thing the other day and turned 11. ELEVEN.  He had a party with his buds and I was pretty amused to look back and see that the guys that he had for his 7th birthday were the same guys he had for this one with a few additions. 

For his birthday, I re-did his bedroom, which he has been asking for for months.  He's a really sentimental kid (I wonder where he gets that?)  and he has all kinds of trinkets, souvenirs, pins, ribbons, cards, posters...in short clutter. He also has all of his Dad's
Cleveland Browns memorabilia from when he was a kid. This was a good opportunity to sit down and have a chat about how too much stuff can weigh us down and actually keep us from being happy.  We decided to go through his bookshelf and his other stuff and pare down.

Before

After

So here is the finished product, complete with a new roller shade I made-over with an old map...a project I have wanted to do for no less than 4 years.  I'm creative but not terribly efficient. It happens. We chose a pale paint color called "Quiet Rain."  We entertained the idea of an orange, but decided that this kid did NOT need more stimulation in his bedroom, as he struggles with insomnia sometimes. 

The Boy in his natural environment.