The Mess of Progress

Each time that I try and strip wallpaper, it's the same old aggravations all over again.  I exhaust myself on day one, make a little progress, and desert the mess until I can get back into the project at a better time.  This is why I didn't want to mess with the hall.  But the thing is, I need this space to do something, and it's not gonna do it on its own!  
 

Don't mess with me!

 

As much as I hate the procedure of these projects, I've learned a lot from this type of home improvement.  Because, lets face it, there's lots of time to think when you do it yourself:

1.  You really can learn to I live with it, even if you don't love it.  Sometimes that means learning to live with the wallpaper that you hate, and other times it means learning to live with the mess of taking it all down.  In any case, that's just life, sometimes it's messy.

2.  Safety first.  I guess that should really go to the #1 spot, but you can't get to the safety issues until you've decided to make your first move, so this sits at #2. I worked in the Emergency Room for 11 years, and believe me when I tell you that I've seen my share of accidental injuries when it came to people not looking out for their safety on the scene. For example:  the working mother of 2 who sneaks herself on-top a kiddie chair in the back yard to fill the bird feeder is definitely going to break her wrist and be out of work for a few weeks laid up.  You may be quite familiar as well with the character of the dad who can't wait for help, so he tries to independently cut down those burdening branches, leading to an unsightly bludgeoning in mid-day for all to witness when the tree whacks him upside the head.  And don't even tell me about drinking while roofing.  That's simply ugly (you don't ever want to hear and orthopedist say "I've never seen anything like this").  Bottom line, take care of yourself.  If there's a little voice saying "maybe you shouldn't...(fill in the blank)", then listen up.  It's really not part of the fun if you're going to get hurt.

Safety first, Dear! www.exponent.com

3.  There is a reason why "tall" is listed before "dark and handsome".  Someone needs to be able to reach the light fixtures and crown molding.  Am I right?

 

everyguyed.com

4. It's just paint (unless its wallpaper, see above).  If you paint it and you hate it, you can change it no problem.  There was a day when I tried two shades of red and three shades of orange before I found the gray primer that proved to me that gray walls was really all I needed to soothe my soul.

 

Take your time, find the right color for the space www.askandreceive.co.uk

5. There are more important things in  life than getting the right look out of your hallway. 

6.  There will always be other things to do, so do it when you can.  If you can't get to it right now, you probably have a good reason, and it really isn't that important anyway.  In the end, it will get done.

7.  Project your thoughts beyond what is immediately in front of you. Projecting through the mess will lead to success.