This is what we were up against!

Yes, take in the lovely "cottage and tree" lacy curtains. --Notice the late 80's country blue and peach wallpaper (also sporting the "cottage and tree" theme) --all so coordinated and all SO NOT ME!!! This is what our basement family room first looked like when we moved in-- July 2007! Wallpaper and wood paneling. After LOTS of hard work we have made it more our style. I am still not completely done. I have (since these pictures) painted the entertainment center black (which I love and it looks awesome) and we have re-arranged the furniture and I am going to paint the bookcase black as well (it also needs a new back on it, because one of its previous owners punctured holes all over it). I will post the finished product soon . . . But I wanted to document stage one of the transformation!! These walls were a (pain-in-the-butt) 3 step process. On the upper half of the wall- we scrapped wallpaper off, then Scott textured, then we primed, and then we painted! On the lower half- we sanded the wood paneling, primed it, and then painted! It sounds all so neat and easy. It wasn't. But it is finished. I love it.

Before. With wallpaper and wood paneling. (I can't change the 70's, river-rock, and gold fireplace---so it stays. But it is slightly less hideous with the green paint and black accents) I had to work with what I had! After. Hours of hard work after. But after none-the-less.

The back-wall

Same back- wall

Entertainment center and busted-up book shelf. More paneling and Wallpaper.

Green paint and book shelf not pictured.


I am excited to finish it all up and I will post more pictures when I am done! I love having a house of my own that I can fix up, change, and paint!