Day 14 of My Favorite Things: WallPops

@WallPopswallart #WallPops #WallPopsWallArt Facebook

I lived amongst white walls during my thirteen year tenure as a Manhattan resident. It was one part I thought I would only stay in each apartment for a year, one part I was afraid to lose my security deposit, and one part I never had the balls to pick a color “scheme”. I had cool friends that painted their rentals in all shades and even a friend who painted the wall behind her bed in beautiful wide stripes. I was so impressed. I wanted to be them. Each time I went in to a painted apartment I would get inspired, decide to paint mine and go look at paint. Naturally, after five minutes of looking at all the swatches I would get spooked and go home. I dreamt of one day owning a home and committing to bold and beautiful colors.

My white-walled Upper East Side apartment in 2005.

Well – we finally bought a house! As the ink was drying on the contract, I ran to the paint store.  Bold colors! Bold colors! I freaked out. I left. Guess what – I’m still afraid to commit. Now I can’t blame anyone but myself and my insecurity of design. Luckily our new house was recently painted and happened to be beautiful and – as luck would have it – in colors we liked! It didn’t even need a coat of paint it was in such good condition. Funny enough – the main floor was painted mint green! I kid you not, could you pick a better color for me? (Get it – MINT Chip Mama, MINT green walls. Fate – right there people, fate). I was happy I didn’t have to make any decisions and I could move on to the next exciting step – decorating.

The truth is I didn’t really care about decorating any of the rooms except my daughter’s and son’s. Especially my four year old’s room since her nursery was also our bedroom for the duration of her stay with us. BUT, I was scared to put holes in my new walls. I was too scared once again. So my poor children’s rooms stayed plain – beautifully painted in colors other than white – but with no pizzazz… until one day a friend recommended wall decals. Whaaaat? YES! Minimal commitment, maximum cuteness. Bazinga! I found all these cute patterns and decorated the heck out of their rooms. I settled on a floral motif for my daughter’s room and an animal motif for my son’s nursery.

However, if you will allow me to brag for a moment – the Pièce de résistance – is my daughter’s ceiling. Yep, RoomMates RMK1250SCS Clouds Peel & Stick Wall Decals, 19 Countclouds and a solar system. What’s that? You see the glow in the dark stars you had when you were a kid? Yep! Allow me… Ahem, “and the best mom award goes to…”

I became a wall decal addict. I wasn’t quite at the hiding in the closet secretly hanging up decals level YET but I was getting close. Then I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. It is what every mom wants for back to school – a HUGE, large boxed calendar. I had to have it. It was a – wait for it – wall decal, dry erase calendar. I was excited. I thought of the myriad of things I could put on this calendar and where I could put this calendar. I settled on the side wall of my kitchen – out of sight when you walk in (my husband’s request) and filled it with what I want to cook for dinner every night. You see, in addition to being afraid of decorating, I’m afraid of cooking. I know, I’m a bad “girl”. Talk to me about yard work if you want to see my eyes sparkle…

My Brewster TWPE0980 Kraft 17.5" x 24" Calendars, N/AWallPops Kraft Dry Erase Monthy Calendar

I think with my meal-planning calendar I can prep in advance so I won’t freak out when dinner time rolls around. My daughter and I sat and made a list of all the entrees and side dishes she likes. In true SLAM book format, we then picked combinations for each night. I wrote each on my calendar. My stress was going down as each box was filled. Oh look, chicken on Wednesday, allow me to put it in the fridge before going to sleep on Tuesday. Eggs for dinner (my daughter’s suggestion which she thought was hilarious!) no problem – that will only take five minutes! I can also make larger portions of things like vegetables and use them throughout the week. Any “hack” I can do to make my life easier – sign me up. I love that with one simple glance I can see the whole month. What a simple idea – something hanging up in front of me with ALL the days of the month right there, and not on your phone… if only this idea had been around before now.

Wall Pops WPE0765 WPE0765 St. Tropez Month Calendar Dry Erase Wall DecalsSt. Tropez Monthy Calendar inspired by the warm sea-side colors of the region with a fashionable chevron print.

If you are like me and scared to commit to decorating or want to put some jazz on your walls literally or figuratively, you should check out WallPops. They have borders, tiles, DC Comics, even Disney. I’m dying to try the window decals and the Wall Pops WPCH1264 Large Chalk Message Board DecalLarge Chalk Message Board. They have countless ideas & options and they are made in the USA which makes me happy. If you are a fan of Jonathan Adler but can’t quite reach the inner circle of his collectors, you can infuse some of his happy chic designs with one of his WallPops pieces. You can even create your own custom wall art if you want something specific. Perhaps you need a chandelier? I love that you can search by room or theme. Remember how cool you felt buying accessories for your locker? But in the 90’s there was only a mirror – well now you can completely customize that too (mine would be purple, duh). Why was decorating your locker the biggest thing ever? OMG, picking that mirror out was the best.thing.ever. Ah to be young again. *Note – there are NO Dylan McKay wall decals….yet.

Join me in the planning ahead revolution. Be completely spontaneous by spending half an hour once a month planning everything you need to do for the next month.  And then hanging it on your wall. So you can see it. It’s like “Girls Gone Organized”.

*GIVEAWAY* WallPops has offered to give away a dry erase 17″ x 13.75″ St. Tropez Monthy Calendar to one lucky reader!

To win – please post in the comment section below:

What back to school event causes you the most anxiety but if you plan ahead you can feel better?

Winner will be chosen Friday, August 22^nd.

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Here is a little more on WallPops because as you know – I LOVE learning about the heritage of brands:

WallPops is fun & fabulous art for your walls. With beautifully diverse collections of peel & stick designs, WallPops has brought a whole new world of exciting options to decorating! We are proudly made in the USA by Brewster Home Fashions, a 5th generation family owned business since 1954. WallPops are completely removable and repositionable which makes stylish décor simple. You can embellish a space without the time and commitment of paint or wallpaper, and without any holes from nails or screws. Also, WallPops are reusable, so if you decorate in a dorm or apartment you can take them with you and never leave behind a sticky residue.

Our colorful and remarkable collections have sweet ideas perfect for the nursery, enticing options for teens & tweens in trendy colors, and beautiful designs for your home and office. WallPops even has functional dry-erase wall art! Get organized with the attractive dry-erase maps, calendars, and message boards. The dots, blox & stripes line lets you mix and match, taking walls from ordinary to exquisite with coordinating shapes and hues. Indulge your wild side with animal prints, or choose from chic solids and stunning motifs. WallPops Kits bring creative scenes and designs to life and let you arrange them to best suit your space. Have fun dreaming up new ways to make a statement on your walls. And remember! Change your mind? Change your design!

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