Christmastime is almost upon us. WOO! I love it, I really do. But listen here, sometimes the gift-giving part is hard. Not the actual giving part, but the deciding what the heck you are going to get so-and-so again this year part. That part is rough. I always want to be thoughtful and sentimental and creative, but then I usually end up giving something like a gift card to the mall. Lamezzzz. (Although I personally love getting a good gift card).
But I think I can help if you are looking for a way to give something a little different this year. Something beyond the typical gift card/lotion set/fuzzy blanket type gifts. Something you can’t buy in a store. Something that perhaps, means a little bit more. (Ok, disclaimer: you will probably need to buy some of it at a store). Come a little closer and I’ll tell you.
CLOSER.
CLOOOSSSSEEERRR.
Have you considered giving someone you love … a MAKEOVER?
Not a personal makeover, but a room makeover! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving. Transform a dull space into something that sparkles year-round, and your recipient will be thanking you well into next Thanksgiving!
Does dad’s home office need an overhaul? Could grandma’s laundry room use some love? Could your brother’s bedroom benefit from a boost?
Let’s make it happen! Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling from yours truly.
The Regular Ol’ Makeover
This is what I plan to do with my daughter’s room this year. She’s already overloaded with toys and clothes and crayons and things. THINGS. EVERY. WHERE.
So I said, “What if we fancied up your bedroom for Christmas?” And she’s totally excited! Her room has been a sad, sad state of affairs for too long. I’ve tried several times in the past to get some kind of makeover off the ground, and it has just never worked. Part of the problem is my own insistence on what I think it should be. None of my choices ever enthused her all that much. Mint! Light pink! Gray! No, no, and NO.
So this time I started off by letting her pick out some bedding from BeddingStyle.com (all by herself, teeth grit) and luckily I ended up loving it too. It mirrors her little personality so much – spunky and glamorous.
From the Teen Vogue collection.
Here’s what we are working with. Yeah, perhaps there is maybe some slight room for improvement here.
The bedding makes a world of difference, even though we’ve definitely got a ways to go still. I want to recover her chair, and do something fun with the walls, and add a new headboard, although with the windows there I’m not sure. Curtains? With the shutters? Still thinking. But we’re off to a great start! I’ll keep you posted on how it all turns out!
So there’s one idear for you: The Regular Ol’ Makeover. Merry Christmas!
Here are a couple more suggestions.
The Surprise Makeover
This is a fun approach, because they’ll never see it coming. Just be sure of a few things:
1. Make sure your recipient is currently unhappy with their space. You don’t want to go repainting someone’s mauve bathroom that they truly love even if it is absolutely abhorrent in your eyes.
2. Have a plan well before you start. When I did the Better After Gives Back makeover for Jessi a few months ago, I had prepared as much as I could before I ever stepped foot in her house. I had the artwork, headboard, and furniture ready to go, and it still took almost three days to finish up everything else, from painting the walls to sewing curtains and pillows, and that was with an army of help.
3. Enlist some help! Not only will you need some extra hands to make a makeover happen quick, you will also need someone to make sure that your recipient is kept away too.
4. Be sure that you can sneak in and out without upsetting anyone, triggering an alarm, or worse, meeting up with an unfriendly dog. You’re going to need all your fingers.
5. Remember that your project could snowball into something bigger than you expect. For example, in Jessi’s room, the curtains I had were too short, so we decided to sew an extra panel on the top.
Then the corner looked empty, so we had to run out and hunt down a thriftstore chair to fit the space AND give that a makeover as well.
Then her old dresser looked shabby compared to everything else, so THAT got a new coat of paint in the meantime. None of these things were planned on initially!
Oh, but the feelz are WORTH IT!
Surprise! You get a makeover! Merry Christmas!
The ‘Trading Spaces’ Makeover
This is a super fun idea, especially if you are a bit tired of the typical “draw names” routine that many families do (mine included). This works best if you are lucky enough to live close to your loved ones, and you trust their taste. Basically, instead of a regular gift exchange, you swap room makeovers!
I have a friend who did this one year with her four sisters, each redoing another’s bedroom, and it turned out great. I love that idea. Just having someone come over and paint a room for me would be a gift in itself. Here are some tips:
1. Set a budget. No one wants to go overboard and get under-served. Decide on a max and stick to it.
2. Make sure to go over some do’s and don’ts beforehand. It’s helpful knowing that your recipient loves purple and hates burlap for example.
3. Feel free to incorporate thrifted and/or handmade items. The fun part is being creative within your budget boundaries!
4. Take the ‘Trading Spaces’ theme all the way! Record the big reveals and have a viewing party later!
Special thanks to BeddingStyle.com for partnering with me for this post. Hope we gave you some fun ideas!
This is not my niece, obviously. This is my nephew Kale, such a cutie.
The grand total came to under $20. Not bad at all. I would love to see yours If you decide to make some too! 
Burlap Stockings
