When I was a kid, my mom used to read me the Yiddish folk tale, It Could Always Be Worse.
This is one of the books I managed to keep from my childhood, and I honestly believe it had a large role in fostering my ability to see the good in even the worst of situations.
This book is one of my favorites, largely because the catch phrase proves to be true over and over again.
Wallpaper is no exception.
As I started scoring the ugly, vertigo-inducing wallpaper this morning, a little piece tore off to reveal this:
I was immediately brought back in time to my Grandma Lil’s kitchen in the early 80s. Once I got over the nostalgic moment, curiosity set in. Surely, that was just a remnant from a previous wallpaper.
It was. A remnant from a previous wallpaper that was still 100% in tact.
Oh MY.
Yep, it could always be worse.
So the good news is that both layers of wallpaper come off easily. The bad news is that the three layers of adhesive used to hang it do not.
After six hours of back-breaking work by me and Hubby, we can see about 3/4 of one wall. BUT knowing that it could always be worse, I’m thankful that the largest wall I have to stare at in my office will be checker- and flower-free by the time I go to work on Monday.
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oh my! what is your job?
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First of all — thanks for sharing the book! I haven’t read it and am a bit of a children’s book junkie…so it’s going in my Amazon cart pronto. Secondly — I’m thinking…have you looked into wallpaper options? They have some awesome new papers now that don’t have that “wallpaper” look. They might look like suede, or fabric, or something else. Could be very cool. Also — if you strip a wall and intend to paint it, you need to think about texturizing the wall to make it ready to paint. (more work) Just a thought… Good luck!
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I moved a LOT as a kid, and many of those moves involved stripping wallpaper (often as bad or worse looking than yours!) and repainting. I’m pulling a Scarlett O’Hara and saying “As God as my witness, I will NEVAH strip wallpaper AGAIN!”But if you get tired of stripping and want to stop halfway, just pic a design and strip <>around<> it. Like here: http://www.rompbklyn.com/productDetail.php?productId=76&categoryId=81&productItemId=97&optionId=344
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Oh the joys.My wife reflects to a day of wall paper removal that almost ended our marriage. It wasn’t pretty. I can’t image the eyes that looks for year upon that flowery wallpaper…….aahhhhgggg
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