My daughter used to be a girly girl. Pink was her color. Pink Converse. Pink clothes. Pink backpack. Pink bedroom.

I didn’t realize how quickly pink – along with the Disney Channel and ballet lessons – would become a fad of the past. Then Madison wanted everything to be blue. So what to do with all of that pink? The clothes and shoes were easy – she was outgrowing them anyway. But what about the bedroom?

Her first trip away from home without her parents was on her school field trip to Catalina Island in California. (Yeah, I remember getting to go to the zoo.) I knew I would need something to keep me busy while I was missing my baby for the three days she would be gone.

I had an idea. “Let’s redecorate Madison’s room! Surprise her,” I suggested to my husband with all of the enthusiasm of someone who doesn’t know what they’re getting themselves into. “We should paint it too,” Lucas said. We’d been planning to paint the nursery anyway so that seemed like a great idea. “Let’s make a blue accent wall!” I told him. (See how we egg each other on?)

While the unsuspecting Madison was on her way out of town we went to work. Now let me tell you, three days is not a lot of time when you have to empty rooms, shop for decor items and furniture, select the right colors and buy the paint, prep the rooms, paint, assemble the furniture, and put everything in its place. I felt like we were in an episode of Flip This House. Without tremendous help from the grandparents we’d never have gotten it done.

Lucas came up with a great idea while we were painting. He used painter’s tape to create a unique design that reminds me of a tree from a Tim Burton movie or something.

Twilight posters and pillowcase from Hot Topic. $10 poster frames from WalMart. Two end tables and bed frame from IKEA. Lamps from Target.

To say that she loved coming home to her newly redecorated bedroom is an understatement. Her reaction was awesome and made it worth all the hard work.

That was a few years ago and Madison still loves blue and her funky wall. Twilight? Not so much. The ponytail and glasses? Those are gone too.

We’re planning to move into a new house in the next month or so and she told me she’s sad she won’t have her blue wall anymore. Then she mentioned she wouldn’t mind having an old Hollywood themed bedroom. She asked if I’d loan her my framed, black-and-white Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe posters. Why not? I thought. I’ll get them back soon enough.