I love wallpaper. Always have. I still remember the flowered kind that covered the walls in the bedroom I shared with my little sister in the 1950s. The image on the right is similar to it.
Back then, everyone used wallpaper and it must not have been something only for the privileged because our parents didn’t have squat. That paper had to be awfully cheap and my mama and daddy pasted it on themselves.
To me wallpaper is like clothes for the walls.
Here are some that you’ve probably seen.
It can set a mood. Fun? Whimsical? Sassy? Daring? Elegant?
Bordello? Funeral parlor? The first sample is from Downton Abbey.
In Twice a Texas Bride, Rand Sinclair buys a rundown ranch. Everything needs tons of work and the house is no exception.
After he finds Callie Quinn hiding in one of his outbuildings in the dead of winter and hires her to cook for him, he talks her into sitting in the parlor with him. One night after a long cold day while relaxing by the fire, he asks her opinion about how to fix up the house.
Callie tells him she had once gone into a fancy hotel in Kansas City and fell in love with the wallpaper in the lobby. It was gold and a very elegant design. Rand decides then and there that he’s going to put that in the parlor. If he gets the house fixed up real nice, maybe she’ll stay. Except for his brothers, everyone else always leaves.
I think this sample is closest to what she describes.
Now, what about you. Are you a wallpaper or paint person? Do you have any favorites of the above?
By the way, I’ve seen the cover for FOREVER HIS TEXAS BRIDE – the third book and final book in the Bachelors of Battle Creek – and you’re gonna love it. Keep watching for it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the portrayal of Brett Liberty.
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
I have never lived with wallpaper. Not sure I would like the busy look of it. After writing that I looked at my walls and realized that they are very busy with all I have hung on them. Guess maybe I will have to check out wallpaper for my next update.
Good Morning, Connie…….Thank you for stopping by. I always enjoy seeing you. Wallpaper isn’t for all of us I guess. And if you hang a lot of pictures and things on your walls, paint would really work best. But back in the 1800s wallpaper was the only choice for people. Not sure why. Now you’ve got me thinking.
Enjoy your day and do something fun!
I do like wallpaper and have it in my two bathrooms and kitchen. But I do find just painted walls easier to maintain.
Good Morning, Janine…….Thank you for coming to read my blog. I think you represent the biggest majority of people these days. Some rooms wallpapered and some painted. When my husband and I built a new house 15 years ago, we only wallpapered our two bathrooms. The rest we painted. It was so much fun picking out the patterns among tons of choices. Then when I moved to a different house after he passed, the kitchen was the one I wallpapered. The design was so pretty.
I wish you a day full of contentment!
I used to wallpaper but it was always a struggle.
I’ve always lived in old houses and I know back in the day wallpaper was cheap and it covered up cracked plaster and even holes in the wall. I had a neighbor who’s plaster walls had a couple of big holes in them. She wadded up newspaper and soaked them in plaster and stuffed them in the wall. It was great insulation because this was an outside wall.
Then she covered the whole thing somehow with wall paper. It looked pretty darned good. And I know at the time, they had nothing, no money and four little kids and this old farmhouse they rented.
Nowadays wallpaper is a fashion choice and pricey!
After my forays into wallpaper at some point I swore an oath to NEVER WALLPAPER AGAIN! And since I occasionally use wallpaper borders, but no more fully papered walls. It was all just too stinking HARD!
Good Morning, Mary…….Thanks for coming by to chat. Your mention of newspaper took me back to some of my mom’s stories about the awful places they had to live in during the Depression. My parents also used newspaper for insulation. They would stick it on the walls–if they had walls, which often they didn’t. Times were so hard back then. And that’s why they were so proud to finally have a real house and my mom could put pretty wallpaper up. I totally agree that it’s very difficult to maintain. It peeled over time. And, too, once it was up, you were stuck with it for a long time. Very costly and too much work to change often.
I hope your day goes well. Enjoy every minute.
I remember my grandparents farmhouse in Illinois had wallpaper in by dads room and also up the staircase and in the parlor. In my dads bedroom the wallpaper had large airplanes flying helter skelter and he said it had been there since he was a boy. Must have been late 1930s to early 1940s because the planes looked closer to planes I’ve seen of WWII then WWI. My dad grew up with a passion for flying and actually was a Navy “fly-boy” so the wall paper ended up being very appropriate!
Good Morning, Kathryn…….Thanks for coming. You can certainly relate to my blog. It’s good that your dad loved airplanes! I can’t imagine a room with large airplanes on the walls. I’m glad it suited him. Maybe that wallpaper is what inspired him to learn to fly and join the Navy. His wallpaper was really wall art.
Thanks for sharing the story. I enjoyed it.
Wall paper done right can really be pretty. I especially like subtle patterns that offer a bit of texture. Not a big fan of the giant flowers. But I do love the gold paper you picked out for your heroine.
My in-laws recently went through a war-like battle to get their kitchen paper taken down and having the walls painted instead. It was a nightmare of painters who made mistake after mistake. Makes me determined to keep gluing and patching the few places in my house where there is paper on the walls. Not sure I want to live through that war.
Good Morning, Karen……I certainly agree with you. No large print of any kind. Subtle tones, colors and textures is what I prefer also. I think it’s really pretty. The paint war your in-laws had must’ve been horrendous. Painters are strange bunch. At least that’s been my experience. My mom used to think that inhaling paint fumes all day turned them into alcoholics. LOL I think she got that from my uncles who all drank heavily.
Thanks for sharing your story. Have a great day.
Hi Linda, I decided to wallpaper a room in the early years of my marriage. What a nightmare. I didn’t get the design straight and you needed “sailor legs” to walk into the room. After that fiasco I swore off wallpaper forever.
Twice a Texas Bride sounds absolutely charming!
Good Morning, Margaret……Thanks for coming! I can certainly see why you don’t like wallpaper. I watched my parents and sisters put it on themselves but I think it’s something to leave for professionals. It needs to be done right. If so, it can turn out really pretty.
Thanks for the compliment on Twice a Texas Bride. Have a blessed day!
yes i love wallpaper espically the vintage kind,,we have stripped walls and found some beautiful wallpaper in great shape there and left it ,,,I only paint when a last resort,,i do like borders too,,my kitchen is done in antique colors and ive been collecting those old trivets that have sayings or verses on them and have used that for the border in my kitchen,they are different and make a nice statement of days of old
Hi Vickie……Great to see you. Thanks for coming. I’m glad you like my blog and that you, too, are a wallpaper person. YAY! It just really is like putting pretty clothes on your walls. And the borders would be lace or ribbon. I would love to see your house! I’ll bet it’s gorgeous. Thank you for taking a little extra care in bringing pieces of the past into your life.
Have a wonderful day!
Paint person. Wallpaper though it is nice just doesn’t appeal to me.
Hi Kim…….Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. That’s why we have choices. People don’t all like the same things and that’s okay. We don’t have to. Paint is much easier and you can change fast if you get tired of the color. Definitely an advantage.
I’m hoping your day is going smoothly!
Oh, yes every wall in the 1870 house I grew up in was wallpapered. I think it kept the plaster from falling off the walls.
After I married, I wallpapered the first three houses, but not the current one. I used an electric paint roller to paint the walls instead.
Hi Linda……Thanks for stopping by! Love seeing you. I can only imagine the memories you have of that old house. What special ones for sure. And now, you’ve turned into a paint person. At least for now. That’s okay too. Change is good. Who know? You may get the urge to return to your roots and go back to the paper.
Have a good day!
What an awesome post, Linda, terrific plot point, and wonderful pictures! Oh, I grew up in a wallpaper-less home. My parents remembered the era when it was pasted on and hard to get off. And they forbade it Plus my dad worked for a plywood company, so every wall was covered in cherry or walnut panels. Pretty but dark. Therefore…when we bought our first house 40 years ago, I went so wallpaper crazy Hubs got frustrated. Because I changed my mind every few years. At least by then, papers were strippable and vinyl, and came off a little easier than thin paper with paste one had had to brush on.
When we moved to this house, I compromised…”chair rail” high papering, or simple borders. Then I went into stenciling and so on and so on and now, it’s just paint. Whew.
I adore Rand’s plan to get her to stay. Sighing…best of luck with another winning book. Love you, filly sister.
Hi Tanya……I’m so glad you liked my blog. And you can certainly relate to my love for it. My husband got a little frustrated with me also. But, also, like you, we compromised. That’s what marriages are all about.
Thanks for your comment about the book. Rand had been left so many times he just couldn’t bear the thought of Callie leaving, even though he knew she was on the run from a vicious outlaw. His fear is that he’ll wake up one morning and find her gone. Even when they get married for the sake of an orphaned baby, he fears she won’t stay.
Have a great evening! Sorry you won’t be in NY.
The only wallpaper I ever remember being around was when I was a kid… my bedroom had Raggedy Ann & Andy wallpaper… it later became my youngest sister’s room… when she was in her teens she decided to paint over it in purple… every other room was painted or had wood paneling.
Hi Colleen……..Thanks for coming by! I’m really glad to see you. How funny about the Raggedy Ann and Andy wallpaper! I bet that was hard to paint over. It’s much quicker and easier to paint walls but I still prefer my wallpaper.
Have a great evening!
Wallpaper has been in most of the houses we have been in.I love a very subtle paper with a coordinating border.
Hi Melanie……Thanks for coming by. Wow, you and I could be sisters! We have the same tastes. I love the soft subtle colors and designs. Nothing big or flowery for me.
Have a great evening, my dear!
This made me think of an old story I heard.
A minister insisted all the couples he performed wedding ceremonies for go through counselling first, with him.
The counselling was, “Wall paper a room together.” They had to decide on price, the wallpaper, then put it up. If they still wanted to get married he’d do their ceremony. 😀
Mary, how funny! I bet he saw a decline in the amount of people who actually got married! That would probably do in most couples. Hard to pass that test.
Hi Linda! I’ve always liked paint better than paper, it’s easier to change. I do like the samples you have in this post. I’m enjoying the new series, and can’t wait to see the next cover!
Hi Kirsten……Thanks for coming by! Great to see you. I’m glad you liked my post and the pretty samples. Just not enough to change your mind about paint. Darn it!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the new series. Each one is different and I’m happy to say I’ve saved the best for last. Brett’s will be full of suspense, danger and a love for all time. The cover is absolutely perfect for the story, down to the heroine being barefoot.
Enjoy your evening, dear friend!
Linda, I used to love wallpaper! There was a time during the 80’s – 90’s that it was just “the thing” to do, and I did it all over my house. Then…I had to take it down.LOL The only place I still have it is right in my front entryway. The paper itself is so bland it looks like paint–no pattern to it, but the border around the top is a beautiful mixture of earthen colors, and I still love it, even though it’s out of date…I can’t bring myself to rip it all off and repaint. LOL
Your covers are just gorgeous. I can’t wait to read these stories. My Kindle is ready and waiting!
Hugs, dear friend, and here’s to many more successes!
Cheryl
I used to really like wallpaper. Then I had to strip several walls of wallpaper that had not been applied properly and half the drywall came off with the wallpaper. 🙁 I’ve got a single wall in my bedroom that has paper on it and I’ve been putting off stripping it for several years. I’m trying to talk my husband into just putting up more drywall over it since the chances are high we will have to redo the drywall anyway….. So far no dice. 🙂
I helped my mom put up wall paper on one wall in our kitchen once. It wasn’t easy and wasn’t pretty. I’m a paint person myself. If I were to have wall paper hung (by a professional) I think I would like the first or second selection on the middle row above.
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com
Linda – what a fun post! We moved into an old farm house early in our marriage (who hasn’t?) and I’ll never forget the yellow-flowered wall paper in the bedroom that covered the plaster walls. Forget hanging a picture on those walls. The house was built in the late 1800s and stood solid, but that one room wore wallpaper. Not a century old, I’m sure, but close. Today I avoid wallpaper, myself. Paint is so much easier. Especially when someone else is doing it.
Have been traveling and missed P & P posts. We had wall paper in the second house I grew up in. The one in the girl’s bedroom was much like the one in yours. The one in the living room/dining room was a brown. I loved the one in the kitchen. A white brick pattern with ivy “growing” on it. I am not a wall paper person. I prefer paint. We lived in military housing for most of 20+ years, so I got used to white paint. When we had our own house in Colorado I did stenciling on pastel walls in all the bedrooms and really liked the effect.
We now have a 1898 victorian farm house. When we were gutting it to renovate, i enjoyed finding the different layers of wallpaper throughout the house. Several were similar to the ones in the first row of 3. The parlor had one with a rose background similar to the first in the next row. I bought a paint (Irish Rose) to match and painted the room. It is the first time I have used such bold color and love it. Initially we painted the entire house in Antique White. It is now time to repaint, and I am using colors.
Things are crazy after being gone for 5 weeks which started with RT in Dallas and then a vacation in the Southwest that turned into a 2500 mile rush to northern NY when we got word my dad was on life support. We got home last Friday after 2 weeks of hurried travel, a funeral, and helping get things squared away. I am tired and have a million things to do to get caught up. All this is leading up to saying I started rereading TEXAS MAIL ORDER BRIDE. I needed a comfort read and it is working perfectly. I look forward to reading Rand and Brett’s stories.