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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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Children love redecorating their room and exploring their creativity through a feature wall or garish wallpaper. But one mother wanted to surprise her daughter by decorating her room while she was away at camp, using only thrifted items.
In a TikTok video Brittney Longhofer explained that her inspiration for the design was "French country," and she found some great pieces on Facebook Marketplace.
"I really enjoyed getting my fiancé's daughter's room ready for the furniture I found," Longhofer, 42, told Newsweek, "My husband and I have just finished building this home together in Oklahoma, and have not fully moved in yet, so I thought it was a good opportunity to surprise her with new furniture before she got home from summer camp."
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"It's not your room why not just give her what she wants," commented one user on TikTok to which Longhofer replied, "good thing I did."
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"I had talked to my step-daughter about what kind of bedding she wanted and she said all white, and white walls, but this girl loves pink and all things girly as well," she said. "Her dad gave me some good feedback about what she wanted as well."
Longhofer added upcycled furniture to the room including a vintage dresser, side table and bed frame, and managed to decorate the whole room for only $1000.
"The bedroom set is from Facebook Marketplace, the vanity mirror, lamp, picture frame, and accessories were in a 66% off sale at Hobby Lobby, and other accessories from different thrift stores. The bedspread set and fur rug is from HomeGoods," she revealed.
"Going to thrift stores is something I have done for years and I have collected things along the way whenever it reminds me of one of the kids," said Longhofer. "When we started building this home, I started looking for items for each of the kids. You never know what you will find and that is the beauty of it.
"I found the bed and night stand on Facebook Marketplace, scrolling through it one day. I wasn't looking for anything in particular that day but when that bedroom set popped up, it reminded me so much of my fiancé's daughter. It was a gorgeous set. So I hopped in the car and drove over an hour away to pick up this set."
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Many users on TikTok wanted to see her daughter's reaction to the redecorating.
"Her reaction was quite cute," revealed Longhofer. "When she got home from camp, my daughters and I were sitting in the kitchen. We asked her a few questions about her week and then I told her she had an Amazon package waiting for her in her room. All my daughters got up and started following her so she knew something was up.
"When she opened the door to her room, her jaw dropped and she was shocked. She gave me a huge hug and thanked me and that's when I began to cry!"
Longhofer managed to do the whole renovation in four days, and gave Newsweek these top tips for home decoration:
- When thrifting, be patient and check Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores weekly.
- When looking for furniture, make sure it is solid wood, that way when your style or color changes, you can easily update your furniture along with your style.
- Finding your style helps you visualize and find thrifted items easier. I would say my style is a bit traditional with a touch of boho so I look for items like gold frames, brass candle sticks, some wicker pieces, and for the kids items with a bit of whimsy.
- Look for modern shapes because anything can be painted to bring it up to date or match your home, like lamps or vases. Even vintage shapes in a modern color add personality to your house.
- Find items that spark a happy memory or emotion because no matter what it looks like, it will make you smile every time you see it in your home.
TikTokers were impressed with the do-it-yourself home decorations.
"I love that French look it's stunning," said one user.
"You did well mama! It looks absolutely amazing!!!," commented another.
"That vanity is STUNNING! And the fact that you put so much work and effort into her room trumps any new furniture you could buy!," wrote a different user.
Newsweek's "What Should I Do?" offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek.
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