After a stressful time during lockdown in a small, two bedroom home, Caerphilly mum-of-two, Poppy Jones had a plan to do something so many people decided to do during the pandemic - look for a home with more space.
And once found and relocated in the family's new home, Poppy was keen to do something special in the children's new bedrooms.
Poppy says: "When we eventually and finally moved I wanted both children to have their own space. It's been so lovely finally being able to all sleep in our own rooms. But because of this I wanted them to be particularly spectacular and special."
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And it wasn't hard to decide on the special theme for four-year-old son Frank, based on his favourite Hollywood movie.
Poppy says: "He's obsessed with Ghostbusters the movie, so when I asked him what theme and colours he may want for his new room of course he said Ghostbusters!"
So the hunt began to find some inspiration and then some accessories from the movie that Poppy could incorporate into Frank's new bedroom, but it was a hunt that led to potentially spending a lot of money.
Poppy says: "We were on a budget due to the recent house purchase so I scoured the internet and gained inspiration from the usual places such as Pinterest and also Ghostbusters fan sites on Facebook.
"But I was really shocked by the cost in general of official Ghostbusters merch, so knew I had to get creative here."
Of course, it helps the project that Poppy's occupation is as a self-employed upcycling artist, but she says anyone on a budget can have a go at recreating the elements of Frank's room that make it so special.
Poppy says: "As an artist I knew that I had the skills and ability to create most of the things myself so that helped to place it all together, along with things I saw online and put my own spin on it.
"Frank really loves Slimer as his favourite character so I knew it was a must to incorporate him somehow.
"He was very specific about the hotdog request because one of his favourite scenes is when Slimer slimes the hotdog vendor!".
But Poppy was shocked when she researched the cost of an official 'pop out' wall art Slimer - anywhere between £500 -£1000.
Poppy says: "This just wasn't suitable for a four-year-old fan or our budget in my view, so I decided to make my own."
Firstly Poppy had to work out what materials to use to create an appropriate Slimer for Frank.
She tried and tested several materials for the sculpture and decided against clay as it would have been too heavy and she didn't want to risk it falling off and hurting Frank; somehow Slimer had to be lightweight.
Poppy says: "I tested expanding foam but this was too flaky, and that's when it came to me. I recalled a project I made in art college out of papier-mâché and remembered how easy paper was to manipulate.
"So the Slimer wall art cost nothing to be honest. I already had newspaper left over from the move and used my paints I use for my business.
"He's made entirely out of PVA glue and newspaper, finished with acrylic paint, and so is the hotdog, created using the same method.
"Slimer is just hung up using screws and rawl plugs and I pierced holes into the back of him. It's pretty sturdy, it was just the time and patience to do it as it probably took over 20 hours to create."
Poppy added a rope of green LED lights up the wall to make sure Slimer felt at home bathed in a green glow, and also to add colourful character to the space.
But Slimer isn't the only stand-out Ghostbusters feature in Frank's fabulous room, and all of it was sourced with the budget in mind.
Poppy says in total she has spent around £80, most items sourced online from Amazon, local DIY shops and using stuff she already had.
Poppy says: "The wallpaper had to be red brick to give that fire station feel, it was self-adhesive vinyl around £4 a roll. That required four rolls, two people and patience.
"The cupboard has been covered in metallic vinyl to blend in with the futuristic science vibe of the room, around £6 a roll - again Amazon.
"The yellow and black tape is actually safety hazard tape, again Amazon, I think it was £5 a roll. I used this to cover the bed and the handles of the IKEA drawers to make it 'pop'."
Poppy got creative again, drawing and then painting the iconic Ghostbusters logo copied from online onto the wall with acrylics paint.
She says: "It's coated with glow in the dark paint from B&Q, I think the brand was rust-oleum.
"The green slime is an emulsion also from B&Q, the Valspar range tester pot, but the Slimer and everything else was painted just using paints I already had in my studio for my business."
Accessorising the room created the all-important finishing touches to bring the scheme together so Poppy bought a lime green bean bag for the snug under the bed, plus the LEDs and the bedding, all from Amazon.
Poppy says: "The room project itself took a few weeks to transform but as a busy working mum of two, I just did it in sections, as and when I could.
"I started with the walls, and then upcycling the accessories and adding the little details, whilst adding a layer to the Slimer sculpture each night."
Poppy's hard work, having a go at creating her own artwork and accessories, and rummaging around online for bargains has definitely paid off - the person who it was all done for totally adores it.
Poppy says: "Frank is absolutely ecstatic about his room, he truly loves it and feels like the luckiest boy in the world.
"His little sister Erica has a rainbow themed room, but I fear as she gets older and starts discovering her favourite things I might have to do something equally fantastic for her - ha!"
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