LOS ANGELES -- Ask Reita Green the Wallpaper Queen what makes a successful wallpaper hanger and she'll tell you it's practice, patience and believing in yourself.
"You can't be upset if it's not working right away," said the 86-year-old, who has been hanging wallpaper in and around Los Angeles for more than half a century. "You just pull the paper back and put more paste on it. It's not an art that is wham, bam, thank you, ma'am."
Since 1960 the former dancer and actress has run her own wallpapering business — lugging buckets, ladders and a folding table from her car to her clients' homes by herself, well into her 80s. But a few years ago, even the Wallpaper Queen had to acknowledge that eventually she might need some help.
