There is nothing more annoying than trying to do something around your house and then finding out it wasn't possible in the first place, winding up with a job to fix what you screwed up!

First of all, when you say you have a "plaster ceiling" what do you mean by that? Lathe and plaster? Were you not able to find the ceiling joists to screw into? (The ceiling joists are big pieces of wood that typically sheet rock is attached to and also help with the stability of the ceiling.) I would just love to actually give you an option to still get the love you wanted in the first place.

Though if you have decided that you just want your ceiling back here's a few ideas on somethings that might help. First and foremost, the holes should be rather easy to fix. We actually have a few articles on the site to help you with this:

How to Fix a Small Hole
How to Fix a Large Hole

When it comes to the adhesive you will have a bit more of an issue. First you will have to sand it down or remove it somehow because there really isn't a textured paint out there that can take care of this. Also, if you can't remove it all, you will need to take a look at the adhesive to see if it is oil-based or water-based because that will determine the type of paint that will actually adhere over it. You might be able to find a primer that will allow you to paint over it with water-based paint even though the adhesive might be oil-based.

I feel like I wasn't that much help but I hope at least it gets things started in the right direction for you.

Heidi