I like to decorate, it's not a secret. So of course I am always trying to figure out how to make my space both livable and beautiful. We just moved into an old apartment in a two family home. The house is beautiful and quirky. It's got glass and marble doorknobs and the floors slant all sorts of sideways (it's a little fun-housy, I'm not gonna lie). There aren't any light switches anywhere, just lamps with pull strings or knobs to twist, and of course they are all way inside the rooms where finding them in the dark is nearly impossible.
They also pose a design challenge. There is one particular area, in our living room, where the two conjoined walls each have a light fixture and coordinating awkward space between them. I pondered to myself what could go up on those walls that wouldn't look strange.
Then it hit me. You know those decals that are becoming popular? (I've mostly seen them in kid's rooms and the pediatricians office, in the shapes of popular animated characters - you know the type) Well I started my usual googling to find that they are really expensive! I mean, for sheets of sticky paper that are massed produced and meant to eventually be thrown away!
Anyhow - I thought "How hard can it be to make something like that myself?" And the answer was: not hard at all! All you need is a couple of supplies and a couple of hours (and perhaps a touch of patience couldn't hurt!)
I decided to go with a tree growing in the corner motif. In the photo above you can see a hint of the wall fixture I'm talking about that was in. my. way!
I went to (large discount super store name of your choice) and purchased a roll of white shelf lining paper, or contact paper as some of you may refer to it as. I was looking for black, but that is hard to find in the stores and buying it online wouldn't serve my Instant-Gratification-Syndrome. Plus white is cheaper ($5.50!) and comes in way longer rolls. Buying the plain white came with the added bonus of being able to paint the sheets any color I want. This is a great example of the accidental occurrences that happen along the way in a project that make it turn out even better than imagined and more unique to boot!
So, white contact paper - check. Acrylic paints left over from college that are all clumpy and weird, but still work - check. Time - well, I squeezed some out somehow, mostly after my son was already in bed.
Steps
Get an idea. Mine was the tree pattern.
Paint a 3 feet area of paper with your colors of choice. I did black mixed with brown and then splotched it with a paper towel to see some of the white underneath. Then I folded the paper in half to get a cool texture effect. Mess around with it. Be wild.
Let the paint dry (this is the hardest part for me - I don't like waiting.....hence why I may have discovered the cool paper towel blotching effect when I was just trying to speed up this process...hehe).
Cut up the paper into the shapes so desired. This contact paper is great because you can overlap to create the correct shape and you can't even see it unless you are within a couple inches of the design. Also the way I painted my paper helped camouflage any imperfections.
Peel and stick. (You may want to test an area first just to make sure these will remove, but from all the experience I've had with shelf-lining paper...well...let's just say low level of stickiness has always been one of my biggest peeves about it!)
Bare tree branches, leaves and details of the final product
That's it!
The room isn't quite ready yet, but I am so excited about my little decorated corner and wanted to share it with you. I'm thinking about adding a colorful accent somewhere on it, perhaps a red or blue bird, just for a tiny little twist. Best part about this is that I've got about 90% of the roll left (more projects in my future, I'm sure), my room looks custom decorated and when I move out of this place I won't have to worry about repainting any walls.
It's a win all around!
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