Home Design by Sogleng: Wallpaper art.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Wallpaper art.

I know! Finally, a post that's NOT about the kitchen island! Many of you have commented on my "art" above our master bedroom fireplace:

I wanted large art, but didn't want to spend a lot of money for a huge piece. This was a VERY easy and cheap project. I didn't take pictures back when I did it, but it's so easy I can show you after the fact:

You'll need canvases in whatever size you want. Then, a staple gun, paint and a metallic glaze if you like the look of it. And of course, wallpaper:

This project would take half the time if you just used regular wall paper you love, but I wanted something with texture and I already had it. :) Can't beat that folks. I got my textured, paintable wallpaper at Lowe's for around $12.

You'll want to follow the directions for getting the wallpaper prepped. I was afraid of doing this but it was SOOO easy. I rolled up the paper and soaked in the bathtub for a few minutes. Then I folded it like they told me to...cause I do what I'm told. (Lying.)

I just laid the paper on a towel, face down. Put the canvas on it, and stapled the wallpaper around it like I was upholstering a seat or wrapping a gift:

I did this while it was wet, and made sure I pulled it very tight. When I was done, I trimmed it all down, then flipped it over and smoothed out any air bubbles.

You'll want to let it completely dry before painting it. Also, I kept an eye on them and smoothed out an air bubbles that came up. (There weren't many, I'm just a freak about it.) Then, when they were all dry, I painted them all out with black paint using a sponge roller. I did three coats I believe.

Now the fun part -- this takes longer than the rest of it and take some major patience. But it made these, in my opinion. I took a small paint brush and used my metallic glaze to highlight the raised, textured parts of the wallpaper: