Project 1: Complete!

Yippeeee I'm done! The tree decal is finally finished and I'm really happy with it. So is Lila, which is a bonus! I cut out some birds (you can just see one in the top right corner) from a CottonOnKids bag and stuck them on and we ask Lila to point them out, which she does so with glee. It's funny though, she only has a few words in her vocabulary at the moment: 'Mama', 'Dada', 'Yay', 'Teddy' (which comes out 'te-dahh') and now birdy. Except she says 'dirday'. Which is both ridiculously cute and hilarious all at the same time.

Do you think it has enough plumage though? I kept staring at it thinking I should be adding more leaves.... of which there were far more than I had expected! I did, in the end, rummage through my box of wrapping paper off cuts, cut up an old gift bag someone gave me, and borrow a roll from my Mum. The thinner paper worked, but it's not as hardy as the wallpaper or scrapbooking card - but still did the job and added a bit more colour too, which I like.

So, the big question - how much did this cost me (not counting the supplies I already had or begged, stole or borrowed to get)? Here's a rundown:

Vintage Wallpaper $40.00

Scrapbooking paper $ 8.00

Wallpaper Paste $13.00

Extra Glue ($2 Shop) $ 2.00

TOTAL: $63.00

So BUMS, I failed to reach my target of $50 :( But I blame it on the fact I couldn't steal any wallpaper paste from anyone in my immediate family. The cheek! I managed to get size, for some reason, but not the paste. Still, knowing how much these decals kits cost to buy in the real world - I'm happy with being a tenner or so over.

Will you chastise me for this? I HOPE NOT!

Next project will definitely be less than $50. YES IT WILL BE!!!

Project 1: Almost done!

I've spied so many cool things to post about this week, but i've been staying away for fear that if you see me posting anything other than photos of my current project, you'll just think I'm a fraud, get bored and move on. And fair enough! Not that that's an open invitation to 'de-follow' me... so don't.

Anyway, you'll be pleased to hear that after a bloody busy week and a whole lot of cutting, I've finally had a chance to get pasting! At the moment it is 70% finished - just need to finish sticking on all the leaves so it looks a bit more lush - but here is the progress so far:

Now, as you know, I ran out of vintage wallpaper to make the leaves, so I have to make do with scrapbooking paper from Spotlight. I think it looks really good though! I just hope the regular paper sticks as well with the wallpaper paste as the actual wallpaper does. Time will tell!

I figure if it does start to peel, I will just stick down any loose edges with wallpaper glue. Easy.

I have quite a few leaves yet to stick on, but Baby is asleep so that will have to wait.

Just a thought: if you wanted to get more bang for your buck than the scrapbooking paper (not that it's particularly expensive), you could use wrapping paper. They have some really gorgeous designs available in those A2 sheets in places like Whitcoulls, that aren't folded. They'd be great too - just watch how much glue you slap on those babies.

So there we are - hopefully I can post a pic of the finished product tomorrow, along with the 'how to' guide and a cost sheet.

I'm not lying!

Before you ask - YES! I have started.. I just can't right now finish because I have run out of paper to make the leaves with; and besides, I can't get into my daughters' room when I have a spare moment to glue anything to the wall during the day because when that happens, she's asleep! So you see my conundrum. I will remedy this soon though.. and it will be magnificent, in ways you cannot imagine!! OH. EM. GEE. YES.

Project 1: VINTAGE WALLPAPER TREE DECAL

Thought I would post a few examples of what I'm going to create. The bottom one is from Inke a fantastic company based in the Netherlands that makes wallpaper silhouettes out of vintage wallpaper. I first saw one of these trees in an Australian magazine Real Living when I was living over there. I am obsessed with that magazine; it's like DIY porn to me. So many cool ideas that you can totally steal, that won't break the bank. And hey, I'm all about that at the moment! I must admit, I'm a bit of a 'oh how hard can it be? I can totally do that!' optimist when it comes to making things. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail miserably; but somehow that doesn't stop me believing that I really do have crafty super-skillz.

I suppose that's why the Tree appealed. I can draw, and I can use a pair of scissors so instantly I think this is going to be easy, ha! But also I just love the idea of it because; A. it will look like I have made it myself, and I love that. It won't be perfect, but it will be perfectly charming; and B. I love the idea of taking something that might seem unusable in this era....

and 'upclycling' to create something really freakin cool!

WATCH THIS SPACE!

Project 1: It's coming!

So I have decided to make a giant tree wall decal for my daughter's room out of vintage wallpaper that I brought on Etsy. I think it cost me $35 all up for the paper. It's gorgeous stuff. I have a 70s geometric pattern to use as the trunk, and some lovely florals to use as decorative leaves. I have had this on the back-burner for a few months now. So when I saw this hilarious diagram I had to share it - because it's pretty much 'me' in a nutshell. Although, with this blog it's a habit i'm hoping to break!

I will start the project tomorrow (ha! ironic) and charge my camera batteries so I can keep a record and show off my masterful skills when it's complete. I will keep a track of extra materials and how much they cost and even include a 'how to' guide. Exciting, i know!