enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

what I learned on my first wallpaper attempt.

Last week, I wallpapered our powder room as planned! This was a small room (4' 10" by 8') with two doors and beadboard wainscotting that covered nearly half of the wall. I had my mom to assist (and she was necessary!) and it took us about 7 hours the first day and 5 hours the second day to complete the project. This room is not done (I am still going to paint the ceiling and doors, wrap the switch plates, install a sconce, find a mirror, change out the faucet, get the floors done and paint the baseboards but honestly the hard part is over.)

Per usual, let's start with a disclaimer: I don't plan for this post to be a tutorial! My wallpaper was called Alpine Garden by Schoolhouse x Hygge & West and I followed the H&W instructional videos to learn what to do. This page provides the basics for installing traditional wallpaper and then this page shares how-to videos for some of the more complex parts (wallpapering around corners and wallpaper around objects like outlets and molding). I watched all of the videos three or four times and did my best to follow the instructions.

I found the videos to be very clear and helpful but I did want to note a few things about my specific project and then emphasize a few tips I wish I had known right at the beginning.

First, my wall had an orange peel texture. You can see it in the photo above and you can also see how that texture "comes through" a bit on the wallpaper. This doesn't bother me visually at all but it's something to consider when you are looking at your own walls. It's obviously way too early for me to know if the texture will cause the wallpaper to peel or come loose over time (that's something I will update you on if it does happen!) but I can tell you that it definitely was sticking as I was applying it.

I did not prep the walls with a primer. That is suggested in the tutorial so maybe you will want to! I would have, but my local shops didn't have a primer available and I wanted to get going on this project. My walls were previously painted with traditional wall paint and I was not applying directly to drywall but I would need to do more research to know what exactly the primer is for and when it's needed. (Do your research if you are worried! Clearly I was not worried enough.)

The first panel I put up I did not use nearly enough paste and it didn't stick well. The tutorial says "apply a thin even coat" and I think everyone's definition of "thin" might be different and it may take you one attempt to get a handle on the appropriate amount. I also found it really important to be sure there was a lot paste on the left and right sides; if your paper is going to peel up, it's going to be along the edges and so you want to make sure you get a really firm hold there. (Can you see my seam in the photo above?) It's less necessary for you to get a lot of paste along the very top and bottom edges of your panel because those you will cut off once it's installed on the wall. (You can see below that third panel has not yet been trimmed.)

Speaking of cutting: be prepared to use A LOT of razor blades. It's noted in the tutorial that you will need a sharp blade but I found to get a clean cut I needed a fresh blade for every cut. I used 5x the number of blades I thought I would. When the blade is dull, you risk tearing the paper and you also may not get a through cut which means you have to go back and hit it again. Each cut is so tedious and doing another pass of the same cut line is extra tedious. I personally worked best with a pen sized razor (the smaller option here is what I used). I was working in a tight space and felt like I had more control with something small instead of a larger box cutter type blade.

I used scissors a lot too when cutting around objects because in my normal hobby life, I work with scissors more often than blades and I am very comfortable with them. The only scissors I had were the big orange handled Fiskars which worked, but the next time I do this, I will use detail scissors (something like this) for more control.

One tip from the tutorial that I skipped was the advice to paste your paper before cutting it for a corner (this is detailed around the 1:07 mark in this video). When I saw it I thought it seemed too messy and so I cut my paper to the correct size to go around the corner before pasting. This was a mistake. I realized around corner three that the paper expands when wet. So while my corners lined up okay (you can see some detail below), I could have gotten a better match (and had less vertical waste) if I had just followed the instructions and cut my paper after pasting. Next time I will do this step for sure.

Finally, I would highly recommend wearing a waist apron with pockets to hold the gazillion tools you'll need for this project. I would say 10% of my time went to finding and reaching for a pencil, straight edge, tape measure, blade, scissors, etc. (Not to mention the amount of excess paste I wiped on to my shorts and legs!) Before I wallpaper again I am going to sew up an apron! I can picture it in my head and it's going to be cute. I'll share a how-to for that in a post as soon as I have it made. (Project creep is real!).

To wrap up: installing traditional wallpaper is tedious and hard. I completely understand why it's a DIY people shy away from and why you so often hear it's worth it to hire a pro. After doing it myself, I believe the pros are artists and worth every penny. I also plan to do it again myself for sure. I do think it's doable with the right tools and a lot of patience. I also think it's important to have a helper at least for your first job. Be prepared to go really slow. Get excess of all the materials (paste, razors, paper) because you can most likely return what's not used but it would be very frustrating to run out early. Measure three times before you cut. When you start to get tired STOP and start fresh the next day. I found this to be one of the most satisfying decor projects I have ever done and such a confidence boost that I can DIY so much of this house. As you can see above, the rest of the powder room is far from finished but it's already so exciting.

DIY FELT LEAF GARLAND.

'Tis the season for Christmas projects! I am so excited to share a simple felted leaf garland tutorial with you today.

Supplies:

• wool felt in one or two (or more!) colors. I used this dark green and then a lighter green I found in store, not on the website. I made two 8 foot garlands from 2.5 yards of 36" wide felt. I had some leaves left over.
• sharp scissors
• hand quilting thread –– I would argue this type of thread is essential. It's very strong (no breaks while you're pulling!) and it's designed to go through quilted layers which makes it slick enough for running through felt. I used white because it's what I had already but this comes in a ton of colors if you want it to blend in more with your felt.
• a needle
• wooden beads (optional! as these can be hard to find in small quantities. I added six to the both ends of my garland but they wouldn't be necessary!)

First, cut your leaves! I found I could cut through 2 layers easily and 4 layers without too much trouble. You'll notice my leaves have one pointy end and one more squared off end. Shoot for that sort of shape and it will make the next step easier. But no need to make a template! Just freehand these –– I promise it will work out.

To string: fold the blunt end of your felt leaf and run the needle through the pinched fabric.

Pull the needle and the thread through and then go around and push the needle through the folded layers one more time in a similar but not exact spot.

Pull your leaf down the thread toward the end (give yourself about 12 inches of extra thread if you plan to add beads). This wrapped thread technique (going through your folded leaf twice) is key. You can see above how the extra wrap on the end gives the leaves texture and dimension. You should find that once you have wrapped the thread, it's still easy to move your leaves up and down the string if you move them one at a time. You can push them as loosely or as tightly together as you prefer.

And that's it! Just keep stringing. If you have more than one color of felt, vary it as you go. If you want to add beads, just add them to both ends when you are sure of the final size. If you end up needing more thread, just tie the new piece on and triple knot it. This thread is hardy and will handle it well. I ended up making two 8 foot garlands and both needed much longer string than 8 feet because of the wrapping.

I draped the garlands over our task lights and then attached them to the tile in two places with clear Command hooks.

They turned out so great! Perfectly festive without being too much which is exactly my decorating vibe.

If you're interested –– here is a felt wreath holiday project, here is another felt garland and here is the frame we display our Santa photos in! Nearly all the other Christmas decorations you see are from past years at Target, West Elm or Joann. If you're looking for other kitchen sources, you can find them all linked here.

easy art with a big statement.

I don't think I have actually shared this on the blog but we moved! Yes! Bought a new house in our same neighborhood in December 2018, tore it all apart in mid-February 2019 and moved in to a demo zone the last week of February 2019. Our interior and exterior phase one remodel was completed in eary August. At some point I will start sharing more of it. We love it. You can see more photos of it here.

BUT TODAY! I am here because I finally figured out a plan for the big wall behind our dining table. I had so many ideas - but I knew none were quite right because I couldn't commit and just DO IT already. But then! I saw this photo and was in love with the look of a tiny photo with a giant white mat and light wood frame. Thirty minutes after seeing that photo, I was loading ten HOVSTA frames into my cart at Ikea. (We are lucky to live near one!). I always know a plan is the exact right plan when I waste no time getting started.

I went through my photos (I have google photos with makes it easy to search by faces and places) and found ten photos. I used my favorite black and white filter in the A Color Story app to make them all look the same and then printed at home on my Canon MG7520. I am pretty sure it's discontinued, mine is 5 years old and still kicking. My photos were 4x4.

The 16x20 Ikea frames came with mats but they were big and definitely not right for my project. I could have ordered mats, I assume but I already had a big pad of watercolor paper so I decided to use that. My paper was 18x24 and I trimmed it to 16x20 using my sewing tools (I have this giant cutting mat, but this set could work too). SUPER EASY.

To make sure the photos were exactly in the same spot, I lined them up on my cutting mat with the ruler and a piece of paper. I chose to go 12 inches from the bottom and six inches from the sides.

I glued them in place with a simple glue stick.

And that's it! SIMPLE, PRETTY, BIG STATEMENT that fits my style and this house so well for under $150.

LINKS: frames, dining table (similar), chairs, lamp. (That plant is a bird of paradise from Home Depot.)

quilted hexagon potholders.

I'm currently on a mission to fix up all the little things in our house that drive me crazy. Some are so simple: Get Piper in more framed photos! (check!) Add legs to the media stand! (check!) And some are bigger projects: Fix the kitchen counters that are splitting at the seams! Add more countertop space to the bathroom! (we're hiring help for those ones!)

But this little project is probably my favorite so far. It accomplished two things: helped me work through my fabric stash AND finally get rid of the rubber potholders Paul and I have had since we moved in together.

I am writing this tutorial based on what my mom taught me yesterday and my Aunt Ellen taught her a few months ago. I am sure another version of this tutorial exists out there but here's how we do it.

To make ONE 9.5 inch potholder you will need:

• eight cotton fabrics about 11 inches square (7 will be seen, 1 will not)
• straight pins
• a sewing machine
• thread
• an iron
• scissors or a fabric cutting tool set (I use one like this one)
• a hexagon template (make your own or download and print this one)

Create your hexagon template out of paper and cut out eight hexagons, one from each piece of fabric.

Use your iron to press your six top patterns in half. Leave the under side fabric and "hidden" fabric open. (like shown above.)

Beginning layering. Start with the fabric you don't want to show on the potholder.

On top of that, layer the fabric you want to be the bottom of the potholder with right patterned side up.

Now we'll layer the folds. Above is the first one.

...then the second

...third

...fourth

...and the fifth actually gets layered over the fourth but tucked under the first (as shown).

Finally the six gets layered under the first AND second.

You should be left with what looks like a six piece pie. We use all the fabrics folded like this instead of just cutting triangles because it adds some heft to the potholder (and it's so easy!).

Next, stick some straight pins as shown above to hold the pieces together.

Then use your sewing machine to stitch around all six sides.

Finally, remove the pins and pull the potholder right-side out by reaching through the center.

It takes a bit of effort to get each corner pushed into place but it turns out so cute! You can either stop here (this will stay just fine)...

...or you can add some extra detail stitching like I did to the right one above.

SO COOL, right? Let me know if you make your own.

Other posts you might enjoy:

• pairing fabrics for quilts
• get quilty e-course
• super simple rainbow quilt.
• how to make a triangle quilt!
• SEWING PROJECTS ARCHIVE

acrylic paint scripted canvas how-to.

Years ago, I made this giant scripted canvas. It is still one of my very favorite DIY projects and it's still hanging in our house. The lyrics are from a Rise Against song that was our first dance at our wedding. The inspiration for this project is from this pin. 

In that original post I shared a how-to of sorts but I clearly didn't do a great job because I still get emails with questions about this project often. Today I wanted to share a few more tips and figured I'd try to be a bit more specific this time.

I primed the canvas first. In the original, this meant I used a "wash" of white acrylic paint and water. The mix was about 50/50. I wanted the paint to just lightly cover the canvas so it looked a bit more broken in. It was drippy and a bit messy, but it worked well. For this second one I am sharing today, I painted over an old painting. Large canvases can be expensive so you might find it works better to paint over something you find second-hand or to paint over your own old work. When painting over I needed much more coverage and so I used white wall paint that I had in the garage. The type doesn't really matter - you just want a decent white base so the canvas doesn't scream, "hi! I'm brand new!"

I used acrylic paint and a round brush. You don't have to do this, but that's what worked for me. The black acrylic paint is from a big box craft store and the round brush came in an inexpensive pack. I used a round brush because (for me) this gives me the most universal letter shape. I'm not trying to get swoopy or fancy with my letters. That's a killer style and looks great, but I'm not good enough at it to make it work perfectly, so I just want my handwriting to look even. The size will vary depending on your canvas size. I would recommend getting a few brush options and then playing around on scratch paper to see what size you like your letters. For today's sample canvas I used a size 6 round brush. (When in doubt, go smaller than you think.)

I mix in a bit of water with my black paint. Just a bit. You don't need a lot. I think my ratio is about 80/20 but probably would have been better 90/10. I mix it with the paintbrush until I have a "runny-ish" consistency. I want the paint to go on smooth, but I don't want it to be like watercolor. This is sort of hard to describe so I just recommend starting with a tiny bit of water and then adding if you need it.

Practice on scratch paper. Try a few words to get comfortable with the brush and the paint mixture. Do you need a smaller brush? Less water? Fix your issues on the scratch paper, not the canvas.

Write out the whole saying on paper first. I didn't do this with either of my projects and botched it both times. The lyrics I had to adjust a bit and the quote today is completely wrong. The original is from J.B. Priestley and just beautiful: "I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning."  Mine gets the gist (and I do like it), but is not right AND I ran out of room. This quote needed a larger canvas or a smaller brush to fit the space. If you can be flexible with what you are writing that will really help!

Write complete words without worrying about paint distribution. I think this is the most important tip. Your handwriting is going to look the most natural if you write out the words fully and then go back and "fill in" where the paint got lighter. I use the same size brush for the fill in, but you could use something smaller and it might get an even cleaner edge.

Embrace your handwriting. The best thing about your handwriting is it's yours. If you want to do this project, DO IT. And embrace it. Don't try on a new lettering style. Don't lament that you don't have great cursive, just write how you write and love it for that. It's special because it's yours.

I let the words break off the side of the canvas. I found that not only is this easy, it's the best way to get the canvas to look full and that is my favorite part of the inspiration image. I love how the text runs directly off the side and, of course, it takes some of the guess work out of letter spacing. You just write until there is no space and then start on the next line. Easy day.

I did not "finish" the canvas in any way. A few folks have asked if I painted over it to seal or added a gloss and I did not. It's only been a few years, but it still looks good. No issues yet.

And those are my tips! This is a fun statement piece and a relatively simple project once you get over the fear of your handwriting and decide what to say. Worth a try FOR SURE!

super simple rainbow quilt.

Safe to say this is the EASIEST quilt I've ever completed. Highly recommend if you are new to quilting and looking for something high-impact and fun to start with. The hardest part was actually picking out the colored fabrics, but because I love a rainbow, that was the most fun part too.

I bought 1/3 yard of 36 different colors. This was not the most economical way to go about it, but I was very picky about my colors and so I couldn't just buy a bundle of rainbow fat quarters. I do, however, have enough fabric to make four rainbow quilts, so if you were going to make a bunch to give as gifts or something, this would be ideal. (I'm going to give away three of the stacks of fabric so three of you can make a similar quilt - details at the end of this post.)

I cut the fabric into squares that were 10x10 inches using a cutting mat, ruler and rotary trimmer. After a million triangle quilts, cutting squares (especially this large) was so easy and enjoyable.

I laid it all out to be sure I had the order right. I wanted to go red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple horizontally and then have it fade from darkest to lightest vertically. I sewed each rainbow together so I had six strips of six squares each and then ironed my creases open and pinned it together. Because there were so few corners to line up, this one actually came together pretty neatly.

I screwed up a bit and cut my backing fabric too small. I went with a white extra wide cotton backing but didn't quite give myself enough wiggle room and over the course of sewing all those lines, it shifted a bit which meant I had to lose some of the front to even it out (you'll notice that the darkest red square in particular is smaller than the others). This sort of thing always bothers me at the time, but I know from experience that months (or even days) from now when we're actually using the quilt, it's not the sort of thing I'll notice or worry about.

To give it a bit of dimension, I quilted tons of horizontal lines across the surface. The thread on the top is white and then I alternated the color in the bobbin so the thread on the backing was multi-colored in a rainbow. It's VERY subtle. Too subtle to be worth it, I'd say. In photos it looks particularly lame. In person you can kind of see, but you really have to look for the color change. If I did it again I would probably just use all one color or even just white.

The finished quilt is about 55x55 inches though it will shrink a bit when I wash it. I bound it in gray stripe but black and white stripe would have looked awesome too.

Overall - it's one of my top ten favorite projects. I'm taking Ellerie to the park tonight for a picnic to break it in.

And now! The giveaway! As mentioned, I have enough fabric for four quilt tops and I only made one. So I have THREE stacks of rainbow squares that are already cut to 10x10 inches. You'd need your own batting, binding and backing fabric but you'd be at least partway there if you won. Please leave a comment if you're interested. I'll draw three winners by the weekend and will ship anywhere.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED, drawing winners now and will announce Saturday AM.