Wall decorating ideas

In my house, the living room is of an odd shape with one wall being fully exposed and not covered by furniture due its location. For the longest time I was unsure how to make the wall of this size tie with the rest of the room and to bring an interest to otherwise a boring wall.

I knew from the day we moved in to the house that this wall will be not covered with many pieces of furniture and thus will need to be creatively decorated, and I've decided to put up wallpaper to make it pop. However due to a floorplan of the space, covering the entire wall was not an option and so I've decided to merge wainscoting and wallpaper project into one design.

Step-by-step instruction on how to put up wallpaper in a frame/ panel.

1. Take precise measurements of wall frames, and gap distance. We have left 9 inches gap from the ceiling, the floor and in between frames.

2.  Using pencil, outline boarders for where your wallpaper will go.

3. Using wallpaper adhesive, put up wallpaper to outlines boarders. 

4. Tip: Make sure you put enough wallpaper paste onto your sheet, but careful not to saturate it to avoid it getting on the face side of your wallpaper. 

Tip 2: When paste has been applied to your wallpaper sheet,  first fold each side of your sheet inwards (paste side down), then fold your sheet in half. This will help you to apply the wallpaper sheet onto the wall with ease.

5. Allow 24 hours for the wallpaper to dry before framing it using molding of your choice. We got ours at a local lumber store where we got it cut at 45 degree angle. 

Tip: prime and paint your molding before attaching to the wall. After molding is up, you will be very limited in how much touch ups you can actually do without getting paint on your wallpaper. 

Tips 2: Remove outlet plate and cover the outlet with painter tape to avoid paste getting into it. Carefully cut an X with hunter's knife and remove wallpaper from it piece-by-piece. It is important to have patience and not to pull the wallpaper, otherwise it will tear.  You can immediately place an outlet plate back on to the wall.

If having a white outlet plate on your wallpaper frame is not of your choice, then cover it with a scrap wallpaper carefully matching the pattern.

6. Using adhesive (we used liquid nails) and finishing nails to attach your molding onto the wall. Once done, set nails and carefully patty up holes and finish with a paint touch up. 

 Enjoy your new wall! My hubby and I are absolutely in love with how the wall turned out and the project was very inexpensive and easy to complete on your own.

Project cost:

Materials  bought from Lowes - $32

Wallpaper by Graham & Brown from Urban Outfitters - $130 with a coupon

Molding from a local lumbar store- $140 (includes $24 cutting fee)

Total project: $302

Soul searching and life lessons

Today it's been a rainy and gloomy day in Northern California, and many thoughts of chances that we're all ready to take in life are rushing through my head. It maybe a gloomy weather or a fast approaching important milestone (which I am not ready to share with the world just yet), but I definitely feel very sentimental.

I feel that in my life all that I've ever done and accomplished has been a tremendous work and very little luck. I rarely have been at a right place and the right time, and so I had to work really hard to be where I stand today. If I would be given a second chance to start all over again, I would change few things (visit my parents and grandparents more often, spend more time with close friends and filter out bad ones sooner, and heartlessly savor on every given moment rather than moving on to my next goal and my next project),  but with all the honesty, I would not have wanted my life path to be any other way than it is now. With all the ups and downs, good and bad, happy and sorrow moments that we all experience in life comes knowledge, wisdom and strength, and I am very grateful for the experience and lessons I've been given up until now. 

Today, I've been thinking about sacrifices we make to concur our 'destiny' and how selflessly we sometimes give every piece of ourselves to make something happen. But sometimes, faith and hope is all we are given to embrace our challenge. This doesn't make us powerless, but rather emotionally strong to be able to overcome our fear, vulnerability, and learn how to accept the outcome (whatever it will be in the end). Soon, I will have to do just that!

Stay positive and take every experience as a learning curve. You are the person you're today because of your past achievements, failures, and hopes for future! 

Life is full of amazing surprises. Stay positive everyone!