wallpaper borders

 i sprayed the back of my stencil with spray adhesive, and centered it on the grasscloth, making sure it was even on both sides. i thought that stenciling the grasscloth on the floor was MUCH easier than doing it on the wall, but if your grasscloth is already up, or you would rather hang it first, and then stencil, that would work too. (it is just hard to get in the corners and top/bottom without seriously cutting the stencil. you can read about my other experience with all over stencils here.)

 
using moderate pressure, i rolled over the top of the stencil. since grasscloth is an uneven and rather porous surface, it absorbs quite a bit of paint and took several passes to get an even distribution of paint.

 keep moving the stencil, being careful to keep it lined up with the previously stenciled area.
i found that by the time i was done with each section, the stencil was dry enough to move on to the next section, but i kept some paper under it (the paper lining that came with the stencil) under it until i was certain i had it in the correct place.

 the only time i that i thought the stencil started to look sloppy was when i was pushing too hard.
(see the area on the middle bottom?) two light coats is better than one heavy one!



 

 
some matching paint (dabbed on with a small brush) helps to camouflage the screws.


i used some spray primer and the same matching paint to disguise the door bell chime.


WELL worth the time and effort! it blends in pretty well and lets the mirror and the wallpaper be the stars of this teeny space.

a quick before + after of my back door...
remember where i started?
(you can see my "action plan" post here)

before:


after:
 the new rug adds a little jolt of color and pattern, which i love...it also helps hide dirt!

 the door was painted benmajmin moors "onyx", my all time favorite black.

 the simple, matching art pieces add additional color and the gold frames add some warmth.

i plan on adding some horizontal trim banding on all of the kitchen walls, and may possibly change the color they are right now. the walls are currently "winds breath" and the trim and kitchen cabinets are "swiss coffee".
this is what i had in mind:

i spotted this treatment here, and have LOVED it ever since.

adding the wall trim is a bit of a "pandoras box" project---in order to add it, we also need to add the casings around the windows, and box in the cased openings in the living room so they look more like columns, AND add crown molding...so, it is a project that we may not tackle for several months. you can see a picture of the space right after we moved in here:

for now, i think just adding some art to the walls and getting some curtains up will add enough softness to the space to tide us over until we tackle the trim.
yay for progress!

oh, and if you follow me on instagram, you may have noticed that i finally got the stenciled grasscloth project underway!

it turned out GREAT--i am just working on getting some pictures of the space, which is a bit of a challenge since my "regular" camera lens broke (is is just me, or does it seem like EVERYTHING electronic that belongs to me is having issues??), and the space is really small and has no natural light. i should have a post up in the next day or two!

 
the large star was a clearance purchase last year at pier 1. i love the hugeness of it!


another look at the nativity backdrop.





 i made this crystal + nut garland a few years ago, and i LOVE pulling it out every year and figuring where to put it. you can see how i made it here.










i put some garland and glass balls on the chandelier to free it up a bit.

 my entry table, with my antlers, a fresh wreath and some leftover crystal garland.
this vignette makes me happy. :)




 i "took back" the tree this year!
for the last 10 years, our tree has been a collection of family ornaments, and mismatched decorations.  while i have loved it, i was ready for a more grown up tree this year.
AND, we broke down and bought a fake tree this year. at first, i wasn't sure i was going to like it, but after having it up for a week, and having zero needles on the floor, i am IN LOVE.


 
i actually made these little striped ornaments from some 47 cent paper mache ones that i found at michaels.




 (these are some more paper mache ornaments that i painted.) i like the touch of black that they add to the tree!