Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Mural On The Wall - the Reveal

Hello hello,

Are you ready to see what is up on my dining room wall? This project has been a long time in the making. But it is finally done and I am quite happy with the results.

A blank wall, to me, is an art project waiting to happen. I was not very clear what I planned to do in my dining room. I picked up quite a few knick-knacks while I sorted things in my head about where I wanted to go with them.

I found these super pretty measuring spoons in Michaels (of all places!).


I haven't even taken them out of their packaging yet. I also picked up this tray from The Christmas Tree Shop.


In the picture you can't tell it's a tray...but it is. I wanted to go with a French theme for the dining room. I had visions of a silhouette of an ornate lamp post. You know. To give it the feel that we are dining in Paris.

And then, I found this...my source of inspiration.


It's a blank greeting card! I found this in BJ's - just goes to show that inspiration is all around us. And I knew this is what I wanted to re-create. So it was off to Michaels for the duck tape et al. I live in a rented space, so I can't paint the walls, which would have made my life so much easier.

Instead I had to deal with tape and thereby, whatever colors I could find. So here is a picture of my BLANK dining room wall, or should I say, my canvas before the project.


Yeah, right. As if you have never seen a blank wall before. But really this is just to show you the BEFORE and AFTER pictures. So just bear with me.

Naturally I did NOT find the colors that I wanted. But now I quite like what I did find.


The orange is a really bright orange and it had me worried for a while. But paired with the sober beige, it actually gives a pop of color that is quite refreshing. The edges are rough, but one smooth layer of tape over it can work wonders. Here is the bottom part of the wall all done.



It was surprisingly quick. I added the 2 single lines of tape over the broad bands and I do think they make it look better. Gives the eye a break from just the 2 broad bands, methinks.

Then came the hard part of drawing out the Eiffel Tower. Lot of measuring involved since it was to be a BIG size almost reaching the ceiling. Can you see the faint pencil lines? I don't mind using pencil on the wall (though there are strict rules for the kids.). I know I can easily remove these with the Magic Eraser.


Well, truth be told, my project came to a standstill right about here. For one, I could not figure out what color to use for the Eiffel Tower. The card, as you can see if you scroll back up, has the tower in a darker shade of beige with lines on it which give it the feel of the Eiffel Tower. So I just stopped here.

And then, the elves came to help.

My kids and nieces were eager to work on my project and since I had to figure out a way to keep them busy during the summer hols, we finally got the project on the move again.



I found this tape which had lines and a lot of color too. It's quite perfect for the Eiffel Tower. So I got them the tape, scissors and a black sharpie...and they literally took off. So a BIG thanks to them for helping me complete the dining room mural sooner than I expected.

And here is a look at the completed project.



The plate and the birds are also from Michaels. I simply painted the words 'bon appetit' on the plate with a paint pen - thank you whoever came up with the idea of a paint pen! And then hot glued the birds onto the side. Et, Voila!


Let me know what you think of my project. Have you tried duck tape murals? What are your favorite ways to decorate the dining room. Do share your thoughts, so I can start planning my next project!

Smile Always,



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