(thin) DIY wall art

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Roeshel

We have a sliding door in our dining room…

It slides to the right to open. Which means, I can’t hang most things like framed art or a clock or mirror in that space if I want to slide the door open. Shown above…I can’t push that door any further than the mirror, otherwise, the door will knock it right off of the wall.

Earlier this week I shared a DIY foamboard project that I used as a fun gallery wall template/background…

Which made me think…foam board is lightweight AND thin and would work great in our dining room. Perfect wall art material fitting behind a sliding door.

This is how I also know that painting foam board isn’t such a great idea. It warps and bows but I’m still loving my project.

Using FrogTape, I taped off alternating stripes, making sure to press down the edges securely to activate the PaintBlock Technology (to keep the paint from seeping under the tape).

Then painted my stripes. (I think using a Sharpie or decorative tape would be a better option.)

I then removed my FrogTape. It did remove the paper backing in places which is what gives my finished project an aged, distressed look. Even though it didn’t go according to plan, I didn’t give up.

Using my Silhouette Cameo, I created vinyl decals (flatware silhouettes and the letters “D I N E”). Vinyl and transfer paper provided by Happy Crafters.

Then I used a glaze to ‘stain’ the bright white stripes and the areas where the paper pulled off with the FrogTape.

So where the paper pulled away gives it a distressed look:

My foamboard is bowed so I did try adding weight for a while with books. Fail. It didn’t help. But I hung it up anyway using command strips. Even with the warping, it’s still a great fit behind the sliding door…

With the sliding door open…

Not bad, right? Lesson learned: don’t paint foam board but I do love that it’s lightweight and thin so I’ll definitely be creating another DIY foam board project for this space. Perfect behind my sliding door.

*This post is brought to you by FrogTape. FrogTape provided by Shurtech. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience. For more FrogTape projects ideas, check out the FrogTape Blog Squad.

*This is a sponsored post. Vinyl and transfer paper provided by Happy Crafters.

Cheap and Easy DIY Temporary Accent Wall/Wall Art/Gallery Wall Template

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Roeshel

I’ve been working on creating a “summer carnival mantel” for the “Fun in the Sun” Blog Hop. I wanted a background that was “NO COMMITMENT” and decided foamboard + FrogTape would do the trick.

Materials:

tri-fold {display} foam board
FrogTape

*I’m a member of the FrogTape blog squad and this is a sponsored post.

Tutorial:

I simply alternated FrogTape stripes on each of the 3 sections of the tri-fold display foamboard…

I wrapped the tape around the outer edges and used my thumbnail to secure the tape edge into the fold for a clean line into the inner creases.

All done! FrogTape green worked out to be a great accent color for my colorful and eclectic summer carnival theme (have you seen my multi-color curtains in the family room)?

Best part? Totally re-usable for changing up decor! Try wrapping paper, fabric, vinyl decals…add interest, color, pattern, texture. Great for rentals. So many options! *Note: Paint is not a good option and will warp foamboard.

Hanging:

The thing I loved about using this as a background for my ‘fun house’ mirror wall was that with the foam board laid out on the floor, I arranged the mirrors and frames. Then marked where I wanted things to hang with a pencil.

Since it’s super light weight, hang with Command Strips.

It’s nice that the command strips allow for moving around to be sure the foamboard is level.

Nail through the foam board for placement of mirrors, frames or art.

Then display! Here’s a sneak peek of the ‘summer carnival’ mantel…

And when I’m ready to change things up like I usually do, I can cover the foam board for a completely different look.

Neat, right?

Why I love this project:

Easy.
Cheap.
Lightweight.
Great for gallery wall template.
No commitment.
So many customizable options.
Re-usable.

See the summer carnival themed mantel for more pictures.

Decorative Baseboard Trim Tutorial

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Roeshel

Family room DIY started with installing new baseboards (super easy tutorial) with bulky 1×5 boards…

and includes plans of beefing up the baseboards too. This project is sponsored by FrogTape. In an effort to “practice”, I choose to give it a trial run in our half bathroom.

The result: success!

Here’s what I did:

Before, baseboards are a nice chunky size with shoe moulding.

I measured each width and cut my skinny decorative trim to size (yes, tricky mitered cuts…you may want to purchase extra trim. Thankfully this skinny decorative stuff is inexpensive).

I used the spacing of my level to hold the trim in place. For a bigger room, I’d pencil a level line for leveling up trim while nailing into place.

Using my nail gun and level, I nailed the trim into place.

Then caulked the cracks using DAP paintable caulking. Tips for caulking trim:

Use FrogTape on the wall right next to the trim for a clean line.
Dip finger in water and smooth caulk. Have paper towels on hand.
Remove FrogTape before caulk dries. Then let caulk completely dry before painting.

After the caulk was dry, I reapplied FrogTape to the wall and to the floor, pressing down where the FrogTape would meet the paint line to activate the Paint Block Technology (keeps paint from seeping under the tape).