Paper It Fun!

Jeni sent me the following pictures this morning, and I am so amazed at the creativity behind them. Take a look:

“These are of my kitchen done with terra cotta and carmel with border created by tracing a pattern I had and sticking them up. I added little pics in the border from a scrapbooking punch. Came out better than I imagined…

Hand Crafted Wall Border Using Paper Illusions

Lampshade Decorated with PaperIllusion and Punches

More Creative Cut Outs to Embellish Walls

“…Last pic is of kokopelli guys I made and used for “art” in a bathroom [ed. using Tuscan Red and Camoflage]…

Paper Illusion Wall Art

“…I already had left over paper, so the price was right. I did something similar in the adjoining master bedroom over the bed. If you would be interested in more, let me know. I’ve done 4 different rooms, each with different a color combination and a different look. This stuff is really fun and talk about instant gratification!! I did faux painting in my living room and, although it turned out well, it took forever and got pretty messy and expensive. This house had nothing but white walls when I moved in last year. I couldn’t take it any more. When I was growing up my mom painted every walll “eggshell white” because my dad was a professional army man and we moved a lot. Easier to sell a house that others can move into without changing a lot. Now I’m making up for lost time and having a blast.”

This seems like these kind of projects might be for “creative” types only, but I can tell you…it is so easy. If you can tear paper, stick it in water and apply it to a flat surface (that has been cleaned and primed), then you can hang Paper Illusion. Then, in this case if you can cut out pictures (either from a scrapbook punch, a stencil or some other template), dip them in water and apply over the PaperIllusioned surface, then you can create art like this!

Grab a copy of The Paper Illusions Guide and see how easy it is to work with Paper Illusions, browse Paper It Fun! to get some creative ideas and get started on your own decorating project right away.

DJ wrote: “I finished my faux fireplace using paper illusions ( french vanilla ) for the trim and mantel. It brought this 1970’s fireplace back to life ! It was in the basement collecting dust, now it’s looking stylish in my bedroom.”

Before PaperIllusion & Paint:

After PaperIllusion & Paint:

Wow! Absolutely stunning. Here’s how it was done in DJ’s own words…

I used the same applications as you would doing a counter or sink. After cleaning, I first primed with the wallpaper primer, then I used French Vanilla Paper Illusions to cover the plastic mantel, the metal trim and metal screen on the bottom. Then after drying a few days I put a couple coats of minwax water based polycrylic on. I then painted the faux brick fireplace an off white color to bring the 1970’s fireplace into modern times. It looks elegant and brand new and I’m very pleased with the results!

You can do it, too! Grab a copy of The Paper Illusions Guide, see how easy it is to work with Paper Illusions and get started on a decorating project right away.

Q. “I would love to cover above the sink in a brick pattern. Does PI offer this? or is there a way to use it to make it look that way?”

We get this question from time to time, but I don’t have many examples of it being done. One way you can accomplish this look is by painting a wall whatever “grout” color you would like. In the case below, Laura used black. Then tear or cut the PaperIllusion into brick/stone shapes and apply to the wall with some space between each piece, allowing the grout color to show through.

You can do it haphazardly as demonstrated above, or you can be more precise, laying it out in rows like a true brick wall.

What do you think?

If you’ve tried something like this, please tell us about it!

Q. Can you do the inside of the sink also with the Paper Illusion?

When I first received this question in November 2006, I was stumped…I never really considered this. I recommended more research before diving into that project, but I didn’t expect to see this done.

Then, with all the countertop projects folks have submitted here, I found that question kept popping up again and again. Well, Judy decided to give it a go and here’s her end result:

Wow! She will have to tell you how she did it. While this looks fantastic, I have to give a huge disclaimer here before everyone starts paperillusioning their sinks…

NOTE OF CAUTION: This project was just recently done (January 2009). It has not withstood the test of time. I do not know how it will weather being saturated with water on a regular basis. I’d love to hear future updates as to how this project fairs over the long haul. Remember, while this stuff is amazing, it is still paper…it is not marble. Proceed with this project at your own risk.

With that aside, Congratulations, Judy on a beautiful transformation and thank you so much for sending us your pictures! Please share how you specifically did this and give the pros and cons. I know many folks are interested in how to do something like this.

See more counter top projects using Paper Illusions and get inspired!

The following pictures were submitted by Judy Moore this afternoon (Thanks, Judy - Absolutely stunning)…

COUNTERTOP BEFORE PAPER ILLUSIONS

COUNTERTOP AFTER PAPER ILLUSIONS

Hard to believe it’s wallpaper, huh. Paper Illusions is amazing stuff and yes, you can do it, too! Grab a copy of The Paper Illusions Guide and see how quickly and easily you can transform your bathroom counter (and other surfaces, too)…without spending a fortune.

“Hi Carrie ! I just wanted to share the fantastic results with everyone. Feel free to use them on the site…”

“…I will be doing more projects with paperillusions in the near future. The PI Guide was very helpful. Thanks ! DJ

You can do it, too! Check out The Paper Illusions Guide and get started on your counter top right away.

“I just recently received my order of Hearthstone Sky Blue, it is just as beautiful as I pictured it. I had a blast doing my living room. As you can see in the pictures I went from living in the 1940s to 2008 in just a couple of days. I had to peel off the top layer of wallpaper and the underlying layer was huge avocado and gold flowers. That wallpaper was glued directly to the plasterboard, no way to remove…”

BEFORE PAPER ILLUSIONS: WALLPAPER GLUED TO PLASTERBOARD

“…I primed it and got busy with paper illusions, it went up flawlessly, beautiful…”

DURING PAPER ILLUSIONS

AFTER PAPER ILLUSIONS

“…I intend to do the entire house, bathroom, kitchen (including the painted cabinets and counter). I am very excited about this product, I am recommending it to everyone I know! Thank You, Kathy Venn”

Learn how easy it is to transform your walls with PaperIllusion™. Grab The Paper Illusions Guide and start taking your Before pictures today.

Handcrafted Switch Plates and Outlet Covers using Paper Illusions wallpaper are now available at the Wallpaper Crafts Place.

Easily blend those light switches and outlets in with your PaperIllusioned walls using these custom-made plates/covers.

Keep in mind, these are handcrafted (in the U.S.A.) using the most current version of PaperIllusion wallpaper manufactured in Canada by Blue Mountain Wallcoverings. If you have PaperIllusion on your walls from the previous manufacturer, F. Schumacher & Co, then these will not match. However, these should match any paper purchased within the past few months and going forward.

You can always cover your own plates & outlet covers yourself, but if you want to save time and energy, then these are an affordable and convenient alternative. Wallpaper Illusions includes a link to these accessories on each of their product pages or you can purchase them directly at Wallpaper Crafts Place. Enjoy!

The following is an excerpt from the Paper Illusions Guide…

This product comes in rolls and each roll is packaged in a box. Each roll contains 85 square feet (about the size of a triple roll of regular wallpaper). When ordering, you would order the number of “boxes” by determining the number of rolls needed.

If your calculation is barely over a whole number (like 2.1) then consider whether or not you have openings (like windows or doors) in the surface area you measured. A standard size door is about 21 square feet and a standard size window is about 15 square feet. These are rough measurements but a good gauge for calculating the number of rolls needed. Take the total square footage (before dividing by 75) and subtract for windows and doors. Take that net square footage and divide by 75 and round up to the whole number to determine the number of boxes needed.

TIP: Always order more than you think you need. It’s very frustrating to run out…

For an easy-to-use reference chart to calculate the number of rolls/boxes needed and a whole lot more information on PaperIllusion, I highly recommend ordering the Paper Illusions Guide. It’s a great resource!

Decorating Walls with Vaulted Ceilings

“I loooove this paper, just had a first experience with using it. Am getting tons of compliments on my problem wall solution. Thanks much for your advice re: counter tops. I’m contemplating using it in the kitchen as my next updating project.” ~ Sherrie Grindy

Imagine having to hang strips of regular wallpaper on a wall angled at the ceiling like the one pictured here. A nightmare, right? Not with paper illusion. (more…)