It's been a little quiet...

​It's been quiet over here, but we have been oh-so-busy with all the things.  In additional to owning this small shop, taking custom work and offering personal design services, we have 3 kiddos, 1 cat and 5 chickens.  And let me tell you, the chickens may be the easiest part. 
Changes in schooling are being announced all over the country and with the realization that I may be at home more than usual through next spring, we are crossing off all the projects on the list. This week, I am sharing one of my favorite paints by The Chippy Barn, giving you a sneak peek at painting, and showing off our new master bedroom refresh.  Behind the scenes, we are finishing up our master bathroom refresh (disclaimer: its the size of a closet) and if the weather cooperates, the greenhouse I started more than a month ago...so stay tuned for those.  Right now, you can hit my IG stories for all the painting goodness (check highlights for yesterday's first coat) and read on for all the answers to my master bedroom refresh...

First, let me say hand-painted wallpaper is not for the faint of heart. Second, there are a few steps to make it a bit easier, so I'll start from the beginning...

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​This is the one time painter's tape is totally necessary...I really don't trust myself to get 18 lines straight and evenly spaced and if I had to look at cattywompus lines in my bedroom for any length of time, it would drive me to madness.


​My favorite tape is Frog Tape (its green) because it seals well, so ignore this regular blue stuff I used.  It was what I had during quarantine when toilet paper was more expensive and harder to find than gold.

​You'll want to paint inside the lines the same color of the wall to ensure there is a layer of paint prior to putting on the accent color. This prevents that color from bleeding under the tape and creating a feathered line. After that dries, you'll paint your accent color on and remove the tape so you can get to all the handpainting. 

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There are so many patterns you can mimic or come up with, but bottom line is this fern pattern was easy to duplicate, although time consuming, and felt like the much needed zen I needed in the middle of spring of 2020's chaos. Plus, I really liked that it was not completely cookie cutter.

There are a few tips that do make this process a little easier.  Remember the Frog Tape and fill in with the wall color first.  I have seen others cut sponges as well for a lighter look...just keep in mind that you may have to play around with your paint and the type of foam sponge you use to get a consistent print. I also hand-mixed my paint, both the actual formulation and the color.  This allowed me to get the perfect shade and more importantly the right consistency to use with detail brushes on a vertical surface.  I used a combination of clay paint (from Country Chic Paint), ceramic paint (from The Chippy Barn) and latex wall paint in satin finish.  It not only gave one coat coverage, but allowed for an almost completely matte finish that is wipeable.

I will warn you that because of this wall, I subsequently also had to paint my headboard and make modifications to its style.  The project also took many more hours than anticipated.  But I had all the supplies already, and if you didn't, it would really only cost you paint, tape, and a brush. This was what I kept reminding myself while painting (it took nearly 15 hours) because the wallpaper alternative would have been over $400 for the pattern I had chosen.  Ultimately, it was the perfect win and I am so glad I pushed through and finally finished it.

And now we can focus on all the other things on that to do list while we
​Stay...In The Moment

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