DIY ideas for blank walls

Blank walls are always a challenge, unless you've got an interior designer, artist friends, or buckets of money. I've collected some wall art ideas here on Pinterest that require varying amounts of skill to execute. If you've got a wall that needs some help, maybe something will spark an idea. I won't blame you if you don't attempt the one that requires 350,000 Post-it notes.

You have read this article decorating with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/11/diy-ideas-for-blank-walls.html. Thanks!

DIY postcard wall art

I made something new for the living room: a big collage of postcards mounted on foam board.

This boxed set of 100 vintage Penguin book cover postcards was on the clearance table at Anthropologie a couple weeks ago. I had to have it. I love books. I love the cover designs, and I love the color palette. They were too good not to display somehow. You can also get them here from Amazon.

I decided to lay out my favorites on the biggest piece of foamcore I could find at my local art store (30"x40" for $5). It seemed more interesting to give the collage a 3D look with postcards coming forward at different heights. So I cut some small pieces of foam board and stacked them to create "risers" for some of the cards. I used one, two, or three layers to vary the depth.

I stuck the foam pieces together and attached the postcards to the board with double-sided ATG tape I had on hand. It was better than wet glue which could warp the postcards.

I could have measured and cut the foam board to the precise size before sticking on the postcards, but I wanted to be certain of having a perfectly trimmed edge that was flush with the cards. So I opted to trim the board after seeing where the postcards ended up (keeping the 3D ones aligned was a bit tricky). Starting at the top left corner and working down, I stuck all the postcards onto the board except for the right-most column and the bottom row. Then I marked where the edges of the last cards would end up and cut off the excess board with an X-acto knife on a cutting mat. I aligned the last postcards with the edge and attached them.

To keep the large foam board from warping and to make a way to hang it on the wall, I hot-glued it to wooden stretcher bars. This frame had an old canvas stretched on it that I removed so I could reuse it. You could also buy wooden stretcher bars for a couple bucks each at an art store; they come in any length you could possibly want and have slotted corners for snapping them together (details here). The frame can be smaller than the foam board; mine happened to be the same height.

I added a sawtooth hanger to the top. One was enough because it's a pretty light-weight piece. You could also use picture wire or any hanging method you like.

I added self-adhesive felt pads to the four corners to protect the wall from scratches.

The book titles are very interesting. "An Intelligent Woman's Guide"? Is it different than the guide for men? Is there another guide for non-intelligent women?

Yes, there must be a pony! I haven't heard of this novel, but the title makes me happy. Oh, I just searched and here's where it comes from.

I hope visitors enjoy reading the book titles as much as I do. Soft Fruit Growing, Scootering, Explosives, and Aircraft Recognition all sound like very useful manuals and could make a person quite well-rounded.

You have read this article decorating / home / tutorials with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/11/diy-postcard-wall-art.html. Thanks!

Download and print vintage camera posters

Catherine at Design Editor experimented with making oversized black-and-white prints for cheap. She photographed a couple of her vintage cameras, then made 24"x36" engineering prints of them for three bucks at Staples. The best part: you can download her camera images for free and get your own printed up. Cool DIY wall art for your home or office!

You have read this article decorating / downloads / tutorials with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/09/download-and-print-vintage-camera.html. Thanks!

Find your Stylescope home design personality

Need to kill some time? Take the HomeGoods Stylescope quiz. You'll get a diagnosis, some tips, and a photo you can download and use as your Facebook timeline cover.

I ended up Urban Funk. Because I have "undeniable funk and soul. She's at home in a place where industrial meets comfort, where over-the-top meets laid-back chill, and where retro art meets graphic simplicity. And she does all this in a way that feels totally effortless... How does Urban Funk entertain? Use slate tiles as charger plates."

What the heck is a charger plate? Kidding. I know what one is. I just don't know a single person who uses them. But all in all, I like this result.

You have read this article decorating / downloads / time-wasters with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/09/find-your-stylescope-home-design.html. Thanks!

Make easy DIY wall art from folded paper

Hello, all! I'm back from my week off. It was a lovely break during which Alex and I did pretty much nothing except read mystery novels, eat delicious food, enjoy the outdoors, and wander around. (That was me with the mystery novels. Alex appeared to be reading books containing charts and graphs. To each his own.)

I folded some paper, too. For an easy wall art project, try folding squares of colored paper and arranging them in a grid. I used part of a pack of multi-colored origami paper for this, but you could use any colored papers that match your room or your shop. It's cheap, simple, and the 3D sculptural look is fun.

Find the center point on a square of paper by bending it in half and pressing a crease at the midpoint. (Don't make a sharp fold along the entire length.) Open the square, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat.

The center of the square is where the two creases meet.

Fold each corner of the square to the center point.

When you've got a collection of squares folded, arrange them on a piece of foam board or cardboard and secure them in rows with double-stick tape. Done!

I would love it if someone would cover an entire wall with white squares. The light and shadows would be beautiful. Though that wall would be easily smooshed when a person leaned against it, alas.

To make the paper ball in the photo, click here.

You have read this article decorating / origami / paper / tutorials with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/08/make-easy-diy-wall-art-from-folded-paper.html. Thanks!

Play with wallpaper in virtual rooms

This morning I stumbled upon BoråsTapeter, a Swedish wallpaper manufacturer. And then I wasted too much time playing with the site's wallpaper selector that lets you choose rooms and drag wallpaper onto the walls. Change the furniture, too! Try it out by going to BorasTapeter.se and clicking "Wallpaper Guide." Then throw some Hanna Werning on those walls. Or check out the same game at Eco, a sister company with a less floral, more graphic collection.

You have read this article decorating / time-wasters with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/06/play-with-wallpaper-in-virtual-rooms.html. Thanks!

Orange home

Orangify your home with these furnishings! Rug, dishes, sofa, bookcase, screen, chair, bins, pillow.

You have read this article decorating / shop with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/05/orange-home.html. Thanks!

DIY projects for the weekend

If you're itching to spruce things up a bit this weekend, take a look at these ideas for the home (via a Google image search.) That orange grid wall makes my heart beat faster.
Orange wall by Milo&Ben
Belted wall clock at Remodelista
Cardboard chandelier by Kayte Terry at the Etsy blog
Painted spoons from Little Bit Funky

You have read this article decorating / tutorials with the title decorating. You can bookmark this page URL http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-projects-for-weekend.html. Thanks!