Put a bird on it!

Yes, I am affraid of all birds. Most people who have ever met me, know this about me. I am the girl on a happy hour patio dodging any bird within a 20 foot radius.

But man-oh-man, I love a good bird print!

So I am working on the "closet that doesn't have a purpose" and I wanted to add a little something special in there. Again, this closet is off the main living area and if anyone popped in for a look I want it to be semi presentable. I am really into wallpaper right now and have been browsing around my favorite websites for cool, non boring, non floral, non 70's prints. But I know nothing about wallpaper except that I hate what's in my house right now.

I really just wanted to line the back of the wacky shelves. They are all different sizes and I knew I wouldn't be able to find storage containers to fit all of them. Just a cute little print for the back wall. Maybe to distract from all the crap that will eventually fill these shelves.

I am super lucky in that I have some art supplies within an arms reach every day. To end the semester in my Design class I am teaching print making so I was taking inventory on supplies. While I'm digging through my cabinet-o-art I decided I would try to make my own wallpaper. I'm crazy I know. I did a quick sketch of an owl that is somewhere between cute and thoughtful. Did a quick linoleum cut and Voila! I have a stamp! This process is so super easy. I literally did the entire thing start to finish in 30 minutes. Yes, I know owls are trendy right now but I thought since it is such a small space when they go out of style next month no one will really notice.

He looks a little scary here.

Is it concerning that I went from gathering supplies for class to working on something totally unrelated. This is how my brain works most days. It's amazing I don't have my students sewing curtains....oooohh, idea!

This is what I do during my planning period....shhhh, don't tell!

So my first thought was to print right onto the wall. But with the texture and awkward size of the shelves I thought contact paper was my next best option. Mr. R splurged on the 20 inch roll for $11 and it was plenty for my little job. I measured the shelves and cut the contact paper and then started printing away.

My really fancy contact paper from Lowe's. $11!

Printing away, I got the stamp of approval from Mr. R.

Getting the contact paper on the wall was the most difficult part. Really because I kept trying to hang it while it was still wet. Patience....I am learning! I have to say I really like it. For the space, the contact paper solution worked perfectly. And really the best part is that it peels right off, no need to repaint anything. The contact paper does have a little bit of a shine to it but the printing ink dulls it up a bit.

 See the wacky shelf sizes. What were these people thinking?

What's really cool about the linoleum print is that I can use it on anything and use any color.

I might make my sweet sis some stationary. Owls are just one of the many things she collects.

I am not saying my contact paper/wall art is anything close to what is out there right now in the real wallpaper world. There are so many cool prints but I just can't afford them! My little owl print is working just fine for now and for $11 my sweet husband can't complain.

Owl wallpaper from Anthropologie $148 and $108.

Thanks for reading and following this baby blog. I am having so much fun with this house. If only there were more hours in the day, more days in a weekend, and more money in my pocket. This weekend we are working on our neglected yard. It is really sad! Hopefully I will have some more house photos soon.

Happy Weekend!