Friday, May 18, 2012

DIY with Vintage Wallpaper

I have to admit that I have been enamored with vintage wallpaper ever since Julie and Candice sent their welcome kits for an Art Nest art retreat and they used some sweet vintage wallpaper to decorate them.  One of the teachers at that retreat was Pam Garrison who was using a lot of vintage wallpapers in her art journaling at that time.  I fell in love with the soft colors and the florals and geometric patterns.  Since then I have seen vintage wallpaper used in many ways and it always looks so fresh and lovely.  Here are some fun examples of things that you can do with it!


Pretty Correspondence




A Fresh Approach to Wallpapering







Applied to Furniture







A Sweet Wreath




Mini Chocolate Bars




Fabulous Lampshade




Decorative Windows




My Vintage Wallpaper Cabinet

When I was thrift shopping I found this ugly, brown, house-shaped wall cabinet.  It had potential and I had some cute pieces of vintage wallpaper that I had found and some that I had purchased on Etsy.  So I decided that I would decoupage the little cabinet with vintage wallpapers.  First I removed the hinges and hardware from the cabinet.  Then using Mod Podge and a small sponge brush I cut pieces of wallpaper and applied them to the cabinet.









You can cut a decorative edge on the pieces that overlap.











Almost done!





Mask the glass on the doors so it stays cleaner.





Prop up the wet doors to dry so they don't stick to your work surface.





Just to make sure it was all the way dry I set it out in the sun for a bit.





All finished and loaded with trinkets and what-nots!


























11 comments:

  1. Cheryl! I LOVE this post! Your cabinet is gorgeous and love all your ideas...vintage wallpaper is the best!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fabulous!!! Love the cabinet...love your creative spirit...love how your garden is flourishing! It's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cheryl, beautiful job,you are making me wish I hadn't tossed my wallpaper books (unless I didn't and they are buried under other treasures).
    I need to be more successful at hoarding.
    Inspiration to use wallpaper, and find vintage for the most charming projects.
    thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So Lovely Cheryl. Your work is so inspiring.
    Thanks
    Sherri

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jealous of your old wallpaper and what you made with it! I have some old paper but it's so old it crumbles really easy.
    xoxo, Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh my gosh Cheryl, this post is beautiful and inspirational, I am going out today to find something to use my wallpaper on. I have a huge stash that I found in a basement of an antique show. I finally have something i can use it on now. I sort of got bored using it on paper. Your photos are so lovely, and your garden is divine, makes me want to sit with you and have a glass of lemonade.
    Thanks for the lovely inspiration,
    Candice

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such a beautiful post Cheryl. I love each idea and the beautiful photographs that you shared. You are such a clever girl. Thank you for sharing such a fun post and that beautiful shot of your garden- GORGEOUS!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your cabinet! I remember seeing you working on it last time we got together at your home. I can't imagine the time it took to finish. I adore all of your trinkets. Thanks for such a beautiful and creative post. xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. did you notice darling Cheryl's pearly pink fingernail polish!!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow Cheryl, this is so happy and gorgeous! I want to be in your garden...amazing!!! I love trinkets and these are gathered and hugged with memories. How wonderful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cheryl darling...what a beautiful post. The pictures are almost edible. I am scouring my boxes full of old papers so I can make something lovely like your pretty little cupboard. xoxo

    ReplyDelete