DIY Stenciled Faux Wallpaper

DIY Stenciled Faux Wallpaper 

Contributed by The Savvy Stylist Daily

I love the look of wallpaper - but it can be sooo expensive!  When J and I bought our condo {almost exactly 3 years ago}, the first thing we did was wallpaper my office and our master bedroom.  I LOVE how it turned out and certainly don't regret it.  But since then, I have come across some GREAT alternatives!

{I apologize for all the crummy iPhone pics!}

Anyway - here is my DIY painted wallpaper that I did in my entryway:

1.  I ran across this tutorial awhile back from Emily over at Jones Design Company, and I knew I wanted to try it!  I usedthis template that I liked and printed it out, traced it onto cardboard, and then cut that out.

2.  I traced the cardboard image with pencil in a repeating pattern on each wall of my entry.

3.  Then I just took a small paint brush {the width of how thick I wanted my lines to be} and started painting over all my pencil lines.

I wanted one shade lighter than my wall color {which is Creek Bend by Behr in eggshell} & in a high gloss finish.  But Creek Bend is the lightest shade on the color swatch, so I went online to see what one shade lighter is - which is porpoise {the color on the left}.  It was waaay too light for me, so I went back to Home Depot and had them darken it by 50%.  I took that home and it was STILL too light!  Back to the Depot I went, having them darken it again by 25%.  And waa-laa!  This is what I was looking for! (right)

The finished product:

I love how it turned out!  It does require some patience and time - but I think it is worth it.  And I especially love the gloss; it creates more interest and provides a great sheen in the evening when we turn on the lamps!

Now I'm hooked and looking forward to my next project!  :)