Nursery Time

Last September my best friend and sister-in-law (a whole different story) gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Violet. She is so precious and her parents are thrilled to have a new addition to their family. Of course, I'm excited to be an aunt for the first time and her parents can be sure that I'll spoil her rotten if she hangs around me. I started the spoiling by decorating her nursery with a lovely decal that certainly reflects her super girly nature. 

Mom wanted a dandelion for sure, but couldn't quite figure out the rest. After a little idea swapping we came up with a few other interesting ideas and I think it turned out so cute!

---------------------------------------------------------

It gets even more exciting. In April my sister will be having her first baby as well, James Atticus O'Meara. I have a niece and a nephew! I'm so excited. My sister has always been absolutely sure about what she does and does not like. Her taste for her son's nursery decoration is no different. Winnie the Pooh, all the way; How fitting! 

This 8' tall tree comes equipped with a door for Pooh and all his friends to go in and out. The tree wouldn't be complete without the beehive and honey. Who is Pooh without honey?

                                                

The Weekend of Decals

Josh and I went down to Phoenix on Labor Day weekend this year for a friend's wedding reception and had tons of extra time to hang out and just relax. While down there I took advantage of all my "free" time to make some much deserved decals for good friends of mine. I did three very different decals, and one of them was my first colored decal! Boy did I learn a lesson or two about putting colored vinyl on a wall. It was fun to see all of my friends and add some pizazz to their houses. The first decal I did for Tyler and Molli Norton. Tyler and Molli are good friends of Josh's and they were kind enough to let us stay with them for a couple of nights. Their decal was totally unplanned, but that's my favorite time to do them. Expectations are low :) so I have room for error and creativity as well. Molli wanted something else in their bathroom and felt that it was kind of boring so the decal below was simple but appropriate for the room.... hence, being in the bathroom. :)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kaylan Cervantes is a friend that I met a few years ago while working at University of Phoenix. We've kept in touch and when we actually have time to see one another I really enjoy her outgoing and boisterous personality. It is always interesting being in the Cervantes home, interesting and fun! This decal fit her personality, well at least her kids'. Her children, Tyler and Lilly, share a monkey-themed bathroom with palm trees and bright colors. My challenge this time was to use colored vinyl and make a more detailed decal. The monkey was the most challenging to make, but the easiest to apply.Thanks to my sweet sweet husband I was able to turn plain vinyl into a monkey that is gaga for bananas.

After much painstaking work and the help of Kaylan herself (thanks again miss perfectionist) I was able to pull off the leaves and the trunk. This decal really pulled her whole bathroom together and I fell in love with the bright colors and details. Hard work pays off and this decal really proves it!

The leaves were the hardest because you could tell where they overlapped. I had to cut any vinyl away that laid underneath an overlapping piece. Also, we had to cut the leaves into small pieces in order to lay them smoothly. Needless to say, it took a long time.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Our last night in Arizona was spent with my most wonderfulest friend Katie Workman, her husband Bryan, and her adorable new baby Alexa. Katie and Bryan recently purchased a new home and are just beginning to decorate their space. Katie has the cutest curtains in her living room so I wanted to do something partly inspired by those as well as whatever she told me to do :). She really liked another decal I made of birch trees so that's what I did. The tree was personalized by the "carving" B+K in the tree and I made the birch tree leaves especially for her. The finished product was so awesome. I'm grateful that they let us stay in their home and I'm glad that I could give something back.

Bryan and Katie sittin' in a tree...k.i.s.s.i.n.g

The finished piece!

Hard at work. I love the before and after.

Fun Craft

This is in my room where we desperately needed to add decoration. The vinyl mimics the design on the fabric wall pieces. It was fast and fun to do. Anyone can create fun wall decor if they have a hot glue gun and a couple of dollars to buy Styrofoam and fabric. The rectangle pieces are just Styrofoam with fabric glued over it and the pictures are covered by plastic baggies. Just cut the zipper off of the baggy and you have a clear cover for you picture.

I hammered nails in the wall underneath the rectangles and on the sides to create a bench for them to sit on. The best part about this project is that you can pick whatever style of fabric you want. If you already have a color theme, you can search for fabric that compliments the design. Also, the Styrofoam comes in a large rectangular piece in which you can cut into whatever size and shape you want. In the picture below you can see how sloppy mine looks, but it can be done much cleaner and the corners can be sharper. I was just in a hurry. 

Home Experiments

Some of the designs in my own apartment are the result of boredom and "experimental research"; some are carefully thought out. On one particular day, I'm pretty sure it was a Sunday afternoon, Josh and I both had fun experimenting with the vinyl. In fact, we spent all day making decals. I put mine on the wall and he put his decals on his school binder. 

The tree on the left was really fun to do. I don't remember my inspiration, but I do remember cutting out each individual leaf. Somehow the Medusa-like branches came about and it turned into an abstract version of a tree blowing in the wind. I entitled it "As Time Goes By" because of the way the leaves blow further away from the tree and toward the clock. It's almost as if time is taking away the tree's life. Corny... I know. However, it's not only aesthetically good to look at, but it has meaning behind it too. Double whammy! 

 The Grandfather clock on the right was probably the most challenging piece up to that point. It required a lot more material than I had used before, and I learned that with large chunks of material you have to cut them into smaller pieces in order to lay them flat and evenly. This too was an experiment. Also, I had never cut out shapes from the middle of the material. Apparently a steady hand is important and a sharp Exact-o knife. The numbers were fun because... well... I could do whatever I wanted. They could be imperfect but still look good. Overall, the decals added dimension and design to our apartment. It was a cheap way to add an artistic flare and it didn't take any space away from our tiny room.

And of course, Josh's fun decals made his binders a little more interesting. I was certainly impressed, but then again my opinion is biased. I also want to give credit to him for doing the bird decal in the tree above. He's a better artist than I... 

MY VERY FIRST!

Hello everyone! I'm so excited about my new blog. With the help of my good friends Katie and Bryan Workman, I was able to put together this blog so I can share my talent with the world. I started making vinyl decals about 2 years ago when I moved to Utah to be with my beloved fiancée. I knew I was going to live in a bland apartment with 3 others girls. This apartment was boring and plain; it was BLAH, to say the least. So I figured out a way to make my own wall decor without spending tons of money. I found a great vinyl company and started cutting out designs by hand that would accent my room and make me feel at home. A year later I cultivated my talent into my first piece done outside of my own home.

This is the "Family Tree". Since my parents moved into their new home, they have slowly but surely designed it in unique and beautiful ways. Each room is special in its own manner. Between the pool room and the kitchen is a wall that my mom was never quite sure what to do with. Finally, I said, "Mom, I'm going to put a tree on your wall. This is what it will look like. You can take it off if you don't like it, but I'm going to do it right now!" Bless her heart she mused me and this is what came out. I was so excited to see it come together. For the finishing touches, she has recently bought small frames which she'll add family pictures to and adorn the tree with.