Elegant Personality for Your Walls
by Kathy Wilson, The Budget Decorator
Description: Add style and charm to your walls by adding words of inspiration to them.
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Adding style and charm to an area as large as your walls
isn't always as easy as it sounds! There are so many options
in painting, papering, faux finishes and paint treatments it
can be hard to know what might be a good choice for your
family. Right now a really hot technique is adding quotes,
words or sayings to your walls that might be meaningful for
those who live there, and it is very easy and inexpensive to
do!
Adding meaningful words to your walls is inspirational,
unique, and easy! You can do it yourself (which I am about
to show you!) or you can order your words from online
sources such as WallWords.com. (Tip: Online quote sources
are a great place to get ideas for quotes and sayings as
well.)
I like to place my quotes or sayings over a doorway or
mantel, along a wallborder, or I use single words centered
on doors or small, awkward wall sections. As soon as you
have chosen your quotes or sayings, you are ready to get
started!
Open a word processing program on your computer such as
Word, and type in your saying. Experiment with starting each
word with a capital, or all words lower case to see which
looks best for your room. Now change and experiment with the
fonts on your computer. If you highlight the entire passage
first, every time you choose a new font, you will be able to
preview how it looks. Keep in mind elaborate script looks
better in a more formal or romantic setting. Choose a style
that fits you and your room. Make sure you choose the font
size to represent the size you would like on your walls.
When you have chosen your font and size, print out the
passage. Using a pair of scissors, cut apart each section of
the quote as it will be painted onto the wall.
I like to use paint pens to draw the quotes onto the wall,
but thick tipped permanent markers work as well, they come
in many colors. Using scotch tape, tape the quote to the
wall just above the area you will be drawing. Now use the
computer printout as a guide, copy the words onto the wall
with the paint pen. A strip of masking tape placed on the
wall below the words will help keep you in a straight line.
If you are not comfortable copying the letters, or if you
have chosen a difficult font, place a piece of carbon behind
the printout, and trace over the letters with a pen or
pencil, leaving a pattern directly over the wall instead.
Now go over the tracing with your paint pen.
This technique brings daily joy and inspiration to those who
frequent your home, and is a meaningful way to express
yourself in just an afternoon! Feel free to borrow a couple
of my favorite quotes or words below, or try these sites for
inspiration: http://www.wallwords.com,
http://www.quotationspage.com/,
http://www.heartsandminds.org/quotes/quotes.htm
Or borrow some of my favorites:
"I Can Do All Things" -- Philippians 4:13
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there
is no path, and leave a trail." -- Emerson
Live, Love, Laugh
Believe
Dream
Find your own, and give your loved ones a gift of
inspiration every time they walk in a room!
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of several
popular home and garden websites. For hundreds of free do it
yourself home and garden ideas, please visit her websites
now at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com,
http://www.DecoratingYourSmallSpace.com and
http://www.TheGardenGlove.com. Also visit her at
http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com.
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Faux Marble in Six Easy Steps
7 Easy Faux Painting Techniques
Decorating with Sponge Painting
