Wednesday, October 21, 2009

~brown bag wallpaper tutorial~



First tutorial ever!!!!!

Hello everyone out in bloggyland!!  On my last post I promised a tutorial using this:



But since I had a few requests for the brown bag wallpaper instructions.......I decided to do that
first!  So, here is how you make your walls look like this:




 You can do a small room for under $15 and a bunch of grocery bags....so start saving them!

Here's what you're gonna need:

1)  grocery bags- the less writing the better



2)  Wallpaper glue - the type for unpasted wallpaper




3)  a bowl to pour the glue into!
4)  about a quart of satin finish taupe paint (depending on the size of the room),
5) some latex gloves and
6)  a damp sponge for later....

Now for the highly complex procedure......



Tear the bag into random shapes.....



Similar to this!

   Tip:  leave some pieces with the straight edge in place to use at the top of the wall or around door frames.  You can either do this or use a razor blade to trim when you're finished. 




Now, scrunch 'em up! This is really so easy your kids can help!




and flatten 'em out!



Next, you're going to completely soak each piece in the glue (one at a time is how I did it....less mess)




You will probably want to wear gloves at this point!  Now wipe off the excess glue w/ your hands just so it's not dripping and put it on the wall!!



Then smooth it out and lay on the next piece!
You'll want to overlap each piece.




Continue adding pieces in a random fashion.



My 9 year old Allie was loving getting messy helping!




Here's what I meant about the straight edge at the top of the wall




Once you have an area of about 2 ft x 2 ft completed, use a straight edge of some kind or a wallpaper roller tool to smooth out any bubbles & bumps.




When you're finished, and it's dry (about 24 hours) use a  razor edge or utility knife along doors, windows etc....to cut away any excess paper.

Lastly mix about 1 part taupe paint to 3 parts wallpaper glue, and smooth it on with a damp sponge.  This gives the wall a nice finish and also acts as a sealant

There you have it!! Super easy & cheap and it looks so awesome.....people will be shocked to find out how you're recycling grocery bags these days!!

Thanks for stopping by!



Shellagh



P.S.  I found the book I used for this technique, and it's called Junk Chic by Kathryn Elliott.  There are tons of great ideas in it & all for the budget minded~ I would highly recommend it. 


30 comments:

  1. oh that is really cool! Great idea!

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  2. Faaabulous!!!!
    Thank you very very much for the tutorial :)

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  3. Oh my gosh.
    That is amazing.
    It looks wonderful,

    Laura

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  4. I have a knack for screwing up really simple projects, so I don't have high hopes for mine turning out NEARLY as good as yours. But I'm gonna give it a try, cause it's too cool not to!
    Hugs,
    Anne

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  5. Thanks for the great tutorial. you're very talented and creative as far as I can see. Will definitely try this project (fingers and toes crossed) in my new home (I'm actually looking for one)!!
    Happy blogging
    XOXOXO
    rita

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  6. Great tutorial! I think I could handle this! I've seen this same affect done with old sheet music - very pretty also. Your home is absolutely lovely and I've so enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks for sharing with us! Cathy

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  7. Hi! We noticed your name "Ticking and Toile" and HAD to come over...we are so glad we did!! Great tut, we'll be back for sure!!!
    Thank you for your lovely visit,
    Clara & Marcela

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  8. I did something very similar to create the map wall in my sons' bedroom. I tore pieces of older atlases, but used liquid starch to adhere it. There's a small bit of it showing in last Monday's post. Your wall looks terrific. I think I'd love to do projects with you!

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  9. That is so beautiful. I venetian plaster my bathroom, it was one of the hardest things I have done in our home. I wish I would of know about this brown bag idea, it's beautiful. Thank-you for sharing,
    Ginger

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  10. Hi sweetie!

    Thanks for stoppin' by the Yaya! LOVE your blog---right up my alley (or I guess should say bayou) :)

    Keep up the beautiful work...can't wait to read more.

    xo...deb

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  11. I love that idea, I think I'll add it to my to do in the dream house list! thank you :)

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  12. AWESOME, thanks for such a great tutorial. I have a small 1/2 bath that I want to do something dramatic in and I think that's it. Would a roll of brown craft paper, the kind you use to mail packages work? I have a few rolls. Lisa

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  13. Very cool treatment! Thanks for sharing the how-to.

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  14. I did mine a little different and dipped the bags in water with paint 16:1 then let them dry and then tor them in pieces. I used dark brown paint It gives it a slate effect where the wrinkles are> I saw it at a gallery and a friend said her church did it with brown bags.

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  15. It's really late! I just sent you a message asking you to e-mail me your tricks to the trade and what do you know! You posted this tutorial! Thanks so Much!

    Shelby

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  16. I have done this technique in my family room My problem is what do I put on top of it to seal it? I want it to have a rustic look to it, like old worn out leather, something that will make the wrinkles etc pop What would you suggest?

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  17. Hello anonymous!
    I would finish off your walls with a clear finishing glaze mixed w/ just a bit of taupe paint ~ brush it on & wipe it off sporadically to give it the look you're after. Thanks for coming by!

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  18. Thank you My name is Jennifer and I couldnt figure out how to post my name ;) What do u know about the Draw Tite product? I see so many people talking about it

    Thanks again for getting back to me

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  19. Having, and knowing how to use a multimeter is an invaluable skill. PMT voltage and determine its functionality. military detonated the first atomic bomb in the New Era.

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  20. Did this when I downsized to an older house and couldn't get wallpaper off. Even tore some area states.(husbands bath) Sealed it with poly-seal. Looks like old leather

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  21. I'm guessing that the paper is not easily removable. I'm not sure I want to do this if I can't change up the wall in the future. Any tips?

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  22. So when you have this on a wall and your small child draws with perm marker on it .can you just patch over it?? Of have to remove the previous paper??

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  25. Can u patch over it using same technique after my grandkids wrote on it with a green permanent marker

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  26. I need help, in the middle of one wall the paper dried lighter and No crinkle marks on the paper. A) the same brown paper was used and
    B) same side of the paper was used and glue was the same as well. We've removed the paper from that area 3 times and still the same result. HELP,

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  27. How much water should I add to glue... I heard it 1part glue 2\3 part water.. Sound right?

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  28. usage of Brown paper bags are increasing as its helping us to save our planet EARTH, plastic and other bags are polluting it a lot

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