I have the best teacher!
So, I have some important advice for you… If you see a decorative wall decal in a magazine or catalog and think to yourself, “hmmmm, I think that would look really nice in the hall” --- RESIST the temptation to DIY.
I am taking a break from applying said wall decal to write this. Every possible thing that can go wrong, has. I did read the instructions, thank you, they did not help. I peeled the sticky paper away from the backing as directed. It did not actually say anywhere in the instructions that the design was supposed to stay with the sticky paper and not the backing paper. The pictures in the directions were not that useful. When the design did not stick to the wall, as I had hoped, I realized that I would have to get the design to stick to the sticky paper first. Therefore, I need start over again. Too bad I crumpled up the sticky paper part and threw it in the trash.
Plan B.. I will reuse the sticky backing of the other half for this half. So I proceed to remove the backing paper from the Part B half and then thought, “Oh, I should see how big this is supposed to be and mark the wall". So I took the two parts and set them on my countertop to see how big this design was and to figure out how to mark the wall, thinking I could apply the design in a new way, from bottom to top.** Uh oh, something was terribly wrong with the design...then I flipped the sticky side down to make the halves match the registration marks ... and succeeded in getting the design and sticky backing firmly stuck to the shiny cover of Price Chopper’s Party Platter order book. #@%*&.
Continuing to mutter all sorts of things to myself, I proceeded to unstick the decal and backing as gently as I could from the booklet so I wouldn’t stretch or tear the thin vinyl design. I figured any marks that I made with an exacto knife would probably not show if I had an interesting floral arrangement on the piano and left the lights low. It did take a while, so I was able to apply the design to the wall by standing on a chair and leaning over the piano. Those darn burnishing tools ought to have idiot strings on them… I lost it behind the piano on the first attempt… my expired Anthem Blue Cross card worked well enough though, and I managed to transfer the design to the wall with only a slight skew to the design.
With the now empty sticky paper backing from Part B, I was able to correctly transfer the top half of the design, Part A, to the stickypaper – mind you this is a scroll type of design and a royal, but beautiful, pain in the keester and the stickyback paper is actually kind of fragile. It was definitely a patchwork affair (crazy quilt actually) by the time I got done with the transfer. I went back to my perch on the chair with one foot on the piano for steadying purposes and tried to get the halves lined up. Lifting and placing, lifting and replacing. In the process, small independent leaves remained behind out of place. Oh well. Right now the Part A is stuck to the wall with the sticky paper backing intact, and my arms are killing me (I shoveled a path for the mailman yesterday), so I decided to take a break. It can only help.
[after a 1/2 hour computer break]
I suppose, it is time to get back to the decal that is still there waiting for me. I can’t wait to tackle the other two parts that are supposed to line up with these two – the little red dots... I whip out my id card and burnish the piece in place, more or less.
And, so, the saga continued in pretty much the same vein. Armed with all this newly-gained expertise in removing backing from fronting while still maintaining design on only one surface, I carefully cut the dot halves apart, remove the backing and carry the stickyback paper with half of the little red dots folded back-to-back to the piano again. Please note that, while I did have the presence of mind to move the piano away from the wall and place my chair behind it while taking my break, I congratulated myself a bit too early... I hop up on the chair and I let go of one end of the stickyback paper only to find that the curl in the paper (the design had arrived at my doorstep rolled up in a mailing tube) caused the sticky sides to touch and, yes, adhere.
More choice words were uttered.
Back to the kitchen counter to unstick the sticky paper. This was a bit more challenging...I don't know what kind of adhesive they use, but I sure could use some for general repair purposes around the house... some dots did cross over to the dark side, but peeled off fairly well - this is when I discovered these pieces have only one sticky side.*** Once I got back up on the chair I find that the little dots don't quite match up with my slightly skewed scrolly design. Hmpf. Quel surprise! Okay.
The only solution I can come up with is to print out the picture of the design from the website* and tape it up on the wall near the emerging design in progress. I should be able to place the dots where they belong, or close enough to it. Well, by cutting apart the patterns (which look like a peek at a night sky with the stars rendered in varying sized red dots instead of pretty twinkling lights) into individual "constellations" I ended up with surprisingly easy bits to put up on the wall.
Following the pattern closely, I do finally get the dots placed in appropriate places, and even fudge it a little so the gaps from misalignment aren't so obvious. I stand back to take a look. I find that if I turn my head and squint - it isn't too bad.
To keep me company throughout this experience I am listening to several podcasts from Craftcast... Alison Lee is talking with some inspiring artists discussing what it is like to create in their respective medium. And what it is like when things go astray. Yeah. I get it.
The end result? Well, I somehow had the vision that this was a much bigger design. It looks kind of puny compared to my idea of what it should look like, but, then again, I would probably be in a padded room by now if it had been any larger.
Merry, Happy Christmas!
* Wouldn't you have included a photograph or drawing of the finished design in with the package when you sent it? I would have.
**Yes, way after I put this up I decided I probably could have installed this design upside-down and it would have been better aligned. Go figure - when the thought eventually pops into the brain after the fact, is it the universe laughing at you or what?
*** Yes, I should have discovered that the first time I tried to apply the design from the backing paper. Duh.
ps. I am now working on the floral design to take some of the pressure off the delightful wall art...
I am taking a break from applying said wall decal to write this. Every possible thing that can go wrong, has. I did read the instructions, thank you, they did not help. I peeled the sticky paper away from the backing as directed. It did not actually say anywhere in the instructions that the design was supposed to stay with the sticky paper and not the backing paper. The pictures in the directions were not that useful. When the design did not stick to the wall, as I had hoped, I realized that I would have to get the design to stick to the sticky paper first. Therefore, I need start over again. Too bad I crumpled up the sticky paper part and threw it in the trash.
Plan B.. I will reuse the sticky backing of the other half for this half. So I proceed to remove the backing paper from the Part B half and then thought, “Oh, I should see how big this is supposed to be and mark the wall". So I took the two parts and set them on my countertop to see how big this design was and to figure out how to mark the wall, thinking I could apply the design in a new way, from bottom to top.** Uh oh, something was terribly wrong with the design...then I flipped the sticky side down to make the halves match the registration marks ... and succeeded in getting the design and sticky backing firmly stuck to the shiny cover of Price Chopper’s Party Platter order book. #@%*&.
Continuing to mutter all sorts of things to myself, I proceeded to unstick the decal and backing as gently as I could from the booklet so I wouldn’t stretch or tear the thin vinyl design. I figured any marks that I made with an exacto knife would probably not show if I had an interesting floral arrangement on the piano and left the lights low. It did take a while, so I was able to apply the design to the wall by standing on a chair and leaning over the piano. Those darn burnishing tools ought to have idiot strings on them… I lost it behind the piano on the first attempt… my expired Anthem Blue Cross card worked well enough though, and I managed to transfer the design to the wall with only a slight skew to the design.
With the now empty sticky paper backing from Part B, I was able to correctly transfer the top half of the design, Part A, to the stickypaper – mind you this is a scroll type of design and a royal, but beautiful, pain in the keester and the stickyback paper is actually kind of fragile. It was definitely a patchwork affair (crazy quilt actually) by the time I got done with the transfer. I went back to my perch on the chair with one foot on the piano for steadying purposes and tried to get the halves lined up. Lifting and placing, lifting and replacing. In the process, small independent leaves remained behind out of place. Oh well. Right now the Part A is stuck to the wall with the sticky paper backing intact, and my arms are killing me (I shoveled a path for the mailman yesterday), so I decided to take a break. It can only help.
[after a 1/2 hour computer break]
I suppose, it is time to get back to the decal that is still there waiting for me. I can’t wait to tackle the other two parts that are supposed to line up with these two – the little red dots... I whip out my id card and burnish the piece in place, more or less.
And, so, the saga continued in pretty much the same vein. Armed with all this newly-gained expertise in removing backing from fronting while still maintaining design on only one surface, I carefully cut the dot halves apart, remove the backing and carry the stickyback paper with half of the little red dots folded back-to-back to the piano again. Please note that, while I did have the presence of mind to move the piano away from the wall and place my chair behind it while taking my break, I congratulated myself a bit too early... I hop up on the chair and I let go of one end of the stickyback paper only to find that the curl in the paper (the design had arrived at my doorstep rolled up in a mailing tube) caused the sticky sides to touch and, yes, adhere.
More choice words were uttered.
Back to the kitchen counter to unstick the sticky paper. This was a bit more challenging...I don't know what kind of adhesive they use, but I sure could use some for general repair purposes around the house... some dots did cross over to the dark side, but peeled off fairly well - this is when I discovered these pieces have only one sticky side.*** Once I got back up on the chair I find that the little dots don't quite match up with my slightly skewed scrolly design. Hmpf. Quel surprise! Okay.
The only solution I can come up with is to print out the picture of the design from the website* and tape it up on the wall near the emerging design in progress. I should be able to place the dots where they belong, or close enough to it. Well, by cutting apart the patterns (which look like a peek at a night sky with the stars rendered in varying sized red dots instead of pretty twinkling lights) into individual "constellations" I ended up with surprisingly easy bits to put up on the wall.
Following the pattern closely, I do finally get the dots placed in appropriate places, and even fudge it a little so the gaps from misalignment aren't so obvious. I stand back to take a look. I find that if I turn my head and squint - it isn't too bad.
To keep me company throughout this experience I am listening to several podcasts from Craftcast... Alison Lee is talking with some inspiring artists discussing what it is like to create in their respective medium. And what it is like when things go astray. Yeah. I get it.
The end result? Well, I somehow had the vision that this was a much bigger design. It looks kind of puny compared to my idea of what it should look like, but, then again, I would probably be in a padded room by now if it had been any larger.
Merry, Happy Christmas!
* Wouldn't you have included a photograph or drawing of the finished design in with the package when you sent it? I would have.
**Yes, way after I put this up I decided I probably could have installed this design upside-down and it would have been better aligned. Go figure - when the thought eventually pops into the brain after the fact, is it the universe laughing at you or what?
*** Yes, I should have discovered that the first time I tried to apply the design from the backing paper. Duh.
ps. I am now working on the floral design to take some of the pressure off the delightful wall art...
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