Faux Brick Wall Tutorial

I really did not mean to keep everyone in suspense after I revealed in yesterday's post the faux brick wall I created in my craft room.  I simply wanted to link up with the Pinterest challenge and did not have the time to add the whole tutorial due to other commitments.  SORRY!

Without further ado, here are the details on how to create your own 'brick' wall.

I picked up from Home Depot a roll of this SuperFresco Paintable Wallpaper.  There are various textures to choose from.  The one I chose just has a simple line texture.  The wallpaper cost $21.95 and there are no other wallpaper supplies needed for this project.  No fancy prepping adhesive, no special tray, and no trowel.

Then I cut up the wallpaper into 'bricks' using my Olfa fabric cutting system.  The size I chose for my brick was simply just for practicality reasons so you can make the 'brick' whatever works for you. 

 I chose 6" by 2 1/4" simply because my ruler was 6" wide and 2 1/4" left very little waste.

Then right over top of my previous stencil I drew out my grid lines for laying my 'brick'.  I decided to have 1/4" 'grout' lines so that meant adding 1/4" to each dimension.  My lines were drawn for 6 1/4" and 2 1/2" rectangles.

To wet my bricks I simply used a plastic container big enough to fit the 'brick' in, filled with water.

Then simply dip the 'brick'.

 

And stick it to the wall in the upper right corner of your lines.

The best part about this is that you can rework, and fudge the placement as you go along because the strips do not dry immediately.  Just make sure to press down the whole 'brick' to get a good bond.  Especially the edges.  I just used my finger for this.

To get a perfect fit at the edge just simply dry fit the 'brick' in place and crease it with your finger.

Then simply cut off the excess. 

Here is a picture of something I never counted on.  I quite liked the look of the 'brick' with dark 'grout' lines. 

However, upon close inspection you can see light and dark spots from my stencil.  If you like this look, simply paint the wall in the desired 'grout' color before adding your 'bricks'.  Then I think I would finish it it a glossy clear coat just to make all the texture stand out.

Anyhow, since I wasn't about to remove all the bricks, paint, and reapply I carried on with my original idea.  I wanted some of the dark wall to show through to make it more of an aged 'brick' look.  I simply took my paint (Benjamin Moore's Timid White in a gloss finish), and dry brushed the entire wall.  Simply dip the brush,

Wipe off the paint lightly,

And starting in the middle of the 'brick', lightly paint over the bricks.  Because the bricks have some depth to them not as much paint falls into the 'grout' lines.

The completed wall.

And a close up of the texture.

I did up a quick sample board for those who want the pure clean 'bricks' just to show that this works as well.  I think the trick for this look is to make sure to use a glossy paint so that all that beautiful texture shines.

And here is my new light and bright space now that I painted the remaining walls with the same Benjamin Moore color Timid White.

And a quick BEFORE.

AFTER.

So tell me.  Which of the three 'brick' looks would you choose?  Dark grout, aged brick, or clean white?

Linking To: Simply Creation, Frugalicious Friday, Remodelaholic's Anonymous, Flaunt it Friday, Show and Share, Tickled Pink, Free For All Fridays

Faux Brick Wall

So we all heard about the Pinterest Challenge from the dynamic duo, Sherry and Katie.  I've been wanting to brighten up my craft room for some time now so this was the perfect motivation for me to get going on it.  If you scroll through my inspiration photos you will notice these light and bright spaces all have something in common. 

If you noticed white brick you got it.  So I set out to brighten up my craft space and add a white brick wall.  (Without actually installing brick)

Here is the space before I started.

And with the successful addition of a faux brick wall.

And a few in progress shots.

Surely I am not the only one living in a brand new house that loves the architectural details found in old homes.

Tomorrow I will share a full tutorial on how I achieved this look.  Here's a hint.  It cost less than $25, and although a little time consuming, was very easy to accomplish.

Of course I will be linking up with these fabulous ladies:
Sherry, Katie, Ana, Erin

I'm Stumped

Way back in July I pulled a large cedar stump out of the flood pile at my parents cabin while on vacation with the kids.  It sat outside our house for a long time until finally my husband got around to cutting it into 3 - 19" stumps (that is the height of this West Elm stool).  The process is simple.  Sand until you do not think you can sand anymore.  And then sand some more.  You get the picture.  Oh, and times that by three if you are making multiples like I did.  I finished mine with Helmsman Spar Urethane.

Now the dilemma is where to place these stools/tables in my house.  I have a few favorite places.

My Daughter's Room

I can picture a industrial style goose-neck lamp perched on it here.

The Living Room

Lined up in front of the fireplace.

Or cozied up to the couch as a table.

In The Ensuite

As a side table by the tub.

Or as stools under the towels.

In The Master Bedroom

In the Basement

As a side table.

  What do you think?  Cast your votes on what location or combination.  Remember there are 3 stumps.

Linking To: Type A Decorating, Create and Share, Under $100, Simply Creations, Frugalicious Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Remodelaholic's Anonymous

When one thing Leads to another!

If you have been following along, yesterday I was working on 'dipping' something as this technique seems to be my new love.  I was sure there was something in my house that I could 'dip' so I no longer had to just admire this look online but could have a little of its loveliness right here at home. 

I have been working on a huge house and yard fall clean-up list this week so have been refraining from any 'projects'.  I decided it was time for a little break and this would give me my 'quick fix'.

These vases sitting on the shelf in our 'water closet' were definitely in need of a little life.

A little measuring,

A little taping,

A little spraying,

Dipped Look.

But wait,  still fairly lifeless.  In hind sight I should have chose a color to spray the vases rather than a silver metallic.  My options were pretty limited though, as I only had white, black, Oil Rubbed Bronze, and silver on hand and I wanted to do them TODAY!!! (or yesterday).  So silver it was. 

This corner still needed some help though so off I went on a little tour to see what I could find to add some more dimension.  The box of leftover twigs from my twig wreath was the first thing I came across.  I sprayed a couple branches with my Oil Rubbed Bronze paint (they needed to be a little darker so one quick coat gave me the color I wanted but still left all the natural goodness showing).  Although a little better, still not quite enough.  I then stumbled upon some pallet wood cut-offs from another project.  Sanded them.  Glued them together.  Put a coat of polyurethane on. 

I love wood.

Needless to say, I never crossed one item off my fall clean-up list.  So much for just a 'quick fix'.

Linking To: Simply Creation, Frugalicious Friday, Remodelaholic's Anonymous, Flaunt it Friday, Show and Share

Dipping!!

I have fallen in love with the 'dipped' look lately.

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Something is getting the 'dip' treatment in my house today!!!  I'll be back to share tomorrow.

Natural Twig Wreath

Thanks to pinterest I came across this beautiful wreath.

The Painted Hive

A quick hop over to The Painted Hive and I was equipped with a list of supplies and directions on how to make this beauty.

A beautiful fall day led us on a sponaneous walk to the river to collect driftwood twigs with a friend.

The assembly of the wreaths was fairly straight forward.  The only change we made in the construction of our wreaths was to cut the glue sticks to the appropriate size, lay them around the backing and use a heat gun to heat the glue.  This allowed us to work in 1/4 sections of the wreath without having to glue each individual piece.  A quick reheat also allowed for easy adjustments.

As I still have many blank walls there was so many potential spots to hang this wreath.  A little tour around this house concluded that our ensuite was the perfect spot for this new addition.

My girlfriend plans to spray hers white.  While I orginally had it in my head I would spray mine silver I am enjoying the natural beauty of the weathered driftwood.

Want to make your own?  Check out the details from Kristine over at The Painted Hive.