Paint

Geometric Wall Mural

I was inspired to create this Geometric Wall Mural after seeing the 2023 FrogTape® Design Trends. Travel is the trend for 2023 (we are all ready for some change of scenery), and here are the four design trends:

  • Redrock Renewal
  • Bohemian Bazaar
  • Nordic Nature
  • Midtown Modern

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape® . All opinions are 100% mine.

You can see more details on these design trends HERE, and I chose to add the Midtown Modern design trend to our home.

The Midtown Modern trend is all about a “rich” urban lifestyle using saturated hues like black or navy. Accent with bright brass and use plush fabrics like velvet and satin.

I added the look to our home by creating a unique geometric wall mural. I painted the base coat in a high-gloss finish and l created a design using FrogTape® I painted over the wall with flat paint, removed the tape, and I had a unique and gorgeous accent wall.

To create your own Geometric Wall Mural, here are the supplies you will need.

Supplies for Geometric Wall Mural:

  • 5 rolls of FrogTape® Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape – Green, 0.94 in. x 60 yd.
  • 2 rolls of FrogTape® Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape – Green, 1.88 in. x 60 yd.
  • Drop Cloth
  • 1 quart of high gloss finish paint
  • 1 quart of matte finish paint
  • Level
  • Paint Brush
  • Paint Roller
  • Paint Tray
  • Scissors
  • Exacto Knife

How to Create a Geometric Wall Mural

  • Paint the entire wall with a high-glossy finish paint.
  • Plan your design. I found an image online and decided to begin with a grid pattern to create the geometric design.
  • To create the grid pattern, I used .94-inch tape for the lines and used 1.88-inch tape for the spaces. Begin at the center of the wall – use a level to make sure that the first line is straight. Continue to proceed across the wall.

If the wall was recently painted (less than a month), use FrogTape® Delicate Surface Painter’s Tape.

  • For the horizontal lines, begin at the top of the wall and continue down the wall repeating the taping pattern.
  • Once the wall is a large grid, begin to work on the details. Using the printout I found online, I drew out the pattern in sections.
  • Once the pattern is drawn out, take the Exacto knife and cut away what isn’t needed. Be careful not to press too hard – you need just enough pressure to cut the tape and not damage the wall.
  • Next, create the diamond pattern using fresh tape and cut it with scissors.
  • Once the pattern is complete, make sure the FrogTape adheres wall to the wall. I went over the entire wall with a dry paint roller.
  • Finally, it is time to paint the matte finish paint.
  • Once the paint is dry, carefully pull back the FrogTape.

  • Enjoy your new accent wall!

Watch the entire process of creating the geometric wall mural here:

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Decor

Toy Room Makeover

I’m excited to share our toy room makeover with you today.

Toy Room Makeover with FrogTape

All summer long, I obsessed over the color kelly green.  I love its beautiful boldness, and I wanted it in my home.  However, it just did not work with my neutral decor palette.

green-kids-room

I spent months trying to figure out where I could add it, and one day the perfect space dawned on me – the kids’ playroom!

playroom-before

The playroom was painted a pale green but is separate from the rest of my house.  It was time to kick that green into high gear without worrying about it not fitting with the rest of my home’s neutral colors.

prepping-room-before-painting

Before I began painting, I began by prepping the room with FrogTape®.

painting-the-playroom

Besides offering several different widths, FrogTape® offers a tape specifically for delicate surfaces as well as their classic, multi-surface tape.

Using Frog Tape to Paint (1 of 1)

The yellow delicate surface FrogTape® was used on the wallpapered wall.

painting-with-frog-tape

frog-tape-on-wallpaper

And it was also used on the chalkboard wall.

frog-tape-for-delicate-surfaces

frog-tape-on-chalkboard-wall

The result was crisp paint lines and no damage to my wallpaper or chalkboard. I used the green multi-surface FrogTape® on all the other areas – mainly the trim.

frog-tape

clean-lines-with-frog-tape

FrogTape® brand painter’s tape is the only painting tape treated with patented PaintBlock® Technology. PaintBlock® reacts with the water in latex paint and instantly gels to form a barrier against paint bleed giving you the sharpest paint lines possible – which is especially important with my bold color choice!

bold-green-accent-wall

bold-green-accent-wall-with-frog-tape

This space is constantly evolving as the kids get older.  I want this room to be fun and inviting.

kelly-green-playroom

The green adds an entirely new life to everything.  The colors seem more vibrant and the toys more fun.

bold-toy-room I also love the green next to the black and white frame wallpaper.

green-playroom

I would love to know – what color are you currently obsessing over?  Are you brave enough to cover an accent wall with that color?

Go create something!

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*This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post by FrogTape®. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own.

Decor

Entry Makeover

It’s amazing what a little paint did for our Entry Makeover!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Entry Makeover with Frog Tape

The entry is the first impression guests have of your home.  My entry was fine, but I knew it could be better.

Here is a before shot of the entry:

Using Frog Tape on Trim (1 of 1)

I have never loved the front door, but I do try to make the best of it.  It was a burgundy color when we bought the home, but I painted it gray and more recently the black you see above.

It still was not the statement it wanted to be.  I love the black trim I am seeing everywhere.  Although most of my home doesn’t lend itself to black trim, I really felt it would work well in our entry.

I began with FrogTape®.

Using Frog Tape to Paint (1 of 1)

I used the green multi-surface FrogTape® to protect the drywall next to the trim.

Using Frog Tape to Paint trim (1 of 1)

And the yellow delicate surface FrogTape® was used to protect my recently painted front door.

Using Frog Tape on Delicate Surfaces (1 of 1)

When painting trim, you also want to fix any pieces that may require attention.

Fix Trim around Door (1 of 1)

I had a piece of trim above my door that had popped out, so I nailed it back in place.

Tips for painting Trim (1 of 1)

Before painting trim, you also need to wipe down any dust and grime.

Wipe down trim before painting (1 of 1)

Once the trim is all prepped (taped, repaired, and cleaned), you are ready to begin painting.

I always like to test previously painted surfaces to see if it has been painted with an oil-based or latex paint.

Testing for Oil-based Paint (1 of 1)

Using nail polish remover, I wiped some of the painted trim,  If it comes off, you will know it is water-based paint.  If it is clean, it is oil-based.  I had paint on my cloth, so I knew my paint was water-based (latex).

I prefer to use water-based paint whenever possible, and I found this latex in black.

Painting Black Trim around Door (1 of 1)

Using a small angled brush, I painted all the trim.

Painting Black Trim (1 of 1)

I started on one side and painted across the doorway.

Using Frog Tape for Painting Project (1 of 1)

I also painted the inside trim inside the door.

I let the first coat dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions and painted a second coat.  Once the second coat was dry, I began removing the tape.

FrogTape® brand painter’s tape is the only painting tape treated with patented PaintBlock® Technology.  PaintBlock® reacts with the water in latex paint and instantly gels to form a barrier against paint bleed giving you the sharpest paint lines possible

Removing Frog Tape (1 of 1)

FrogTape® removes easily and quickly.

Using Frog Tape on Painted Surface (1 of 1)

I am so happy with the end result!

DIY Entry Update (1 of 1)

The black trim adds a cohesive (and grand) look to our entry.

DIY Black Trim (1 of 1)

How to update an entryway (1 of 1)

Want to see more painting ideas besides our entry makeover? Check out FrogTape® painting inspiration!

Go create something!

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Paint

Painted Swiss Cross Pattern

Learn how to create this painted swiss cross pattern wall.  It’s a great alternative to wallpaper!

Swiss Cross Patterned Wall

Pattern Wall with Frog Tape

At the top of our stairs, there is a fairly large landing.  The wall just seemed to be screaming for some attention…

Before

I have been admiring all the swiss cross patterns I have seen in home decor lately, and I decided to paint swiss crosses as an accent wall.

Multi-Surface Frog Tape

I have painted several patterned walls with painters’ tape, and I always use FrogTape.  It really keeps the lines sharp!  

I began making my game plan, and I played around with FrogTape to see how large I wanted my swiss crosses to be (and how far apart I wanted them).

Practice with Frog Tape

 And then I measured the wall and sketched out my pattern.

Planning out the wall design

Now, you can definitely create the swiss crosses by taping them (like I did above) and painting over them.  However, I have a slight case of OCD, and I wanted my crosses to be the same size and spaced apart perfectly.

Using a Level

I used a level to created horizontal and vertical lines.  Then I taped them.

Frog Tape copy

I painted over the entire wall with Valspar’s Notre Dame.

Painting over Frog Tape

 Then I removed the vertical tape.

Using Frog Tape for Patterns

Painted Pattern Using Frog Tape

(Each step of the way, I discovered a cool wall pattern that I was almost tempted to keep.)

Then I removed the horizontal tape.

Removing Horizontal Tape

Pile of frog tape

Painted Squares

My daughter loved this “square pattern.”  Seriously?  Aren’t all these transformation fun?!

Once the tape was removed, I went through and crossed off every other intersection.

Marking off sections

Adding x's

After I had crossed off the intersections I wasn’t going to use, I got to work taping off the swiss crosses.

Measuring Swiss crossesI

I measured two inches on top and two inches on bottom for the top and bottom of the cross.  I then taped off each cross.  I painted around the crosses and painted over the intersections I didn’t want.

Paint over the x

Painting over the X's

Painting a patterned wall with delicate frog Tape

Since I painted my wall the night before and was dealing with (very) freshly painted walls, I used FrogTape for Delicate Surfaces.

Delicate Surface Frog Tape

I removed the tape from the top and bottom of the crosses.

Almost there

Seriously, every step resulted in another cool pattern!

Then I got to work measure the sides of the crosses and taping them off.

Swiss Cross Pattern with Frog Tape

Once again I painted from off the extra cross arms.  And the end result – a fun painted swiss cross pattern!

Painted Swiss Cross Pattern

Swiss Cross Patterned Wall After

 

To see a DIY tutorial for the chalkboard travel map, click HERE!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Paint

Painted Ticking Striped Wall

Today I’m sharing the tutorial for a painted ticking striped wall.

Print

In my boys’ bathroom, I was inspired by the classic “ticking stripes” when I painted the walls.  To paint a ticking striped wall, it’s not hard.  It just requires a little patience and LOTS of (Frog Tape) painter’s tape.

Wall Stripes 1

I always find the center of the wall when I begin my painting projects.  Here I found the center, drew a thin pencil line using a level, and placed painters’ tape over top. Wall Stripes 2

I found that using two sizes of painters taped help make this project much easier.  (You can just double up the regular-sized painter’s tape for the thicker stripe rather than buyer the thicker width.)

Wall Stripes 3

I repeated the same pattern over and over:  thin – thin – thick – thin – thin

Wall Stripes 4

I then removed the two inside thin tape lines.  This helps me have the perfect lines I was hoping for.

Wall Stripes 5

I taped the same pattern over and over: thin – thin – thick – thin -thin

Wall Stripes 6

And pulled away from the middle thin lines.

Wall Stripes 7

After a lot of patience, the taping was done!

Wall Stripes 8

I painted over the entire wall with a lighter gray.

Wall Stripes 9

And when I pulled back all that tape, I had my ticking-inspired striped wall!

Boys Bathroom - AFTER 7 Ticking Stripes Painted

There were a few spots I had to touch up, but not many!  The tape really does do a great job keeping the paint out – you do not want to buy generic painter’s tape for this project.  It’s expensive, but Frog Tape is worth the extra money.  (And no, I’m not being paid to say this!) Want to see more of my boys’ bathroom?  Click on the photo below.

Print  

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home. Find me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Pinterest  

Paint

Adding Stripes to a Wall

Adding stripes to a wall is a fun way to add interest to a space.

I am really close to revealing my living room and my boys’ room.  But before I do, I am going to show you a little striped sneak peek! Horizontal stripes are fun and can work in many different spaces. From my formally casual (does that even make sense?!) living room:

Adding stripes to a wall

To my playful boys’ room:

paintstripes

Stripes are much easier than they appear.  The setup is the most time-consuming part, and it does require a little math to make your striped pattern work out correctly.  I ended up doing 10-inch stripes.  I used a ruler and started from the ceiling.  I just marked off 10 inches as I ran the length of the wall.

stripes.4

Then, I connected the marks (using a level) to make a straight line.

stripes.5

Next, I taped over my line. *Important tip: Use Frog tape.  It’s so worth the extra money!  It helps keep your lines much crisper without the paint seepage.

stripes.6

Finally, paint the lines.  I marked the sections I wanted to paint with a large “x”.  It can get confusing!

stripes.8   stripes.7

Now for a much better tutorial, check out Angela’s stripe painting tutorial at Unexpected Elegance.  I wish I had read her tutorial before I did my stripes.  The laser-level idea is genius. How-to-Add-Horizonal-Stripes-to-Any-Room-e1376961344330

The great thing with painted stripes is that it is just paint.  When you grow tired of them, you can just repaint the wall.  Keep in mind you may have to sand some before you repaint, but it is much easier than removing wallpaper! To see more on the boys’ room, click HERE.

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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