Wall Decor Hunt..!!
My wallpaper hunt began since the day we moved into our new home. The fact that the home was constructed by nonprofessional’s made it that much harder to work with when it came to interior decor. My living room, as I’ve mentioned before looks like a long hallway making it super hard to decorate on a budget. If I had the money I would of split it in half years ago. 🙁 It took me many years to make it look somewhat decent inside and it’s still a work in progress. To give you a better Idea of what I mean when I say “hallway” here’s a snippet. (below) The wall to the right was in major need of a revamp. I figured if I could make that wall look busy it would draw the attention away from the length of the room.
Here’s a snippet of the wall on the right. LONG big empty white wall. I love white.. Just not that much. 😀
Golden Book..
So… my journey for budget friendly and TRENDY wallpaper begin. I went from floral to , geometrical, to gold leaf..damask..etc. and nothing really stuck to me. Everything seemed to get in the way of the other decor.. I didn’t want the living room overdone I just wanted to even it out. So one day while on Pinterest (“the queen of inpso” ) I stumbled upon bookpage wallpaper and I thought “How awesome is that?!!” The only problem I had with it was the fact that everything I found on pinterest seemed as if it was made up of multiple books because of the difference in color shades of the pages on the wall. I did not like this and decided to find a book big enough to cover the whole wall with one book.
Now let’s not forget thrifting is a great hobby of mine and it just so happen that in the next couple of days I came across the perfect book that would be the answer to all my problems. YEP, “A 1967 College edition dictionary” was the answer. It had the perfect amount of images and I loved the fact that it was a dictionary. I figured it was a 2-1 whammy.. I’d be a genius pretty soon from all the words I’d learn every time I walked past it. hehe. (Never happened . I got so used to it I forget it’s there.)
BEST PART
Oh my Gosh here’s the highlight of it all. You know what’s the best part? When I said budget I really meant BUDGET FRIENDLY.. This WHOLE wall cost me $6.. Yep six whole dollars. How awesome is that?!!! I got my dictionary for $1..and my Adhesive was a total of $5. 😀 😀 😀 Oh and for those of you renters here’s an awesome TIP: This could be used as removable wallpaper. YEP removable. I’ve done this before with liquid starch instead of adhesive and it slid right off with a good damp rag..
(keep in mind make sure the walls are glossy, because the paint from the letters could possibly seep into paint that is satin or eggshell based….But you could do a patch test in a less visible spot to see if it’ll work) 😀
Okay let’s begin..
What you’ll need
- Dictionary
- Wallpaper Adhesive
- Brush
- (empty wall 😀 )
Don’t overthink this process. This is a super easy and messy process. I ripped the pages out of the dictionary and zoomed away gluing. This huge wall took me only 4 hours to complete which is probably no different then repainting it. 😀
I started off by doing vertical rows with the pages off set to one another. (brick pattern).
Then Once all my rows were complete. I slapped on some on top to break up the visible pattern. This step will all depend on you and how even or messy you want your wallpaper. I went for the MESSY. 😀
This is what it looked like once I was all done and set up my wall decor. It’s different now.. I’m not crazy about shabby chic anymore so my living room looks a bit more modern nowadays. Cool thing is this wallpaper looks good no matter what style you throw into the mix. $6 and timeless style?? Can’t beat that!! 😀
Here’s a more modernized version of the wallpaper to give you a better idea of how versatile it is. 😀
Absolutely in love with the vintage camera prints. (I got these free printables here)
I don’t think my love for Vintage Collectables will ever fade. 😀
Here’s a close up of the wallpaper. How cool are those awesome vintage illustrations.
I love the frayed edges. 
OOOH look I found the A. 😀
Here’s another great example of those vintage genuine illustrations.
And one last snippet .. 😀
Thanks for joining me.. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make your own golden book wallpaper. 😀
And before I go my lovely craftoholics here’s an awesome pinnable to pin to your favorite board 😀
Two questions… 1- Did you apply the paste to the walls or the pages first? 2- It looks like the back side of the pages aren’t visible through the paper, is that right? Thanks! Your wall looks great and I can’t wait to do this myself!!
I applied the paste on the wall first. I worked in about 2 by 2 feet squares. Just enough to get the wall wet works fine which also gives the edges a nice frayed look. Yes you are correct the back side is not visible (ink from the other side) I would stay away from applying glue on top though because that can cause it seep through. Awe Thanks I’m delighted to hear you liked my wall. Oh how exciting.. 😀 I can’t wait to see your wall. Please hashtag #lilyardor on Instagram I would love to see your awesome wall. 😀 😀 😀
I actually do have one more question. The wall I’m going to do is inside a nook under the staircase. I’m making it a reading nook. It’s in what used to be my oldest daughter’s room and it was her canvas for art. The walls are flat paint, with drawings all over them in crayon as well as colored pencil. I really wanted to preserve that, which is why I wanted to do a removable wallpaper paste instead of something permanent. However, with the walls being flat, will that work? Will it come off as easily? My other option is to photograph all the artwork and make her a photo album and then paint with semigloss before papering. Any advice is appreciated 🙂 Thanks!!
Oh interesting. This is what I would do. I would for sure photograph everything just in case.. then I would use semi-gloss clear coat and instead of using wallpaper glue use “liquid starch”.. Sold at walmart in gallons. This will make the wallpaper easily removable with a wet rag once needed. Keep in mind the ink from the papers might transfer a little but then again it might night since you will have the clear gloss on the wall (you could do a patch test..leave overnight to dry then remove). I think that would be the best way to preserve it. Hope this helps 😀
Clear gloss! Perfect! Thank you 🙂 I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Awesome. Can’t wait to hear from you. 😀 😀
I just started my wall and I’m having the hardest time getting wrinkles from forming. I’ve tried everything! I tried putting the pages on while the glue was really wet, and just tacky. I’ve smoothed from the center out and pressed really well, and I’ve just thrown them up there willy nilly. Any tips? I only applied about 10 pages and decided to stop until I find out what to do. It may look ok once it’s dried, so I’m waiting to see. Any advice would be appreciated!!
Hi there 😀 . I remember freaking out when I was doing my wall and tried to perfect it to.. but, I wouldn’t worry if I were you the wrinkles go with the frayed edges and aren’t noticeable once the whole wall is done. If you look closer at my wallpaper photos you’ll notice it’s full of wrinkles. 😀 Hope this helps.
I actually had a glass of wine and went back to it with a fresh attitude and made it work. I applied the paste to the back of the pages instead of the wall then smoothed it out. I had a couple of wrinkles, but nowhere near as many as when I first started. I managed to cover one wall in my cupboard under the stairs with all of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. I have one happy son right now! Thank you for all of your help!
AWE That’s awesome. 😀 I’m so glad to hear it worked out well. I haven’t tried it that way but I will keep it in mind if I’ll be bookpageing another wall. Oh My Gosh I could imagine. 😀 😀 My son would be over the moon happy!! 😀
What a great idea, my friend! Thank you! I love it!
Awe thank you Mia. I’m glad you love it. 😀
How do you keep your wall clean? I wash my painted walls once a year and they have so much dust, it makes me wonder how the frayed edges don’t need a dusting?
I know what you mean. I can’t seam to keep up with my white walls. Little finger prints seem to reappear in no time . hehe 😀 I am actually surprised with how easy it is to keep this wall clean. My little guy doesn’t seam to touch them and to my surprise there are no visible palm prints anywhere. 😀 The writing probably makes up for that but I occasionally go over the wall with a damp rag to keep the dust off. Nothing major. 😀
Love the wall idea. My husband works at a bookstore and both of us love to read. I am constantly looking for projects where I can use old books or part of books. Never thought of an accent wall. Can’t wait to suggest it to my sweetie & start planning.
Thank you Rayleen. I’m delighted to hear you loved it. Oh my Gosh that’s awesome…!!! always wondered what it would be like to work at a book store. 😀 I always tell my guests I learn a word a day.. hehe. lol 😀 I didn’t hold on to that habit for long because I got so used to it being there, but this would be an awesome way to learn new words. 😀 I can’t wait to see your project. Just curious you must own a library or a nook somewhere in your house? This wood be a great accent wall for a library. I would probably slap on a few vintage open books to just to give it a more unique touch if I owned a library 😀 😀 😀 .
great work…starting to-morrow
My question is after finishing 1) glue
2) paper
DO YOU HAVE TO COVER THE PAPER FOR PRESERVATION ?
..or do you just leave the covered wall to dry on its own ?
Thanks Talented Lady
Hi Mary, you don’t have to preserve your wall it’s totally up to you. Although just in case you want to remove it, it would be easier to remove if you don’t preserve it.
Hola, es una idea genial, la voy a adaptar para un aseo pequeño con páginas de una enciclopedia del mar. Creo que quedará bien, muchas gracias por tu idea y las explicaciones. Como es un aseo pienso que deberé proteger las hojas de la humedad con algún barniz. También me encantan las impresiones vintage de cámaras de fotos, pero no he podido descargarlas ya que pide un inicio de sesión y no se cómo darme de alta para lograrlas ¿me puedes ayudar? Gracias y muchas felicidades por tu página tan original y entretenida.
Oh wow what a great idea. I think a sea dictionary would look sssso cute in a bathroom. Yes I would definitely apply a varnish over it if you’re doing a wall in the bathroom. Oh man I didn’t realize that link for the printables doesn’t work. I can’t sign into it as well and I don’t have the printables on file. So sorry I wish I could help. Maybe try googling ” free vintage camera printable ” Hope this helps. Let me know how your project goes! 😀 😀
Hi! Love your wall and am inspired to do this on several of my home’s walls. Question…do you think I could do this on top of wallpaper since I don’t want to remove 20+ year old wallpaper, if I can help it. What do you think? Thank you!
Hi Bette, Thank you. I’m happy to hear you loved it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work over old wallpaper. it would definitely save you a lot of trouble instead of having to remove it all. The only thing I would do different is probably using liquid starch instead of wallpaper adhesive in case you ever want to remove the paper it’ll be easier to remove. I would also probably do a 2’x2′ foot test area (somewhere not very visible) to see how the wallpaper underneath reacts. Hopefully it won’t turn into mush. Let me know how to goes. 🙂
I am thinking of giving this a try to my bedroom (it’s really a sunroom). It’s almost all windows, and what’s not window is brick that has been painted white. Do you think I could use wallpaper adhesive for the brick? I’ll probably just tape the paper going onto the windows, unless you have another suggestion! Thanks so much! So excited to give this a try!!
Hi Lily, I’m so excited for your makeover. Personally I wouldn’t use wallpaper adhesive on the brick only because if I decided to remove it someday it would be tough to remove. I would try using liquid starch (walmart sells it) . It’ll dry just like glue but isn’t as sticky and is way easier to remove especially from brick since it has a textured surface. Are you planning on covering the windows as well?
What a unique idea! I think you chose well with all the fine print of a dictionary. From a distance it just looks like a small print wallpaper. I’m thinking where I could use your great idea. However the loose and fraying edges would drive me crazy. Can you put a coat of wallpaper paste over the top? While it’s still wet or after it’s dry? I’m thinking of my kids’Berenstain books in the bedroom where I’d stenciled the alphabet on a small sloping portion between the wall and the ceiling. Even as a teenager I wouldn’t let my son cover it because I’d worked so hard on it and loved it a so much!
Oh my gosh I love the Berenstain books. Those were my favorite growing up. 😀 😀 That would make such a cool wall feature. I know what you mean. Art takes a lot of time and effort. I have pieces of art that stuck with me over the years as well. This all reminds me of when we lived in europe and I was 4 I would scribble all over the walls. Funny thing 20 years later my mom visited europe and went into that house and said my artwork was still there. LOL Kind of scary and amazing! I don’t know why they didn’t paint there walls for that long. I guess it wasn’t a very rich neighborhood and she said it’s a barn now. Anyways I think you can definitely give it a coat on top to protect it and stop the fraying. You can use the wallpaper paste however I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s really hard to work with and if you ever want to spray and wipe it down your rag will get stuck to it. I would use some sort of clear protector sold at lowe’s or home depot. Valspar (lowe’s) sells a great clear protector and you can whipe it down if you ever need to.
Hi Lily. This is such a cute idea. I am now searching for old patterns to use in the section of my bedroom where I keep my sewing machine set up. I think this will make it look more finished than looking like I just didn’t put the sewing machine away. Thanks
OOH that’s sounds lovely Pam. I think it’ll complete your little sewing nook. Never would of thought of using sewing pattern that ssso cool!
Thank you very much for sharing, I learned a lot from your article. Very cool. Thanks. nimabi