DIY Wall Decals - Get the look of a wall mural without the mess!

Hey guys, it's Megan!

I FINALLY found time to finish part 2 in my "Bedroom Makeover" series. If you missed it, you can check it out here!

It felt like this space between my mirror and my bedside table was missing something. I've seen a ton of these "70's inspired" wavy stripe wall murals lately, and thought this would be a great place to put one.

Awkward empty space ⬆️

The only problem was, I've always been SUPER indecisive. I painted a wall mural back in middle school, and when I decided change it up it was a pain to ged rid of (you can still kind of see it if you look real close 😅)

With that in mind, I wanted to figure out a way to make a "non-permanent" mural.

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For this project you'll need:

*Matte Contact paper

*Paint

*Paintbrushes

*Scissors

*Vinyl (optional)

Start by deciding what to paint on your wall. I found it helpful to take a picture of the wall, and do a rough draft using the AutoDesk Sketchbook app on my iPad.

My "rough draft"

The next step depends on what you'd like to paint. My mural was pretty simple, it just had to fit around a few outlets. So, I stuck my contact paper on the wall before painting.

I tried adjusting the contrast so you could see it better

If you'd like to paint a more complicated design, you might find it easier to paint your design/cut it out before sticking it to the wall.

Once my wall was covered, I just painted my design on the contact paper.

You'll probably need multiple coats of paint for each section. I used Craftsmart paint (Michael's brand) for the top stripe, and needed 4 coats to make it opaque. I used Liquitex Basics paint for the second, and Arteza paint for the third stripe. They only needed two coats of paint.

Once everything dries, peel any excess contact paper off of the wall and cut around your shape.

To help it look a little less like a giant purple strip of bacon, I used my Cricut machine to cut stars from white vinyl to stick on top.

If you're looking to make a smaller design or a repeating pattern, using a Cricut machine and vinyl is another easy way to make a temporary wall mural.

I kind of have mixed feelings about it. I honestly can’t tell if it looks cool or tacky... (I'm sure you guys will let me know 😂)

Thankfully, if I change my mind it will be super easy to remove.

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