Paint a stellar argyle accent wall.

Hey folks!

Day 2 of LOLLYPALOOZA

continues with my most challenging rewarding project to date.

Each time I walk into Kees' nursery, I can't help but SMILE at that DARN CUTE wall :)

I absolutely ♥ it.

Enough bragging!  Now onto the tutortial of how to PaiNt a SteLLaR AcCeNt  ArGyLe WaLL:

Supplies.  What you will need:

Step 1: Grab a partner! 

It made this project so.much.easier to have someone to take silly pictures brainstorm with.  It can be overwhelming at first so I was RELIEVED to have Kell there to hold the template while I drew lines and etc.  Plus, this project is T-I-M-E consuming so it's nice to chit chat :)

Step 2:  Make a template.  

We simply drew a diamond shape with a straight edge onto a standard 18"x24" posterboard the size we wanted our diamond to be, which ended up being 14"x14".  Easy peasy!

{PS: Notice my WhippyCake glamour band?  Love it!}

Step 3:  Trace the template.

We started smack dab in the middle of the wall around eye level (simply guesstimated, no measuring required!) and traced the template.  From there we continued to trace (using the level every other diamond or so to make sure things were even) until we had a complete outline of all the diamonds on the entire wall.

 

Step 4: Paint... the main color.

I started with a plain jane white wall and because chocolate brown was my main color throughout this space, we started with that.  You can either use the painters tape at this point to tape off* OR paint the main colored diamond, minus the edges.  Pay close attention now...

*If you decide to tape off, you must do it in stages because you can't paint diamonds that touch (your tape will overlap and cover the neighboring diamond.) You will need to:

-Tape a row of diamonds
-Paint
-Play the waiting game (dry time)
-Remove the tape
-Paint the missed rows of diamonds

Wow, that sounds a wee bit CoMpLiCaTeD, doesn't it?  I chose instead to get the main color painted and then went back back for touch up's (ie: edges.)  Now you see why I used only 3 colors and went with a larger diamond ;)

Step 5: Paint... the remaining colors.

Now that all of your main color diamonds are painted and the edges are nice & straight:

you can simply fill in the remaining colors by taping over your main colored diamonds (make sure paint is completely DRY!) and fill in each color as you go.  Note: IF YOU HAVE A TEXTURED WALL, clear caulk is a good trick to fill in the texture so the lines stay straight.  Just put some on a putty knife or your finger and rub on the side of the tape you are painting, wait a few minutes for it to dry and VIOLA! 
Pretty soon your wall will look like this:

Complete.  Yay!

Note: I haven't added the cross-hatching yet, which is an option... our baby was being born (a week early!) so while the brown paint was drying (literally!) the hubbs & I were on a red-eye flight!  My darling sisters finished while I was gone :)  Awww. 

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  Comment for any ?'s!
See ya tomorrow :)

***edited***
Just saw THIS and wow!  Great tips!



* Linked to THESE fab~o parties! THANKS for hosting, all! :) *