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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Wall Murals

I've had thoughts of nursery decoration tucked in the back corner of my mind for a while now, and I recently found a pretty cool resource for DIY wall murals. Trace Designs is a business run by a talented SAHM who has found a great way to help us non-painterly types be able to create our own wall murals in only a few simple steps.

I've always wanted to paint a wall mural for our nursery, but the idea of how to do it and actually do a good job is a little bit of a different story. I'm actually quite creative, and I've got a lot of creative talent in my family, but this task still seems daunting when I think about doing it from scratch. When my niece was born a couple of years ago, I thought of giving my sister the gift of a wall mural for her nursery. However, when I looked up a local artist to see how much she would charge to paint a custom mural, the price (almost $1,000) was way outside my range. I wish I had known about Trace Designs back then! At only ~ $40.00 plus the cost of paint and supplies, this is a much more affordable option!

I've been looking around the site for a day or two, and I'm still not certain which of the designs I like best. The gender neutral thing is still an issue, but that's going to be an issue no matter what I choose to do. For now I'm just sitting on the idea and thinking about how Trace Designe might fit into my grand scheme of ideas...thought I'd pass it along!

16 comments:

Bri said...

You can totally do a mural yourself with ZERO creativity. Especially since you are a soon to be teacher and should have access to some stuff. My mom used to do sports murals for some of her friends' kids and when they got too complicated to free hand she would make a copy of whatever she was doing onto a transparency and then use a projector to project it on the wall and trace it that way. Then you can choose literally whatever you want! So, I guess you just have to have access to a projector!

Rebekah said...

I love this idea Melba, the website is really cool! Like B, said I often use a projector and then just trace the pictures on the wall. It takes a small amount of skill to do that!!

Can't wait to see what you decide to do!

Evergreen said...

This is very cool! I checked out the website - some neat designs. Can't wait to see what you decide!

(ps- I'm looking for butterflies to paint on the wall - if you find any with them let me know!)

alicia said...

thats such a cool idea! I am sure you will be able to find the perfect one!

Anonymous said...

That's a great idea! Hiring a student was still fairly expensive. We ended up paying Mollie almost $200 in labor, plus the cost of the paints and brushes. I'm off to check out that website... :)

Anonymous said...

Cool stuff! My favorites are the elephants and the jungle. Those are my votes for you. It would also be cool to buy the frame one and use chalkboard paint like they suggest. When your baby is tiny you can keep track of feeding times on it and then when he/she is older they can draw on it. If we had room on Evie's walls I would consider it for us! :)

RB said...

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

Kel said...

Hey Mel! I just decided yesterday to mural the words to the I love you forever book as a border around the top of the walls of my future kiddo's room! The transparancy thing was suggested by my mom and we're going to do it together when she's here for memorial day! If I can do it, you can! :D

Holly said...

Whenever you get ready (provided it is after graduation, lol) I would love to help you do the mural. It would be fun. Whether we use the Trace Designs thing or just do it freehand, I'd like to help...let's have a mural party!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this website... can't wait to see what you choose for your little one!

Jamie said...

Melba ~ you can do it! :) I have faith in your creativity. :) I'll have to check out this website.
I did big bumble bees on milo's walls. I was really nervous, but they ended up looking pretty cute. :)
Can't wait to see your work of art!

hope548 said...

Our very good friend does them (and did one for us) using an overhead projector. She looks around online and pays a few bucks to download the designs she likes, then prints them onto transparency sheets. She displays the design onto the wall using the overhead and then paints the outline, then fills in the colors. You probably need a bit of natural talent to fill in the background and such, but she made it look pretty easy.

I love murals!

StylinMom said...

LOVE IT!!!

you can do it!
it will look so awesome!

m
xo

Wendy said...

I think it's a great idea! I love to paint, so I actually painted a large painting to hang in our nursery-to-be. I change my mind all the time, so I wanted it to be something that I could take down and change if I wanted to. But I love murals, too -- have fun with it!

Megan Marasigan said...

Happy Sunday everyone! I am the owner of Trace Designs. Melba, thanks soooo much for finding us. I am thrilled you posted our info and it was wonderfult to read the comments. I am an at home mom and am so glad to have had this opportunity to offer my designs to others through our traceable kits. I offer a special blogger discount if you are still intetrested in trying us out. We'll be on HGTV.com soon and are also branching into adult-wall space designs. Thanks again and congrats on your "mom to be" title!!! Cheers, Megan Marasigan
info@tracedesignsonline.com www.tracedesignsonline.com

Megan Marasigan said...

By the way... I wish you the very best on your adoption journey. I have seen first hand what an amazing experience it can be. I think it is wonderful that you are sharing this with others. I will be a frequent visitor to your site.- Cheers, Megan