DIY : Star Wall

I love that we have a space in our main living area for our daughter to play and keep some toys.  Not only is it easy for us to hang out together, rather than being in separate rooms while she plays and I go about duties in the house, but it also gives a dedicated area for all the toys.  So. Many. Toys.....  and pieces....

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I am working toward creating what I am calling a "farmhouse chic" look in our main living area using cream, white and silver with rustic woods, galvanized metal and glass.  Because the play area is open to our kitchen and living area I wanted it to coordinate with everything going on in those areas as well, but I didn't want it to be too grown up, I still wanted it to be a fun space for a child to play and learn and dream.

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This project is easy, affordable and best of all temporary!  The stars are made of a metallic removable vinyl that peels off the wall easily leaving no residue. I love the metallic sheen that this vinyl has, it's not shiny, but it glimmers in the sunlight.  I ordered my vinyl from Expressions Vinyl and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the stars out of vinyl, but if you don't have a Silhouette you can look on Etsy for vinyl stars.

I decided on using stars that are 4" tall and that I wanted them 10" top point to top point in each direction to create my pattern.  I measured my wall and found the area and then did some simple math to figure out how many stars I would need to cover the whole wall.  Once I cut them all out I used a piece of cardboard to create a template to help me figure out where each star would be placed and keep them in straight lines.

I cut my piece of cardboard to be 10" tall since that was the distance I wanted between each top point and approximately 36" long. It is very important that your cardboard is cut perfectly straight and that the top and bottoms edges are exactly perpendicular so that your lines stay straight. I drew arrows 10" apart on the top edge starting from the top right corner, then I drew arrows 10" apart starting 5" from the bottom right corner so that the arrows on the bottom are exactly in between the top arrows. I drew a straight line in the center of the cardboard that was exactly perpendicular to the top and bottom of the cardboard and taped a small level onto the cardboard making sure that it lined up with the line drawn.

I used a level to find the starting point on the wall for my first star and marked it with an X.  It was exactly 10"up  from the baseboard and 2.5" over from the edge of the wall.  This would ensure that on that side of the wall none of the stars would need to be cut and they would create a nice pattern all the way up.  The other side of the wall didn't matter as much since it was short because of the stairs, but you may want to consider the measurements of your wall and how the stars will best lay out.

I then used my cardboard template to make the marks across the rest of the wall using the level taped on it to make sure that it stayed straight.  Once the first row was marked all the way across I moved the cardboard up and marked the next row by lining up the bottom arrows with the marks already made and again making sure that it stayed nice and level.

After I marked a couple of rows I began sticking the stars on the wall to see how if looked!  getting them as straight as I could I placed each one with the top point on the X on the wall.   I worked my way all the way up the wall, marking X's and sticking stars.  Wherever there was a star that ran into the edge of the wall or the electrical outlet I used a razor to cut off the portion not needed.

I am so happy with the end result! It's fun and youthful but not childish! And when I get tired of it or am ready for something new I can just peel the stars right off!

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