Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Fireworks Family Room

When we were moving to Fort Drum, I couldn't shake my obsession with Albert Hadley's Fireworks wallpaper.  How could I do something similar for a lot less money? 

How exciting to find Fireworks in one of my favorite stores for constant inspiration, Kate Spade!

I figured I would attempt a custom stencil.  I bought the biggest plastic quilting template I could find, which was only 18x24".  I then got to work tracing and cutting with an Exacto knife.  Let's just say I have never been good with those in the first place and I DEFINITELY hope I don't have the need to use one anytime in the near or far future. 


I spent lots of hours and glasses of wine cutting/carving/messing up.  But, I finished.

I somewhat avoided starting when we moved in.  Let's just say, slowest process ever.  After using entire stencil for the first column of the room, I quickly realized that I would only be using about 60% of the stencil on the rest of the columns due to the way the pattern fell.  Sweet. 

I also have never stenciled before which is very clear when you let you eye start where I started and follow around to the end.  I didn't clean off the stencil between paint sessions - rookie mistake.  The pattern is much darker/bolder at the beginning than it is at the end.

In the process...




I was certainly ready to celebrate when I finally finished!


A DIY sunburst that I learned about from Jenny...








46 comments:

  1. What a beautiful work! And you have such a great taste. I will have to check out the rest of your house :) Thanks for sharing this DIY.

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  2. Congrats on getting featured on Little Green Notebook! Your whole living room looks amazing. Love your style!

    Is it strange that I have Buffalo art in my living room too?

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    1. Love buffalo :) They are majestic, aren't they?

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  3. its stunning ..... great job and beautiful room!!!!

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  4. I am so impressed!! I have always loved that wallpaper but never wanted to commit, this may be the perfect solution. Now I am off to check out the rest of your blog!!

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  5. This looks ah-mazing!!!! Great work - love the whole room.

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  6. Amazing job! I love your home, it's gorgeous!

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  7. saw this on Little Green Notebook and just had to tell you how fabulous it looks! great work and your house is beautiful. i love the peak into the dining area!

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  8. My husband and I were stationed at Ft. Drum years ago and I spent the whole first LONG winter painting and decorating our cozy on-post home. You brought back so many wonderful memories for me! What a gorgeous home! You're an inspiration!

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    1. Always fun to hear about others who have lived here at Drum! Paint definitely helps with the long winter, right? :)

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  9. I love your green curtains! Where did you get them or the fabric for them?

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    1. Hello - I made these simple curtains because I could not find Kelly green curtains anywhere - after a very long time of searching!

      Here is a link to the fabric that I used:
      https://www.fabric.com/buy/ui-988/diversitex-poly-cotton-twill-kelly-green

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  10. Meghan…wow! I can tell you right now, I would not have the patience for that project, and you are one amazing woman for seeing it through. I seriously am in awe. Great job, and beautiful room! I'll be back :)

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  11. Meghan, I just woke up in Berlin to see you being featured on LGN! WHAT?!?! Congratulations! I hope to one day have a house as well pulled together as yours. There really is a comfort to having a well decorated/personalized/balanced home when we have to move as often as we do. Your house is gorgeous! And I wish I could congratulate/celebrate with you in person. -Elaine

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    1. Elaine! What a treat to hear from you! How is Germany? I adore seeing your updates/pics on FB! I hope you are soaking it all up and finding some very cool treasures on your journey! I hope the Army will link us back up again soon :)

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  12. Beautiful! Love how it adds so much texture to your room.....without being busy!

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  13. Came over via Pinterest, LOVE your family room! The walls are terrific with the green drapes. Take care!

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  14. My first thought when I saw your room was that it looked like our house at Fort Drum (only much better because of your decorating) and, lo and behold, it is Fort Drum housing. Nice work! We liked that housing but I never know it could look so good.

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    1. Way to spot Ft. Drum housing :) That's an amazing eye you have!

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  15. I agree with everyone that it looks amazing. I have try it now too! Also, is your coffee table from CB2?

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    1. Hi Jess - Yes...I had hoped for a thicker lucite table, but I actually got this off CL, and it is CB2. I am finding it was probably good I got this one b/c lots of matchbox car racing on the top seems to leave scratches. Nothing too precious around here :)

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  16. This is just gorgeous! I can't believe how amazing it looks. Fabulous job lady! Also, I'm drooling a little over those green drapes!

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  17. It is stunning! Great job. It looks beautiful!

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  18. It looks amazing! I would love to do something similar in our nursery! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  19. I'm in love with your curtains! I second the request to know where they are from or your fabric source. Pretty please:)

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    1. Hello -

      Sorry for such a delay - as you can tell I am a radically inconsistent blogger, so I am just responding to all these comments now :)

      Here is the fabric source:
      https://www.fabric.com/buy/ui-988/diversitex-poly-cotton-twill-kelly-green

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  20. This looks awesome! Please please share source for drapes :)

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    1. Hi Mallory -

      I made the drapes as I couldn't find kelly green at any stores...and I wanted to do it on a budget :)

      https://www.fabric.com/buy/ui-988/diversitex-poly-cotton-twill-kelly-green

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  21. Like the other commenters, love the whole room! Love the drapes - what is the source?!?

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    1. Here is the fabric source for the drapes! Thanks for visiting :)

      https://www.fabric.com/buy/ui-988/diversitex-poly-cotton-twill-kelly-green

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  22. You must have the patience of a saint to have done this! So effective though, and it works really well with your neutrals and the gorgeous green of the curtains.

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  23. I am terrifically proud of you! I recently stenciled, using the Willow Pattern from The Stencil Library, our master bedroom, which has vaulted 14' ceilings. Never again. I also, stupidly, obeyed the included directions of not cleaning the stencil and, like you, found that some of the finer details (like in the fence and the fishing poles) were lost in the areas I did last (luckily those are in the apices). Bright side -- makes it look like a lovely, intentionally hand-printed chinoiserie toile. Down side -- none, because I just don't care. But I am sincerely and seriously impressed with your ingenuity of creating your own stencil and then doing it! Looks terrific.

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    1. Thank you so much, and I am with you...I am just not caring about the mistakes. :)

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    2. We should embrace them, right?

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  24. What a gorgeous room! Now I'm thinking... where can I do this?!?! Absolutley love it! I've loved it since I saw that wallpaper on Lay Baby Lay for the first time! Looks Amazing!

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  25. So pretty, Megan! The stencil is gorgeous, but so is the rest of your space. Thanks for sharing!

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  26. It looks incredible!! You have questions beautiful room - I especially love the wall treatment but the drapes and brass trunks are also fun.

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  27. congrats it looks amazing! I can't believe you did all of that with a stencil! oh your patient heart!

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  28. Wow! This is so fabulous!!!! One of my fave wallpapers... pondering if I have the patience to make a stencil ;)

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  29. Hello! I found your blog via Little Green Notebook. I love the stenciled walls-beautiful! Wanted to know where the two facing Zebra prints came from that were in a photo on Little Green Notebook? So cute!

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    1. Hello - I wish I could speak to those prints, but that image that Jenny used is from another room, not mine. They were gorgeous! I wish I could claim them :)

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