My Wonderful Walls Blog — DIY Tutorials

DIY Birthday Party Ideas For Any Age 0

Birthday party planning can be somewhat stressful, especially when the birthday child has very definite theme ideas or no idea at all! Don’t worry! We have rounded up some easy ideas for you to add your child's own personal style to the day and make their party stand out from the rest. You’ll also get bragging rights when everyone at the party wants to know where you got the cool birthday swag.  Best part is, these simple DIY party ideas won’t break the bank. 

Whether you're looking to create a Princess Party, Mad Science Party, Dinosaur Themed Party, Train Birthday Party or a Fun Tween Slumber Party, you can get some inspiration right here. Some of these ideas are even great for after the party as well!

Perfect Princess Party

There’s only one princess in your house and she deserves a fairy tale perfect party.  Give her the royal treatment with this DIY Lace Crown instead of buying a party store plastic and bead crown. She’ll look extra special and you’ll be her hero. You can even create extras for the party goers.   

If your princess would rather throw a baseball than a royal ball, bake this Couture Princess Sneaker Cake and score a home run. This recipe provided from Parents.com is easily made with store-bought ingredients. Not only does it look adorable, it will be made with love. 

Dino-Mite Party 

When dinosaurs are your kiddo’s favorite thing, you throw them a dinosaur themed birthday party. Instead of spending a fortune on goodies and games, how about making your own like this Dinosaur Fossil Activity fun for girls and boys! Danielle at A Crafty Spoonful shows you how to get ready for a prehistoric good time. 

Add a fun DIY Dino Tee for the birthday guest of honor and they’ll be roaring with delight. Check out this no sew idea from Melissa at Sippy Cup Mom. How fun would this be for Halloween too! 

Blind them With Science

If your kiddo is a fan of weird science, check out this Elephant Toothpaste Experiment idea from Come Together Kids. You just can’t have a cool science themed party without the kids doing some experiments, right?

The other ingredient that is a must for any fun party is a cool cake. How about this beautiful (yet scientific!) Surprise Cake for your future Madame Curie? You could easily change the colors on this if your birthday child is not a fan of pink and purple. 

Train Lovers Party 

When it’s all about the engines and caboose, you know your son or daughter wants a train themed birthday party. If you’re looking for something different to entertain your guests try our Train Track Decal Set and some play trains! Perfect for walls but even great on the floor so little engineers can play pretend for hours on end.  (Thanks to customer Bill W for the pic.)

Don’t let the fun stop indoors! Head out to the back yard for an “InTraining” Obstacle Course like Kristen at Celebrate Every Day with me came up with for her five-year old’s birthday party. You don’t have to follow her ideas exactly but this should give your mind chugging along with inspiration.

Craft a Great Birthday 

If your child or tween is looking for less of a themed party and more of a fun slumber party, she may be asking for a craft to do with her friends. Try this DIY Dreamcatcher idea from Art Bar Blog and make sure each guest goes home with something they made themselves.  

Teens may be “too cool” for crafts and party games but one thing most love is taking selfies with their friends. Give your teen girl a beautiful backdrop for her pics with these easy to make DIY Rosettes. These are also perfect for a bridal or baby shower! 

Whatever type of party you are planning this year, you can make it extra special with a little creativity and time. Let us know in the comments below what you'll be whipping up for your next party. 

Five Hot Home Decor Ideas You Can DIY for Less 1

If you ever puruse the decorating magazines whilst waiting in the checkout line or  spend a lot of time checking out the latest décor trends on your computer, you may be dreaming of creating something new and fabulous this year. But for most of us, the cost of staying on top of the “hottest trends” in home décor can be prohibitive. Well we’re here to give you hope with five hot home décor ideas you can DIY for much less than you can purchase and many are super simple as well! Ready? Let’s create!

If you’re looking to add some antiques or antique looking furniture to your home, today’s trend is to mix and match pieces of different eras and places. Maybe you’d like a little chic French countryside feel in your kitchen? You can spend a few hundred on an antique milking stool with lettering or you can DIY one for yourself! If you’re lucky enough to find a castoff stool like Erin at Elizabeth Joan Designs did, you can easily use some printable graphics and a little elbow grease to create a lovely French Lettered Milking Stool. Ooh la la!

Elle Decor reported the butterfly effect would be taking hold in 2017. You will see these beautiful, colorful creatures on walls, upholstery and more. You could buy some very beautiful butterfly wallpaper or you could add your own fluttering butterfly motif to your walls with butterfly themed wall decals or butterfly wall stencils for much less and with less fuss. The beauty of wall stencils is you can choose the colors you like for each butterfly and add texture and depth by blending colors. Wall stickers make it easy to change out your décor as the trends or your own personal taste changes.

Cork is hot again in 2017 according to Domain.com. It will be popping up on walls, furniture, floors and taking over entire rooms this year. Cork is great for adding a warm tone to any room and also for absorbing noise! Rather than pay someone to install a cork wall for your den or home office, you can DIY one yourself with these easy steps from Jenny at Jenny Collier . Not quite ready for that much cork? Check out this old window turned cork board from Jessica at Mom 4 Real.

Marble is also popping up all over in 2017 from walls to counter tops to tables. But if you want to add the look of marble to your kitchen or dining room without the expense, use this technique for painting faux Carrara Marble from Diane at In My Own Style.

Where you’d often see nailhead detailing on upholstered furniture, it’s now cropping up on wood furniture, lighting fixtures and more. Don’t want to spend the money for new furniture? Follow this trend and makeover any furniture piece you want on the cheap by following the tutorial from Jessica at Mad In Crafts.

 
If you’re a fan of Jonathan Adler designs you could drop $28 and more on a boy/girl bud vase or you could follow the His & Her DIY Face Planters from Amy at Delineate Your Dwelling for much less. And they are super cute to boot!
 
 
Now that you’ve seen it is possible to add some fun, trendy pieces to your home this year, what will you start with? Make sure to share your pics with us by tagging us on Instagram at @mywonderfulwalls!

Valentine's Day DIY Gift Ideas with Heart Stencils 0

Have you been shopping for your Valentine but feel like you’re looking for love in all the wrong places? Our heart themed stencils are just the thing to let your husband, wife, girlfriend, fiancé, best friend or child know you care! Why buy a box of chocolates or a flower bouquet when you can paint your way into their heart? Our heart wall stencils are self-adhesive so they are easy to use and come in a variety of heart shaped themes so you can paint hearts on your walls, furniture, décor and crafts!

Want to show your honey you are head over heels in love? Start with our Heart Stencil Allover Pattern and create a wall of love! To create a look like this, you’ll need one wall stencil sheet, acrylic paint, foam roller, small brush for details, a paper plate and some paper towels. That’s it! You simply stick the stencil on, paint, let it dry, remove and repeat. You won’t need any glue or tape because our stencils are self-adhesive. Easy peasy! 
 

If you’re proud to let everyone know about the love your family shares, create a personalized welcome doormat with our Love Lives Here Stencil. You can get the look shown in the video below by sticking our stencil on a simple doormat (ours was made from coconut material) and painting using spray bottles of fabric paint you can buy at your local hobby/craft store. This stencil looks equally great on walls and can be personalized with your family name. Wouldn’t this make a great gift for newlyweds or new homeowners?

Your kids light up your life like a rainbow on a rainy day, right? Now you can show them the depth of your love by painting a beautiful Cloud and Raining Hearts design on their walls, door, or shower curtain. You could stencil this heart design anywhere! What kiddo won’t feel extra special that their parents painted them their own heart mural and you don’t have to let them know how easy it was! 

Still don’t know what you’re doing for Valentine’s Day this year? Here are five other uses for our fabulous heart stencils:

1. Paint a decorative mailbox with our heart stencil and then fill it with love letters!
2. Take an up-cycled wood pallet and turn it into a sign showing off your family values with our Love Lives Here Stencil.
3. Get practical and paint a shower curtain with fabric paint and our Cloud and Raining Hearts stencil!
4. Plan a romantic night for your honey and decorate the bedroom door with stenciled hearts to surprise him or her.
5. Create a backyard love nest (if it’s warm where you live) and paint hearts on a table and chairs, planters or a large heart mural on the fence. Even if it’s not that warm, enjoy it with a cup of your favorite beverage and cuddle up!

Hearts are always a good idea on Valentine’s Day and really any day you want to show your admiration for a special someone. Whether you paint a wall, stencil a door, add hearts to your furniture or create a heart themed craft, you can’t go wrong. Check out all of our heart pattern stencils this February and keep the love going all year long!

How to Use Flower Stencils for DIY Decor 0

Flower stencils can be used paint an attractive room border, an element of a larger wall mural, or to accent doors, ceilings, furniture, accessories and other craft projects. Our self-adhesive wall stencils make it so easy to create a beautiful flower pattern or a single large bloom. And they aren’t just for your walls! If you have a flower lover in your life keep reading to see several easy DIY flower stencil projects you can create in no time.
 
My Wonderful Walls carries several flower stencils perfect for kids’ rooms or grown up spaces. Some of our new designs include the English Rose Stencil, Dandelion Stencil and Cherry Blossoms Stencil Set. Whichever bloom you choose, you can’t go wrong with our self-adhesive stencils. For stencil painting, here is a list of general supplies you will need:

• Acrylic paints - used for stenciling

• Some of your background paint for touch ups

• Pre-painted room - painted with latex paint (semi-gloss or satin recommended)

• Brushes – We recommend a small foam roller brush for small stencils and large roller brush for larger stencils and stencil brushes or flat top bristle brushes to add shading and texture if desired

• 1 fine-tip brush for touch-ups

• Paper plates and paint tray

• Paper towels and baby wipes

• Scissors - used for separating stencils

To use our wall stencils to create a perfect flower design, you simply need to peel the stencil from the back, press it on your walls (no adhesive needed) and begin painting. Check out this video below that shows you how easy our English Rose Wall Stencils are to use.
 

Want to create a beautiful flower throw pillow like those shown here but you can’t sew? Buy a plain white pillow and use our flower stencils to create your own. This is a much less expensive solution and you can brag to your friends that you created those adorable accent pillows.

Looking to create fun favors for a party or wedding shower? How about painting your own canvas tote bags and stuffing them full of goodies for your guests? Our stencils are perfect for painting canvas. Just apply the stencils, paint with a sponge brush and repeat! You will easily have beautiful flower tote bags in no time.

You can even use our stencils outdoors! Try our Cherry Blossoms Stencil Set to paint a fun mailbox. Use acrylic paint with a clear coating of polyurethane spray for projects like this. You can also paint a beautiful dandelion fence by using our stencils and exterior latex paint. Now you can have a reminder of warmer months all year long!

Whether you want to create a flower mural in your bedroom, or just paint a beautiful single rose, our self-adhesive stencils will help you get the look you want. And once you’ve added a stunning flower design to your walls, don’t let the fun stop there. Add some floral charm to furniture, doors, canvas totes and much, much more. Let us know in the comments below what you’ll be stenciling this year!

Top 5 DIY Holiday Decor Ideas 0

If you are spending the holidays entertaining this year, maybe you want to add a few new décor items to your home? If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are plenty of great DIY ideas out there that you can do quickly and affordably. You can even make them as gifts in some cases! Here are 5 of our favorites from around the web. 

DIY Felt Christmas Trees 

Don't you think the ones Katie at Little House of Four made are better than the ones she pictured from Target’s catalog last year? We sure do! These are easy enough older kids could help out too!

Make Your Own Melted Crayon Christmas Ornaments 

Melted crayon projects are one of my favorites and I am re-doing my tree color scheme this year so these would be an inexpensive way to add new colored ornaments to the tree. I’m going to add glitter to mine.

Star Punched Paper Hurricanes 

If you celebrate Hanukkah, check out these easy and elegant hurricane candle holders for the table or mantle. Martha Stewart has a whole collection of Hanukah Crafts and DIY Décor on her site if you need more ideas.

Christmas Tree Reindeer Decoration 

Here’s a fun video tutorial from Tammi Craft showing you how to make some reindeer (dare we say Rudolph?) inspired ornaments for your tree. These look like something the kids might like to do too! If you are already pretty crafty, you probably have most of the materials in your home already. 

DIY Iced Branches

And a truly inspired find this year, these DIY Iced Branches from Dana at Make Them Wonder. This is one DIY you want to do now before all the branches are covered in snow! These beautiful branches can be used indoor or out, with lights, on the mantel, in a vase, on your table…the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

If you’re thinking, "listen I just want to buy some décor that’s not going to break my budget, I don’t have time for crafts", check out our Snowflake Variety Wall Decal Set and Winter Wonderland Decals. Instant ooh and ahh factor included! And on December 3rd only, you can take advantage of our doorbuster deal to get the snowflakes at 40% off. How’s that for magical?

5 Tips to Make Yoga a Family Affair 11

Getting a little time for ourselves as parents can be tricky. And at any age,stress can keep us from eating right, sleeping right and let’s face it acting right. We feel it and so do our children, so instead of trying to carve out a few precious minutes each day to de-stress alone, why not make it a family affair? 

By introducing yoga into your family, you and your children can take part in an ancient tradition that seeks to connect mind, body and spirit. Whether they are 3 or 13, they can work with you on building their core muscles, breathing techniques, empowerment, letting go of stress, mindfulness… there is just so much yoga offers!

But where do you begin? We scoped out some great ideas for getting started! Here are a few of our favorites.

Try Partner Yoga 

If you’ve been thinking about trying some yoga out with your kids to help you both relax and reconnect, try out these poses from Kids Yoga Stories. Not only might you find bedtime to be less stressful, you might discover you all really like yoga. 

For Younger Kids, Let Them Watch You at First

According to an article on Rhythms of Play, kids 3 and under benefit by just watching you practice at first. While you don’t need to make them sit still and watch you, keeping the electronics off during this special time is key.  

Get Kids a Yoga Mat that Fits Them

One size does not fit all when it comes to yoga mats. Per this article on Yoga Journal, kids feel safer when they have a yoga mat that fits them and has boundaries. Not up for buying a kid’s yoga mat right now? Make your own with this tutorial from Sewing Rabbit or this one from The Sassy Life.

Make the Yoga Age Appropriate and Fun!

Your three-year-old and your nine-year-old have different needs and wants when it comes to yoga. Make sure you are making the yoga practice fit each child. And liven it up with music, props and stories. YogiApproved.com has a great article entitled 5 Tips for Doing Yoga with Kids with ideas on how to make yoga fun for every age group. 

Consider Taking Your Family to a Yoga Festival

Once you’ve introduced yoga into the home, check out a festival celebrating all the great joys of yoga. Not only might you have a fun family day and further grow your love of yoga, you might meet some like-minded families in the community! 

Remember, yoga is more than just physical poses. The word yoga comes from the word yuj meaning “to unite or integrate”.  The practice of yoga seeks to bring the mind and body together with the breath by integrating breathing techniques, meditation and yoga postures. So, any way that you can encourage this marriage of mind, body and spirit, will benefit you and your children. Whether it’s taking a few minutes each day to practice breathing exercises or coloring mandalas with your kids, you can make huge strides in creating harmony in your family and helping your children to develop techniques that will help them battle stress and promote health as they get older.

Thanks to Natasha for the use of the top two pics with her and her adorable children. You can follow her on Instagram as @natashaswinter for amazing videos and photos of her daily yoga practice. And thank you to Amy and Aimee for being part of our great photo shoot with our new decals. You can follow them on Instagram as @amyyogamomof3 and @aimeemasch for lots of yoga inspiration.