Wallcandy arts peel, stick, decorate remove and reuse without damaging your walls

Extreme Decorating – Parents, do you suffer from a “Pinterest Stress” disorder?
May.17

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).


NBC’s TODAY Moms blog just did a survey that’s sending shockwaves across the creative world.

Out of a sample of 7,000 mothers in the United States, an alarming 42 percent replied that “they sometimes suffer from Pinterest stress, the worry that they’re not crafty or creative enough.”

The average self-reported anxiety level of these women is an 8.5 out of 10, NBC reports. And 75 percent of respondents also said that the pressure they put on themselves is more stressful than the feeling of being judged by or compared to other mothers.

Acknowledging that so-called Pinterest Stress is hardly a national health crisis, TODAY featured photographer and parent Jenna Andersen, founder of the humorous arts & crafts blog “Pinterest Fail.”  Andersen shows before-and-after pictures of decorating and cooking projects — what the promise and expectations looked like when it was first pinned or repinned on Pinterest and how the final project lived up to the hype.

“Pinterest,” the mom blogger tells NBC, “is largely a site of unrealized dreams.”

Obsessing Over the Perfect Cake Pop -- This Pinterest user saw these Easter Chick pops in the top picture and wound up with the lackluster specimen below, which still tasted yummy. Double click to see this "Pinterest FAIL" yourself.

This is hardly a Mom-only phenomenon.  Plenty of Dads cook, too. And let’s not get started on how difficult it is to paint a room EXACTLY how it looks in a catalog or magazine.

Or as my fellow Dad blogger, Eric Mack, on CNET’s Crave site puts it:

“I’m sure that blinging out my oven will be completely worth it in the end just like all the other Pinterest-inspired projects around my home. But you might find me in my kitchen at 1 a.m. dripping drops of sweat and tears on that shiny piece of vinyl as I try to get it perfectly plumb with the edge of the oven door without getting any more Liquid Nails in my hair.”

I don’t put much stock in the claim that 4 out of 10 moms are so overwhelmed by the promise of Pinterest photos that the rest of their lives feel like a disappointment.  But I do think that TODAY has reminded us all, parents or not, that we shouldn’t fall into the trap of constantly comparing our lives, homes and possessions to others.

Part of the fun of decorating with WallCandy stickers is that you can always easily remove them and start all over again with no damage to the walls. Looking at our Pinterest Boards are only the starting point — not the blueprint for your final look. I think watching your kids decide where the Whoo Loves U Owls or Flutterflies go on the Tree is far more entertaining than following any instructions.

WallCandy Arts loves interacting with its community on Pinterest — go visit us there now!

Stress-Free Pinterest -- There's no pressure to look like the catalog when you decorate with WallCandy Wall Stickers -- especially since they can be removed and reapplied anytime. Double click to check out the WallCandy Pinterest Boards!

And there’s no pressure for your wall stickers or chalkboard decals to EVER be perfectly lined up. Because we won’t judge you. Really.

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately? Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Daddy Decorating, Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Extreme Decorating: Creatively Using Your Child’s Lunch as a Canvas
May.3

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).

Graphic Designer David LaFerriere has captured the imagination of parents everywhere with his famous Sharpie sketches on sandwich baggies. (Source: Flickr)

Putting loving and inspirational messages in your kids’ school lunch is a tradition probably as old as lunch itself. But most of the time we hear about it, it’s usually the creativity of moms. So it’s refreshing to see a doting decorating dad get a little bit of attention.

The talented dad responsible for the sandwich art above is graphic artist David Laferriere, who has shared his daily lunch sketches — made with Sharpies on plastic bags — on the popular photo site, Flickr.

David has been amusing his sons Evan, 15, and Kenny, 14, for the past five years with daily cartoons of monsters, animals, dinosaurs, aliens and funny faces. “I’ve been doing it for my kids since they were little,” he told the Flickr Blog. “They love it and nothing makes me happier than hearing their reaction at the end of the day.”

Personally, nothing makes me happier about this story than knowing that these teenage boys aren’t too cool to appreciate their dad’s enthusiasm, artistry and dedication!

David, who lives with his family in the Boston area, originally tried putting artwork directly on the bread with food coloring but the process was laborious and bread didn’t serve well as a smooth canvas. The Sharpies on plastic technique gave him more versatility and the option of saving his best work without it getting moldy.

Lunch Art Retrospective -- You can see hundreds of artist David LaFerriere's sandwich bag drawings on his Flickr photo gallery. Double click the image above to see more pics.

The Sharpie company a while back wrote a tribute to David’s talents, which he fine-tuned at the Rhode Island School of Design.

More than a million people have seen his baggie art so far. You can watch a video interview with the artist here.

As a creative dad myself — I design my children’s birthday invitations, but have yet to put my stamp on lunch — it’s wonderful to see other fathers’ work. Besides David’s Flickr feed, check out the blogs Lunch Bag Art  and Lunch Bag Artist if you have a moment.

There are lots of lucky kids out there!

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately? Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Daddy Decorating, Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Earth Day 2013 – Hoping Nature’s Gifts Will “Stick” Around for Generations
Apr.22

Owls in Orbit -- The "Nightly News" Owls are only some of the wall sticker creatures who can help you celebrate Earth Day.

Happy 44th Earth Day!

Obviously, our planet is billions of years older, but the mainstream environmentalist movement is still pretty young.

Inspired by a horrific oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisc.) and U.S. Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-Calif. ) teamed up in 1970 to promote
a “national teach-in” on the environment with dozens of events across the country.  Since then, millions of Americans have seized the day to volunteer to plant trees, clean up parks and roads and build hiking trails.

According to EarthDay.org, there are now events in at least 184 different countries.

How do we get kids to care about our environment?

My own love for animals was instilled early from influences at home and at school.  I remember being fascinated by animal trivia. I could tell you how fast the cheetah was compared to a panther and how many cars could fit into a blue whale (not that feeding whales auto parts was the message).  I still remember classroom speakers from the World Wildlife Federation, Audubon Society and Greenpeace showing us movies about pandas, penguins and baby seals. The cute animals got all the prime screen time.

I also remember being encouraged to preach against the evils of plastic six-pack soda rings which would strangle sea life and still vividly recall our sixth grade nature camp counselors putting on a funny skit based on Dr. Seuss’ epic tale of “The Lorax.”

Our kids remember the little things. What we choose for toys, books and even decorations can have a tremendous influence in shaping their interests.

And in that spirit, I thought I’d simply point out all the WallCandy opportunities to decorate with animals, plants and nature scenes.

Without further ado, I leave you with our first Earth Day shopping list:

1. Big Apple Chalkboard

2. Elephant Chalkboard

3. Chalkasaurus Dinosaur Chalkboard

4. Whoo Loves U Owls

5. Tulip Wall Decals

6. Forest Friends Wall Decals

7. French Bull Jungle Wall Decals

8. 176 Roses Sticker Frames

9. Butterfly Wall Stickers

10. Blossoms Wall Stickers

11. Seasons Tree Wall Decals

12. Nightly News Owl Wall Decals

13. Sunny Day/Starry Night Glow in the Dark Wall Decals

14. I Heart Owl Wall Stickers (With Owl Family Tree)

15. Happy Flower Wall Decals

16. Rainbow Removable Wallpaper

17. Summer Clouds Removable Wallpaper

18. Cute Bunny Wallpaper

19. French Bull Jungle Animals Wallpaper

20. Green Apple Peel and Stick Wallpaper

21. Wee Gallery Jungle Animal Removable Wallpaper

22. Shadow Flower Sky Removable Wallpaper

23. Polar Bears Lavender Wallpaper

24. French Bull Rose Removable Wallpaper

Compiling this list reminded me that every day is Earth Day for us. Enjoy!

(Is there an animal or environmental scene that you’d like to see captured in an upcoming WallCandy design?  Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com and let us know what you’d love to see us create next!)

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Great Uses for WallCandy Decals, Holidays, Peel and Stick Wallpaper | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Extreme Decorating: The Magical World of Art Cars
Apr.19

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).

Recycled Music Mobile (Source: ArtCarFest.com)

Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to pass one of these amazing creatures in its natural habitat (on the highway) or perhaps you’ve seen them in captivity (at a museum or festival). But regardless of where you might spot them, art cars are one of the most extreme forms of self-expression imaginable.

Deciding to use your vehicle as a blank canvas is a permanent and dramatic act. Once you fasten a banjo to your bumper and an acoustic guitar to your hood, you’re blaring an undeniable message of defiance to the world. And that message is this: “I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT STRANGERS THINK ABOUT ME. I AM AN EXTENSION OF MY ART. I AM WILLING TO TAKE CREATIVE RISKS.”

Art Car decorators are a social breed, frequently congregating at conventions such as San Francisco’s ArtCar Fest, the Houston Art Car Parade or Minnesota’s Summer of ArtCars. The oohing and ahhhing of the audience is their ultimate reward.

Quilt on Wheels (Source:ArtCarFest.com)

This multi-textured fabric quilt car could easily be duplicated by cutting your own square and rectangle patches from WallCandy’s Peel and Stick Temporary Wallpaper collection. The great thing about decorating with any of WallCandy’s stickers or decals is that your artwork is never permanent. You can reposition our removable wall stickers as many times as you’d like!

Fish Out of Water (Source: ArtCarFest.com)

The legendary Burning Man Festival in Nevada’s desolate Black Rock Desert hosts an annual Art Car Camp, but the decoration police can be a bit snobby. “Gluing a few tchotchkes on your car or covering it in glow-sticks does not an art car make,” the Burning Man website warns. “Your car must be approved by our Department of Mutant Vehicles.”

The eclectic artists define a “Mutant Vehicle” as “a unique, motorized creation that shows little or no resemblance to their original form, or to any standard street vehicle. Mutant Vehicles are radically, stunningly, (usually) permanently, and safely modified from their base vehicle. Sometimes the whole vehicle is made from scratch.”

What items would you want to glue to your car if given the opportunity? We fully realize that Extreme Decorating isn’t for everyone!

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately? Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Daddy Decorating, Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Extreme Decorating: A Penny For Your Thoughts
Apr.11

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).

Trendy Decor: The Penny Floor? (Source: ABC News)

The penny is an endangered species. For a while now, it has cost more than a penny to manufacture a penny — and that’s not a smart investment for us taxpayers. The debate now comes down to sentimentality vs. practicality. It’s only a matter of time until the one cent coin bids farewell from circulation.

When that day comes, what will be the fate of the zillions of pennies now collecting in coffee cans and jars on our kitchen counters?

Here’s betting that they could become the trendiest option for tiling floors and decorating walls.

How do cold pennies feel on bare feet?  Ask Ryan and Emily, a couple who cemented 59,670 pennies in their bedroom and awake each morning in a coppery glow.

Penny for Your Thoughts in the Bedroom? (Source: ThePennyFloor.com)

At the home improvement website, Remodelaholic, another couple transformed a small accent wall with just $50 and discovered that Elmer’s Glue works just as well as a hot glue gun.

Penny Accent Wall (Source: Remodelaholic.com)

The practice can be habit forming.  A few years back, The New York Times visited Mike and Annie’s Penny Bar in McKittrick, California. They used Elmer’s, too — who wants to risk sticking your digits together with Superglue? Mike and Annie took six years to affix more than a million Lincolns — like a “swarm of copper ants,” as the Times put it — to every available blank surface in the restaurant.

Admirably, the small establishment had transformed itself into a popular tourist attraction.

Penny Pool Table at Mike and Annie's Penny Bar. (Source: The New York Times)

And in Garfield, Pennsylvania, tattoo artist Mel Angst recently took 250,000 pennies to tile his Artisan tattoo studio.

“Amazingly enough, it’s a lot cheaper to glue money to your floor than to actually buy tile. It’s about $3 a square foot,” he told ABC News.

So watch that loose change jingling around in your pocket. You might soon be on the wrong end of a hot glue gun!

The downside of Penny Mania is that once you make a commitment, it’s tough to go back.

The beauty, of course, of all WallCandy removable wall decals, chalkboard wall stickers and peel-and-stick wallpaper is that no decoration decision is irreversible. WallCandy decorations don’t even leave a mark on the wall.

But maybe there is a reckless appeal and adrenaline rush to ripping out drywall and turning your home inside out in the event of a mistake. What items would you want to glue to your walls if given the opportunity?

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately? Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Extreme Decorating: Spend a Sweet Night at the Cake Hotel
Apr.4

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).

As a promotional stunt, Britain’s largest cane sugar company, Tate & Lyle, recently hired 14 cake bakers to transform eight rooms in a London hotel into an edible “Cake Hotel” for one night. The interior decorating gimmick included windowsills made from fudge, a bathtub soaking in caramel popcorn, carpets made from colorful meringues and statues made of chocolate, cookies, donuts and cakes.

Relatively speaking, sugar is an inexpensive construction material. It took 1,322 pounds (600 kg) or roughly 2.4 million calories to finish the project.

The Cake Hotel in London provided the Ultimate Sugar Rush!

The hotel was open only on March 21, 2013 and hosted winners of the sugar company’s Twitter contest, which asked customers to explain why they wanted to stay overnight in Candy Land.

“We think the cake hotel perfectly captures the excitement, inspiration and expertise behind the creation of our new range of golden and brown cane sugars,” said James Whitely, a Tate & Lyle brand manager in a press release. “The Taste Experience range is about more than just adding sweetness; it’s about subtle flavour differences, texture and appearance. We hope that through the cake hotel we can showcase the versatility of golden and brown cane sugars and inspire people to get creative in the kitchen.”

Or creative with their floor and wall decorations!

The Meringue Rug.

According to the deliciously named blog, Evil Cake Head, the hotel’s eight tasting rooms included a:

1.  Mediterranean-inspired bedroom, with edible furnishings, floating meringues and edible pearlescent popcorn bunting, all created using Light Soft Brown sugar.  The perfect location for a midnight feast!

2. Pirates of the Caribbean room, with a giant treasure chest full of edible pearls, ginger spiced doubloons and cutlasses, which visitors can spray gold themselves, and rum and raisin chocolate brownies and tea cakes – all made from Taste Experience Caribbean-inspired Light Muscovado sugar.

3. Golden syrup sugar room, with a giant golden-syrup lion, patriotic treacle tarts in the shape of the British Isles and a giant tower of doughnuts.

4. Mayan-inspired room hidden in the cellar featuring a Mayan fudge temple, complete with floating meringue ‘clouds’, ‘sacrificial’ salted caramel and chocolate hearts, and Mayan-inspired carved gold cookies all made from Taste Experience Mayan-inspired golden caster sugar.

5. Mississippi-inspired ‘Mardi Gras’ room featuring a five foot long rainbow cake in the traditional colours of green, yellow & purple, gold baby heads and of course King Cakes.

6. Barbados-inspired library, with edible shells, and beautiful hand-painted cookies, fruit cakes and florentines showcased as museum features inside vintage glass jars, all made from Barbados inspired Dark Muscovado sugar.

7. Guyanese-inspired room, complete with a sea turtle cake, and cake ‘turtle eggs’ buried in mounds of Demerara sugar.

8. South Pacific-inspired room with a huge two metre high Easter Island statue, made entirely from chocolate mud cake baked using Golden Granulated sugar.

Leaning Tower of Donuts.

Needless to say, the American Dental Association won’t be holding their next convention there. But you know what is dentist-friendly?  WallCandy’s Sweet Dreams Fairies wall decals, cute little creatures who get their powers from lollipop magic wands, ice cream bars, cupcakes, macaroons, candy hearts and jelly beans. They all look like they are in great shape due to all the cardio workouts they do while flying.

WallCandy's Sweet Dreams Fairies.

“There’s no way guests will be leaving this house hungry,” the Tate & Lyle press release declared. That’s the understatement of the year!

Would you want to stay in the Cake Hotel?  What do you think of the idea of decorating with food?

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately? Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Extreme Decorating: Crashing at New Hampshire’s “Adventure Suites”
Mar.28

(Note: “Extreme Decorating” is an ongoing series in which WallCandy Dad goes beyond removable wall decals and explores unusual and over-the-top decorating ideas tried in homes, restaurants, hotels, businesses, tourist destinations and public spaces. We all get decoration inspiration from different places, as it is a reflection of our tastes and personalities).

Smack in the middle of New Hampshire’s White Mountains is Adventure Suites, a theme hotel that seems to be simultaneously targeting the imaginations of families, young couples, and lovers of kitsch of all ages. It is a microcosm of Las Vegas, Niagara Falls and Disney theme resorts all rolled into one. The hotel staff one minute might be delivering room service to Ancient Rome, towels to the African jungle or changing the sheets in Hollywood.

In the winter, they go the extreme step of offering an igloo room outside, in the tradition of the ICEHOTEL in Sweden.

In the spirit of getting decorating ideas for your child’s bedroom or playroom, let’s pop in on five of the Adventure Suites:

1. THE TREEHOUSE

Treehouse Suite

What kid DOESN’T want to sleep in a treehouse? (For those who don’t, the hotel also offers a Hugh Hefner-like Penthouse). There’s a Mom & Dad room at the bottom and inside “Mr. Tree Trunk,” the kids can climb up into their spacious loft, complete with skylight to look at the stars. (If you want your own stars, no matter how cloudy the skies, check out WallCandy’s glow-in-the-dark Sunny Day Starry Night wall stickers, which feature the constellations at night!)

2. THE DRAGON’S LAIR

Dragon's Lair Suite

Got any Harry Potter, Magic Cards or Dungeons & Dragons fans? This “lair” has a “floating bed” that gently sways in a pendulum motion and dragon sconces and hanging lamps that breathe light instead of fire.

3. THE LOG CABIN

Log Cabin Suite

This is where Abe Lincoln, Davy Crockett and Daniel Webster would have stayed if they were into kitschy tourist accommodations. The bed frame is made from tree branches and there’s a fantastic view of the mountains from the private deck.

 

4. THE SUGAR SHACK

Sugar Shack Suite

With a heart-shaped jacuzzi, heart shaped pillows and ruby red lips everywhere, this is romantic overkill ripped straight out of the cheesiest Niagara Falls love shacks. A great setting for a Lady’s Man to try out his choice pick up lines or if you ever go on a vacation with Katy Perry.

5. THE CAVE

The Cave Suite

What better way to channel your inner Fred or Wilma Flintstone than to spend a night in The Cave? You can see the faux rock couch, hotsprings hottub and mountain lion in the picture — but off screen are stalactites, dinosaur bones, a waterfall shower and a tunnel for the kiddies to crawl through.

What’s particularly impressive is the Adventures Suites is not a chain, so they didn’t just order rooms ready-to-go from some theme restaurant catalog. It appears as if each room was meticulously decorated as a labor of love. Regular artistic love, not “Sugar Shack” love!

Which suite would you like to recreate?

(Have you stumbled across a fabulous case of “Extreme Decorating” lately?   Where were you last overwhelmed by the decor? Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com).

 

 

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Top Five Design Blogs to Restore Your Work Ethic
Mar.18

We at WallCandy recently circulated a news article citing a study suggesting that the most productive work days are punctuated throughout with 15-minute breaks, during which anything from a quick phone call to Mom or a rigorous game of Snood can reset and refresh the brain in preparation for another 90-minute stretch of devotion to one’s daily duties. We’ve been practicing this appealing routine for a couple of weeks now and it has yielded, along with a refreshed awareness of the need to stand up and stretch every now and again, a pretty fabulous list of amazing design websites. Because we so adore sharing with you, our favorite room reinventors, we hope you’ll like our top five favorite restorative places in cyberspace:

AHA

The two items I’ve purchased from this site—an eco-egg decorating kit for Brandon and Lilly and, somewhat less recently, a silver holiday bow nightlight—are gorgeously high-end and memorably creative additions. Sentimental collectibles aside, I try not to have (or spend money on) décor items I feel only “meh” about and will eventually give away. It occurs to me that, were I to move someday, my AHA treasures are in no danger of landing in the Goodwill pile. You won’t have to search too long to find something you can’t quite forget.

Start with the Housewarming Gifts and Design Accents collections, followed by the famous AHA100 holiday gift list.

Refinery29

This site’s How To section is particularly helpful when one is jonesing to make something cuter. Of course, should you not be the DIY type, the homepage comes loaded with new designers to bookmark. For example, we’re feeling particularly confident that COOPS LONDON will be on our watchlists for years to come after shopping their collection of dainty and rather innovative earrings for unpierced ears.

Start with the earrings (seriously, they’re super) and make your way toward the news videos for a mix of semi-cerebral and domestically useful clips—think surrealist gingerbread men, Tina Fey, and your dreamy roommate who always knows how to fix fashion dilemmas without sweating.

Trendland

We’re big fans of Trendland’s music page, where we can stream what the cool kids are listening to these days while we dream up designs to inspire your Decorating Day soundtrack—the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” and Prince’s “Baby I’m a Star” come to mind. Simply open two browser windows to listen while you study food photographer Ania Wawrzkowicz’s décor-centric Still Lifes or artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde‘s hand-drawn floor plans of her favorite TV show’s interior spaces.

Start with the Shop button. Try to stay calm.

The Fancy

If you like Pinterest and crave smart products, you’ll dig The Fancy’s refreshed selection. I particularly like the gift guides, which make shopping for anyone on your to-gift list an adventure in design discovery.

Start with the All Lit Up, Arm Party, and Wood gift guides. Before you go, browse the Workspace collection and imagine the energy a cuter cubicle will inspire.

This Is Glamorous

Shove over and share your seat on the throne, Vogue Living—swanky spaces are this site’s specialty. This particular blog has inspired many a weekend nesting frenzy, during which we all strive for the clean lines and warm textiles each featured space manages to nail. It can’t always be done in one weekend, but TIG gives us something to work toward every time we visit, buttery lighting and romantic air quality included.

Whet your appetite for pretty things with the inspiration board, then pile on on the city guides.

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration, Gift Ideas | Tags: | No Comments
by: allison

What do kids’ bedroom decorations look like around the world?
Mar.15

Chongqing, China -- Cun Zi Yi poses with her stuffed animals, play food and blocks. (Photo by Gabriel Galimberti)

Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti recently embarked on an 18-month international project called “Toy Stories,” exploring the universal joy of kids’ play around the world. His quest was simple. Ask boys and girls to grab their favorite possessions and pose with them.

“The richest children were more possessive,” Galimberti told The (London) Times Magazine. “At the beginning, they wouldn’t want me to touch their toys, and I would need more time before they would let me play with them. In poor countries, it was much easier. Even if they only had two or three toys, they didn’t really care. In Africa, the kids would mostly play with their friends outside.”

Although the photographer was more concerned with toys, his portraits also give us a fascinating peek at how families in other countries decorate their homes (or don’t).

Tirana, Albania -- Julia's bedroom doll fashion show. (Photo by Gabriel Galimberti)

Galimberti found that traditional gender roles in regards to toys don’t vary much around the world. Dolls usually find themselves being cuddled by girls; Dinosaurs and race cars mostly find themselves being cherished by boys. No translation required.

Bububu, Zanzibar -- Sisters Arafa and Aisha love Snoopy, cars and action figures. (Photo by Gabriel Galimberti)

In fact, the photographer revealed to the Times that he learned much more about the parents than the kids from these photo shoots.

“There was the Latvian mother who drove a taxi for a living, and who showered her son with miniature cars; the Italian farmer whose daughter proudly displayed her plastic rakes, hoes and spades. Parents from the Middle East and Asia, he found, would push their children to be photographed even if they were initially nervous or upset, while South American parents were “really relaxed, and said I could do whatever I wanted as long as their child didn’t mind.”

Bangkok, Thailand -- Watcharapom never met a motorcycle he didn't like. (Photo by Gabriel Galimberti)

Looks like this motorcycle-loving boy might be a fan of the cars and helicopters in WallCandy’s Cityscape peel-and-stick temporary wallpaper. Interestingly, enough, here’s another Snoopy reference just like in the Zanzibar picture.

To see a full gallery of Galimberti’s “Toy Stories” portraits, click here.  He also visited Indonesia, Texas, Colorado, Ukraine, Philippines, Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico, Botswana, Australia, Lebanon, Latvia, Zambia, Malawi, Georgia, Malta, Egypt, Fiji, Nicaragua, Malta, India, Iceland, Malaysia, Kenya and Sweden.

I agree with Gabriele Galimberti. You can tell a lot about a parent’s personality by what kind of toys their children play with and how they decorate their boys’ and girls’ bedrooms.  After all, the first purchasing decisions in life are not made by our babies.

What do your favorite removable Wall Decals, Wall Stickers, Chalkboard Decals and Temporary Wallpaper say about you?

Wall Decals for Bedrooms Around the World -- This girl is peacefully snoozing under the watchful gaze of Nightly News Owls. Double click the image for more information.

How do YOU decorate your children’s bedrooms, nurseries or playrooms?  We’d love to see your creativity in action: Please share your photos with us at hello@wallcandyarts.com.

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Boys Rooms, Decorating Ideas, Decoration Inspiration, Girls Rooms | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad

Wake Up And Smell The Flowers: Wall Decals Can Make It Feel Like Spring
Mar.5

For those of us who live in the northern part of the U.S. or in Canada, it seems like Spring is eons away — and not the quick few weeks to reach the official astronomical date of March 20. While we’re waiting for the snow, slush and frozen rain to disappear, there are a few simple ways to speed up the clock and make us feel like Spring is already here:

Spring's Here! Disney's EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival includes fabulous topiary sculptures (Double click for more details)

1. Find The Nearest Flower Show — Hitch a ride with your local florist to the convention center and check out the gorgeous garden displays. Or head to Disney World, where trees, plants and flowers get turned into princesses and famous mice.
The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival opens March 6 and extends through May 19. In addition to 75 topiaries like the one pictured above, there will be a Flower Power concert series featuring such hippie talent as Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees, Herman’s Hermits and The Village People.

Flower Infusion -- The TV show "Desperate Landscapes" on the DIY Network comes to the rescue of front yards in need of a green makeover.

2. DVR Every Landscaping and Gardening TV Show — The cable and satellite TV line-ups are saturated with yard improvement guidance, where you can vicariously appreciate the labor of other homeowners from your couch. The DIY Network’s Jason Cameron shows up to people’s yards for landscaping makeovers. A well-placed flower box does wonders for any front yard.  Speaking of front yards, did you hear about the suburban Dallas homeowner who just found two dueling bobcats getting territorial on his lawn?

Look So Real, You'll Want to Water Them: Blossom Removable Wall Stickers (Double Click for More Info)

3. Plant a Maintenance-Free Garden of Removable Flower Wall Stickers — So maybe you aren’t the gardening type, regardless of the season. The best part of shopping from the WallCandy florist is that all of our Blossoms, Tulips, Happy Flowers, Roses, and Shadow Flowers require no fertilizer, soil, water or sunshine. Repositionable peel-and-stick flowers never die and retain their vibrant colors — and perhaps most important, have no allergy-inducing pollen.  These are flowers that will last years beyond those wilted remnants from Valentine’s Day. (Curious what our flowers are made of? Check out the WallCandy FAQ).

So how about you?  How do you usher in Spring each year?

Be Sociable, Share!
Posted in Decorating Ideas, Peel and Stick Wallpaper, Temporary WallPaper | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
by: wallcandy dad
« Older Entries
by: wallcandy dad

© Copyright 2011 Wallcandy. All rights reserved.

featured video