DIY Wall Decals - Trees/Birds

Sorry about not writing yesterday. I spent forever trying to watch Heroine; it was buffering so slow. When the movie finally ended, it was already time to cook dinner. The movie wasn't as nice as I imagined it to be, but Kareena Kapoor looked very nice.

Anyway, how is your week going? Ankit and I've been fasting and so far, it's going okay :) I can't wait for the week to end though. Just one more week and I'm excited about my next two trips to come (to Zion National Park, Utah and Tulsa, Oklahoma). You can bet I'll be writing all about it. It's always so much fun to have places to visit, click pictures, make memories and forget about all your worries. 

Well, today's topic is (as promised) about my other wall decal designs. I've always dreamed that the entrance to my house would be really pretty; a big mirror, a pretty chest under it and a huge flower vase, maybe. And I'm sure it'll be something like that when we buy our first house next year (hopefully).The entrance to our flat is pretty small (as it is in most flats) so if you also live in an apartment where you don't have much space to do anything fancy with your entrance, this could be a good solution for you to make it more interesting, for no cost at all.

I would love to keep more plants and flowers in the house but space issues keep me from doing so. But I figured if I continued with the "Nature" theme, the house would look more serene and peaceful. I already made butterflies, what else could I cut out of paper that would fit the theme?  I decided to do a scene on the wall with trees and birds. 

Here is what my first project looks like:

My First Project

It's really quite simple. Take a piece of construction paper (again, you may choose any color; I chose black only because it matches my theme), fold it in half, draw a semi circle, cut along the lines and you have a leaf. Take a look at the pictures below for clearer directions.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Leaf all done

I've explained the steps on a white piece of paper so you can see how it is done clearly. It's really quite simple. You can pile up 5-7 papers and fold them together, so that cutting once will yield 5-7 more leaves and save time. This is the best way to create perfect leaves each time. Once you feel you have enough leaves, you can think about creating the branches. Now this step will require you to use your hidden artistic talent :p 

Here is a very rough example of how I did the branches. Actually, now I think about it, there isn't much of art required in this (haha). Just draw messy lines, bring them together and you have a branch. But this process is way more tedious than cutting leaves because you can't just have A4 size branches (unless you have bigger construction paper). I only had A4 size sheets to cut out of, so I had to put the sheets together, draw on them a nice large branch, cut it out and stick them together with glue. I know it's hard work, but it'll be worth the effort at the end. Make sure when you cut your branches, the end is  nice and pointy, because that is where we'll put most of the leaves. 

Now here is something that will require art! :) I figured, if we have trees, we should at least have birds. I thought it was quite a simple figure to draw and cut out but if you feel less confident with your art skills, you can simply print this picture, cut it out and use it as a stencil. If you want a bigger picture, you can always ask me and I will gladly email you the original photograph. However, I believe you should try to draw it out on your own, that way you'll be more proud of it and it'll be your very own creation. 

My Second Project

Here is a picture of my second project. After I realized the branches in the first project looked nice, I decided to do a whole tree on the other side of the wall. Honestly, this took me about a week to do. The leaves were quite simple to cut, the branches won't take very long either after you've gotten the hang of it; it's the putting it together and sticking it on the wall with putty that will require time and thinking. I even cut out little flowers. The flowers took me longer because I individually pencil colored them with five different shades of yellow, red, orange and pink. I honestly think the flowers were more hard work than any of the rest of it (ha!). You may choose to put flowers or leave the tree as it is; its your choice. I just wanted to give it a little color. Once it's all done and put up, you will be proud (trust me). 

Here is how the entrance will look when it's all done and put together. That is our main entrance door, on the right. We put up some photo frames in the middle, each with a quote on "Love", "Faith", "Believe", and "Truth." I think it goes with the entire theme of peace and serenity. 

Now let me show you how this theme goes with the earlier post I wrote about.

Here is how it all looks together. The entrance and the butterflies around the family photos; all done at home for no money at all. You can do something like this, too, and once you've done it, you'll be so proud :)

Have a lovely day, everyone!
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