Tutorial : DIY Vinyl Wall Art

If you're in the unlucky boat of a renter like I am, you probably hate your plain white walls. There is only so much you can do with framed art and photos before it gets stale. You may have seen some of the vinyl wall art on Etsy or elsewhere that makes a great solution for this. It's removable, leaves no residue and is extremely easy to use. But.. what if you (like me again) are on the worlds smallest decorating budget? Or what if you simply can't find the design you're looking for? 

Fear not! The budget designer in me has a simple and easy project for you. It's 100% customization, affordable, and only limited by your imagination. The following tutorial will tell you how I did the design below, but just use your trusty crafty skills and the basic idea and you can do anything you want!

What you'll need: 

• One roll of Self-Adhesive Vinyl. Retails for $7.99 at Hobby Lobby and comes in many different colors. http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=149777 You get quite a lot on a roll. I only used half of mine on the entire project. 
• A pencil for tracing onto the back of the vinyl. 
• Objects to trace. For the above design, I traced random objects from around the house. For example on the smaller circles I used a sugar dispenser, the bottom of a candle, ect. The main center circle is a traced 45 record! Use whatever objects you have for the size and scale you want. 
• A long ruler or yard stick for the straight lines. 
• Scissors. 

Step 1 - Prep the vinyl. As you can see if you click the link provided, the vinyl comes as a tight wound roll. You'll want to unroll it and roll it again the opposite way to help flatten it out. It's easier to work with when it's not rolling up on itself! Once you have your flat piece, you'll notice that there is a white paper backing. This is the side you'll be working with. 

Step 2 - Start tracing and cutting out your pieces. Every piece in the design above is it's own element. I started by tracing and cutting the main center circle. After that, I cut various lengths and widths of straight lines. Then, do your smaller circles. For the outline circles, just trace a smaller one in the center and cut it out. Keep the paper backing on until you're completely ready to attach to the wall. I found it helpful to arrange the pieces on the floor until it looked exactly like I wanted. 

Step 3 - Getting it on the wall. I had it easy, because I knew I wanted it center with my couch. You might need to do some measuring and planning here depending on your room layout. If you planned it out on the floor or a table first, it makes this much easier. You just start transferring! Peel off the backing and carefully smooth each piece onto the wall, being mindful of air bubbles. Start with the straight lines, then the circles on top of them. It's somewhat repositionable, so if you make a mistake you can carefully peel it off and try again.

That's about the gist of it! For the smaller starbursts on either side, I simply printed them from my computer, cut them out and then traced them onto the vinyl in the same way. If you use that method, you can really do almost any design. If you're handy with a pencil and an exacto knife, your possibilities are even greater! Think of it like cutting out a stencil, same principal! 

Hope this gave you some inspiration for your blank walls, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!