Another home improvement-decor project

The wide-angle shot

With much appreciation to Bud for assisting with hanging this custom wallpaper, a project years in the making is complete.

It is rewarding when a vision becomes reality. I had been wanting to do a custom mural of trees on this long wall in the living room and searched through many Boundary Waters photos for just the right set of trees.

Not finding one I took advantage of a trip to Door County, Wisconsin in the winter of 2022 to take specific photos for use.

I edited the photo to just the right set of trees then overexposed the image to make it less realistic. Birch trees are everywhere in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin and create the vertical effect I wanted.

Photo edited mockup

In an internet search for custom wallpaper, I found photowall.com and submitted my order after a lot of measuring, double checking, and creating a photo mockup.

I ordered the custom wallpaper on February 25 and it arrived a little over a week later from Sweden!! It came in 5 different boxes with instructions and wallpaper paste! It arrived so quickly I wasn't ready to mount it. I highly recommend Photowall.com if you need any wallpaper. I did opt for the premium paper and am so pleased with it. The quality of the photo is outstanding, and you can order whatever size you want or need.

I was discussing the project with Bud at a restaurant when someone nearby interjected that I should consider sizing the wall beforehand. I had never heard of this but did some research and it sounded like a really good idea. So, I applied the sizing material to the wall yesterday and Bud and I hung the wallpaper today!

Nearing the end

I was very careful on getting the first panel plum. Figured it would all go very wrong if the whole thing was cock-eyed.

I haven't decided if I will put the Barbara Stanwyck posters back up. I can easily put them up or take them down as I kept the hangers available.

Again, many thanks to Bud for helping out.

Maggie wonders what all the fuss is about

The original photo of birch trees

Master Bath Vanity Light Upgrade

Two things I did not like about the vanity light in the master bathroom. It was outdated and it didn't actually reach from sink to sink. You had to stand in the middle of the vanity to get full light (both sides of your face) but that meant there wasn't a sink below you. Not optimal.

Turns out you really cannot get a multi-light vanity fixture that is much wider than the one I had. I came across LED light bars that come in various lengths. To stretch from sink to sink it had to be at least 48 inches long. Turns out Maxim Lighting available at Creative Lighting in St. Paul has LED light bars in various lengths including one 48" long.

I was able to easily install the new fixture in a few minutes. It was a little tricky getting the wire nuts on as the unit is a bit wonky being so long. But it is very light weight, and I was able to maneuver it.

I really like the amount of light it puts out. The light is also dispersed really well.

I can now see both sides of my face when standing at either sink. Since the fixture is LED, I don't expect it to burn out any time soon...which is a good thing because I'm not sure if you can replace the LED bulb(s). There are no instructions.

I decided to use the old fixture with 4 lamps in the guest bathroom which had the same fixture but with only 3 lamps.

It looks good and brightens that bathroom as well.

The most time consuming part of the whole thing was cleaning the old fixtures. Apparently when the bathrooms were painted, the painter didn't worry about taking the glass globes off let alone the fixtures. The fixtures had paint on them that took some Goo Gone and elbow grease to remove.

New carpeting

I think the carpeting in my condo bedrooms was the original from when the building was built in 2006. For the 2 1/2 years that Mrs. Kravitz the Roomba has been working, she has filled her bin with carpet fibers and gross dirt from the carpeting. I had the carpets professionally cleaned before I moved in, but it didn't seem to do much good.

Three rooms into one.

So, I finally made the decision to change the carpeting out. I went with Empire Today again. I used them for the carpeting in my Emerson house and the wood flooring in the rest of the condo. I also went with a top-of-the-line plush that feels oh so nice on your feet.

Three rooms into one.

The big challenge was going to be where to put all the furniture. The master bedroom and dressers had to come out and so did the loveseat and 2 bookcases from the office/guest bedroom.

Somehow it all fit in the living room!

Three rooms into one.

New padding.

Most comfortable spot.

Maggie did really well with whole ordeal and most importantly, she really likes the new carpeting.

Oooo, so comfy.

Maggie approves.

Ahhh.

The installers did a good job though I had to remind them that moving the furniture was part of the contract. Also, they could not make short cuts (literally) in the master bedroom around the baseboard heaters.

Home Decor - backsplash

 I've had this idea to use one of my Cozumel underwater photos somewhere. The photos often look abstract but on closer viewing, the details of fish or coral appear.

Sink side completed.

I have used a www.wallmonkeys.com wall decal before so I decided I would make my kitchen backsplash an underwater photo wall decal.

I cannot recommend www.wallmonkeys.com enough. Their work is fantastic and not as expensive as you might think.

I submitted my photo on their website with the request to have the largest wall photo decal which is 72" wide. I requested a proof and also the final dimensions. The final height meant I needed only one decal that I would cut to fit both the sink and stove walls.

They responded in just a few days. I approved the proof and received the decal in a couple of days.

Template in place waiting for
outlets and switches to be cut in.

At friends' suggestion, I made templates for the walls. With the cabinets, outlets and switches at various places along the walls, the templates were invaluable.

It was a leap of faith to cut the photo decal into the sections needed. The sink side is actually wider than 72" so I had to add 3" sections to each side. Because the photo is somewhat abstract, you cannot really see the add-ons.

The wall behind the stove is exactly 72" so you couldn't ask for more. Getting the decal behind the stove and under the microwave was very tricky but because the decal is removable, it can be positioned multiple times.

The decal is also a vinyl material so is waterproof and washable. Previously, the walls were just painted.

The finished project.

I love the outcome. And it looks particularly special with the under cabinet lights on.

This is the photo wall decal in full.