Gavin's Bedroom Makeover

I have been meaning to add some character to the kids rooms and what better time than now? Our kids have such distinct personalities, and they are all so unique and amazing and [ oh man! I just love ‘em ] so deciding on little refreshes for each has been super fun. Gavin is just our cheery guy - he is so easy going so I knew this modern, muted (but with a touch of yellow!) wallpaper would fit his personality perfectly. 

I like to paint my paper first, Get it reallllll saturated with the paste! Take your time and apply as you go. I find placing wallpaper to be so soothing and a project you can really get wrapped up in! 
I did the first row, which was basically the easiest part, because now I need to match everything else up. So precision and lining everything up is something to really take care with. 
Wallpaper isn't technically suggested for textured walls like ours. The more texture, the harder it is for it to stick. BUT I still do it, you just gotta be ok with it looking a little bumpy from all the texture. It’s really not that bad! 
I just use my paste and go back to edges that are lifting and fill it in with paste. And then you continue to just smooth it out with your wet rag. And once it dries and sets, it gets smoother. The overall end result will have a slight bumpiness to it, I don't mind that, I'd rather have the wall paper than not. Plus, when you stand back you can hardly tell! And it’s such a great look - so custom and such an easy mood lifter! 
If you happen to measure incorrectly, like I did, have no fear! I did not do my measurements right so the second piece ended up being a little short. So I just went back and added a piece to the top. There are always left over pieces to snip from! As long as you line up the direction of the pattern, you’re golden.
Here's a little tip to get the perfect straight line for a cut: Cut a little slit right where you want to fold. Start to fold and then line up both sides of the slit PERFECTLY. Then flatten across and it's a perfect straight line and you can cut from there!

My goal was to have the whole room finished and put back together to surprise Gav when he got home from school! I remember growing up, my mom used to do that. I'd go away to camp or be at school and then when I got home my room would be different! and I LOVED it! So special - that Mama Lor, she is a gem. 
3 rows across the wall ended up being one roll of the wallpaper. So what I am doing is, I am laying out my tape measure to the exact length that I want and then I roll out my paper to that. And then I cut a few inches over and a few inches under per the directions. And this method seemed to work quite well!
Around the window, I decided to make my job easier and do it in two separate pieces. Don't worry if you can still see the seams a little. Wallpaper will expand a little and you can kind of stretch it when it's wet on the wall to line it up just so, and it looks perfect.
My thoughts on sticker vs paste wallpaper: I like both! Paste takes longer because you have to paste it. Sticker wallpaper is a little harder to do with one person because it's so sticky that I like to have another person to help hold it down! Both are great and as I mentioned, they truly transform a room! 
Here are some fun resources for unique and well priced wallpaper!
So happy with how this project turned out! And of course, it’s Foxi approved!