Sneak peek at the "wallpaper"
Mon, 2 May 2011 13 Comments 
I have been so busy this weekend with family gatherings that the kitchen saw no action ... almost. I admit defeat as far as a professional finish on my painting. My edges are crap. I've got splatters all over the place. My photos are very "selective" :) I definitely need help. Painting should be fun. Because I am so bad I've left lots of jobs undone or worse half done. To cheer myself up I started a small section of my feature wall to see if it works. I'm wallpapering with vintage Penguin and Pelican book covers. OK it really is decoupage but I'm not finished yet. I need to sand and glaze and create a unique wall. I like an aged and worn look.
Don't worry about the bubbles. After looking at these photos I went back with a credit card and pushed the air out. I use a small hand-held sander to take the covers back a bit and apply glazes to tone the colours down, age them or wash them out and finally seal them. It's like a giant version of my art. I figured I'll need over 200 covers for this wall. I'm using the back covers primarily interspersed with 60s and 70s front covers all in blues (this ties in with the blue and white tesselated tiles in front of the wood burning stove) and occasionally I'm throwing in a vintage orange cover. Why back covers? Because I have heaps of them and I'm jealously hoarding the front covers for an upcoming exhibition.
Now I have to decide whether I go back to "wallpapering" my wall or finishing this week's posts. All I know is that until I get MUCH better at painting that side of things will stay unfinished. Help!!
Reader Comments (13)
Wow what a great idea! its going to look super :) Cant wait to see what it looks like finished
That wall is going to look SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!
That looks amazing Jo. A feature wall of penguin covers is very cool.
I would've given up with the kitchen painting too such is my attention span....but it looks much better black. xx
Hi Jo
Just caught the updates. I've been dying to see some progress and think the kitchen looks extremely cool. When you have your showing, do you want to email me details and I can post on my blog? It's a CM blog here, http://blogs.news.com.au/couriermail/shopsmart/ . Hey, shopping is serious journalism!
Thanks guys! I wasn't sure if it would be too kitsch, an homage to bad decoupage but I've done a couple of square meters now and I'm liking it more. Hopefully I'll get the gluing done by this weekend. Then the fun begins!
Thanks for the offer of the plug Paddy! Shopping is the best form of journalism. Millions would kill for the gig :)
Jo you are just too clever. You must let us know about the exhibition!!! The wall looks so so good. I think the backs is an excellent twist on what you have been creating with the fronts. I must say I love the crossword effect of your work on the right. xx Katherine By the way where are the gallery chair/ couch going? Silly the things that come into my head.
The gallery chair is going upstairs in my office in front of the fire place. It's being sprayed and the small hole fixed by our tame car spray painter. Not sure of time frame for it arriving at our place because you know what young guys are like. Always something else more "important" to do. Good news is that in a week and a bit the rest of my storage shed is being delivered. Everything from the 6 foot Mary and Jesus to the architect's plan drawers ... and the 3 other dining room chair sets and the 4 children's rides and ....
Dear Jo, looking at your wall, I'm torn in halves. Because it does look really, really good. And I'm genuinely appreciating the inspiration and pleasure you and Kim 'serve' us on a daily basis. But I cannot stop thinking - what happened with the books? You see, I have worked for a book store that just closed down because people were not buying them in large enough quantities. And more and more people are buying e-books and e-readers. Which is fine, progress is good, but in a decade or so are we going to relate to books the way we relate to vintage furniture today? Maybe I'm too emotional about this. And I guess reading M. Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' just a few weeks ago doesn't help :). I love your wall... and I love books. Hence the bipolar situation. :) Anyways, have the best of luck in everything you do and big thanks to you and Kim for the daily dose of beauty with meaning! Sincerely, Ana
Ana I do know where you are coming from and for a long time I couldn't bring myself to destroy a book. You'd die if you actually saw how many vintage penguins and pelicans I have intact. There are still many I can't bring myself to tear apart. Funny thing is I keep the interiors. Have stacks of them. Is that my guilty conscience peeking through? It's sad to see the demise of the printed book. I love the feel of a book in hand, that gentle thud as it falls on your chest and you realise you fell asleep reading. Bliss. I also love recycling old books that may end up as landfill and books bought from charities like the Lifeline Bookfest (I die every time I go .... over a million secondhand books!) so that what someone throws away becomes hope and support for others. Anyway enough of me waffling on. Just wanted to say I do understand. And I'm sorry your bookstore closed down. It must have been wonderful doing something you love every day as your job.
Please, please, please, Jo, don't feel guilty!!! Realistically speaking, there are books out there that the human kind (and trees) would be better off without! Let's decide that, apart from being a great looking and original decorating idea, your wall is also an homage to books and to the craft of printing! And the books' 'behinds' :) will be much happier on your wall than in the furnace! Change is good! And it's fun imagining... for tomorrow's kids, what will be for them what midcentury is for us now? Kindle tiled backsplash? :))
Pin a medal on yourself for all that hard work. Sue from Sydney
Thanks Sue! I still have a LONG way to go though.
Hi! I have tested this in my bedroom, but stopped/got bored half-way on a wall. Now you have given me new forces/ new inspiration..thank you! ; )