I did it. I finally completed Clara’s closet stamping project (you know, the one I started here)! And yes, if you couldn’t tell from the title, I made a potato stamp. It was actually really fun. Don’t roll your eyes. It was. And it was free. In fact this entire project cost me 99 cents since I used one tube of Folk Art Paint in Champagne (a soft and pretty metallic gold color) and two potatoes that we already had (never thought I’d list potatoes as existing DIY materials). As for landing on a pattern, last week I shared how my first idea, a $1 rubber stamper from Michael’s, didn’t work (the rubber stamp pattern was too fine, so it didn’t read at all in person (although in the photo it wasn’t as hard to see):
And then I moved on to a few freehand painted attempts like imperfect horizontal lines, x’s (aka: kisses), and random little rows of dots made by squishing a small craft paintbrush against the wall:
As for my potato stamps, I just tried a few shapes that I did my best to freehand (from a weird little quatrefoil-ish thing to a star and a bee-hive-ish hexagon). As for the bottom right stamp, I saw this on Pinterest (originally from here), and decided to give it a try. I just carved a circle first (using the top of a salad dressing bottle as a guide) and then made little pizza-slice slivers around it to leave the asterisk-like shape.
I also saw this celery stencil idea on Pinterest (originally from here) and gave that the ol’ college try too:
Then it was time to test all of my “stampers” out on paper with the Folk Art metallic paint (in champagne) just to see how they did:
Out of all the potential patterns, the little starburst circle one was our favorite. So off to the closet I went, just to see how it would look on the wall.
I learned that it worked a lot better if I brushed the paint onto the potato with a small craft store brush (so I could remove the excess and prevent globs) as opposed to stamping it into my plate of paint (like you would with a rubber stamper).
Here’s a good shot of how the paint looks really metallic from certain angles. So soft and pretty.
After about an hour I had done the wall with the door on it and about a fourth of the adjoining wall to the left as you face it. Then I had to pause for a Clara nap and the rest of the day got away from me. But she did love the part that I had done once she woke up from her nap:
No worries, I thought. I’ll just finish it tomorrow. But in the morning I realized something that sent me into a mild to moderate potato panic. My stamp had sort of withered overnight. Not too crazy like a raisin or anything, but the whole potato was substantially less firm than it was the day before. More like a sponge than a solid stamp. But I decided to give it a try just to see how it worked out (while holding my breath and crossing my fingers/toes/eyes). My method had to change slightly (since the edges weren’t as flat as they once were, I had to gently rock my wrist back and forth and up and down as I pressed it down to ensure that all of the starburst tips got applied to the wall). But miracle of all miracles it still worked.
So onward I pressed. Literally. I must have pressed that potato into the wall 500 times. But it was surprisingly soothing. I know you’re rolling your eyes again, but there are some projects that are extremely tedious that I’m not a fan of (heck, painting the closet was totally boring) but for some reason I got into a nice little rhythm with my potato and my paint brush so it was kind of nice. Brush paint on, press while gently rocking wrist back and forth, move over a few inches, repeat. Oh and as for my spacing, I just eyed everything, but each stamp is about 5″ away from the next one and I just applied staggered horizontal rows so if you connected the dots it would make a ton of zig-zag chevrons.
I decided as I was stamping to the oldies (yes, I had Pandora on) that it was as good a time as any to think back about the last almost-15 months with the bean. So I sat/crouched/stood in there stamping my heart out and thinking about hilarious blowouts and first words and lost socks and restaurant meltdowns and all the other good/bad/ugly/amazing parenting stuff that has come been flung our way since Clara joined the family. Not a bad way to spend two hours.
And guess what? Once it was dry and I granted Clara some closet clearance, she was so excited! She literally wanted to point to every last shiny stamp that was in there and squeal “stah!” (her version of star).
The total time spent on the project (including various rubber stamper/potato/celery experiments and two installments of stamping) came to around three and a half hours. So worth it for the magical little subtly metallic reading nook we’re on our way to creating.
Next, we added the white shelving systems back in (that we removed before painting):
And finally I loaded in all of her clothes, toys, and blankets. I even tossed down a fluffy faux sheepskin rug from Ikea and some pillows that we already had while adding some of her favorite board books to the little Clara-level corner shelves:
I still want to DIY a beanbag (I’ve pinned lots of tutorials and ideas) but it’s pretty darn sweet in there already. And Clara had some fun taking it for a test ride. I think she likes loves it.
As for John’s impression, this convo ensued:
Me: It’s cool, huh? What do you think?
John: Yeah, it’s really Sweet Sixteen in there.
Me: What does that mean? It’s cheesy? Over the top?
John: No you know… (long pause)… expensive. Like the Louis Vuitton cakes they get. It’s really cool.
Sherry: Huh? (equally long pause) This might be our strangest conversation to date.
I’m so glad we all love it (even if some of us don’t really know how to put that love into words coughJohncough). And even my cheap-o work-with-what-you-have self is kind of shocked at the difference that 99 cents and 3.5 hours made in there (well, more like 5 hours if you count the closet-painting phase too).
Ok, so who’s surprised that I got all old school and made a potato stamp? I totally had flash backs of middle school while doing it. Who out there has stamped a wall instead of just painting or stenciling it? I must say there’s a surprising freedom to it since you don’t have to carefully place the stencil and make sure that there’s no paint on the back of it and that nothing gets smeared or anything. You just eye it and go. And it kind of looks like handmade wallpaper (imperfect, but kind of perfect because of that). This might be one of my favorite solo projects that I’ve done in the new house. Just because it’s from me to the bean with love. And quite possibly because it inexplicably reminds John of an expensive Louis Vuitton cake. Sometimes it’s the little things…
tia says
how did you keep the lines so straight? my stamps would have been all over the place. did you measure?
YoungHouseLove says
I just eyed it. They definitely aren’t perfect, but it’s amazing how when you do an entire wall the things that looked a little slanted or off sort of blur together and the entire wall reads as a whole, which makes imperfections a lot less obvious!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Love all of your nursery things! I am expecting our first now (due in September). I am wondering how y’all baby-proof without having your house covered in plastic things?
YoungHouseLove says
We just baby proof as we go. It started just with outlet covers when she was crawling since she couldn’t reach many surfaces, and then we cleared things like our low media cabinet off when she started pulling up. Now that she’s walking we just make sure anything at her level (or that’s reachable when she raises her arms) is secured (ex: low hanging frames have plexi-glass instead of real glass and are secured with heavy duty velcro so they can’t some crashing down). Just take things one step at a time since you never know what kind of kiddo you’ll end up with! Good luck.
xo,
s
lindsay says
So, here I am reading about your potato stamp in Clara’s closet while simultaneously browsing the latest American Baby magazine (and texting my husband. I’m totally multitasking my media!) when I turn the page and see Clara’s cute room on a full page spread. It was so exciting. Almost like I virtually knew a celebrity? (Or something…)
Congrats! Thanks for sharing all things DIY and home reno/decor. You are a favorite in my Reader.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much! We haven’t seen it yet. Can’t wait to track down an issue!
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
Looks terrific. I am a little jealous of her. I want a closet like that of my own. Wonderful!
Reenie says
Oh how adorable….. so is the closet ;)
Rachel H. says
Beautiful, Sherry!
Crafty Lulu says
This is such a cute idea! It makes me want to paint my closet now! I stumbled across your blog from a Google search and I love it by the way. Keep up the good work!
Esi says
Hi Sherry! I’m pretty this is what John meant when he said Sweet Sixteen: http://www.mtv.com/onair/sweet_16/images/main_L_281x211.jpg
The logo for the MTV show is very similar to the closet pattern (the background looks more pink on tv). Don’t worry John, I thought of Sweet Sixteen too when I saw it! The closet looks great
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that actually makes sense now.
xo,
s
Hooked on Hickory says
love how it turned out! it does look like a handmade wallpaper! i’m sure she will love it for years to come! very sweet sixteen! ;)
ashley
Kristen says
The closet turned out so cute!! Clara will be enjoying her private little reading nook for a long time to come.
Erin says
Wonderful job! I hope you take this as the compliment it is intended to be- but it really inspires me when you show handmade, not 100% perfectly flawless projects like this! I mean, the result is beautiful, but I love that it wasn’t a perfectly measured pattern and that your stars- by nature of the stamp- all are going to wind up just slightly different. It’s so much more interesting and looks so lovingly made. Adorable!
Lucy says
I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this idea at first, but this closet-to-reading-nook transformation may be one of my favorite projects yet on YHL. Really great vision on this one!
cindy says
It turned out great and it was free!!! Cant get any better than that :)
Megan says
Love the stamps! I had a reading nook under our stairs that was very similar :-)
Also, your dining room curtains made an appearance at Urban Outfitters today :-)
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=17995671&parentid=A_FURN_FURNITURE&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=20&navAction=jump&color=&pushId=A_FURN_FURNITURE&popId=APARTMENT&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that so funny? Love it!
xo,
s
Roshni says
I guess ONE of those in a sitting room is okay but 8 would be headache-inspiring!!
Gavin S. says
The completed closet looks princessy and fabulous. And oh my gosh…that picture of Clara with her hand on the wall looking back over her shoulder at you totally made me melt. Can I order a clone please? There must be an 800 number or something for that, right?!
Teresa (Our Corner House) says
That is so sweet!
Charlotte | Living Well on the Cheap says
Sherry Petersik, you have done it again. Amazed me with your awesomeness. Well done my imaginary BFF.
alg says
Magical!
And “Louis V Cake” might just be the new “Blinguccino” ;)
Sarah says
I have to admit that I was skeptical when you started this. I though, “That seems like a lot of work for something that’s not going to look that different.” Well, you sure showed me. I love it! It is just gorgeous.
Lisa Riley says
Looks great! You are inspiring me to re-do my son’s walk in closet! Thanks for the post!
Mary says
I think this is a great alternative to wall paper, Sherry. Would be a fun way to create your own gift wrapping paper, too. Like stamping on freezer paper maybe? How fun that could be – if the ink doesn’t slosh around on it, that is.
Lauren says
I envy your simple life, Petersiks.
Teresa says
Super cute! I was bumping around the interwebs and found this link for a bean bag tutorial. http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/1999/01/rollie-pollie_28/
Clara’s going to be a reading fool!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that one! Already pinned!
xo,
s
laura says
looks great! I just made a reading nook in a corner of my sons room. his bed is in the middle of the wall so the reading nook is at the top of the bed in the corner…it was my way of making use of an awkward empty spot and a great way to put all 3 of his pillow pets to use! He loves it :) and it cost me about 3 bucks for the basket his board books are in! :) Someday, I would like to put a word above it like “read” or “think” like in this pinterest pick: http://pinterest.com/pin/52755748/
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so cute!
xo,
s
Sara says
That is really, really sweet! The colour of the walls, the gold stamps. The reading room. Sweetness.
Steph @ BirdHouse says
That entire closet nook is just adorable! Love it, and I’m sure Clara will too!
Lauren says
It looks so sweet! Great job! I had a similar little reading nook that I used to hang out in all. the. time. when I was younger. I LOVED that place. It felt like my own special spot. I know Clara will just adore it. Maybe it’ll spark a lifelong love of reading like it did for me :)
Val says
So sweet! I love how they read as polka dots from a distance, but then are more detailed when you get closer. And that picture of Clara hanging out in her little nook is precious!
Shari @ Chicago Cuisine Critique says
Beautiful! :) She’s going to love it as she gets older.
Mary says
This is absolutely precious! It turned out great and I wish I had this when I was a little girl! It’s like a little wonderland in there :)
Roshni says
yay!! I love this project on so many levels!! Because I did hope that you would add a flower motif to her closet walls and, this also goes to show that you don’t need to buy a super-expensive stencil or anything… you can just go back to basics and still make an awesome motif pattern!! I too am looking for beanbag ideas… will look at your Pinterest page!! :))
Kimberly says
That closet makes me so happy! I would have LOVED to have a space like that in my room. We had a big comfy chair that we loved to read in. I read so many Babysitters’ Club books in that chair! Anyway, you’ve totally inspired me to stencil a wall. Time-consuming but still worth it.
Cali says
Hi Sherry! Its funny that you posted about Clara’s closet, I just read the article about her bedroom in this months American Baby magazine yesterday. It looks beautiful!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! We haven’t seen it yet but we can’t wait to track it down!
xo,
s
laura says
Love it! I did a reading nook (corner) In my sons room. It was an awkward corner at the head of his bed and I didn’t know what else to do with it. So, I put some of his pillow pets on the floor and a $3 basket with some board books in it and there was the reading nook! I would like to do something like this: http://pinterest.com/pin/52755748/ in the future….love the “think” and the random things hanging above it.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s really cute!
xo,
s
Jeanine says
I LOVE IT!!! The stamp makes the closet look so elegant. That’s awesome that you made a potatoe stamp. So retro!
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
LOVE the shimmery stamped closet! So enchanting! And from a potato… no one would ever know! :) You could even continue the potato shenanigans into the bedroom, by doing random “star clusters!”
LOVE Clara’s outfit too!!!
Mackenzie says
In every house my family has lived in, I was lucky enough to have a closet that could double as my own little reading and writing hideaway. Your little Clara will love having that whimsical, calming and comfortable space to call her own!
And now, you’re making me want to condense my shoe collection (eek!), scoot the hedgehog over (yes, there’s a hedgehog in my closet..), throw some pillows on the floor and read ’til I can’t no mo’!
AmyW says
I like it, but honestly it just looks like polka dots. I like the celery stamp. But either way, it probably would of looked like polka dots from a distance. Either way, still looks adorable!
Katharine says
This is quite possibly the cutest project you’ve ever done. I love how it looks sort of like girly subtle polka dots from a distance, and then up close you get the star shape. I love that you did it freehand. And love Clara’s sweet reaction. CUTENESS! *dies*
kathy says
I. love. this!!
I wanted to do a stencil on our inside guest closet for some added zing but I might try out this potato stamp instead (I can definitely see myself getting paint schmoo all over using a stencil).
I never made a potato stencil when I was younger, though! I’m so deprived!
Lindsey @ A Pear to Remember says
So… my Epidemiology final exam is in, oh, three hours and all I can picture is potato stamps rather than cross-sectional studies!
Not to go too overboard with the pear thing (though it’s only my blog title, I have no intention to collect pears or anything), what do you think about embellishing the single painted wall in our accent nook with potato-stamped pears?? Should I do the stamps one shade lighter/darker? Or just gloss? Would gloss stamping work? I would like something subtle.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds really cute! I would do it in a gloss paint the same shade as the wall. That way it’ll be nice and subtle and have that sheen. Good luck!
xo,
s
heartartz says
I know you wanna make the bean bag…but this one is affordable, adorable and you’d have it now
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Classic-Twill-Bean-Bag-Chair-Green-with-White-Polka-Dots/14089834?findingMethod=rr&ssm=0&sspt=1
Comes in hot pink too!
YoungHouseLove says
That one is really cute! I think I’m just crazy and want to break out my sewing machine. I might totally regret that sentiment when I’m actually making it though….
xo,
s
Briel K. says
I wasn’t sure at the beginning of this project but I like how it turned out. The paint you chose is pretty and I like the metallic sheen that comes through in the photo. Add a bean bag and that closet is definitely a place I’d enjoy reading a good book! :)
Clara looks tall in that photo of her standing by the built in shelf and looking back at you. Is she tall for her age?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, she takes after her tall daddy (as opposed to he short momma)! She’s a tall glass of water. Haha.
xo,
s
Melody says
I am 100% in love with that closet!
I love making stamps for the backgrounds of my paintings, only I use erasers. If you found a huge eraser you wouldn’t have to worry about it withering, but I think it’s cool to be able to say that you used a potato.
YoungHouseLove says
Soooo smart. Love it!
xo,
s
Meghann @ A Lovely Avenue says
What a creative idea with the potato stamp! I have never thought about using one on the wall. But I love the way it turned out. It really does look expensive!
Eilene says
Jealous that Clara has such an awesome little space like that (and cool talented parents!). It’s beautiful. I also saw that outfit at Old Navy and loved it. It’s too bad my son’s closet has textured paint on them. Who does that? Ugh… sometimes I wish I could go back in time and have a little talk with the previous owners. :-) Great job!
Taylor @ TheProposalEnthusiast says
This is fabulous. Another one of you great ideas that I most definitely will be stealing!
Lisa says
It looks great! Love the closet, what a fun place for a little girl.
I like the starburst pattern you chose, but that celery print is really nice, too – looks so much like a rose.
Jenny says
You guys would be great at home staging. Ever thought of starting a business? You guys know where to save in the budget and where to spend.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so sweet of you to say. I think our real passion is sharing our home with the world, and sadly there aren’t enough hours in the day to start up a staging thing for others and keep our blog up and running with posts and projects about our own little home adventure.
xo,
s
Jen says
Great job Sherry.
I love the subtle layer of luxe the metallic paint ads to the nook. And with that rug and those few pillows – it looks deliciously cozy!
I appreciate the zen moment (more like hours, I guess?) that you had for yourself. I had a similary surpising experience when stamping a giant pile of envelopes for my recent wedding thank you notes. I was stunned that such a seriously simple task (stamp ink pad; stamp paper envelope – repeat 100+ times) put me in such a relaxed and happy mood. It is like a new form of meditation – craftitation!
Life is full of surprises, and it makes me smile.
Warmly,
Jen in RI