Decorative Wall Hangings with Cavallini Art Paper

Apr 15
07:24

2009

Jill Clow

Jill Clow

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

This article is about using art paper to create inexpensive but beautiful, textured wall-hanging posters. It explains where to get the supplies needed and provides instruction on how to make the posters.

mediaimage

This decorative wall hanging was inspired by a desperate attempt to come up with a solution to fill a blank wall at a trade show in which the original art failed to arrive due to a shipping delay.  I had to work fairly quickly to meet my set-up deadline.  I called a friend who detected total panic in my voice,Decorative Wall Hangings with Cavallini Art Paper Articles and she offered to pick up the necessary supplies from a local craft store and deliver them to me at the trade show.  Together, working the concrete floor of the trade show admist buzzing activitiy including heavy machinery whizzing precariously close to our heads, we actually finished TWO entire wall hangings in a matter of one hour.  So, if you are looking for instant wall art with loads of CHARM and CHARACTER and don't want to spend a small fortune look no further. I do, however, recommend you attempt this project in a safer environment than we did!

The supply list to complete this project is fairly simple:  Begin with beautiful Cavallini paper.  I chose what worked best with my trade show color pallate.  Cavallini creates stunning papers with combinations of hues that generously span the color spectrum.  When using Cavallini papers you simply can't make a bad design decision.  Next, choose your burlap.  Burlap is relatively inexpensive and available in a wide variety of colors.  I like to buy a yard in almost every color available in the store. This way, when you get home, you can experiment with colors that work best with your Cavallini papers. You'll feel like you splurged but will be pleasantly suprised at the check-out register when you realize how little you actually spent! One yard will You'll get two wall hangings out of one yard of burlap.

To complete the project you'll also need coordinating ribbon, spray adhesive, heavy gauge poster board for backing, scissors, a straight edge, hole punch and a pencil.

First lay the Cavallini paper on top of the poster board.  The dimensions of Cavallini paper are slightly smaller than that of standard size poster board so you'll need to trace around the Cavallini paper and cut away the excess poster board.  You could also use foam board for a heavier duty backing but this would require extra steps to conceal the thicker edges.

Next, place the burlap so it completely covers the poster board.  It is important to evenly distribute excess burlap of at least an inch and a half on all four sides of the poster board. Next, you are ready for the spray adhesive.  Work in a well ventilated area.  Carefully pull back one half of the burlap spray underneath and then repeat on the last half.  After the spray adhesive dries you are ready to adhere the Cavallini paper onto the burlap.  The character of burlap has a loose weave giving it an almost opaque quality that can allow white or any light colored poster backing to show through. So take care to place the Cavallini paper so it completely eclipses the posterboard beneath the burlap.  This can be somewhat tricky to achieve so a few after-cuts may be necessary.

Now you are ready for the FUN effect of the fringe.  Achieving this process is tedious but has HUGE design rewards.  Start on one side of the burlap and begin removing the outermost layer of burlap away from the intact burlap and continue down the entire length.  Work your way toward the inside, peice by peice only stopping when you come one or two rows away from the edge of the posterboard.  For the fringing effect, I feel more adroit using a wooden skewer to remove each string of burlap but using an open pair of scissors works just as well.  Once you've finished removing the rows of burlap the edges may look a bit rough and uneven, so I use the straight edge to guide my scissors in cutting away excesss fringe for a tidy, symmetrical look.

Punch two evenly spaced holes at the top of your wall hanging to allow ribbon to easily slide through.  Secure a knot at each end of your ribbon.  For a fancier, more professional look you can use rivets which come in an array of finishes.

Want to infuse MORE charm and personality into your wall hanging?  When working with beautiful objects I am inspired to pull out as much of its character as possible.  So when I saw the Cavallini french fruit & vegetable paper, I knew instantly it must be suspended from a rusty, well-worn antique garden pitchfork.  For the fish paper, hang from a fishing rod or boat orr.  At my trade show, I used the Cavallini "History of Birds" along side the butterfly paper.  I hung each from a tree branch my friend found while out walking her dog, "which is where she was when she received my desperate call for help." And, because I am incapable of leaving well enough alone, I wired a bird nest complete with quail eggs along with an adorable chubby bird on the opposite side of each tree branch. It was a huge hit.

Do challenge yourself and have fun with what inspires your inner creativity.  I confess I go wobbly at the knees when Cavallini introduces a new "old" paper.  I simply can't live without it and, of course, it ends up working its way into my home decor.  Look for future projects using gorgeous Cavallini efemera.  Post me with your ideas and inspirations!