A $30 Instant Wallpaper Shelving Makeover

I went to Target today to grab a few groceries and like most people I know, I am nearly incapable of leaving without at least 1 additional item that I don’t actually need. Well today I came home with 2. I bought 2 of these temporary wallpaper stick-ons because we’re planning on working on house stuff this weekend and, why not?

I bought one roll of this faux subway tile wallpaper to try out in our kitchen backsplash. I’ll let you know how that one goes.

I also bought one of these fun speckled wallpaper prints to spice up the built in shelves in our dining room nook.

This nook is tucked into a corner that divides our playroom and dining room. This is what it looked like before.

I’m constantly changing these shelves around. Originally they held board games. Then they held seasonal decorations that weren’t being used and before I organized some of our China (pictured above), they were just cluttered with everything from crayons to light bulbs. So today I decided to switch things up again and find a spot for our China in one of our kitchen cabinets.

I started by clearing the shelves. Then I measured the back of the cabinets, unrolled the Dalmatian print wallpaper, flipped it to the back side and used a ruler, tape measure and a pen to mark the dimensions. Then I cut the first panel out and held it up to make sure it fit. Since 3 of the 4 shelves measure the same height, I used the first cut to trace 2 others which made the process even quicker and easier.

Then it was peel, stick and rub. They go on like big stickers and aside from carefully smoothing them to make sure you’re not stuck with creases, they are extremely easy to apply. The directions say to have a flat clean surface. I did wipe the shelves down with a damp rag, but the backs of the shelves are actually textured and the wallpaper still went on just fine. I think it also helped that I was sticking the wallpaper into a boxed in area.

Here’s a shot of the textured back and sides that I stuck the wallpaper to.

After I finished applying the wallpaper, I filled the shelves. I decided to go back with the fun books/board games look!

With our DIY Instant Photo display, shelving makeover, and that fun carved piece that I got in Puerto Rico, this little nook is so cheery now.

The wallpaper was $29.99 and I still have lots leftover. The project took me less than an hour from start to finish… and that’s with a 6-month-old strapped to my chest!