We swapped Daniel’s office and the guest room last summer. I fixed up the new guest room right away, but I wasn’t inspired to do anything with Daniel’s home office until recently.

I’m sure you’ve seen those big black and white (cheap!) engineering prints from Staples all over the internet lately. I got it in my head that I wanted to cover a whole wall with them, but when I mocked it up in Photoshop it looked too busy and cluttered. Instead I decided to blow up a single photograph and divide it into sections so I could print it large enough to fill a whole wall (aka tiled printing).

I chose a photo I took at Doubtful Sound, which was one of Daniel’s favorite parts of our New Zealand trip. The photo mural ended up looking pretty sweet, and it only cost about $50. I pulled Daniel’s instruments out and put them on display too. Daniel doesn’t usually notice his surroundings much, but when he walked in and saw what I did with his space I heard him yell, “Awesome!!” Now if only I could convince him to trade in that ugly PC for a pretty Mac…

Disclaimer: That’s not Daniel’s actual desk chair. I couldn’t bear to post his big ugly brute of a chair on my blog. ;)

To make your own photo mural you’ll need:

a high resolution digital photograph
a reasonably fast computer
a newish version of Photoshop (I used CS4)
basic Photoshop skills
a tape measure
a nearby Staples
clear thumbtacks
scissors
a pencil

How to:

1. Choose your high resolution photograph. High contrast shots work well since they look good in black and white. Your image will be pretty fuzzy up close once it’s enlarged to wall size, but from across the room the loss of image quality won’t be as noticeable. I think landscapes work well, since they look good even when they’re a bit blurry.

2. Open your image in Photoshop and convert it to black and white. Adjust the levels, brightness, and contrast until it looks the way you want.

3. Measure the wall you want to cover to determine how tall and how wide your mural should be. Remember not to block any outlets or vents.

4. In Photoshop, resize the photo to the width of the wall plus 5 inches to allow for some overlap when you hang the prints. Then crop the image vertically to the height you want the mural to be. When I resized my image to 130″ wide Photoshop warned me that some old versions couldn’t handle files that large, so keep that in mind if you’re using an older version of Photoshop. I used CS4.

5. If you’d like, you can sharpen the enlarged photograph a bit, but even with sharpening the quality will be pretty crappy at 100%. That’s just the way it goes when you blow up an image this big! Have a cup of tea handy to sip on while your computer processes the huge file (my file was over 1GB).

6. Place guides to divide the top of your photograph into 36″ x 48″ sections, since 36″ x 48″ is the largest black and white engineering print Staples can produce. You may have a section at the end of the row that isn’t the full 36″ wide, but that’s not a problem.

7. Use the marquee tool to select a section and copy it. Create a new document, and paste the selection into the new document. Save it as a high quality jpeg and number it so you’ll remember where to position it in the mural.

8. Repeat step 7 with each section across the top of your image.

9. Now move your guides around to divide the bottom of your photo into sections as close to 48″ x 36″ as possible, and repeat step 7 for each segment.

10. When you’re finished you should have individual jpeg files that complete your photo mural.

11. Go to Staples print and copy website right here, and create an account. Then click “Engineering Prints” and a window will pop up where you can upload your files. It’s a little glitchy, so I recommend uploading and adding each file to your shopping cart one at a time. Under print options make sure to choose size 36″ x 48″ prints for each file you upload and select the correct orientation. Do not check “fit content to paper”, otherwise your photo sections that are smaller than 36″ x 48″ will print larger and won’t fit together with the rest of the mural. After you’ve uploaded everything complete the check out process.

12. Your prints will be ready to pick up from your local Staples store in a day or two. Make sure you check them in the store before you bring them home. Two of my prints were torn and one was printed incorrectly so I had to reorder it. Ugh. Staples—not the best customer service, but these prints are dirt cheap so I shouldn’t really complain.

13. Use scissors to trim the blank edges off your prints.

14. Starting with the top left section of the mural use clear thumbtacks to pin the first print to the wall where you want it. Work from left to right along the top of the image, pinning each photo so that it overlaps the previous one a little bit (I overlapped about 1/2″ or so). Overlapping the prints means you don’t have to be as exact about your placement.

15. The last image in the row will likely need to be trimmed to fit the wall, since you printed the mural a little wider than necessary to allow for overlapping. Measure how much you need to trim off, mark the print with a pencil, and trim it to size.

16. Once you’ve pinned the top row of prints, pin the bottom row starting at the left and working your way to the bottom right. As in step 15, trim the last print to fit the wall.

17. Don’t stress about perfection, this is one of those purposefully imperfect projects. Embrace the slightly disjointed, layered paper look!

Here are a few photos from the Rock & Shop Market on Saturday! I was a little flustered making sure I had everything set up, so I don’t have many—just enough to prove I was there. I loved chatting with customers face to face for a change, and all day belly laughter filled the air around my table as folks read my cards. It was delightful.

Thanks to the incredible Michelle Smith for putting together such an amazing event, thank you to those of you who stopped by to say “hi”, and thanks to my awesome mom for giving up her Saturday to help me!

I have a newfound respect for makers who sell at shows. Prepping for the Rock & Shop Market has been a bit more work than I expected! It’s so much different than selling online, and there are so many things to think about that I’ve never considered before.

My favorite part has been collecting props for my display. I scrounged around the house for a few items, got my dad to make me some wood block “easels” for my prints, and found a few things on Ebay and Etsy. I’ve loved figuring out how to make the Wit & Whistle brand exist offline. I think I’m ready for tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll have some pictures to share next week from my first show!

My Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards are available now! The new designs are pictured below (including a couple other new items I just added to the shop), and you can check out my complete line of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards right here.

Just a reminder that I’ll be selling my goodies in Durham this Saturday from 11-7 at the Rock & Shop Market. I hope some of you can stop by, because I’d love to meet you! Now, on to the new paper products…

Placenta Mother’s Day Card—Because placentas are funny and weird, and some people like to eat them, which is also funny and weird.

Baby Head (C-section) Mother’s Day Card—By popular demand, a c-section edition of my Baby Head Mother’s Day Card.

Cheesy Card—This one started out as a Mother’s Day specific card, but really it’s great for any occasion. Get a little revenge on that person who always sends you super sappy, gag-inducing greeting cards. Make sure to check out the inside for the punchline… punchdrawing?

World’s Coolest Dad Father’s Day Card—My dad doesn’t believe me when I tell him that his thick nerd glasses from the 70s (and 80s… and 90s…) are cool again. So, this one’s for him.

You Don’t Suck Card—A little something for all those up-and-coming graduates or anyone else who requires a bit of congratulating.

Make Something 8 x 10 Print—I hand lettered this print for my studio. It’s the perfect kick in the butt on days when I’m not feeling particularly inspired and need a push to get creating.

Wishing you all a very happy Easter!

Daniel and I got married right after we graduated college. We were broke and had no furniture. Daniel’s dresser was a plastic storage bin with drawers, and my clothes were stacked in laundry baskets in the corner. Thanks to some generous wedding gifts, we were able to get a bedroom set. We found one for a steal at a discount furniture store. It included two big dressers, a sleigh bed, and a nightstand. Our bedroom in the old apartment was huge, with cathedral ceilings and a big window. The furniture fit perfectly. A few years later we moved into our house, and the master bedroom was the only downgrade from our apartment.

Our bedroom is at the top of our a-frame home where the attic would normally be. The ceilings are low and slant in, which makes the room feel small. Once we lined every wall with our big dark furniture, the room looked even tinier.

It has been pretty easy to ignore the bedroom for the past (almost) 5 years, since most of my time is spent elsewhere, but this year I want to show our room a little love. I know I can take it from claustrophobic to cozy with the right tweaks. Maybe a space-saving storage bed frame to replace our humongous dressers, or lighter colored furniture might help open up the space.

I picked up this great vintage nightstand recently on Craigslist. I think it’s a step in the right direction! It’s solid metal, super sturdy, and it has that mid century modern vibe that I love. The drawers are so much deeper than my old night stand that I can store twice as much stuff.

The best part? The drawer interiors are robin’s egg blue, which conveniently coordinates with the blue knickknacks and throw pillows I already had around the room. Awesome.

Also, Mabel says “hi”.

Late last year I was asked to remix my color block terracotta pot project for the April 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. So, I painted a bunch of pots and sent them off to BHG with instructions to make them. I just got my copy of the magazine in the mail!

The steps to make these pots are similar to those in my color block pot tutorial. The main difference is that instead of using painter’s tape to create a straight edge for the paint, I stretched a large rubber band diagonally around each pot to paint along. That way the pots look as if they’ve been dipped in paint. The full instructions are in the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and BHG also made a sweet video tutorial showing how to make these pots. You can check that out here.

This photo of the planted pots was taken by King Au for Better Homes & Gardens.

Below are a few process photos I snapped while painting. The original plan was to create pots in varying sizes and shades of blue, but in the end there wasn’t room for all of them.

I rearranged the mantel a bit. Not a major change—just enough to keep things from feeling stagnant around here. I decided to move my dirt collection to the mantel since I love it, and it was previously tucked away in the guest room. I also wanted to display the burned horsehair vase Daniel got me at the fair. Hopefully my plants will grow and drape down over the bricks. Maybe I’ll dump some fish fertilizer on them and see what happens. Have you guys tried that stuff? It smells terrible, so it must be great for plants.

newly rearranged mantel:

old mantel arrangement:

The zombies print is from Yee-Haw Industries which sadly closed, but you can still get one from this kickstarter campaign—thanks to Kristen for the tip!

I’m going to sell my wares at the Rock & Shop Market in Durham on April 6th. Hopefully you can stop by and say hello! I’ve never sold offline before (excluding my retailers and that West Elm thing), so I’ve been collecting a few odds and ends to set up my table and display my products. I needed a “Wit & Whistle” sign, and this is what I’ve come up with. A rustic lettered sign like this would be perfect in so many scenarios—at a wedding, used for holiday decor, in a nursery, etc. Use your imagination! Here’s how to create your own.

you’ll need:

wooden letters (from your local craft store)
sandpaper
wood stain (I used Minwax Dark Walnut 2716)
disposable gloves
sponge brush
oil rubbed bronze spray paint (optional)
tiny screw eyes (2 for each wide letter and 1 for each narrow letter—size #216-1/2 x 1/2″)
drill
1/16 inch drill bit
piece of tape
twine

Sand any rough splintery spots on the wooden letters.

In a well ventilated area, use a sponge brush to stain the letters following the instructions on the wood stain packaging. Wear disposable gloves so you don’t end up with stain all over your fingers.

If desired, cover the screw eyes with a coat of oil rubbed bronze spray paint. That way they’ll look rustic instead of shiny and new. (This step is optional and only for anal-retentive people like me.)

When the stain is completely dry, plug in your drill, hold it like a gun, and rev it a few times (just for fun).

Next grab your 1/16 inch drill bit, which is easy to spot because it’s the cutest little drill bit ever. (Note, that if you aren’t using size #216-1/2 x 1/2″ screw eyes, you may need a different size drill bit.) Drill holes in the top of each letter. For narrow letters drill one hole in the top center, and for wide letters (like W or H) you’ll want two holes in the top so they hang straight. Secure the letters before drilling to keep your fingers out of harm’s way. I clamped my letters into a little work bench like this.

After drilling, twist a screw eye into each hole.

Lay the letters out on the floor in the correct order and space them the way you want them to hang. Unwind a length of twine long enough to connect all the letters, plus a few extra feet on each end.

Wrap a piece of tape around one end of the twine so it’s easier to thread through the screw eyes. (You know, like the plastic piece on the end of a shoelace.)

Thread each letter onto the twine one and a time, knotting them in place. Make sure the letters are spaced evenly as you go along. If a letter hangs crooked, you can twist the screw eye to adjust the angle.

Ta-da!

One day last week my mom came over, and we painted all afternoon. We made a huge mess! It reminded me of my high school art classes. Sometimes it’s a lot more fun to create with a buddy, don’t you think?