Posted by frenchicfinland Admin
DIY gingerbread trim for a fresh new look in the kids’ room - instructions by Elluyellow
This year, our family was especially looking forward to the autumn break.
We had agreed well in advance on this exciting, colorful painting collaboration with the lovely Minna from Frenchic Paint. After that, I don’t think a single day went by without my girls and me looking at color charts, comparing and considering the perfect shades, and figuring out which patterns looked nicest.
When I asked you on my Instagram account earlier this week, many of you were in the “born with a paintbrush in hand” category, which is great. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them… If we don’t count painting the balcony railings as maintenance, the last time I did any major painting was when I was expecting our youngest - and she’s already in first grade 😀
When we moved into our current home in spring 2017, we had a quick renovation done by contractors. One of the main priorities was the girls’ future rooms, where the feature wallpapers were far from our taste (cityscape wallpapers…). We had the walls painted plain white and thought that our daughters, who were 2 and 4 at the time, could choose the colors for their own rooms a little later.
Well, it took almost five years! But the joy was all the greater - and the shade choices were much more carefully considered, too.
Frenchic Paint chalk paints at a glance
- Founded in the UK in 2014, it is now the fastest-growing chalk paint brand, with hundreds of retailers worldwide.
- Received the prestigious British award of recognition, the “Queen’s Award” mark, in 2020. The mark is awarded to only a select few innovative, high-quality brands.
- It began with a passion for restoring old furniture and a desire to promote recycling and the DIY spirit.
- High-quality chalk and mineral paints are available in over 70 different shades! (All you other color lovers: enjoy these color charts! <3)
- The paints are sold only by small businesses, such as independent stores, not chains or supermarkets. The products are also available in the Frenchic online store.
- The paints are especially well known for being easy and pleasant to apply, as well as for their excellent coverage. (We can vouch for that!)
- The paints contain no added VOCs, toxins, or solvents.
- As an added bonus, after rigorous testing, the paints have also been found safe for furniture and toys in young children’s rooms.
How to easily paint beautiful scalloped borders with Frenchic products
We fell in love with the scalloped borders we saw on social media, so we decided to get a head start on Christmas during fall break: gingerbread borders that will still look lovely in next summer’s heat.
We made slightly different scalloped borders in both girls’ rooms using Frenchic wall paints.
From the wide range of colors, our eldest daughter chose the pale pink Bon Bon for her room, and our youngest daughter chose the pale pink Sweetcheeks.
Kahden piparkakkureunuksen lisäksi maalasin vähän vapaammalla kädellä auringon kuopuksen katon ylänurkkaan vahallisen kalkkimaalivalikoiman Hot As Mustardin keltaisella. JEP, tämän verran pääsi vielä keltainenkin mukaan matkaan 😊
The paints and all the supplies needed for painting were delivered really quickly: the products we ordered late Wednesday evening were ready for pickup by noon on Friday! This kind of fast service is close to Frenchic’s heart.
We had set aside the whole day for painting, but this project took our family of four only about six hours, including drying time.
This was such a lovely way to spend a day of fall break together and enjoy the fruits of our labor!
“I’m so excited, I’m getting all tongue-tied!”
The results exceeded all our expectations!
“Wooooow!” was heard in unison again and again throughout the day.
The colors were perfect for our daughters, and this makeover made their rooms feel even more like them.
“This is so much lovelier than I thought it would be! I keep wanting to go admire my brand-new wall that’s all mine!”
Do it yourself: 12 steps to a cheerful gingerbread trim
- Choose a wall and think about what kind of gingerbread trim you’d like (facing upward from the bottom or the other way around - perhaps pennant-like, as in our youngest child’s room?)
- Wash the wall, rinse it, and dry it thoroughly. We used Frenchic’s Sugar Soap to wash it, which effectively removed the dirt.
- Protect the adjacent walls and floor.
- Draw a straight line at your desired height, from which the gingerbread pattern will extend upward or downward.
- Choose a round template of a suitable size (when painting along the ceiling, cut a semicircular template out of cardstock).
- Draw the gingerbread trim using the template. Note! Start drawing from the “showpiece edge,” the edge that is more visible or looks nicer from a design perspective (the pattern will probably end mid-way, so the unfinished part will be on the less important side of the wall).
- Paint the edge of the gingerbread trim with a very small brush. A children’s watercolor brush, for example, works well.
- Paint the inside sections with a slightly larger brush. We used an XS-size brush for this.
- If you’re painting a larger wall area, as we did in our eldest daughter’s room, it’s a good idea to paint it with an XL brush or a roller for a more even finish.
- Let the first coat dry for 2 hours.
- Apply a second coat. Let it dry for 2 hours as well.
- Remove the protective paper and tape – enjoy your handiwork!
Have you tried these paints yet? And what fun new painting project are you planning next?
Wishing you joy and light,
Ellu
Author: Blogger Elluyellow,
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elluyellow/
IG, FB, and TikTok: @elluyellow
elluyellow.com
