The Guest Room

If you follow any home decor bloggers, you’ve probably seen these scrolls used some super cute and creative way in their homes. That’s where I first got the idea. But if you check them out on Etsy you’ll find out they are way too expensive – if you know how easy and cheap it is to make your own!! Here’s a few ideas of how you can create a piece of art for your own home with a couple dollars and a chunk of time.

You can buy these rolls of Craft Masking Paper at most hardware and home project stores. I’ve bought all mine at Lowes (in the paint section!) They carry different sizes ranging from 9 inch wide paper for $2.68 to 18 inch wide paper for $4.38. There’s even a forest green color which I’ve always thought would look cool in the right space. You can also buy them on Amazon! How you hang them is completely up to you. I’ve done a few different things and they all have a different look (and were all cheap and easy!)

This was one of my first scrolls that I sold back when I had a renovation and resell booth B.F. (before Finn 😉 ) and before it just didn’t make sense for us anymore – maybe some day again, though.

For this scroll I used the 12 inch wide paper.

To hang, I used raw wood beads on some twine and white washed them myself. I mixed some white craft paint I had lying around the house with a little water, dipped a paper towel in it and just lightly brushed the beads. I’m pretty sure I got these beads at goodwill, but I’ve seen them in craft stores and on amazon if you’re wanting larger quantities. There’s lots of options, like these ones, on Etsy as well. You can buy twine for a dollar or two almost anywhere. Walmart, Target,…
I wrote on my scroll with sharpie, but if hand lettering isn’t your thing, there are so many options. It doesn’t have to be a constant piece of art. I’ve seen this used for practical purposes like a menu or grocery list. It’s also great for seasonal things like a “what we are thankful for” list… endless options! There’s always stencils if you do want to use it as a more permanent wall hanging. OR stamps! I’m a big fan of stamps even though they’re more time consuming. I hunted for a long time for letter stamps I liked. They’re out there, but I was being super cheap at the time. I found a mini set in the dollar section of a Micheals and I’m pretty sure that’s also where I found my other set for $10. I just saw that they have these ones that are really similar to mine for only $5! Amazon also has a lot of good options like this more vintage looking set  and this set that has a more modern look.

The bigger the stamp the more money you’ll typically pay. They’re surprisingly a little bit of an investment, but if I knew then how much I would use them, I probably would’ve been willing to spend more. *I use stamps for all my gift tags, especially at Christmas, and about a million other things! Anyways…

When I was pregnant I saw this saying on a sign that I really liked, but it was more than I wanted to pay so I got creative. I used my stamps to print it out on a 9 inch wide paper scroll. I knew we were going to hang it on this peg board that is already pretty busy so I just used a couple strands of twine tied together to hang it.

Speaking of stamps – I stamped this whole passage from Colossians and it took me way too long. I’m not even sure I’m in love with it, but I spent so much time on it that its sticking around for at least a little while! This is the largest paper scroll (18 inches wide.) To hang it we actually used scraps from another DIY project. It’s the same concept as the industrial curtain rods we’ve made (check that out here if you’re interested!) One thing to note is that we did skip the compression connectors because we weren’t too concerned with sturdiness and I just liked it better. The piece of wood is also just a scrap of an old fence board that we attached some picture hangers to.

Hope this gives you some idea of how versatile this simple idea is! You can change things up with the seasons or just when you get bored with it. That’s why I love this project so much. Its kind of like a million decorations in one. You can make it as easy or complicated as you want and it’s such a cheap way to follow a current trend and branch out from another wood framed hobby lobby sign (speaking to myself here!)

Questions? Leave a comment! Try the idea out and create your own piece? Send me a picture! I’d love to see what you come up with!