Polka Dot Walls and Fulfilled Dreams

by Amanda @ The Bay Bush
Picture it.  Cicely.  1942.  #goldengirlhumor

But really.  Picture it.  Chapel Hill.  1999.  Sophomore year of college.  I take a break from reading my usual study materials (aka Bridal Magazines) and pick up a Home magazine.  I notice a lovely polka-dotted laundry room and I am obsessed with a polka dotted laundry rooms from that moment on.

I hadn’t seen the picture in over a decade when I found it on Pinterest.  In my mind, those polka dots were pink.  And I was determined to have a pink polka-dotted laundry room some day.

And though my tastes have changed a little over the years (I no longer read Bridal magazines), I couldn’t let go of those polka dots.
I mulled over wallpaper and polka dot stencils but I really didn’t want to invest that much in the project.
Then I saw this little tutorial for stamping the wall without a stencil and decided to give it a try.
 

 

I bought a sample size of Valspar Fairytale Pink from Lowes for $2.98 and these Martha Stewart Foam Pouncers from AC Moore for $4.99.

Here’s a “Before” picture of the laundry room.  Way too white and boring.

 I wasn’t sure how far apart I wanted the dots so I stamped a few options on printer paper and taped them to the wall to figure out which one I liked the best.
And this is where I went all Team Umizoomi and sang, “I can do anything…with my shapes!”  I’m sorry.  Sometimes I just can’t help myself.

I cut a triangle from a greeting card to space out the dots.  My plan was to have the points of the triangle lined up with the center of the dots.  This allows you to do two on the top and one below to keep your rows lined up.

I also used a level every few rows or so to make sure the rows were staying even and level.

{Up close}
This is a better view of the actual paint color.
If you look closely, you can see there are a couple of imperfections.  But they were easy to fix with a little white paint.
I guess it took me around 3.5 hours from start to finish but I LOVE the end result.  I literally did a little happy dance when it was done.
 And that’s another project done on the laundry room makeover!  Click here to see how I added the mudroom wall.
So excited to be featured at:
Featured At Serenity NowIt's Overflowing

 

 

23 comments on “Polka Dot Walls and Fulfilled Dreams”

  5. Cute, cute, cute! I need to find a way to sneak in some pink polka dots in my house full of boys! Love it! I popped over from It's Overflowing– thanks for sharing!

    ~Abby =)

    Reply

  8. I love how it turned out! I also love the pale pink color you chose–it's so light and cute. I'm going to pin this in case I want to try it sometime.
    I'm stopping by from It's Overflowing (#24 Pumpkin Crock Pot Oatmeal and 25 How To Create Open Concept Feel) Have a great weekend!

    Reply

  9. I feel like the Laundry Room is pretty much my domain and I can do whatever I want in there. My husband had no idea I was going to do it and I got a little nervous when he came home but he didn't care. He's come to expect this sort of thing from me 🙂

    Reply
  16. Pingback: Laundry Room Tour - Life on the Bay Bush

  18. Hey Amanda, first off, can’t send you a note without telling you that I have a sophomore at Chapel Hill at this very minute! What a lovely place.

    And I know you do a little snoopy dance every time you go to do a load of laundry! Thanks for the tips.

    Hugs, Lynn

    Reply

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