Sticker Survival 101: How to Use Wall Decals in a Bathroom Emergency
Sep.19
Wall stickers might not be one of life’s barebones necessities. It is very unlikely that they will ever be one of the personal luxury items brought into the wilderness by a contestant on “Survivor.”
But nonetheless, WallCandy removable wall decals can be used to solve some urgent real world problems outside of the home decorating universe.
I found these funny “How-To” instructions on Facebook. As you can see, they suggest a simple way for women to instantly transform a men’s room into their turf if the lines are too long at the women’s bathrooms — as they always inevitably are.
As the New York Times eloquently puts it, long lines at public restrooms “have plagued women since the dawn of the porcelain age.”
Some enlightened places, such as New York City, require restaurants, sports stadiums and other areas of public gathering to have two women’s bathroom stalls for every men’s toilet — reflecting the reality of how much longer it takes to sit 100 percent of the time (and presumably, cover the disgusto toilet seats with 17 layers of protective paper).
But let’s say you are in a backwards place where officials don’t recognize the problem of bathroom inequity. Then it’s time for some guerrilla stickering to get those extra toilets by any means necessary. Since an early age we are conditioned to stay out of the opposite gender’s restrooms, though I will admit to sneaking into the one-person Women’s Room at gas stations when the Men’s Room is out of soap. Women’s bathrooms never run out of soap, because women are smart enough to demand it.
This tactic wouldn’t work for a huge multi-stall bathroom unless you are the first to get there in the morning and make the transformation believable to the first bladder-strained patron.
So where do you get YOUR WallCandy sticker-skirt and do they come in different sizes?
Well, most of the sticker sheets you order have plenty of blank scraps left over (the negative space between the stickers). You can cut these into any shapes you want and use permanent marker to add color.
The great thing about using WallCandy products in these situations is that you can do it with a clear conscience. Unlike those pesky bumper stickers that activists plaster all over street signs and newspaper boxes, our removable wall decals leave absolutely no sticky residue when you pry them off the door. You can pull off this practical joke (or genuinely save yourself embarrassment in a potty emergency) without feeling like a vandal.
Humor aside, it is probably not a great idea to commandeer any public men’s room even for emergency women’s use. Believe me, you will be horrified at the condition of the floor and the ratio of flushed-to-unflushed toilets.
Take my advice: Choose the long lines!
WallCandy® Arts Decoration Inspiration: Sticker Contrast is Important
Sep.14
One of the problems of being a design lover is that you find yourself critiquing everything around you: the paint choices in your local coffee shop, the authenticity of a mural scene or the font choice on a menu.
Recently, I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum and was stunned by the captions underneath a few statues in the sculpture garden. The imposing figure pictured above is General Friedrich von Steuben, the chief of staff for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
I suspect you don’t come to the WallCandy Arts Blog for a history lesson, but please indulge me because this was an AMAZING man.
A military strategist from Prussia, Steuben first volunteered to serve in the Continental Army for free. He is credited for instilling discipline into the Minutemen and often conducted drills by yelling at his troops in German and French (hey, it worked!). He is also the visionary who decided that the Continental Army needed to separate the kitchen and latrines for sanitary reasons and suggested that leaving rotting animal carcasses in the camp might not be a bright idea either.
In the PBS Kids cartoon, “Liberty’s Kids,” General von Steuben was voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Most people who walk by the statue learn none of this information. Why? Because the text is virtually invisible — especially when the sun is in your eyes. Take a look at how difficult it is to read the engraving. Gold letters on a tan background is absolute blasphemy.
Heads should roll over this.
Now take a look at this wall sticker display I created for my daughter’s birthday party, using elements from the WallCandy “My Sunshine” set.
Notice how golden brown decals are not stuck on the golden brown wall. Note how the letters were chosen for maximum contrast. I assure you, no one walked by the dining room and was unaware that a birthday party was going on.
Unfortunately, there is currently no commercial demand for General von Steuben removable wall decals, but you can honor his memory by choosing colors that bounce well off each other!
(Full Disclosure: The fuschia and green Happy Birthday letters were handcut freestyle from paper plates. Try experimenting with different textures of paper and layering them on top of WallCandy decals with tape. You still don’t do any damage to the walls!)
5 Differences That Show Why “Wall Decals” Are Not Created Equally
Sep.13
I hate painting walls. My entrepreneurial boyfriend Craig and I both like working odd jobs – it’s one of the things that brought us together – but while he may jump at the chance to paint the inside of a house to pad his savings account, I would rather nosedive into a pool filled with cacti.
Enter the first apartment my beau and I are planning to share come this October. She’s beautiful, with a little terrace in the back and lovely, thick windowsills for the cat to enjoy. Alas, her walls are that awful shade of eggshell landlords adore. While I’m sure I could plead my way to the end of a semi-free paint job, I don’t want to live in a coffee shop for two days avoiding the guilt I’d feel watching Craig work alone. Instead, I recently began looking for an alternative to painting, to a hammer and nails, and to tall home accents that fill too-neutral space.
Most of my interior decorating ideas come from admiring the spaces others have created, and my introduction to wall decals was no different. I visited a friend who designed an amazing playroom for her children, complete with ice cream-colored dot decals and little removable chalkboards shaped like animals. No painting, no nails, and no boring biscuit-colored walls. I was enthralled.
In order to experience the differences between the three common types of wall decals and ready myself for the first official wall-decorating extravaganza in our new place, I bought a few small, inexpensive test decals of each type and practiced applying them to my current wall. I learned five new things:
1. There are two types of transfer decals – self-adhesive and non-self-adhesive. Before using non-self-adhesive transfer decals, I must be certain I’m happy with the wall space I’ve chosen. Once I’ve started rubbing the transfer paper with the edge of my credit card, the design can be removed but not reused. (These decals are like temporary tattoos – if the wet washcloth has been applied, there’s no easy way to change artistic direction.) Self-adhesive transfer decals are also a one-shot deal, but they stick with minimal rubbing and I only need my credit card to smooth out the bubbles before separating the transfer paper from the decal.
2. While peeling either type of transfer decal from its wax paper, I must be careful not to let the decal fold in on itself. Transfers are typically thinner than reusable decals and therefore don’t retain shape once they’ve been unstuck.
3. Cleaning up after transfer decals can be a drag. Removing the applied decal after only two or three weeks of humidity meant using a perfectly good toothbrush to scrub away the thin, clinging specks of ruined decal. Older paint jobs can also cause problems.
4. Transfer decals are expensive considering I can only use them once. It’s hard to part with my money when I know there may come a day when I’ll have to toss my decals because the new antique bookcase I scored at a yard sale looks best on the same wall.
5. Peel-and-stick removable, reusable wall decals are goofball-proof. No matter how many times I mess up the application or change my mind regarding arrangement, I can simply pull away the decal and stick it somewhere else. The decal stays in tact, as does the wall paint.
My nesting lifestyle requires plenty of room for cat-related mishaps and late-night bouts of redecorating, so ease of use and portability are the main qualities I’m looking for in a wall decal. If it can render an interior paint job unnecessary, well, that’s just a fabulous bonus.
What’s Stickier Than Helicopter Parents? Wall Decals!
Sep.2
We all know so-called “helicopter parents,” those overprotective moms and dads who hover over their children on playgrounds like they are Secret Service agents. And who are afraid to let their kids make mistakes on even the most rudimentary levels.
According to the New York Times, helicopter parents are now hovering over college campuses, too — some refusing to leave the dorms!
The Times reports that college administrators now have to formally include messages to “hit the road” in orientation programs to parents who insist on setting up their children’s dorm rooms as if they are still playing with Barbies and Mr. Potato Heads.
“In order to separate doting parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has instituted a formal “Parting Ceremony.”
It began on a recent evening, with speeches in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Then the incoming freshmen marched through the gates of the campus — which swung shut, literally leaving the parents outside.
When University of Minnesota freshmen move in at the end of this month, parental separation will be a little sneakier: mothers and fathers will be invited to a reception elsewhere so students can meet their roommates and negotiate dorm room space — without adult meddling.”
Smothering your kids’ independence in college, which is supposed to represent the first real steps into adulthood, is obviously counterproductive. But as a sentimental parent, I do think that this is not a black and white issue. I have played the role of bodyguard on many playgrounds over the years because the reality is that toddlers don’t need to learn the harsh lessons of life by getting stepped on and crushed.
Any parent who goes to the playground can attest that older kids have absolutely no regard for the fingers and toes of younger children. Sometimes I see teenagers playing on the slide and swings and making things very unpleasant for the kiddies meant to be there.
If or when I am ever confronted with the unpleasant issue of bullying, I guarantee I will not sit idly by if the school officials look the other way. We all want to protect our kids and it is tough to let go at every mini-stage of independence. But overall, I side with Lenore Skenazy, the leader of the Free-Range Kids movement.
Skenazy maintains that kids don’t need a helmet and elbow pads when they are climbing in the backyard treehouse. And she urges us to drop the fear that every kid who rides his or her bike to the local grocery store will get kidnapped. Check out some of the irreverent lecture topics she offers for her speaking engagements:
Playdates & Axe Murderers: How to Tell the Difference
Who’s Crazy: People Who Trust the World or Those Who Assume the Worst?
How Come We’re So Much More Afraid Than Our Parents Were?
Raising a Sad, Worried Wimp (How Not To)
No matter where you stand on the helicopter parent issue, here’s the great news…. WallCandy’s amazing removable wall decals come in creative themes and styles appropriate for both the nursery and the college dorm.
Just one piece of advice, though. Please let your college students peel and stick the decals themselves. These decorations are phenomenal for building up hand-eye coordination and self-confidence! 
