[hey101]

Anyone ever wallpapered with old Chronicle covers? If so would you be willing to share pics?

My husband and I are in the short-sale waiting period for a property with wonderful horse facilities and a house that is a bit dated. While we wait, I'm planning my attack on updating the house!

There is a game room with a wood-paneled bar (which wasn't even in the listing! If I hadn't already been sold on the property, when I walked into that game room with a wood-paneled bar... you had me at "hello" ) that I'd like to update in a foxhunt/ equestrian theme, and I had the idea to wallpaper the wall and small 1/4 BA right next to it with old Chronicle covers.

Any other thoughts/ pics of equestrian-themed game rooms would be hugely appreciated!

[ybiaw]

That sounds like a cute idea!

[JSwan]

When I was a kid everyone wallpapered their tack trunks and whatnot with old COTH issues.

Then they went and changed the damn paper and now it wrinkles and bunches when you do it.

I am decoupaging my tack room. It's ok if you laugh - everyone else thinks I'm crazy too. One lady told me I need to get out more. (she's probably right.)

I take old fixture cards, hunt ball invitations, invitations for breakfasts and opening/closing meets, posters from horse shows and point to points, show programs, stuff from horse/field sport lectures, all kinds of things. When there is a bad spell of weather I'll gather them up and decoupage.

The stiff paper works better - it doesn't wrinkle or bunch like the COTH paper. If you cut the COTH type glossy paper into small pieces, it doesn't wrinkle or bunch quite as much but it still tends to.

I wish they'd go back to the old paper but I don't think it's cost effective or some such thing. Sigh.

[carolprudm]

I remember the outright panic when the format changed. I wonder if it would work better if you photocopied the covers onto a non glossy paper

[Plainandtall]

I haven't done this with COTH paper, but I did once paper a closet sized space with newspaper clippings which were quite large. My experience with this, and also with bookmaking, is that if you only wet one side of the paper- it will curl and go crazy- but if both sides of the paper are wet- it will swell evenly- and then shrink tight. You use wallpaper paste- brush it on the surface of the wall- place the dry paper against it and then brush more paste over the outside surface to smooth it down and get any air bubbles out. The paste dries clear, and the one I used has a slightly chalky texture (not look- but feel) If the area you plan to do isn't too big- you might have luck using a different type of product like Modgepodge- which comes in both a matte and a glossy finish. Just try it on a scrap surface first to see if you like the results. The wallpaper paste may be easier to remove from the wall if you ever remodel.

[LDavis104]

My first barn job when I was probably somewhere around 11-12 years old included wall-papering the inside of an outhouse at the barn with COTH magainzes. With a staple gun. In the summer. I don't have pictures, but I remember it well!

[CFFarm]

I recently covered the light switch and wall plug covers with COTH pictures in the "horsey" themed bathroom.
My sister once wall papered a bathroom in the Racing Form because her husband was always in there reading it. Cutest thing ever!

[Bluey]

You could also make just a design or continuous line out of the covers, not the whole wall.

Don't forget the sell those lamps with shades made out of covers.
You can even order it made with covers of the special issues you want.

[Event4Life]

When I was a kid everyone wallpapered their tack trunks and whatnot with old COTH issues.

Then they went and changed the damn paper and now it wrinkles and bunches when you do it.

I am decoupaging my tack room. It's ok if you laugh - everyone else thinks I'm crazy too. One lady told me I need to get out more. (she's probably right.)

I take old fixture cards, hunt ball invitations, invitations for breakfasts and opening/closing meets, posters from horse shows and point to points, show programs, stuff from horse/field sport lectures, all kinds of things. When there is a bad spell of weather I'll gather them up and decoupage.

The stiff paper works better - it doesn't wrinkle or bunch like the COTH paper. If you cut the COTH type glossy paper into small pieces, it doesn't wrinkle or bunch quite as much but it still tends to.

I wish they'd go back to the old paper but I don't think it's cost effective or some such thing. Sigh.

JSwan, I probably need to get out more too, because I LOVE the idea of decoupaging a tack room and am hoping I remember this when my time comes. I also love collecting memorabilia and then repurposing it like that. Please post pics!

[Jamie2337]

My barn has done this in our bathroom. I will take some pictures next time I am out and post them! It's very cool!

[fooler]

One of the boarders at my old barn, she was a girlfriend of one of the sons, covered one of the walls in the the BO's house. It was very impressive and I have been saving covers for several years for my 'wall'. Of course I have enough covers to do the inside and outside of the house and the barn. . . .

[Ruth0552]

I think this would be great as an accent wall but might be too much for an entire room. Might feel a little funny surrounded on four sides by COTH covers.

[JSwan]

Please post pics!

I think it looks pretty cool too but if I ever sell this place the new owner probably won't like it. But it would be easy to cover up with beadboard or whatever so it's not really that permanent. I just lined the tackroom with plywood (properly spaced studs so I could hang cabinets and saddles). I intended to put up stained beadboard like I did in the aisle, or do something equally fancy.

Then I got sick of building the barn - it was the project from hell. So I painted the darn plywood and said I was done. But it was awfully bland.

So then I got the decoupage idea, because evil COTH had destroyed my childhood dream and changed the paper.

I'll see if I can take some photos.

[red mares]

If you're somewhat handy with a computer, you could scan the covers in and create your own wallpaper. Spoonflower will print custom wallpaper for you. It's a bit pricier than the discount chains, but on par with list price for most decent quality paper.

http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/new?create=wallpaper

[hey101]

Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful ideas. Ruth, I agree with you so I would only paper the very tiny bathroom right next to the bar (I call it a 1/4 BA- baically a toilet and very small pedestal sink), and the wall area behind the bar. The rest of the room I haven't decided on the wall color but I plan to put up a lot of pics of my horses through the years, my kids on my horse, and some of my cool old hunt prints. I was thinking about mounting my hunt whip too and then just taking it down when I actually hunt! (plus I'd like to start collecting a few of the really really nice older hunt whips- Swaine, etc)

I also had a great suggestions via PM to look into some of the wonderful horsey wallpapers out there, and there are some VERY nice classy ones that are exactly along the lines of what I was thinking.

If anyone has pics to post, it would be great! And I'll dredge this thread back up in 9 mo or a year to show some before and after pics

[Eye in the Sky]

When I was a kid everyone wallpapered their tack trunks and whatnot with old COTH issues.

Then they went and changed the damn paper and now it wrinkles and bunches when you do it.

I am decoupaging my tack room. It's ok if you laugh - everyone else thinks I'm crazy too. One lady told me I need to get out more. (she's probably right.)

I take old fixture cards, hunt ball invitations, invitations for breakfasts and opening/closing meets, posters from horse shows and point to points, show programs, stuff from horse/field sport lectures, all kinds of things. When there is a bad spell of weather I'll gather them up and decoupage.

The stiff paper works better - it doesn't wrinkle or bunch like the COTH paper. If you cut the COTH type glossy paper into small pieces, it doesn't wrinkle or bunch quite as much but it still tends to.

I wish they'd go back to the old paper but I don't think it's cost effective or some such thing. Sigh.

Hey! When I come meet you for wardrobe help, I'll bring all my old Chronicles (at least the ones I recently found!).

[crosscreeksh]

Sounds great!! When I was a kid a friend's mother did one wall of their living room with Chronicle covers...back when they were a pliable paper and black and white. I remember it as being really "cool" back then. I'd like to do something - portable like a sheet of plywood that I would build a frame for of my husband's Race Horse win pictures. We have - literally hundreds. I've hung many in frames, but that is a dusting nightmare. Anyone have an information site on how to mount glossy 8x10 photos??

[ParadoxFarm]

Anyone care to post pics of their Chronicled potties??? I would love to see one. I have a bunch of old magazines I could do something like that with in my barn.