$1 DIY gorgeous, easy to remove, accent wall using homemade, toxic free Mod Podge! Perfect for rentals!

Being an avid DIY-er, I tend to actively create decor with a stern budget in mind, whether it's for a party or home decor. Living in an apartment definitely has it's down-sides for the creatively minded like myself, but I use those limits to help redesign my home with different styles and techniques. One of my favorite ways to decorate, is by using wallpaper. When most people think of wallpaper, they think of granny flowers all over the wall and spending hours to attempt removing the evidence. Not with this technique.

One Saturday morning, I decided to redecorate my bedroom and saw this as the perfect opportunity to put up wallpaper, created out of book pages, on one wall. I used 3 old chapter books I had since I was a child, and thought their words, passages, and images would make for a perfect accent wall, but I knew that traditional wallpaper paste would leave my walls in disaster and fill my room with toxic smells that I really didn't feel like enduring, especially with a little one in the house. The alternative paste I chose, was the "cornstarch paste". I've seen this paste created with and without vinegar. I opted for no vinegar, as it isn't necessarily my favorite scent. 

To create this paste, you simply need to buy a $1 can of cornstarch and add water. Simple right? Yes, their is an actual process on how to make the mixture I'm talking about. Of course I wouldn't leave the directions out:

WHAT YOU NEED: 
2-3 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1/4 Cup of cold water
3-3/4 Cup tap water

WHAT TO DO:
1. Bring all of your tap water to a boil. 
2. While the water is boiling, you should go ahead and mix the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup water, until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. 
3. Once the water comes to a complete boil, mix in the cornstarch mixture. 
4. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Once you have completed your mixture, and it's cooled down, you are ready to create a masterpiece of your own! I started out by ripping out the pages from the books I had chosen. You can choose to cut the pages out carefully with an exacto knife, if you would prefer clean edges. I chose to rip, because I found it to make a distressed look, which I like. After I had my pile of pages, I just added a small amount of the cornstarch mixture to a small area of the wall, and added each page, one at a time, making sure to smooth out each page. You don't want to add too much paste, as it can cause the pages to have a "ripple" affect. I made this mistake a couple times during impatient moments, but I didn't mind a few pages with waves as it, again, gave the wall an added distressed look. 


After roughly 4 hours and 3 books, I had finished my wall of book pages. It could not have turned out better. Over time, I plan on adding music pages and a few of my favorite poems from different poets, to my wall. I chose to place my multi-colored, DIY bedroom couch, in front of the wall, to add contrast. I think the colors really play well together. 

This paste mixture will provide you with more than enough to do a 12' long wall. Also, you can use this technique as a substitute for regular mod-podge. It works with fabric, paper, and regular wall paper. Clean up is very easy, I tested it to be sure. Simply fill a bowl with warm water, dip a rag into the water, and moisten the wall. It will "reactivate" the mixture, making it easy to peel of the paper off incredibly smooth. Afterwards, you can use soap and water to tidy up, as to not have any residue leftover. 

I've added a few pictures to inspire on how you can use this tip to personalize your home all around your house. You can also use the cornstarch mixture to update an old desk top.

You can also add a bright and colorful, artistic flare to your wall of pages. Found HERE.

One creative lady, decided to use comic book paper to add a graphic novel showcase wall in her bathroom. Found HERE.

This person decided to up the wallpaper game by using scraps of vintage wallpaper to decorate their staircase. Found HERE.

No matter what you decide to use the cornstarch paste for, whether it's redecorating a kids room, or simply doing an arts and crafts project, you'll be thankful that you knew this recipe! It will save you time AND money, two things I think everyone could enjoy. 

Did you guys decide to try out this cool trick? What did you create using the cornstarch paste? Show me your art on Instagram @thewhiterockingchair ,where you can always be kept up to date on new blog posts!