Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Toile de Jouy Wall Paper and the ongoing Project

Clock on toile

 

 

Months ago I found an eighteen century toile de Jouy quilt at the brocante, I had it laser copied on paper. I planned to wall paper an entire small room in our home with it but…

As some of you know around midnight on that wall papering day my ladder broke while I was on the top. It was one spectacular fall. In a split second many thoughts passed through my mind… most of them starting with Oh GOD! Hearing the ladder break gave me the oddest feeling: I knew it was going to be bad, then hearing the crack of my bone, and then hearing French Husband and Sacha running up the stairs to find me flat out.

You know in cartoons when you see the cartoon character run off the cliff? Then you see the cartoon character looking down at the empty space below, then he looks into the camera as if to say, "Oh no!" and then whoosh he falls…. it was like that. Though instead of a cliff it was a cement floor, and instead of starring into a camera I stared at the wallpaper in my hand.

 

 

Clock face on toile wallpaper

 

The same evening I fell off the ladder a blog friend of mine Father in Law fell off a ladder and died. Horribly, sadly true! My hair dresser's uncle fell off a ladder and was paralyzed. Many of you shared similar stories. It made my falling off the ladder with only a shattered wrist feel like a fortunate outcome.

Since the fall ladders now scare me. Nevertheless the desire to finish the wall papering job does grows stronger…. and yet if only the remaining section to wall paper wasn't fifteen feet high.

 

I went to the hardware store to buy a new ladder, and I literally felt sick, I left without a purchase.

 

 

 

Layered wallpapering

 

 

Some of you have suggested that I hire someone to complete the job which is nice that you are thinking of me, but you see it isn't just wall papering, it is my art project and I like wall papering. Which leads me to think am I:

Stubborn?

Crazy?

Dangerous?

Foolish?

Passionate?

All of the above?

 

 

Collage toile de jouy wall paper

 

I will complete the job… it is only a matter of time. Until then I'll show you part of the wall that is done.

 

Notes:

Decorating with Wall papering

 

You might check this decorating blog "Poppy Talk" about  Wall papering.

 

SwitcheRoo m gives many interesting links about collage wall papering.

 

Book about the various Toile de Jouy and history.

 

Pam Garrison's wall papered cupboard.

 

P.S. My wrist is healing fine.

 

Comments

51 responses to “Toile de Jouy Wall Paper and the ongoing Project”

  1. deborah

    I understand the feeling scared of ladders thing…I can feel that way and I haven’t fallen off of one. But, I also know why you want to finish your project. It is part of who you are. Be careful and so glad your wrist is healing!

    Reply
  2. Jean

    Corey, please stay off the ladder. You have had enough injury for one year! 15 feet off the ground to fall is pretty bad. You must have been standing on the very tip top. Get a friend who likes what you do and get them to do it or hire somebody and tell them step by step how to do it.Get new sturdy ladder first! These injuries will stay with you the rest of your life…and we certainly don’t want you killing yourself.

    Reply
  3. Jean

    Lay the paper on the floor to get what you want on the wall..then it can be safely put up by someone else but your pattern will still be there.

    Reply
  4. Georgie Steeds

    have you thought of hiring a scaffolding tower, this would have a nice sturdy platform to stand on whilst wallpapering, and only a short ladder climb up to the platform. Glad to know your wrist is healing well. xx

    Reply
  5. gail

    Just make sure you have a “spotter” while you are up on that ladder! That way if anything happens, they can try to catch you, or at least break your fall, so you don’t break during another fall!!

    Reply
  6. Brenda L. from TN.

    I think you are “ALL of the above” on your list. Please get someone to either DO it for you or at least help you and be sure you don’t fall again.
    TSK! TSK! Your foot in Asia and your wrist in France…you must be accident-prone….like ME!
    P.S. I really like the wallpaper…very pretty.

    Reply
  7. susanna

    Yeesh, that would be startling and I understand how you may feel hesitant getting up on the ladder again. But, selfishly, I want to see your wallpapering project when it’s done! Is it going to look seamless or as a collage? You have a terrific eye for design so I know it’s going to look beautiful and elegant in the end.

    Reply
  8. martina

    Get scaffolding and maybe find out how to tie a rope to it, like window washers and roofers do. Make sure you have someone else with you. I get nauseous just getting on the third step of a ladder.

    Reply
  9. Cynthia wolff

    Hey there …. After yesterday’s post I made Brussels sprouts roasted… We almost ate the dish they were so dang good. One of my fave musicians, mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five, fell
    While climbing over a fence in his garden… Paralyzed, hospitalized for a long time , then sadly passed away right before they were inducted in the rock and roll hall of fame. He was tall, fit, healthy… I think of him every time I gey on a ladder. Scaffold or hire someone.. Do your creative stuff on a tabletop Corey

    Reply
  10. Jill Flory

    Glad it wasn’t any worse. Falling off ladders is a scary thing. We have a friend who is not able to be on either leg right now becasue of a fall. One femur shattered and the other ankle messed up. pins and screws in both legs. And we know more than one person who has died from a fall that high.
    I would suggest you get someone to HELP you! Someone who will do the ladder climbing – and it will still be your art work and your wallpaper project:)

    Reply
  11. mo

    TROP BEAU DANS TA MAISON !!

    Reply
  12. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    you can finish this job, just use scaffolding and have FH or someone assemble it for you. You can climb up and stand, and walk back and forth. A ladder is really too dangerous when you are up that high…on concrete. I love the look.

    Reply
  13. Zosia

    Being the stubborn, persistent, passionate, crazy enough to be fun and daring woman we know, we won’t be able to keep you from wallpapering. In that case, how about scaffolding AND a harness that can be clipped to something to protect you from the fall? Then, go forth and wallpaper! Multiple times.
    Please remember, you have not only your family, but us, your readers to answer to. We do very much want to continue reading your blog, so please please please wallpaper responsibly. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Zosia

    P.S. FH probably has the harness that he uses for his rock climbing.

    Reply
  15. Denise

    I can help you wallpaper if you can wait til this summer…
    Toile de Jouy is my favoritist favorite of all in fabrics and wallpaper.
    Did you paint your table? I hadn’t noticed that it was white…

    Reply
  16. Merisi

    No, you won’t climb that high.
    Post traumatic stress syndrome.
    Call the wallpaper guy NOW!
    Pleeease. xxx

    Reply
  17. Chris Wittmann

    You are indeed lucky Corey not to have done more damage to yourself. I love wallpapering too, but our ceilings are not very high and I usually just stand on a chair, though if I were clumsy enough I could take a fall on that too. Unfortunately our old plaster walls are rather lumpy and uneven, which really makes wallpaper a massive challenge. One day I will email you before and after shots of a room I did upstairs, useing a paper that reminds me of the old toile papers. The difference is amazing!

    Reply
  18. Diane

    So glad that your wrist is healing, Corey. I know you’ll find a safe way to finish that project!
    I would love to know more about making a quilt into wallpaper…laser copied onto paper? My mother made watercolor quilts, and there is one at her church that I would LOVE to make into wallpaper. Never even thought of that.
    Diane

    Reply
  19. Annie F

    Could you use a scaffold of sorts instead of a ladder? It would give you more room to stand and should be safer – just a thought. Can’t wait to see your finished work of art.

    Reply
  20. Denise

    pwease,be vwery vwery carefoo. Bestest,Denise

    Reply
  21. Christine LeFever

    In the movies people go through countless twists and fallings and knocks and bumps and come out fresh as daisies. One fall like yours is what really happens, and if lucky. I appreciate your need to do the job yourself. It is the journey of actually doing it that makes your heart leap. I thought my 11 foot height to my ceilings was tall! OMG! 15 takes the prize. A friend in my town had scaffolding up in her entry hall for a year. I know you’ll get there. Gorgeous wallpaper. Kudos and the best to you, Corey.

    Reply
  22. Beverly

    I agree with Annie F.
    Set up a scaffold to wall paper, if you are set on doing this project by yourself.
    Though I beg you Corey, HIRE someone!!

    Reply
  23. g

    you ask which of those things you are…you left out brave and determined-i think you are all the above!!!

    Reply
  24. Brother Mathew

    More on brussel sprouts.

    Reply
  25. Rosemary

    You definitely need scaffolding. It’s much safer. You are not crazy, just determined. Do you have a photo of the quilt? I’d love to see it.

    Reply
  26. Marilyn

    The part I see is lovely. Now take care! My suggestion was also to hire someone to do it, but if you must you must – so take care for sure!

    Reply
  27. Tamara

    I am so glad to hear about your wrist! And yes, I bet we all know someone or someone who knows someone who fell off a ladder and resulted in something bad. A family friend (former Olympic-calibre skier), became paralyzed in such a fall. It really is frightening. I am so glad you are ok!!!

    Reply
  28. Tongue in Cheek

    lol!

    Reply
  29. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi S
    Collage, not seamless. I am not that detail oriented!
    🙂
    C

    Reply
  30. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi B
    I never considered myself accident prone, except last year.
    C

    Reply
  31. Nancy W

    Corey
    Maybe you should listen to that feeling you get when thinking of climbing on a ladder again. I believe it is instinct telling you NOT to do it again; that it is not safe. Please hire a professional to do it. There must be someone you can work with and make it a joint project. Some things are really best left to a professional. Please go on to your next creative project, whatever that may be…hopefully at ground level. Glad to hear your wrist is coming along.

    Reply
  32. Amy Kortuem

    It’s beautiful!
    Let somebody else up the ladder and you direct from below. That way, you’re still in charge!

    Reply
  33. pattyg

    Buy a top notch ladder, don’t lean, and have someone below you to add extra mental security. Or hire someone. Lots of great suggestions. So glad to hear your wrist is coming along well.

    Reply
  34. Alan

    That is exactly what I was going to suggest. Professional scaffolding erected by a professional. Oh, and a safety harness, padding on you, and padding on the floor. Maybe bubble wrap yourself.

    Reply
  35. Juliette

    So glad for your wrist!
    love

    Reply
  36. meppybn

    I’ll skip the advice and just say the walls you have done are GOOORRRRGGGGEEEEOUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Oh my , wow, it looks fabulous and as you say, you’ll get it done some way but the results thus far are very, very………………. fabulous 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  37. Eileen @ Passions to Pastry

    First of all… that photo with the clock and the urn full of brushes is just spectacular. Beautiful! Maybe someone else suggested this, but I was thinking about a safety net! Possibly rig up something that if you did fall (which you probably never will again), it would protect you. I am anxious for you to get over your fear of falling again because I so want to see the finished room.

    Reply
  38. Deb in IN

    Here is the approach I took in painting my house: Hire the person with the experience, patience and tall ladders for the upper part. I then enjoy my artistic contribution by painting the lower half. Safe AND happy!

    Reply
  39. carol

    Follow your instincts. I fell off of a ladder and had to have shoulder surgery. I do get back up to change lightbulbs, etc. My ceilings are about ten feet. Fifteen might make me re-think. Definitely, don’t lean! Just listen to that little voice inside of you. The papering is beautiful.

    Reply
  40. Kathie B

    Corey, perhaps the time has come to take on an apprentice wallpaperer, someone to whom you can teach your innovative methods — and whom you can then send up the ladder or scaffolding 🙂

    Reply
  41. Kathie B

    …while you supervise, of course!

    Reply
  42. Ann

    If you won’t listen to reason, maybe this will have meaning:
    Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
    Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
    All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
    Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.

    Reply
  43. Jackie

    I say wait a few more months…like until April, when I can help!

    Reply
  44. Christine

    May I suggest viewing this whole project just a wee bit differently? Perhaps it’s time for you to don your “creative director or interior designer” hat vs. crafter bee. Totally agree with all of the above that scaffolding is a must, but act like a real interior designer, hire a professional. Your candidate should be able to take direction well, if not, move on to the next applicant. Personally I don’t know of any professional interior designer or creative director (which was my career for 20 years) who gets physically involved in the labor. They are “the creatives” not the worker bees. Save your love of wallpapering for the lower levels that don’t require more than your height can deliver. Just one wrong move can change your life forever. I’ll get off my soapbox now 🙂 That was just my 2 cents sent with love.

    Reply
  45. littlebadwolf

    corey, dear, perhaps it is time to use the lovely toile as a dado…..and don’t bother with a ladder at all.

    Reply
  46. Carol L

    I would of just hung the quilt….:-)

    Reply
  47. Marie-Noëlle

    I’ll add only this :
    I think you ARE “all of the above” … !!! 😉
    Now about the ladder, I bet you thought it was “too new” !?!
    PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANY LADDER from one of your brocantes !!! Just forget !!! Thank you !!!

    Reply
  48. Aimee

    Corey, perhaps thinking about it differently may help. I have epilepsy. Any time I walk down the stairs (I live in a three story house, so that is all the time!), change a light bulb, lift a heavy box, step into the shower, get up for a cup of tea, answer the phone, play tennis, work out or go on a date, I could have a seizure. I can take precautions — but nothing will absolutely prevent me from having a seizure and injuring myself. Nothing will cure my epilepsy. I had two choices. To let my epilepsy define my life or live my life to the fullest. I chose the latter. It took a long time to get there, but once I did I became wholly me. And I’ve never felt freer or happier.

    Reply
  49. Nancy

    I am afraid of climbing ladders Corey..so I guess I can not advise you on this..I can tell you that a couple of years ago I fell on an escalator..I have not been able to step on one since..I get very nauseous when I try..Good luck..what ever you decide..

    Reply
  50. Marie-Noëlle

    I agree with you, Merisi !!!
    Corey, Get the directory “pages jaunes” on the net, log in “plâtrier peintre” in “Quoi/Qui?” and name of your town in “Où?”… You get at least 4 firms in your neighbourhood !!!
    😉

    Reply
  51. Brenda, Walker, LA, USA

    Ok, one day at a time. March right back in that hardware sore and BUY that ladder, just like you were buying it for any loved one or friend, a safe, sturdy, practical strong ladder. It’s a baby step. You don’t have to climb it yet.

    Reply

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