Alright, let me tell you about this crystal waller thing I worked on. It started pretty simply. I had this blank wall in the living room, you know? Just staring at me. Drove me nuts. I wanted something different, something with a bit of texture, maybe catch the light nicely.
Getting Started
So, I got this idea: crystals. Why not stick a bunch of small crystals directly onto the wall, make some kind of pattern? Seemed easy enough at first. I went online, ordered a whole load of cheap quartz points and some other sparkly bits. Didn’t cost too much, which was good.
Then I needed glue. Finding the right adhesive was the first headache. I tried a couple of craft glues, but they either didn’t hold the weight or looked really messy, all white and gloopy against the paint. Ended up finding some heavy-duty clear stuff meant for repairs. Did a test patch first, seemed okay.
The Messy Middle
Okay, the actual doing part. I sketched out a rough design on paper, nothing too fancy, sort of a flowing wave pattern. Then I started sticking them on. Here’s what I learned:
- Cleaning the wall properly is super important. Any dust and the glue just peels off later.
- Applying the glue directly to the crystal, not the wall, worked better. Less mess.
- Spacing them out evenly is harder than it looks. My pattern started looking a bit wobbly.
- Some crystals just wouldn’t stick, no matter what. Maybe they were too smooth or too heavy.
It took way longer than I thought. A few evenings, actually. My back started hurting from reaching up. There were definitely moments where I thought, “What have I started?” It looked like a glitter bomb had gone off halfway through. Just crystals and bits of dried glue everywhere. Had to be careful not to knock off the ones that were already set while adding new ones.
Finished… Sort Of
Finally got the main pattern done. Stepped back. Looked… okay. Not quite the amazing feature wall I pictured in my head, but not terrible either. From a distance, it catches the light quite nicely, especially in the morning sun. Up close? Yeah, you can see the imperfections, the slightly uneven gaps, the odd bit of visible glue.
Is it a perfect “crystal waller”? Nah. But it’s done. It filled the space, and it was my own hands that did it, learned a few things along the way. Mostly learned that sometimes simple ideas get complicated fast. It’s unique, I guess. Nobody else has one quite like it, imperfections and all. That’s the main thing, right?