Soooo........ This came about when a friend was turning 40. We decided the theme would be Top 40. The guests came in costume as their favorite musician or in a rock t shirt. I made this background for Karaoke and for guests to take pics at. The vibe I was going for was a wall of graffiti with posters of music acts. Hope you enjoy this ible as much as we enjoyed the background.

Step 1: Materials

Large pieces of flat cardboard (My final wall was 7 ft x 8ft !!)

Music posters

Graffiti posters (I will explain how it's made and the materials used in a later step) or paint

Stapler and staples

Stencil ( I will explain how it's made and the materials used in a later step)

Spray paint

Duct tape

Step 2: Starting the Wall

Using the flat cardboard pieces, I used duct tape to create a large wall. I did it in 2 - 4ft by 7ft sections which I later taped together on the back to form the final wall.

To create the graffiti, I googled graffiti and found art to fit the look I was going for. The first image in this step is what I liked best. I copied the image onto 11 x 17 paper in black and white, trimmed the edges, and stapled them onto the cardboard. Depending on your final wall size, you will have calculate how many sheets you will need.

Also, to break up the pattern you can rotate the sheets.

The alternative method is to paint the cardboard haphazardly instead of using copies.

Step 3: Staple on the Music Posters

Using any old music posters you have staple them up. I did not have any, so I image searched for different artist posters and tour posters that the guest of honor liked and printed them on 11 x 17. If you look for specials you can get them printed for about 29 cents a sheet at office depot or staples. I did each side of my wall and then save some posters fro where the seams of the cardboard meet. Notice in the 3rd and 4th pictures, Debbie Gibson, STP and Britney are covering the seam. Don't worry if you have too may gaps, its supposed to be as if different people put up posters at different times.

Step 4: Adding a Personal Touch...

I created a stencil of the birthday girl by taking an image of her and on pixlr.com/editor. I played with the contrast and brightness. I printed it on cardstock and cut it out with a utility knife. I also did a stencil of her age, using the same site.

Using red and black spraypaint, I "tagged" up the wall with graffiti.