Switchplate covers

A week ago I happened to be in ACE hardware to get a key cut and just happened to remember that I have been wanting to cover some switchplates so that they'll be prettier than the ones my apartment complex provides.  I have actually been wanting to do this for about a year and have just now gotten around to it.  Let me tell you; it was the simplest thing ever.  Now there is a learning curve so my first switchplate is not as cool as my second switchplate.  Oh!  And for those of you who go to ACE hardware and need to ask where the switchplates are be careful: they might think you say switchblades!  They actually call them faceplates, but it seems that may be outdated since when you google faceplates you get a lot of stuff for cell phone covers.  Anyway.

So I got my switchplates and today I got my paper and exacto knife (only because it was on sale; otherwise I would have made do without one).  I got out my ModgePodge and with about 10 hefty turns was finally able to get the lid off of it.  That was, by far, the most labor intensive activity of the whole endeavor.

You have to very carefully trace your plate onto the back of the paper (not the front!).  Then you actually have to cut it with a 1/2 inch border-otherwise you will end up with a square of paper that is too small for your switchplate, just like I did.  I used the exacto knife to cut out the switch squares.  Very easy.

Here is my mess; one already done and one to go.

The corners were pretty hard for the first one so for the second one I wrapped the plate like it was a present and that worked pretty well.  You have to slice the corners (maybe you can see if you look close) just right for it to fit just right-very Goldilocks.

I punched holes for the screws with the screws themselves.  Very easy.

Here are my two finished products.  They are for my bathroom switches and they look pretty good.  You may notice that the blue one has air pockets.  I made sure to smooth those out for the second one.  Well, if they don't last long I can just make more.  It only took me about 40 minutes from start to finish.  Remember to keep those old nasty switchplates your apartment gave you so you can put them back on when you move.  And don't worry too much if you have to scrape a layer of paint around the original switchplate because someone decided to paint the bathroom with the switchplates still on.  Duh.