I love wallpaper, but it is an investment and who knows how long you will love it?  Also, if you are renting, wallpaper is not a sensible option.  A great alternative are wall stencils.  What comes to mind?   Visions of grape leaves and ivy trailing around the top of the kitchen cabinets?    Not anymore… I recently found  Royal Design Studios when I was reading a a post by a fellow blogger,  Mary Ann Pickett.  Her DIY tutorial can be found here.
The best thing about a stencil is that there are an endless variety of applications!
It Can Be Simple…
You Can Make A Large Piece of Art…
You Can Add an Architectural Element to a Piece of Furniture…
Mimic the look of tile…
And Create Your Own Wallpaper…
The Design Tray 
Thanks so much for the mention…great inspiration here,
Thanks Mary Ann!
Another great thing about the stencil tool is that one can decorate fabrics, floors, furniture and so much else with them…walls are just the start!
Hi Anna, I saw that Home Depot has what they call “paintable wallpaper”. It was online, but the designs were not that clear so when I was in Napa recently, I went into the Home Depot store and learned that they don’t carry that kind of wallpaper. I want to use some kind of empossed template to paint over for the down stairs small bathroom in our old house. I’m reluctant to buy rolls of the paper online without knowing what I will receive. Any suggestions?? Hope you’re doing well. Pat