New room, boring walls

[pixiewhip.livejournal.com]

Painting the walls of my new apartment is forbidden but I can't stand living in a plain white room. I was thinking about decorating using self adhesive vinyl. Does anybody have any warnings (ie: will it damage my walls) or hints on stenciling and cutting designs from it?

Edited to add: If anybody could direct me to a decorating community that has the same diy/indie vibe as this community it would be greatly appreciated.