6.14.2021
Pressed fern DIY wall art
This was a fun little project! Inspired by a c. 1986 pressed flower shadowbox frame I thrifted, I pressed a fern from our backyard and created a really pretty, unique art piece!
decor art
Showing posts with label decor art. Show all posts
11.23.2020
Versatile modern canvas art DIY/repurposing tutorial
I think this is my fave DIY project of 2020!! Not including our recent bathroom reno, but that's a different category... anyway I recently did this very quick and easy (even for me, with a newborn and toddler) DIY art piece and I LOVE it!!
When I got this leather bench (to add seating and nicely fill this corner by the door), I decided I really had to stop dragging my feet about art for this wall. We have two mirrors in this room, and used to have some small vintage-look oil paintings, so I wanted something that was definitely different. I've seen abstract black and white prints and paintings in decor for years, and this is heavily inspired by... a bunch of them. It's definitely not an original style of art, but it was a fun creative experience doing it, and this exact one is unique!
2.17.2020
Unique, vintage-inspired bathroom art updates and affordable custom framing
I am the first to admit that art was an afterthought when we did our main bathroom reno last fall. Despite planning that projects for months, I waited till the last week to think about the art. (Why?!) For the reveal I found some pieces we already had and printed out a free printable, but none of it was perfect.
So, I put a lot of thought into it finally and found the perfect vintage print and unique printable and went with Art to Frames custom framing, a really affordable option and best way to get the exact sizes I wanted!
Thanks to Art to Frames for providing these beautiful custom frames for me to share with you! Use code CREATE15 for 15% off site-wide through 2/25!
I wanted something short, wide, and horizontal for above the tub. Previously I'd had two vintage Japanese prints there, but they didn't have quite enough presence for that big space. I found a vintage reproduction download, Canyon, from Juniper Print Shop (so many unique pieces, vintage and new!).
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So, I put a lot of thought into it finally and found the perfect vintage print and unique printable and went with Art to Frames custom framing, a really affordable option and best way to get the exact sizes I wanted!
Thanks to Art to Frames for providing these beautiful custom frames for me to share with you! Use code CREATE15 for 15% off site-wide through 2/25!
I wanted something short, wide, and horizontal for above the tub. Previously I'd had two vintage Japanese prints there, but they didn't have quite enough presence for that big space. I found a vintage reproduction download, Canyon, from Juniper Print Shop (so many unique pieces, vintage and new!).
11.13.2019
Get the look: Vintage oil paintings with custom framing. FREE downloads!
I've decided our home needs more art. More art I love. For a while now I've had the goal of only bringing in art that was personal/important to us, but that means sometimes I just don't get anything if I can't find something I like with a personal connection.
I've been wishing for vintage oil paintings like I so often see people finding at thrift and antique stores!, or better, getting passed down from family members. But I have never found any good art at the thrift stores near me. I'm about ready to give up on the perfect secondhand thing.
So I made my own--I found a great source for free downloads of antique oil paintings, and a great affordable way to get them framed for you in antique-look frames!
Thanks to Art to Frames for providing these frames for this post! Get 15% off your order with code SUZ15 through November 20!
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I've been wishing for vintage oil paintings like I so often see people finding at thrift and antique stores!, or better, getting passed down from family members. But I have never found any good art at the thrift stores near me. I'm about ready to give up on the perfect secondhand thing.
So I made my own--I found a great source for free downloads of antique oil paintings, and a great affordable way to get them framed for you in antique-look frames!
Thanks to Art to Frames for providing these frames for this post! Get 15% off your order with code SUZ15 through November 20!
8.23.2016
Ocean prints & paintings, and easy DIY wall art
Sometimes I do crafty projects other than sewing or cooking!!
I've been inspired lately by the beachy art print trend. Maybe because it's summer, maybe because it goes so well with indigo patterned pillows and house plants which I've also bee into lately... I wanted to bring it into my home!
Here are a few of my faves. Common elements between them are saturated, bright colors (or pastels) (mostly blues), plants, and natural wood, leather, or rattan, and fabric textures. Aren't these rooms lovely??
Large photo prints can be expensive but I had an old square canvas that had been in our guest bathroom at one point. It was a clearance Ross buy of some pink flowers on aqua. Pretty, but too girly for my taste now. I figured I could remake it into whatever I wanted!
So, I pulled out my easel and paints (which I use about once every three years--other paintings here and here). I drew a horizontal line 8" or 9" up on the canvas so my "horizon" line would be straight, and then just started mixing colors and painting!
I mixed blues with grey to make them a little less bright and white to lighten. I also like to do the technique of mixing the colors on the canvas a little; it adds texture. Particularly to the wave-ey portion.
We really needed some more color in our bedroom! I love the blue.
This was a super fun weekend project and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick DIY and room refresh!
If you're inspired, pin this post to save for later!
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I've been inspired lately by the beachy art print trend. Maybe because it's summer, maybe because it goes so well with indigo patterned pillows and house plants which I've also bee into lately... I wanted to bring it into my home!
Here are a few of my faves. Common elements between them are saturated, bright colors (or pastels) (mostly blues), plants, and natural wood, leather, or rattan, and fabric textures. Aren't these rooms lovely??
 |
| 1. Amber Interiors for Framebridge 2. Amber Interiors 3. Domino Magazine 4. Amber Interiors 5. Amber Interiors 6. Emily Henderson 7. Amber Interiors 8. Amber Interiors 9. Emily Henderson (Bri Emery's home) |
Large photo prints can be expensive but I had an old square canvas that had been in our guest bathroom at one point. It was a clearance Ross buy of some pink flowers on aqua. Pretty, but too girly for my taste now. I figured I could remake it into whatever I wanted!
So, I pulled out my easel and paints (which I use about once every three years--other paintings here and here). I drew a horizontal line 8" or 9" up on the canvas so my "horizon" line would be straight, and then just started mixing colors and painting!
I mixed blues with grey to make them a little less bright and white to lighten. I also like to do the technique of mixing the colors on the canvas a little; it adds texture. Particularly to the wave-ey portion.
We really needed some more color in our bedroom! I love the blue.
If you're inspired, pin this post to save for later!
1.28.2016
Living and dining room makeovers! And the curtain swap.
I put so much thought into decorating our home for after we first moved in. We went without a couch and dining room curtains for ages while I waited to find the right things. Some trial and error went into the dining room curtains, then I found some I liked... I played around with the gallery wall in the dining room, but it was always a little too dark... all in all, we loved our home but we learned a lot in having free reign to decorate it--and I finally decided to do something with that knowledge!
After 3+ years of our home looking like this, I wanted big change, but didn't know what that would be. So I found a totally risk-free, literally free solution. I switched the curtains from the living room (the pink lined ones I made) with the light tan Ikea ones I had hemmed to our 107" length for both rooms. Of course the ikat look zigzag pink/red/turquoise painting had to go with the pink curtains, so we put it in the dining room and were left with a blank wall in the living room.
These simple changes totally transformed the look of the dining room, and gave it a light pink rosy glow and simplicity that feels really calming for eating.
Another change we made in the dining room was I sold the grey nailhead chairs I recovered. It's sad to get rid of something you've made and put time into, but they were just too big for the space with our big table! To replace them, at least temporarily, I found some classic 90's honey oak chairs for $6.99 each at Goodwill--they are totally plain and dated but I actually really like them. The color is actually nice, and the style really is functional for, you know, a chair.
For the living room... putting the tan curtains up on the big window immediately made the room feel calmer and more grown-up. Grey, white, and tan--what's not to like? For above the couch, we hung some special charcoal drawings done by husband's grandpa, who was an art teacher and still is quite the artist.
I really love the calm neutrals in this room now. But I think we might want to add a few colors! Maybe with spring I'll add some bright pillows. (The home body pillow is not going anywhere, though. I love it.) Any other suggestions?
I did bring down the vintage turquoise lamp, which is pretty cool. I'm not sure it really matches, but we wanted a lamp there. I also played around with moving the Louis XV chair I recovered and painted to a more prominent, use-able spot.
Now that the Christmas tree is gone I love the bright, smaller plants around the room!
It's amazing how small, cheap (well, free) changes updated our living space and made such a big difference in how we feel about the space. Those pink curtains were feeling stale in the living room, but now I love them in the dining room! And the living room feels more elegant and relaxed without that painting, but I really like it above the dining room table. Here's to redecorating and doing more with what you have!!
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After 3+ years of our home looking like this, I wanted big change, but didn't know what that would be. So I found a totally risk-free, literally free solution. I switched the curtains from the living room (the pink lined ones I made) with the light tan Ikea ones I had hemmed to our 107" length for both rooms. Of course the ikat look zigzag pink/red/turquoise painting had to go with the pink curtains, so we put it in the dining room and were left with a blank wall in the living room.
These simple changes totally transformed the look of the dining room, and gave it a light pink rosy glow and simplicity that feels really calming for eating.
For the living room... putting the tan curtains up on the big window immediately made the room feel calmer and more grown-up. Grey, white, and tan--what's not to like? For above the couch, we hung some special charcoal drawings done by husband's grandpa, who was an art teacher and still is quite the artist.
I really love the calm neutrals in this room now. But I think we might want to add a few colors! Maybe with spring I'll add some bright pillows. (The home body pillow is not going anywhere, though. I love it.) Any other suggestions?
I did bring down the vintage turquoise lamp, which is pretty cool. I'm not sure it really matches, but we wanted a lamp there. I also played around with moving the Louis XV chair I recovered and painted to a more prominent, use-able spot.
Now that the Christmas tree is gone I love the bright, smaller plants around the room!
It's amazing how small, cheap (well, free) changes updated our living space and made such a big difference in how we feel about the space. Those pink curtains were feeling stale in the living room, but now I love them in the dining room! And the living room feels more elegant and relaxed without that painting, but I really like it above the dining room table. Here's to redecorating and doing more with what you have!!
2.24.2015
DIY Windowpane pattern wall art tutorial with ribbon
I've always loved decorating my bedroom.
You can see variations I've done over the years here, but in general in our new house I've stuck with pale colors, pinks, aquas, etc. with our pale grey walls, DIY headboard, and some gold accents.
But, I've been feeling like a more minimalist, contrast-ey look lately, and decided on a DIY windowpane print project with some Offray ribbon!
The windowpane trend has been in full force for a couple years, but I haven't worn it or decorated with it yet. A few inspirations...
So, how to make a DIY bedroom decor piece with this print??
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1. Paint the canvases. Most canvases nowadays come primed with gesso, so you probably don't need to use primer first. Paint whatever color you want, of course!
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2. Mark even intervals. My canvases were 18" and I did every 3", but you could space the ribbon more or less densely, as long as you use equal distance between all ribbon rows and edges. Mark all the way around on all four sides.
(Note! Not until the 11th time walking into my room to look at these did I realize... since the 5/8" ribbon is distributed on the even pencil marks, at the edges there is 1/2 of 5/8" (5/16") extra space! If you use any wider ribbon, it will probably be very noticeable. So, to use the split-ribbon-width-on-pencil-mark method, start measuring your even intervals at the edge PLUS half the width of your ribbon!)
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3. Draw guides. Once you've marked all four sides, connect the dots with the long ruler. Do this both directions.
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4. Staple ribbons. Centering the ribbon on each mark/line, staple down one end of the ribbon.
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5. Rubber cement route. With the rubber cement brush, brush over the line in front of your stapled ribbon.
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6. Wrap and staple ribbon. Pull the ribbon tightly, down on top of the rubber cement line, and make sure it's centered on the opposite pencil mark at the end. Pull tight and staple.
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Repeat for other rows.
7. Staple-cement-pull-staple crosswise. Repeat these steps for the crosswise ribbons, but you can skip over each perpendicular ribbon with the rubber cement. Don't think it would work very well on top of the velvet.
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Hang proudly!
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Thanks to Offray for sponsoring this post!
3 comments
You can see variations I've done over the years here, but in general in our new house I've stuck with pale colors, pinks, aquas, etc. with our pale grey walls, DIY headboard, and some gold accents.
But, I've been feeling like a more minimalist, contrast-ey look lately, and decided on a DIY windowpane print project with some Offray ribbon!
The windowpane trend has been in full force for a couple years, but I haven't worn it or decorated with it yet. A few inspirations...
Sources: drop waist dress, pillow, girl's tunic, shorts outfit, black dress, dress/clutch, shirt
So, how to make a DIY bedroom decor piece with this print??
DIY Windowpane Wall Art Tutorial
You will need:
- Canvas (or two)
- White paint (I used house paint)
- Offray velvet ribbon (I used 5/8", you could use 3/8" for a smaller canvas or wider for a bigger canvas)
- Staple gun
- Rubber cement
- Ruler or quilting ruler
Instructions:
1. Paint the canvases. Most canvases nowadays come primed with gesso, so you probably don't need to use primer first. Paint whatever color you want, of course!
2. Mark even intervals. My canvases were 18" and I did every 3", but you could space the ribbon more or less densely, as long as you use equal distance between all ribbon rows and edges. Mark all the way around on all four sides.
(Note! Not until the 11th time walking into my room to look at these did I realize... since the 5/8" ribbon is distributed on the even pencil marks, at the edges there is 1/2 of 5/8" (5/16") extra space! If you use any wider ribbon, it will probably be very noticeable. So, to use the split-ribbon-width-on-pencil-mark method, start measuring your even intervals at the edge PLUS half the width of your ribbon!)
3. Draw guides. Once you've marked all four sides, connect the dots with the long ruler. Do this both directions.
4. Staple ribbons. Centering the ribbon on each mark/line, staple down one end of the ribbon.
5. Rubber cement route. With the rubber cement brush, brush over the line in front of your stapled ribbon.
6. Wrap and staple ribbon. Pull the ribbon tightly, down on top of the rubber cement line, and make sure it's centered on the opposite pencil mark at the end. Pull tight and staple.
Repeat for other rows.
7. Staple-cement-pull-staple crosswise. Repeat these steps for the crosswise ribbons, but you can skip over each perpendicular ribbon with the rubber cement. Don't think it would work very well on top of the velvet.
Hang proudly!
Husband's first response when he saw them was, "Cool! Do we put things in them? Are they like picture holders?"
:/
No, but now that you mention it, they do look sort of bar-like. Maybe I should have spaced the ribbons farther apart. Oh, well! At least they're dramatic!
Try it with whatever color and type of ribbon you like, and with canvases of any size!
Thanks to Offray for sponsoring this post!
4.17.2014
New bedroom decor: a real painting DIY!
I've always loved bedroom decor, and picking out bedding, and headboards, and finding the perfect thing to hang above the bed! So it's not surprising that the other weekend, despite everything else going on, I pulled out my old easel and re-painted an old rectangular canvas I had painted (pretty much a solid color, not a big loss) in college and never used. I wanted some fresh new colors, and mixing the paint colors myself and turning it into whatever I wanted was the perfect outlet! So I painted. (As seen on IG!)
You may remember my bedroom pillow decor crisis from February--when I switched to the striped duvet cover and mixed up the pillows. And there was also that pillow decor crisis from July, when it's too hot for a comforter and we were using a grey blanket. As a lover of fabric and decorating with soft things, the bedspread is very important to me and always has been, and I'm still getting used to having something other than a white comforter on the bed--my favorite look for my room is when the bed looks like this (from our home tour)! But, I do like trying something new, hence the stripes, and hence the motivation to try something new above the bed as well!
I'm also trying for a little more color in the bedroom. It's been white and grey with a few little accents for so long, so it's hard to commit to a color. I think a painting is a safe start, because it's very easy to swap out if I start hating aqua sometime (ha!), although it has got me thinking maybe I could be really brave and buy some - gasp - not-white sheets sometime!! I do love buying sheets. Haven't done it in ages and currently have two white sets and one white/grey set. But maybe I could go with a very, very pale mint color.
But for starters, a re-do of a canvas I already had, with paints I already had plus an extra tube of white acrylic paint to mix with the little tubes of color. Never, never have enough white! Here's the finished work!
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I also love surrounding myself with homemade projects rather than things I got off a shelf. So now our bedroom has the DIY headboard from my DIY headboard tufting tutorial, plus whichever DIY pillow covers we're using at the time. (Currently, these pink patterned pillows.)
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Another baby step toward non-white sheets - I just swapped out these blue pillowcases to try it out. I now realize they look very silly with the baby-pink print pillows, but... oops. So don't pay too much attention to those. Still working out the sheets, I guess!
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I'm happy to have some cheery, pale color on the walls! Color, in the world of neutrals that is our bedroom. It's a start!
4 comments
You may remember my bedroom pillow decor crisis from February--when I switched to the striped duvet cover and mixed up the pillows. And there was also that pillow decor crisis from July, when it's too hot for a comforter and we were using a grey blanket. As a lover of fabric and decorating with soft things, the bedspread is very important to me and always has been, and I'm still getting used to having something other than a white comforter on the bed--my favorite look for my room is when the bed looks like this (from our home tour)! But, I do like trying something new, hence the stripes, and hence the motivation to try something new above the bed as well!
I'm also trying for a little more color in the bedroom. It's been white and grey with a few little accents for so long, so it's hard to commit to a color. I think a painting is a safe start, because it's very easy to swap out if I start hating aqua sometime (ha!), although it has got me thinking maybe I could be really brave and buy some - gasp - not-white sheets sometime!! I do love buying sheets. Haven't done it in ages and currently have two white sets and one white/grey set. But maybe I could go with a very, very pale mint color.
But for starters, a re-do of a canvas I already had, with paints I already had plus an extra tube of white acrylic paint to mix with the little tubes of color. Never, never have enough white! Here's the finished work!
I also love surrounding myself with homemade projects rather than things I got off a shelf. So now our bedroom has the DIY headboard from my DIY headboard tufting tutorial, plus whichever DIY pillow covers we're using at the time. (Currently, these pink patterned pillows.)
Another baby step toward non-white sheets - I just swapped out these blue pillowcases to try it out. I now realize they look very silly with the baby-pink print pillows, but... oops. So don't pay too much attention to those. Still working out the sheets, I guess!
I'm happy to have some cheery, pale color on the walls! Color, in the world of neutrals that is our bedroom. It's a start!
5.22.2013
Dining room update: gallery wall and fun lighting!
Ah, the art of the gallery wall... I know there are tons of "how to make a gallery wall" tips, from Apartment Therapy to Design Crush, and yet it's always tricky for me. I've had gallery wall areas in our home before, on the staircase at our old house and then our last rental, but the pictures were all pretty crappy quality little photo frames of actually pretty terrible photos, and when we moved into our new house last year I decided I wanted to up the quality.
But, I didn't have enough pictures to make it worth assembling, and worried they would just look random without some pro decorator arranging. The tutorials on how to hang photos in a gallery wall tend to tell you to cut brown paper in the sizes of your frames and tape it around, which does sound very smart, but I wanted to do it without any extra work... my laziness took over. So I opted for the make-your-husband-stand-there-holding-frames-while-you-stand-back-and-squint method.
So anyway, over the weekend we finally hung up some more art in the dining room, in a gallery wall-type of mishmash of frames. I guess I've been leaning toward the funkier, more varied look of a bunch of different shapes and frames, rather than nine Ikea Ribba frames of the same size or whatever. I like that look, too, but am glad I could make the random look work for us!
You'll see a TON of gallery wall inspiration images on my home dec pinboard, collected over quite a while... I guess it's a look I go for a lot. Maybe because it's practical? I mean, who doesn't have more art than we know what to do with, and not enough perfect places to hang just one or two frames. Here's just a few inspiration images of what I'm talking about.
So here it is!!
Oh, I also added another fun touch to the dining room... not sure how long these will last, but I hung some white Christmas lights with little white cuphooks, just along the wide back wall of the dining room. It gets sort of dark over there sometimes (which is why I like the mirror in the center of the wall to reflect light), so I figured it could use some help with some cheery little lights. They don't look fab in this photo, with the conflicting blue of the natural light from the windows at 10 in the morning on Saturday clashing with the warm bulbs, but... just so you can see them on.
Always feels good to get a lingering project done! Now that my book manuscript is in I've been shifting back into decorating mode, and have a few more projects in the works around the house! Hint: they involve super classy stenciling and plumbing. Not together. Just sayin'.
2 comments
But, I didn't have enough pictures to make it worth assembling, and worried they would just look random without some pro decorator arranging. The tutorials on how to hang photos in a gallery wall tend to tell you to cut brown paper in the sizes of your frames and tape it around, which does sound very smart, but I wanted to do it without any extra work... my laziness took over. So I opted for the make-your-husband-stand-there-holding-frames-while-you-stand-back-and-squint method.
So anyway, over the weekend we finally hung up some more art in the dining room, in a gallery wall-type of mishmash of frames. I guess I've been leaning toward the funkier, more varied look of a bunch of different shapes and frames, rather than nine Ikea Ribba frames of the same size or whatever. I like that look, too, but am glad I could make the random look work for us!
You'll see a TON of gallery wall inspiration images on my home dec pinboard, collected over quite a while... I guess it's a look I go for a lot. Maybe because it's practical? I mean, who doesn't have more art than we know what to do with, and not enough perfect places to hang just one or two frames. Here's just a few inspiration images of what I'm talking about.
So here it is!!
Oh, I also added another fun touch to the dining room... not sure how long these will last, but I hung some white Christmas lights with little white cuphooks, just along the wide back wall of the dining room. It gets sort of dark over there sometimes (which is why I like the mirror in the center of the wall to reflect light), so I figured it could use some help with some cheery little lights. They don't look fab in this photo, with the conflicting blue of the natural light from the windows at 10 in the morning on Saturday clashing with the warm bulbs, but... just so you can see them on.
Always feels good to get a lingering project done! Now that my book manuscript is in I've been shifting back into decorating mode, and have a few more projects in the works around the house! Hint: they involve super classy stenciling and plumbing. Not together. Just sayin'.
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