Grasscloth Mat + Succulent Prints + Walls Republic

Today, I'm sharing a super simple DIY project that anyone can do! I recently completed a project with grasscloth wallpaper (coming soon!) and I had some left over. So, I decided to use it as a background in a frame.

With vintage frames, often the sizing is off for traditional photo sizes, so using wallpaper is a great solution to fill the white space and add a little texture!

A month or so ago I found a pair of vintage frames at a thrift shop. It's very rare to find a pair of semi large frames, so I scooped them up! Just in time too, a women was making her way around, grabbing ALL the frames. She was eyeing mine at check out.. I think mine were $6 each, so a pretty good price!  I just spray painted the mat white and the frame gold. I broke one of the pieces of glass when removing it, so I photographed them without glass, but I'll get another cut to fit.

The grasscloth wallpaper is from Walls Republic, you can find it here. It's nice and thick, has a slightly yellow, creamy tone with darker natural bands. I love the variety of stripes!

Make sure to order samples (up to five free!) prior to ordering, since they can look different on your computer than in person.

I found this spider cactus (I'm not sure what the actual name is) at Home Depot!

For the prints, I purchased a few succulents and photographed them over the summer. Since then, they've all died :( But, at least I have these photos!! Prints available in my Etsy shop, here.

p.s. This is a little peek of our dresser that I finished a few months ago .. I still haven't found a solution for the two handles that are missing, so I put it on the back burner for a little!

Thanks so much to Walls Republic for providing the wallpaper. As always, all opinions are 100% my own!

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DIY Abstract Painting

Hey! I hope you had a great weekend! I had a few requests for more info on the painting that I shared last week with our DIY Parsons desk, so today, I'm sharing a general how to!

First, a little background info .. I have a BA in fine arts, though I didn't do much abstract work in school, the basic principals are the same. It's been about 7 years since I've painted regularly and I miss it! My preference is oil paint, and it really requires a separate studio due to the stinky paint and mess. Once we stop moving around every few months, I'll set one up! All photos (other than of the painting and my office were taken by David for his digital photography class in college)

Here are my tips!

You will need.

Canvas (either by the roll (you stretch/frame yourself) or pre-stretched) if your canvas is primed, make sure it doesn't feel plasticy (the paint won't stick very well) You want your painting surface to have some tooth to it. If needed, you can apply a coat of gesso.

Paint (oil or acrylic ... much like painting furniture, each have their pluses and minuses. Oil has a slow drying time, so it extends the working time on the canvas, which allows you to blend and create washes. You do have to wait longer to put paint overtop though .. it is also very stinky, so you shouldn't paint in the house, and you need turpentine to clean your brushes. Acrylic dries fast, so it doesn't blend as well on the canvas, but it doesn't smell and you can go overtop it faster.

Paint colors I use, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Thalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Brunt Sienna, Brunt Umber, Mars Black (I like Grumbacher Pre-Tested oils)

(Tip: Don't just use black to darken colors, always use complementary colors first to neutralize and deepen colors. It will give a richer color)

Paint thinner (odorless turpentine for oil and water for acrylic) to thin paint and clean brush.

Paint brushes

Glass palette with white paper underneath (mixing on white gives accurate color representation)

Palette knife (to mix paint)

Cotton rag to clean brush between colors.

Disposable gloves (for oil paint)

Razor scrapper (to clean palette)

Just for fun, here's one of me painting in my college studio (2007)

I don't have step by step photos of me painting (David wasn't there and I'm notoriously a messy painter which doesn't mix with the camera..)

But here's my general process - I referred to this fabulous painting! I love the colors, movement and variance of brush strokes.

To get started, I did a light wash of the larger areas of color (in oil paint, I love how it blends) Then, following a circular pattern, I applied tighter brushstrokes (I switched to acrylic since the colors don't need to blend and I could overlap the paint faster since it dries fast) - all around the canvas, adjusting the color slightly as I went. For big color changes, I cleaned my brush with turpentine (for oil) or water (for acrylic) and a rag. Then, I switched to another color. To finish, I did a final color adjustment by covering some of the paint with white gesso (I didn't buy enough white acrylic, but that would have been preferable) and then some final brushstrokes of color. (Also, step back and look at the canvas several times while you're working - this will give you a good idea of what the whole composition looks like)

Here are a few detail shots.

I hope this inspires you to get creative and start your own painting! Don't worry about messing up .. you can always paint over it with gesso and start over! Have fun with it :)

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Finally, few cyber monday (today only) deals for you!

If you're interested in learning to how to use your digital camera on manual mode, I highly recommend Shoot Fly Shoot! One of my biggest regrets in college was not taking a photography class, Shoot Fly Shoot photography 101 - is super straightforward (perfect for visual learners!) This is how I learned to shoot in manual mode, I LOVE this class!!

They are offering 50% off all their classes (today only) so now is definitely the time to check it out! They are also offering Photoshop classes (the program that I use to edit my photos). Though I haven't taken that course, I'm sure it's amazing as well!!

Click the banner below to check out the classes!!

Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School recently launched House of Jade and has an online shop!! Use the code, HOJBF15 at checkout for 15% off!! 

Also, check out my Etsy shop and use the code CYBER15 for 15% off! 

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p.s. Don't forget to enter last week's giveaway! 

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Large Glossy Vintage Inspired Letter | DIY Tutorial

Hey! I hope you had a great weekend! Today I'm sharing a simple, vintage inspired letter tutorial - perfect for a gallery wall or to lean on a dresser or bookshelf! If you missed the tutorial on Infarrantly Creative, read on!

I've admired large, vintage letters repurposed from buildings, but I've never found one within my budget .. Today, I'm going to show you how to make your own vintage inspired, glossy letter for just a few dollars!

This is super easy - promise! We were able to finish it in about 2 hours (not including resin drying time).




Materials:

1/4" Plywood or MDF (I used a 1/4 sheet)
Veneer edging (available at home improvement store in the lumber section)
Heat gun or iron (heat gun recommended, it is much easier and faster)
Spray paint
Resin (available at any craft store)

Tools:

Pencil
Jigsaw
Scissors
Projector (or free hand or get printed large scale at copy store)

To get started, print desired text on 8.5x11 paper and project onto 1/4" Plywood or MDF. Trace the outline with a pencil. If you don't have a projector, free hand if you're comfortable or get it printed large at a copy store, cut it out and then trace it. (Image below taken from my marquee letter tutorial).

Next, cut it out with a jigsaw. *Tip: when you get to a corner, back the saw out and cut at an angle towards the next point, go back once complete and cut off the extra pieces.

To cut any enclosed areas, drill a hole and then cut out with the jigsaw.

Next, apply the veneer edging. I used a leftover piece from my oversize cork board, so it's thinner than the standard edging. Just make sure that it creates a raised lip around the edge to hold the resin.

Carefully use the heat gun to apply the veneer edging, melting the adhesive. It helps to have an extra set of hands to hold the edging in place (away from the heat) while the other uses the gun. An iron can also be used, but a heat gun is a lot faster - also it would be tricky to use inside the letter.

Seal any gaps (on the back and joints) with glue to prevent the resin from seeping out or apply caulk on the front prior to painting (this is important, mine is a little thinner than planned since it seeped out some)

Spray paint the front. I used Liquitex Cadmium Yellow Light Hue. 

Get a glossy finish! Once the spray paint has dried, apply resin to the front. Mix per directions and carefully pour on top. To ensure even coverage, move the resin by picking up the letter and tilting it so the resin floats over the entire surface. Let it dry (24 - 72 hrs), per instructions, on a raised flat surface with cardboard or paper underneath. 

That's it! Enjoy your custom, affordable letter reminiscent of vintage building lettering!

This would be perfect in a gallery wall or simply leaned against a wall.

I love the glossy finish!

This was so easy, I can't wait to make more!

I hope you'll give it a try!!

Also in the tutorial:

Ikea Expedit Birch Plywood TV Stand

Fabric Panel wall 

p.s. check out my thrifted finds from the weekend (on Instagram) here, here and here!

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Poppy Red Campaign Desk

Today I'm sharing our new campaign desk! A few months ago, I found several Bernhardt Campaign pieces on Craigslist. I would have preferred brass hardware and the wood veneer had a weird texture .. so that wasn't ideal, but at $30 to $40 each, I decided it was still worth it!

Before:

We preferred the desk without a hutch, so we have plans to repurpose that!


For a full tutorial on how to paint campaign furniture and polish hardware, see this post. I still highly recommend the tips shared in that post, but since Sherwin Williams Pro Classic can't be mixed in deep, saturated colors, I used something else for the top coat.

First, what paint NOT to use: Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel (I LOVE Sherwin Williams Pro Classic - I use it all the time for furniture .. but this is nothing like that) I was warned in the store that since I was going over white primer it would take several coats .. 5 coats later, it still wasn't solid. The paint was translucent looking .. maybe this would work for white over white, or a tinted red primer/red paint, but definitely not white primer/red paint. Also, I didn't like how it went on or how it looked/felt after drying 24 hrs ..

So I did a custom mix of Rustoleum Gloss Sunrise Red and  Rustoleum Gloss Sunburst Yellow (oil based) Maybe 70% red and 30% yellow.. it looks super saturated and bright, but in person it is a little more mellow, I'd describe it as a poppy color.

(Prior to painting, this required A LOT of sanding .. the veneer was textured, so we sanded it till it was basically smooth with the orbital sander) 

This is my first time using an oil based paint on furniture, but after painting our mantel, I had a good idea of how it would go on.

Here's a few things to know about oil based paint prior to using it:

- Oil based paint is a pain to clean up (so brushes will need to be cleaned with mineral spirits or thrown away)

- It is stinky - so painting outside is a must!

- It has a slow drying time - 24 hours between coats, this also allows more time for dust to get stuck in the paint, so a debris free area is best. Also, prior to using it, the paint should cure for at least a week

- It covers SO well, you will most likely only need 2 coats.

- The key to getting a smooth finish is not over brushing (natural bristle brush works best) only go over an area with a few passes and move on, leave the brush strokes, they will self level. Apply a thicker coat to horizontal surfaces and thinner coats on vertical surfaces to prevents drips.

- It is a great way to get a super durable, glossy, lacquer like look!

The gallery wall above was centered around this print from Artfully Walls - love how it picks up the red tones in the desk.

This print is a part of the Artfully Walls and Better Homes and Gardens collaboration (as seen in the November BHG issue)  I was provided the print to share my styling tips in an upcoming digital styling session with 6 designers (on Artfully Walls a little later! I'll share the link when it's up!)

The Dorsey gold leaf diy art is still one of my favorites, tutorial here.

Eucalyptus from Trader Joes, deer head from Target's Christmas collection. Shelves were made by us for the BHG Stylemaker challenge, starburst mirror was on clearance for $8.83 at Home Depot

Chinese Chippendale chair found at a thrift store this summer .. it still needs a cushion, I might paint it .. might not .. Either way, LOVE it!!

I'm looking forward to adding a few more frames and items to the shelves - one of my favorite things about gallery walls is the flexibility to add to them! But for now, I'm loving this bright corner in our TN rental!

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Entry Gallery Wall | Hump Day Giveaway | Free Downloads

Hi! Happy Hump Day! Today I'm sharing a little more info about the gallery wall for our entry.

Everything was DIYed except the D and S metal letters, which are from Pottery Barn. Love them!! They definitely make the gallery wall!

I love the size and thickness, the quality was also nice. For the ampersand, we glued left over driftwood to a thin piece of plywood and cut it out with a jigsaw.

A few week's ago, I photographed a few succulents - love the natural/organic element that it adds.

I recreated this amazing For Like Ever print and adjusted the proportions so it would work with my 16x20 frame.

The gold leaf Dorsey, was a DIY from a year or so ago, tutorial here

Using Sarah Swanson's $10 gallery wall prints as inspiration, I created a simple watercolor. If you're looking for affordable gallery wall prints, make sure to check out Sarah's Etsy shop, amazing selection!!

Here's a full list of the sources:

Smile (5x7), Hello (8.5x11), and Succulent (8x10) (created by me) available for free download HERE 

For Like Ever (created by me, original design and print available here) Out of respect for the artist, I won't be offering a download of the print.

Metal Letters | Pottery Barn silver and bronze

Driftwood ampersand (created by David and I) from left over driftwood 

Watercolor (created by me) purchase your own at Sarah Swanson Gallery Wall shop

Flamingo (created by me) free download here, BeYouTiful (created by me) free download here

Gold Leaf print (created by me) tutorial here

p.s. Since my printer isn't working - I got all of my prints done at Staples. Looking online, "photo enlargements" was the cheapest option for larger color prints. I believe 16x20 was $10, total for all the prints was under $20. The print quality was nice!

I hope that you're having a great week! I'll be back tomorrow to talk about a few more details for our entry!

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Panel Paintings to Chalkboard | Contributing Post at Infarrantly Creative

Today I'm at Infarrantly Creative sharing a chalkboard created from two dated paintings found a thrift shop. Make sure to stop by and check it out!!

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DIY statment art + frame | tutorial

Last week I talked about tackling a woodworking project by myself and I'm happy to report that it was a success!

In attempts to rely less on David and do more by myself, I set out to build a simple frame for my new painting.

I originally wanted to use only supplies that I had on hand, but for the large scale (without piecing the back together) I needed to buy an 1/8" piece of luan. I measured my trunk and asked Ace Hardware to cut it to the maximum size that my car would allow. Putting it in the car, I realized that I measured the back opening of my trunk and not the front opening ... luckily since it was thin, it bent enough to fit. Whew! 

Next, I'm going to talk about how I made a frame to sit on top of an 1/8" piece of luan. Feel free to skip if you already know how :)

David had previously ripped a 2x2 on the table saw, which worked perfectly for a frame! Honestly the table saw still scares me, so I'm glad that this step was taken care of. I feel comfortable working with the chop/miter saw since it's more compact and easier to control. A miter box and hand saw would also work well. I'd definitely recommend working with what your comfortable with and when in doubt, go slow and double check that your fingers are clear from the blade.

First, I put on my safety glasses - wood can easily go flying, so better safe than sorry! I set the saw to 45, cut the end off. Moved my saw to the other 45. For each side you want to cut on both 45s, I found it easiest to move it back and forth, but you could cut all your sides at once and then flip it. I like to lay it out as I go.

Next, I measured for my frame. My luan was 40" x 54" and I decided that I wanted an extra .5" on the sides so that the frame would slightly extend. Since the board is thin, the frame floats slightly from the wall. I could have made it even, but then I'd have to fill the line between the luan and the frame with wood filler.

So from the tip of the 45 angle, I measured 40.5" for the top and bottom and 54.5" for the sides for my 40"x54" board.

Lining up my cut, I accommodated for the blade by cutting at the far edge of the line. Our saw has a light built in which makes it easy to see exactly where the blade will go. I repeated this process for all sides. 

I placed the wood around the frame and decided, to glue the frame together off of the board (to avoid measuring :) I used wood glue and clamped the corners with a scrap piece of wood on the front to avoid the clamp damaging the wood. 

Meanwhile, I painted my luan with extra white semi gloss latex paint. I then referred to my inspiration image and sketched my pattern with a pencil. Then I used a deep charcoal latex matte paint (left over from my large wall stencil) following my pencil lines. I forgot to take photos of this step ... but it was pretty simple. You could also use a projector if you're not comfortable free handing.

Once the painting was dry, from the back, I centered the frame on the wood and connected them with screws. I pre drilled holes to avoid the wood cracking and then used small screws (shorter than the luan and ripped 2x2). 

We had thin .5" pieces of wood left over from when David ripped the side pieces for the herringbone driftwood table, so I decided to make a small inner frame to make it a little chunkier (using same process as above, but I measured it to fit exactly inside the outer frame). I used wood glue and clamped it in place, using extra wood to protect the top again.

Finally I taped off the painting the painted edges. It made the most sense to me to do this last since the final part of the frame was glue in place. I used one coat of white paint and then sanded a little once dry to give it a white washed look.

I mounted a picture hanging wire from another frame on the back and that was it! 

I was originally planning on giving the frames a second coat of paint, but I love the extra depth that the distressing gives.

Total cost for this project $13 for the 1/8" luan since I had the frame supplies and paint on hand!! 

I'm so happy with how the office pulled together! Making the light for Creating with the Stars caused the re design, since it didn't fit with our current office. I'm so glad because now it feel more me :)

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