Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Dreaded White Wall Problem

Does anyone else have a those really annoying white walls (or in my case beige--which is honestly almost worse than white)  that have absolutely nothing on them except maybe a few holes, or maybe a few puddie filled holes, OR maybe a really random nail-begging for a frame? Whatever the state of your walls- your excuses for the lack of art on any of your walls may be like mine- all over the board. It might be because you haven't had the time, or maybe because you have not found anything quite lovely enough to adorn your walls for years to come (not to mention you will be seeing this everyday) or maybe its like mine--'I promise, I have been trying to find the time to paint my walls since I moved home after college' (yikes, almost two years ago!) so I'm waiting to hang something until they are the perfect shade of _________ (you fill in the blank). If you are like me, you might have a problem with wanting to change the decorations/style of your room or office quite often. However, as we all know, there is always the issue of expense especially when it comes to art work. SO how can we all get super cute, inexpensive, (sometimes trendy), and versatile prints that inspire you everyday?

Pick your favorite color, verse, quote or saying and make it! 

I found somewhere in my early teen years that I liked to be creative however, only recently did I realize that I find painting and projects to be unbelievably relaxing (I mean more so than even a bubble bath, can you believe it?)  Give it a shot and see how you do :) 

You will need the following items: 

  • Paint (I used acrylic-Michael's has sets of paint with paintbrushes- $10 for the whole set!!) 
  • Paintbrush (small narrow brush) 
  • Cardstock (whatever color your heart desires- A.C. Moore usually has great sales on cardstock, 33 cents/sheet!) 
  • Adhesive, reusable stencils  (check out Martha Stewarts line of stencils here http://www.michaels.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts™: but before you buy them at Michaels, look in the Marshalls craft section. I found mine for $1.99 for each set of full alphabet letters).  
  • Frame (I love white frames because you can always paint them: check out Marshall's sale rack. I found the one I used here for $4- Can't beat that.)
  • Ruler 
  • Pencil 
Ok, so first, pick your favorite quote! I use pretty short ones only because it takes a little time to line up all the letters (actually, a lot of time, if you're a perfectionist). Write it out your phrase or verse of a separate sheet of paper- just to make sure you spell everything right. 
Next, measure and cut the cardstock to fit the inside of the frame. This part can be a little annoying if you don't have a ruler so make sure you measure correctly so the cardstock fits nicely.
For the next step, measure so that your words and letters are lined up with the proper amount of space between each (I marked the page with my handy pencil so that the spacing was correct) Next, start peeling off your stencils letters and placing them on the page. 

(Don't mind the fact that the "n" in wandering is a flower and the other random letters that are supposed to be "to thee." The amount of letters that came in one package was not enough to do the entire phrase, so I improvised just for the sake of lining up the words and knowing that I had enough space.) 

Next mix up your color, pick a shade that doesn't hurt your eyes and make sure you won't get sick of it too quickly. I picked gold ... clearly a trendy favorite of mine. I used an acrylic base paint and then once it dried I went over it with a lighter gold stamp ink (this is an added step) just for fun.

(polka dot pajama set- gap.....Just kidding this is NOT an outfit post) 

AFTER your paint has dried, (make sure its dry) peel off the stencil letters. (helpful hint: put them back on the sheet in alphabetical order, you will thank me next time you go to use them). 




So now put the sheet in the frame, (again you can always paint the frame with acrylic too) and you're done, literally done. You have a tasteful, inexpensive, versatile and trendy piece of artwork :)

I actually did not have time to find a frame for this print (sorry!!), but, the print below "Be Still" is another one that I did and followed the exact same steps. :) I love the fact that these prints are a reminder of the things I need to hear everyday most, and I see them everyday.




My walls are still beige... but the pop of pink helps me appreciate them a little more :) 
and finally, 



Enjoy crafting! 
More to come.... 

xoxo

Kasia 

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