the pink bedroom.

When I first saw the real estate listing for my house, and I read that it had five bedrooms, I honestly didn’t believe it. A house in my price range with five bedrooms? But it does, because the upstairs was converted into a bathroom and three very small bedrooms. The pink bedroom is one of them.

This bedroom was pink when I bought it, except it was pastel pink. The carpeted floor had some pet stains, and there was a huge hole in the wall that someone had (tried) unsuccessfully) to patch. I ripped up the carpet last year, and A picked the wall color last fall.

This was my inspiration photo.

[Source: BHG via Pinterest]

And here’s the end result.

The “ceiling beams” are just inexpensive 1x4s that I stained and screwed directly into the ceiling studs. The horizontal piece hides a PVC pipe that acts as curtain rod.

I painted the bed and dresser using a light gray paint I already had on hand. The dresser pulls are made from some leather belts I found on clearance at Target (inspiration here)– I painted them, used tin snips to cut the correct length, then drilled holes and attached them to the drawers with hex screws and nuts.

The bookshelves are made from gutters (inspiration here) – I like the idea of tucking a reading corner into that area, maybe adding some pillows or a bean bag chair in the future.

The floor underneath the carpet was composed of old (and very ugly) vinyl tiles. I considered laying laminate wood floors, but knowing that I would want to carry the same floor through most of the upstairs, I decided to save myself the headache of all those cuts and angles by installing peel-and-stick vinyl wood-look planks instead. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and really look great. I painted the trim around the floor, window, and doors white, which really helped lighten up the space, and I added shoe molding around the perimeter (previously there was only baseboard). It really finished off the floor nicely and meant I didn’t have to be nearly so precise when installing the floor.

The last touch was this word art. It was inspired by (ok, copied from) the art in this post. Since this is clearly a girl’s room (given all the pink), I wanted to send a message that most of us girls need to hear over and over again.

There are still other finishing touches I would love to add, like more art for the walls, or maybe a bulletin board of some kind. The lamp is on loan and I’d like to find/make something a little more distinctive. And of course, there is a pillow for the bed – it was just downstairs when I took these pictures. But for now, I’ve moved on to other projects.

art love, part 2.

One of the things I know I want to finish this year is adding an art gallery to the dining room. I have a combination of homemade art pieces (like this and this and this), things I’ve purchased as mementos of people or places (like this and this), photos – pretty much anything that makes me remember and smile when I look at it. Many things need frames, and then I can start working on placement.

Over the last year, I’ve become more and more committed to the idea of adding meaningful art to my home – things that tell the story of my life and the people who are a part of it. I don’t want to make or buy something just because the colors work, but because they mean something to me.

A few months ago, I posted several pieces of homemade art on Etsy that had caught my eye.

Here are a few more that I’ve pinned or marked as favorites lately.

Rides, www.bowerpowerblog.com

Carnival swings are one of my favorite carnival rides – I love the feeling of soaring high above everything else. I love the perspective on this one, with the view of the sky.

Amsterdam Canal Boats, Laura Amiss

Okay, this one doesn’t really have any special meaning for me – I just love the style. And it makes me want to go to Amsterdam.

Though She be but Little She is Fierce, Raw Art Letterpress

This one makes me think of K, especially when she’s playing basketball. I also love this one: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”

Rain Dance in Red, Karen Tarlton

This one makes me think of my sister Katie and one of her favorite quotes: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm, but learning to dance in the rain.”

The Lion, Karen Tarlton

This one is my favorite, which is ironic because it’s also the most expensive. I like it because it makes me think of this book, which makes me think of Africa because I read it there. Also, because it reminds me of courage, which has kind of been the theme of the last few years and especially the last month. And lastly, because it looks like Aslan.

chicken fabric art.

This is my newest meaningful art project.

It’s a little bit different, isn’t it? But as simple as this project is (just fabric stapled around a canvas), the story behind it is one of my favorites.

Buying fabric is Gabon is always an interesting experience. There is a ton of great, really fun and colorful stuff, but you also need to look closely at the pattern, just to make sure you notice if it has cell phones or dollar signs or pieces of fruit.

A few days before I left Gabon, several of our friends bought me a few going-away gifts, including a few yards of this fabric. I’ll admit, I was a little surprised at the chickens at first, but they explained they had chosen it so I would always remember my children at Hope House. They talked about the way I would come into the medical clinic, always with children that I loved as though they were mine.

I, of course, teared up.

Then Papi Joe, who is a bit of a class clown, said in his limited English, “Kristy is the mama chicken!”

Which made me laugh.

And this makes me remember my kids in Africa, and my friends who do a better job at loving people like Jesus than anyone else I know.

africa sand art.

This sand art was one of the few souvenirs I brought back from Africa for myself. I thought about displaying it in the dining room, with the other gallery items I’m slowly creating, but I decided instead I wanted to use it as a main focal piece in my bedroom. It’s a special reminder to me, so I wanted it in a place I would see it every day.

And because it’s special, I wanted to do something different than just frame it. So, I had the guys at Home Depot (thank goodness they cut wood for you!) cut a 2-foot by 2-foot project panel to be just a couple inches larger the canvas on each side. I stained it and attached it with hot glue. With the slightly fraying edges on display, it’s a little less polished – which kind of fits Africa and how I feel about it, too.

I hung it using velcro hanging strips, but it wasn’t long before it fell right off the wall. So for now, it’s propped against the wall, until I can figure out the best way to display it. I’m thinking, maybe something like this?

etsy art love.

The biggest pain in having a dislocated kneecap, besides the limping around, is that I actually have all this motivation to get projects around the house, just not the balance to actually do them. It’s so frustrating not to be able to work on the things I want to! I actually made a list called “Things To Do While I’m An Invalid.”

So while I work, very slowly, on a few small things I can get done without buying more supplies or carrying anything that requires two hands, I thought I would share a few things on Etsy that have caught my attention lately. Some of these are items I might actually buy, and some have a steep enough price tag that I’ll just enjoy them from the laptop screen.

This one is actually my favorite of the bunch, both because I seem to have a thing for maps lately, and because I love the sentiment. I would love to have this hanging somewhere in my home!

Left My Heart Print with World Map by Poppy & Pinecone ($30)

As a kid, one of my favorite carnival rides was always the swings. I loved feeling like I was soaring and seeing the aerial view of the whole park.

Carnival Swing Vintage Blue by TerraVision ($25)

This one – well, I don’t know if I can even explain why I like it. I just do. And sometimes cards are a great way to get smaller versions of really fun prints.

Magnificent Creatures 5x7 Greeting Card by The Wheatfield ($6)

I lived in the Chicago suburbs for two years just after college, and have lots of fond memories of the city – working in the city, my first real apartment, being on my own for the first time. Chicago is such fun city.

Chicago Street Map by delovely Arts ($19.50)

This one is out of my budget, but I still think it’s beautiful! We grew up spending nearly our entire summer in the pool, especially after my parents installed one the summer my brother was born. This painting reminds me of that.

Swimmer in a Striped Orange and Coral Suit by Recycled Wood Art ($78)

I’m hoping to build an art gallery over time on the upper walls of my dining room – not necessarily expensive art, but things that have personal meaning for me. Any of these would be great addition.

What do you think? Found any fun (and inexpensive) art lately?

art doors.

This was one of those ideas that I knew I was going to copy the second I saw it.

I’ve got this great Expedit bookcase that I’ve moved into three different houses. It’s great for storage and display and holds a lot. I use baskets along the bottom row of cubbies for newspapers, old journals, electronic cords and chargers, and stuff for the dogs. What I still needed, though, was a place to store laptops. It sounds funny, but I have several, including my personal laptop and two work laptops, and I need a home for them when they’re not in use. The bookcase is a great place, but I want to keep them out of sight. Also, a laptop doesn’t take up much room, and I wanted to use the space well.

So, I added a couple of shelves to two of the cubbies to increase the storage space. I just used a small sheet of MDF, cut partly to size by Home Depot and partly by my jig saw. I primed and painted them (oil-rubbed bronze spray paint is actually a pretty close match for the existing color).

Then (and this is the really fun part), I added cup hooks to the bookcase and the bubble art canvases Jacob made, and made little doors for my new shelves.

I am so happy with the way it turned out! They add a fun personalized touch and storage to the bookcase. They’re really easy to slip on or off as I need to, and it’s a great way to store some of the extra computer equipment I’ve got laying around here (and the wires from the stereo on top the bookcase).

bubble art.

Jake and I planned another craft day today.

This bubble art idea topped Jacob’s list of things to try, so we gave it a shot. I bought a large bottle of bubbles and some food coloring (which was surprisingly hard to find), and we mixed up individual cups of different colors – red, green, yellow, blue, purple, and orange. Jake made some smaller 12x12 canvases (I’ll post later on what I did with them), and K made a larger one for her room.

If you’re interested in trying something similar, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You need to get the mix of bubbles to food coloring right. Too much food coloring and it’s difficult to blow bubbles. Not enough and the colors don’t show up well.
• This is an extremely messy project – there’s a lot of splatter. Expect to get food coloring on your skin and clothes, and definitely do it outside.
• On the other hand, wind obviously makes this a bit more complicated.

art to make with kids.

Jake and I have worked on a few projects together.

We made crayon art.
We made abstract art.
We even worked on a family rules project for Katie’s Mother’s Day gift.

We’ve been talking about doing another craft day and maybe even working on some Christmas gifts together. I can’t talk about our Christmas gift ideas yet, but here are some of the other things we’ve been thinking about trying.

I love this Bubble Art from Life as a Thrifter, and this is the one Jake is the most excited about. It’s pretty simple – just add food coloring to bubbles and blow it at a white canvas. I’ve had some trouble finding liquid food coloring, so we might need to wait until Easter (and egg dye) to try this one.

[Source via Pinterest]

As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of anything with words, so this simple project is right up my alley and I think it would be great to do with Jake. You just use an old painting (or create your own with paint or even magazine clippings, add vinyl stickers on top with a word or phrase, paint over top it, then remove the stickers to reveal the colors underneath.

[Source via Pinterest]

We’re thinking about doing something like this Messy String Art from Polish the Stars, but using a single initial and without the extra pieces of string. He might need a little help with the nails, but stringing it would be pretty straightforward. I’ve also seen something like this using the outline of a state or country (like this one).

[Source via Pinterest]

Jake is also really excited about making a drip painting, like this example from Take the Side Street. It’s pretty simple – paint, a water bottle, and no real rules about what is “right.”

[Source via Pinterest]

We’re still trying to figure out which project we’ll start with, and when. But I love getting the chance to experiment and be creative (and sometimes, teach him how to use power tools).

And next time, we’re thinking about inviting more people to our craft days.

wood shim wall art.

Sometimes I get a bit tired of working on big home improvement projects and I just want to do something small and creative. This was one of those projects - quick and inexpensive.

The idea and instructions for this can be found here: Wood Shim Wall Art from Stephanie at Under The Table and Dreaming

If I were going to make this again, I would do a couple things differently. First, I would stain the plywood backing before adding the shims, because there are a few spots where the wood shims aren't quite butting up against each other and it was difficult to get the stain into those places. I also wish I had sanded a few of the shims that were really rough, just so they would take the stain better.

Right now it's sitting on the mantel above the fireplace and works well as a big backdrop for smaller items. And I really enjoyed the chance to complete something in a single afternoon!

family rules.

Since Jacob and I had so much fun at our art day, and since he was working with me on a Mother's Day gift for my mom/his grandma, Mom asked if I wanted to help Jake make a gift for his own mother (my sister). I'm always up for a craft or art project, especially with Jake, so I said yes. It was important to me that Jake got to decide what he wanted to do, so I showed him the ideas I had saved on two Pinterest boards: things to make and art to make with Jacob. I had planned to direct him to a few good ideas, but he jumped on the idea of creating a family rules sign, like this one from etsy (exact source unknown), because he knew his mom was looking for things to hang up in the basement. Here's the finished product, from Katie's blog:

[Source: My Back Porch View]

We talked a bit about the best way to make it - how big it should be, what colors we should use, etc. He chose which phrases he wanted to use. I cut and stained the boards, just for the sake of time (so they could dry before he arrived to work on the rest of it). We attached the boards together using two eight-inch mending plates. I drilled the first pilot hole, then let him do the rest, including screwing the mending plates into the wood. He stamped the letters and filled them in a bit where he needed to, then signed this name on the back.

Katie wrote a great write-up of the whole thing here: Mother's Day.

diy wall art inspiration.

I finally finished painting my living room this weekend (it's been sitting half-finished for a few weeks while other things took precedence). The thing is, I know how much of a difference paint makes, that it is one thing you can do that can completely transform the look of a room. I know this, and even still as I sit on my sofa floating in the middle of the floor, with the rest of the room in absolute chaos to make room for the painting, I'm still amazed and how much more put-together everything looks.

There is still a lot of work to be done - including painting the trim, hopefully in the next few days - but having fully-painted walls makes me want to start thinking about some of the things I want to put on the walls. In particular, I've got two large sections of wall that I want to fill - the wall above the fireplace mantle, and the wall straight in front of you when you enter the room.

Here are some of the large-scale wall art ideas that I've been collecting (from my things to make board on Pinterest):

This is one of my favorites, from The Lettered Cottage. I'm such a huge fan of using words in my house - maybe a set of family rules, or words from a favorite verse or poem. Plus, I like creating things with wood, especially inexpensive pieces.

[Source via Pinterest (exact link unavailable)]

I also like this variation, and could see it with a map or even large flowers.

[Source via Pinterest]

This next idea was created using a drop cloth - an inexpensive way to make a big impact and another way to use words.

[Source via Pinterest]

I keep thinking about this one, and I might just go out and buy the stuff to make it sooner. I think it would look great above the fireplace, and could kind of serve as a backdrop to other things.

[Source via Pinterest]

I've pinned a ton of ideas with maps and map outlines, so I'm thinking at some point I need to create something with one. This one would be pretty time consuming but could look really fantastic.

[Source via Pinterest]

abstract art.

So after we finished the melted crayon art, and while Jacob was working on his own abstract masterpiece, I decided to make something a little abstract of my own.

My favorite colors are blues, especially the ones with a bit of green in them, like aqua, teal, and turquoise (which is why both the kitchen and bathroom are a similar color). So I stuck with those kinds of colors, and just fingerpainted them onto my canvas.

I'm also a big fan of words and quotes and lyrics, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that. This is also part of another goal for the year, to make meaningful art for my house. I used words from the song I Am New by Jason Gray. It's a beautiful song about the things God says about us.

forgiven

beloved

hidden in Christ

made in the image of the Giver of Life

righteous

holy

reborn

remade

accepted

worthy

By the way, the video is also excellent, and I love the art is created in it out of junk. Such a great meaning, isn't it?

melted crayon art.

I told Jacob a few weeks after I bought my house that one day, we were going to get together and make art. It took longer than I planned to get it scheduled, mostly since my house felt so torn up between remodeling the bathroom and building the desk.

We talked a while ago about some of the things we wanted to try, and this was one that Jacob was really excited about:

[Source: 52 Kitchen Adventures]

Our version turned out a bit different, though I think if we had spent more time on it, we could have made the melted crayons fill up the canvas a bit more. But we're happy with the way it looks!

We even signed it, just like real artists:

The process for making this is pretty straightforward and really inexpensive. We just hot-glued crayons along the top of a piece of canvas, then used a hair dryer to melt them until they dripped down the way we wanted them to. I already had the canvas, so the only out-of-pocket cost was for the crayons ($4.99 for a 64-pack at Michaels).

art day.

One of my goals for the year is to create art with Jacob. He loves to draw and enjoys painting on the rare occasions he does it, and I think it's important to encourage that in him. And because I know how much time I've wasted getting caught up in perfectionism, it's also important to me to encourage him that it doesn't have to be perfect.

My plans for this past weekend changed at the last minute, and since Jacob was free, I picked him for an art day at Aunt Kristy's house. We worked on a couple of different projects - this was Jacob's abstract art. He says he likes abstract art because it doesn't have to look good.

He started out using a brush, but soon decided finger painting was more fun (I agree). And if it was fun with fingers, why not with your whole hand? We also talked about using his elbow, but he decided it would be kind of difficult to wash the paint off his elbow.

(please ignore the paint samples on the walls in the background - I'm not using any of them)

Originally, I wanted to try adding letter stickers to a canvas, then painting over it, then removing the stickers to see the word in the negative image. But, I couldn't find the stickers - so stenciling was the next best option. Jake chose the word LOVE.

Notice the YouTube playlist in the background and the remains of a Chick-Fil-A milkshake on the table. These were very important.

I wish I had a picture of the finished project. I tried arguing that I should keep it, because I bought the supplies, and because I wanted his first piece of abstract art to hang in my house. He insisted that he wanted to hang it in his room, but he promised me that one day when he is famous (for anything), he would give it back. Then he said that if he was famous for something that paid a lot of money, he would buy me a glass case for it.

life is beauty full.

One of my goals for the year is to make meaningful art for my house. I want to be surrounded with things that I love, things that I created or that have special meaning for me. I have so many ideas - my things to make Pinterest board has more pins than any other. Here is the first of hopefully many projects:

It was inspired (ok copied) from this:

[Source: Flower Patch Farmgirl]

I used a 6-foot piece of 1x6 pine, cut into 4 equal parts, for the panels, and a 4-foot piece of 1x2 pine, cut into 2 equal pieces, as braces on the back to attach everything together. The wood cost less than $8 for both pieces. I stained them using the same dark walnut stain that I used for my nightstand (and there is still a ton left!).

I used a couple sheets of scrapbook paper that looked kind of like a quilt - I just cut it into smaller pieces and added it randomly to one of the panels. The stencils cost less than $4, and I know I'll be able to use them again. I also needed to buy Modge Podge (to add the paper to one of the panels) and black and white craft paint. Altogether I spent less than $20, with more than half of that on supplies that can be used again.

I'm not sure yet where I'm going to hang this, but I love the way it turned out - even better than I pictured!

Next up...I'm building a desk. Definitely my biggest project to date! Hopefully I'll have it at least built by the weekend, with just finishing left to do next week.