More Cheap Wall Art

Ok, so we’re in our new house and I’m finally exhaling. It’s been a blur of a summer, with moving, our first Fourth of July bash in our new house, Maris’ first birthday and a few weddings sprinkled in. Needless to say, I haven’t been attempting any Home Made Modern-ish activities of late, let alone done any blogging. But now that the boxes are (mostly) unpacked, or at least shoved in the basement, I’m ready to get my hands dirty decorating this house. So hopefully some of my ideas will turn out, and I’ll be inspired to blog about them, especially because–quite frankly–I’ve missed the cathartic pleasure I’ve always taken in writing. Regardless of whether or not anyone is actually reading my little labor of love, I still love doing it. So, hello to my few faithful followers…thanks for still being here despite my absence.

Alright, so on with my cheap but chic projects for the week. As you may well know, I often find framed art too spendy, so I like to make my own. I have a love for silhouettes, so I decided to make a pair of bird silhouettes for Maris’ room to flank her window. Here’s a picture of one. And you may notice the curtains, although the picture quality isn’t great. I made those, too.

Finally, I thought our youngest needed at least her initial in her room since her sis has her whole name spelled out. Instructions below!

Silhouette Art
Nap Rating = 2 naps

Tools & Materials

• Frame
• Scrapbooking or wrapping paper
• Computer
• Printer
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue stick, rubber cement or double-sided tape

Steps

1. Trace frame back onto decorative paper to use as background.
2. Search the internet for simple images of your desired subject. For example, I searched for “bird silhouettes.” Don’t pick out anything too complicated because you’ll have to cut it out.
3. Print out desired picture and cut out the shape.
4. Trace onto coordinating paper and cut out.
5. Adhere the silhouette to the background paper using adhesive of your choice.
6. If making two silhouettes, orientate them so that they’re facing each other.

Pom-Pom Curtains

Nap Rating = 3 naps

Tools & Materials

• Simple, plain curtain panels. Mine were old cream-colored ones I had used in my first apartment long ago. They were tab-tops.
• Rit dye in desired shade
• Sink or washing machine
• Pom-pom fringe
• Sewing machine
• Fabric glue (optional)

Steps

1. Wash curtain panels.
2. For customized curtains, pick a dye color that works in your room. Follow directions on the dye package. I used the washing machine method and it worked like a dream.
3. Pick out some pom-pom fringe in a coordinating color and sew onto the edge using a sewing machine. If you’re not an experienced sewer, you can still do this…it’s easy. You may just want to use fabric glue to place the fringe on first so you don’t sew it on crookedly. Sew the fringe on top of the curtain’s right-side (not the back) using the same colored thread as the fringe. That way your stitches won’t show.

Decoupaged Initial
Nap Rating = 1 to 2 naps depending on whether or not you have to spray paint the letter first

Tools and Materials

• Chip board, wooden or cardboard letter (found at craft stores)
• Spray paint (if letter isn’t already painted)
• Scrapbooking or wrapping paper
• Decoupage medium, like Mod Podge
• Foam brush
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Newspaper

Steps

1. Lay letter right-side up on newspaper and spray paint it if necessary; let dry completely.
2. Lay letter right-side down on back of decorative paper and trace with a pencil.
3. Cut out.
4. Using the foam brush, completely cover the letter with decoupage medium and lay the cut out paper on top. Completely brush the top of the paper as well.
5. Using coordinating paper, cut out imperfect squares and rectangles and place them randomly on the letter to resemble patches. I had quite a few air bubbles after gluing on the first layer, so I strategically placed the “patches” to cover those imperfections.
6. Cover the entire surface with decoupage medium again. You may want to repeat the process one more time in order to get all the edges sealed and to achieve a smooth, shiny surface.