DIY Wall Art- {In Progress}

I've been on Spring Break! (whoo hoo!) So I apologize for the large gap in posts. 

Being on break has given me a chance to really reflect on a lot of things- including my house. My husband and I have moved a lot in our 3 years of marriage, and  anything that wasn't absolutely necessary or absolutely loved has since been lost, donated, or unfortunately broken. This includes the large majority of anything that goes on our walls.  

Now that we've moved into a new townhouse and it looks like we're going to stay for awhile, I'm eyeing my naked walls and the wheels in my head have begun turning thinking about what I can do to cover them.  My first post was about the paintings I did in my living room- and I kind of want to stay on the same track. (...free I mean.)

Even if we do stay here for a long time- I'm not compeletely invested in purchasing large portions of expensive decor just yet.  So- I browsed my faithful inspirational friend: Pinterest.

And here's what I came across:

 

 

 

(These particular images pop up in google image search for "toilet paper roll wall art" which is why they aren't cited.) 

Pretty neat huh? And GENIUS! I mean... we all use toilet paper right?  (please just say yes for the sake of my public restroom sanity.) So just start saving up those puppies because you can slice them up and stick them together into virtually any design your creative little mind can come up with!

I only have a few saved up so far so I don't have enough to really create anything as of yet- but I couldn't resist laying out some patterns for fun.  Here's some of my (not so creative/ copy-cat) brainstorming so far. 

After I have enough I plan to staple them together (... way too lazy for glue. Plus then you'd need to clip them together until they dry. However, I do think it would probably look nicer.) and then I'm going to spray-paint the whole thing a single color before hanging it on my wall.  I also considered getting a really fine glitter spray to go over the top- but I'm thinking that may be too much for right now.

The nice thing about this wall art (I mean aside from it being cheap AND easy) is that it's already built to nicely hang on nails.  No additional "now how do I actually get this on the wall?!" thoughts necessary. I'm definitely excited!

So next time you're cooling your buns on the toilet- don't feel guilty going a little liberal on your T.P. usage. That just means you're one step closer to more supplies for this spectacular project!

I love upcycling projects.

What are some Toilet Paper Roll crafts you have tried?

(... I feel the need to say I am in no way endorsing the over-use of paper products. That is wasteful. But please make sure your bottom is clean.)

My Living Room Ocean

My husband and I recently moved (...again... but that's another story). A couple of weekends ago I suddenly got a horrible itching to put something on our naked living room wall. Between paychecks I was looking to pinch pennies and couldn't really run out and buy a bunch of huge family photo prints- so instead I raided my craft closet.


Inside I found some flat canvases and acrylic paints I had been saving.  I took an old sheet, laid it out in my living room, and got to painting!  It was ridiculously relaxing to turn on some music and bringing some colors to life.  I hadn't painted in over a year and it felt awesome! (ok... so keep in mind I am NOT an amazing painter- but that didn't change it's therapeutic effects.)

Not too shabby eh? I took some yarn and hot-glued it on the back of the canvases so I could hang them up. But from the moment I got them on the walls... they just didn't look right.  Sadly the picture doesn't quite do the situation justice. The yellow-tan from the paintings and the brown tan from the walls clashed in the most stomach-churning way.  I thought maybe I just needed to get used to them- but in the days that followed- walking into my living room became a moment of dread. I tried to ignore the wall- divert my eyes.  I just was NOT happy with the end result. 

I debated options, but eventually I decided there was only one realistic option. I needed to paint over them.  Also hanging in the room is an ocean-scene my grandma painted.  I liked the way the blues and greens complimented the navy curtains and the green/brown rug. (...none of which are sadly pictured.)

So I pulled-out my painting sheet and supplies again. And I got to painting!

Here's the final result. I like them SO much better! I apologize again for the horrible quality- but you get the main idea. As I was finishing them and signing my name, I realized that I never signed the first set I had painted. I guess even my subconscious knew they weren't right. These ones however, are bright and full of life. My heart feels lighter seeing them on the wall. They remind me of the ocean (which is good because thats what I was going for).

The whole project was so easy. I was thinking- it would be really simple to even paint on some pieces of cardboard and use the same yarn and glue method to hang them up.  I could have divided landscapes in every room of my house!  Overboard? Maybe.


For now I'll relax on my couch and enjoy my living room ocean.