This week I'm taking some time off from work; a staycation meant to give me a chance to kick back, have some fun, and enjoy the freedom of deciding myself what I want to do with these ten days. Yes! Ten days. One of the things I chose to do was create wall decor for a space between my two living room windows, just above my TV screen.
I had been staring at that blank wall for a year, trying to decide what to hang there. I didn't want to put up another painting. Instead, I wanted to bring in a bit of rustic French country decor, preferably created by moi.
Several months ago I had picked up a couple of wood cabinet doors at the Habitat Restore. They were like new, and at $2 a piece I figured I could use one for my French wall art, and the other for. . .whatever. Hey, wood is expensive to buy and doors offer lots of opportunities for crafty projects.
Once I had the vision for what I wanted to create, I chose the larger of the two doors for my project.
I painted the door with one coat of Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue, which I already had on hand in the form of a sample can I purchased to test the color for my front door, which is another project for another day. :)
I used a fine grit sandpaper to do a little distressing, and then printed some vintage French script and a vintage French sewing shop sign graphic from the Graphics Fairy website, and decoupaged them onto the painted door.
Finally, I stenciled grain sack stripes on either side of the graphic.
And voila! One-of-a-kind French country wall decor. Easy and quick to make, and very light on the wallet. Altogether, I spent about $3.00 on this wall decor.
I'm very happy with the result. Another thing I'm just as happy about is the backside of the wall decor.
See that picture hanging wire? Yes, people, I did that! For the first time in my life I installed picture hanging wire. This may not be a big deal for all of you, but it certainly was for me. I had no idea how to go about doing this, but Youtube to the rescue. I watched a great tutorial from an experienced artist and framer, and it was a huge help. I'll put a link to her video in case you need some instruction on how to do this. I'll also add the link to the Graphics Fairy website. It's a great resource for all kinds of graphics for crafts.
Hope you're having a great week! I know I am.
Hugs,
How to Hang A Heavy Painting With Wire Part 1 by Cedar Lee
French Script and French Sewing Shop Graphic via The Graphics Fairy
Hi Nancy. Love your french country picture. Bravo for being able to put on the wire hanger. You go girl! Have a great holiday weekend. xoxo
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Briana. Have a great weekend. xo
DeleteI really like your new wall hanging! First of all, the fact that you dreamed it, then you created it, and even figured out how to hang it up. Now that's putting your vacation to good use! Hope you enjoy your time off, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pam. I'm really enjoying the freedom of choosing what to do with my days. Of course, I'll have to go back to "the real world" in a few days. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have paid time off! Hugs.
DeleteGood Morning/afternoon/evening...This is such a Great idea, using a door. You are so right about the cost of wood now a days, plus I love the Habitat store, I have a really nice one not too far away. I'll be on the look out for some cabinet doors, now that I have an idea what to do with them =^)
ReplyDeleteYes, Habitat is one of my favorite spots to shop for bargains. The day I found these doors there were probably 20 of them -- different styles, colors, etc. -- in a stack. This week when I visited there were none. So, you have to keep going back and checking. Fortunately, my Habitat is on my way home from work, so I can pop in easily and frequently. Enjoy the holiday weekend, Wende! xo
DeleteThat is beautiful and the best part....it is one of a kind.
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely, and I see the blue of your drapes. So restful, blue is. You
ReplyDeletedo continue to have an eye for possibilities and make the most of all.
Do enjoy this time off from work work and have fun work. Lynn and Precious
Thanks, Lynn. I guess the drapes do have a blue cast to them in that photo. I suppose it's the lighting, as they're actually gray. Hope you and Precious have a very nice holiday weekend. xx
DeleteThis is lovely, you did a great job. Hubby and I had a picture framing shop in the late 70's so I learned how to put on picture wire, cut mats, etc. It is 'always' wonderful when we learn new things, and we're never too old either. At 72 I'm still learning and enjoying new things. Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady
ReplyDeleteLove this! Love you, too!
ReplyDeleteEllen
Thank you, sweet friend. I love you, right back! xo
DeleteWhat a great idea! Never would have thought to use a cabinet door to frame something. I love that blue color and how you distressed it, and I've loved Graphic's Fairy for years! She was one of the first sites I ever found, over 10 years ago, that had free printables and vintage printables. So happy you have the 10 days off to enjoy and "spend" as you please. Enjoy some relax time. Hugs.. Marilyn
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, the Graphic's Fairy is wonderful. It's nice to be able to download from a site I trust. Wythe blue is a beautiful color. To me it's the perfect blue-green. Have a great holiday weekend! xo
Deletewell this is just the cat's meow.
ReplyDeletebeautiful..thrifty..creative. hugs.
You mean it's purrrfect? (LOL I couldn't resist.) xx
DeleteI love it! So cute and unique!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deanna. It's nice to have something on that blank wall finally. xx
DeleteHi My Friend......I can't believe you were able to create something so wonderful for $3! Just love it. Have a great rest of your staycation. Love and blessings to my beautiful friend! Karen
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. Finding the door was a God send. For real. Love and blessings to you, too, my sweet friend.
DeleteBravo You! Painting furniture intimidates me. What a great feeling to dream it and do it! Lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I've been painting furniture for so long (I painted my first piece when I was 19), that it's become second nature to me. Thanks for visiting! xx
DeleteLove your french charm. I'm have to go to a Habitat Store. My sister and I have talked about going but she's afraid her husband will go wild with projects to make in his head.
ReplyDeleteYou are so creative! I just loved seeing what you make.
ReplyDeleteAw, that's so sweet of you to say. Thank you!
DeleteWow Nancy, what a great idea, it looks lovely. You have a wonderful talent for creating.
ReplyDelete