Showing posts with label our temporary home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label our temporary home. Show all posts

Monday, July 29, 2013

Our Temporary Home: Part 2- 3 DIY Canvas Ideas


It's time for Part 2 of the Our Temporary Home series! This week, I'll be showing you three DIY canvases that I have made for our master bedroom/bathroom-- and hopefully inspiring you to try something similar!

DIY canvas

Supplies:

Canvas in whatever size works for you
2 cans of spray paint (one for the lettering color, one for the top color) in your chosen color story
Scrapbooking letters

Step 1: Spray the entire canvas (including the sides) with your base color. This will be the color of your letters, and works best when this color is lighter than your top color. Allow to dry completely (preferably overnight). This project is best accomplished over a weekend.

Step 2: Choose your message. Cut out the scrapbook letters you will need and arrange them on the canvas without taking the backing off until you are happy with the composition. This helps avoid running out of space or the composition looking weird.

Step 3: Affix the letters. Spray the entire canvas again with your top color, making sure you can no longer see the base color in any spots. Allow to dry completely. 

Step 4: Carefully peel off the letters, and voila!

DIY canvas

I made these when my husband and I were dating, before we moved in together, as a Valentine's gift. The one on the left is the one I made for him, using the color story from his living room (blue and brown). The one on the right is the one I made for my bedroom, and as you can see, the colors I chose for it (olive and grey, based on my comforter set at the time) were a little too similar and the lettering isn't as clear because of this. The lyrics I chose have special meaning to my husband and I, though, so even though they no longer match our room colors, I still keep them up for sentimental reasons.


The wall hanging on the left is the first piece of art I ever purchased, and I used it as inspiration for the color story of the master bathroom-- black and white with pops of blue. I wanted something with a more graphic feel, in black and white only, to also hang in there. After seeing this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess, I decided to try and incorporate the same idea but in canvas form. 

Supplies: 

Canvas in whatever size works for you
Wide paint brush
Acrylic paint in whatever color you want the wording to be

Step 1: Choose your message. On a piece of paper, play around with the composition until you are happy with it. I knew I didn't want each line to look exactly the same, with all the I love you's aligned, so it took me a few tries to figure out how many letters across and how many lines down I wanted it to be so that it was more off-center.

Step 2: Using a pencil, lightly pencil in your lettering directly onto the canvas where you want to paint it.

Step 3: Paint over the penciling. You may have to go over each letter a few times to make the letters thick and solid. Allow to dry completely. This DIY can be accomplished in one afternoon/evening.

DIY canvas


I made this one because I love abstract art, and I wanted another wall hanging for our master bedroom. After searching Etsy and not being able to find anything that fit the color story of our bedroom (at least not in my price range), I once again resorted to DIY. 

Supplies:

Canvas in whatever size works for you
Paintbrushes of varying sizes
Acrylic paints in whatever colors you need for your color story (I used green, red, and yellow, and mixed varying degrees of white with each to make different shades, then added some graphic touches with the black from the last DIY)

There really aren't any instructions for this one, all I did was mix my colors until I was happy with them, then painted vertical lines with them. I used different shades and different brush sizes to add variety, then added a few graphic elements with the black where it felt a little empty. There are no wrong answers with this one! I think that's why this one is my favorite. This one can also be accomplished in one afternoon or evening (preferably while blaring music that makes you feel creative). 

The best  thing about all three of these is that I was able to create artwork for our space, at a price point that I could swallow, and that are customized to the color stories in those spaces and therefore will always have a place on our walls, no matter what house we're living in!

What do you think? Will you be giving any of these a try this weekend? 

(Oh, and PS, I'm also guest posting for Bri over at Work Clothes, I Suppose, if you want to see an outfit from me today too!)

You can read Part 1 of this series here.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Our Temporary Home: Part 1- Tips

Our Temporary Home


Introducing a new series: Our Temporary Home! I will be sharing tips on how to make your home feel more home-y and some cheap and easy ways to decorate your space, no matter how temporary.

They say that home is where the heart is, but one of the biggest realities of military life is that you will have to move at least a few times in your career, which can be hard on your heart. The biggest source of melancholy for me once we moved out here was not feeling at home in our new house, let alone our new state. Once I got out of the mindset that the house was only temporary, and started making our house into a home, though, our new state didn't scare me as much. Maybe this is because I knew I had a place I could go back to that felt safe and cozy.

Throughout this series, I will be sharing some tips that I have learned along the way to help make your space feel like home, no matter where it is. This article will be useful to just about anyone who has that "this is only temporary" syndrome, military and civilian alike. 

Color Stories


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My biggest tip for decorating your home, making it feel home-y, and being able to easily translate from one house to the next, is color stories. Keeping a similar color story in certain areas of your home means that everything will work in your next home, no matter how much you have to rearrange it to fit the new floor plan.

Curtains and Decor

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Since painting isn't really a viable option in most temporary residences, this is the best way to bring color and personality into your home. A home doesn't feel complete and lived in until you put up curtains and wall art, in my opinion. Nothing says "temporary" like construction grade blinds and bare walls. For the last couple of homes, putting these things up was the last thing I did because it's such a giant pain. Once they were up, though, I breathed a huge sigh of contentment that the place finally felt lived in.

Putting these "finishing touches" up as soon as possible will help your home feel lived in sooner, and you'll be able to enjoy them longer.

Cheap or Free

One thing I have done in my last few homes is save wine bottles and use them in my decor. I mostly use them in my kitchen area, because my kitchen is somewhat wine-themed, but they have made appearances in the living room as well. This is a free option (well, other than the cost of the wine that you were going to drink anyway) and you can just get rid of them before moving to your next home, eliminating extra packing and extra weight.

There are also some great DIYs on Pinterest using wine bottles.

my kitchen

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I also have quite a few things on the walls and around the house that either E or I made (more on that in a future post!).

our bedroom dresser

Flexible Furniture

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Another key component is having furniture that is flexible. A couch and a loveseat is a lot easier to arrange from space to space than a sectional. Instead of an entertainment center, get a small TV stand and a couple of bookcases in the same finish. If nothing is oversized, oddly shaped, or only works one way, it's easier to fit everything into your next floor plan. This also helps reduce weight and the physical difficulty of moving your furniture!

Also, don't buy furniture that might only work in the home you're currently in.

Love Everything

This is a bit of a no-brainer, but I can't stress it enough -- make sure you love everything you bring into your home. Don't feel the need to bring in stuff you don't really like, just for the sake of filling a specific space. If you love everything in your home then it will be easier to move it from location to location. In all likelihood you'll have less junk, and it will also help make your space feel more like yours because you surround yourself with things that bring you comfort.


 So there you have it! Everything I've learned so far about being able to easily move from location to location and still feel at home. Next time, I will share 3 DIY canvas projects that I have completed for our space and will be able to move with us from house to house!
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