What to Do With Kids’ Artwork

Artwork: you know you love it. All of those hand-lettered drawings with beautiful, colorful pictures. The problem is, you may be drowning in it! What can you do with all of your kids’ creative inspirations? Create an Original Art Gallery  I love original art, and what better original art than your kids’ masterpieces? The floor that houses our bedrooms is almost entirely populated by kid art, all framed in frames that I picked up at garage sales. Take it to Work I also have a gallery at work. I enjoy looking at my daughter’s artwork when I am missing her … Continue reading

Hello, Art!

Sometimes Art likes to come and live at my house. I tell him to stay home and my husband pleads with him to go away, but really, secretly, I open the door. I rather like Art. If I had enough money I would get him a home all to himself and stroll around it, gawking. Art came to live at our house again yesterday. Buying art can be an expensive habit, and it’s only one that I indulge in when I have some birthday money to spend. Since it’s not July yet, it is most certainly not the time of … Continue reading

Loving Art

If I suddenly acquired a lot of money and had nothing pressing to spend it on, I’d spend it on original art. Now, that situation is very unlikely to happen, so I don’t have a lot of original art in the house. However, over time I have been acquiring it piece by piece. I was looking for a gift for a friend in an art store. I walked upstairs, and there was the piece of plywood, painted like an ocean scene with a branch stretching out over the ocean. I knew that it would fit perfectly in our living room. … Continue reading

Creating Chic Artwork

There is no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on artwork for your home when you can create your own. Top designers do it all of the time. Last Sunday, my family and I were out walking around a local attraction. We wound up in a large and pretty cool tree house. The kids were watching some bees go in and out of a glass and wood hive, and my husband was enjoying the view. The light was just right, so I thought I would snap a photo. Well, at that moment I moved a bit and the … Continue reading

Coveting a Mural

My daughter and I visited the local library yesterday. The librarian had been bragging to me about their new mural, and when we visited I could see why. One entire wall of their story time room is now covered in a gorgeous West Coast-themed mural with swirling trees and little animals hiding in them. I’m in awe, and I’m coveting one for myself. Of course, I doubt that I can afford it. I grew up lacking the artistic gene, even though my father has it in spades. However, I did create a mural on the wall of my daughter’s room … Continue reading

Spruce Up Boring Walls with Wallpaper

If you find that your walls are a bit boring and you don’t know what to hang to make them pop, consider wall paper. I am not talking about picking wallpaper an entire wall or room. That could easily leave your room dated. Instead, I am talking about using wallpaper as art. To decorate your walls with wallpaper, go to the local home decorating or home crafts store and purchase a few large frames. The frames should include glass and backing. Next, got to a paint supply store that sells wallpaper, and go through their sale bins. You will be … Continue reading

How to Paint a Tree Mural

(cc) image by SharonaGott/flickr While you may not be able to paint a masterpiece such of the likes of VanGogh, you can still create a beautiful mural in your home. The amount of skill you need to succeed is the ability to draw a straight line and to basically color by number. The tools you will need to paint a mural are: Acrylic paints, or pints of a kid safe paint like Crayola Washable Paint Transparency or Digital Projector – If you don’t own one, you can rent one. Paint Brushes Pencils Sharpie Pens Step 1. Find an image of a tree … Continue reading

Suspended Artwork

Suspended artwork is a classic look that is also a hot trend right now. It is rare when those two things come together, so take advantage of a new look that will be able to stay with your decor for years to come. Suspended artwork gives the look and feel of art that is hanging from the wall, or suspended by a visible hook or fixture. You may have seen this look in country decorating magazines. It is a favorite way of hanging art for Martha Stewart, who usually showcases her frames as being suspended by ribbons. To update the … Continue reading

Create A Gallery Space

Create a formal (or informal) gallery space to add elegance and fun to your home. It is easy to do! The first thing you need to to is to pick an area of your home for your gallery. A hallway way is an idea space, especially if it acts and an entry point into your home or into the main entertaining space. But if a hallway doesn’t work for you, consider any wall space, from a dining room to a family room. One home I saw had their gallery in their first floor half-bath, and it really livened up that … Continue reading

Hex Signs and Barn Stars

Living here near one of the biggest Amish communities in the country, I get to see a lot of hex signs and barn stars. Many people have the original signs on their barns from when the Pennsylvania Dutch first came to America and carried their culture with them to this country. Many of these signs have been restored to their original brightness and color, while others lay in wait as secrets. They are there if you know where to look. Hex signs and barn stars have also been adopted by the non amish, the non dutch and integrated into current … Continue reading