Revamping Tired Art

As I type this, HM is painting our DIY feature wall we have been working on all week (say tuned). It is a one person job so he is in the tented area that used to be our hallway, spraying his way to victory. He is already a begrudging participant in anything DIY, so I figured that if I were to take a nap while he was painting, it would not go over well. So I decided to attempt a project that has been on my to-do list for a while.

HM is in there spray painting his heart out.

I LOVE having original art in my house. I purchase it whenever the price is right. Sometimes the price is right at the DI/Goodwill. Often those thrifted gems are a little sad looking and the colors are not quite right. I decided to turn a recent $1 find into something I would actually want to hang on my walls.


the almost BEFORE PICTURE:

I had already started on the pinks in the top left
and some of the medium blues before I remembered to take a photo.
Oh and a bit of white on the vase. 

AFTER PHOTO:

Doing this project yourself is easy. Start with a painting that needs a face lift. Grab some acrylic paint and start making "blobs" over the original. I wanted it to look like a paint by number since blending/shading requires more skills than I have. This method of painting is fairly forgiving so just go for it. Also (since I am stuck in my office while Michael is painting the wall) I did all of this with 4 colors and some tinting with water color paint that I had in my desk. Not bad huh?


Here are the vintage 1960's paint by numbers hanging in my office.

This was a really fun little project (which is more than HM can say) and I can't wait to find more "treasures" at the DI!!!!! I think it captured the whole "paint by number" look. This was also a test because I would like to do a full wall mural in our guestroom but I wanted to make sure I could create this type of art before going hog wild on an entire wall. I am feeling good about it!

Flashback One Year...

Flashback one year ago, we had just bought the house (of Leo). I am sorry I have not been blogging much since the remodel finished. I somehow had more time of my hands to write posts when I was sitting in the depressingly hot little apartment awaiting "move in day". Since then, I have been too busy LIVING in the house. I figured I would check in and share a few of the updates since November.

Since the weather is warmer, a lot of focus has been outside. I bought a rattan table and chair set from KSL for $60 and painted it black. Add a few plants, a fan, outdoor curtains and some trellises and BOOM. We have a covered back patio worthy of evening meals.

Flashback one year...

We also added some conversational seating to the roof deck. In the hottest months, we really only use the deck to watch the sunset and enjoy the city lights. We are looking forward to our 4th of July viewing perch! I also planted some herbs and peppers in pots on the deck. Since it is right off the kitchen it makes it convenient for summer night cooking.

We had our driveway paved this week, which ups the curb appeal. It required 4 truck loads of concrete which means the rest of the landscaping will have to wait a bit before we can rip out the rat bushes (which could also, based on last Friday night, be called RACCOON bushes).

Flashback one year.....

We have big plans for the landscaping. In my mind it will be as though an estate is Napa has been plucked up and relocated to the high altitude snowy desert conditions of Salt Lake. How could this possibly not execute exactly as I envision it? Here is a bit of inspiration:

Finally, I wanted to let you all know that I will be blogging again, if only with a weekly update. HM and I spend every weekend working on house projects. If the projects are successful, I would like to share them here. If they are not successful, I would like to share more photos of the concrete driveway. I kid. All my projects are successful.....