Our den isn’t totally finished yet (will it ever be?), but we’ve gotten to the point now where the den definitely feels like home, and like a reflection of us.
Bringing in bold turquoise and orange through placemat pillows and glass floats added splashes of my favorite thing – color!! But what finally made the space feel like a real home was hanging our new art series on the far wall – a wall that was formerly sooooo blank and boring.
I whipped up those babies one night after getting a little inspiration from the chalkboard in this living room by Margot Austin.
Wanna make some for yourself? Here’s how to do it:
1. Round up the goods. You may already have most of the necessary supplies on hand, like I did. Here’s what you need.
~ frames w/ mats, the number and color that you want (I used 3 of this frame from Ikea)
~ paint for your background color (I used my free paint)
~ a foam brush
~ a paint pen (I used a white one with a chisel tip)
~ a ruler
~ painter’s tape
2. Do the prep work. Remove the mats and backing from the frames, and set the frames aside. For this project, you’re going to use the smooth side of the particle board backing as your paint surface (you could cut down art paper or cardboard to use instead, but I think it makes more sense to just use what you already have on hand). Use your foam brush and background paint to paint the smooth side of the particle board. You will probably need several coats of paint (I needed 2), and let the boards dry between each coat.
3. Bust out the ruler. I wanted each line of scribbles to look uniform, so I ran a line of painter’s tape around each side of the boards and then marked out the height of each of my scribbles and the space between each line of the scribbles. To do this, I used the width of my ruler as the height of each scribble, and the width of the painter’s tape as the distance between each line of scribbles. (Note: don’t put painter’s tape on the mat – it will tear away little pieces of the mat and look terrible.)
4. The fun part! Here’s where you get to channel your inner child and start scribbling. You might want to try out a few practice scribbles before you actually start painting on your “canvas” – you want to try to keep each scribble the same size and height so that everything looks very graphic instead of messy.
5. Enjoy! This has to be the easiest art projects ever, but it’s also one of my favorites. It was a lot of fun to do, and I think the finished product looks so awesome – fun and graphic and a bit whimsical.
So now that you’ve seen what we’re rockin’ out at our house, what’s hanging on your walls? Are you photograph-type people, or do you prefer framed art? Or maybe it’s a collection of your kid’s cutest doodles? Spill the beans!
FYI – I hung these art panels on the wood paneling the same way I did here.
This post is shared with The DIY Show Off, Thrifty Decor Chick, Between Naps on the Porch, Cottage Instincts, Making the World Cuter, Twice Remembered, The Girl Creative, and A Soft Place to Land.
Looks great Liz! I love the orange and turquoise combo — it’s fun and young and, best of all, bright! And great job on the wall art; could’ve sworn you’d paid the big bucks for ’em.
Oh very cute!! I need some artwork in my breakfast area and I might just have to try this idea. I think it looks great!
I would like to commission you to do some black and white ones for our guest room — how much do you charge?? I am thinking three and hung exactly like that. I know it goes against the idea of adding color, but they would match the canvas I already have to go in there. We can chat about it…..I usually defer to your expertise. Email me to discuss.
Oh, I just love this artwork ! Fab tutorial. You’ve completely inspired me to break out my paints and create something for our dining space ! Well done my dear, love the pop of turquoise and the modern vibe of the art.
Terrific artwork! I definitely need to set aside some time soon and explore my creative side! Great inspiration
Love these! You are so fabulous.
I love the artwork it really stands out! Great idea
Wow I’m so impressed! When I first clicked here I thought to myself – wow that’s some cool art Liz picked up! But you made it yourself, and better yet showed us how – super cool. I also LOVE your pops of color – particularly the orange throw. Just gorgeous!
So clever! I love the orange & blue colors in this space.
XOXO
I love this idea!! It looks really amazing in your room. Love the way you have your throws folded and laying under the pillow, that is one of my favorite looks for throws, Totally changes the look of the room and sofa, I did a post on throws and I am in the neatly folded category, just like you. I am not a toss your throw kind of gal. Thank you for sharing this great idea, Kathysue
I love the turquoise and orange together, and your artwork looks great!
Your room is looking so great and I love the artwork idea! I love doing a lot of the artwork for my home myself too. I use all sorts of things – gift wrap, scrapbook paper, painted canvases, printed posters of my own design etc. I think I like to do it myself because when I tire of it I can switch it out without the least feeling of guilt over what I spent!
I love your house! & I have to say, I am very impressed at how far you’ve gotten your husband since his days of 100% tan decor :)
Totally fabulous! Your tutorials are always EXCELLENT! I love how your work sets off the room!
This is an awesome room! I love your project!
~Liz
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Liz, this is a great project! It looks fabulous.
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love it!! The colors are awesome!
I’m hosting a giveaway on my blog – come and check it out!!
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Another amazing project, Liz. They look amazing! Thanks for linking your creativity. I love seeing what you’re up to! ;)
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Wow, those are beautiful. I have been in love with this color blue with black and white lately ever since I saw a room done with those colors in BH&G. So eye-catching! And the scribbles are perfect – I love it!
Your wall art is really cute and very clever. I must say though that I love the pop of color between the orange and the turquoise. It’s gorgeous together.
I would love to invite you to visit my blog and enter into a fabulous giveaway I am having. It’s in celebration of my new Etsy store: T’s Treasures.
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What a great idea! I love it and have a lot of blank walls and I’m sure one of them will end up sporting this look.
Beautiful! I like yours way better than your inspiration pic, and your den is looking wonderful.
The art is so simple but so clever. Well done, and I love how it ties in with the turquoise elsewhere in the room.
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Came from YHL. Love this project. So many graphic possibilities!
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Liz, This looks terrific! I love the bold colors!
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I.L.O.V.E.I.T!!!
The room looks fab, too. I’m really digging your fireplace!
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This is amazing! Also, where is that rug from? It looks like the Marrakesh rug from Pottery Barn, but that’s discontinued and I was hoping this might be from somewhere else. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Found this through YHL. Hip, hip, hip! I love how sleek you’ve made scribbles! I’ve been wanting to go more modern with our living room (it’s modern Asian right now, but a little too traditional for my current taste), and I think these would be a great replacement for a trio we have now. Thanks for sharing!
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I also found your blog through YHL and I’m obsessed with this! You did such a great job and I’m thinking of doing this in my house. Love your blog!! :)
Saw this is YHL too- it looks like a high-end graphic print…lovely job! But my free-hand could never look that uniform…you’re a talented doodler! =)
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I found you through YHL, and man is that a cool idea! I hope you don’t mind if I nose around a bit to see what else you’ve created…
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Hey all you YHL peeps, glad to have you! Thanks for all the nice words. :)
Annibo,
Good eye! That is the Moorish Tile rug from Pottery Barn, and it has been discontinued – I got mine from Ebay, and I know they’re still cropping up over there. Hopefully you can snag one for yourself! Hope this helps. :)
~ Liz
LOVING the DIY art — and more the color scheme!
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Love the DIY art idea!!
This is my first time here…great blog!!
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I love your rug! Where did you find it?
Michelle,
Thanks!! It’s the Moorish Tile rug from Pottery Barn that they no longer carry – but it still pops up on eBay (at a great discount), which is where we got it. Hope that helps!!
~ Liz