Another Project

After being inspired by my new favorite show on HGTV, Sarah's House (of course, she has a great name too, so the show MUST be a hit, right? :), I finally found what on earth to do behind our couch with the boring, blank wall behind it. I had been scouring the net, local stores, and auction sites looking for the perfect piece of art, but I just wasn't impressed. I am OH SO picky about art...it is so doggone expensive and such a commitment I feel. The real contemporary art may be fun, but it's too trendy for me and doesn't go with the design of my home and while I found the perfect wrapped canvas art on http://www.ballarddesign.com/, it isn't available to be shipped until late May and my walls are not that patient. I was also iffy that I hadn't seen it in person and know how different things can look in person. SO, I was back at square one. Then of course, Sarah inspired me with the last house she was working on.

I couldn't find a picture of the example all together, just different angles. But it will be 12 frames total, three rows of four. It makes such a bold statement, and is less of a commitment than a grand piece of art, because if you wanted, you could change out the prints.

So now on to making my idea a reality, on a budget of course! I found some really great prints on Pottery Barn, but they were $40 a piece...times that by 12 and my eyes are most likely cross by now! But, I really loved the print inside, which I found out was from a vintage Field Guide. I typed in "field guide" on Barnes and Noble and found some great options to choose from!


I ended up going with the Indiana Wildflower field guide, which I chose because the watercolors were amazing, along with the fact that it was painted by two Indiana University grads. I thought it would be very fitting to display Indiana wildflowers on the walls, being an Hoosier and all :)

Also, after removing the pages I wanted for my frames, it makes a very nice coffee table book. And it had better for being $50+ dollars. But again, a bargain, considering I could only get ONE print for $40 on Pottery Barn...and here I got TONS to choose from at just $50.

Next I needed frames, and after exhausting most all of my resources I hit up Hobby Lobby, which of course was a score.

I purchased 12 glass and metal frames for SIX dollars a piece...YES THAT'S RIGHT, $6. Very excited about this bargain. They only had 2 in stock at the time, but were able to order them for me and gave me a raincheck for the sales price. Beautiful. They are perfect because they match the accent metal color in the room.

I am also working on cutting out matting (sp?) for all of the prints to create more of a finished look to go in the frames. You can see my model on top and the matte board underneath, yet to cut.

I am going to get started today and we'll see how it goes...I am thinking productive and positive thoughts, so we'll see! I feel very pleased to have come across such bargains, but then again you get what you pay for! If you pay to have someone do it, the price tag is going to be high. If you are able to pull a part the project enough to fit your budget, you can always get what you want. I didn't want to settle and just put up some reproduced Target art on the wall, however, no offense Target, I definitely have a few of those floating around on my walls...but not on this wall crucial to the overall look and feel of the room. To be continued, of course!