Last weekend I dashed around the house like a crazy person hanging, cleaning and crossing-things off. I want to get this house done by February 27th, the two year anniversary of when I moved in.
Now I realize "done" is an odd term. People don't like to think of houses being "finished" or home decor not "evolving" and I get that. I totally understand that "working on a house" is a hobby (and a fun one, at that!) and therefore something you could constantly be doing.
However. We are military and we move a lot. So I will be "making a house a home" for the next decade (at least) and I love the idea of getting a home "complete" (even if it's just for a short time). My ultimate goal is to be able to look around and not have a room/corner/broken outlet that drives me nuts. (If I actually succeed with this plan, it will be the first time in my adult life.)
Setting a deadline (2/27) is helping me kick things into gear (though please consider that I also set the goal to finish in 2014 and failed).
All of this to say, the house is thisclose to complete and last weekend Ellerie learned the word "hammer" as in "Mama is hammering all the nail holes into all of the walls."
There are a few photo projects I'll be sharing by the end of the month, but this post is all about three canvases. You might remember that I had more MAKE29 rejects than successes. When I cleared out the office, the rejects went into the garage (clear walls, full brain, can't lose) to be saved for a new, to-be-determined idea.
Obviously, that idea involved "black and white" & "love letters." These are some of the only tools in my home decor wheel house (the other ones: family photos, plants and wood-stain).
Recently, I saw this pin again on my pinterest boards and decided anniversary date art would be fun. I filed it away thinking eventually I'd use stencils and other fancy products. In my whirlwind weekend, though, I decided free-handing it was the way to go. Boom! One done!
We have a hall right outside our bathroom that needed something. I considered painting a canvas with color, but after the success of the numbers decided simple was the way to go. "You're my favorite" is something I've been saying to Paul since the dark ages (senior year of college) and so it's a special saying to us (and "fave" fit better). Boom! Two done!
And the last one was written after I saw this article about CEO mantras. Nobody cares about almost is one of my top business mantras. It's my reminder to make it happen or get over it. The "ALMOST plans" are the ones that stifle us and that's no fun. Hop on board or hop off...and do it quick so you can figure out the next thing. Boom! The end!
Technical notes :
These canvases were already painted with color which is why they have that somewhat textured look.
I used white wall paint for the background and black acrylic with a blunt brush for the text.
I "practiced" by writing the words in the air a few times to get a feel for the size and scale. You can also practice writing with pen on paper to get an idea of how your letters will look.
Once you touch your brush to the canvas, keep going. You can go back and fill in with more paint later.
I realize many people don't like their handwriting. But the best part about it? It's yours. This is you. Writing your statements to hang in your house. There is nothing better than your handwriting for that task.
