Oh, FREE things, how I love thee...

So, one morning, about a month or two ago, I was bored.
I thought, why not spend 5 min searching the free section of craigslist before breakfast?
This is what I found:

This Pottery Barn Spherical Votive Candle Wall...thing.

For free. Including the glass cups, and 16 fake (all working) tea candles.

I googled it, and though it is no longer for sale, it was...for 130$.

So, it just goes to show, craigslist is one of the best inventions on the face of the Earth. It is hanging right above the IKEA Expedit bookshelf in our living room, and I absolutely love it. I even dressed it up for Halloween:

If you need decorations, search craigslist!! Go garage sale-ing, you can find amazing things for near nothing! (In this case, for actually nothing)

DIY Dandelion Canvas Art

Cost: under 4$, Time: 40min

Yes, you read that correctly. If there ever was a quick craft, this is it.
This project came about from my sheer impatience. I has one canvas left over from that 5-pack that I bought at Micheals, and it was just sitting there in the living room, staring at me.
The entry to our apartment was also boring...the wall was just...staring at me.
So I combined the two.

This really is as easy as it looks. I painted the canvas green using my favorite paint, cheap-o acrylic (the kind that costs like 30c) and then when it was almost all the way dry, I scratched at it with my fingernail and rubbed at it a bit. This thinned the paint in areas, giving it a distressed, more dimensional feel that if it were just flat green and white. Wait for it to dry (a few minutes for me), then apply another coat and distress.

Then, I painted some long blades of grass and thin branches. To add the dandelion 'puffs' on top, I just stabbed my paintbrush (literally, stab it) into some paint, then I jabbed it some more against the paper plate until the bristles were separated and there was barely any paint on it. Then, I pushed it onto the canvas.

This entire project was really easy, and just what I wanted to use up that last canvas with. It took under an hour, including drying time.

Simple, thrifty, beautiful.

DIY Bird Branch Canvas Painting

Cost: 12$, Time: 2 hours
WELL worth it! One of my favorite pieces I have ever made!

I was searching Pinterest for some canvas art ideas, as I recently found some HUGE canvases at Micheals during their buy one get one FREE sale. I bought 2 in the largest sizes they had, and this is what I did with one of them. I love it, it's hanging right above our bed.
Justin loves it too, how could you not?

My inspiration came from this lovely painting {{http://www.cornerhouseblog.com}}



Isn't her version lovely? She labeled it a "New Family portrait" because the birds symbolized her family, and I think that is extremely sweet.

Now, you may ask me, what on earth are those butterflies doing on your painting, if it represents family?
Those adorable butterflies are my two lovely cats, added in at Justin's request.

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DIY Bird Branch Canvas Painting

Step 1: Paint the background whatever color you want, I chose Suede. (optional) You can distress it by letting it dry almost 100% and rubbing your fingernail against parts of it and scratching/thinning some of the paint off. I chose not to do this, but I may go back at a later time and see if I can distress it, if inspiration strikes me to do so.

Step 2: Find your birds (or whatever you choose to use) to trace. I found these darling lovebirds, and simply put a piece of paper on my computer screen and traced them. I scaled them to the right size so that I could simply cut out the birds and place them on my canvas to trace. I made one bigger to be the boy bird, as I am literally half the size of Justin.

Step 3: (optional) If you want to use just birds, skip this step. I wanted to include my cats, some may want to include their dogs or perhaps other pets. I didn't want to add my kitties in as birds, as I wanted to save the little birds for my future children. I settled on using butterflies for the cats, though you could use anything. Dragonflies were a close second, as I advise using something with a recognizable silhouette. (ie not a caterpillar or smaller bug)

Step 4: Place the cutouts on the canvas first. I found where I wanted them to be, and traced them before I even thought about tracing the branch. It is much easier to work the branch around these figures than to try and stuff a bird where it can't fit, or much too off to the side.

Step 5: Free hand the branch with a pencil. You can do it, trust me. It's literally a stick, with some thick bits and some skinny bits. I looked at a picture, but you could just imagine it or look out the window. I don't think it's even possible to draw a branch wrong, but if you can manage to do it, please send it to me for some laughs!

Step 6: Just fill in your tracing with paint. I chose white, you could chose any color you want. My brush is one of those cheap ones that come in a huge pack for like 99c.

Let it dry, and you're done! Now choose a place to hang it, and enjoy! We chose just over our bed, so it is the first thing anyone sees when walking into our room. It has already gotten tons of compliments, and I just love to tell people that I painted it myself, and explain the symbolism. It feels much more personal, knowing that the two love birds represent Justin and myself.

So there you have it! A simple, conversational art piece that is symbolic and cheap, all in one!