"This world is but a canvas to our imagination." ~Henry David Thoreau
Sigh. I love that quote.
I've always been drawn to bright colors, girly patterns, and eclectic art. I love to paint, mod podge, dabble in photoshop and illustrator. Before pinterest, I would cut out pictures from magazines or books and glue them in a special binder that I still have and cherish. I always knew that one day I'd have a home, and that I'd decorate that home to reflect my love for all things art. When I was 15, that meant painting each wall in my bedroom a different color. Hah. Now that I'm 27 (so old and well-versed in the arts, I know...), that means creating and collecting things that, pardon the expression, speak to me. :) I'm being serious, y'all! There is a painting at my favorite antique store that I stand and stare at every.time.I.go.there. It's a scene of an old Victorian street with ladies carrying umbrellas, wearing pale yellow and teal dresses, and a small white church with a gorgeous steeple, and you can tell it's lightly drizzling, and rainy days are by far my favorite kind of day. I want to jump in that painting and walk around carrying my own lacy parasol. Or better yet, hang it in my living room. I guess that's what it means to have art "speak" to you. I've thought about buying it a thousand times. If by Christmas that painting is still there, I'll take it as a sign that it's meant to be and add it to my wishlist.
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| Just past that crazy hair and those piles of laundry is my favorite yellow wall. |
The first month we moved into our house, I was able to look at the whole place like an empty canvas. I painted a wall in my kitchen yellow. I took my favorite fabric to Lowe's, had them match it, then slathered on that paint the same afternoon. Shortly after that, I printed out a stencil template from one of my favorite blogs-and painted "wallpaper" on our entry wall. A year later, I've yet to finish it. Blame it on baby #1 and baby #2. There's beauty in imperfection, right?
Then, I decided the kids' bathroom was a snoozefest. White walls, blah. So I free-handed a stencil on some foam board, cut it out with an exacto knife, traced it on the wall across from the sink, and splashed on some lovely turquoise paint. This is my favorite project yet.
Lately, and especially since I work at home and have to stare at my own walls ALL day, I've been a little underwhelmed. Yeah, I've painted here and there, but ART is what I'm craving.
Well, I'm slowly getting my groove back, accepting that I don't have time to make my own art, so thanks to a couple birthday gift cards, I'm adding some character to my canvas. :)
This baby is going in our master bath, above the tub. I just love it. So fun, different, and I love that it's a limited edition...not a mass-produced box store print.
Much to my delight, today I stumbled across this darling print on sale at Land of Nod, only two days after I saw the same print in a nursery and thought how I'd love to have it for Hallie's room. I even spent longer than I'd like to admit searching for where one could buy this peachy little pear, to no avail.
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Anyway, a little art here, a little art there, and suddenly your blank canvas starts to feel like home. Not everything has to match, has to make sense (I mean, a sad-face gray pear with pink cheeks?), or has to be super expensive. Search until something speaks to YOU and your own wacky senses. :)
Happy Toozday!
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