Although we finished the bedroom and bathroom nearly a year ago, we had yet to add any type of artwork or decoration. This was partly a factor of time, but we were also stumped as to what should go in the spaces. We’ve also found that it’s hard to add finishing touches when other areas of the house still need so much help (yellow laminate with gold flecks, I’m talking to you). However, in a recent spurt of creativity and a desire to fully complete a couple of rooms we have undertaken not one but two art projects. First up, the bedroom.
We liked some of the black bird silhouette wall stickers that we’ve seen around (birds on a wire, birds on twigs, etc.), but soon discovered that we weren’t too crazy about the $100+ price tag. So, we decided to DIY it. We started thinking about alternatives and last weekend I went to a local craft/fabric store and came back with some dark brown felt and jute twine for a hefty $6.
The twine would serve as the “wires”. We used our trusty laser level to ensure everything would be straight.
We fastened the twine with nails at the corners and ends and used small silver pins at intervals in between.
We then made bird silhouette templates and traced them on to dark brown felt. [This shot was taken while standing in the kitchen, so we made sure that the birds would be visible from outside the bedroom.]
The birds adhere to the wall with just the smallest amount of double stick tape, so they can be moved around without damaging the paint.
The “wires” on the left side of the room extend out and up as in a perspective drawing.
We chose to end the twine at the window edge, knotting the ends so they wouldn’t unravel.
Composition is everything after all – we placed the main pair of birds at a third point along the headboard wall.
An older image of the wardrobe as a reminder of what happens on the other side of the room.
We also thought the birds would complement our “thicket” duvet cover. We think these details add a softness and texture to the space without being too feminine.
We’re still tweaking the final placement, but we’re happy with the way it turned out. We cut all four birds from one sheet of felt so all in all the project was about $3 worth of materials!
This week we hope to finish up the bathroom art project. Stay tuned…
