Sophisticated Nursery Art for $15

Ever since I’d planned my first born daughter’s nursery 7 years ago, I had a vision for adding vintage Barbie prints to the room that they could grow with.

Sophisticated Blush and Gold Baby Nursery with toile accents and Jenny Lind crib | Five Marigolds

My inspiration came from places like Posh Tots, Rosenberry Rooms, and other upscale design stores who were selling the framed prints for upwards of $135 each.

Source www.rosenberryrooms.com

Source www.rosenberryrooms.com

Fast-forward to this year. In the process of moving I realized we had four matted square frames that we’d never used! I think it was one of those things that I thought my husband had returned, and he thought I’d returned. Regardless, it was a sweet score that inspired me to revive this decor idea as we began decorating the kids’ new rooms. This time, I found a way to create this art on the cheap. I scoured Amazon for used vintage print Barbie calendars, and found that there are usually at least two 12×12 calendars available for a reasonable price. I believe I bought mine for around $10.

I spray painted my black frames with Rust-Oleum Metallic spray paint I had on hand (love this stuff), inserted my favorite prints, and voila! Vintage Barbie art for less than $15.

Sophisticated Blush and Gold Baby Nursery with toile accents and Jenny Lind crib | Five Marigolds

 

I love the look of three frames above the crib, but I’m debating adding the fourth and making it a square formation when Belle moves to a big girl bed. What do you think?

As for the rest of the room…

Sophisticated Blush and Gold Baby Nursery | Five Marigolds

It’s needs some love. I have big plans, but I’m taking my time.

Sophisticated Blush and Gold Baby Nursery | Five Marigolds

Sophisticated Nursery in Blush, Champagne and Toile | Five Marigolds

Details:

 

DIY Chalkboard Art

I recently tried to convince my husband to paint an entire wall of our dining area with black chalkboard paint. He didn’t quite have the same vision I had, so he asked me to hang a chalkboard until we could come to an agreement.

I agreed. After all, I’ve had a giant frame in storage that’s been waiting to be used for years. I bought it at a garage sale for around $10 which was a steal…but how do you fill such a large frame without spending a fortune? The chalkboard was the perfect solution.

If I hadn’t already had the frame, what I really would have wanted is a rustic wood frame. However, since this was likely temporary, I wanted to make this as easy and inexpensive as possible.

The problem: the frame was gold. Really gold. I debated on what to paint it. Silver? Weathered white? Blue? I haven’t committed to a color scheme in our new home yet, so I went with a safe, muted silver. I spray painted it with Krylon Brushed Metallic paint. I had planned to rub wax or wood stain to bring out the details, but I didn’t love that effect on the test areas so I just left it silver for now.

For the actual chalkboard,  we bought a piece of thin plywood and I sanded it with a hand sander until it was really smooth. After cleaning it with a lint-free cloth, I painted four thin coats of Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint in black, using a foam roller. I sanded lightly between layers when necessary and removed all the dust with a lint-free cloth. When the paint was completely dry, I rubbed entire board with a large piece of sidewalk chalk to cure it, and then rubbed it with a lint-free cloth to erase it.

DIY Chalkboard Art with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint | Five Marigolds

DIY Chalkboard Art | Five Marigolds

You can wipe it clean with a damp cloth for a clean crisp look, or with a dry cloth, which I prefer, for a true, messy chalkboard look.

So far, our family loves this addition to our home. We post fun quotes and verses, and the children love to use it for creating their own art, as well.

DIY Chalkboard Art using Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint | Five Marigolds

DIY Chalkboard Wall Art using Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint | Five Marigolds

In addition to being shared on the fabulous blogs to the right, this post was also shared on Stone Gable Blog.

 

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Proverbs 31 Canvas Wall Art for Girl Room

DIY Large Wall Art + verses for the bedroom

When we moved into our new home, we dedicated it with bible verses for each room of the house. I’ve been dreaming of this Proverbs 31 canvas wall art  for Eve’s bedroom for some time now, but when I recently realized I already had the materials, I got moving.

I had a thrift store canvas that I’d previously tried (and failed) to artistically repurpose, so I painted it using a paint sample I already had on hand. Besides the price, the best part of repurposing a canvas is that you get fabulous texture under your new creation.

I used my Silhouette SD to cut the verse onto clear contact paper. I make so many mistakes that I’ve found this to be a cost saving way to use the Silhouette. I used a slightly imperfect font that would give me grace should the painting not go as I hoped.

Proverbs 31 canvas art | Five Marigolds

After spending way too long placing the many pieces of contact paper on the canvas and lining it up just so, I spray painted it with my favorite Rust-Oleum metallic gold spray paint.

I was worried it would get under the contact paper. but as long as I made sure the paper was adhering around the letters I had absolutely no trouble.

To build the frame, I used a similar technique as with Dub’s  big kid room wall gallery, but I used wood that wasn’t quite as deep, since I wanted this particular frame flush with the art.

I used Minwax stain in Early American, which is lighter IRL and gives it the right amount of color and rustic vibe.

Proverbs 31 Canvas Art using clear contact paper and Silhouette SD. Stain is Minwax Early American. | Five Marigolds

I debated (and am still debating) taking a tiny bit of wood stain on a rag and dry rubbing the canvas for a subtle shabby chic look.

I’ve also considered dry rubbing a tiny bit of the white paint over the frame very lightly for the same reason. But, at this point I’m afraid to ruin it!

Proverbs 31 Canvas art | Five Marigolds

I’m so happy with how this Proverbs 31 canvas wall art  turned out. I love the contrast of metallic gold and ivory against the rustic frame, and the sweet reminder my little girl will wake up to each day.

I’m already dreaming of how I might create a variation for Belle’s room 🙂

Additional bible verses that would be great for the girls’ bedrooms include:

God is with her; she will not fail. Psalm 46:5

He fills my life with good things. Psalm 103:5

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 134:14

He calls me beautiful one. Song of Solomon 2:10

She is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 31:10

Proverbs 31 Canvas wall Art.. | Five Marigolds

Details:

  • Lamp – Anthropologie (old)
  • Curtains – Simply Shabby Chic
  • Quilt – Handmade by grandma 🙂
  • Paint color – Behr Seed Pearl

Interested in more upcycled DIY Wall art? Check out my other projects here:

DIY Canvas Wall Art for Baby Nursery: I Love You Through and Through | Five Marigolds

I Love You Through & Through Paired Canvases

DIY Engineer Prints for Big Boy Room | FIve Marigolds

Framed Engineer Prints Wall Gallery

Industrial Boy's Bedroom Design. | Five Marigolds

Monogrammed Pallet Art

DIY Chalkboard Art with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint | Five Marigolds

DIY Chalkboard using Garage Sale Frame

 

Big Boy Room Custom Engineer Prints

engineering prints = Inexpensive large wall art

Engineer prints are a great way to design a boy bedroom, bringing custom touches through large photo prints on a budget.

I’m very slowly beginning the process of decorating our new home, and focusing on the areas where inspiration strikes me the most. Dub’s room is the one I have the most concrete vision for, and I knew exactly where I wanted to start when I saw this idea for engineer prints for a boy’s room.

I immediately set out taking images of the things most important to Dub. He loved being able to be a part of it in this way.

He loves Legos, video games, and the Wilson brand holds special inside meaning for us

I was able to order the engineering prints online by sending  the images to the FedEx Kinkos copy store.

I ordered 18×24 engineer prints. DIY Engineer Prints for Big Boy Room | FIve Marigolds

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