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Mix & Match – An Eclectic Gallery Wall

July 31, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

I hope you’re not sick of hearing me talking about things related to my living room yet. Since revealing the “finished” room, A Boho Vintage Living Room, I’ve wanted to share every element that went into the space. One of the remaining pieces to chat about is the gallery wall. It’s the first gallery wall I’ve put together but I really love how it turned out. It’s more eclectic than I’d normally lean, but every piece that went into it makes me happy.

Shop The “Wall”: Target Rope Wrapped Mirror West Elm Trio Of Shaped Mirrors Urban Outfitters Himo Art Wall Hanging Urban Outfitters Rope Disc Wall Hanging West Elm Set of 4 Mandala Prints West Elm Abstract Terrarium Print West Elm Watercolor Burst Urban Outfitters Dream Catcher West Elm Coordinating Frames Lochness Studios Palm Print Mod Cloth Himmeli Diamond Wall Art Minted Rainforest Print

Here are some key pieces that I personally feel makes for a visually interesting and naturally coordinates:

Some Order + Coordinating Colors + Handmade + “Real Art” + Natural Element + Dimension + Reflective Elements

Some Order: Sometimes the eyes need something “easy” to rest on and that’s easy when there’s “order.” Order can be the way elements are lined up or a coordinating set of frames. An example of this would be the peach painted frames lined up in a row in my own gallery wall.

Coordinating Colors: Just as with designing a space, you should choose a color scheme and stick to it. Think like you would with a space. You could do a bunch of neutrals or black and white with a pop of color or vice versa with a lot of color and pops of neutral. Look into color theory and trust your judgement. Your brain and eyes know what’s pleasing, and it’s most important that it makes you happy. My color scheme is peach/orange/magenta/gold/grey and it’s very colorful. I also really love the mostly neutral with pops of green and blue that I created in the pseudo gallery wall above.

Handmade: I have to encourage you to attempt to DIY an art piece. My handmade elements are most of my gallery wall, but himmeli is pretty easy to get the hang of, framing decorative paper in a painted frame is easy, and I’ve even shared here on the blog the easiest way to make a wall hanging. You can totally paint an abstract painting and throw it into a mix of thrifted and purchased prints and it will make an absolutely stunning gallery wall.

“Real” Art: “Real” Art is stuff like the prints you can get from Minted.com, Etsy shop owners, thrift stores and more. It’s really just an element that you did not make but that was made by someone else. I just think it’s a really great way to show appreciation for other’s work and it adds an element to a gallery wall that gives something more. My “real” art piece is a print from Lochness Studio on Etsy. It’s the flamingo. It’s a total pop against everything else going on but it’s interesting and in the right colors.

Natural Element: This one definitely should be interpreted to fit your style. I have a lot of natural elements going on, the agate slice and the natural fibers of the wall hanging are examples. Cotton rope from a wall hanging or rope wrapped mirrors also work great for this. Got a beach vibe? Try adding in a sea fan. This is a great element to get creative on and will definitely bring in an eclectic feel.

Dimension: Think outside the box and get 3 dimensional with your wall. Anything from clay sculpture to metal work to anything that pops out against the wall (faux taxidermy anyone?). You’ll be glad you took the plunge and gave it a chance. My favorite dimensional element is my pink vintage ukulele, it’s so unique and adorable.

Reflective Elements: I believe that mirrors are totally necessary in every room. They bounce light around and let you catch an alfalfa moment. But you can also do reflective elements with metallics and sparkle.

Every element should fit your style and tastes. I love my gallery wall and want you to love yours too. Definitely play with things and omit what just doesn’t work for you (but totally give it a chance, first!). I hope you’ve found these tips inspiring and useful and I hope you’ve learned something new today. I would love to check your gallery wall out if you’ve got one (leave me a link if you’ve got one in the comments) and if you don’t have one- what element do you love most in an eclectic gallery wall?

How I Made It: Gold Leaf Diamond Mirrors

July 29, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

Who doesn’t love to gold leaf? I mean, in a perfect world, I would gold leaf everything. But that could get expensive and a little too reflective for the sanity of my family. But, a perfect way to add a dose of the beautiful finish is by gold leafing small pieces to make wall art. Mirrors and gold pretty much go hand in hand, so I’m going to share with you how I created a gold leaf diamond on circular mirrors- they’re perfect for filling in small spaces or gaps in a gallery wall!

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Supplies Used: Gold Leaf, Adhesive Size, Sealer, Craft Paint Brush, Circular Mirrors, Picture Hanging Command Strips, Painter’s Tape

How I Made It:

I love a simple DIY. I’ll say this over and over again- there is nothing more satisfying that making something with little effort and having it turn out beautifully. My electrical tape planter is the perfect example of this. And like that upgrade in appearance, these mirrors do fine slapped onto a wall but they really come to life with just a little embellishment.

I definitely have to say that the most imperative part of the process is ensuring the mirror is as clean as possible. Dust will prevent the gold leaf from adhering to the mirror and you won’t be able to go back and clean much without destroying the gold leaf finish.

For the square-ish diamond shape, I just grabbed a card that I had handy and used that as a guide to lay down painter’s tape.

Instructions for gold leaf are pretty much the same no matter what you’re putting the stuff on. I painted on a layer of adhesive and let it sit until tacky.

Then, I lied the gold leaf onto the surface and lightly smoothed into place.

I finish off by painting on a layer of sealer. I haven’t tried a spray acrylic, but I want to since traditional gold leafing sealer clouds the finish some. I have read that you can also leave the gold leaf unfinished to preserve the shine, but I haven’t tried that either.

I created 3 mirrors and am using them in the gallery wall in my living room for now. I hope to have the wall taken down in the next year or two, but I know I’ll be using these mirrors in other places when the time comes to break down the gallery wall.

I love how happy and collected this wall is! I’ll be chatting about this wall more next time, make sure to check back soon!

I hope you’ve found this post interesting and helpful! If you enjoyed it, please give it a share and let others know about it too!

How I Made It: Black and White Planter

July 27, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

I have a really easy how-to to share with you today. Sometimes that’s what we need though, amiright? Plants make wonderful decor but they need something to go in. And if you’re a plant junkie like I am, you know that planters can be an expensive item to add to your decor! Pick up one of those boring, basic, plastic planters though- because I’m going to show you have to dress it up and make it look fabulous!

Supplies:

Plain plastic planter
Electrical tape
Scissors

How I Made It:

The most important part to this simple DIY is cleaning the planter. Make sure all debris and dust is off the planter because you’ll see it trapped beneath the tape.

Then cut lots of short pieces of electrical tape. Between 1.5 inches and 2 inches is a good length to eyeball. I just did this by cutting one and sticking it atop the tape and just kept cutting along the bottom of each piece,, repeating until I had a thick stack to start applying.

Then, just apply them to the planter in a staggered/staircase pattern. The tape peels off and reapplies easily so you can readjust as needed to fit around the planter.

As is the case with any DIY, this can be super customized. Don’t like the look of black on white? Grab a yellow planter and use white electrical tape on top! Don’t like the plain color on color? Try a printed washi tape! Don’t care for the staggered design? Make any shape your heart desires!

I hope this “how to” was helpful and that you found it interesting. If you did, please give it a share! I’d love for you to share this idea with your friends!

Crushing On: Textiles

July 24, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

Did anyone else cringe when History class brought up textile manufacturing? I didn’t know what textiles were and the only the I do remember from those lessons were how badly I couldn’t understand how History class was going to help me get ahead in life. Fast forward to present day and I adore the treasure of History and I swoon for swanky textiles.

Textiles either make or break a space. And I love to lay them on thick. Textiles are fabric. Who doesn’t love good fabric? From suzani to shibori and faux fur to embroidered. Textiles are a great way to add color, texture and mood to a space.

Here are my favorite uses of textiles from some of my favorite Home Tours.

The beautiful fabric adorning this wall is too cool, amiright? And I love the way the rug below picks up on those gorgeous saturated blues. This whole home tour is loaded with textiles. It’s definitely decor eye candy!

(AN INSPIRED, BOHEMIAN HOME IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT | Design*Sponge)

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Shavonda is goals for decorating. At least for me. She does such a wonderful job of blending boho with cottage with glam. She’s got a load of different, but complementary, textiles going on here in her bedroom and in her whole home.

(More Spring Thangs | SG Style Blog)

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Linen + Small print pattern + kilim makes for quite the combination. It’s pretty soft and easy on the eyes but still loaded with different textures and visual interest. Tread carefully when perusing this home tour because the envy grows great with all the fabulous vintage pieces!

(Inside a Century-Old, Contemporary Colonial | Design*Sponge)

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1. I love to hate how beautiful this rug is. 1. I love how all the textiles in the space coordinate. Blue and White, Blue and White, and Blue and White. It’s so fun and soothing all in one.

(Inside the Amazing Renovation of a 1907 Pennsylvania Schoolhouse | Country Living)

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This home is such a good example of how to do boho with textiles. That rug, that sofa, those pillows, that dog’s face! Haha, just kidding. Totally love the dog but he’s not a textile 😉 With the right balance, though, mixing lots of different patterns through fabrics paints the perfect room.

(Sasha’s Silver Lake Bohemian Bungalow | Apartment Therapy)

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You can get so much decorating “bang for your buck” by using lots of neutrals in different textures and propping up a few “star” pieces within it all. Who wouldn’t want to cozy up in this bed?!

(Lauren and Chad’s Vintage Comfort | Apartment Therapy)

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And another All Star of a decorated space. You’ll spot several different textures, which I personally fan girl for, and beautiful deep jewel toned colors. Paired with that fabulous hammock in the background, that I couldn’t get out of my mind so bad I bought a fringed hammock for myself, and you have one beautifully styles space!

(Pietsie, Stephen & Charlie’s Private Barbara Bestor Rental | Apartment Therapy)

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So I hope this gathering of spaces has left you inspired and with lots of good reading material for the weekend. Be sure to also hop around the blog here to make sure you’ve caught all my recent posts!

Share This Post With Others! I Bet They’ll love these spaces, too!

Remodelaholic Contributor Post: Faux Brushed Nickel House Numbers

July 23, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

Today I’m taking a brief break from sharing posts about my Boho Living Room to share with you that I’m contributing on Remodelaholic today to share my technique and tutorial for my Faux Brushed Nickel House Numbers.

I may have dove a little into the deep end with these, probably because I was finally changing out those very bad peel and stick house numbers. I just had to swing in the opposite direction. I wanted big and bold!

Please come by and check the post out and leave it come love!

I really appreciate you being here and hope you have a lovely day!

How I Made It: Wall Hanging from a Cheap Rug

July 21, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Wall hangings make great art. They’re textural and oftentimes you can get a large one for less than you’d pay for traditional art. Making wall hangings is even better. And I’ve got a great way of making a wall hanging without full on making a wall hanging.

There’s two ways you can do this, both ways involve sourcing a rug.

They way I went was to check out the Target Clearance end caps. Whenever new merchandise comes in, the older merchandise has got to go out and most of the time this merchandise is still timeless and/or on trend. You’d be looking for a rug that looks like what you want your wall hanging to look like. I wanted one that was truly woven and a bit thicker.

The other way to go about it would be to source a vintage rug. A lot of times really fabulous vintage rugs get passed by because they’re small and people don’t know what to do with them. I have plenty of suggestions for what to do with them but I’ll save that for another blog post and just say you can totally make them into wall art!

How I Made It:

I started out by lying my rug onto a piece of leftover trim and marking out where I’d need to make a cut. This piece is what keeps the rug flat and stable and is what the entire things hangs from. I then just sawed the excess off with a simple hand saw and nailed the rug into the wood.

Then I took two eyelet screws and screwed them on either end of the top of the trim. I tied a coordinating length of yarn onto the eyelet screws. I liked the look of leaving extra yarn hang from the knot and eyed how low I wanted the rug to hang from the point it would hang from.

The leather overlay in the center was really easy to create using scrap leather-like fabric. I created the center point by sketching out the width of a ruler, then measured out and mark at 2, 4, 6, 6, 4, and 2 inch marks.

I used a folded corner of a piece of paper to create the points since that gave me a clean 45 degree angle.

A craft knife and a metal ruler made it easy to cut the design out and I simply hot glued it to the center of the rug.

Once everything was cut, glued, and screwed into place, I hung it up in my living room. I really love how easy it was to pull together and the extra layer of texture it adds to my living room. The possibilities are so endless with a DIY like this and I’m keeping my eye out for more cute rugs to turn wall hanging.

What kind of art have you made for your walls? Have you seen something you wanted and thought it could be replicated? You should go for it and make art for your walls!

Give this post a share!? It helps me out a ton, I really appreciate it!