Prior to getting married a few weeks ago, my then fiance and I had been living together...in sin(gasp). Joe was living in full bachelor pad mode - the major theme of the place was Grateful Dead, OSU and beer, three of Joe's very favorite things. The walls were mainly bare with exception to some G.D. album covers that are apparently "worth a lot of money" and a few things leftover from an old girlfriend :/
Well, I lived in this for a good year +. I didn't want to be that girl that came in and changed everything right out of the gate. I didn't love the decor by any means but I also didn't have the money or energy to do anything about it. And Joe is someone who will keep things the same forever because he just doesn't care.
Enter our engagement. It was becoming more clear to me that we would be living in this apartment for quite a while (don't get me wrong: it's a great apartment, great neighborhood. See this post) But I knew that I couldn't get cozy in our surroundings as a newlywed couple.
Three weeks before our wedding, I got the fever. Not the Bieber fever, mind you, but the fever to redecorate. I equate it to nesting as a pregnant woman (not that I know what that feels like, but so I hear). I needed to make this apartment our home.
I scoured all the local Goodwills and thrift stores and found myself really enjoying the thrill of the hunt.
How had I not done this earlier??
My first day out I found a cute side table for $8. This was the item that got me real excited! If I can get this for less than $10, imagine what else I can do!
(please don't mind all the other Goodwill items piled to the side)
oh! and the candles are from Goodwill, too! $1-3 each!
I kept finding more and more goodies to spruce up the place. Things were going great! But then I reached a point where I just couldn't find the right item for above the bed (the current painting was from Joe's ex...remember the 'How I Met Your Mother' episode??) I got a whole new kind of fever. One that I'm very unfamiliar with...I wanted to do some DIY crafts. For those who know me, you know that I am not a skilled craftsman. For those of you who don't, a little story...
In high school pottery class, I handed in my 'vase' (I loosely use the word vase) to my teacher. He stared it over with a look of concern and finally tactfully said, "Ummmm, yea, we only have so much room in the kiln." I couldn't blame him...my hands are not made for art.
But, alas, I felt like I could finally tackle something - you gotta face your fears some time!
I decided to use this tutorial to make my very own fabric wall art! And it was super fun and easy! All you do is choose the size canvas you want - I chose a 22"x28" canvas at Michael's where they were on SALE! I love this crafting thing!
Next is the hardest part - choosing the fabric. I thought this would be easy but it took longer than I expected. I went to the classic fabric stores and was overwhelmed by the novelty prints that surrounded me. And then I remembered a cute, funky fabric store called Bolt that has the BEST patterns. And that's where I found this little guy...
I really wanted a yellow fabric to brighten up the room and the gray background of it just felt so good :)
After a few pins and tucks of the fabric around the canvas, I came out with a really cool piece of art. Add a couple of thrift store mirrors and I am on my way to a new bedroom!
(the print doesn't show up well in photos...so just come over and see it in person!)
I love this because when we want to change the look of our bedroom, it's really easy to just swap out the fabric for another! And the best part is you can make it whatever you want! It's the best way for a non-artist to 'paint' on canvas!
I will admit that the apartment is a work in progress but with the decorations thus far, I have gotten many compliments...especially from Joe! I still have one wall in the living room waiting for these amazing frames from Joe's sister and her husband...can't wait to get them up!
So to cap it off, I am thankful for fresh new starts and for finding a way for even the most unartistic person to create something 'artsy'.
