Ever since we bought our house last April, I’ve been battling with myself over what area to work on first. We have done quite a bit to our living room, since we spend most of our time there, so I’m taking a break before I go overboard there. I’ve been searching and pinning like crazy for ideas for the rest of the house and now my Pinterest boards are filled to the brim with zillions of project ideas for me to tackle!
After a little deliberation, I decided I would work on the guest room first because I think I can do that room on the cheap, and still have it look amazing! Now, I have my design degree from HGTV University, I have no straight and fast rules. I just go with whatever I have or can find most of the time and make it work.
As a family with only one income, I want to stretch our money as far as it can go! So with an “I can make that” attitude, some power tools and a little paint; I can tackle anything (or at least my guest bedroom…for now). Plus, I have a really cute apprentice who is eager to learn.
The guest room is a pretty much a blank canvas, which can be super overwhelming. I already like the soft gray on the walls; I think it will go well with my rustic/beach/cottage theme I have in my mind. The furniture and bedding I already have is staying. The random Van Gogh prints are moving to another location in the house at some point because I love them! They just aren’t at all beachy =]
My color inspiration is all from the duvet cover (from my college days). I actually really love it, so no problem there!
I definitely think I can do something with the two wood pieces. They are both solid wood, so the possibilities are endless!
I have no timeline for this, so I will just be sporadically updating you guys on my projects, is that okay? K, great. You really didn’t have a choice =]
My first brilliant idea for the room was to do some polka dot art. My original inspiration came from Breakfast at Toast as I was browsing through her home tour post. I love how her painting gives such a fun punch of color to the room. Plus, I love me some polka dots!
While I love the crisp cleanness of my inspiration photo, I was looking to go in a more rustic direction. To achieve that, I thought I would use an old window that I had in the garage from my dad, the picker. He’s got a great eye for quality stuff other people are dumping. I definitely have this gene, except I don’t have a truck to haul goods back home (lucky for John, sad for me). Most things I see stay where they are and I cry a little tear every time.
The paint I used was regular old craft paint from Michaels. 3 for $1 last week! Whaaaat?? Genius. Anyways, I used my foam pouncers from my good friend Martha. Stewart, that is. These things are awesome! If you don’t have them already, get them. $4.99 (without a 40% off coup!). They are essential for crafting (if you love polka dots). I just randomly dotted my 5 colors all around until I got the look I was going for.
Here is how mine turned out! It reminds me a little bit of gum balls and who doesn’t love those?? I think it adds a little whimsy to the room, don’t you?
Total cost for this project: Just under $2. It might be more or less, depending on what you already have around your house. This would look great painted on wood or canvas (like the inspiration photo).
Have you done any fun DIY art lately? I’d love to see!
I am linked up over at Love of Family & Home for the Dog Days of Winter: Thrift It Challenge! Come check out some other great thrifty ideas!
