DIY Butterfly Wall Art
April 25, 2020
Inspiration
Again, the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders have me seeking distraction and comfort. I find comfort in making things and art, so when I ran across this adorable project, I HAD to find a way to do it. Lucky for me, Lauren at Blesser House had me covered. All the butterflies are available for download so you can print them at home. All you have to do is sign up for her email list, and trust me, she has ALL kinds of good stuff for you, so don't miss it!
Lauren shard this DIY modern Victorian butterfly study
on her blog, along with all the artwork, but I didn't have a large enough shadow box, so I had to get creative, since nothing was open.
Process
For my first butterfly study, I wanted something big, so I found a 2' x 2' piece of wood I had laying around. It was a light tone, which I liked, so I just white washed it with some acrylic paint and a wet paper towel. It took about 2 coats for me to get the board how I wanted it, a white tone with the grain still showing through. Once it was dry, it was time to start on the butterflies.
Literally, all I did was print out the butterflies on white cardstock, although I've since done them on 32# laser jet paper and it was fine, too. I carefully cut them out with small, sharp scissors and folded their wings in, so they look real. Then, I figured out the configuration of butterflies I want based on their size, color and shape. Once I got a pleasing arrangement, I placed them on the surface evenly in rows, so they all lined up, and secured them with a little dot of hot glue in the middle.
Let's do it again!
I loved the first butterfly study so much, I decided to do it again! This time, I had a frame that had been on the wall with the fake family in it for months. haha It was the perfect place for something else! So, I printed some smaller butterflies, followed the same process as above, but this time, attached them to a piece of blush cardstock. Adorable!
Use old art to make new art
One of my favorite tricks is to use old art to make new art. Sometimes I find super cheap (think 90% off) art prints at Hobby Lobby. Sometimes I like the art, other times I don't, but I love purchasing these pieces, because you can use them for a little while, as a filler. Then, later turn them into something else! It's often cheaper to reuse a piece of ready-made art than start from scratch.
You can see the antelope print below. I thought it was cute, but not something I was sentimentally attached to. I loved the frame and wood background, so I immediately thought of using it for another piece of art! I put a couple coats of white chalk paint over the antelope and background and it was good to go. I put some small butterflies on it and it looks so good!
I used this same process to paint over another framed art print and love it, too! I love to shop my house and rearrange things or find a new way to use something old!
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I can't remember the first example of fluted wood furniture I saw, but it was probably either this gorgeous custom wood bathroom vanity from Chris Loves Julia , or the DIY fluted coffee table Fariha shared on Pennies for a Fortune . The custom cabinetry was done professionally using a router for each line, which isn't something I possess the skills to do. This did help inspire the colors I used in our bathroom remodel, though! I really connected to the method Fariha used to build the coffee table--wooden dowels. What a fabulous idea!
I did a little refresh in our daughter's room, and I decided we needed some large-scale art. I actually planned to order a print, but inspiration struck on a trip to HomeGoods when I saw two HUGE framed canvases on clearance for $25 and $9. I grabbed them up and headed home, with my head filled with ideas on what to do with them.
I love peel-and-stick wallpaper so much! It's an easy, DIY fix for any space that just needs a little refresh. Because it's easily removeable, I feel much more confident going ahead and choosing a pattern. I struggle to commit to traditional pasted wallpaper--I think it's because we removed so much of it when we bought our house. It is no easy task. Peel-and-stick is also very economical, so if you decide to change it up a few years down the line, it doesn't feel so bad. I've now put it in four areas of our house. Today, you'll see the kitchen and den. It's the same pattern in different colors. I love how much the simple pattern really just makes each space.
Just for fun, here's a freebie--a digital download for some fall wall art! This quote is from Anne of Green Gables. I still want to read the book, but I was a huge fan of the series Anne with an E on Netflix. Just click on the file, download it and print it at home or send it to a place like Office Depot. Happy October!
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