Home DecorHand-painted Watercolor Kilim Wall April 2, 2014 Well, as many of you guessed in your e-mails and comments, I was the kilim wall for Creating with the Stars Round 2. Thanks so much to all who voted! I’m really excited to be moving on to Round 3 🙂 Paint was the one round that was stumping me when I found out I was a contestant. I’m not sure why. I use paint all of the time and love it! But it felt harder to do something “big” with paint that I hadn’t seen done a ton before. Y’all know me, I’m all about pushing the envelope and doing something new. I knew I wanted to paint a wall and initially planned to stencil, but I just kept thinking that didn’t feel right. I wanted something that felt artsy and imperfect. Stencils often feel really perfect and exact to me and that wasn’t the feel I was going for. I love the Bohemian style and perfect, exact lines isn’t really a part of that. Don’t get me wrong. Stencils can totally be artsy and more hand-painted. Just look at my friend, Gwen’s, Round 2 entry. Stenciled, artsy, handpainted feel, GORGEOUS STYLING. I LOVED this entry, seriously. So, Gwen definitely proves that an artsy, non-perfect stencil can be done 🙂 My initial plan for this paint project was totally different. But early last week, I got an idea while looking at this new kilim pillow cover I got for The Home Depot Patio Style Challenge. I immediately pictured this design blown up on a wall. Large, graphic, and artsy. I immediately knew that I didn’t want to do full color on this thing. I love eclectic style, but I also love white walls, so I tried to find some medium ground. I decided to do an outlined pattern with just two colors: white and navy/green. As I said for in my Round 2 blurb, I wanted it to look handpainted, so taping was out. Plus, taping would’ve taken two years and that just wasn’t going to happen. So, I measured and sketched the pattern (this will be part of my tutorial when I can share it). After getting the pattern drawn, it was time to paint. I wanted it to look more like watercolor than harsh paint. So, I added some water to the paint and experimented in a little corner of the room. Once I got the mixture right, I painted over my lines (I’ll have tips and tricks for this in my tutorial too). I wanted imperfections and darker and lighter areas too. That naturally comes with hand-painting, especially once I added the water, so I just left them. One of you guessed this and I have no idea how! But this wall is in my office that I shared last week opposite my desk. I hadn’t pictured this pattern in there, but needed a blank wall that wouldn’t be recognizable in my house and this was about the only one! I had planned when I first painted it to paint over it after the contest because it didn’t fit my overall office concept. But now, after painting it all, I can’t bear to paint over it! So, I’m going to figure out a way to tie it in. Thanks for your votes! Off to work on my Round 3 project. I’ll have more to share about the office and this project and lots of tutorials to come! Thanks for your patience while I create for this contest. It’s teaching me some amazing things that I’ll be bringing back to the blog after it’s over. Can’t wait to share!
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says April 2, 2014 at 7:22 am Really really loved your wall. It’s so you and so pretty! Reply
cassie says April 2, 2014 at 7:32 am love this wall! am looking for something fun to do on our playroom wall and this might be a winner! Reply
Kristin @ bliss-athome.com says April 2, 2014 at 9:04 am So proud! Excited for you Lindsay! Congrats on making it to week 3 🙂 xo Kristin Reply
Trina @ Let's Just Build a House says April 2, 2014 at 10:31 am i knew this one was yours. and it got my vote. I love this look. You did a great job, congrats! Reply
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says April 2, 2014 at 10:39 am Wahoo! So glad you are moving on to the next round. I am in love with the wall and the color! Reply
Deb says April 2, 2014 at 10:47 am Yay! This is the one I voted for! I LOVE that coral-dipped chair. It’s a great mix of a modern idea and rustic charm. Reply
Jennifer@The Chronicles of Home says April 2, 2014 at 12:09 pm I’m sure you’re going to be busy again this week, Lindsay. Good luck, can’t wait to see what you come up with next! Reply
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says April 2, 2014 at 12:26 pm Looks SO great…I knew that one was you! Congrats on moving on…can’t wait to see what you do next! 🙂 Reply
Jennifer @ Brave New Home says April 2, 2014 at 12:47 pm I knew this was you! I love how you explain your decision process. You’re totally right about this coming out more painterly than a stencil might. Congrats to moving on to the next round! I squealed out loud for you : ] Reply
Stephanie, Sandpaper and Glue says April 2, 2014 at 2:05 pm excited for the tutorial! my dad just asked me if I could come up with a stencil for his “south western” style man room and something like this would be perfect! 🙂 congrats on moving to round 3. Reply
caroline [the diy nurse] says April 2, 2014 at 8:04 pm I thought that was you! You knocked it out of the park. I love how it seems all watercolory :p Reply
Amber says April 4, 2014 at 8:00 am Good morning! I keep meaning to stop by and tell you congratulations! You have such an amazing touch! Good luck this week!! 🙂 ~Amber Reply
Lindsay says May 20, 2014 at 10:17 am Hi Lydia! No the tutorial is coming! I did this for the Creating with the Stars contest and we weren’t allowed to post tutorials during the contest. Now that it’s over, I have tons to share, so I’m checking them off one by one! It’s coming soon! Reply
Katie says June 6, 2014 at 8:48 pm This is just crazy good! Forgive me as I’m catching up on some old posts…love your work and am so glad to have found your blog. Also want to say that I resonate with so much of your ‘about me’ page. I have wrestled through so much of the same tensions and have blogged about it as well. It’s a constant balance for me…I’m all about the beautiful…and also want to make sure I’m being clear that the ‘stuff’ can’t bring ultimate fulfillment. Really respect your approach, and can’t wait to see more of your creativity! Reply
Lindsay says June 10, 2014 at 4:21 pm Thank you, Katie! Your comment brought me so much joy! I’m so happy to hear that my mission resonated with you. My goal with this blog is so much more than sharing pretty and I love hearing stories of when it actually accomplishes that in some little way. Glad you’re here! Reply
Shelley Whiting says August 31, 2015 at 6:38 pm I love the bold dynamic shapes and your reference of a rug pattern. Very clever and strong work. Reply
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