Inspirational Wall Art DIY
One of my favorite Pinterest boards is my “well said” board, and I decided it would be fun to create some inspirational wall art to hang in the studio. A simple “go for it” type of statement, done in pretty lettering or on a colorful background makes me nod my head with enthusiasm every time. This project takes those inspiring statements off our virtual pinboards and puts them on our walls. If you don’t fancy yourself an artist, it is so simple to alter a painting from the thrift store to make it eye-catching and fun. Previously, I have done a little altering to a few of the pieces I’ve found for a fun project in my book, and I’ve also repainted details on one painting to brighten it up, that one now hangs in our dining room. For these, I hand stitched the letters directly onto the paintings themselves, keeping the yarn colors contrasting but subtle. I’m so happy with how they turned out.
Make a trip to the thrift store to look around and see what you can find. When you get home, grab a few supplies, get inspired, and you’ll be done in an afternoon.
Inspiration Wall Art DIY
Materials:
- A pretty thrift store original painting done on canvas, like an oil or acrylic painting that you like but are willing to alter. You will need access to the back of the canvas for embroidering.
- Spray Paint (Optional- to paint the frame)
- Computer and printer
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Tape
- Tapestry needle with a sharp end (not rounded)
- Scrap yarn
Finding second-hand original paintings are not as hard as you would think. I brought these two paintings home from my local thrift store a few weeks ago. My search criteria was simple- nice shapes and colors. And I always look for flowers. The unframed one was $1.99, and the framed one was $6.99. Not too bad!
- Clean the surface of the painting and frame gently with a cloth and all-purpose cleaner. If you’d like to paint the frame, cover up and tape off the painting and give the frame a few light coats of spray paint to cover. Allow to dry.
2. Look for inspirational quotes to embroider on your image. They shouldn’t be too long or wordy. Choose the area you will embroider on the painting and roughly measure it. On your computer, experiment with different fonts and sizes until you find what you like, and print out. Choose your yarn, can be highly contrasting, or subtle. I chose a slightly contrasting color and used worsted weight wool yarn.
3. Prep for embroidery Lightly mark the center of the painting using a pencil and ruler to help layout your words. Cut out the words and tape them down on the front of the painting, making sure the area you will embroider isn’t obstructed on the back. Using the pointy end of your tapestry needle, poke holes through the letters/front of the painting, spacing them evenly around each letter.
Perfection is not necessary here.
4. Embroider the painting. To embroider the letters, thread your yarn needle with a length of yarn and knot one end. Embroider each letter with a backstitch, adding any sort of special details you’d like. I added french knots in some areas. (I have an Embroidery Stitches Pinterest board with some stitch ideas.)