Gettin’ Twiggy With It

Fall is upon us my friends, and it has caused a small frenzy around our house as I’ve been bustling with energy that comes from crisp autumn air and the spirit of a new season.  Due to this burst of creative juices, I’ve finally attempted to finish several ongoing projects, like filling our bare walls.  One of the fastest ways to change the mood of a room is to change out the art.  Now I am no art expert, nor do we have any so-called “real” art.  But I do enjoy a project, so when I saw this idea roaming the blogosphere, I added it to my Pinterest art board and kept it tucked away for a rainy day. 

You might remember when we added these clean white frames to our dining area…

And you might recall that I shifted them to the living room and filled them with placemats…

I was quite certain that we would make a collage wall in our dining room, since it’s the only room where the walls are made of sheetrock, rather than plaster, making it much easier to hang things.  But, it was not to be.  At least not yet.  My décor seems to change with the wind, and I fully reserve the right to blow where it takes me.  As long as it’s okay with the hubs. 

Which brings me back to the twiggy art.  As I was digging through our basement one weekend afternoon, I stumbled upon a massive old frame that I used to have as the “Word Wall” in my classroom, along with a bundle of decorative twigs that never really fulfilled my original vision.  Light bulb moment!  Within 30 minutes I was spray painting my artwork and beaming over my success.  It’s the little things in life, truly. 

Project breakdown:

1.  Gather materials: frame, twigs, knife, hot glue/gun, spray paint 

2.  Decide if you want your twigs aligned vertically or horizontally.  I chose to go horizontal, because it seemed to flow with the layout of the room, rather than chopping it up. 

3.  Cut twigs to fit inside frame.  I broke a pair of scissors doing this, even though the twigs are make of fairly soft wood, so I recommend a sharp knife.

4.  Space the twigs to your liking and then hot glue them to the inside of the back of the frame.  I glued each end of the twig to the lip of the frame for stability. 

5.  Allow hot glue to dry completely (this doesn’t take long), and then remove any hot glue strings. 

6.  Spray paint several thin and even coats onto your artwork in a well ventilated area.

7.  Hang and enjoy!

We’re enjoying the modern, yet slightly rustic feel of the piece.  The best part?  It only required two holes to hang—and it was essentially free, since I had all of the materials on hand!

What artsy concoctions have you whipped up lately?