DIY: Birdie Art Work

I love unique art work.  I was looking through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog a few years ago and saw an adorable collection of birdie canvases.  Super cute, but the price wasn't so cute.  I wondered if it was something I could whip up on my own.  I searched the internet and found some templates.

I used this free Amy Butler template for the rooster, butterfly, and tall bird.  Did you know she has free sewing and craft patterns?  How cool is that?  It's the Nigella Silhouettes.  I didn't make the intended artwork, but the templates can be used for a variety of projects.

A bit of rick rack and a tiara make this tall birdie quite regal. 

This rooster got a sparkly eye and trimmed in some ribbon.

I found another template for the smaller birdies, but unfortunately the template is no longer available.  I traced the parts and scanned them in case you want to use them.  It's not professional, I'm sorry...  You should be able to click on the picture and print out the template.

I added a scrapbook embellishment to the bottom by the branch that looks like a little leaf.

Here I just flipped the pattern over and cut out a mirror image so I had two birdies facing opposite directions.  This little birdie got a gingham scarf in the form of a tied ribbon.  Hold the ends of the ribbon over a open flame, very carefully and not directly in the flame, to seal the ribbon so it doesn't fray. 

Here is the other bird template.  You can see the main body, then there are two wings, an oval belly part, tiny feet, tail, and a branch.  It's best to dry fit your pieces before you start glueing.   You can look at my finished bird below for a sample placement. 

The original tutorial I followed recommended artist canvas.  I happened to see some wooden blocks in my dad's garage that he was going to throw out.  I scooped them up, spray painted them white and they worked perfectly for this project.  I also think embroidery hoops would work great too!

After you select your templates, simply cut out the pieces using any scrapbook paper.  I used Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Scrapbook Paper for my project and used spray adhesive to attach them to the surface, but you could use any glue that allows the paper to lay flat.  Once everything is in place, start embellishing!  As a mentioned earlier, I used scrapbook embellishments to jazz up my little animals.
Rhinestone stickers became the eyes. Tied ribbons became little scarves. Ribbons bordering the bottom looks like a collar.

Get creative.  There's no right or wrong.  After I ran out of animal templates, I made one of the blocks a monogram of sorts.  It have a "K" along with cute other embellishments.

This was a super easy, quick, and inexpensive project.  Such a fun wall art collection that can be tailored to any decor!  Have fun!

Easy Monogram Artwork

I love monograms.  Plain and simple.  Over the last year, I've seen photographs of letters taken in all kinds of settings.  I thought they would be wonderful printed and used as monogram artwork.  I searched for royalty free stock photos on Google and found some letters here and some numbers here.

Here are some monogramming suggestions.  If you are doing a married couples monogram there are two variations.  The first option is to place the last initial in the middle, the husband's first initial on the left, and the wife's first initial on the right.  For example, John and Mary Taylor would look like this:

The second option is to place the last initial in the middle, the wife's first initial on the left, and the husband's first initial on the right.  Here is how John and Mary Taylor would look in that format:

I guess there are tons of rules for monogramming, who knew?  Linens are one way, stemware another...
Since most people refer to us as Jeff and Lisa Goforth, I went with the first option.

The hard part is picking the right letter. I looked for letters with colors that would blend with the color scheme in my living room.  I also looked for bold letters for Jeff and more feminine for me.  I really wanted a cursive L, like in Laverne and Shirley, remember that?

I printed out all three letters at Walmart in 5 x 7.  I picked up some frames from Michael's by choosing two black 5 x 7 frames for our first initials and an 8 x 10 floating frame for the middle initial.  The floating frame is set off the wall just a little bit so it gives the middle initial a larger presence.  I also like the extra "floating" space around the middle initial.  Even though all the prints are 5 X 7, the middle initial really stands out.

I have four windows along the back wall of our living room and the space above the windows has been buggin' me.  It just needed something.  So, this is where I decided to place the monogram. I love it!

Not bad for under $20, eh?  Personal, modern, and reasonably priced artwork - love it!!