Anthropologie-inspired Art

I'm starting to think about redecorating the master bedroom. It needs a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and also on the ceiling (thanks to some leaks a few years ago). I have an idea of the direction I'm going to head in...maybe a nice warm grey with a pop of color. I've pinned some inspiration over at Pinterest:

The room is small, faces East, and has lots of really dark furniture. Furniture that I'm also not willing to paint. So I think lighter walls and lighter bedding will be a fun change. Also, thanks to the Eastern exposure and the fact that our neighbors hacked down a lovely old oak tree out front last year, this room now gets BLASTED with sun from about noon until sunset. That's not a bad thing in the winter, but in the summer it's brutal. Since the master bedroom is also on the 2nd floor, it makes it really hot in the summer too. So, while I love my Pottery Barn bedding, which I've had for about 7 years, it's really faded. The curtains are a total loss. And I could stand a little update in there anyway.

So back to the subject of this post...a little art project. I found a set of these Martha Stewart paper flowers in the clearance bin at Joann's a few weeks ago when we were in Roanoke, VA. I bought them with no plan at the time, but at some point during our 4 hour drive back to Baltimore it occurred to me that I could use them on a wall or maybe a canvas for a very Anthropologie-style piece of art. I have always admired how they use color (or lack of color) and paper in the store displays.

So, for my project, the materials are simple:
an artist canvas (I bought a rectangular one)
your medium...which could be something like these pre-made flowers, or if you have time, just about anything else you imagine!
hot glue gun

After buying one set in Roanoke, I ran out to the local Joann's here in Baltimore and bought two more.

I went with a rectangular canvas because there are two possible places I'll hang this in the master bedroom,
and that's the shape I'll need.

For a little filler, I also bought these paper flowers in the wedding supply section at Michaels. Before unwrapping the canvas, took all of the flowers out of the packaging and started playing around with layouts.

And here is my final product!

After I felt like I had the layout I wanted, I just picked up each flower and glued it to the canvas. And it was done. Very simple. There are a million ways you could enhance the project. You could cover the canvas in fabric or paint first, then add the flowers or whatever medium you choose to work with. I've seen some really cute and mod patterns made out of cardboard tubes on Pinterest.

That's right....toliet paper tubes!

But I wanted to go with white, or shades of white and ivory, so I didn't feel the need to paint or use fabric.

I threw it up over my bed, where another picture was hanging so you could get an idea of size and scale. It's probably not going to end up staying there, but I may leave it for now. OR I could make three more and hang them next to each other (since just one is too small for this space). I can't wait to start painting in there this Fall!