A few weeks ago I mentioned that I bought an ugly painting at a thrift store for $5 and had an idea in mind. Since then I've received numerous emails inquiring just what in the heck I was going to do with it. Some of you thought I was going to just use the frame. While others of you figured I was going to paint the whole shebang white and then create my own art.
Instead I opted to follow the inspiration from Young House Love and paint a favorite quote over the top. This went through many revisions . . . the first time the letters were too small. The next, too big. The first time I painted it I used a mustard yellow that just made the whole thing too 1970s drab and quite sad. Then I painted over it with a creamy white. Finally I outlined the words with a wide tip brown permanent marker.
Here's how I felt during the process:
::Loved the idea:: ::Thought I was pretty much brilliant for finding such an ugly piece and knowing that I was going to transform it miraculously:: ::Choosing a font made me question my sanity:: ::Tracing the letters made me feel like a trash-to-treasure queen:: ::The mustard yellow made me want to pitch the whole thing:: ::A few days passed and I reluctantly decided to try a new paint color in hopes of reviving it:: ::Sat with the creamy white for over a week trying to decide if it was an A+ project or a project gone really, really bad:: ::Just finished outlining the letters and feel the best I've felt about it throughout the process::
So, now it's leaning against my cutting table next to my sewing machine. We'll see if I end up hanging it or taking it straight back to the thrift shop.
The jury's still out.
-dana
37 comments:
At first I thought this was the before pic, and I wanted to cry that you had painted over it! I love it!!
The jury is IN, and the verdict is awesome!
I am SO in love with this!! I'm going to have to check my thrift store soon!
I LOVE this and my best friend would love it even more! So don't donate it if you don't want it! I'll buy it from you! Guess I'm going to have to hit some thrift stores so I can try to make one myself, I'm just worried it won't turn out near as good!
I kind of love it!
Nothing worth have having comes easily. I admire your vision and perseverance :0) Why don't you live with it for a while and see if it belongs. I think it's brilliant!
Happy Sewing
if the jury is still out at your house i can tell you the jury LOVES it at mine! ;) xo
Very good idea in my opinion;) Maybe it will speak to you as to where it would like to sit in your home as well!
I think it turned out FAB!!! I would have never thought of something like that. Awesome!!! Love the quote!
My husband has been to Muir Woods in Northern Cal, I wonder if your quote is from the namesake? Very cool and SUPER creative!
Absolutely love it.
LOVE it!!!
Brilliant idea! John Muir wrote a lot of quotable things, but I always wonder how he smelled :)
Don't return it to the Thrift Shop! Send it to Me!!!
It's such a great idea...thank you for sharing!
judging by how many people love I say you could have a side business painting over art :)
SO Clever!
I think it turned out amazing! I hope it ends up on your wall, if not, then someone is going to have a happy thrift find :)
I think it turned out well.
Love the quote.
Give it some time and see if it grows on you. You never know.
Glad to see what you did with it. Curiosity sated. :D
I like it! I really do!!
I LOVE it!
Love it!!! I will take it & give it to my Mom- we love Muir!!
I love how you reformed that thrift store painting! What a clever way to capture a quote that seems to fit perfectly with the background, and your environment. I would definitely hang this on my walls. Love hearing about your process too.
& if you don't hang it up you will send it to me because taking it to a thrift store would just break my heart! You rock by the way :)
OK....I hope you take this as the compliment that I am giving you....the first thing I thought of when I saw this was how it reminds me of the WPA 1930s National Parks lithographs and I LOVE those!;)
Def not back to the thrift store! I'll take it!! Such a GREAT iea, and who doesn't like a good Muir quote? One of our heroes here in CA!!
I think it's brilliant.
I think I might have to hit up the thrift stores soon to try this project out. Love the quote!
ok. so i want you to paint the frame a nice deep, rich red and then i will love it, k? k. think of it as your binding... cuz i just know you wouldn't have bound that quilt in brown.... unless the brown had polka dots. ;-)
I absolutely agree with Elissa above - the red would be the perfect way to frame this. Although I loved it without, I think I could love it even more!
i love it! the size and the font are perfect.
Dana, Way cool...keeper for sure!! now you have just inspired me to do something with all the paintings I have siiting around my house! thanks Michelle D
Great idea! Great quote! Perfect for my husband. I need to put this in my memory BANK! ;)
Wake up! It's blog hop time, and I want to see what you've been up to! Lol. Hadley sent me! Will catch up with you later :). Happy Scrappy October!
I have that same quote on a tshirt, but it has a pic of the Olympic Mountains here in Washington state. I think that quote gets around, but I've felt that call pretty much everywhere I've lived.
I just found your blog today. I have to say that I LOVE what you did to this paining. LOVE it! Don't take it back to the thrift shop unless you tell me where that is and meet me in the parking lot!
Awesome! You are so clever to see the potential!
Well done, Dana!
Debbie
I kind of love this!
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