Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Calendar Art

Oh, man! There's just too much white. I've been surrounded by it for far too long. All the white walls inside and now all the snow outside, it's just too much. I needed to do something. Fast.

These calendar pages have been nailed to my walls for months. They are months February and July for the Birds 20111 Cavallini and Co. calendar.



I bought this calendar almost a year ago with the intention of using the pages in some capacity as art in our townhouse rental. The walls in the unit are pure white and one wall soars 20 feet high. The blinding expanse of white makes me feel like I'm in an asylum. I had been waiting for some inspiration but I needed to get something on the walls now, before I go insane.




We don't plan on being in this rental for more than a couple of years, so I don't want to invest much time or money into making this feel like home. Of course, I want to be comfortable here and enjoy living here, but I need to be resourceful and just use what I already have or at least keep new purchases to a minimum. On the rare occasion that I do purchase something for this place, I've decided that it will also have to be something that I will eventually be able to incorporate into the Florida home decor. So, you know what that means... I need to get creative!

On the biggest wall I kept the look pretty traditional. Simple black frames with mats were on clearance at Sears for only $15 each. Not too bad. That was an easy and budget friendly solution.



Framing book and calendar pages is a quick and affordable way to add images to your walls. It's so easy to personalize your spaces and it's pretty unlikely that your friends and neighbors will have the same pictures hanging in their homes.

On the other side of the room and over the white pie hutch I wanted to do something different, a little more contemporary. I'm not an artist, by any means, but sometimes I like to play around and "see what happens". A friend had given me a couple of canvases and I had some left over paints and, of course, Mod Podge. I used two more pages from the calendar and then cut out the nests and eggs from another couple of pages and added them. I extended the branches and added a couple of leaves. To give it a bit of an aged look, I did a little light sanding over the whole piece and then sealed each with a couple coats of Mod Podge. So, this is "what happened".






While I was snowed in I was inspired to to something with these white walls. Finally. I made six new pieces and had fun doing it. The calendar cost $21.95, the canvases were free and the paints I already had. My kind of budget decorating...

The sun is out! Hope you're enjoying your day!



25 comments:

  1. I LOVE the artwork. What a great idea! Birds seem to be all the rage these days. Why not, they're pretty, and colorful. I think I'm just gonna have to "borrow" your canvas idea.

    Thanks!

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  2. Oh my goodness! I LOVE what you did with the birds and the extended painting! Genius and beautiful:) Stopping by from All Things Heart and Home link party!

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  3. You did great with that tiny budget -- they're all very striking! I especially love your going to town with the mod podge and the paint!

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  4. Barb, what a great idea for adding some color to your temporary home. Love the framed prints and the canvases are wonderful. Thanks for joing the party.

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  5. Great Idea Barb! Stopping by from MM!
    Kim:)

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  6. Oh My Gosh! I love it! I have several of these calenders that I have hung on to just because I love the artwork.... What a great re-use! :)

    ~Liz

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  7. Love your canvas art... you are so talented!

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  8. Very cool, what a creative piece of artwork! I really like the bird calendar, you can get so much art out of that :) I love the chest underneath the art too.

    Enjoy your sunshine!

    Tks for stopping by.

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  9. Your canvasses are awesome! I love collage and bird motifs. So cheerie!

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  10. Those are amazing. And I love the bird theme. I have years of old calendars that I have kept just thinking I might do something, so this gives me some great ideas.

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  11. I love the calendar art idea. I also have found old books at antique shows that are very damaged with a few good pages left. The illustrations are amazing. I have maps, birds, flowers...none which cost more than a quarter. The framing is a different matter, but what character they give a space! Thanks for sharing!

    -Andrea
    http://tablescapex3.blogspot.com

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  12. Love it!!!You did such a fabulous job:)
    ~Debra xxx
    Capers of the vintage vixens

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  13. Hello! I wanted to stop by and say thank you for visiting my blog. I must say, I just love what you did with the calendar. The canvas art is simply wonderful!

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  14. Very nice, love the colors and how you combined the images. I can't wait to try something similar. I would like to use black and white family photos to start with...

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  15. Hi,
    I love these! You are so creative!
    I'm here from Wow us Wednesdays and am your newest follower.

    Have a great day.
    Pam @ Our Adventures in Home Improvement

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  16. Loved your calendar art. wonderfully creative,
    and so nice for spring.....and made a wonderful vignette with such a pretty color.
    Liked what you did with the ones in your living room as well.
    Blessings, Nellie

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  17. Barb, the calendar art looks fantastic! Great job. So glad I came across your blog. I'm a new follower.

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  18. Wow- those are beautiful- you did a great job. So many times calendars have such gorgeous prints and pictures- great idea. Thanks for sharing this at Feathered Nest Friday! :)

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  19. They turned out so nice! Thanks for sharing! I agree, I can't stand too much white in my home either. :) I found you at Debbiedoo's and am now a follower. Come check me out!

    Melanie
    youmadethat.blogspot.com

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  20. Hi Barb,
    Those are fabulous! I love them.
    Happy Valentine's Day!
    Hugs, Cindy

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  21. That is gorgeous! I love that art work...so unique!!~ Happy Valentines day and thank you for joining me. I am a new friend of yours and would love the same:) This is a weekly party...and you can continue to join in until you no longer are a newbie:)XO

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  22. How lovely! I am a sucker for anything that has a bird motif. Just ask my husband. My "flock" continues to grow as new pieces keep following me home!

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  23. Those are beautiful! I love the birds and the color is perfect! Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my blog and following me along! I am your newest follower!

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  24. If that is just what 'happens' when you bust out the paint & canvases I am beyond impressed! So cute, clever & creative! Love it!

    I will now be scouting out every calendar I com across!

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  25. I have a similar calendar of botanical prints that I framed in a series. I purchased it in January at Borders for like $1-3 !

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How about some comment love! i read them all, Barb