So, I (Kari) have a HUGE project going on right now. A year ago, my husband and I bought an old schoolhouse-turned-home with the plans of fixing it up and living blissfully there for a long, long time. However, life changes. We didn't end up doing the full-scale reno on this place that we had planned and we have decided to sell the place. This was not an easy decision and I will admit that I've had to mourn this "loss" for awhile. However, Robert and I don't know how long we will be in this town, so the idea of pouring our heart and soul into this place didn't make sense if we weren't going to live there to enjoy it longterm. Also, my husband's travel schedule is so crazy right now, and the two of us had to be reasonable about the scope of this project with him on the road so much.
That being said, selling the schoolhouse is gonna be HARD. We love this place. The property is incredible---over an acre with lake access and mature trees in a friendly neighborhood in a great location. The house is incredible---soaring ceilings, windows taller than a grown man, and a view of the Rockies that would make most Coloradans jealous. Original hardwood floors, and lots of space---glorious space. There's also a bonus house on the property that was originally built as the teacherage: it's a two-bedroom, one bathroom little gem with a sunporch that is toasty and wonderful for reading a book even when it's ten degrees outside.
As we approach the date of putting this treasure on the market, we are getting stuff on the walls and furniture in the rooms so that potential buyers can see the potential of the house. It's a big place, so not having furniture in it makes the space seem a little overwhelming and we know that not everyone is able to imagine and mentally space plan.
A couple weeks ago, I had a great week. My parents and Jill spent a week here! A whole glorious week. And, I put them to work. :) My family is a "project family," and for that, I am lucky. We don't sit around and watch TV for too long before getting itchy for a project. So, Dad, Mom, and Jill dove in and helped me move furniture around the schoolhouse and get some projects completed. One of the projects we worked on was an art project---really fun! The schoolhouse has a long hallway downstairs that needed some color and art. Problem is that, with the high ceilings, we had A LOT of wall space to fill in. A LOT. And, if you are an artist, you know that canvases are expensive. I didn't want to spend the money on canvases because I am cheap about stuff like this. So, we built our own canvases:
First, Dad built six frames out of 2x2's from Home Depot. No need to use nice wood for this---scraps would work just fine:
Next, we put the frames on top of painter's drop cloths from Home Depot. The 5 foot square painter's cloths at Home Depot do not have seams running through the middle of them, so they are good for this project. Also, the backs of these painter's drop cloths are coated with a thin layer of plastic, so you don't have to worry about paint seeping through when you are having your artistic moment.
Next, you staple the drop cloth to the frame:
Here's a close up of the corners---it's good to fold the canvas over like this in order to get a clean corner:
Okay, here's the trick to all this: You gotta PULL THAT CANVAS TIGHT. And, when you pull the canvas tight, you run the risk of totally making your frame wonky. As in, not square. So, it's helpful to have two people working on this, like my Dad and Jill are demonstrating here:
In the photo below, you can see that Dad has a white board against the frame as he stapes the canvas to the frame. If you put the board in the corner of the frame, you help keep the frame square as you staple the canvas to the frame. (Also, if you were making these to be a permanent part of your home, it would be wise to cut an additional length of wood to make a brace for the middle of the canvas. Then you wouldn't have to worry as much about the canvas losing its shape).
My dad is so handy and he really made sure these turned out the right way. Thanks, Dad!
Also, keep pulling the canvas tight, tight, tight. That way, the wrinkles will disappear when you are finished.
I was not as good at this whole thing as everyone else as my handy-dandy staple gun was missing until AFTER we were finished. See, my hands are too small for a normal staple gun and I look really lame trying to make one work. My staples were all halfway in, and Jill was mocking me. My personal staple gun is smaller and when I have it in hand, I have mad stapling skills. Just sayin'.
Tada! Here's the finished product. Not too bad, right?
Then came the fun part---the painting! Mom, Jill, and I all got to work. We decided to all paint flowers in vessels as the plan was to put these on the wall as a kind of "series." Dad supervised and then was sweet enough to cook us dinner while we worked. It was very, very fun.
And here the hallway is, brightened up by some custom art! The paintings made a huge difference in the hallway. The colors are fun and cheery, which is just what the space needed:
We had such a fun time giggling over our paintings (there was spilled paint AND spilled wine in the process), that we think this would actually be a really great activity to do with a bunch of girlfriends. The canvases cost less than $10 each, so it's a pretty cost-effective project. The three of us agreed that sometime soon, we'd like to have a Girls Night where we paint our homemade canvases over cheese, chocolate, and wine.
A HUGE thank you to Dad, Mom, and Jill for helping with this fun project. Oh, and I miss each of you already. :)
