April 25, 2011

DIY Kid's Bathroom Art

Colton's bathroom has given been a problem decorating area for me ever since we moved into this house.  I want the bathroom to be young and fun (he is a one year old afterall), but it is also used frequently when guests are over, so I still want it to look classy.  I have tossed around several different art ideas, but think I may have finally landed on something.  This was my Land of Nod inspiration:                                  Wash Your Hands Wall Art
I was instantly inspired by the idea of using words, instead of pictures, to decorate Colton's bathroom.  But what words to use?  As I was giving Colton a bath one night, we were busy singing (well, I was singing, he was splashing) "Splish, Splash...I Was Taking a Bath" when it struck me.  Of course, the entire song was too long, but a simple "splish" and "splash" would work perfectly with the two frames I already had flanking my Sunburst mirror:



This past weekend, Colton and I were hitting up our local AC Moore.  We tend to go there often, and I had searched a few times for letters that would work for this project and others. Most of the letters I found, though, were too boxy, or scripty, or big, or small...you get the idea.  But this weekend, I stumbled upon some Dr. Seuss letters in the teacher section on sale (since Dr. Suess Day was almost two months ago) for $2!!!! AAAAAHHHH...I can't believe how excited I got over these darn letters, but needless to say, I scooped them up, hurried home, and got started.
First I rounded up my supplies:
  • 2 matted frames (mine were 16 x 20)
  • acrylic paint (I used turquoise)
  • white cardstock...2 pieces
  • the Dr. Seuss letters for tracing
  • pencil
  • ruler for a nice straight line
  • glue






After gathering, I got to work painting.  As you can see from the above photos, I just painted right on the cardboard that comes in the frames.  I needed three coats of paint to get full coverage.  In between each coat, it took about 15 minutes to dry. 
While the paint was drying, I got to work tracing my letters on to the white cardstock:


Once the paint was completely dry and the letters were all cut out, I used my ruler to line "splish" up at the top of the first frame and "splash" at the bottom.  Here's a picture of my work in progress:


After letting the glue dry for a bit, I put the cardboard back in the frames, hung those suckers back on the wall, and this is what Colton's bathroom wall looks like now:

I'm pretty pleased with it, especially considering my grand cost for the project was a whopping $4 for the Dr. Seuss letters (which I think I will use over and over again) and some cardstock!  Plus, this took all of about an hour and most of that was just drying time.  I also love how adaptable it would be to any room and theme. 
So, tell me what you think.  I'd love to hear from you:)
And for even more fun redo ideas, go check out Metamorphosis Monday


7 comments:

  1. That is so adorable! It's such great bathroom decor! So cute!

    Simply Kate

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  2. Love your take on the original idea. I am wanting to do the same thing in my kids' bathroom I just haven't come up with anything more creative than the original artwork! LOL!

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  3. Saying hi from Mingle Monday! I love that idea-- so cute and easy!! can't wait to see your other DIY ideas as I will be decorating my new apartment this summer!

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  4. Love those Seuss shaped letters. What a cute (and inexpensive) makeover!! I would love it if you would link this project up to my blog party, A Marvelous Mess....each week I pick one project to feature on my side bar!! Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/3chfp5t

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  5. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog earlier! I actually had already stopped by yours early today but didn't have time to leave a comment. I love these paintings! Gosh, I even liked it when it was just the paint and and swirls. Great job! I'll be sure to stop by again!

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  6. Those are so cute! I actually like them a lot better than The Land of Nod art! Fabulous!

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