Monday, June 27, 2011

The Writing is on the Wall!

At any given time there are at least 3,895,624 design ideas swirling around in my brain (which definitely more of a left brain than a right)!  A couple of these ideas get stalled around in the forefront and I can't take my mind off of them until I put it to use in some way.  One of these ideas that's been hanging out for over a year now is the Subway Sign.  I saw an actual salvaged sign-turned-wall art online in a high end home photographed more than a year ago...before the idea got widely exploited and all sorts of 'crafty' versions..ahem..'family rule' types, etc...hit the blogosphere.  I mean I would hate to be accused of jumping on some sort of bandwagon or something!! :)  Here are a couple pics I've found during the last year which have furthered my obsession with this wall art (unfortunately, I've searched high and low and cannot relocate the original 'love at first sight' photo).  

 Anyway, I love this idea most because I'm mildly obsessed with vintage/salvaged finds and 'type art' (aka. Typography).  So right after moving into our new Colorado home, I spotted this very tall and skinny wall begging for something interesting and eye-catching on it.  This wall is the one that typically is forgotten due to it's narrow-ness and height, but for me it's the first one I can't wait to decorate.  And right when I saw it the idea hit me like an actual subway train..this is the PERFECT subway sign wall!!!  With that idea quickly and easily decided on, I didn't spare a 'New York minute' getting to work on this thing.  With my always "More is more" mentality, I thought that I would do without the canvas, frame, and all else that would make this an official wall art piece, instead I decided that the wall itself would be my sign.

With a little paint, tape, ruler, pencil, and A LOT of time working on it (this wall is 12feet tall..ugh), I'm pretty happy with the turnout:


Since I can't leave well enough alone, so I vintaged the thing up with a little glazing and sand distressing, giving it that time-worn look that I'm also equally obsessed with.  Oh yeah, I went about this wearing process a little unconventional also because that's pretty much how I roll with everything in life.  I used very dark brewed coffee as my glaze stain.  It's pretty much what to do when you're totally 'over' going to the store for last minute stuff you forgot to get the first 10 times you were there earlier, AND you need a little caffeine pick-me-up because you've been up all night free-handing tons of letters on a WAY too tall wall!  From a aesthetic perspective, coffee gives some things a more authentic color of aging (this really is the truth and can be your cover for when you tell people that's what you did and why;) ).

This isn't the only project in my new very white house that's been in the works.  I like to randomly start several things kind of at once, so that it keeps me from getting to tired of doing one thing...AND because they will all simultaneously finish up at about the same time.  It feels sooooo much more productive and makes finishing something that much more rewarding!  I don't recommend this for everyone, it has the potential to drive someone crazy, but if you are already crazy like I am, definitely give this method a try!  My husband is just a spectator to this makeover madness and it totally drives him nuts!  So, with all that being said... stay tuned for a lot more redesign reveals to come!

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