How to: chevron artwork

Monday, I posted my 97% finished bedroom, including some chevron artwork above my headboard. It filled the empty space, added another layer of subtle pattern and allowed me to distribute some more yellow around the rest of the room. Turns out the project wasn't exactly as easy as I thought it would be but pretty simple nonetheless. Put simply, the more perfectionist you are about it, the longer it will take to complete. Ugh.

Anyway, here's how I did it.

Materials
Two 18"x24" canvas boards
Three bottles of acrylic craft paint in your choice of colors
Level
Pencil
A good, sturdy eraser

NOTE: I ended up using a 2-pack of canvas boards purchased at Michaels. If you go that route, make sure to print off the 40% off coupon from their site, making the total project cost $11.

Step One: measure and grid
Dust off your math skills and bear with me because this part's a little hard to explain. Stand up your canvases so they 24" tall, 18" wide. Then, using your pencil and level, make horizontal lines that are 4" apart. You should have 5 lines, 6 spaces. Then, flip the canvases on their sides so that they are 18" tall, 24" wide and make horizontal lines that are 3" apart. You should have 5 lines, 6 spaces, creating a grid-like pattern on each of the canvases.

Make sense?

For those that want thinner or taller chevrons, you'll need to either increase or decrease the number of lines depending on the desired outcomes (read: do more math).

Step Two: draw the diagonals
Now that you've created a grid, you're ready to build your chevrons. Starting at the top left corner, make a diagonal line across the first rectangle. Move to the next rectangle and, starting where the first horizontal line left off, draw a second diagonal line going the opposite direction in a zigzag fashion. Continue doing this across the entire canvas, move to the next row of rectangles and repeat.

Step Three: start painting

To avoid confusion, start painting with one of your colors, marking which ones to paint ahead of time. Apply 2-3 coats and let dry. Then, move onto your next color, leaving one stripe unfinished for your final color.

Putting off the chevron.

This was supposed to be a post about my newly finished artwork for above my bed. But instead of finishing it, I decided to head to my local watering hole and made absolutely zero progress. Ugh.

Dying to know what I'm talking about? Well here's a hint and hopefully some inspiration to tackle - and actually complete - a similar project of your own.

made by girl

mrs. eliot books

sugarbee crafts

aesthetic outburst

apartment therapy

apartment therapy

pinterest

chapman interiors

An entryway with a side of yawn.

The more I stare at my front door, the more I realize how badly I am in the market for a rug. As mentioned in an earlier post, although extremely important for setting the overall tone, entryways are often overlooked when decorating your space. And, in my case, there are plenty of other things I'd like to do to my space that the entryway continues to fall to the bottom of the list.

With such a small area of rented space, I am really limited in what I am able to do/put to help make an impact. I am looking to eventually refinish the light blue barrel I got from my grandma (stay tuned for that later) and adding a few more hooks to fill out the wall a little bit more, allowing more space for guests' jackets. The only other space available to make an impact is the floor. Hence the rug. And with all of the salt being tracked in these days, I couldn't get one soon enough.

DIY: As always, I am light on funds and have not come across a rug I simply had to have. Liking the look of the woven rugs along with the ability to choose my own fabric, I started taking a look at some DIY options. I came across a no-sew option that looked kind of interesting, a crochet tutorial which would add a significant amount of texture and a simple braided rug that could do the trick just the same. I wonder if I could braid into a chevron pattern, forcing the shape by sewing together...

Here are some lovely inspirational rugs - all the wrong colors of course - courtesy of the love collage. These are a little more unique from the typical chevron pattern of white + color block which can add more depth and drama to a space without being too over the top. A simple, chic, soon to be classic.