bedroom makeover

Two years ago I decided to paint a giant black and white flower mural on our bedroom wall. It was a really fun project and a SUPER cheap way to transform our bedroom (and our co-sleeping arrangement) into something pretty! Recently I got that old familiar "itch" that I get from time to time- the desire to paint over the wall and update the room.


While I LOVED the back and white wall, for me, creativity (even painting giant walls) is more about the journey than the destination. Oddly, I never get that attached to the things I make, it's more about the moment when inspiration hits and I just need to get my ideas out. It truly is ALL about love and passion for the creative process.


It's been super fun living with the painted wall and I have lots of photos to capture the magic and fun of Lucy playing, reading, and snuggling beneath that wall but I love change (especially with decor) even more! This last weekend I FINALLY had some time in my schedule to paint a new mural. And this time around, I wanted flowers again but I wanted BIG color and LOTS of it! Here is a peek into the process:

Since I wanted lots of color, I decided to treat the wall the same way that I treat my canvas painting- I start with lots of messy color and then I add layers to the top. I purchased a few of quarts of paint and gathered more paint from my stash.

I used rollers and large brushes to get that first layer of color down and the old mural covered up.

Once the color was dry, I used a small brush and black paint to outline all of my flowers. I am most comfortable "free handing" this process- this means no planning, no pencil outlines and definitely no tracing. I typically keep photos of flowers on hand to use for reference but for me, I really enjoy a more relaxed way of creating because I am able to change and alter things as I go.

Once I had my flowers outlined, I began filling them with color. This process takes the longest. The wall is huge which means there is a lot of surface area to fill. The wall also has texture on it which makes painting a little challenging. I worked my way across the wall outlining flowers and filling them with bright contrasting color. I also chose not fill certain areas with color and let that first layer of color show through.

The entire process took about a day complete (on and off painting throughout the day and then drying for a couple of days with no furniture). 

I am totally in love with the end result! I love this wall so much! And while I know the color, pattern and CRAZINESS of this room is not for everyone, it makes me smile because it truly feels like I am inside of a painting.

I also love that for about $40.00 in paint and moving furniture around (free), I was able to totally transform our bedroom into something new!

So there you have it folks! With a little paint and creativity you can transform just about anything!

Ok random stuff for those who will ask:

The wall measures 8 x 12 feet

We used to have a king bed and a full bed pushed together to make one large bed. Now we have just the king bed.

I did not use black pen on the wall for the details and fine lines because a.) our wall has texture and pen just doesn't work well b.) I've found that back pen is really hard to cover up if you decide to paint over it. If and when I decide to paint over the wall (yes it will happen) I know that it's WAY easier to cover up black paint then black permanent pen.

Head on over HERE for some of the best tips I can give for painting big

I also have an online class called Larger Than Life that is a great introduction to getting started creating big!