Stick Art

For the longest time (ok 3 years or so) I've wanted art to put over our bed. We have a king size bed and any art that would look decent behind it was WAY over my budget. I have spotted pieces at art shows and furniture stores and yes, even Ikea...and I always hmmm'd and hawwww'd and then would walk away knowing my budget couldn't take that kind of hit for something only T & I (well, really only I) would care about.

Then one random day while browsing Pinterest. I came across what I call 'Stick Art'. I loved it, well with the exception of the tacky frame. I loved that it brought part of nature inside and could be made relatively cheap.

See Pin HERE.

Off I went to Ikea to find a frame for over my bed, you know thinking Ikea would be cheap. Wrong, well right kinda - I spent $50 on the frame.

Next I thought I'd venture out into the woods and find some sticks. Easy enough, there is a ravine behind my house - but there are snakes in that ravine. Plus, what am I going to do with G while I find sticks? The ravine is not stroller friendly. I could wear him but the constant bending would be a nightmare and well my baby monitor does not go that far if I wanted to venture while he was napping. So abort plan venture into the woods.

Then while sitting eating dinner I spot my tin bin of gathered sticks, ironically also from Ikea bought a long time ago. I wasn't going to miss a few of those from the gathering so I yanked a few out and chopped them up.

Putting together this art was a nightmare - because I'm indecisive and clearly not a forward thinker when it comes to working with sticks. First to mat or not to mat? Then to place backing or leave wall color? Then a million little bits of stick stick to the plastic etc. A trip to the dollar store provided me with cheap backing (bristol board) and I thought I was finally done.

Wrong. I had tossed the hanging equipment that had come with the frame, and with the sticks not being flat the backing and hanging was getting akward. There is always a time for duct tape my friends!! I duct taped the back on, then drilled screws into the frame and hung with some sort of plastic wiring.

And TAAAAA-DAAAAAA done.

Here is the stick art in our living room. It looks much better in our bedroom, but T is sleeping in our bedroom right now and would not take well to being woken for a picture of my art.

So all in all, this could have been done cheaper IF I had found a frame at a yard sale, but ain't nobody got time for that.

Sorry EVERY time I use that phrase lately I think of this and die laughing.