Wall art...from your own backyard

I really want to have the cutest apartment ever. But having the cutest apartment ever requires money of which is not in our budget and of which I would rather spend on travel or on a date with Benny or giving it away to people who need it more than us. But that still didn't help the fact that I was totally devastated that our beautiful mantle (and above wall) in our family room was unadorned. I didn't want to "just buy something" and the artwork that we own that I do love (all made by our good friend Niky, check out her out here) didn't work above the mantle.



I also really didn't want "clutter" (anyone who has actually been to my apartment won't believe that I don't want/like clutter, but it's true). I don't want to go to Target and buy a picture of turquoise pots that I don't even care about. This other blog that I read, (check it out, it's one of my favorites) posted today on only having things in your home that are personal or functional--cutting down on meaningless, functionless clutter.

Well, in April I was visiting my friend Loren in Philadelphia and she took me to an awesome restaurant (name?) that was in a greenhouse and had it's own florist. Well, part of the decor were these sticks, covered in white lights and framed by copper plumbing. I thought they were SO beautiful. I thought that I could do something similar above our mantle. Well we don't have any outlets that are close by and I found out that copper wiring is very expensive but I was still inspired.



Around our parking lot are lots of trees and therefore also lot's of twigs/branches laying around, just waiting to be chosen for a beloved art project. So one Thursday, before work (and hopefully before my neighbors were awake) I collected a LOT of branches and dragged them up our stairs onto our family room floor, then I was off to work. Benny was very confused when he got home from work, and explaining to him that I was going to make something to go above our mantle did not provide much reassurance.

Well, that weekend, or maybe next, I got to work: sawing four branches to nearly equal size and tying them together at the ends with hemp using a figure eight motion (like you are wrapping a twisted ankle). I then glued a bunch of twinkly beads on the ends with a hot glue gun that don't really twinkle because we don't have the right lighting. BUT, this project was free and I like it and our family room certainly doesn't look boring any more, though I don't know about the cutest apartment ever.





Cheers to your own free home improvement projects!