“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
-Thomas Merton
I finally hung those old paint-by-number paintings up this weekend. I clamped them inside two vintage pants hangers in the laundry nook, in the hallway upstairs. I figured anything hanging from a vintage pants hanger would fit in just fine in a laundry area, ya know?
I pass by them at least a half a dozen times a day now, and I love getting lost and found in them as I make my way through the hall.
Meet Persimmon:
I found both the paintings and the hangers on Etsy. It’s my favorite (online) place to search for pieces to personalize our home.
As for that armoire I started painting last week…gosh, did that buffalo check give me fits! I’ve never been so mad at a pattern before. 😉 I had been concerned, going into the project, that some of the paint would bleed underneath the painters tape, and it did. Even though I sealed the edges of it with a clear glaze first. Grrrr. And, of course, the whole mess just got worse when I tried to fix it. Grrrrr.
But ya know what? I didn’t really *love* the buffalo check anyway. I’m serious. Whenever I stood back and looked at it (so that I could barely see my crazy checks), it seemed to compete with the sunflower tile in our kitchen:
I wanted the tile to “win”, so here’s what I did yesterday: I covered the buffalo-checked areas with beadboard wallpaper. It’s got ridges, just like real beadboard, and when you apply it to wood (and paint it), it look and feels just like real beadboard paneling. My favorite part? The fact that I can stand right next to it and the pattern doesn’t make me mad. 😉
I’m doing a little decorating in there today (Kevin had the best idea about how to accessorize the side of the armoire!), and I’ll be back with some “after” pics on Wednesday. Headed to bed for a good long read…happy first week of May!
That tile–it’s gorgeous! I’d want it to “win” too!! Plus I’m a sucker for headboard. Can’t wait to see it! 🙂
drat. i can’t stand when the paint bleeds under the tape. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
i have a feeling i am going to love your fix. looking forward to the reveal!
happy reading…
I LOVE the way you chose to hang your paint by number pictures!
I love those paint by numbers so much! They are perfect in that spot. 🙂 Where did you buy the beadboard wallpaper and what brand did you get? I’ve been thinking about using it in our house, but I’m a little chicken. 😉
too cute .brings back memories when I used to do the old paint by number kits .I remember painting many a horse.hoe fun:)
Do the hangers that you bought on Etsy, by any chance, have a stamp or manufacturer name on them? It seems there were multiple manufacturers and at least two styles. I like the simpler ones that you purchased but I have only ever found the clamp style.
The pictures look great. Your house is so inspiring.
NOTHING makes a better subject for paint by-number than a horse.’
I also love the hydrangeas. Mine aren’t out yet.
Kathy Bailey
Hi Layla….love the pics…and the hanger idea! Can I ask where you bought the brackets you have under your reclaimed wood shelving? I want to do something similar in my kitchen. Thanks!
Hi Julie!
I got those at Home Depot. Seems like they were around $8 a piece.
🙂
I love the placement of those paint by numbers! Your laundry area is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. It is great to see you take your time to figure out what a space needs. You make me think differently about things and that’s such a good thing – being outside the box! 🙂
Love those paint by number pics and the hangers. They are perfect! I used to love paint by numbers when I was a kid, thanks for bringing back a nice memory to me!
Hi Y’all. I love you house and your blog and your ideas. SO creative! I wanted to ask you a question about the Pie sign on this post. First let me say I have an OLD house. The original kitchen cabinets had glass doors. 3 of them. We recently redid the kitchen and I just wanted to save those doors. The glass man said the glass was original to the house. It is very wavy. So my idea is to make a sign that says Bake Shop to put on one of the doors horizontally and hang it above the 3 kitchen windows above the sink. We have 9 feet walls so there is room. My question is: are those vinyl letters that you stuck on yourself? If so are they reverse or on the front? That is how I am going to go–vinyl but I was just wondering. Thanks for your time. Marilyn
I still have the horse head paint by number that my mother painted years ago, and I painted the two horses above when I was a teenager. I wish I still had them. Not sure how I managed to hang on to my mom’s painting and not my own.
What a great way to display them. I’ve never had my mom’s out because I’ve just never quite known how to go about it without the possibility of damage. Thanks for the idea. 🙂
I just added a colorful vintage pbn next to our bedroom nightstand for a bit of whimsy and a pop of color! I’ve been holding onto it for so long but I painted our nightstand too and now the corner is a complete transformation.
Where did you get the shelf brackets? I’ve been on the hunt for months and can’t find these anywhere…