Big mural wall is DONE, here is how...

My "Ode to Peonies and Girly Stuff" is done.  This went so fast because of the fact I overscaled it.  Less branches that way... I would be here for a week if I went the traditional route.  I also like my tradition a bit funky, so bigger was better in my case...

Many of you asked for a tutorial, and I am going to try my best. 

Some painting skills are necessary here, but overconfidence can work too.

I am a big believer in mindset, and if you think you can do it you can.  Really!

So here goes.  Here was the before. Wallpaper.  I'm impatient, so I just painted right over it.

No primer either. Bad Danika, I know. I am not a good role model because I suck at following rules.

But guess what? It worked!

Next I sketched out a design.  Go google your inspiration if you need to.

Next I sketched it freehand on the wall. If you are anal, make a grid.

I filled the branches in with a pale gray... you can do brown, whatever floats your boat.

I outlined the branches in a darker gray, and I used a wiggly hand for this to make the bark look rough.

Then I added leaves with a medium green, and filled the flower shapes with a light pink or white...

Once you get this far it is time to add details.  To do flowers first fill entire area with light pink...

Next brush in a darker pink for shadows...

Using a very light pink, add highlights and define the petals.

I suggest using some images of peonies for this. 

Keep adding until you are done and you have left enough shadow to create definition...

Next for a bird...

Sketch it in and then fill with the main colors, don't worry about making it perfect. You just want to lay color in. You will add highlights and details later.

 Add lighter tones on top to pick out the details...

And finally use a fine brush and some black to outline final details...

Add a lighter green to the leaves for highlights and then some darker for veins.

I also outlined my flowers to tie them into the rest of the mural, and added a bit more dark pink to the peonies.

 That is the best I can do for a tutorial.  Hope it helps and inspires!

xo Danika

Maze Craze-Idea for Kid's Room Wall Design

I have one kid that loves to do mazes, so when I was designing their bedroom I originally was going to paint one wall a giant maze with navy chalkboard paint and white paint (and lots of blue painters tape).  It would have looked someting like this...

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My design for their room has changed, but I still love this idea.

Just think of the minutes of entertainment it could provide (I say minutes because my kids rarely stay still for more than an hour).

Mazes give you a great graphic punch and pattern, and can almost be done to resemble wallpaper. I found a site full of free maze patterns here.

Now just picture them in color..

These would also make cool patterns for rugs, tabletops, floors...

The possibilities are endless.

Flower power

I saw the above peony mural in this months Martha Stewart, and I liked the giant scale and the simplicity of just one big flower. I was amazed to learn this was a vinyl stick-on mural you could buy from Murals Your Way for $11 a square foot.  (30% discount if you use  code MARTHA)

The actual artwork is by talented artist Eric Beare.

I also found this giant yellow peony...

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I'm not naturally a florally person, but at supersized proportions I really like it.

Check out this wall...

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Bold, not a cutesy floral in any way.