Make-it: DIY Ombre Geometric Wall Art

Hi Lovelies,

So today’s post – it’s half trip down memory lane and half tutorial. Some things seriously never change – for example, as I write this – I’m sitting here watching ‘Power Rangers’. Before you ask, no – there aren’t even any kids around. If you’re looking for a little nostalgia, you can click below before I continue – after all, what’s the point in writing this if I don’t set the mood first, lol.

I know people are always quick to say which ranger is their favorite, but the truth of the matter is that I don’t have one. For whatever reason, in movies and shows, I almost always identify with the villain. I’m not sure why this is. I guess there’s something enviable about them – they’re dynamic, they go after what they want, and they usually have some kind of cool superpower to boot. Maybe I just like a good underdog story. It’s like I’m almost able to completely overlook the fact that they’re trying to take over the world. But that’s the great thing about the world of fiction – it’s not real. These aren’t real-life villains doing terrible things.

I think the internet is a great tool. There are so many things to learn that you never could have known before. After all, knowledge is power, right? But, it’s no secret that everything that glitters may not be gold. Things you see on Pinterest may or may not be realistic when the average person attempts them (we’ll get to that later). Even when you see pictures on this blog – there’s always more to the story. For example? The recent name change, “The Mud Room”. Sure, I wanted to expand a little bit. I want to include more recipes and crafty things on the blog and thought the additional separation would help things. Art class was my jam back in elementary school. But to me, a mud room isn’t just a room in your house that you kick off those gross boots you’ve been wearing on a rainy day – I actually don’t even have one of those. Actually, I’m talking about my “craft room” in the basement – essentially a small closet. Every time it rains, the basement leaks. When it rains hard, water floods in and the pump can’t keep up with it. The current record stands at 8 inches of water in my house. When I can finally get it pumped back out, there’s layers of sediment that sits on the floor – up to an inch deep in some places. Last spring, it rained so hard that the house began  to rise from it’s foundation. I woke to the sound of cracking that sounded as if the house was being ransacked by a burglar. I grabbed a baseball bat that I keep near my bed (as you do) and went out expecting the worst. I started to wonder if my house was suddenly haunted, lol – seriously! As it turns out, the rising water had caused the walls and ceilings in my house to start cracking. With the noise not ceasing, I decided to get dressed and go sit in my car until it stopped. Imagine my surprise when I found that the house had shifted so much that I was unable to open the door to leave. Just another day, right?

It’s no different when I create YouTube videos (which I’m really trying to make better, hehe). When you see a video that only has music, that usually means one thing – neighbors. I check the crime report pretty frequently, and I’m never surprised by what I see. The things I hear on a regular basis aren’t things you’d ever want your kids to repeat. Right now (keep in mind I’m drafting this at 3:45AM to go live tomorrow morning) the people across the street are blasting party music – it’s Wednesday – why shouldn’t it be a party? It’s not like anyone has work, or that their kids have to be at school in the morning (this is sarcasm, folks).  The same neighbors also have this really innovative method of garbage disposal. You see, instead of getting up and throwing things away in a garbage can and paying for garbage service – it turns out, it’s really more effective to just open your bedroom window, and throw all of your trash out from the second story. This way, it collects in a nice pile o’ trash that will eventually blow into everyone else’s yard. As a side note, you’d be really surprised what can fit out a window these days – even an old futon couch – really impressive. UPDATE: As of this post going live, I’m happy to report that you can also throw kitchen chairs out the window rather easily! You live, you learn – right? Lots of really great memories made here. I’ll tell you guys about the busted cocaine dealer who ran a daycare and a guy breaking in my hoophouse, hoping I was growing marijuana (spoiler alert: I wasn’t, duh!), some other time if you’d like to hear them.

This is all just my long-winded way of saying that things are never perfect. We all have “roots”. We all come from different places, and my experience isn’t the same as yours. We may be similar, but there’s always something that we can learn from each other. I don’t ever want to lose sight of that. You may wonder what fueled that rant and, of course, it was social media. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s so easy for reality to get distorted, and I almost always fall for it. I daydream about when I really will have a legitimate “farm” and not just a series of tiny yards in the city with flowers tucked in every single corner. I compare when I shouldn’t. I envy the “perfect”. I wish I had more. But the truth is, what I have IS enough. This is me, and whatever I become in the future doesn’t change where I came from – and I always hope that it doesn’t ever make me forget who I really am. I really hope that made sense – it’s late. I’m sorry.

Let’s get on to what I made this week:

Project Precautions – Don’t use toilet paper rolls (I guess you can, I just don’t like saving things from the bathroom. Then again, I’m a little obsessive – so, you do you.), Be careful with scissors! Don’t get paint on yourself! Don’t accidentally glue your fingers together. Don’t eat the glue – I know school glue usually says, “non-toxic” but it’s really just not a good idea. Also, don’t ever eat the paint either, btw.

What do I need? Tons of paper rolls, scissors, glue, paint.

Okay folks, gather round – it’s time for some 3rd grade style arts and crafts! So I saw this on Pinterest and got all “inspired.” Since I just ranted about my “roots”, I’ll tie the two together. I’m always looking to do things “on the cheap”. Let’s just be honest here, a $10k wall of flowers isn’t ever going to be in my budget. However, I do have lots of used paper towel rolls – so let’s put those bad boys to use! A way to make cheap backdrops is a question that I get pretty frequently. Seems that everyone wants a photo backdrop, or something to put behind a buffet table at a party. Heck, this project would probably be perfect for giving a kid’s room or dorm room a new look. Basic, cheap, and easy to throw away if you don’t like it – this project has my name written all over it!

Well here it is – the verdict. This one was a lot easier said than done. First off, let me throw out a few disclaimers. 1) I couldn’t find my hot glue gun. I used school glue; this could have been the reason why it was a major pain in the hind-quarters. However, the school glue did work. 2) I used acrylic paint. There’s snow on the ground, and it’s 10F. I’m not going outside to spray paint – plain and simple. The finish was streaky. I don’t think this would have happened with spray paint. 3) Turns out there’s no “industry standard” for paper towel rolls. Some are larger than others. If you commit to this project, you’ll also need to commit to only buying one specific brand of paper towels for the next few months.

What do you think? Is this something you’d ever try? Have an idea to make this better? Leave it in the comments below! As always check out the video and what watch me make this mess in real life! Hooray! Hope you’re having a great day, much love!