My Favorite DIY

16 months from the day that Bryan and I got engaged we knocked a lot of "firsts" off of our list. Bryan moved to Minnesota and began a new job, we rented our first place together, married & honeymooned, got pregnant, bought a house, moved into and painted our home, and to wrap things up...became a family of three by welcoming our sweet girl into the world.  All of this to say, my decorating budget was non existent.  

So since owning a home, decorating and filling it has been about 95% time and 5% money.  I enjoy making something of my own but more often than not, my DIY's come about because I want something but don't want to spend the money on it. My "projects" as Bryan likes to refer to them as, have a success rate of around 50%. But every once in a while I complete a project that beats my expectations. I prefer to call them "gems". 

My most favorite DIY to date, and a "gem" by my definition, is the end of our hallway. Check it out:

 

 I love rounding the corner at the top of the stairs and seeing some herringbone + a pop of color.

 Of course I didn't take any progress pictures, but I painted using the two shades of gray that we already had on hand. I simply taped two stripes down the wall, then several small strips in each column. I cut a piece of paper to create the angle that I wanted, and relined it up each time I went to add a piece of tape.  I love the look of the uneven spacing between the stripes, in a sense it makes the wall seem more natural. Herringbone has always caught my eye, for some reason it reminds me of a tree. And I love my trees.

The phrase "wear out the words I love you" is from the lyrics of Bryan and I's wedding song. I find myself reading the phrase, humming the song, and taking myself back to that special day. It is absolutely lovely.

So there you have it!  A simple and successful DIY from the house of the Pearsons. Now I've got the itch to paint something...I'm thinking maybe the bathroom cabinet?