what a hoot! i painted my first mural

I love painting. When I was in college, during one of my breaks, I painted my bedroom at home a limey-minty green color. (My Mom wasn't too fond of it at first, but I think she's grown to like it. She hasn't painted over it yet, anyway!) Since then, I've painted many a room, and absolutely LOVE choosing colors and decor. I probably don't need to mention that my life is crazy busy and it takes me FOREVER to finish a room, but that's besides the point. :)

Last week, I painted my first mural! I decided on a whim that I wanted to do something fun in my daughters' bedroom. The walls are aqua (Ocean Whisper, to be exact -- and my husband says there is no whisper about it!). The theme is sort of gardeny, with flowers and butterflies. So I decided to go with the current trend and paint an owl! He's lovely, sitting on a branch, and the leaves are my absolute favorite. Don't you think he's just adorable?



Okay, so he's a little huge. But I like a statement. Hello, I painted a whole bedroom AQUA!

Every paint color I used was something I already had stashed in my closet downstairs. The owl and branches are "Dark Granite", the leaves are "Sprig of Ivy," and the claws, beak, and whites of the eyes are colors I used in our master bath redo. So this project was definitely cheap! The only thing I had to spend was time. It took me about five hours, because I had to do two or three coats, depending on the color.

See how it goes with the garden theme?


(Don't mind the crooked white flower. The toddler decided to rip it off the wall... a second time.)

And here is the cute little (*ahem* big) guy through the little window from the hallway. We get to see it each time we walk past. This is one of my favorite features of our house. It is a genius idea for a nursery!



And one last look...



In the future, I might add some sort of scripty lettering that says something like "Owl love you forever." Wouldn't that be sweet?