DIY painting for a fraction of the cost

We got a great, new bedding set for a wedding gift and immediately the wheels were turning on how to decorate the wall above the bed. In the past I've done my own paintings for my bedroom, and they've pretty much been the pattern of the comforter. I wanted something different this time.

One day, I stumbled across a painting at Bed Bath and Beyond that would match my bedding perfectly. It reminded me of a painting I had seen in a Instagram photo from The Small Things Blog . The painting was $100 and that might not sound like a lot, but I really love painting and wanted to save my BBB gift cards for something I couldn't create on my own :).

First, I took a picture of the painting in BBB to use as a guide. I was in no way trying to duplicate it exactly, but I wanted it to be the basis for my painting.

I used these materials to begin: a white 16x20 canvas, a paint brush, Basic acrylic paints and a palette.

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Unfortunately, I did not take pictures as I was painting, I just kind of let myself be creative starting with the blue background. I mixed the paints until I got different shades of blue that went with the bedspread without being too "matchy, matchy".  I let the background dry completely for a day before starting the blossoms. The next day, I started the branches and then used whites and yellows and browns for the flowers. And this is what I got!

I spent about $12 total for this project because I had the paint and other supplies and only had to buy a canvas. I had a fun time painting because it is super relaxing. I'm sure you can find many different paintings and do a similar project  as long as  it's a fairly simple concept. I want to eventually take a painting class because the only training I have is high school art class. That being said, I liked the end result! So, from my sleepy cat Leo and me- Happy Painting :)