wall art. for $7/yard

Okay, listen. I know this pic has nothing to do with anything in this post but it is hi.lar.ious. We were downtown two weekends ago when

my sister-in-law was in town and right as we were approaching the Battery, we noticed this window with all of the junk piled in it. I mean, really. Inflatable bowling pins? That is junk. And I thought, "Whoa, if I had an apartment on the Battery, across the street from these mansions, where bajillions of people walk every day, I would at least close the blinds." Then we got closer and saw the label on the box...Pirate Stuff. Classic. I keep thinking about it and it just cracks me up! When I die, I don't want people to come in my house and find a box of pirate stuff. Unless it's with my halloween decorations or something. And I'd at least hide it in the attic.

But I digress. Let's talk about the wonky wall in our living room. The wall opposite of where our couch sits [where the TV goes, duh] is not the same length as the couch wall. Because the fireplace sits at an angle. See?

And so, in addition to horrific lighting in this pic and the lack of any decoration because [insert good excuse here] and the school desk off to the side that is now a nightstand [before and after, coming right up!] and the rug that I decided I don't like, you'll notice that this wall is wonky.

When you're sitting on the couch, you're centered with the TV, but the TV isn't centered with the wall. And if you hang art above the TV and center it on the wall or [over the TV], it looks wonky because it's not centered with the couch wall. And if you hang multiple pictures to take up more space, it still creates a visual center that makes the wall look....? Wonky, yes.

Solution? Something big.

Problem? Big = lots-o-dollars

So after an evening of - literally - staring at a blank wall and discussing our options, we went from "What if we bought a canvas and painted it?" to "What if we made a canvas a painted it, a la David Bromstad?" to "I'm not an artist so what if we covered the canvas with fabric?" to "What if we just built a frame and stretched fabric over it?"

BAMMMMM. A star is born.

We were going to get the lumber for the frame at Habitat, but it's hard to find wood in good shape there. So we headed to Lowes in search of high-quality 2x4's. Trust me - don't buy something that is flawed or warped because it won't hang flat on the wall.

Have your sweetie build the frame [or do it yourself if you're feeling sassy], reinforcing the corners with L-brackets. Like so:

Then bust out your staple gun. Lay the fabric down, place the frame over it and get busy. I found that it was easier to do the middle of each side and then go all the way around because you can stretch it tighter that way. And please, people...iron the fabric first. You cannot iron it after the fact. I may or may not know this from first hand experience.

We drilled some screws in the wall and hung that sucker right on up there.

I'msohappyI'msohappyI'msohappy

I've lusted after this fabric since the day I spotted it in IKEA, but didn't think I'd ever find something to use it on. Oh, but there it is. All beautiful and hanging in my living room. Don't you love it?

And all for about $25. Not too shabby :)