Monet Inspired Decor

On a recent trip to Michaels, I found a beautiful wooden wall hanging for $2. I had no idea what to do with it, but for just $2 I’d figure that out later. Well I took it home and thought about it for a while. I considered glittering it, but that always seems so messy and it feels like everything is glittered now. I wanted something that was colorful, but simple too. I was sitting at the kitchen table with the kiddos while they were eating a snack and I looked up at the copy of Monet’s “Bordighera, 1884” we have hanging in our kitchen. I love the way the colors just seem to dance together to create something so beautiful. I found my inspiration!

I started digging through my scrapbook paper and punches and I found some papers that looked really good together. I also found some Martha Stewart flower punches that I used for a previous project and I thought these would work perfectly. (Don’t forget the mod podge and an x-acto knife!)

I punched out lots and lots of flowers. I started covering the heart with the large flowers using mod podge. (Simply brush the wood with the mod podge, add your paper flower, then brush again with the mod podge and repeat. Don’t worry about the flowers hanging over the edges. We’ll fix that later.) I moved on to the medium sized flowers and then finished it with small flowers all over.

As I was covering the heart, I kept thinking of my trip France when I was 16 and how I’d love to take my children to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris when they’re a bit older. (By the way, if you’re ever in Paris, this is the museum too see. Yes, the Musée du Louvre is amazing, but I loved the Musée d’Orsay. It’s quieter than the Musée du Louvre and filled with Impressionist artwork.)

Don’t forget to brush the whole surface with mod podge making sure you got everything and allow to dry.

Turn it over and using an x-acto knife, cut off the excess flowers.

Here’s some close up views of the flowers. It reminds me of the colors in Monet’s Haystacks at sunset. I finished it off with a little bit of cream paint on the back and a thin pick ribbon to hang it. I hope Monet can inspire you too!