Introducing :: Petals and Farmhouse Windows
23 May
This project is one of the very first crafty DIY household projects I’ve created. At least 10 years ago, I was visiting my parents one weekend when my mom and I had the impulse to do something “crafty”.
So we drove to Michael’s late one night and picked up heavy mat board that was at least 1/4″ (so that it could hold the flower weight). Then we and hustled back to my parent’s house to get working. We only need mat boards because my mom has a library of craft supplies that would make Martha Stewart jealous. She dries and collects flowers and has an entire room of dried flowers. An entire room. No joke. Some are organized in boxes and others are hung in sweater hangers for easy access.
My mom also has a bunch of farmhouse windows. It is a long story as to how she got them but the short version is that someone was getting rid of hundreds of them and my mom had the foresight to run over and pick up as many as she could. At the time, everyone protested…No, mom…that’s junk! What on earth are you going to do with old windows?!?!
Well good thing she didn’t listen because her farmhouse windows and dried flower collection helped create this picture.
The colors of some of the dried flowers have faded over time but most of the colors are still vibrant. It is surprising how well it has held up over the years. Some flowers have flaked to the bottom of the frame but most have held their form.
It is interesting how some have changed colors. The yellow-orange colored flower third from the left used to be bright fuschia.
I don’t have any “before” or “how to” pictures because I had no idea 10 years ago I would ever have a blog. Did blogs even exist that long ago? :)
Making this was very easy. All we did was use two light colored acrylic paints to paint a background and cover up the severe bright white colored mat board. We dry brushed paint in circles to create a billowy cloud like effect.
Then it was hot glue time. We hot glued like crazy and invented our own flowers. The flowers you see here have been pieced together to make new large flowers. For example the large yellow-orange flower I referred to earlier was actually a bunch of little flowers that were molded into a large oval shape. The stem was created by glueing small leaves together.
It took hours to glue the flowers but we had fun at it while sipping my mom’s famous hot cafe lattes and watching movies. It was a night to remember – nothing like making crafts with my mom! How I wish we lived in the same state so that we could spend more time together…
After hot glueing all the flowers we stapled the mat board to the back of the window frame. The window frame didn’t need any artist work. It was already beautiful and rustic since the original paint had weather away naturally.
This was the picture I created. My mom also created her own. I don’t have a picture of hers…it was very different but quite pretty. Maybe one of these days I can find a picture of it and share it.
I almost threw this picture out when I cleaned out our storage unit but I am so glad I kept it because now that I see it in my new house, it might fit well into the office I am going to create.
What do you think? Do you like it?
Check out these fun blogs for amazing inspiration!
Between Naps on the Porch, DIY Showoff, Domestically Speaking, Finding Fabulous, Funky Junk Interiors, House of Hepworths, Miss Mustard Seed, My Backyard Eden, Perfectly Imperfect, Primitive & Proper, Remodelaholic, SAS Interiors, Shabby Nest, Whipperberry, Today’s Creative Blog, The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Some Day Crafts, Eisy Morgan, Green Door Designs, At Home with K, Home Stories A2Z
Love this….so calming, personal, and pretty. Love it!
I love it! I’m trying to fill our new house with warm, earthy and organic decor. I absolutely love all the creative things you can do with an old window pane and you’re right, those flowers have held up amazingly!
love this idea!!! it is so colorful and eclectic!
So cute, amazing idea…looks fab! Thanks for linking up!
This is beautiful. I’ve always wanted to do this with an old window, but never have! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com. Grab my “featured” button.
this is amazing! really timeless. It still looks great after all this time- I never would have guessed. Great use of the flowers and I love that you painted the mat board. Lucky you for having a mom with all the fun goods
thanks for linking this up!
It’s so charming and such a classic piece of beautiful art!! I love it~ great idea! Thanks for sharing this at FNF! Have a great Weekend!
So beautiful! I love the natural element of the dried flowers with the weathered look of the window… awesome!
Thanks, I love it too! I am so glad I didn’t give it away after I found it in storage. It fits perfect in my new house!
Very pretty & creative! Love the texture of the flowers. Your mom had great foresight to pick up all those windows!
Thanks! I am glad she did also!! Too bad we both live in different states now because I sure would like to get my hands on some more of her windows!
Love it, but how does she dry flowers? I really would like to know.
Dixie, her drying process is pretty simple. My mom gathers a few flowers together with a rubber band and hangs upside down on clothes hangers in a dark dry area. Dry and store in a dry area or mold will develop. Dried flowers do not do well with direct sunlight so find a safe home for them with shade. Also she has found that flower colors that do not do well are red and white – they change colors when drying and usually don’t look pretty once dried. Let me know if you need to know anything else
Angie
Oh I wish I knew your mom! a woman after my own heart lol – I have been looking for windows but they are a little too expensive for my unemployed budget at the moment. I love this idea, I’m glad you didn’t throw it out!
Thanks Angie & Carrie.
Ooops Angie, I forgot to ask. How long do you let the flowers dry out before you put them in a frame. I had some flowers from my mil’s funeral and someone dried them out I guess and they were flattened out and was framed. So how do you flatten them? Is it after they dry out.
This is a cutest idea, I LOVE it! I need to try this for sure. Maybe my husband will have to start buying me flowers though
LOL! Well I didn’t wait on my husband to buy me flowers or I’d still be waiting…. ha! -Angie
I LOVE this. I have a window hanging in my front room that needs this. Thank you for the inspiration.
This is adorable!! Love the farmhouse look of it!
xoxo
Jeri
I am just reminding everyone about tonights link party that runs Friday evening through Mondays!
I also have an ongoing give away link party now too.
Hope to see you soon.
http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/
come strut your stuff
This is beautiful Angie!
Thank you Beth! I love it too!
That is so cool! I’m sure if I tried this, my flowers would all crumble and I’d make a big mess!
what an awesome work of art! I loved that you used your mom’s dried flowers and arranged them into an entire landscape if giant flowers and using the window frame is genius too. Perfect!!
Thanks Diane!! xoxo, Angie
What a lovely decorative piece! Thanks for sharing at the Tuesday To Do Party! Can’t wait to see what you link this week!
Smiles!
Jami
Thanks for having us Jami!! xoxo, Carrie & Angie
Hi! Stopping by to invite you to link this up to Thrifty Thursdays. Blessings!
Johnnie
Hi Angie, I found your project on Terrific Under 10 Tuesdays over at Kindra’s blog. Your project turned out so beautifully, and I especially loved the story about how you did it with your mom. Special memories like that are the best.
This is great! I love the color of the flowers – and I love the effect the fallen petals have created at the bottom! So gorgeous!
I stopped here from boost my blog. This picture is so awesome! I have some old barn windows that this would look awesome with…I love this. thanks for sharing your pictures too. I love how the colors changed over time too!
I like it??? I Love it!! Absolutely gorgeous!! Love the flowers!! I sooooo wanna take a sneak peek into your mother’s craft room. IS there anyway we can do that
I am hosting my first link-up party – Tea Time Thursdays @ Kreative Korner. Would be glad to see some of your awesome posts there. Hope to see you at the party.
http://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/2011/08/celebrating-one-party-time.html