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Bathroom Makeover Day 16: DIY Flower Vine Artwork Made With Drywall Mud

My bathroom makeover is moving right along. This weekend, I got some shelves made and installed over the toilet (which I’ll share with you later), and I got some artwork done for my one blank wall. I wanted something simple, and something that incorporated all of the colors in the bathroom (including the stained wood), so I recycled the big white chunky frames from this project, and created this flower vine artwork with dimensional flowers made with drywall mud.

Dimensional Artwork Make With Drywall Mud 1

I didn’t take any step-by-step pictures, because it’s really pretty straightforward. I started by cutting two pieces of plywood, and then staining them for the “canvas”. Then I drew a vine onto the plywood with pencil, and went over it with white paint using a craft brush. Then I added a few leaves to the vine.

DIY Flower and Vine Artwork Wtih Dimensional Flowers Made From Drywall Mud

To make the flowers, I mixed a little bit of paint with pre-mixed drywall mud, just enough to make it workable. (The pre-mixed stuff is a little on the dry side.) Then I scooped up some of the drywall mud with my brush, put it on the plywood, and then used my brush to swirl it around.

DIY artwork with dimesional flowers made from drywall mud

Then I dipped my brush into the paint (either the teal or the yellow), and swirled the paint into the drywall mud. Then I repeated that with white paint. Just dip and swirl. I didn’t swirl too much because I didn’t want the colors to mix too much.

DIY artwork with dimensional flowers made from drywall mud

I think this artwork attempt goes in my “it’ll do” category. I love the flowers, but I’m not too thrilled with my vine. The only craft brush I could find was too big for vine-making, so it ended up being too thick for my taste, instead of thin and wispy like I envisioned it.

Make artwork with dimensional flowers made from drywall mud

And then after I saw this artwork on Pinterest last night, I wished I could start over again and do something more like that, with lots and lots of flowers to bring more color to this wall. But it was too late. Perhaps if I come in under my 20-day goal on my bathroom makeover, I’ll give it another try. But if not, this will do. 🙂

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34 Comments

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  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Jennifer Loy
    March 4, 2013 at 10:50 am

    I like yours better..just my opinion..I love all you do and share..I’m learning not to by afraid to try anything..thank you for that, I needed the push..lol

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Natalie @ A Turtle's Life for Me
    March 4, 2013 at 11:33 am

    Love it! I think the vine looks great, especially against the dark stain.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Jean
    March 4, 2013 at 11:36 am

    I absolutely love those little flowers and the technique! I would never have thought to do that.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Tammy Killough
    March 4, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Oh NO….yours is WAY cuter! I love it! ~Tammy

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kim L.
    March 4, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    Your flower vine artwork is divine! Such a clever idea to use drywall mud as paint. I would have never thought of that. Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kelly PalmerKelly Palmer
    March 4, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    I like yours so much better and especially so after seeing the price of the other one! As usual you did a beautiful job 🙂

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Amie M.
      March 8, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      It is important to remember that there is a person and a story behind Pinterest posts even if they just seem like imperonal pictures floating around the web.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kelly PalmerKelly Palmer
    March 4, 2013 at 2:58 pm

    P.S. Is that a bit of shower curtain that I see in the picture? Can’t wait to see it!!

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi Linauer
      March 4, 2013 at 3:03 pm

      Haha! I actually meant to mention that. Unfortunately, it’s just the shower curtain liner. The shower curtain is still on the “to do” list.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sophia "Sophie" Stone
    March 4, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    I love the 3D look that the dry wall mud gave to your flowers. It definitely added that unique touch.

    P.S. I love the contrast of the dark stained wood panel background and the white frame!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    JP
    March 4, 2013 at 5:37 pm

    Yours is way better than the pinterest one. WAY better. Love it.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Lori
    March 4, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Oh my goodness!! How stinking cute are those!! Love it!!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Andrea
    March 4, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    I like the Pinterest sample you posted- but I think I like yours better. 🙂 Very inspiring. :)Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Peggy
    March 4, 2013 at 8:44 pm

    I love your artwork. I like the one on Etsy, too, but you want yours to be unique, not like the one on Etsy. Looks great! You are probably your own worst critic. Can’t wait to see your shelves and see what you decided to do for a shower curtain. You go, Girl!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sue
    March 4, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    I like it! Looks fresh and the colors are perfect to bring everything together. Well done.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Mrs Mike
    March 4, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    I am always so inspired by your projects!! Absolutely love this 🙂

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Carolyn
    March 4, 2013 at 10:39 pm

    Hey Kristi, that is truely customized and lovely. It reminds me that I once saw an idea that used tinted drywall mud with a stencil.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sue
    March 5, 2013 at 12:30 am

    Both are cute but yours is better in my opinion.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Amy
    March 5, 2013 at 5:33 am

    Yours is much better than the other. They look like circles, yours look like flowers

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Marie W
    March 5, 2013 at 8:27 am

    I agree…. I like yours better too! =)

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kathleen
    March 5, 2013 at 9:46 am

    I agree, I love yours better too. Sounds like you could make a bundle by selling these.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Angela Herrington
    March 5, 2013 at 9:31 am

    I love this and can’t wait to see what you decide to do for the curtain!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Mary
    March 5, 2013 at 11:00 am

    genius !!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Tina
    March 5, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Love it! Leave it just the way it is 🙂

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Little Bit
    March 5, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    I agree with Jennifer… I like yours better. The other one is totally contemporary, but yours is contemporary with a nod to traditional. They look really good. Little Bit

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Debbie from NC
    March 6, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Love your idea, looks great and OMG you have done such a great job in the bathroom..Love checking every day to see what you have done…

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    How Should Power-Tool-Using DIYers Handle Less-Than-Understanding Neighbors?
    March 7, 2013 at 11:40 am

    […] This past Sunday, I was working on my artwork for my bathroom… […]

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Amie M.
    March 7, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    Hi Kristi, thanks so much for posting a link to my artwork! I am so flattered that you like it(although it seems like your blog readers appreciate yours quite a bit more and aren’t afraid to say it)! Your textured paintings are lovely and your blog is terrific too. I love to paint, but I’m not very ambitious with interior decorating (I wish I was). Your blog is truly inspirational! Enjoy your week.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kimberly
    March 8, 2013 at 4:18 am

    I LOVE your artwork! I love the vine, it’s so whimsical and flow-y (is that a word?) and I adore the dimensional flowers. The Etsy painting is sweet, too, but I really really like yours with the vine, and how the paintings together form a diptyche. I also saw your shelf project, and must say I am duly impressed with what you have done with this bathroom, the transformation is nothing short of amazing! Maybe you can do a small painting like the Etsy one to place on your top shelf?

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Cindy
    March 12, 2013 at 10:12 pm

    I had wanted to do this around my ceiling fan (like a faux medallion). Seemed a little scary to me, but you made it look easy!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    20-Day Small Bathroom Makeover – Before and After
    March 16, 2013 at 9:23 am

    […] And then on the other side of the bathroom is the vine and flower artwork that I made using drywall mud. […]

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Andreas
    March 21, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    It doesn’t always require a very large budget to put something really creative on the wall. If you have the ability to get creative you can find yourself with a nice conversation piece. You just have to put your thinking cap on.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Linda
    April 3, 2014 at 7:27 am

    I too, like yours much better than the other one. It caught my eye right away. It’s simple and sweet and gives your eye room to rest within the picture. I like the vine. The whole thing strikes me as light, refreshing and a bit whimsical.