An Ambitious Adventure

I consider myself to be good at crafting, but I know my limits. I consider myself to be creative, but not necessarily artistic. I've gotten in over my head before with DIY projects, and I know when to put down the glue and glitter and walk away. When I envisioned what I wanted to do with the fourth wall of my craft room, I really thought this was going to be one of those times.

You may or may not know this about me: I'm a big Disney geek, and my latest favorite is Disney/Pixar's Up. In fact, it inspired my husband's proposal, so it now holds an even more special place in my heart. We ended up with a hot air balloon motif throughout our wedding, and I walked down the aisle to the Academy Award winning song "Married Life" from the film. I guess it's sort of stuck, and now Up is kind of our thing.

If you've seen the movie, you may recall the painting that Ellie drew above their fireplace mantle. It was a painting of Paradise Falls, a place where she and Carl planned to travel together. More importantly, Paradise Falls symbolized their hopes and dreams, their love of adventure, and their love of sharing adventures together.

{via Locus}

I love the fact that Ellie figuratively placed their home atop the mountain. To me, it just reiterates that love is the most important part of this adventure.

{via starting small}

So, of course I decided that I could totally paint this on my craft room wall and that this project was totally within my skill level!

As soon as I started sketching out the design, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

But, I figured I had made it this far, and I may as well keep going. At worst, I could always paint over it. So, I began by painting a blue oval for the background. Then, I colored in the rocks...

...then I painted the waterfall...

...and finally, I painted our home on the top of the mountain. Well, it would look like our home if our home was mustard yellow and lime green.

I was so ridiculously proud of how it turned out. I think it was a good project for someone with limited painting skills because I didn't need to worry about perspective or shading, and the fact that my brushstrokes show just gives it more character.

My favorite part is how the balloon mobile casts its shadows just next to the painting. It adds an element of movement that I really couldn't have imagined.

I learned a lot from this little project: If you're ever feeling intimidated by a DIY project, just go for it. We've all been there. It doesn't always work out. But every once in a while, it does...and it's so worth it.