Well, put your credit cards down! Creating a soothing sanctuary does not have to burn a hole in your wallet!
I see some beautiful textiles on websites that scream “Boho Chic”, and then the sticker shock sends shivers down my spine. Many artists sell their wares for much less than major
retailers, but due to the uniqueness of their pieces, you may struggle to find exactly what you’re looking for. Major retailers can mass-produce commercial items, but those same pieces lack soul. You get them in your space and struggle to breathe life into them the way the photographer did in the ad, or the merchandising department did in the store display. Those pieces also lack the essence of Bohemia in that you can see those same items in other people’s homes. They are not living breathing pieces of home, but rather souvenirs for those who wish to visit Bohemia. In this blog, I am going to share some tips on how to curate a space of your own that reflects your unique free spirit, and how you can manifest the lavish boho style for $free.99. There will not be step by step instructions provided, nor will I guide you through the process with a photoblog, instead I hope to simply inspire you with the rationale used in both building pieces and selecting items. The pleasure comes from the passion you put into what you create!
I should note, some of the tips I give will require basic crafting tools, fabrics, and paints, but if you are a Creative at heart, I promise you will have most if not all the building blocks needed. And even if you don’t, my darling, I am certain you are resourceful enough to get the DIY job done.
The essence of Boho evolves from nonconformity. What draws others to the lifestyle itself is the idea that the spirit should be rich, and full of character. Those who stray from conventional ideas of fashion, art, music, and love tend to be classified as Bohemian. Though this is a trendy concept today, it was once a social blight and often considered deviant; aberrant! There is a rich history of vagabonds and wanderers who shaped our creative world by living against type and pursuing pleasure in times when doing so was at the risk of social discrimination. Joblessness, poverty, and ridicule helped create the types of patterns we now classify as Bohemian. The artist who influenced the style only did so out of necessity: sewing torn fabrics together to repair holes, add length, or warmth. Scraps of furniture found on streets, or scavenged from dumpsters, were brought back to life with new adornments like paint and bedding material. In other words, broke, creative people managed to survive by making their bodies and homes an extension of their craft. I will save the history lesson, and simply say that if the aesthetic style of Boho has caught your eye, there is no reason to pay a major retail company to create it for you.
A Pair to Share
I love armchairs! Any type of seating with a pattern makes my heart sing! Not only can chairs be functional, but they can, and should be decorative. A well-placed chair can bring a room to life, and many retailers know that an enticing chair can stop a shopper in their tracks. What do you do when you’re shopping and see a bright, bold chair that appears to be one of a kind? You sit on it! And whether it is comfortable or not, you want to buy it! (retail trick: all chairs are comfy when you’ve been walking around a store with tile flooring. Just saying) I have seen armchairs at some of my favorite stores sell for as much as $200 — $400, if not more! And that’s just for one booty! You know every armchair needs a booty buddy! I was able to make a pair of awesome Armchairs for less than $30! The chairs I was lucky enough to get were free. My hubby worked at Barneys New York, and when the location in Vegas closed its doors, much of the furniture was just given away to associates. These two chairs were touched by some of the wealthiest of the wealthy and were witness to joyous retail therapy for years. They were also kind of gross, TBH. After cleaning them up, I decided to stain the original fabric. This was no pro-job, mind you. I fumbled my way through the process of mixing dye, stain, paint, and fabric sealer (a strange assortment of items I bought from Michael's for past creative projects) until the color suited my liking. In addition to the fabric, I painted the wood with alternating colors and used a fabulous crackle sealant to give an aged effect to the chairs. So much fun! The finished project makes the corner of my office look like I spent a million bucks…or at least a few hundred dollars. The ottoman you see in the picture was also upcycled to match the chairs. It was a tattered seat that my mom gave me when she was cleaning out her garage. Under the weird wicker cover, the previous owner put on it was a simple polyester fabric that was screaming for a hug from a paintbrush (you get a little hint of it in the BEFORE photo). I was surrounded by inspiration throughout this entire project, and felt so fortunate to take what others considered trash, and repurposed them to meet my needs.
Functional Artwork
When I look around my home, I see a collection of beautiful items that bring happy memories to me. I’m a modest hoarder with a flair for upcycling. Were it not for my husband, I would probably be facing an intervention. There is nothing wrong with connecting with items you’ve purchased or otherwise acquired, but sometimes you gotta let that stuff go! And by “let that stuff go”, I mean repurpose it into something more fabulous! Take things you have laying around the house and flip your unused item into something with a purpose or for design. Take this artsy wall shelf! The hubby and I did a project around the house that required particleboard and had two large pieces of leftover board. I used this one as a ground cover for the above-mentioned armchair project. It collected drops of paint, and when my project was done, I needed something else to use the rest of that paint on. One sunny, Vegas afternoon in April, I decided to express myself Jackson Pollack style. It was a fun way to use up my extra paint while creating a pretty cool looking piece of art. But my girl was all dressed up with no place to go. I had to give her a reason to live, so I tracked down two wooden plaques that had some inspirational quotes. We all have items like that in some closet or attic, and it’s so easy to reimagine their functionality. With some help, I drilled them on to allow the hollow backs to serve as shadowboxes. Those candle shelves added a nice touch as well and were donated to me by a girlfriend 10 years prior. Because I have my piece sitting on a window seal in my office. I needed to have decorative back as well. I promise you, when you build and create based on your unique and individual needs, nobody will have a piece quite like yours in their home. I love that I was able to find items that were not being used, and turn them into something I needed, with bright colors, funs shapes, and a unique look. You can and should do the same thing!
Items used for the Wall piece:
Particleboard
Paint
Drill
Nails
Wooden wall plaques
Next time, we touch on Tarot. I will play with more boxes by showing you how to make your tarot decks stay positively charged and surrounded by your energy. In addition, look forward to my book review.
The Solitary Wicca Guide: Spells and Rituals to Practice, Learn, and Thrive
by Rowena Morgana
Pub Date August 4, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1647391904
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