Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Spring Decorating Idea - Create an Indoor Mural

Believe it or not, you don't need to be a professional artist or painter to create a one-of-a-kind mural in your home for spring. Imagine a field of flowers, a fruit basket or cheerful balloons freshening up a boring room in your home.

My daughter is turning four this summer and she is ready for a "big girl room" update. I decided to use her boring, blank, honeydew yellow wall as my "test-canvas" for a spring garden mural. How bad can you mess up a child's room, right?

While I am not a professional artist by any means, I love to doodle. I started my mural with a black frame that had been collecting dust in my craft room. It was missing the glass insert so I decided it would make a great frame for my garden doodle.

I hung it on my wall as a guide and proceeded to paint circles, petals, stems and leaves using five small bottles of basic acrylic paints (These cost anywhere from $.79-$2.00 at craft stores. I'll never forget my daughter's reaction when she saw the finished and framed mural above her bed. "Oh mommy...it is BEE-UTIFUL, she squealed". (I created a Photoshop version of my "doodle-garden" to the left so you can see what I created).

Even if you aren't a great "doodler" you can still create a beautiful spring mural using a few simple tools;

1). Stencils - While I consider myself to be fairly crafty, stencils used to intimidate me. Last summer, I calmed my stenciling fears by testing them out on an old dresser that we had considered throwing away. Since I didn't have anything to lose, I taped...dabbed...and pounced to my heart's content. It turned out beautifully once I got used to the technique. If you are thinking about trying stenciling for the first time on a wall, practice on an old piece of wood or some paper first. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy and addictive it is.

2). Projectors - If you aren't confident about your ability to "free-hand" a mural, rent a projector from a business supply company and cheat a bit. You simply need to search for a design (preferably black and white) and copy it onto transparency paper. Aim the image at your wall and you are ready to trace the outline and add color.

3). Chalkboard Paint - One of the easiest ways to create an indoor mural is to paint a chalkboard wall and let your kids do the work. If you've never tried chalkboard paint you will be amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness of it. You simply pick a wall or section off an area you want to paint. You roll on two or three coats, and "wa-la" your kids can grab some chalk and doodle to their hearts content.

4.) Mural Stickers - These are very popular lately. You can get oversized polka-dots, garden flowers, bugs, fairies...just about anything to adorn your dull walls. Personally, I love the vinyl phrases that you can place above an entry way, shelf or amongst mirrors and photos. These are simple to apply and can be removed and reused when you want to redecorate for a holiday or another season. You can get them at most craft stores, hardware stores and home-improvement centers in the wallpaper section.

Are you ready to brighten up your home this spring? Start with a mural. You will be amazed at what a difference a little creativity and color will do to brighten both your home and mood.