My Very Own Modern Art

Have you ever walked into a modern art museum and thought to yourself, "Hey, I could make that!"? I know I have. Modern art museums are one of my favorite things to visit while vacationing. And not necessarily to appreciate the art, but to make fun of it. Granted, there are some really cool and inspiring pieces that grace the walls of the museum, but there are usually a lot more absurd pieces available.

Most absurd pieces I've seen to date:

1. Wood stair rail, Neues Museum in Nuremberg, Germany

Unpainted, black iron hinges still attached, laying on the floor at an angle. Perhaps it was the manner in which it was laid is what made it art (if it were instead parallel to the wall, then would it just be a 2"x4" instead of a masterpiece?).

2. Wall of framed pieces of hair from 100 different people, Kunstmuseum in Stuttgart, Germany

One squiggly piece of hair per frame. Beautiful, just stunning. I was moved.

3. Three-screen video of a woman repeatedly falling back on a wall, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN

I will never understand the "art" of artsy films. It was quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen, but I imagine many an artist walked by and stared for hours to find the meaning of the film.

Anyway, all of this to set the scene for my recent nursery project! I found this super cute wall mobile on Fawn and Forest website:

Like everything else on their website, it is fun, unique and colorful. And also like the rest of their products, it's darned expensive -- $330!! Shoot, I was just about ready to hit "buy" before I saw that! As with the modern art in the museums, I thought to myself: I could make that! And so I did.

SUPPLIES
Wood panels
Wood dowel
Fishing wire
Acrylic paint
Lacquer spray paint

During my initial brainstorming process, I thought of cutting Styrofoam to size to replicate the aluminum panels in the original mobile, cover with scrapbook paper and Modge Podge, and hang. However, I was lucky enough to stumble across some thin, precut wood panels while scouring the aisles of Michaels. I picked those up, along with a wood dowel, and acrylic paint in green and yellow (I had some white and black left over from another project, which I used to create all of the different shades for the gradient effect). At Walmart, I found the lacquer spray paint needed to give the glossy look of the original, as well as some fishing wire and a few hooks in which to hang on the wall. The hooks allow just enough space between the wall and mobile for the wood panels to sway ever so slightly in order to keep Curtis busy while changing his diaper.

Grand total for the entire project: $330 -- 1/10th the price of the original!!

It may not look as professional as the expensive version, but I am still proud to say that I made it. Plus, finding thrifty ways to get the look of something expensive is way more fun! So, what do you think??

Transformations

I remember reading that a husband might gain "sympathy weight" during their wife's pregnancy. Having gained a good amount of weight already, I can understand why the sympathy weight gain would be helpful. I've been feeling a bit tubby and I'm sure that if Chris were to gain a few pounds along with me then I wouldn't feel quite so bad about my expanding stomach:

24 WEEKS
It's not quite so bad now that the baby is getting bigger so my stomach is more pregnant looking rather than just looking bloated. Plus, I still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans which I consider quite a feat. My favorite part is that my belly button is finally starting to pop out! I don't know why, but I just love pregnant lady belly buttons! The only slight problem is the hole from my navel piercing. I'm just waiting for that to either rip in half or sag like the earlobe of a punk rocker with their gauge removed. Either way I see belly button plastic surgery in my future - if it even exists. Note to future daughter: don't get a navel piercing.

So, back to the transformations. As I said, Chris has not gained any weight with me, but rather lost some! He recently finished a 10-week fitness program at Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping. I was very impressed with his results and highly recommend the program to anyone wanting to gain some muscle, lose some weight, and get fit! Farrell's plans on opening a location in Lincoln for anyone interested. Check out their website here. I'm so proud of him for completing such a hardcore program and experiencing such great results, so thanks to him for reluctantly allowing me to show him off!