Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Radiant Orchid Art.

Lately I've been on a bit of a painting kick.  Something about spring's arrival has compelled me to bust out my paint brushes and some fresh new colors to liven up our home.

I was inspired to create my latest abstract piece when a good blog friend challenged a few of us to tackle a DIY project using Pantone's Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid.  I have seen mixed reviews regarding this color, but I have to admit, I'm a fan.  I think it adds a nice pop when I pair it with my favorite tried and true blue hue.

I did a little research to see which colors were deemed orchid-y enough and came across several awesome options in this post. The winner for me, though, was Behr's Orchid Kiss.  After seeing it in Alex's home tour, I was sold.  

I headed to Home Depot to pick up a sample, and while I was there, I fell in love with a combo of three colors....Behr's Pale OrchidBehr's Orchid Kiss and Behr's Balmy Seas {the same color as the accent wall in our master bedroom.}


Once I had my colors home, it was time to get to work.  


I found a scrap piece of birch wood laying around in my craft stash and I painted it white for a base. Then I pretended I had painting skills and started adding color to my "canvas".  I kept a separate brush for each color and just added a few lines of the first color, then the second color and then the third.  I repeated that process over and over until the coverage felt right.  After that, it was time for some shine.  Lord knows I can't finish a project without involving gold in some way, shape or form. ;) So I pulled out a fourth paint brush and layered in some metallic on top of a few already painted areas.

Now, clearly I am no artist...but for just a few bucks {seriously....the paint samples were about $3 a piece} and a small amount of time, I was able to hop on board with a major trend of the year.  Plus, it may have inspired a possible room refresh in the near future! ;) 




Now head over to check out the crazy talented ladies who took on the Radiant Orchid challenge with me!

From top left moving clockwise: 
1. Flower Pots from Dimples and Tangles  2. Secretary Desk from Cuckoo4Design  3. Abstract Art from Retro Ranch Renovation  4. Wallpapered Powder Room from The Chronicles of Home  5. Painted Tray from Dwellings by Devore  6. Cross Stitched Jewelry Organizer from Primitive and Proper


How do you guys feel about Radiant Orchid?  Do you give it the thumbs up or thumbs down?!

42 comments:

  1. I love the bits of gold in the piece - really pretty, Gabbi!

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer!! I love your bathroom makeover...it's all amazing!! (My computer won't let me comment on your blog, ever. Booooo!)

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  2. LOVE this! i am with jennifer- the gold makes it!

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  3. To be honest I'm not a fan of the radiant orchid color, but the way you paired it with the turquoise and gold makes me love it! So pretty!

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  4. i think the gold is actually the best part! you did good ;)

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  5. Love, love! What gold paint did you use? It really pops!

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    1. Thanks Cindy!! I used Martha Stewart Living Metallic Paint in gold...it's in Home Depot in those little 10 oz. pots. Hope that helps! :)

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  6. Nice job! I think it's crazyyyy how different the color looks in different projects. I am definitely not brave enough to try this in our house ... But it looks so pretty in yours!

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    1. The colors definitely look so different project to project, and even computer screen to computer screen! So many variations! Thank you so much!! :)

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  7. It turned out fabulous. Those colors are right down my alley and you combined them in this beautiful piece of art. Love

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  8. You are so artistic - I love the combo with mint. I'm really digging mint lately.

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    1. You're so sweet...thank you, Kim!! Me too..it's a great color! :)

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  9. This is so pretty, Gabbi! I really love that combo of colors you used, and the gold just puts it over the top!

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  10. Love your artwork!!! I'm such a fan of all your projects!!!!

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  11. I love your painting, it looks great!!! A great way to use radiant orchid.

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  12. I loooove the color orchid...and real orchids. Too bad cats would eat them and die. Must find a way to incorporate it into my home! (The color, not the fatal plant.)

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    1. Yea, I'm definitely a fan too! And boooooo to their evil power over cats... ;)

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  13. love love love this color combo!

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  14. Great job Gabbi! Such a pretty combination of colors!

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  15. Oooo, it's so pretty! You're quite the art-teest! P.S. I'm gonna need you to blog more because I miss you.

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  16. Wow! I love it! I definitely need to add this to my list of future projects. It's so fresh!

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  17. Wow, girl this looks so freaking gorgeous!! It's the perfect piece of art for Spring! :)

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  18. Like your art piece, just because I am so detail oriented, I was wondering what the size of the piece is.

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  19. Like your art piece, just because I am so detail oriented, I was wondering what the size of the piece is.

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