Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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My Little Ponies

First, let’s appreciate how fun My Little Ponies really were. I think I had around 6 as a child. And it was magical.

But in house-news-that’s-somewhat-related-to-the-throwback-mention-above, after what feels like months (ok, it actually has been months) we’re finally ready to fill the empty wall space on either side of the sink nook in our bedroom with something.

Dresser Whole Sink Wall

And since I had fun making a little Pinterst inspired painting (but then resolutely decided that I didn’t want it to live in the bedroom)…

Painting Finished1

It was time for John and I to have a few long chats about what we really wanted to fill the empty space across from the bed (no pressure, we’ll just wake up every morning and see whatever’s hanging there). The unanimous choice: bold and kind of moody photographs. Beautiful photos, but not too soft and pretty- something semi contrasty and interesting and sophisticated. Since our bedroom chandelier is kind of playful and our duvet is pretty bright and fun, we figured we needed some art to balance things out and point the room towards “grown up” (so it doesn’t begin to skew towards “playroom-esque” or “dorm-ish”). So we decided to troll around online to see where we’d end up.

The winning subject? Why horses of course. You all know that I have an uncommon love of almost every type of animal (usually of the white ceramic variety, but I like them all “in real life” too). And ever since I saw a few fancy glossy mag rooms with giant horse art I’ve been itching for some of my own. And this recent house crashing adventure (which includes some giant horse art in the nursery of all places) was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s horse’s back. So I let my fingers do the walking to a few online art print sources (including etsy.com, 20×200.com, art.com, allposters.com, etc) and found everything from racehorses and black beauties relaxing on a farm to some wild gorgeous ponies in motion and even a charming serene horseback rider on a moody beckoning beach. And in case you can’t tell which of those descriptions I was most partial to, it was the last two (found here and here, both by the amazingly talented Jan Lakey).

John definitely has a voice when it comes to art selection, so he felt strongly that the photos shouldn’t be “too energetic” and should be “a little calming and scenic” since it is our bedroom after all (you know, where we sleep). With this in mind, I figured the moody horse-on-the-beach shot would probably go over well, but I did worry that the blurry motion-happy horses might strike the hubby as too high energy. So I pulled out one of the tricks John laid out here (in an old post of yore about getting your hubby on board with a decorating decision that he might not be as thrilled about as you are) and figured the best way to sell him on my two favorite print picks would be to photoshop them into our room. That way he’d have a nice clear idea of what it would look like and I could hopefully soothe any worries that it’ll feel too chaotic or anything but sophisticated-and-a-little-moody-but-restful-and-serene-at-the-same-time. My quick little photoshop mock-up ended up looking a little something like this (ignore the “progress” label on the pic, I just used one from our House Tour page):

150 Art

Of course that’s not how they’ll look fo’ real, but it made it a bit easier to picture how they might layer into the room. We both agreed that the room needed a nice slap of sophistication and contrast, so it wasn’t like we were looking for something pastel or blown out like a big cloudy sky or a gorgeous sandy beach. As I mentioned, we kind of thought the wacky Ikea fixture and the in-yo-face bedding needed something a little bold and contrasty and sort of chic (not that John would ever use that word). We also thought that something with some subtle gold undertones would relate to the curtains and the gold leaves in the bedding without looking downright matchy-matchy (like oil paintings or abstracts with that color might). And after I mocked everything up I was so so so sold.

Oh but you’re probably wondering what John thought. Just as I suspected, he loved the print on the right immediately. But then he did this pause thing when he looked at the one on the left which definitely freaked me out. But a second later he said “I like them.” Not one mention of the worry that the moving horses would feel too crazy or anything. And he said that he liked how the prints obviously weren’t a matched set but worked really nicely together. Just like that, he was so so so sold too. Oh sweet photoshop, how do I ever thank you for making things that could be five day heated arguments debates into two minute “I’m down” convos? Perhaps with this video of a dog saying I love you? This goes out to you photoshop:

Of course as far as art selection goes, it’s definitely one of those personal things. These horse prints surely won’t be everyone’s jam (and maybe not anyone else’s), but they’re ours and we can’t wait to get ’em. We’re having a lot more fun taking risks in this house. Even if it means doing things that might not have mass appeal – as long as something speaks strongly to us, we’re in. There’s actually freedom in letting go of the notion that your house should please everyone who walks in the door. It allows you be more true to yourself and your place starts to feel more special. Plus it means that your rooms won’t be in danger of looking like everyone else’s, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Now for the cost. Big a$$ prints (the ones that we ordered were over three feet wide at 40″ x 30″) can easily run you around $100+, but these two happened to be priced at a cool $49 a pop. And thanks to googling around for a coupon code to save me 22% off my entire order (it was “ZOLA” if you’re wondering, hope it still works), I scored both of them for a total of $77.98 (down from $100 for the pair) and paid just $5.98 for shipping, for a grand total of $83.96 spent. Which isn’t bad for over six feet of giant photography (printing our own photos that large with a local printer would probably cost us more).

Art Cost1

But giant frames are expensive, so how do we plan to avoid paying another 200 beans for two 40 x 30″ frames? By mounting the prints on 40 x 30″ canvases that I got a while back on super clearance from Michael’s with those two bedroom wall areas in mind (we even taped off the wall first to figure out what size tickled our fancy):

Canvas Taped Off

Canvases Up Straight

They were only $23 each after 50% off with another 25% off on top of that (we mentioned ’em at the end of this post a while back). In fact it was such a great deal that after we drove these two home I went back for a third for the entryway – which is the one that I painted here.

Canvas Receipt

But back to the two I got for the bedroom – it means that we’ll have spent around $64 for each giant piece of photographic bedroom art when it’s all said and done (including the canvas and the art). Which isn’t bad when you consider that many printed canvases of that size sold by places like Ballard Designs or Pottery Barn are in the $200-300+ range (each).

After I spray mount (or somehow glue) each print onto one of our 40 x 30″ canvases, I might even cover them with matte Mod Podge for a more dimensional printed canvas look. Not sure how it’ll all go down yet – but you know I’ll share the details when I get there. Should be interesting. Hope I don’t blow it. Then I’m out $64 bucks a pop. Haha. More details when they arrive and are (hopefully) hung up nice and purty.

Psst- John and I watched the most incredible documentary last night called Catfish. We’re still talking about it. Definitely a must-see. It’ll make you wonder how well you know anyone online- including us. Hah.

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks so much for the tip! I think I’m excited to tackle canvas-mounting just to see how it goes and what works- but frames are always an option if things don’t work out with my canvases.

      xo,
      s

  2. Suzanne says

    If you’re ever looking for more prints, the Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwoman.com) offers quite a few of her amazing photos as free downloads. I’m not sure if the resolution is high enough to print them as 30×40 prints – but just a tip!

    Reply

  3. Jeanine says

    I love the horse prints. They look so sophisticated and serene. Although, I have to confess that my favorite picture in this post was of the My Little Pony horse. I had a ton of them growing up and I love that know I can still play with them since my 3 year old neice has a bunch too! You need to get Clara started on her My Little Pony collection!
    I also wanted to comment about Catfish. I saw the 20/20 special about that movie. How crazy was that whole story?! It definately does make you think.

    Reply

  4. Ashley says

    I’m not totally sold on them just yet, but I do see your vision/where you are trying to go with them. I like the photos just feel their size/placement is a little “off”. Did you try switching their sides of the wall? If so I’d like to see it. I’m thinking they would feel more balanced with the ocean one on the left instead.

    Just my 2 cents. Love your blog!

    Reply

  6. Beverley says

    I’ve used Mod Podge on a few of my own DIY prints and I love it. You can also get some burlap or similar type fabric and press it into the wet Mod Podge. Then, after it dries, the print will have more of a canvas texture. Can’t wait to see how the prints look!

    Reply

  7. Blair says

    I love the idea of big photos like that on walls but in my living room instead I did fabric frames because I had this beautiful vintage sketch in the middle and need something to balance it out. http://thefirstapartment.blogspot.com/2011/03/50-dollar-fix-fabric-frames.html They weren’t that hard to make and were pretty inexpensive. Everyone always comments on them, so I guess they have served their purpose well. I love the photo on the right much more than the left, because it does pull out those gold tones from your curtains.

    ~Blair

    Reply

  8. Michelle says

    I have to go with others and say this really surprises me too. I think if this was the April Fools post I wouldn’t have been surprised. But, I know you all are taking more risks in this house, which I think is great! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. If anything, I’m sure I’ll learn how to attach a print to canvas. :)

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      I thought it was April-fools-esque as well! I was really surprised that this was real. And the mention of Catfish made me question if it was a nod to that not being real as well. I’m so confused! But bravo for going out on a limb.

  9. Ivy says

    I just wrote a long comment but, aaahhhh, it didnt go through. Uck.

    Well, I do like the horses. I have been looking for some giant horse art for our living room. Its hard to find chic horse art rather than that 1980’s teenagers room horse art. I think you definitely found the chic. You never mentioned where you ordered them from though, unless I missed it. Thanks

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Here’s that info for ya:

      “And in case you can’t tell which of those descriptions I was most partial to, it was the last two (found here and here, both by the amazingly talented Jan Lakey).”

      Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  10. Jenny says

    I love horses, and I love those prints, but they just don’t seem to mesh and fit with the rest of the room. I can’t pinpoint it, but it just feels… off. (sorry)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      As we mentioned in the post- we know our choice might not be everyone’s jam but we love them! It’s also just a photoshop rendering (so of course when we actually mount and hang them they’re bound to look different than our mock up). It’ll be interesting to see who ends up loving them and who still hates them when it’s all said and done. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Donna says

      I feel the same way. I like horses, I like the prints you chose, but the mock-up does look off. Maybe it’s the colours? The prints aren’t a true b&w and I think to me it’s clashing a little bit with the wall colour.

      But I realize it’s a mock-up so maybe IRL the colour will be different or less glossy or whatever and the “off-ness” will be banished.

      I am in no way criticizing you though! I agree that art is totally subjective and good on you for sharing your choices when you know not everyone will love it.

  11. Sherry says

    Okay, so I’m feeling the horses. Wouldn’t have come up with that myself, but now that I see it, I think it will look dope AND I think I’m going to steal your print-over-a-canvas idea.

    P.S. I was one of the women(crazy curly hair) who walked up to you to say hi at the finish line at the Stride Through Time. Sorry we were so stalkerish. I really wanted to tell you I love the blog and get tons of inspiration from you, but then again, I really regreted bugging you out of the blue. Hope you guys had a great time at the walk.

    Reply

  12. Alice says

    Sherry, I saw Catfish in NYC before it opened to the public. I loved it, but it’s NOT a real documentary (that doesn’t make it any less amazing, in my opinion, since the acting was superb). As the original trailer states, “This is not a true story. It’s just a story.”

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think that’s a play on the lies that they uncover along the way. Hmm, everyone from the Wash Post to Wikipedia says it’s real. Maybe it’s one of those mysteries that will never be solved. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes! I try to use it whenever I remember. Sadly I didn’t remember when I ordered these prints, but I did use it when I ordered the Pier1 slipcovers. You win some, you lose some I guess. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  15. keri says

    tee hee, i work for hasbro so i stare at my little ponies all day! :)
    anyway, i had to read quick since i am at work…where did you end up ordering the prints from? i saw that you looked at etsy, 20×200, and others, but didn’t see where the final order (with coupon code zola!) came from…?
    thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Check out the sentence before the two prints (not the photoshopped-in-the-room ones, just them on their own above each other in the post). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  16. Melissa@Julia's Bookbag says

    OMG this is SO AWESOME!!!! Let me tell you how much MORE My Little Pony you have to look forward to in life. My daughter LIVES for My Little Pony. There are videos as well (yay?)! I love love love your choice of prints, I like it when art is a little unexpected….like a surprise and not just Something That Matches The Decor. Love it! (If you want another surprise and if you ever check us out once in awhile, my husband photoshopped a picture of our cat’s head onto Thor’s body, because I let him guest-blog for me. Live and learn :) xoxoxo

    Reply

  19. Sarah says

    Personally I’m actually loving the left one more, the movement is stunning. I’m looking forward to seeing the real ones in situ.

    I too luuurve horses, and elephants are my other weakness! They have this majestic strength and beauty. Great choices Sherry! And congrats on persuading John!

    x

    Reply

    • Jessica says

      I’m obsessed with elephants too! I’m now envisioning huge elephant prints like these horse ones in my bedroom….thanks for the inspiration Sherry!!! While horses aren’t my thing, I totally dig the whole idea and look of this artwork! Don’t let the other commenters get ya down….everyone likes something different. I just wish people weren’t so blatantly honest sometimes. My mama always said, if you don’t have anything nice to say…then don’t say anything at all! lol!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha I don’t mind at all! Part of the deal with sharing our house with the world is that there are definitely going to be some things that some people don’t like since not everyone can agree on everything all the time (how boring would that be anyway). Art is definitely one of those super subjective things! We’re just happy that we found something that we’re super excited about!

      xo,
      s

    • Jessica says

      I’m glad you did too! I think the photos are beautiful! (And I swear I’m not just saying that because I think people should be nice….I really do like them!) haha!

  20. gemma@thesweetestdigs says

    As one who loves photography all over the house, I say go for it! I think you’re right to add some drama to the bedroom which is pretty light and airy so far.

    Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

    Reply

  21. Meredith says

    My favorite My Little Pony that I had could “grow” its hair—-it had a hat symbol on it’s flank and you twisted its neck to extend the tail. LOVED it.

    “Catfish” is now at the top of my Netflix queue—sounds interesting! Especially with all of this real/fake debate.

    Reply

  22. Lindsey says

    I’m not gonna lie, I thought this was another joke post a la sailor theme for Burger’s room! Haha! So, to each their own. I hope you are feelin’ fine and equine when the prints arrive. :)

    Reply

    • Kate says

      I wondered that for a sec as I scrolled past the photoshopped picture of the images in the room, lol! They’re definitely not my thing, but that’s why the internet is so great – you can find posters no matter what your taste!

  23. Tanya from Dans le Townhouse says

    Gorgeous photos! I cannot wait to see how the affixing to canvas goes. Have you thought about using painted plywood? It would be even cheaper and you could save those canvases for another art attack . . . Meh – whatever you do will be awesome. I’ll just sit back & watch ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah we pondered the wood idea (but since we made vintage wood signs for our bathroom with wood and mod podge we’re kind of excited to see how these work out on canvas). Here’s hoping they do!

      xo,
      s

  24. Sevi says

    Oh guys, how do I get an invitation for Pinterest? I already signed up for one but it’s been nearly 3 days and no one seems to like to get me in. How does it work?

    Reply

  25. Christine says

    I wasn’t a horse lover at all as a girl, but now that I’m “grown up” and have a six year old daughter who is horse-crazy, I’ve developed a new sense of awe for these beautiful animals. I wouldn’t have said it two years ago, but I love the pictures! And I like that you’re going to make them unique by putting them on to canvases. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!

    Reply

  26. Meredith @ La Buena Vida says

    As for the artwork, we used to use spray adhesive all the time for our photography shows and it worked like a charm, but smells TERRIBLE. I was going to suggest Mod Podge over the top too–think that’s a great idea.

    As far as Catfish goes, it reminded me a LOT of a story from 2007 that I read in LA Weekly (think it was called “The Life and Death of Jesse James”)–it was a true story, but the guy that wrote it was a screenwriter, so I always used to joke that he sold the story as a movie and it turned into Catfish. Fake or real, I’m not sure it matters…because this stuff DOES happen (I used to work alongside the high tech crimes task force occasionally).

    Reply

  27. melinda says

    Luuuved the little pony, made me nostalgic – my daughter’s 25 now!!! Your Clara will be 25 TOMORROW!!! ha Perhaps someone’s already suggested this, or you might be considering it, but it might look cool to mount the horse pics on light weight hardboard and then float it out from the canvas maybe an inch or so on a (balsa?) frame that you or your handy husband could cobble together? (Paint it your wall color beforehand so it looks cool from the side. . .)
    Just a thought. Luuuuve your website, it’s my new favorite!! Thanks

    Reply

  28. Margaret says

    Hee! I have to admit I thought this post was an “April Fools” joke. Art is definitely different for everyone, thank goodness or this world would be really boring. Can’t wait to see how it turns out :)

    Sorry I’m one of those people who thought Catfish was so fake. Before I saw it I thought it was real but then after, totally fake but really entertaining Hee! I guess we’ll never know for sure…

    Reply

  32. melinda says

    okay sorry i wasn’t clear on that. . . the balsa frame goes on top of the canvas and then the pic goes on top of the frame!!

    Reply

  33. Amy says

    Catfish was great eh? Loved it!

    We thought it was a fake-documentary, but you’re right it’s really hard to find google-proof of whether it’s real or fake!

    Reply

  35. Barb says

    Hate to say this:

    Not really feelin’ it! But that is the way it goes…different strokes for different folks.

    Hope you are loving it…for sure!

    Sorry I can’t agree on this one.

    B.

    Reply

  36. victoria says

    off topic question (sort of) – where did you get that chair that’s in your bedroom? The dark, leather-looking one.

    Reply

  39. Katie says

    I really like them, but mostly I wish I had the vocabulary (and artistic eye) to talk about color like you guys do. I feel like I’m always just sort of winging it. I’ll keep coming back for my “lessons”!

    Reply

  41. Laurie says

    While I too like the pictures, their color tone looks really wrong in the mockup with the room, like you forced it into the drape gold.
    Bigger question, do you guys formally ever call done? or worry about overdoing it? I want to know where the eyes rest on that side of the room? While we are all so familiar with your bedroom (weird!) I guess maybe the side walls are the more restful areas?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s just a photoshop mock up, so I think things will look different when we actually mount them and photograph them in “real life.” As for calling things done, we believe that a home isn’t really ever finished (it needs to be allowed to evolve with you and the way that you live) but I definitely believe you can over-noodle something (haha, a technical term for sure). Just see what you think works and go from there. For us the sink nook of the room is extremely beachy & light (with the white mirror and trim and soft wall color, etc) so we like the contrast of something moodier on the outside of that soft and sweet nook (otherwise it was feeling too sugary sweet & beachy to us for the whole bolder and more dynamic look that we’re going for in this house). Something about the photos reminded us of the painted built-ins in the dining room and the bold deep teal guest room, so in some ways they seem to fit better into this house than anything soft & sweet would. And there are definitely bare walls on either side of the bed and behind the bed, so there’s a whole lotta soft wall color and not much else going on – so we like the added interest of the photography. To each his own though!

      xo,
      s

    • Laurie says

      Thanks for the thoughtful reply, I came back because I was worried my comment came out too harsh, I just wanted to let you know I love 99% of what you do and as a home-owner/updater myself I appreciate 100% of what you do, and try and post. I hope I am so wrong this time!

  42. Judith says

    A word on the mounting of the mounts :)

    Do not go with spray-glue. For one, the fumes are really bad for your health, and seeing as you took such care to go for low-voc paints etc. I figure this would be important to you.

    Secondly, with areas this big it’ll be a problem to get them covered and sticking to the canvases evenly. You probably won’t have to worry about air-bubbles though.
    While it will look fine in the beginning, areas that were not covered with glue enough will separate from the canvas after maybe half a year or so, maybe earlier. You can somewhat prevent that if you press backing and glued-on poster for a few days between some heavy stuff, but both the size and the material involved (canvas on a frame) will prevent you from doing so in this case.

    Thirdly, depending on the material of the prints, it will react to general humidity and start getting wavy. Spray-glue is no match for expanding paper fibers. That happened to me when I mounted a print ( which was a plot on paper) the size of a square yard with spray-glue to Kapaline (I don’t know how you call that stuff in America, it’s a kind of plastic/foamboard).

    What you can use depends on how your prints are printed. I suppose they are no »real« photographs on photopaper, which is actually made of plastic. In that case you’d have no problem with expanding and could forget about the whole humidity-thing (and that’s why spray-glue works for normal photographs). but you shouldn’t get them wet (which means no modge podge).

    Most likely your prints are posters, printed on paper. Your best bet would probably be to use wallpaper-glue or something similar, because you get a more flexible bond and this kind of glue can tolerate humidity-shifts. Bookbinding-glue works too, and mixed with water you can use it on top of the prints as well for that structured look. I suppose modge podge is something like that (we don’t have it here). All of those glues are usually made to be acid free (also not guaranteed with spray glues), which prevents yellowing.

    Have fun! I really like what you chose.

    Reply

  43. Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says

    I love the prints and your philosophy on going for what you like. That’s a good one to follow (especially with art) since you’ll be the ones looking at as soon as you rise in the morning. I do love the painting you did though and hope you find a good spot for it!

    And thanks for the movie recommendation. I love documentaries, especially ones with a twist!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah, I definitely love the painting, it just felt too “sugary sweet” on the same wall color as some of the tones. I don’t know how else to describe it. Haha. But maybe in the entryway with the gray that we’ll someday paint behind it it’ll be perfect!

      xo,
      s

  44. Cara says

    I really like the print of the horses running although it does make me a little dizzy. I like the motion of it though. I have not seen Catfish but read the summary from netflix and I think it is real. I saw the guy telling the story on Dr. Phil or oprah or somewhere like that a while back. If it is fake they were really playing it up even for talk shows.

    Reply

  46. Jill says

    Just something to think about if you decide to mod-podge over the prints, depending on the ink and paper the photos are printed on, the ink could run.

    Reply

  48. DanielleR says

    My best friend and I met on the school bus when we were 5 years old … I had a My Little Pony and she had a Barbie. We swapped and played together the whole ride home, and have been besties ever since. We are now 27 and 28 lol.

    Reply

  50. Erica says

    I like the horses running more than the other one which seems a little cliche, but the two together are great. Being an architectural designer it’s hard to use photoshop sometimes because it’s not reality but clients think it is. Those prints will look great and should balance out the other colos and textures well. With art you have to go with your gut!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah, I definitely agree that once they’re mounted in the room it’ll look different than our rendering. It’ll be interesting to see if some people like them better in “real life.” Either way I can’t wait to wake up to my equine friends.

      xo,
      s

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