Southern State of Mind Blog by Heather

{The Foyer} Eat Well. Travel Often. Choose Joy.

in Lifestyle on

Hello Sunshines and Happy Wednesday! I am busy getting ready to head out of town with the baby this weekend but wanted to pop in to show you how (and why) to make “Eat Well Travel Often Choose Joy” DIY Large Wall Art for the foyer. 

 
Yesterday I shared how one makeover can kick start an avalanche of projects around here and the foyer was my latest victim. After I spontaneously slapped the navy paint on the foyer walls, I found this dresser and the space started taking shape. #navyismylovelanguage
 
Since the foyer is the first impression of our home, I wanted to make a big one. And I think I accomplished that with the navy wall and this large “Eat Well-Travel Often-Choose Joy” DIY art. 
 
diy large wall art
 

But this DIY art isn’t just random inspirational words slapped up on paper. It has a back story.

DIY Large Wall Art – EAT WELL


Growing up, I was lucky to have four active grandparents that brought so much joy into my childhood. This weekend we will be honoring my paternal grandparents in a memorial service. My paternal grandfather (Opa) was a German chef, his greatest joy was cooking amazing meals for his loved ones. My grandmother (Oma) was always in the kitchen and together they owned several successful German restaurants. They truly believed that “Eating Well” was the finest pleasure and expressed their love through food. 
Eat Well is a tribute to my Opa & Oma. 

 

DIY Large Wall Art – TRAVEL OFTEN

My maternal grandparents traveled often. In their retirement they traveled the country by RV. They would pack up for months at a time visiting all of the beautiful national parks. Of course, this also included trips visiting their children and grandchildren. Each of the grandchildren even got a special trip with them in the RV. Yes, they believed in “Traveling Often”. 
Travel Often is a tribute to my Grandpa & Grandma. 

DIY Large Wall Art – CHOOSE JOY

 
These phrases really just spoke to me at this phase of my life and I thought for a long time about what else to add, if anything. Sometimes things swish around and around in my head before they come together and this was one of those projects! One day, the words “Choose Joy” popped in. I don’t remember if I saw them on Pinterest, Instagram or a passing billboard, but it was an ah-ha moment. 
YES! Joy is a choice and I Choose Joy! 

Eat Well, Travel Often, Choose Joy diy large wall art

 

I had the words but now I needed to do something with them. In my usual fashion, I stewed on it. Then it hit me. I had this large and in charge frame in the basement stairway. 
 
 
This was the perfect size to use in the foyer. (Have I mentioned I love moving things around to freshen up spaces?)
 

How to Make DIY Large Wall Art

 
To create the art, use Picmonkey, a free online photo editing service.  I love Picmonkey for many reasons and one of them is that you can use your downloaded fonts in it. The font for this DIY Large Wall Art is called “Cheddar Jack”. 
 
Weird name, beautiful script font.
 
diy large wall art
 
Once the artwork is ready to print, take it to Kinkos to have printed as an engineer print. I don’t know who in blogland ever came up with this idea, but I am officially obsessed.  To have this large art printed costs only around $7.  
 
Eat Well, Travel Often, Choose Joy DIY Artwork
 
Talk about big bang for your bucks! I love the statement piece for the small foyer and the large impact it has on the space. I also love that the words bring a sweet nod to my grandparents and remind me to choose joy in the every day.
 
Eat Well. Travel Often. Choose Joy.
Don’t mind if I do.
 
Eat Well, Travel Often, Choose Joy DIY Artwork
 
xoxo,
Heather

Related posts:

{The Foyer} A Facelift {THE FOYER} DIY Driftwood Dresser {Peach Valley House} The Foyer ORC Week #5- Master Bedroom – Hello Fairy Godmother, Are You There?

Comments

  6. rachelelise52 says

    Love the giant text art, but especially the meaning behind it! Such a special way to remember your loved ones. I agree 100% about navy. It manages to be classic and modern at the same time. Beautiful entryway!

    Rachel @ TrailerTrashTreasureTrove

    Reply

  10. Ann says

    Hi! Do you have an option to download the image you made? I love the phrases you chose already. Thanks!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *