Say Yes to Zebra.

Lately we have worked so much on the outside of the house that the inside has been feeling kind of blah. The dining room was especially bland - a sort of beige peach.

I just don't dig bland, so on Saturday morning, hopped up on coffee and cold medicine and perhaps a little feverish, I bought a giant zebra painting at Ross. I do mean giant, too...it didn't fit in the car, so I had to walk home carrying my 15 square feet of Zebra.

I loved my Zebra, and judging from the enthusiastic commentary of passing motorists, Hollywood loves him too. However, there was a problem. You can't just slap a giant zebra on a beige wall.

To me, this doesn't so much make a statement as pose a question...and the question is, "WTF is up with that crazypants zebra?!?". It reminds me of a hospital ward that is trying too hard to be cheerful. This is not the look I was going for.

But wait! The sad beige peach walls are made of fabric wallpaper...fabric that would be really pretty if it just weren't so beige. I decided that if it was fabric, I could dye it, right? I used craft acrylic, diluted with water 1:3, to give the walls a wash of indigo. Wha-bam. I intentionally made it a little uneven - I was going for an antique silk look, not modern perfection. The little floral designs were nearly invisible before, but they took up the stain differently and I think they add a lot.

Now we're talkin'. Zebra looks good, and the new gallery walls inspired me to finally frame up and display a lot of other art. The white crown moldings really pop too.

I still have a few small prints to hang, and some wall sconces to install, but I am just so damn proud of the way it turned out. Total cost: about $20 for paint, $43 for Zebra, and $100 for Ikea picture frames and other accessories.

Once more, just for fun!