Wall Decor

     I've been wondering what to place on the wall over the sofa.  I've been wondering for almost five years.  I nixed mirrors, ledges loaded with tchotchkes, and an arrangement of family portraits.  Mike and I were lucky enough to receive some decorative metal work that previously hung over a barn door.  I cleaned and repainted it.  Now it hangs over our sofa.

This was weathered to a gray color.  The black areas are where I sprayed WD-40 so I could loosen the scews that held it together.

I washed off the oily WD-40 with detergent and sprayed with primer.  One of the curlicues broke off.  I glued it together with J-B Weld and sanded the seam before applying the primer.

Primed and ready for the black paint.

I poked a metal rod into the ground and put the finials on the rod for painting.

I hung the center rods from a tree branch and sprayed them.  These hollow, four-sided rods were full of empty cocoons and other creepy stuff.  I made a giant pipe cleaner by wrapping a smaller rod with a wet paper towel.  The cocoons were gone after a few passes with my pipe cleaner. 

I painted with Rustoleum Hammered Black and decided it was too shiny.  I sprayed another coat of flat black.

 I taped some cardstock together, making long strips.  I laid the re-assembled metal work on the cardstock,
traced it, then cut out the tracing.  Using blue painter's tape, I moved the tracing around
until I found the perfect place to install my objets d'art.
Note the black blob on the sofa - my canine supervisor.

The finished project.