Paint Swatch Mosaic

I don't know about the rest of you, but somehow over the years, my living room has become a sea of beige.  I'm not sure how it happened.  I used to have color, but I started swapping out my old furniture and decor little by little until I realized that no color was left.  I am in the process of fixing this.

I saw this idea and thought it was a wonderful and cheap way to add color to your room.  Here's what you need:

• 1 Board (I cut mine at 16"x16", Home Depot cuts for free)
• Modge Podge Matte
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Stain
• Clear Coat Spray
• Sponge Brushes
• and Assorted Paint Swatches (enough to equal 49 squares)

First I went to Home Depot and picked out my colors.  I wanted to stick with blues, greens, and browns.  Remember, you aren't painting a wall, so your color choices can be a bit more bold.  I picked out 15 different colors and grabbed 4 of each because I wasn't sure of the size.  I picked ones that I thought were big enough to cut into 2 squares.  I didn't want any words showing.  Then I took them home and cut them down to 2 1/8 inches square.  Once they were all cut, I laid them out into the order I wanted them in and set them aside. 

Then I painted the edges of my board black.  Once that was dry, I measured the board and swatches to get everything as centered as possible.  This was the hardest part, but the next part can be a little tricky too.  Paint the Modge Podge onto the back of your swatches and line them up.  Make sure that your corners stay down.  If any excess Modge Podge seeps out, wipe it off.  I never realized how uneven my perfectly cut squares were until I started the second row.  I found the the key was overlapping or centering when necessary.  There may be some small gaps, but it'll all even out in the end if you're careful.

When all your pieces are pasted on, brush on 3 layers of Modge Podge.  I did 2 Hortizontal and the last one Vertical to give some dimension.  Let each layer dry completely, it doesn't take long.

When the Modge Podge is set, take your stain and brush it on.  With a paper towel, wipe off the excess.  This is about layering and how much antiquing you want.  I didn't want very much, just enough that you could tell.  You can do as much or as little as you want!  The more you play with it, the more texture you'll get.

I quickly found out that now matter how dry the stain was, it could still get smudged because it was on a smooth surface instead of wood.  So, I took it outside and put on one even coat of clear coat.  You don't need more than that.  It's just to keep the stain from getting rubbed off or getting fingerprints in it.  Let it dry, and it's done.

This was my cousin's board. She wanted more vibrant colors and less stain.  It's very fitting with her style.

This is my sister's board.  She wanted it with a lot more stain and detail.  Note:  The more stain you put on, the longer it needs to dry.

This is the beauty of this project, you can do so much with it and make it your own.  I think it would be adorable to make a board with hot pink, red, and orange colors for a girls room.  Or it would be really fun to have multiple boards that are themed for the season and you can swap them out.  It was a super fun project.

I found this idea at Hope Studios.  The only things that are different between the tutorials is the clear coat of paint that I put on mine and that she grabbed already squared swatches.  The only reason I didn't pick square ones is because then the words would show.  Check her's out and see what you think!