DIY Oversized Framed Photos

I am in love with this project.  I first fell in love with the inspiration when I saw it Pinterest and now I am in love with my version of it.  I still really adore the original - it really can't be beat.

                                        my frame                                                  Pinterest

(Disclaimer: Don't mind the lack of - well - things in this picture.  This corner of the room is a work in progress.  Especially since Lola tore down the curtain and rod on the left.  Next project - turning those curtains into roman shades.)

But since it would cost A LOT of money to frame that many photos I had to come up with my own smaller scale version - that is CHEAP.

And you can make your own too.

First I had my husband use left over wood to create the frame.  With a little glue and a staple gun I assembled the cut pieces.

Then I purchased a piece of SMOOTH MDF or plywood. I know this isn't helpful but I really don't know what it is actually called.  Ehhhh......I bought at our local big box hardware store.....this tutorial is failing.......

Let's get this back on track.  Next I stained the frame using my new best friend, Minwax's Polyshade, a stain and poly in one.  Time and money saver.  Yes.  It is the same stuff I used for the corbel shelf.

I also painted the back board above white for a nice backdrop to the photos.  Based on your photos and room it could be fun to pick black or a fun color to spice it up a bit.  I am a plain jane so due to my fear of color I stick with the basics. 

My next step was to choose my photos.  I knew I needed 27 photos to fill in the frame so I selected 50. Once I had my potential photos I tested out whether I liked color, sepia, or black and white photos for my frame.  I decided that I needed some color but do to my fear of it that it needed to be bleached.

Next I measured out the dimensions and how much space would be needed between each photo so I could measure and secure the photos with a glue stick before going to town with the Mod Podge.

The last and final step was just SEVERAL coats of Mod Podge.  I chose Matte because I love it but glossy is great too.  The one challenge was getting some mod podge behind the photos since they were partially secured with glue.  I only put a dab of glue in the center of each photo so I was able to pull the corners and edges back to give the backs a thin coating.  It definitely was all they needed.  The photos are not falling off anytime soon.

If you look closely you can see the ridges and lines from the mod podge but that doesn't really bother me plus you have to look very closely to see it.  But it is something to consider - especially as you are layering it on.

So there you have it - your very own oversized framed photo display.

Now what to do with this corner?!

What should I put on the other wall?  I am thinking 3 horizontal pieces of artwork or perhaps a verse or wording of some type spread out across three frames....Any ideas?

   

   

more baby hats and more chevron

I know I promised the chevron pattern and it is coming but in the meantime can I share some more of the hats I've been knitting to perfect the pattern?  Well I am anyway.

I fell in love with this yarn and I have been trying to use it in as many as hats as possible.  I just love the colors.  I think I should go buy more and make something for myself.......

I also made this hat with the yarn.  I honestly don't know if I like it yet.  The hubby loves it though which is kind of funny since he rarely really has an opinion about baby hats - why would he?  

He says it looks like a little baby snow boarder's hat.

Well hope you all have a good weekend!

corbel shelf

I finally put my corbels to good use.  For the longest time they have been laying around the house waiting to be transformed into a mantle but it was clear that project wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.  I hated that they weren't being displayed in my home and then it dawned on me....I also hate the bookshelf that acts as our entryway table.

It was dark, heavy and cheap looking.  Plus I hated having all those cooking books there....it just didn't look good.  So I batted my eyelashes and asked my talented husband if he could hang my corbels on the wall and make a shelf to hold our mail and keys.

These projects are never as easy as you think they will be.  It was surprisingly hard to figure out a way to hang the corbels without destroying their appearance so they could hold a really heavy piece of wood and other knick-knacks.

The hubby did great though.  I love the look of this shelf.  It is exactly what I wanted it to be.  Fresh, light, open and fun.

The corbels were a gift from my mom.  Antique corbels can be very expensive ($50-$100 per corbel) but since these were a gift this project was relatively inexpensive.  We bought a nice thick and solid 2x12 piece of wood, stained it with Minwax's Polyshades.  I have never used this stain and polyurethane before and it worked great.  By the time I finish staining something the last thing I want to do it give it a coat of poly.  I am so impatient so it was great to have it all done in one step and it really looks amazing.  In total this project came to about $20.  Of course it would have been more if the corbels weren't a gift.

    

  

falling in love with fall

This past weekend was the most perfect fall day......warm, sunny, fresh and colorful.  I really wish that EVERY day was like this except for one month in summer and one month in winter.  A little snow never hurt anyone, right?  I can't talk about winter, I'm starting to cry.

  Back to fall.  Beautiful fall.

With a busy and fun weekend planned it was so nice to take a little time out and head to our local forest preserve with the pups and just enjoy fall while it was here.  We hiked through the trees and ended up at our own little beach where Lola wasted no time jumping right in.  Our little swimmer.

And of course Hudson barely could get his paws wet and when he did he would not leave Bran's side.  We have such strange and silly dogs.  We have no idea where they get it.

Not so pretty and calming was our encounter with these little buggers.

Burs? Burrs? Buursss? 

Spelling doesn't matter what does matter is that 3 of the 4 of us have lots of hair and hair is not a friend of the bur.

My head was covered in the spiky balls and we had to give Lola a massive haircut when we got home. I don't know how that girl caught so many burs on her body.  I think she lost half her weight in fur from the removal and now she has a little nub for a tail.

We ended our little walk with an attempted family photo thanks to self-timer.  This was the best one we could get.  Not going to make the Christmas card.

We also spent some time at the apple orchard this past weekend.  

It is not officially fall for us until we visit the orchard.

And eat apple cider donuts.  Good thing this is a seasonal food.

All the trees were so green and healthy and half full of apples except for this little guy.  It may not be pretty but it's still bearing much fruit.  Hmm...there's a lesson here.  I really fell in love with this little tree.  It was perfect.

Apple picking isn't just about the picking for us - it is about the apple splitting contest - with our bare hands!

Yes we actually can split apples with our bare hands and now my hands are totally bruised to prove it.

Hopefully they will be fully recovered in time for pumpkin picking this weekend.  

Fall just keeps on getting better.

Now if the warm, sunny weather could only hang around a little bit longer.

reason number 1102 to own a truck

I haven't always been a truck lover.  I was totally too scared to even try driving one but when the hubby got one I had to get used to it and I was completely surprised how much I fell in love.  I seriously love this truck!  So much so that we decided to sell my car and go down to just one car  truck.  The hubby takes the train everyday and we live just a few short blocks from my office so there is no need for two cars.

Now there are many reasons why I love this truck but top on the list is this reason.......

A giant, warm, comfy bed.   

Oh my goodness it is heaven and it can go anywhere......ANYWHERE.  We just pop on the top and drive.

This was my latest pinterest inspiration found here.

Pinterest is keeping me so busy!!

This time we decided to head to the drive-in for a triple feature.

Kung Fu Panda 2, Moneyball and Driver.  We only made it to the first two since Driver didn't start till 11:30 and we are getting old but it was so much fun.  

It was cold and I didn't plan ahead so instead of warm drinks and baked goods it was sodas, water, licorice and pretzels.  There is a concession stand at the drive-in for anything else we would want.  But once we go smashed and cozy in the truck, no one wanted to leave.

Somehow the boys could not keep their eyes open for these pictures so this is the best we could get.  It wouldn't surprise me if they did this on purpose to make me mad - I tend to get a little camera happy.

It was so much fun!  Next summer we are going to get a large group to meet there and tailgate ahead of time with our grills and goodies and hopefully warmer weather.