Monthly Archives: January 2012

DIY Photo Board

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Posted by on in Projects

As if I need another project to add to my list!  Anyway, I came across this post today from Shanty2Chic and absolutely love the idea of making a clothesline photo board to display pictures!  The easy to follow step-by-step guide makes this project seem super manageable.  It also came in under $15!  I think the original design is a little longer than what I’d like, but that’s easy enough to change.

What do you think?  I’ve been looking for new ways to display photos.  I like that this would be a creative way to display pictures in our apartment.  I think I’ve slowly talked myself into adding this to the To Do List!

How do you display photos in your home?  Do you stick to the standard pictures in frames or have you starting trying things that are outside the box?

2012 Dream House

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Posted by on in Design

In the first few minutes of 2012 I declared this year to be “the year of Mel.” I’ve taken that to mean that I’m supposed to win this year’s HGTV Dream Home in Park City, UT. I know I said last year that I was supposed to win the one in Vermont, but I think that was just a fluke.  Either way, I will gladly take the house and the money off of HGTV’s hands.  Here are some photos of my future home:

all photos courtesy HGTV Dream Home 2012 Giveaway.

Ahhh, I can just imagine sitting outside drinking a glass of wine and admiring my new home. Even though I’m destined to win, you can still enter.  At the very least, take a look at this beautiful home and day dream about a life with a free home!

Duvet Cover of Children’s Drawings

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Posted by on in Projects

Ok, this is such a cool idea that I have to share it.  At A Thousand Words, Jen does a play-by-play of how she turned her son’s drawings into a duvet cover.  Basically it involves scanning them onto her computer, editing the drawings on Photoshop–leaving only the outline of the drawing, enlarging the images, printing, and then tracing them onto a duvet with a fabric marker.

Isn’t that so impressive and creative!  Here are some photos of how she did it.

This seems like such a fun project to do! I have a nephew that’s very artistic…hmmm, maybe this could be a birthday gift for him one year? I am a pretty terrific tracer if I do say so myself.  Something to think about!

To learn more about her process you can check out her blog.

Photos courtesy a thousand words.

Industrial Curtain Rod

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Posted by on in Design, Projects

I’m on a mission.  My mission is to save money by not buying things I know I can make on my own.  It started with blankets, then went to candles, someday I might try soap, but this weekend it was industrial curtain rods. 

west elm pipe

I recently spied these beauties from West Elm and felt the need to have them, but I wasn’t about to pay $100 for it. So, I dragged James with me and we went to our local hardware store to buy the necessary supplies.

Here’s what you need:

  • 1  3/4’’ pipe (we had ours cut to 90’’ for our double window)
  • 2  90 degree bends  (fit for 3/4’’ pipe)
  • 2 falanges (fit for 3/4’’ pipe)
  • 8 screws

Total cost: $25

After that the steps are quite simple.  1) pre-drill holes for the screws to fit into the falange fittings.  2) slip curtain panels onto pipe rod. 3) mount pipe on wall with screws and you’re done! 

This was much simpler than I anticipated and it looks better than I could have imagined. My favorite thing about the curtain rod is that it only cost me $25!

Here’s how it turned out:

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And here’s a close up:

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And this is how our living rooms looks now:

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Mission “Save your Pennies and Do It Yourself” Accomplished! Have you started any projects yet for 2012?

Window Art

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Posted by on in Design, Projects

About a month ago I found this window frame laying out by our dumpster.  I decided to grab it and someday make it into some crafty wall art.  Well, that day is today people! 

IMG_3046

I did some searching on Etsy for vinyl wall decals and settled on this one.

decal

I opted for different colors though; brown for the branches and white for the flowers. Tonight I received them in the mail and started the assembly process. For this particular decal it was quite simple.  I simply took the decal, cut it into a six-panel grid to match the window, and applied the paper to the glass. Once I pressed out all the air bubbles, the whole thing was done!  This is how it turned out:

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I think it looks pretty good!  I wanted to start small and simple to see how the vinyl wall decals would look.  They are a variety of different decals to choose from ranging in size, shape, and color.  I’ve already found one that I want to do in our next apartment. It’s a toss up between the birch trees or the winter trees…

winter trees

birch trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regardless, I will definitely be doing another vinyl decal project in the future. They were simple to put up and are a great addition to any room!