Showing posts with label simple projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple projects. Show all posts

Monday, April 30, 2012

Framed Photos Matted with Burlap

My in-laws have a photo gallery wall in their stairwell that I have always loved!  Their life and ministry have taken them all over the world, so they have various pictures displayed of special places they've been.  Bradley and I haven't been able to travel extensively together in our almost 6 years of marriage, but we have traveled a little, so we decided to frame some of our favorite 'spots' and begin working on our stairwell.



I had some frames that a friend had given me, so I simply cut some burlap to the size of the frame, placed the picture in the center, and hung them on the wall!  Such a simple project that only cost me the price of printing out the pictures.

Photo from our honeymoon of Mayan Ruins in Belize

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Highway 1 in California {family vacation 2010}
If you don't have burlap lying around your house {like I do} it really isn't that expensive.  You can purchase it in most fabric stores--you'll find it with other utility fabrics.  I like the texture that it adds to the photos.  Right now I'm keeping the frames in their original stain, but I'd eventually like to paint them an heirloom white.  We have yet to paint the stairwell, foyer and hallways {mostly because of the high ceilings} so until then I am living with builder grade flat paint, which is a great collector for toddler fingerprints!


What simple projects have you completed lately?




Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Slowly Getting Organized, Project #1

We've lived in our home now for almost a year, and I'm sad to say that there are many areas that have been neglected in the area of organization.  Right after we moved in last January, life sort of snowballed with various circumstances, and left me feeling behind for the remainder of the year.  Now, with a baby coming in April, I decided it's about time to get 'caught up' and organize so that life will be a bit smoother with three little ones.

My first project was pretty simple, but has made my life so much better!  There has been a drawer in my kitchen that has held gadgets, measuring cups, cookie cutters, etc., and it really looked like I just emptied a box while unpacking and dumped everything in.  It took forever to find anything in there, and drove me NUTS!  My mom was here over Thanksgiving and I suppose I was lamenting about it to her, because she very kindly gave me a drawer organizer for Christmas!  Along with the shower head from my husband, these gifts have made me a happy woman.



My husband must have been just as eager to have an organized drawer because he emptied it before I had a chance to take a picture of the mess.  So, here's what everything looked like once it was on top of the counter.

And, here is the finished product:



Many of us are cleaning out and organizing various spaces in our homes at the beginning of this new year.  Don't let it overwhelm you!  If you have many areas to organize {like me}, just take it a little bit at a time, like one drawer at a time, and you'll find that those new tidy little spaces will inspire you to keep going to the next project.

What spaces are you planning to tackle soon?