This Project is in the Oven...

Hey guys! I thought I would let you all in on a little, tiny surprise!  Here it is!!

I'm having a baby! Woohoo! This will be baby #4 for me.  It was more than planned and also a wonderful surprise!  He or she has a due date of September 8th and I am so excited!

This is also a post of projects to come... baby bedding, nursery decor, furniture and so many more!  It makes me want to get up and craft lay down and take ANOTHER nap :) !

I've been so excited to share the news with you guys and after seeing my little bean and hearing the heartbeat today I knew it was time.

God is so good.... And we are so thankful!!

~Whitney

Fabric Mat your Photos!!

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!!  I wanted to show you all a quick, cheap and so chic way to mat your own photos.  I used this method with fabric for my photo wall but I thought I would change it up a bit and use burlap for this demo... yeah:)

 

Your first step will be to take the backing off of your frame.  This method is great for wall frames because the back is a bit messy but if you are doing a table frame you may want to clean your edges up a bit more than I did.  Lay your backing on your fabric.

Cut around your backing leaving about 1/2" all around.

Use your hot glue gun to attach two opposite sides first.

Now attach your other sides using the hot glue and you are ready for your photo.

I like to change my photos out often so this step makes that very simple.  Just use photo safe tape and add a few pieces to the back of your photo.

Find the center of your fabric covered backing and place the picture down on that... I use the old "eyeball" method to find center.

Replace your glass and add your newly matted picture and you are finished.  With just a few steps and even less dollars we have taken this...

To this...

Hope you guys like it!  These steps are a great way to use those unwanted frames you have hiding out and create several that coordinate to form a fun, custom photo wall.  Get creative!!

Also, for those of you that asked what blue I used on the crackle frame...

Folkart Acrylic Seamist

Thanks!!!

Pottery Barn Storage System DIY ~ Take 2

I'm back from our crazy, busy weekend and I have a project to show for it!  I am continuing on with the Pottery Barn Storage System that I found over at Ana'a Blog ~ Knock Off Wood.  Last week I completed the open cubbies.  If you missed that tutorial you can check it out HERE.  My goal in this series of projects is to prove to you that you CAN do this too!  I have very minimal carpentry skills and just like many of you, I have NEVER built a piece of furniture from scratch.  Well, now I actually have and I am ADDICTED!

This week I moved on to the media base and you can see the plans I used for it HERE.  (It's the part the TV stands on).

I started by drawing out a cut layout on a piece of graph paper so that I could maximize the amount of cuts per sheet of MDF.  I then took the layout to Home Depot where they cut all of the boards for FREE!  ( I know some of you mentioned that your Home Depot would not cut or charged per cut.  I did ask this time and it turns out that my Home Depot cuts the first two cuts for free and then it is $0.25 for each additional cut.  They were very nice and still did not charge me for any of the cuts...hopefully I will get this lucky everytime!)

This is a close-up of the cut layout for the 3/4" MDF, which I used for the top, sides and back of this piece.

Here is a close-up of the cut layout for the 1/4" plywood that I used for the back.  I had to use plywood because they did not have a long enough piece of 1/4" MDF:(  I bought the longest piece available and added a few cuts for the backs of future pieces to get my money's worth.  The cut needed for this piece is the top left cut.  (Feel free to copy my cut layout and take it with you...I just handed it to the Home Depot guys and they cut it while I shopped around.

Make sure to line each edge with Gorilla Glue Wood Glue before you secure them with screws.

Most of the predrills are blind so I draw a line to guide where I should place the screws.  3/4" is not very thick so a bad angle or placement of a screw could make it tear through the surface.  (If this happens, no worries!  You can sand it and fill it with wood filler and sand again.  Good as new!)

Using a drill bit that is a tad smaller in circumference than the screws you are using, predrill at least three holes (make sure to start at least 1" from the edge to protect the wood from splitting...I use three fingers vs. measuring).  I also predrill the first hole and then add the screw before I predrill the other holes so that the boards stay still.

Here are the screws I have been using.

Drill the screws in until they are below the surface just a little.  You can fill in the gap later with wood putty for a more finished look.

After the first steps.

and another...

Almost done!

Next, I used 1" wire nails and hammered the piece of plywood to the back side.

I used Gorilla Glue Wood Glue and wire nails to attach the top trim and base molding.  I then hammered the wire nails to secure the back piece of plywood.

Finally, a little Elmer's Wood Filler in each screw hole..

and pack and smooth.  If it is not flush you can sand it down with a light grit sand paper.

Done!

This part of the Storage System was definitely harder than the open cubbies because of the shelves but it was still easy.  Total cost was about $45 and it took me about 2 hours to complete.  If I can do it ANYONE can!  Just do one piece at a time.  You will be amazed at what you can do when you set your mind to something.  Check back for the next piece to my Storage System!!!

TO BE CONTINUED....

~Ashley

Crackled Frame Tutorial

Oh HEY!!! You were not forgotten, I promise!  Ash and I have been crazy busy this weekend.  Ashley is my daughter's cheerleading coach.  Here they are with my other sister who also coaches her.

This last weekend we competed at Nationals and guess what...

Woohoo!! So... Needless to say, Ashley worked close to 3214012 hours over the weekend and I was there for much of that.  Sorry to keep you guys waiting but again... WOOHOO:)

Now to frames!  I had several questions about my frames I used on this wall here.

This is a "pre-blog" project I have never shared.  I was creating a wall of pictures and wanted to alter my frames to coordinate and help it flow.  I purchased all of my frames at Big Lots for under $20 but you can also find great cheapos at Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.  I tried to find frames that were very different in style.  You start by removing the insides of your frame like this.

These are the products I used to create my frames. 

First I painted the frame with two coats of the Americana Burnt Umber.

After letting that dry I applied one generous coat of the crackle medium.

After that dries it is time for the top coat.  Your top coat will be the color that cracks open and reveals the bottom coat through the cracks.  *IMPORTANT* !! When you are applying the top coat you can't paint over where you have already painted.  I do one line of paint at a time.  If you do go over it, the crackle will not work.

As the top coat drys it will crackle.  Make sure to use a good amount of paint on your brush for the top coat.

And all finished up...

At this point you can put your glass back in and add a cute picture...

...Or you can also take it one step further. Soon, I will be showing you a super cheap but so chic way to mat your own pictures.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  We've missed you guys and I'm glad to get back in the swing of things.  Have a great Thursday!!

~Whitney