I was motivated to work on a few little projects I've had sitting around this past weekend (thanks in part to all of my friend Debi's great posts about her cool projects around their house lately). The first...not long after Kolbe was born my MIL gave me a couple little counted cross-stitches that Aaron's aunt (HI Aunt Lorrie!!) had made for him when he was a boy. They were rather tattered, yellowed and the frames they were in were very dated. My sweet MIL took them out of the frames and soaked them in oxi which cleaned them up nicely, but they've been sitting in Kolbe's drawer for about a year now, waiting to be noticed and framed. So finally this past Saturday I decided to take them to Hobby Lobby and have them custom framed. I started racking my brain for a plan B though as the gal was adding up how much it would cost...to the tune of $65. I mean, HOLY COW!! The pieces (there were two of them each about 3.5 by 4 inches) are certainly nice and have some sentimental value for sure...but I mean, really?!!? Sixty-five dollars?!?!?!! Yikers!!!! No way! I just couldn't do it. Thankfully the custom framing lady was all about helping me throw something together myself. (Why she didn't just offer this in the first place, well, who knows. It wasn't the least bit difficult). I still ended up spending over $30, which was more than I had figured I would spend, but I wanted to have the matte custom cut and that just ain't cheap. So I bit the bullet, had her cut the matte, bought some sticky-board to mount the cross-stitch pieces on and found a frame (black was the only color they carried in the size I needed, so I painted it white). Once I got everything together I was very pleased with the outcome. This will hopefully be a nice keepsake for Kolbe, and it looks oh so sweet hanging in his room. Definitely not one of those fun, frugal projects...but I'm still very excited about the finished product.
The second project, however, was totally frugal and I am equally as happy (in a different way) with how it turned out. Gemma has had a framed poster in her room of Eric Carle's baby bear since she moved to her big girl room. She LOVED the Eric Carle "bear" books as a young toddler so this was a fun print to have. But she's not so into those books anymore, and the poster didn't quite fit in the frame and it was just kind of bugging me. So I had my hubby pick up a piece of poster board (this project's only expense!), got Gemma's paints out and let her have at it! She really had fun, as I have mentioned previously she does enjoy painting. After it dried, I took the glass from the frame and traced it onto the "best" part of the painting (thanks for another tip, Mary), cut it out and voile! ART!! She's very proud of it, and I think it's a fun way to decorate a child's room.
I've really had a bug to do little things around the house this spring...I've painted several frames, rearranged the items on our mantle and side-server, updated some pictures in frames...just small things like that, but personal touches that make our house feel more our own. Cliche I know, but there really is no place like home!
6 comments:
These are some great projects! Love Gemma's art! I bet it makes her proud every time she sees it. Did you know Target makes a special kids art frame?
And sometimes rearranging gives a totally different feel to your decor. Gotta love easy quick changes!
Love the counted cross stitch and the frame will go so well with the frame you'd painted before! Next thing you know you'll be rearranging your living room every six months... or maybe that's just me ;-P
Love Gemma's painting! Our artwork is limited to what the kids tape onto the wall, so it doesn't look very professional.
Framing cross-stitch is incredibly expensive. I used to make pieces for wedding gifts and get my parents to pay for the framing for family members and friends they knew. In my experience, too, if you're framing a piece that has taken hundreds of hours, take it to a cross-stitch store for the frame. It might even cost a bit more than someplace like Hobby Lobby, but it decreases the risk of a poor job. They're much more difficult to frame than posters because the tension has to be exactly the same all the way around.
You rock!!! I really like the mat colors you chose along with the frame.I don't think there is any guilt about spending a little $ to frame something(as long as it's not on credit;) so sentimental, a few years back, I had a Sacred Heart of Jesus poster framed that I had inherited from my Great Aunt and Uncle....I won't scare you with how much I paid...but it was worth it and I love the outcome....I would probably do it differently now, but it carries a special meaning to our family. I have several cross-stitch pics throughout our house that my good friend made for us...I always think of her when I see them.
cool! I love the cross stitch pictures and how you framed it. I really love Gemma's art project in the frame. I've been wanting to do this for a while. Maybe I'll catch your bug!
I Love This!! For Clayton's and my 2nd Christmas together I had Aubrey draw a picture of our family for him and framed it. We have it hanging in our bathroom. I love kids art. :)
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