Simply DIY 2

So, my youngest sister has made a personal goal to run either a half or (eventually) a full marathon in each of the 50 states.  While she has run quite a few half marathons in our home state of Pennsyltucky, her only other states are Tennessee and soon-to-be Ohio.  She needs to get on that goal ! From doing each half marathon (and always kicking butt) she receives a participation medal.  Along with the medal, she has her bib as well.  What to do with these memorabilia from each race?  You could scrapbook the bibs with some photos, and throw the medals in a keepsake box, but why not display them?  I've noticed on my sister's Pinterest page (Oh, thank you Pinterest) that she has pinned a few bib/medal holders like this one : I decided to give it the ol' DIY try and make my sister one of these for her birthday.  This was a trial and error project, with lots of trial and lots of errors.  Bare with me while I try to explain. T...

Finally, I have found something little to hang on our bedroom walls !  I'm sort of hesitant when it comes to hanging things up on walls…well, bedroom walls.  A big wall, like our stairwell wall , is easy to decorate since it's one wall with a bunch of frames.  But having to decorate FOUR walls in one room makes me a little anxious.  Having to make it all flow together and look good is what makes me a little nervous. Back in June, I hung up some pictures above our bed.  That was easy because it seemed like a perfect space to hang some frames: However, I have a bunch of wall space that still needs some love in our room.  Since it still makes me a little nervous about what and where I should hang, I figured I'd tackle a small area.  This little wall next to our bathroom door seemed like a good spot to hang something…b aby steps. The other day, as I was browsing through Pinterest…again…I found the idea to frame fabric. ...

Have you ever had some nice gifts from Christmas, wedding, or birthday that you want to put in your house, but just haven't found the perfect place for it?  Well, Kerry and I have been married for almost five years now and we received two pretty shelves as gifts from family friends…we did register for them…and they have been sitting under our guest bed since we moved in.  Now, give me some slack here - we did rent for our first three years of marriage so it was  pointless  hard to hang things up. Well, I was inspired by a friend to get a move on figuring out a place for at least ONE of the two shelves.  It now has a home in our master bathroom.  Above the toilet was a nice, blank wall that needed some decor love, so I figured that would be the perfect spot for a shelf.   To hang up the shelf, I spread some painter's tape across the back from hole to hole.  I made sure that the top of the tape and the top of the shelf were ...

I like to hang pictures around the house.  I have a set of  brown frames  in my living room and a set white ones that are in my stairwell going up to the bedrooms.  I mostly buy the same types of frames (I like a certain brown one from Kohl's and the white ones from Ikea), but I will occasionally find another type that I like too.  Whatever frame I find, there is usually one thing that irks me....when I have to hang them on the wall with the hardware that they come with.  It's usually the sawtooth hanger or a teeny triangle that goes on the nail.  I don't really care for either of them because they aren't typically centered on the frame. I do like the way professional framers put the wire on the back. It makes it easier to hang and helps make it more even. So whenever I have a frame that needs wire, this is what I do: You'll need a staple gun, wire cutters, some type of sturdy wire (I use floral wire which does the trick), and rubber pads (op...

Since we moved in last May, I've been trying to find something to go above our headboard in our bedroom.  When we first moved it, I hung a small watercolor of lily pads that my grandmother painted, but that found a new home in our guest bedroom months ago.  Since then, it's been boring and bland: I've been looking for ideas and haven't found any that I felt was "the one" for the bedroom.  But then one day, with a coupon in hand, I went to visit Michael's craft store.  It's been a while since I've browsed there, plus I needed to find a candle for my Gram.  So off I went with my friend in search of a candle, when I saw THE PERFECT solution to my headboard problem: The frame + the print came together.  They were naturistic and earthy, the right size, and the perfect colors for our room.  And at...wait for it...$6.99 EACH (plus my teacher's 15% discount) I couldn't pass them up.  I purchased them and off I went to hang them u...

One of my first pins on Pinterest was  this  DIY hanging plant "container".  I had been looking to hang a plant in our front bay window for a while, but didn't want to fork over some cash for a store bought one.  So I was excited when I found out that I could easily make one. Tools: Scissors Tape measure Materials : Small bowl (I got a white IKEA 365+ for $2.99) 8 yards of piping-like ribbon (the original used climbing or cotton rope, but I couldn't find a color I liked) *Depending on how low or high you want your plant to hang will determine your actual yards. Plant Tiny rocks Extra soil (if needed) First, cut your ribbon (or rope) into 8 equal pieces. Then tie all the pieces together (this will be the bottom of the hanging "container") and divide them up into sections of two. Step 3: Measure out 2.5 inches from the bottom and tie a double not for one sections of two.  It might be useful to have someone around to use the ol...

So everyone who knows me, knows my love of pictures and photography.  I love looking at, scrapbooking, and taking photos (and I strive to take better ones - someday I'll be there).  But until then, I will still enjoy all the ones that I take as well as my family's and friends' photos.   In the new house I have two photo walls that are a work-in-progress: One on the middle floor living room (brown frames)  and one at the top of the third floor steps (white frames-which will eventually spill over into the stairway).  After searching for the best way to hang up numerous pictures, I found some tips and started to hang.  Tip 1:  Typically, frames that are the same color or type are visually appealing.  Too many colors or shapes can be distracting, so the best combo would probably be to keep the frames the same color and use different shapes/designs (or same shapes works too).  You don't want to use different colors, even with same shapes.....