I have a gorgeous blue frame my wonderful boyfriend bought me for my birthday last year after I hinted and nudged him like crazy about it while in one of my favorite stores, Patina.  It holds a 5×7 photo and the only photo I had that I liked enough to put in it was of San and I at our senior prom, but to be honest it was not my favorite.  Now that I’m back in my room at my parent’s house, I decided to do a little photo makeover.

One of my favorite photos of San and I is from his uncle’s wedding last year (before I chopped my hair off).  It’s funny, cute, and just like us (or at least like him – I like a little too normal in the photo).  You can see it below:

I only had it in 4×6, which looked okay even with the extra space around it, but the background of the picture was really throwing everything off.  I went a little scissors-crazy and made a pseudo-silhouette piece of art using the cut up picture, some diamond pattern scrapbook paper I picked up at a garage sale a couple weeks ago, and three red and pink hearts made from some colored paper.  I didn’t even tape or glue anything together.  I just laid everything where I wanted it, closed the frame, and I was good to go!

I am loving it!  I really wanted to add a fortune (like from fortune cookies), but I didn’t have one that would relate to the picture.  I’ll have to eat out more until I can find one! It’s sitting on a little table/desk in my room now.  It makes me so much happier to look at it now than it did when it was boring and normal.  I have a quirky streak in me that I like to show off every now and then.  I usually try to keep it contained, but after lugging boxes back and forth all weekend, my brain needed to unleash its inner quirkiness.  I am quite pleased with what I came up with!  It’s like a little scrapbook page in a frame, which I am obviously not the first person to do, but it was a first for me and I am proud!

Do you ever have fun with your frames and do things a little out of the ordinary?

Oh boy, do I love me a challenge!  When I saw one of my favorite bloggers, Lindsay @ Living With Lindsay, was hosting a five dollar challenge, I couldn’t hold myself back!  I’m poor, but I have five dollars and love to make crafty things.  How could I resist?

I had a vision in my head of a springtime wreath, but I didn’t want my vision to be too decided when I went shopping since I was limited to only shopping in dollar stores, and we all know how random the selection can be at those types of stores.  I mainly knew I wanted to use my leftover burlap from my corkboard makeover and my leftover green polka dot fabric from my DIY custom flats and that I needed something to wrap them around.

Here is what I found and used:

I used the fabric previously mentioned and purchased a styrofoam wreath, a decorative bird, some twigs, and some fake flowers.  The only thing I used to attach everything was hot glue, which was another thing we were allowed to use if we had it on hand, which I did.  I only spent four out of the five dollars on my purchases, so I came in under budget!  Nice!

I started by cutting a long strip of burlap and wrapping it around the wreath.  I hot glued the ends of the burlap to the back of the wreath, making sure when I started a new strip that the ends were not visible from the front.

I ended up with this – nice!

Then I added the bird by hot gluing it to the burlap – trying to disguise the glue as best as possible.

Then I glued some of the  twigs to the front, just below the bird to make it look like it was standing on them on a tree.  I wanted to incorporate the green polka dot fabric somehow and thought of using it to make little flowers, but it didn’t look good, so instead I cut one piece about two inches thick and flipped it upside down and ran a much thinner piece on top of it.  I wrapped it around on top of the burlap, hot gluing the ends once again. The last thing I did was intertwine some of the faux flowers with the branches to add some more color and “life” since I wanted it to look spring-y.

Here is the finished product:

I am very happy with the way it turned out!  It was so cheap and it’s so happy.  It is a perfect addition to Easter decor and spring accessories as well.  Plus, it’s not too spring-themed, so I can keep it hanging all summer as well.  What do you think – is it worth the four dollars?

If you would like to join in on the fun of the five dollar challenge – it’s not too late!  Entries are not being taken until this Thursday (the 25th), so you still have time to brainstorm and head to your nearest dollar store for some spring time fun!  Just head over to Lindsay’s blog to view the rules and you will be ready to get started.

I hope to see some of your crafty projects then!

What really makes the room, in my opinion, are the little details that I made myself (which you will see further down).  The ultimate project I couldn’t wait to finish was a pair of frames turned into chalkboards.  I initially thought I was going to use this huge round mirror I posted about a while ago to paint and turn into a chalkboard while painting the wood it’s on a fun color.  I quickly realized that it was too large to fit anywhere, the mirror was glued on and a pain to remove, and I then decided I wanted a magnetic chalkboard while refusing to use magnetic paint, which meant I had to buy metal to paint with chalkboard paint.

Luckily, I only paid a small amount for that mirror and was given these great frames from my mom over Christmas break to use however I want.  They are 16”x20” and I can paint them down the road if I so choose.

I planned on buying sheet metal at a hardware store and having it cut to size on site, but buying two sheets the size I wanted would have cost me from $35-60, which I could not afford.  My dad told me that a person can usually find sheet metal much cheaper at plumbing stores, but that was after I already solved the problem.  If you’re looking into making a magnetic chalkboard, I’d recommend doing more research on sheet metal to get the best deal possible.

To solve my dilemma, I posted a wanted ad on Craigslist for a piece of sheet metal sturdy enough to stand on its own (so that it would be durable enough to stay flat in a frame) and to be cut into two rectangles the size I needed them.  I offered $10.  I answered a response and went with San to pick up the piece of metal.  When I got there, I saw that it had rust on it, but I was sick of this project and all the dilemmas it was producing, so I bought it and just went with it.

Cutting it was a nightmare because it was very thick, so when my dad was in the area, he brought his metal snips and we painstakingly contorted the metal (in the bitter cold, mind you) until we could get it cut to size.  Moral of that story is to let the person who sold you the metal cut it for you when they offer.  >.<

Anyway, this is what it looked like before priming it:

Pretty bad shape.  It’s a wonder with all the speed bumps this project ran in to that I kept going. I primed it with black Rust-oleum automobile primer that can cover rust and stop it from spreading.  One of the workers at a hardware store recommended this for painting on rusty metal, and let me say that it worked perfectly!  Being limited on space, I had to prime and paint the metal in my apartment.  I couldn’t do it outside because of the cold temperatures.  I opened lots of windows, had a fan blowing, opened the door to the hallway, and turned the stove fan on.  It definitely is not the safest or smartest way to do this, but I’m young and learning as I go.  I sprayed three coats of the primer on within a few minutes of each other and let them dry overnight.

The next day, I painted three coats of Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint with a small roller.  I waited three days and they were perfect!  I popped them into the frames, decorated them, and then the room was finished (at least for now)!

Let’s take a look!

I keep my books, DVDs, and dumbbells stored on this inexpensive metal shelf.  I decorated it with a pretty pink apron.

The pear is one of my favorite pieces in this room – I dedicated a whole post to it a while back.

If you’d like, you can read more about the photo grouping here and the corkboard-turned-jewelry-display here. 

I can’t get enough of Starry Night.  The poster has been taken down and put back up countless times, but I still love it.

I can’t hide my love for ornately carved frames and dance art it seems.

I made the bed quilt with my grandma for my confirmation years ago.  I love it, even though it is a little youthful.  This room seems to blend the youthful colors with more sophisticated elements – perfect for someone my age!

Can you see them?  There are the chalkboards.  I don’t have them hung on the wall yet because they weigh about seven pounds each and I haven’t got any heavy duty hooks for them yet.

All of the orangey wood furniture came with the room (my bed, the dresser, the middle storage cabinet, and the desk).  It’s definitely not ideal, but I work with it.

A note about finding chalkboard chalk: head to an office supply store and not a store like Target because they usually only have sidewalk chalk which can stain your chalkboards and is very hard to remove.

I love them!  I now have a place to reflect how I am feeling, what’s going on in my mind during any given day, and to house all sorts of inspiration.

Last but not least, my smile banner I made last year that makes me so happy every time I look at it.

So what do you think?  Is it an upgrade to what I started with?

I have to say that my room makes me incredibly happy and calm.  It’s my one place that is just for me, which it reflects.  As much as I love all the designer rooms and rooms of the great bloggers I follow, I have come to terms with the fact that I am not living a life like most of these people right now.  I am a college student.  I barely have even just a few pennies to my name and have no place I actually purchased and can do what I want with.  Yet, I am proud because although my room is far from magazine-worthy, it has “Sarah” written all over it.  I worked very hard to save money and use what little resources I had to make it something inspirational for me.

Everyone should be proud of their home no matter what state it is in because they’ve worked to make it the way it is.  I take delight in the little things, so as long as I have some place of my own, even if I do not own it, I will do my best to create something out of it while continuing to dream of the day when I can go all out with a house I own.

Let’s all spend today loving our current situations and homes just the way they are.  I know there many things we all would love to fix or upgrade in our lives and our homes, but until we can do those things it can help to see the best in what we have now.  Here’s to living in the present but keeping hope for the future!

I gathered my supplies and I got to work.  I used glitter, tacky glue, white ribbon, a sponge to spread the glue with, scissors, five sheets of thick scrapbook paper (not the flimsy kind), scissors, and a large sheet of tagboard.  I picked out colors that would work both in my room at my apartment but also at my room at home.  I try to make sure I can reuse everything during the summer when I am at home.

I cut a triangle out of each sheet of paper, using the first one as a guide for the rest.   Then I cut smaller triangles out of white tagboard. I didn’t use any stencils or precut letters.  I instead just stenciled some letters and used those.  I am no artist in any way, so if I can eyeball the letters, you can, too.  I then spread glue on them using the sponge and sprinkled silver glitter on them.  I did end up filling in the white spots after I had glued the letters on to the banner.  Next I glued the tagboard triangles to the scrapbook ones, using the sponge again to spread the glue out.  There were small wrinkles in the paper even after flattening them, but it wasn’t noticeable after I added the letters and hung the banner.  Then I added the letters after they were completely dry.  This is when I took the sponge and dabbed a small amount of glue where ever there were white spots and sprinkled glitter over them. Then I used a utility knife to cut little slits in each of the corners where I pulled ribbon through and tied a bow where each triangle connected.  Then came the fun part: hanging time!

This banner instantly made my room a happier place.  Every time I walk into my room now, I end up obeying the banner and smile.  This would be so cute above a crib, in a kid’s room, in a craft room, behind a dining table, in a kitchen…  The possibilities are endless and they can look so different depending on what colors, paper, glitter, word, and ribbon you use.  I love mine!

Have you ever created a banner before?  What did you use it for?

I headed to Target to buy a scrapbook kit.  I ended up buying this vintage kit for $24.99.  It had everything I needed and looked perfect for what I wanted.  I liked that it was vintage looking since I plan on having it the rest of my life.

Instead of tearing apart magazines to glue onto the pages, I instead went to stock.xchng, a free stock-photo website, and searched for photos that went along with what each of my goals were.  For example, one of my goals is to have a family, so I found a picture of a pregnant woman’s belly and a picture of a few teenagers from the waist down.  I tried to leave out any faces because I wanted the pictures to look like they could represent me and my future and not some random model.

It is my work in progress.  It will probably always be a work in progress because there are so many things I want to do.  When I continue to add on pages, I will use other styles of pages and fonts and disperse them in between the pages I already have done so it isn’t obvious that I used a kit and then bought extra pages.  I also added a little white square in the corner of each page so I can check it off once I’ve completed it.

Here it is.  I apologize for leaving the pages in the sleeves, but they are hard to get in and out and I didn’t want to wreck them.  I made this almost a year ago and have so much more to add already!

The front cover – I still have to decorate this. Make me and you us Turn a house into a home sweet home.  Grow into a family. Attend church regularly. Attend a Broadway Play (the text reads “Ever since I saw Wicked in Chicago, I knew I one day had to see a play or musical on Broadway in New York.”)  Which I have realized is a lie because I’ve wanted to see a Broadway play since I was a little girl, but I am obsessed with Wicked and just had to throw that in here somehow. Inspire someone. Open a bookstore. Travel this world (two pages): Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Greece, Australia.  By the way, the cattle pictured for Scotland are called Scottish Highland Cattle which are the kind of cattle I’ve grown up with because my dad is obsessed with his Scottish heritage (remember Stewart Wallace my parent’s Scottish Terrier?). And finally, Write a novel.

They say when you write down your goals you are much more likely to achieve them.  Something about subconsciously seeking out ways to accomplish your goals because you have thought about them and made them real by writing them down.  I wonder what they would say about scrapbooking them?  I’m probably ten times more likely to accomplish them because I spent hours “writing” them down in a creative way.

This is such a fun project!  I encourage you to create your own book of possibilities so you can always have your goals permanently written down somewhere you probably won’t lose and you will want to keep looking back at.  Also, other people will see your goals and maybe they will open a door for you that you never knew existed.  The ‘possibilites’ are endless!  What do you think of this project?  How did I do on my first time scrapbooking?