DIY Vintage Insect Wall Art

Today I want to share a fun project that I made for our guestroom.  I really liked the look of vintage insect art. I know it sounds kind of unusual, using images of insects as art.  But when it looks vintage, it kind of makes it feel like nature is being used as art in a beautiful way.

This projects re-purposes two large Goodwill frames, and it uses a fun new purpose for two small Dollar Tree frames.

First, I found images that I liked on clip art and enlarged them to fit my frames.

Then, I printed them on regular computer paper to see how they printed.

Once I was happy with the result, I cut vintage scripted scrapbook paper down to size and printed the images onto the scrapbook paper.

Using two light-weight frames from the Dollar Tree, I framed the images and set them aside.

I then moved on to two larger pieces of framed art I found from Goodwill.  They were originally Target pieces, marked $10 each at Goodwill.  I purchased them on the first Saturday of the month from Goodwill making them $5 each.  While they were great winter pieces of framed snowflakes, I had no place to put them as they were, so I re-purposed them.  For this project, I was only using them frame.  I disassembled everything, being careful to salvage the other pieces for future projects.

Once I had two empty frames, I measured enough green burlap for each frame.  Burlap is an inexpensive fabric, usually only a few bucks a yard. I purchased mine at JoAnn Fabrics.

To cut burlap straight, pull a piece of the twine……

….and keep pulling until the entire piece is pulled out of the fabric…..

….leaving a visible straight line to see where to cut with a good pair of sewing scissors.

Once I had two perfectly measured pieces of cut burlap, I hot glued the pieces of burlap to the back of my frame.  Note that I did not use the original backing of the frame for this project.  I only used the frame.  The burlap is visible on both the front and back of this project.

I then measured and securely hung the frames to my wall.

And lastly, I put a nail through my burlap in the middle of both frames….

….and hung my two light-weight framed pieces of vintage insect art made out of the Dollar Tree Frames, creating a frame within a frame:)

Then I stepped back and admired my work.

This project cost me less than $20 for both finished pieces, and I’m very happy with the end results.  They make lovely pieces of art in the guestroom and it was a fun, creative re-purpose of frames.

DIY Monogram Nursery Wall Art

I knew I wanted something simple to hang over the babies' cribs and thought that DIY monogram wall décor would be the perfect piece of art for the space.

Supplies needed for this project:  picture frame, burlap, wooden letters, paint, ribbon, hot glue gun

I re-purposed two identical picture frames from Goodwill for this project.  I purchased them on the first Saturday of the month when everything in the store is half off, so I only spent $2 for each frame.  I removed the glass from the frame, as I did not need it for this project.

I then cut a piece of burlap to fit the cardboard backing of the frame. Then I hot glued the edge of the burlap to the edge of the backing of the frame.  It doesn't take much burlap.  I had some leftover scraps from a previous project, so that is what I used for this project. 

Next, I purchased two thin wooden letters from Hobby Lobby.  I purchased an “A” for Aaron and “E” for Ethan, the monogram of each of my twin boys' names.  The letters are $2.99 each.   You can use coupons or wait for wooden crafts to go on sale.

I then painted the letters navy blue, using acrylic craft paint.  Once they were dry, I hot glued the letters to the burlap covered backing of my picture frame and placed the backing back into the frame.

Lastly, I used some scrap ribbon I had in my craft drawer and hot glued a piece of ribbon to the top of the frame. 

Because my frame, burlap, cardboard backing and thin wooden letters are light-weight, the hot glued piece of ribbon is strong enough to hold the finished product to the wall.

And that’s it.  I like having something so simple hanging over the boys' cribs.  Even better, this project was inexpensive and easy to make, costing me less than $10 total.  

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$2 Chalkboard Sign - Home Sweet Home

A few weeks ago, I decided to decorate the second story shelf in my entry, and this sign ened up being part of my decor.

I found the frame at Goodwill for $1.99.  Since I purchased it on the first Saturday of the month, I only paid $1 for it.  I didn’t have a purpose for it at the time of purchase, but I loved the color and knew I could do something creative with it.

While thinking about things to put on my shelf in the entry, I remembered I had the frame and decided to make a chalk board sign out of it.  I wanted the sign to be light-weight, so I completed this project using a piece of foam board from the Dollar Tree and supplies that I already had in my craft drawer.

First, I cut the board to fit the frame.

Then, using chalk board paint a foam roller.....

......I painted the board.  

Once the paint had dried, I lined the board up with the frame to make sure it fit perfectly….

….and then I hot glued the board to the back of the frame.

Lastly, I took a piece of chalk and wrote “Home Sweet Home” on the board…..

…before enlisting my husband to climb on a ladder and arrange a few things for me.

Not too bad for a $2 project if you ask me:)

Going Yellow - DIY Wall Art Redo

 

 

 

Thanks to Pinterest, a post that I wrote awhile ago, DIY WALL DÉCOR, has become one of my most popular posts.  In the original post, I mentioned that when we first moved into our home, I had a small budget for decorating and had to get really creative with what I had on hand.  Back then, I had some leftover green fabric, so I used it to make art.  Before I knew it, one of my most popular blog projects was created.  Today I want to show you how simple it is to update that original project.

 

A few months ago, I wanted to update my living room décor. We recently did some wainscoting downstairs, and it put me in the mood to do a little redecorating. I allowed myself $100 to work with.  I wasn’t trying to recreate the space. I was just wanted to update some of the accents in the room. When I saw this accent piece of furniture on sale at Target, I fell in love with it!  The problem was that it was $50….which was about half of my budget.  I loved the piece so much that I decided to purchase it anyway, and use it as my inspiration.

 

 

 Once I made the purchase I had a plan…..I was going YELLOW! That meant that my green DIY WALL DÉCOR needed a makeover. 

 

 

I started by going to Hobby Lobby, where I found a yellow chevron fabric that I adored. I think it was $7.99 a yard, but I only needed one yard. When I got home I took off the old fabric and stapled on the new. 

That was pretty much it!  My original post has the tutorial. The only thing I did different this time was that I only used fabric….which means it was even easier than the first time!

 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

I love the yellow chevron!  I hope you all like it too! 

I have plenty more yellow projects to show this week, so stay tuned.......

Red Button Art - Family Sign

I've seen a lot of "button" art floating around on blogs and Pinterest lately. Most of what I've seen has used buttons to created monogrammed framed art. I really like the look and texture of the buttons, so I created my own art by using buttons on this family sign.

First, I went to Goodwill and spent $3 on a frame to repurpose for this project.

Then, I trimmed two pieces of scrapbook paper that I already had to fit inside the frame.

Next, I went to JoAnn's and got a variety of red buttons for about $5 total.

Then, I went home and using a large font, I printed the word "Family" on my computer.  Once the word was glued to the scrapbook paper, I hot glued a variety of red buttons to the letter "F".

Lastly, using acrylic craft paint, I quickly painted the wood frame black.

After the paint had dried over night, I hung my new piece of art on the family room wall. And as most of my projects do, this piece of art cost me less than $10:)

DIY Wedding Vow Art

Three years ago today, Matt and I stood before our pastor and our parents and became husband and wife.  The vows we said on that day are not taken lightly.  For that reason, I wanted to display those vows in our home as a visible reminder of those sacred vows.  So on this day, our three year anniversary, Matt woke up to the following project displayed on our bedroom wall. 

I got the idea for this project several months ago, when I saw someone do a similar project on their blog. At the time, I made a mental note to create a similar project for our next anniversary. I’m usually pretty good about giving credit to people when credit is do, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out where I originally saw the idea for this project. Just know that whoever you are, you inspired me:)

Here's how my DIY vow art was created........

First I bought an appropriate sized frame at Goodwill for this project.  I made sure to shop for a frame the first Saturday of the month at Goodwill.  That is the one day a month everything in the store is half off.  I ended up paying $3 for this frame. 

Once I was ready to begin this project,  I taped around the glass.  I could have taken the glass out of the frame instead of taping it, but this method seemed just as easy to me.

Using a sponge roller, I then painted the glass…..

……. with some chalk board paint that I had from a previous project.  Sponge rollers can be found at Wal-Mart or any craft store for a few dollars.

Once the paint was dry, I began prepping the board for writing. To do this, I used tape to make sure I was writing in a straight line. 

To make sure the spacing of my words looked right, I wrote in pencil before going over the letters with a paint marker. 

Because I wanted the vows to permanently be written on the board, I chose to use a fine point paint marker for this project instead of chalk.   Paint markers can be found at craft stores for $3-6. 

Projects like these make me envious of people who have perfect penmanship.  That is something that I do not have.  I seriously considered paying someone to do the writing for me, but I knew Matt would prefer this art in my own handwriting. 

Overall, Matt really liked this project.   It's nice to have a visual reminder of the sacredness of our wedding ceremony and the promises that were made to each other and to God on that special day.