Chalkboard templates are all over Pintrest right now. I modified this idea from Nest Of Posies. A friend found a fantastic deal on cupboard doors, so we got together and created a new display for our homes last night.
Miniature scenes using bottle brush trees are also popular. I took mine a step further, adding a tiny 50’s era group of angels my Grandma gifted me with. It was important for them to be safe from breakage and visible, this was a perfect idea.
Photos are returned to us with sheets of tiny shots, miniscule memories we are unsure how to utilize. Wanting to create a scrapbook layout about unexpected turns in life led to this idea. Cut out the ones that are most meaningful over a span of years, as far as you can gather up. Few dreams turned out as planned, but it turns out experience is a rich teacher.
This could be turned into a beautiful home wall art project. Try it, post what you come up with. I love sharing ideas with you…share with me how you use them.
I am captivated with my family genealogy. Thankfully, my Grandma has been working on this for many years making it easy for me to enjoy. I can take her labors and create, in my way, pages to honor these people I did not know. But I imagine them well. Tucking little snippets of history away, morsels of story to be pulled out and savored.
Do you know your story? Every thread of our lives weave together, back and forth, in and out. We participate but are often unable to see clearly. Stop and listen. See the beautiful tapestry of your life, and mark it down. It is a common refrain, as we wonder who would want to read about our normal day? Someone will, I promise you. Someday.
Treasures to me are the small things: a copy of my Grandpa’s navy paperwork and a paycheck stub, my husbands Grandma kept farm records that we have copies of, a picture of my Great grandfather shipped alone to Canada as a young boy, adoption papers telling me names of relatives I will never know, a picture of a many times-great uncle from the Civil war.
These things might have seemed commonplace in their original time, but remove them a few generations? They are now a pathway to people. My people. That matters to me. Entertain no concerns about blood lines, your story includes the people who played a part, undefined by such things as this.
What can you do today? Make some record of your days…mere paper in your hands will be a treasure to future generations. The treasure hunters of story. Guardians, to document that these faces- these people— lived. And it mattered.
I’ll share with you a few favorites for this year. These are my paternal Great-Grandparents. A copy of the marriage registry was available so I used that too. When the story seems unknown, dig deeper. Stacey Julian is who first inspired me to tie lives together, past and present. If you aren’t familiar with her, check out her work here. Then came Ali Edwards and my creative world was altered.
I finally documented the journey of my Great-Grandfather, and am sharing a layout of 4 generations of my “girls”.
This week I’ll share a few projects, I hope you will try to join me. I promise I will make it simple.
Remember those frames and pictures I suggested buying at Goodwill? Do you have framed picture you don’t like anymore? Today is transition day!
I wanted to created a chalkboard that I could write new things on each week. I also didn’t want to spend any money. We had leftover chalkboard paint (buy a small can, you will find many uses) and a picture I had grown tired of. It was nice enough, but something I’d bought to fill a space several years ago from a garage sale.
Now, this might be hard for some people. We are going to seemingly destroy perfectly good stuff. Think of it this way, “Do I feel any sense of joy in an item?” If decorating includes purpose, then feel free to change things to suit THAT end goal. It is really okay, I promise.
Did you find something to start with? I took the print out of the frame and was pleasantly surprised to find that the print peeled off easily, leaving a hard surface below.
Did you find a picture? If not head over to a thrift store. I challenge you though to use something you have. Change is good.Get your paint and tomorrow we’ll finish the project. Let me know what YOU are working on…
In the meantime, go to The Nester and check out those other great 31 day participants.
Another favorite item is this chair. Bought at the same sale mentioned yesterday for $5, I lament the fact there is no “before” picture. It was, hmmm, ugly. Dark brown stain and gold fabric. But we needed a chair.
Another dear friend loved me in her own way during that difficult time. She took this chair home and tackled it. She won. Tiffany spent time repainting it white. She made a cover, and even a matching one for my ugly stool ($1) that was bright and colorful. I don’t sew, and having a seamstress friend proved a valuable score on this project.
Here is the chair without the cover. I wanted to show that even without a cover, the gold fabric looks “fall-ish”. Like I meant to do that.
This week I am going to focus on a few projects that came about with the help of friends. Today I will share my desk. Many years ago I found this old, heavy, silver monstrosity at a rummage sale for $10. It is very sturdy, typical for its time. Read the rest of this entry
I can’t take credit for this idea, saw it many places online this summer, probably Pintrest as well. This was a super easy, fun, and free project. We had the supplies, but realistically they could be purchased for under $3. Again, compare that to the cost of buying a cake stand and you are saving mucho moula.
I took two old candlesticks, that were an ugly brown and gold color. I sprayed them with some leftover paint in the garage, figuring if they turned out terrible another coat of white would fix it. You can use any small plate for the platform, simply hot glue the plate to the base.
I chose to glue the plate first, so the bottom would match the candlestick. If you do this, make sure to tape off the plate so paint won’t come in contact with potential food surfaces. While not in use, I just stacked some bowls on them, storing on top of the fridge. This size would be great for candies or cupcakes too.
Check out the array of topics linked up to The Nester this month. Over 1,000 people sharing for all of October. You can find the link here
My all time favorite (re) purpose project allows constant flexibility. Several years ago a friend called me up, telling me she had some old cupboard doors she was getting rid of. She knew I’d want them. And I did.
Not everyone is into scrapbooking ( weird, I know ), but there are occasions that just demand to be remembered. This is the project for you! When there are plenty of pictures and memorabilia, this is a simple way to create a mini book without any special supplies.
Here is what you’ll need:
*Pictures
*Hole Punch
*Jump rings (less than two dollars a pack at Wal-Mart or any craft store, might be called O-rings, or Book rings)
*Glue Stick
*Stuff. I love the flexibility of stuff, don’t you?
Let’s go. I have found the imperfection is the key to a fantastic book. Don’t worry about measuring, it will add to the charm to have alternating heights and widths. There are only two directions needed. This makes a great project for all ages because you simply can’t go wrong. If something doesn’t seem right I just add another little “touch” on top.
Step 1: Glue pictures back to back, thereby creating a thick “page”
Step 2: Punch holes in the pile and loop the metal rings through to create the binding.
For my book, a friend and I spent the day in Los Angeles. We did so many things, I couldn’t possibly scrap them into a single page. I didn’t want to leave anything out, so the postcards I collected became simple dividers. I journaled on the back of them a few highlights of the stops. I cut up a few maps, to add visual interest. Tickets were glued here and there. A Sharpie captured notes, written right on the photos for a casual look. I used vertical and horizontal pictures to make it chunkier and to reflect the varying heights of architecture we enjoyed. I might come back and add some ribbon pieces to the rings, or other memorabilia as I come across it.
Think of this project in terms of gifts for the holidays, summer vacations, or perhaps a tidy way to corral an abundance of pictures for hobby photography. Be bold in adding things of odd sizes. In this case, we went to a Dodger game. If I can locate a miniature ball cap or bat I would incorporate that into the binding. Another perk is the easy storage. Do you have any shelves with hooks? They hang easily from the metal rings. This can be a fun conversation starter when hung in unexpected places.
Here you see that just a few more holes punched with a small piece of ribbon can fancy up your book even more…
Next time you need an idea for a Mom’s group, a photo club, or any group of friends remember my back to back photo book. Hope you enjoy this easy project, I’d love to see what you come up with!
Christa Sterken 