Creating a Gallery Wall~

There is a wall in this house that has been driving me crazy since we first moved in. It is at the end of a long hallway. It is quite large. And it is BORING.


I decided to create a gallery wall there some time ago, but I was dragging my feet a bit. I wasn't sure exactly what type of gallery wall I wanted. So I gathered inspiration and finally decided that I wanted something fairly cohesive but a bit organic.


Here's how I turned this wall (which, by the way, might be the most boring photo ever posted on the internet)....

Into this gallery wall....

First of all, I had to make a decision about the frames. Did I want black frames? White frames? Mismatched frames?

I finally decided that I wanted white frames...and not just any white frames. I wanted matching white frames. And I couldn't spend a fortune. So I went to IKEA and found some in a couple of different sizes (some for 5x7s and some for 8x10s).

I am ashamed to say that after I got the frames home they sat...for quite a while. Because I had decided that I wanted the gallery wall to be a bit organic, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to accomplish that task.

Remember when I told you yesterday that I had the perfect place for my sweet Lisa Leonard pennant banner? Well, once it arrived in the mail, it gave me the perfect idea for how I wanted to finish my wall.

So I gathered up my photos and filled those frames. Then, I laid the frame out on my bed to get an idea of how I wanted them to look on the wall.


I've seen a lot of gallery wall tutorials with kraft paper and carefully measured placement. And those are wonderful. But I am not that girl. Impatience is my middle name...and I love to eyeball things. (When I'm doing things for myself that is.) So I started with the middle photo in the collage and moved out from there. Eyeballing measurements as I went.

And to add to the organic/ eclectic feel of the wall, I threw in a couple of monogram "H"s. This metal one is from Anthropologie...it used to sit on the white buffet in my living room.

The white "H" came from JoAnn's.

And then, the piece de resistance my pennant banner. Love. it.

Here's the finished wall again. I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

There's still time to enter the $75 Lisa Leonard giveaway...just scroll down to yesterday's post and leave a comment!

Have a great day~

Fabric Flowers~

This week I got my craft on. I was looking through some of my old Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazines (yes, I saved them all...) when I was inspired by a photo of a little girls bedroom with fabric flowers and books on the wall. And even though I've scoured the internet, I can't find the image - boo! (Feb-March 2007 if anyone has it.)

In any case, I thought it would be fun to do something similar in the Princess' bedroom.

First things first, I needed some fabric flowers. And I wanted them to coordinate with her room. Luckily I have some scraps of fabric left from making her bed pillows.

But then I had to figure out how I was going to make the flowers. Luckily, Silhouette sent me some of their fabric interfacing to try...so I pulled it out and followed the directions on the package. Then I just used my Silhouette machine to cut flowers right out of the fabric. Yep! You heard me right, the interfacing makes it possible to cut fabric with your Silhouette! Can I hear a "Woot Woot!"?

Since this was a hit or miss attempt (as is usually the case with my "crafting") I didn't photograph the process, but it was amazingly simple. After I cut out three flowers in varying sizes, I just gave them a little depth by pinching the back to define each petal.

Now here's where I prove I'm not a crafter. I couldn't figure out the best way to keep the pinches in place - sew them? glue them? - so I stapled them. Yes, with a stapler. Ha! But you know, it worked great and it gave each flower the 3D effect I was going for.

Then I just hot glued them together with the largest on the bottom and the smallest on the top.

They turned out darling! Of course, once I got them finished I realized I don't have the sort of books I wanted to use just hanging around the house (vintagey, small)..so now I'm on the lookout for some. But, once I got the flowers done I thought they were so cute, all kinds of other ideas started flitting through my head...curtain tie backs, pillow embellishments, stuck right to the wall. You get the idea.

So I'm posting these cute flowers and asking YOUR opinion...what would you do with them?

If you want to make some of your own, you're in luck!

This week (March 21-27) Silhouette is offering...

Silhouette SD, two rolls of fabric interfacing (clean cut and sewable) and one roll of flocked heat transfer material all for just $229.

If you already have a machine they're offering %25 off the interfacing!

Just use the code "SHABBY" at checkout.

Have a great day~

Favorite Projects of 2010~

Honestly, I can't believe that 2011 is just a couple of days away. The last few months of this year seemed to crawl by as the hubby recuperated from his car accident and I wondered if life would ever get back to normal. But as things started to gain some semblance of normalcy, this year sped up and now it's virtually sprinting to the finish line.

As I looked back over 2010 at The Shabby Nest, there were a few projects that really jumped out as my favorites, and I wanted to share them all with you. (Just click on the project's title if you'd like to learn more about it.)

Pillow tutorials...

The Pretty Pleated Pillow

The Snowblossom Pillow

Furniture redo's...

The Rehabbed Console

The Princess' Wrought Iron bed

Miscellaneous...

DIY Smocked Curtains

PB Knock-off Chalkboard

Room Redo's...

The Sock Monkey Bedroom

The Gray and White Master Bedroom

Whew! What a list! Linking up to Rhoda's Top Projects of 2010 Party!

I'm sooooo looking forward to 2011 and all the projects it has to bring! I hope you'll all join me for the ride.

xoxo

Wendy

Retail Inspiration~

I love to shop. But perhaps not for the reasons you may think. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy finding a great deal as much as anybody, but one of the biggest reasons I love to shop is for decor inspiration.

For example, have you walked into a store and been blown away by a display? Anthro is particularly good at doing this. I am constantly inspired by their merchandising and their windows. They definitely think outside the box.

I have a good friend in my neighborhood who is amazingly talented and has exceptional taste. I think she was probably born with style...no, she probably had style while still in the womb.

Anyhoo, one day she went into a West Elm store and saw a fabulous steel drum that they were using as a side table. Trouble is, it was just for display. Not for sale. No matter how she tried to sweet talk them, they wouldn't sell her the drum. So, being a girl after my own heart, she decided to make her own.

The biggest problem she had with the project was locating a steel drum. Most of the ones she found were filled with oil or gasoline, or some other lovely substance that she didn't want to bring in her home. But then one day she lucked onto one in a salvage shop while on a trip to Idaho. But being out of state didn't stop her...she snatched it up!

It took several coats of primer and paint to get coverage the way she wanted. Then she simply stenciled on a number 8 and VOILA!

A unique sidetable....





You gotta love retail inspiration for helping a DIY diva to make a great statement!! Great job Erika!

All photos courtesy of Erika

Is your home decor ever inspired by things you see in retail shops?

And before I go....congratulations to Hannah at Young and Crafty! You are the winner of the Greenleaf Gifts giveaway! Drop me an email and we'll get you set up with your lovely gift!

Frugal Friday~

Because I've had the week I've had...I'm sharing a Frugal Friday post with you that I originally posted last year. Hope you still like it!

My front door was in desperate need of an Autumn spruce up. But my pocket book put the nix on purchasing a new Autumn wreath. So what's a gal with Frugal OCD* to do?
*Obsessively Consumed with Decorating.

Enter this old Christmas wreath, which was looking a little worse for the wear. Some of the berries had lost their red coating and were left as just little white styrofoam balls. Some of the "branches" were loose and threatening to drop off. But I looked at the wreath, and I saw possibilities...Autumn possibilities.

I searched through my stash of Autumn decor and found a bag of fake fall leaves that I purchased at the Dollar store last year. I grabbed my trusty glue gun and went to work.



I pulled off the berries that were now nothing but white styrofoam. I secured the loose branches. And then I just added in the fake leaves. I started with the largest leaves, gluing them into the largest empty spots on the wreath (making sure that they were all tilted the same direction.) After that, I added in the medium size leaves and finished it up with the smallest leaves. And that's all I did. But I was pleasantly surprised.



Now my sad Christmas wreath has a new lease on life, as an Autumn beauty. And my front door is thanking me!

Quick Update on the Hubby and my Dad: It was a trying day for me emotionally. My dad, it turns out, also broke a disk in his back, and when I went to see him at the hospital, they were in the process of trying to get a brace on his back. He was in terrible pain. It's just so hard to see my father...my brave daddy...the one who is supposed to be big and strong...so vunerable.

And John, was just really out of it. He was doing better physically. His PTs were able to help him walk today, and he was actually sitting in a chair when I arrived at the hospital. Both very good things, but he was drained...and it reminded me a little too much of the first day he was there. I probably could have handled it better had I not just come from seeing my dad. But both men are healing and that is all I can ask right now. Thank you again for your continuing messages of love and support!

Now it's your turn...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

2. Please make sure to link back to The Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the Frugal goodness.

3. PLEASE comment. Help our participants feel appreciated!!

Stylin'~

I've been having way too much fun with my Silhouette digital cutter! So today I just *had* to share these darling shirts I made for the kiddos!

I used some flocked heat transfer paper and chose a couple of fun designs to cut out. The process was super easy...I just followed the directions printed right on the package. Once I cut out the designs...all I had to do was iron them onto the shirts...I can handle that. (Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone - you'll see.)

For the Princess, I chose a sweet little bird and a birdcage. Although it was cute by itself, I thought the little bird could use some embellishment, so I made her a tutu out of some ribbon. Simply adorable!

For Mr. One, I decided on a rockin' guitar! I wanted to make it a little different, so I adhered the guitar to some jersey from an old tee that the boys had outgrown, and then cut it out and sewed it onto another t-shirt. I love the result.

I envision my children out frolicking in the autumn leaves looking sylin' in their new tees! In the mean time, I'll have to settle for these cute outfits frolicking on the floor of the living room, while the hubby smiles one of those "yeah, I married a crazy woman" smiles as he watches me take photos while standing on a dining chair. ;-)


If you haven't had the chance yet, there is still time to enter my giveaway for a Silhouette cutter of your very own. Just click here.

Have a great day~

A Super Fantabulous Product Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Happy Monday Everybody!! And it's just about to get even happier!!

I have the most fantastic little machine to share with you all today! It's called a Silhouette... and it's just amazing (and pretty, no?)

Silhouette pictured with a computer monitor

A few weeks ago, the good people at Silhouette shipped me one of their fancy little machines to see if I liked it...well, after I saw everything this little beauty could do, I was so excited I just had to try it for myself. And I LOVE it!!

"What does it do?" you ask.

Where do I begin?!

This little machine will help you create all kinds of fabulous things!

The Silhouette is essentially a digital cutter...but get this, rather than using cartridges, this little machine hooks up to your computer!! Because of this innovative approach, it allows you to create all sorts of shapes and letters...basically anything your heart desires...and it will cut them out for you.

It comes with a library of shapes at no charge. AND (and this is one of my favorite things) it can cut out words in ANY FONT that you have on your computer!

What if you don't see the shape you need? No worries!! You can create your own with the drawing tools in the program OR you can go online to the Silhouette shop and purchase a design from their shop! They have what seems like thousands of options and you can purchase them each individually (no buying what you don't need or want). But the more you purchase, the more money you save!

And you can also purchase fonts...and get this...the fonts will not only be available for your Silhouette to use...you can also use them in any program on your computer that uses fonts. Ohhhh yeah.

Check out all the great things you can do with these cutouts...

You can create cut outs for scrapbooking.

You can create cards or other paper goods.

You can create fabric transfers.



And of course, you can create vinyl lettering.



Do you remember a few weeks back when I was swooning over vinyl lettering on mirrors?(Can you see it coming?) Well...I used my Silhouette to create a vinyl-lettered-mirror of my own!!
I just cut out the phrase I wanted,



Got myself a mirror,



And followed the easy-to-follow instructions to adhere it to my mirror.


L.O.V.E. (Now I have to frame and hang the mirror, but you get the idea!)



There are many more projects I've been working on, and I'm so excited about them, that I'll share more throughout the week!




But here's the good news for you...
Silhouette wants to give one reader of the Shabby Nest

A Silhouette Machine(a $299.99 value)

And it includes...

• Silhouette machine
  
• Software for Windows XP/Vista


• Power cable, USB cable


• 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media)


• One cutting blade


• $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

How you can win.
1. Leave a comment!
2. Go over to Silhouette’s site and check things out. Then, come back and leave a comment to tell me how you’d use the Silhouette if you had one.
3. Blog about it with a link back to this post, then come back and leave a second comment with the link.
4. Mention it on Twitter or Facebook (with a link to this post) and leave another comment letting me know...make sure to leave an additional comment for each thing that you do.

Must be a resident of the USA to win. Silhouette cannot ship outside of the USA.

The winner will be announced on August 31st.

And finally, you can purchase your own Silhouette with one of these great deals....just use the code SHABBYNEST as your discount code...

1) AWESOME PROMO (running from August 23rd through September 1st at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:
- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter
-fuzzy white vinyl (Valued at $7.99)
-light blue smooth heat transfer (Valued at 14.99)
yellow flocked heat transfer (Valued at $14.99)
- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)
- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store (Comes in the box)
- Cutting Blade (Comes in the box)
- 2 Cutting Mats (Comes in the box)

All for $249.99
A Savings of $137.97
Just think of how much you’ll save on gift giving this year!

2) GOOD PROMO (running from September 2nd through September 4th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:
$50 off (receive for $249.99)
2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)
$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store(Comes in the Box)
Cutting Blade (Comes in the Box)
2 Cutting Mats(Comes in the Box)

All for $249.99
A savings of $79.98

Frugal Friday~

I originally shared this project back in November of last year...but a good project bears repeating, and so I am sharing it with you all again for today's Frugal Friday...

Many moons ago I saw these pretty bulletin boards in a PB catalog. I. fell. in. love. I knew that I had to have them. But I also knew I didn't want to pay the PB price. What's a Frugal OCD (Obsessively Consumed with Decorating) girl to do? Why, make them of course!

First, I stopped at my favorite thrift/junque/antique shop and found a couple of old frames. (I got both for only $5!) Then, after I started painting the first one, I remembered to take a before photo.

I gave each frame a coat of Nantucket White by Ralph Lauren. Just one coat, because I wasn't interested in creating pristine looking frames. I wanted them to look a little shabby. To add to the shabby-ness, I took a sanding block and knocked a little paint off the tops of the relief.

Then to make the pin-boards, I just wrapped some pretty linen around some cardboard and hot glued it on the back. I would really recommend getting some foam core for a project like this, but I was aiming to use what I had. Popped them in their respective frames and VOILA!

Perfectly pretty places to pop all my project notes. (yes, I'm practicing my alliteration today.)

Now it's your turn!

You all know "da rules"...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog...otherwise people who look at the party later on might not be able to find the post you intended.

2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the Frugal Goodness!

3. Comment, comment, comment! Please show our participants "the love".

Frugal Friday~

It appears that you all like the thumbnails on Frugal Friday as much as I do...so they shall remain! Thanks to everyone who weighed in the subject.

Yesterday I promised to share with you a fabulous art idea that I created for Mr. One's room. It's my version of Pop Art....created on Picnik.com. I have talked about my love of Picnik before. But for those of you who don't know what Picnik is...it's a photo editing website that is super user friendly, and a lot of what they have to offer is free of charge. In fact, the entire art piece I created used only Picnik's free actions...so if you like it, you can make one too at no charge!

Now let's get down to business, shall we? I started with a photo of Mr. One which I uploaded to the site.

1. Then under the "create" tab, I chose an action called "posterize"...the photo below is one of the princess that has been posterized...you can see how it makes the image look almost illustrated.

2. Then because I was going for a Warhol-esque pop art look, I needed to change the color....4 times. To accomplish this, I used the "duo tone" action. This lets you choose two colors for your image. For each of the four colors I wanted (red, yellow, green and blue) I choose two shades...one light and one dark. I also played around with the brightness and fade until I got the look I was going for.

3. Once you have the color combo you're looking for, save the photo. But so you don't have to go through the first few steps again, when Picnik asks if you want to close the image or continue editing, choose "continue editing" and go back to the duo-tone action. Play around with the next set of colors...then save. etc.

4. Once you've created all four colors, you're going to choose the collage option on the Picnik home page. Then choose a 4 part grid and set the border width to zero (so you don't have any lines between the 4 photos.)

5. Picnik will ask you to upload each photo and lets you drag it into place in the collage. Once your collage is complete click done. Then you can create effects on your collage if you're so inclined.

6. Once I finished my collage, I decided the colors were too bright, so I dulled them down by adding just a touch of black and white, and a touch of sepia. That's it!

And here's the finished product!! I'm so excited with how this turned out. It's being printed right now, so I'll have to show you the framed-and-on-the-wall version next week! Until then, go play around with some of your own images at Picnik...you'll love it!!

Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"!

1. Link directly to your post, not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so others can enjoy the Frugal Goodness.
3. Comment, comment, comment. Show our participants "the love!"