Boy's Room Wall Art with Chargers

Nearly every time I shop at Wal-mart I make sure to go check out the clearance section in the home goods section.  Most of the time I don't see anything that I need/want, but a few months ago I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found a stack of 14" solid wood dinner plate chargers for only $2 each!  They were originally priced at $6.96.  Yesterday I felt like making something crafty and ended up turning three chargers into some fun wall art for my son's room for only $6!

I bought ten of them knowing that there are several things that I could make with them.  I have an idea for a Christmas gift and will tell you about it when/if I figure out all of the little details.

Because I might want to use the chargers for something else down the road I didn't want to paint over the wood.  I didn't have enough white vinyl on hand to cut the images out either so I took a chance and used everyday white contact paper, which I had plenty of.  (You can read more about cutting and using contact paper for stenciling here.)  If it starts to peel I'll come back and update this post and let you know--hopefully it won't.

My son picked the images he wanted and chose a tractor, an airplane, and a monster truck.  I found the images online and in Microsoft office, uploaded them into the Silhouette program, and then converted them into images that could be cut with the Silhouette.  If you aren't sure how to do this, there is a great tutorial at Sew Dang Cute Crafts.

Biplane Image 

This is the dresser in my son's room.  It's amazing how closely the chargers match it!  It's rare that I find something on clearance that doesn't need to be spray painted!

Command strips are my new favorite way to hang pictures and wall art.  These things really work!  I used one strip for each of the chargers which should be enough, but I might still go back and add another one since they are hanging above my son's bed, just to make sure they won't fall on him.

I had so much fun making this wall art, probably because it was so easy to put together and didn't involve making a huge mess! 

Two Years

I also wanted to mention that last Sunday marked two years of sharing my 'fabulous finds' here on this blog, it's crazy!  When I published my first post two years ago, I knew that there were craft blogs and that people commented on them, but I had no idea that these commenters were part of a whole blogging community of women (and a few men) that lift and support each other and inspire each other's creativity.  The blogging community has made the world we live in just a little bit smaller and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed being a part of it.  Thank you for stopping by to read about my little projects, for your support, and for your friendship!

Today's Fabulous Find...$6 Boys Room Wall Art

Linking to:  Or So She Says   Today's Creative Blog   Home Stories A to Z   Tator Tots and Jello   Six Sister's Stuff   Funky Junk Interiors    Craft Junkie Too    The 36th Avenue    House of Hepworths    The Shabby Creek Cottage   Someday Crafts   Creations by Kara   Beyond The Picket Fence

Gallery Wall

I knew that I wouldn't be posting as often through the summer, but oh boy, I never intended to drag this project out for as long as I have!  I'm finally ready to show you my dining room/kitchen gallery wall.  When I started this project, my goals were to fill the empty space, add some color,  a little whimsy, and make it different and fun.

I tried and tried to get better pictures of this wall, but with poor natural lighting, glares on the glass, and the contrasts of darks and lights, I haven't been able to take a photo that really shows how bright this grouping is.  Oh well.

There were two things that I needed to work around, the clock and the thermostat. I decided to just pretend that the thermostat wasn't there and fit the frames around it as best I could. I tried to mimic the round shape of the clock with the monogram and the nest.

I pulled the colors from the fabric that I used to make my kitchen curtains.  I love this fabric and discovered it thanks to a post at I am Momma Hear Me Roar.  As soon as I saw it I knew it was just what I was looking for!

This shows where I'll add all of our personal photos...

...and this is a collage of how my wall would look if I had hung the frames up as they looked when I bought them.  In some crazy coincidence, all of the dollar store and thrift frames that I used were originally gold or purple.   I bought the tan frame on the bottom row on clearance a few years ago for $3.

I have very little experience with grouping frames, so I tried a lot of different combinations before I found one that I thought would work and in the process gave up on the whole thing--twice.

Click on the links for the tutorials of each project.

Faux Window with Vinyl

Fabric Covered Magnet Board

Vinyl Monogram Thrift Frame

Family Tree Branch

Painted Vinyl Thrift Frame

Fabric Embellished Frame

Key Holder

Rather than hang the key directly on the wall, I used a scrap piece of mdf and made a holder for it.  I painted it just like I painted the frame with the birds and branches and added a couple of hooks.  It's hung on the wall with Command strips.  I've been thinking about adding a stencil to it.

I could have just gone to the store and bought frames and hung them on the wall, but I'm glad that I didn't.  It took a lot longer to redo all of the dollar store and thrift frames, but for someone who loves to craft, that's the fun part!

Today's Fabulous Find...Thrifty Gallery Wall

Linking to:  Home Stories A to Z    Thrifty Decor Chick--Before and After Party   Under the Table and Dreaming    Funky Junk Interiors

$1 Fabric Embellished Frame

This is another part of the gallery wall that I've been working on for-e-ver.  

As I've mentioned before, dollar store frames are good bases to start with because if your vision for the frame doesn't work out you're only out a buck and some time.  Plus, it's so easy to make them look better!

Start with a frame that has a flat space, it could be a gold frame from the dollar store like this one, a new frame, thrift frame, or a frame that you already own that could use a little face-lift. 

Directions 

1. Paint the frame (I painted this frame with a foam brush.  I also sprayed it with a white primer first.)
2. Cut a strip of fabric that is just less than 3 times the width of the space you want to fill.
3. Fold the fabric in thirds and press.
4. With open edges down, start at the bottom of the frame and hot glue the fabric in place.
5. Fold the fabric at each corner.
6. When you come to the end, fold the end of the fabric under so the raw edge is hidden.
7. Cut a piece of fabric (if you'd like) to put in the frame to display pictures over.

I took a picture of the frame with a leaf in it just to show how easy it is to display other items over the fabric (osnaburg).  This frame would be great for displaying photos and mementos in a scrapbook style, like a photo at the zoo with a ticket stub for example.  No photo mat needed! 

Easily personalize the frame with paint and fabric choices.

The fabric matches the curtains I made for the room and helps tie in all of the colors of the other items on the wall as well.  I wasn't sure how I'd like a frame with fabric on it, but I have to say, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

 Today's Fabulous Find...

Embellishing Frames with Fabric

 

Linking to:  Tator Tots and Jello

Thrift Frame: Painting Vinyl Designs

This frame is another part of the gallery wall in my dining room.  I have two more projects to finish and then I'll post pictures and show you how it has all come together and move on--promise! :)  

I was waiting for an epiphany on how to finish this frame and I think I finally got it!  I wanted something round in shape to go with the monogram frame and that kept with the theme of my gallery wall--a nest made perfect sense.

The 'Before'--a $1 Thrift Store Find

Click here for the tutorial on how to paint the frames.  The color of the green frame is Valspar's Apple 4.  

The bird nest design started as an image from Microsoft clip art.  I followed the tutorial here at Sew Dang Cute to convert it into an image that could be cut with the Silhouette.

I applied the vinyl nest to the outside of the glass and then used paint to add some much needed color.

The color of paint I wanted to use (Rustoleum's Sage) is spray paint, so I sprayed some into a plastic cup and then painted it onto the glass using a disposable foam brush.  The paint went on very smooth and because it's on the opposite side of the glass from the vinyl it also gives it some dimension. 

I like how the texture of the burlap (on the backside of the glass) shows through in the nest. This picture best represents the actual colors.

Painting the eggs on the glass was so much fun and I can not wait to try this again!  In a way it reminds me of paint by number pictures. 

If you were to cut a vinyl design as your outline and put it on glass, you could paint it any color that you want and not be limited by the availability of vinyl colors.  Paint is less expensive than vinyl too. 

Additional Ideas

• For a boys room you could cut out the outlines of a train, plane, and automobile in vinyl, put the designs on 8x10 (dollar store or thrift) frames, and then paint the back of the glass in colors that matched the bedroom design.
• For a girls room you could use flowers, butterflies, princesses, crowns, etc.
• Other projects you could use this technique on include:  small ornaments, signs, or names (one letter in each frame and hung with a ribbon). 

I hope you're enjoying your weekend! 

Today's Fabulous Find...

Painting Vinyl Designs on Glass

Linking to:  House of Hepworths   The Shabby Creek Cottage    Creations By Kara    Lil' Luna    Home Stories A to Z    Under the Table and Dreaming   Skip To My Lou

 

Our 'Branch' of the 'Family Tree'

The rain clouds finally went on their merry way so I was able to snap a few pics of my latest project.  It's another part of the gallery wall that I'm working on--I like to think of it as our 'Branch' of the 'Family Tree'.   

I found random silhouette images online for the purpose of this post but I will actually have black and white photos of my family in it, which I love.  I printed one of my husband and I together for the top frame and a picture of each of my kids for the four frames below.

(I would have used silhouette's of my own family if I wasn't already planning on using photos.)

Supplies:

• Piece of a Dry Branch
• Small Frames
• Jute Twine
• Hot Glue
• Picture Hanger
• Pictures

Directions:

Find a stick that is similar in shape to this one with one straight upper branch and one straight lower one (it's upside down in this picture).  You can leave it natural or spray paint it.  The color of mine is Heirloom White from Rustoleum.

I found these frames at a local craft store and bought five of them for $1 each.  They measure 1 1/2" x 2".

Hot glue a piece of jute onto the back.  Line up the ends one over the other so the frames will hang straight when you loop them over the branch.  (It might be necessary in some places to loop the jute over the branch first before gluing it to the frame.)

Print and cut your images to the size of your frame and tape them to the back.  This is an earlier version that I tried with the original black frames and a chevron print behind the silhouettes. 
 

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the whole branch is only 12" long.

To hang it, I used one of the picture hangers that comes to a point on the end and hammers directly into the frame (or branch in this case.)  If you look to the right in the photo, you'll see a small piece of a branch that is hot glued to the back of the main branch.  This was added so the branch would hang straight with the wall.

I wanted the top frame to sit on the log, but didn't want it to fall off if it was bumped so I hot glued two loops of jute to the back of it.  I also hammered a nail into the wall right below the end of the branch to hold the weight so it would hang level.

I loved the detail on the frames, but it was lost in their dark color.  I brushed on some green paint (Valspar's Apple 4 in a sample size) and then used a wet paper towel to immediately wipe some of it back off to show the dark details.  I'm really happy with the outcome and love the brighter green color.

The chevron behind the silhouettes didn't look exactly how I'd envisioned it, so I printed them again with a white background instead for a cleaner look.

My Total Cost: $5

I imagine this family branch could also be a fun gift for grandparents with pictures of all of their grandchildren hanging from the branch.  Depending on the family you might need a much larger branch. :)

Today's Fabulous Find...

Our 'Branch' of the 'Family Tree'

Linking to: Tip Junkie    Lil' Luna    Creations By Kara    Under the Table and Dreaming    Six Sister's Stuff   Funky Junk Interiors     Lolly Jane Boutique    Tator Tots and Jello    My Repurposed Life