DIY corkboard frames

Lately I have been writing notes to myself, you know notes that consist of shopping lists, future goals, New Year's resolutions and even some inpirational pictures. I am a writer so I have to constantly write things down. The problem is I have officially filled my planner and journal and have taken to writing on random things like take out menus and even the plain white envelope that my visa bill comes in! So I knew I needed to get a corkboard made and fast.

I decided to go with G (my man) to Walmart where I picked up 2 cork frames for $5 bucks each. I bought some black grosgrain ribbon and the rest (cardstock, white paint, hot glue) I had.

While I would love to say how super fast and easy it was to make, I would be lying. I found that the frames I bought were like shiny veneer so I had to prime them and paint them like 10 times ( okay maybe more like 7) before the paint would really cover the frames. So if you plan this sort of project I would suggest a frame that is unfinished because it would have saved me a lot of time and paint for that matter!

But from this point, after the paint had dried the process went smoothly. I had some Martha Stewart cardstock which went well with the greeny/blue accent colour in my room and I added the black grosgrain with hot glue inside the inner frame, banged some nails into the wall, and ta da! instant inspiration board.

I know it looks rather sparse but I will be adding to it daily :)

Cork

Since making my own DIY cork board frames for my room office nook I seem to have nothing but cork on the brain! So I guess it only seems fitting that I should post some of my favourite pictures of cork board frames that inspired my own.

White feather wreath

Most of us probably have plenty of old holiday decor that we no longer use. For me I moved to a new house, and when I did my decor changed, so a lot of my old holiday decorations no longer match my new decor scheme. I know we've all experienced this, whether we love green and red one year or aqua and ice blue the next, it can get pretty expensive keeping up with our changing moods and decor choices!

So it was in this moment of reflection that I was inspired to use some of my old seasonal holiday decor and recreate it. Why on earth would I want to spend more $$$.

Here is the before wreath gifted to me by my mother, it was from Halloween/Thanksgiving...I hope my mother won't read this! LOL

And as most of you know, I recently made feather ornament balls, so I had plenty of feathers left over...the result is a whimsical white feather wreath. I have seen ones this size retail for over $30. I am pretty proud of myself right now :)

the before

the after

DIY chalkboard frames

Okay so as promised my DIY chalkboard frames. I actually had these frames, they were a faux brass colour ( sorry I forgot to take a before shot) but trust me they were ugly, I mean the colour, the frame itself was pretty nice. They originally had pictures in them, I think one was a jug with fruit and the other was a basket of fruit...don't ask! They are my sister's I think she may have used them for her art projects, still life portraits...who knows!

So they also came with glass in them. I know a lot of other bloggers out there have done similar projects with old antique frames...initially I was going to go and get some plywood cut to the size of my frame, but then I realized that the existing glass fit it perfectly, so why not use what you already have, right?

So off to Walmart for: chalkboard spray paint, packs of chalk and glass and wood adhesive for the backing of the frame.

The rest is pretty self explanatory ( but if you have any questions about the process, just message me) here is the result:

feather-made

Just when I thought that my tree was done, I spotted some whimsical feather ornaments, my heart was filled with joy, I felt so light and airy... but then I saw that each ornament cost $3.95, I know this is not super pricey, but I wasn't wanting to spend more money on my already almost finished tree. So my DIY sense kicked in ( I wonder if this is how spiderman felt most of the time? ) and I headed to my local craft store for foam balls, a pack of feathers and some ribbon. The result is my very own hand made ornaments, I just love them! What do you all think, should I have just bought them instead?

No man is an island...

I am in the brain storming and colour choosing process of my kitchen reno. Besides refacing all of my 26 cabinets, drawers and pantry, I also need seating options for a small bungalow eat in kitchen. I don't have a ton of space so I thought that an island would work, as it is counter height and would free up the much needed floor space in the kitchen.

I sourced a lot of places in hopes of having an island ready made to use, but that costs a lot of $$$$ my friends, and Christmas is around the corner...you see my point? So after hours and hours of surfing the net I decided I am going to build one!

Okay I know I love any DIY as much as the next person, but this is a tad different, this invloves measurements and cutting, I mean at least I like the painting part of it! Me and measurements are not friends, we never have been.

But I can't help think with a little patience I can have something like this when all is said and done, and I've thrown the last tape measure across the room!

via CREED

Do you guys think I am capable of such great design, how hard can it be right? ( Liz bites her lip in nervous laughter)

DIY

A while back I had just finished my favourite tea called chocolate conspiracy by "Tea in the Sahara" and I realized 1. that I needed to go and buy a new one  and 2. that I had the tea tin left over... so I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a DIY. Here is the final product:

I spray painted the tin grey, then I used a bird stamp on it and added the sticker letters, when all was dry I sealed the tin with a clear high laquer spray.

With these ones I just used different colours, same technique