I've been framed!

Literally. I've been scouring the earth and more specifically the east suburbs of Cleveland for some cheap yet nice looking frames. In 2003 I took a trip with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony to Ireland and France. I came back not with trinkets and t-shirts but with PRINTS. and lots of them.

Since I was not a classy lady in college most of these prints did not see the light of day and I waited for a time when all of these lovely images could be proudly displayed on the walls of my very own home. Well, I should have been buying frames since 2003 because a good frame is not hard to find, they're just too damned expensive!

Some of my prints are matted to 11x14 which is pretty large and the larger the frame the higher the price goes. How do we cope? Hold out for the sales! I can't tell you how many times I went to WalMart and Target looking for deals on frames. Luckily, WalMart has a section of 'gallery style' frames that are relatively inexpensive.

Michael's recently had a sale on all frames, some buy one get one half off, some with just reduced pricing. I purchased a pack of 5 frames all 4x6 in black for $20. Instead of buying a collage frame for $30 I was able to create my own unique collage using pictures I'd taken myself from the symphony tour.

I also had an idea to buy plain wood frames (I've noticed they are cheaper) and paint the frames black or white (that's my theme going on right now). I figure this will be nice for housing the pictures I took, since they aren't bigger than 4x6.

I would eventually like to delve into the world of gilding some frames with gold foil. So until then. Stay crafty my friends!

Craftacular

I've moved in! Everything is in its place, sort of, and I'm exhausted. I promised to make this post about crafting, so here we go!

One of my many projects for the new place was decorative outlet covers. I bought supersized light switch plates and outlet covers at Walmart for very cheap ($.35 - $.55). I used my trusty paint pens (from JoAnn Fabrics) to create some pretty neat designs. I actually painted every cover plate for the entire apartment (I needed a procrastination tool for packing). The ones I'll feature on this post are in the living room.

Some tidbits I found out along the way:

1. when decorating a cover plate choose white as your base. i was forced to get beige for some of them and unless you're doing a very dark color on top it doesn't work so well. white on beige is difficult to get full coverage.

2. if you have paint penned the entire surface, Sharpie or Bic permanent markers work very well over the paint pen ink, they also do okay on the naked surface of the cover plate

3. even though paint pens claim not to bleed or leak, sometimes they do. keep a wet paper towel on hand to correct any mistakes due to leaking.

Overall I am very pleased with my project. They turned out really nice and add a fun touch of drama to what would otherwise be some very boring light switches and outlet covers.

Below are the living room creations :)

Stay crafty my friends!

The Blank Slate

The time has come to fly the coop, again. And, it occurred to me how nice it would be to document the journey. As a lover of interior design I have big plans for my new place. I had every intention to paint each and every wall, but got a little spooked when there was a mishap with a potential roommate situation. So now, I'm on my own in an adorable one bedroom, a blank slate. So, instead of doing something as permanent as painting, I'm delving into the world of decals. They're all the rage now. You can find them at Marshall's, Target, Walmart and at a number of sites online, my favorites are creativewallcovering.com (features peel and stick wallpaper) and my-wall-decal.com Also, allposters.com has an amazing selection of decals.

Design Ideas: PARIS. it's so cliche I know, but there's nothing more seductive than French decor. The challenge is to tow the line of kitsch and style. Design as if you live in Paris, not as if you wish you did. Simply Shabby Chic (featured at Target) is a good place to start. The French country inspired items are bound to create a beautiful bedroom.

The Plan:

Kitchen - I envision something clean and classic. Modern really isn't my thing, but I saw these adorable red tulip decals. I saw them on allposters.com displayed on kitchen cabinets. It brings a pop of color without the commitment of painting.

Bathroom - I originally wanted to paint it a pool blue, but now that I'm on to decals its a struggle to commit to a design that I really like. The original design idea was seaside cottage.

Bedroom - Gray is my favorite color so anyway I can integrate that into a French theme, mainly French country is ideal. Damask, which is my new obsession will most likely be the focus.

Dining Room - All of my framed pictures of family and friends are going in the dining room, so something simple will do

Living Room - the most dramatic of them all. Black and white with a pop of jewel blue. I'd call it Parisian Nights, but that would sound so lame :)

So there you have it. I'm really looking forward to getting things started. I'm going to update for each stage of the process. Stay tuned!