Collage Wall

My latest project has taken me forever to complete.  It was also VERY frustrating to arrange and display!  For some reason when it comes to printing out pictures I am a huge slacker!  Framing them always presents hard decisions for me because I love so many of the pictures I have, it's hard to choose just one or two to frame!

Once I got all of the pictures printed out and framed the hard part was arranging the photos and attaching them to the wall.  I first arranged them on the floor, taking pictures (otherwise I NEVER would've remembered where they all went).

Hanging them on the wall was so frustrating, I can't even begin to tell you!  My walls are so tough, it was like trying to drive a nail through the sidewalk.  I ran out of nails, bent several, and did this all by my lonesome.  Usually I rely on Matt to help me hang things on the wall, but he had to go to bed (he works graveyards) so I did it by myself!  I'm sure all that banging on the wall kept him up anyway though.  Every time I wanted to bring another picture from the floor to the wall I had to put the bulk of them on the wall first to make sure I was getting my spacing semi-right.  And if course I couldn't drive another nail into the wall without first removing all of the pictures I had already hung.  I made the mistake of skipping that step several times and ended up with my pictures flying off the wall and crashing to the ground.

I saw this project on many craft blogs before I attempted it.  I wonder if their projects were as trying of their patience as mine was?

Guest Post!!!!

Hey readers!  Today is the day of my guest post over at Scissors & Spatulas so head on over and get the full story on my DIY Play Kitchen with updated pictures!

Here are some more photos for you to see!

Before and After

Here are some photos I edited in hopes of making them more appealing!

Photos

Photography

Lately I've been trying to get into photography more and more.  A few months ago I got my first DSLR and I LOVE it!  I've been constantly taking pictures and recently I've been learning more about photo editing.  


I decided to start up an account at 365Project and I've had a lot of fun browsing and uploading images there.  It's nice to be able to get some feedback on your pictures from other amateurs and professionals.  I've also created an account at Pinterest which is like a virtual pinboard of all your favorite photos.  It can be pretty addicting to browse there!


Anyway, I'm going to start uploading more and more pictures that I take, some will be edited and some will be SOOC (probably most will be that way).  They will all be my images unless otherwise noted.  Also if you'd like to view my 365Project you can do so here.

A Kitchen for the Girls

Wow, it's been a while since I have blogged!  I apologize for that.  Beautiful sunny days mean less time inside, therefore, less time on the computer!

A few months ago I started a project for the girls and just (finally) finished it (enough to play with).  Evelyn used to have a play kitchen, but it was given to someone else, so I decided to make her one of her own!

I started out with an entertainment center that someone was throwing away.  Brought it home and got to work!

 First I sanded the whole thing down and removed the cardboard back (with Evie's help of course).

Then I started drawing measuring and marking my cut lines for the back, doors, and shelves.

Which my pop then helped me cut (and yes I did do some of the cuts myself, but I can't safely photograph myself cutting!).

Next I cut out a hole for the sink, primed the whole thing, and attached the back.

And after many coats of paint (at least 4 all around) I was ready to put the doors on and shelves in.

After the doors and shelves were attached I installed the faucet and sink bowl (which is just a stainless steel bowl), oven, door handles (from Lowe's), utensil rack (from Ikea), stovetop dials (which I failed to take a close up of, also from Ikea), and an apron hanger on the side (Ikea again).

The revealing of the kitchen (can you tell the girls were excited?).

I still have some touches to add (a curtain for under the sink and a "window" with curtains above the sink).

This was an extremely inexpensive gift to make, just time consuming (especially the painting)!  The only things I spent money on were the handles, utensil rack, apron hanger and a sheet of particle board.  I had the paint, faucet, and "sink" already.  Total cost?   Around $30!  Hopefully it will last a long time.