Frame Collage How-To!

Several people asked me about the frame collage over Carson's dresser.  I maybe a little OCD bit of a perfectionist so it took me QUITE a while to figure out how I wanted the layout.  I first went into the basement and found my rubbermaid bin full of old frames.  See?  Sometimes it helps not to donate everything and hoard your old decor! 

I found my "floating" frames and some smaller 5x7 frames that we had in our family room before we re-decorated.  I first attempted making a layout with those....

 I liked the layout but I was frustrated that the sides wouldn't line up without looking awkward and I felt like I need a little more variety.  That's when I found Anne Tavoletti's prints on art.com.  Since they came in 12x12 I was practically forced to buy a couple new frames!  I headed to Michael's since they were having a frame sale (like always) and also took along my coupon for 30% off any framing order (even sale items)!  I found a new line called "Aris" that is super affordable and actually looks really nice.  The 12x12 frames with matting ended up being $6/each!  Here is the new layout with a few 12x12's thrown in the mix.

Next I had to decide how I was going to transfer this from the floor of our loft to the wall of the nursery.  [Insert panic attack.]  I knew I would be SO mad if I had to put any extra holes in the wall.  Then, I remembered my BFF, Pinterest!  I saw this tip on flipping your frames and using wax paper as a template and knew I had to try it.

Source: roost-home.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

First, I flipped my frames, using yard sticks to level the top and bottom.  I used my handy dandy pink measuring tape to ensure equal distance between frames.  Being a perfectionist is so tiring!

Next I taped 3 long pieces of wax paper together and placed the large piece carefully over my frames.  I used a sharpie to mark where the nails needed to go.  I also did a short line on top of the top frames so that I could use that as a point to level the wax paper template. 

Next I took the template and taped it to the wall in the nursery.  I used a laser level with the top lines to ensure it was level and also lined up the center holes with the center of Carson's dresser.  After I was satisfied it was in the right place, I put my nails in and ripped off the wax paper (possibly the most fun part of this project).

Once the template was gone, I was able to hang up my frames and admire my work!  Here are the frames with the old pictures in them and the unpainted 'C'.

The C is something I picked up on clearance at Michael's shortly after we decided on Carson's name.  I wanted it to pop against the wall so I decided to spray paint it navy blue.  Something went wrong with my spray paint and my C ended up being textured.  I asked for some honest feedback and decided to keep it this way, more unique, right?!

This is the outcome of my screwy spraypaint can....paint went everywhere!

Finally, here is the final product!!   I kind of love it and can't wait to fill some of the frames with pictures of our little man!

*Giraffe and Elephant prints can be found on art.com (artist: Anne Tavoletti)

*All other prints are free printables found on Sprik Space

Do you have any frame collages in your house?  How did you decide on a layout and how did you install?  I feel like there has to be an easier way!

Nursery Update #3!

I haven't done a nursery update in a LONG time.  I was waiting to figure out exactly what I wanted to do as far as wall decor and it took me a while, but I finally committed!  If you missed my before and after pictures from the first stage, check out my previous nursery update from February.  You can also check out the more recent nursery update from March.

One of the things that Nick insisted we get was some sort of growth chart.  I told him we won't be able to use it for a little while, but he REALLY wanted one.  I'm so glad we picked this super cute giraffe!  (Find it for sale here.)  You might also remember my DIY name art that I made a while ago from this post.  We hung it over the crib and I love how simple it is!

Here is a better picture of the giraffe.  It came with some grass to go under the giraffe but in order for the height measurements to be accurate, we couldn't use the grass. 

I also hung up some of the decorations from the lovely shower my girlfriends threw for me!  I think they look so cute in the room. 

Banner and Diaper Wreath can be purchased at my friend's Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatsSoCuteEtsyShop

As you can see in the picture above, our bookshelf had a decent amount of books.  Last week, my co-workers at my afternoon school threw me a book shower!  It was so great and I'll post pics as soon as I get them!  I got TONS of cute books and I can't wait to read with my little boy!  I also got a ton of great books from my family shower so the shelf is even more overflowing now! :)

My sis got me this super cute artwork for my shower.  (Sorry it's a little crooked in the matting.)  We're going to go shopping together to pick out some frames and then I plan on hanging one on each side of the window!  (Sorry about the mess in Carson's room...I have a balloon left over from my work shower and our Easter baskets in there!) 

Prints can be found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/petitcollage

 As you saw above, we finally have our glider!  It's a little big for the space but I'm in LOVE with how comfortable it is!  Once we move it out of Carson's room, we can use it in a living area which will be so nice!  It's a glider/recliner and Chip and Dixie are in love!

I also finally finished the frame collage over Carson's dresser!  It took me forever to come up with a good design/layout!  I also had trouble deciding what to put in the frames.  The top left and bottom right are prints made by Anne Tavoletti.  You can find them here on art.com.  The rest of the prints are free printables I found on a wonderful blog called Sprik Space.  The top middle frame has Coldplay lyrics and the others are just cute phrases/quotes.  I plan to change out the free printables with pictures of Carson once we have some! :)  Keep checking back for a DIY post on this frame collage!

Just for fun, here is my lovely husband testing out our infant carrier with poor Chip and Dixie.  Dixie was a little too small, haha!

Chip is NOT amused!

Dixie was so content even though she could barely see!

30 Before 30 Update!

I have been horrible in keeping up with my bucket list so I'm finally doing an update!  If you haven't checked out my bucket list, it's on my tabs or you can find it here.


1. Paint our master bedroom & bathroom.  My mom's birthday gift to me was to paint our master bedroom.  She knew I wanted it done, but didn't want to pay to have it done or do it myself.  (Lazy? Yes.)  She is a great painter and I love how it turned out!  I didn't want to feel TOO lazy so I decided to paint the master bathroom while she did the bedroom.  :)  Enjoy our before & afters:

Master Bath Before

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom Before 2 (hubster helped with our plant ledge...haha!)

Master Bath after!  (Paint is "Autumn Fog" by Valspar)

Master Bedroom after!  I can't remember the paint color but I can get it for you if you want....

6. Get rid of antique dining room furniture. AND 7. Transform our dining room into a living room/playroom.  My husband's grandparents gave us this really ornate antique dining furniture when we moved into our house almost 7 years ago.  It was very nice so that we had something to fill the room, but we NEVER used it (except to store junk).  Once we decided to start our family, I wanted that room to have more of a purpose so I decided it should be a living/play room.  Our family didn't want the furniture back so they said we could consign it.  We used a local consignment shop and got a pretty penny for all 3 pieces!  (The chairs didn't match so I sold those to someone I work with for fairly cheap.)  Here is a picture of the furniture and a picture of our new playroom/living room (no wall decor yet...I'm indecisive)!

Paint color is "Arid Plains" by Valspar.

The only things I had to buy for the living room were the throw pillows and the ottoman!  The chairs were hand-me-downs from my mom and formerly in our loft.  The side table is from our family room and the curtains are from our bedroom.  I love moving things to other rooms to make it feel new again!  Like I said, very indecisive on the wall decor....

10. Start our family. <3 You can read more about it in this post.  Baby Carson is due May 24th and we are SO excited to be starting our family!  I feel so thankful and blessed and we can't wait to meet Carson!  Here is the latest picture we have of him (33w1d):

16. Take a family vacation.  This past October, we went to Hocking Hills with my family.  It was just a weekend trip but it was so fun and relaxing!  We went hiking, sat by the fire outside, relaxed in the hot tub (not me though since I was prego), made s'mores, played games, and had fun!  Here are a few pics from our trip...

18. Pay off my student loans.  This is still a work in progress BUT I did pay off more than half of my loans in the past year.  Thanks to working full-time (and sometimes 2 jobs) while in college, I didn't have a huge amount of loans to re-pay.  I'm happy to say that I could pay off my loans by summer if I wanted.  However, there is an early pay-off penalty (lame!) so I will continue to just make my monthly payments.  Also - I signed up for auto-pay so for every 4 (or 6?) payments, my interest rate decreases!  Very nice! :)

21. Complete a DIY project for our house.  With Carson on his way, I decided I would make something for his room.  I wanted it to be personal so I decided on name art.  You can find my little how-to tutorial here.  Here is a pic of the final product.  I'll do another nursery update soon so you can see where it's hanging in the room!

That's about it for now.  I'm hoping to cross off a lot more soon! 
Do you have a Bucket List? 

DIY Name Art

Does anyone have a better idea of what to call these?  Decorative letters...name letters...name art?  Either way, I knew I wanted to display Carson's name somehow in his nursery.  I thought about doing a vinyl wall decal, but I couldn't find one that I liked enough.  I really like the idea of hanging letters from ribbon, but I think it's a little girly for Carson's nursery.

I decided to buy some wooden letters and go from there.  I found these cute MDF letters at Michael's and went during their MLK Day sale so I got all of the letters for only $7.50! 

Here are the supplies you'll need for this craft:
-wooden letters spelling out the name/word of your choice
-craft paint
-sponge brush & small artist's brush
-scrapbook paper (1 page covered all of my letters)
-Mod Podge
-scissors, pencil

Total Cost for MY project: $8.50  (I already had a lot of the supplies and I got my letters on sale)

The first step is to trace your letters on the back of your scrapbook paper.  Make sure the letters are upside down so that the patterned part of your paper will fit onto the FRONT of your letter!

Sorry for the super dark picture.....

Using your scissors, carefully cut out each letter.  I left the center holes for last......

Notice the 'N'?  I had to re-do that because I didn't noticed I had placed it on the border of the paper....oops!

Next you'll want to carefully cut out those center holes.  An X-acto knife would be nice, but I just used my pencil to poke through and worked carefully.  Using a sponge brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to your wooden letters and place your paper on top.  Next, carefully apply another layer of Mod Podge over top of your paper.  be careful to go slow so that your paper doesn't ripple!

Next, using your craft paint and small artist's brush, carefully paint the edges of your letters.  You could do this first, but I was anxious to get the paper on to make sure I liked it!

Here is the finished product!  I had planned on putting his name on a floating shelf, but I couldn't find a shelf the right size.  I have a new idea and will post about it VERY soon (as long as it turns out)!

Nursery Update #2!

I've been promising another update for quite some time and the reason I haven't updated is because I'm still waiting on that silly chair!!  We ordered it back in January around MLK Day.  Seriously ridiculous!  We went to the furniture store this weekend after I called and they said the order was delayed AGAIN until March 22nd (at least).  We picked out another chair for the same price and they knocked $50 off.  Good deal, right?  It should be in Tuesday but I'm not getting my hopes up!  (Fingers are crossed!)  If you missed my last update, you can read it here.

Here is what we have so far.......
Our new Ikea Hemnes Dresser & Expedit 4-cube organizer (for toys and books):

Assembly assistants :)

My other assistant :)

Almost done..or so I thought.  Those drawers took forever!

Finished product cmplete with my pink tool bag!

Can't wait to get more books for Carson!

I also have these name letters I made.  I originally wanted to put them on a floating shelf, but now I'm reconsidering.......any ideas?  (P.S.  DIY how-to post coming soon!)

We also went and picked up this table lamp that we had ordered a while ago!  I LOVE it.  I'm not sure about the table in front of the window yet, but it was C-H-E-A-P and I needed something to go next to our (non-existent) recliner....

Here is what you see when you are entering the room......you might remember his door sign from my DIY post here!

Kind of messy but you can see the new Ikea Rutbo light fixture!

Still debating on what I should put on his walls.........I was thinking his name will probably go over his crib (not so sure about the shelf idea anymore), and some picture frames here and there.  As far as other stuff, maybe wall decals?  I feel lost.  HELP!

Here are some of my ideas right now, but I can't make up my mind!  Any opinions??

I would order these in navy & lime....

Source: stickywords.net via Emily on Pinterest

I would order this in navy...

Source: stickywords.net via Emily on Pinterest

Cute, but I think I like the other one better...??

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

I've always loved this idea but not sure what colors I'd order (navy & lime?)

Source: mylifeoftravelsandadventures.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Embroidery hoops w/ cute fabric.  I already have his name letters in green so maybe navy/blue fabrics??

Source: aedriel.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest