Adding meaning to a wall

I found this darling sign at Rod Works last weekend.  It spoke right to what I needed to hear as I've been struggling as a mommy.

The perfect spot for it was the center of my picture wall.  Thanks Kallee and Lindsay for the placement idea.  I absolutely love what it says and how it ties the pictures together.  Happy Mother's Day!

One Year Memory Book

We are celebrating my second child's birthday this week so I thought I'd share what I did for his baby book.  I am not much into scrapbooking anymore but thought it would be nice to keep a record of milestones and dates from my kids' first year.  So I bought a blank calendar from Roberts and created pages for each month of the year to document the important stuff...


I used the Roberts 12x12 binder...I think with the coupon you can get them for $9.

Each month has a page and the months with a big holiday or event has an extra page behind it with pictures.

I also hire a photographer to take pictures once a year...it's fun to keep the favorites in this book as well.

At the end of the book I put information about the year they were born.  The sections include:
             All about you (information about their birthday, doctor, hospital etc.)
             Info about the year they were born
             Info about the day they were born (in the news, famous people who share their birthday)
             The cost of familiar items that year (gas prices, home prices, a burger at McDonalds etc.)

While every year after their first is just a book of printed pictures, at least they have a memory of one year they won't ever remember otherwise!

Frame collage

Now that the basement is done it's time to decorate!  There's nothing better than a room with blank walls!  I've been collecting these frames for a few months and found the few final pieces to finish it off and hang it up! 

To do a frame collage, start by arranging everything on the ground first.  The great thing about a collage is you can put frames as close together or as far apart as you'd like.  And precise measuring is not necessary!  It's suppose to take on its own character and style...

One measurement that is needed is the center point of the wall.  For my design I moved the center picture up a few inches from the exact middle so my boys can't easily reach the bottom pictures of the collage.  Eventually I'm also going to put a long skinny table under the pictures and I wanted space to put decor on top of the table.  Make sure to take the full design of the wall into consideration before hanging!  It does create lots of little holes! 

Here are a few pictures showing the progression of the collage...

Notice the incorporation of the cute signs from yesterday :)

Here were my latest frame purchases...I love them both!



 

 $10.99 at Rod works (I also bought this in a 5x7 for the wall).  Such a great price for an ornate frame!

Roberts now carries a line of larger frames that are better for design than their previous selections...and with the 40 or 50 percent off coupon they are great prices!  This one was $20 and comes as a 12x12 opening with a mat.  I decided to print a 16x20 photo and cut it to 16x16 to display the photo without a mat.  They also had great chunky wood frames...I had a hard time deciding!

This is such a fun way to keep older photos displayed as well as candid shots taken from your own little camera! 

Fun Find...Scrapbook Substitute

I used to be a scrapbooker...until I found other things I liked to spend my free time doing (which is much less these days!)  I am impressed with the talent some ladies have for it, but I just decided its not for me anymore.  However, I love to have our pictures around to look at instead of hidden on my hard drive.  So I bought the Costco photo albums and love them!

They fit about 400 photos so you can get six months to a year's worth of pictures in one depending on how great of a photographer you are!  They also come with a coupon for 50-100 free 4x6 prints so at $20 for two albums it's a great deal!

I also like that I can write a few things about the pictures. 

I've given these as gifts to grandparents and organized their stacks of grandkid pictures lying around which has been a big hit!

If you're overwhelmed with a large pile of pictures to scrapbook, make your life easier and put them in a nice album for family and friends to look at and enjoy!  The book with the most recent pictures makes a great coffee table piece! 

little people

I cherish my boys' newborn pictures and was sad when they were old enough to be replaced.  Instead of losing them in a photo album, I made these 12x12 prints in Photo shop and have them hung in the hall between their rooms...

The frames are the 12x12 wood frames from Roberts (around $10 with coupon).  Cute paper and a little mod podge and you've got a customized frame to go with it!

If you have a basic knowledge of Photo shop these are easy to make...if not, I'd be happy to make you one for $10!  

Adding a Personal Touch to Your Child's Bedroom

 A couple of weeks ago, I helped my mother-in-law decorate a room for when her grandkids come to spend the night.  She has six grandkids, 3 boys and 3 girls.  In order to put a personal touch for each one of them, I came up with the idea to put their intial next to a picture of them on the wall.

I bought wooden letters at Roberts for $2.19 (They were 40% off).  Then I picked scrapbook paper that would coordinate with the bedding and decor of the room.  To adhere the paper, spray the wooden letter with spray adhesive and press firmly along the entire letter.

 Using a sharp utility knife, cut along the edges of the letter.  Make sure to cut on a cutting board.

 Put a light coating of Modge Podge on the top to seal it.

And here's the finished look.  I bought the frames at Ikea for $2.99.  You could easily spell out your child's full name on the wall with a variety of pics or use an 8x10 frame with a single initial.  It was a very inexpensive way to add a personal touch.

Family.Artwork

Photography is an art and what better artwork to display in your home than your family!  Fall is a typical time for everyone to have new photos of their families.  Here are a few ways I've used our family photos to decorate...

 Occasionally you'll get a picture taken that you love...blow it up big!  Amanda Peterson (amandasimages.blogspot.com) took Chayce's newborn pictures and she did an amazing job with both of my boys.  Kenny's in Orem (44 West Center, kennysphoto.com) does a great job with printing and mounting.  This is a 20X24 mounted on foam board.  The frame doesn't have glass and was a great deal ($32 by Bluebird Frame Co., bluebirdframe.blogspot.com). 

I bought this wrought iron photo hanger from Rod Works a few years ago.  It's a great way to decorate a larger space on the wall.  They also have great ribbon for $1 a yard (for this look you need two yards of ribbon per picture...if you ever need advice on how to do this just email us!)  These photos of my boys were taken by Haley Warner (haywusup.blogspot.com), another one of my favorite photographers! 

 As you can tell, I really like the distressed, rustic look for frames.  These ones came from Tai Pan, but at different times.  I think the big one is my favorite frame.

This is a fun way to display pictures of your kids in their room.  These are the simple wood frames from Roberts painted black.  My neighbor Jamie does a great job with vinyl sayings (expressivethoughtsvinyl.com) and did his name and birthday for me (I used the tweed font).  Its fun to put pictures from different ages up to see how much they change!  

Find a place in your home to keep a picture of each child in their newborn stage...I'm reminded daily of what a blessing it is to have these little guys in my life!

I'm currently on the hunt for more rustic frames.  When we finish our basement I'm going to do a collage wall with 10-12 mismatched frames.  So far Tai Pan has been five for five in my search.  They always have really cool frames.

As an end-note, I found some great deals at Tai Pan yesterday with my 50 percent off coupon...so fun to get deals! 

Capturing the Perfect Moments

Every Fall, I look forward to taking a family picture.  One of my friends from high school takes the most amazing photos.  She took the kids' pics in May and just did our family pics.  Her name is Julie Oeser and her site is http://julieophotography.blogspot.com/.  She has an incredible eye and has wonderful locations to choose from.  If you are in need of a photographer, she's the one you want to call.  Here are a few of my favorites that she's taken.

On another note, start Christmas early by buying yourself a present.  Target has Singer sewing machines on sale for $69.  Click here Singer Sewing Machine to buy.  I am happy to have a sewing class for anyone interested.  Don't forget to look at yesterday's post (Sunday) for another fabulous find!