Using Your Pack Rat Horde

So, I don't throw things away. Well, let me modify that, I don't throw away anything that could possibly have even the slightest bit of meaning to me. This means that every movie stub, unremarkable pebble, etc. that I can attach to some greater meaning or memory I keep. I still have notes I passed in elementary school and if you've ever given me a card, I probably still have it stashed away in a box somewhere.

You might think this is a crazy thing to do, but I have learned to harvest such things for crafty purposes. For example, say you have a box of random bits and bobs from a vacation you took that was particularly memorable for you. Take said bits and bobs (as long as they are flatish) and get yourself a collage style frame from Michael's. Then scatter said bits and bobs throughout the frame. If things are too small to fill a specific picture spot, you can attach them to a coordinating piece of paper that is big enough to fill the space. You could even step it up a notch and pick a theme or color to tie everything together. For example, if you did a trip around Europe you could fill a frame full of money from the different countries you visited, or if you're a big sports fan perhaps some old ticket stubs, button or stickers and some pictures of you at the game would be most appropriate. Even things that don't seem that exciting can work great for this. I have one from my London trip that has everything from a half filled coffee punch card to torn movie stubs to my student ID.

So where am I leading you with all of this rambling? Well, since I painted my kitchen a much darker color than I originally anticipated, I decided to put something bright on the walls to spice it up a bit. Originally I was just going to go with some generic happy food pictures from Ikea, but after I found these three slot frames for $10 a piece I knew they would be perfect some some sort of memento collection. After scavenging around the house for a bit I landed on the back drop I had used for photo's at my engagement party. It had lemons on it, which are definitely in the bright and cheery category and it had said "Asbury Farms" across the top. I had found it shoved into a high shelf in my garden shed and figured if I hadn't done anything with it for the last 6 months then I could probably cut it up without fearing that I'd destroyed my memento. Besides, people now can actually see part of it which is one of the big upsides of using such things around your house. So here is how it turned out.

I had a terrible time trying to avoid glare on these, but you can get the idea. The A is from the Asbury and the Fa is from Farms. I would have rather just gotten the F by itself, but the A was nestled too close. While projects like this won't have instant meaning for those who visit my kitchen, they are cute by themselves and give my the opportunity to share the story with those who ask.

Here is my wonderful husband making me a Valentine's Day breakfast in our newly purple kitchen and the two frames on either side of the cabinets.

So to recap, using mementos from life events to decorate you home is great because:

1) Its free

2) It keeps said memories out in the open where you can enjoy them

3) It gives your space an instantly personal non-generic feel

Easter Banner

Coming later this week I will fill you all in on the exciting construction projects and births that have been happening in our home for the last couple of days, but for now, I'd like to share a cute craft project with you. Since the window of decorating/prep time between St. Patrick's Day and Easter is only two weeks this year, I decided not to go overboard on trying to get the house decorated for Easter. By the time I purchased/made everything I'd need and put it up I'd be broke and then probably have to take it down the next day because the holiday was over. One of the few things I have purchased for decorating this year were these cute little bunny clips from Cost Plus for $2.99. That's all I spent on this project. Everything else was just stuff I had lying around the house. If you guys have any fun Easter craft ideas feel free to share.

Ingredients

1 sheet of Eastery colored construction paper

scissors

twine

magic markers, colored pencils or crayons

hot glue gun

2 push pins

mini bunny clothes pins

Cards:

1) Cut 8 rectangles that measure 3 inches by 4 inches out of the construction paper. Then trim the longer sides so that the rectangle becomes a parallelogram. Don't worry about being precise on your measurements, the differences is size/shape will just make it look quirky and fun.

2) Practice how you are going to write out Easter on a scrap sheet of paper. Once you like the way it looks, write out one letter on each piece of construction paper.

3) In different colors, add little decorations to the corners of the cards. I picked swirls and polka dots.

4) With your two remaining cards, draw an Easter related picture such as eggs, bunnies, etc. Clip these into your first and last spaces.

Garland:

1) Plug in your hot glue gun to let it start heating up.

2) Measure out 15 inches of twine before you start attaching your clothes pins. Starting at 15 inches, place them every three inches, attaching them with the hot glue gun. After you attach your last clothes pin, measure out another 15 inches and cut the twine.

3) Once the glue is completely cooled, tie a loop on each end of your garland, and attach to wall with push pins.

Notes:

-Instead of writing Easter our by hand, you could also do it with a printer and a cute font. My color cartridge is empty, otherwise I would have chosen that way.

-If you don't live near a Cost Plus, you could also use plain mini-clothes pins which are available at most craft stores.

-When writting the T in Easter, be warned that doing curly swirls on the top or bottom may turn you word to "Easfer" or "Easjer." Just add your swirlys to the bar of the t, instead of the body, to avoid the frustration of redoing your t three times.