Saturday, August 11, 2012

Pinterest Project #1

Ok, so I realize it's been forever since I last posted a blog.  Life is busy and well, it just sometimes gets in the way of things I like to do, so I've been a little MIA.  Last I checked only two people read by blog anyway so I'm sure there aren't too many people loosing sleep at night over this! :)

Anywho, I recently have found another item to add to my list of ridiculous addictions I suffer from...these include reality tv, starbucks, shopping at Ross, and now Pinterest.  I'm sure I can think of a few more but these are probably my top three at the moment.  I know I'm not the only one though, so that's comforting! ha ha

Since Matt and I moved in to the rental house from the 1 bedroom apartment, I now have so much space to fill and decorate that I am constantly looking for new projects! So, a few weeks ago while searching Pinterest (like I do every night on my iphone before I fall asleep) I saw the cutest craft project ever so I decided to try it for myself finally.

I went out and purchased all the materials three weeks ago but have been too busy to actually work on it until today!

So....drum roll please...voila!  Here is my weekend Pinterest Project I finished today:



The best thing about it is that it is super easy!  Also, the entire project was rather inexpensive.  It turned out so cute!  I had a long section of the wall that enters the hallway off the kitchen that I felt just needed a little something so it didn't look so bare and this little project was the perfect fit!

What you'll need: (FYI, I purchased everything but the curtain rod at my local Michael's, the curtain rod came from Ross

Three photo frames (color/size/layout per your preference) - I lucked out and caught a clearance sale at Michael's so my frames were less than two dollars a piece, even the one with the matting!

1 1/2" sized ribbon of a pattern of your choice - (I bought three spools but only ended up using two) - the ribbon needs to be thick fabric type ribbon and Michael's has plenty of it!  It took me thirty minutes to pick out the pattern I wanted because there were SO many cute designs I couldn't decide!  I paid $3.99 per spool of ribbon.

Staple gun or glue, whichever you prefer.  I have both in my tool box but since I'm impatient I decided to use the staple gun rather than glue so I wouldn't have to wait for anything to dry.

1 curtain rod - I purchased mine at Ross for $4.99.  Ross, by far has the best prices on curtain rods.  I like curtain rods with cute knobs on the ends and they have plenty to choose from!

I didn't really use any specific measurements for the assembly...except for ensuring that I cut the ribbon the exact same size for the two smaller frames.  I also cut the bow ribbon the same length for both the smaller frame ribbons as well.  I really just eyeballed this and thankfully it turned out beautifully!

Another great thing about this project is that the customization is endless.  You can get different sized curtain rods to add even more frames or use larger or small frames and lay it out any way you want.

I don't know if my instructions will be easy to follow but here's what I did.

1. hang a curtain rod on the wall.  Do not use the brackets that are included with the rod as that will make the frames stand off from the wall too much.  I used nails to hang my rod and the curtain rod sits firmly on the nail head.  The rods with the swirly knobs on the end are easier because you can nail it to the wall thru one of the swirly ends to hold it in place better.  See example below:

2. I cut two ribbons the exact same length (about 24") and folded them in half.  I then used the staple gun to staple the ribbon to the back of each of the smaller photo frames so I now have something to hang on the rod.

3.  I cut another ribbon a little short than the last two.  This ribbon was for the larger frame in the center and it needed to be shorter so it would hang right.  I believe that one was about 20" in length.  I also folded it in half and used the staple gun to staple it to the back of the larger frame so it would now have a loop that could hang from the rod.

4.  Take the curtain rod off the wall and slide the photo frames on to the rod in the order of your preference (they hang from the loop you created by stapling the ribbon to the back of the frame in steps 2 and 3 and then  hang the rod back on the wall.  Be careful to ensure your curtain rod can withstand the weight.  Try to get the lightest photo frames you can find so you won't have to worry about the rod falling off the wall due to excessive weight.

5.  I cut three additional sections of ribbon that I used to tie bows towards the top of the loop hanger ribbon.  This was probably the hardest part of the project because bow tying  is not something I excel in so it took me a while to get the bows just how I wanted them.  Once that tedious task was complete I was done!

My instructions may not be the easiest to understand but the beauty of this do it yourself project is that you can customize it any way you want and that's the fun part!

Not only was this easy, it was inexpensive and turned out super cute!

Frames: $6.00
Ribbon: $8.00
Curtain Rod: $5.00
Total Cost: $19.00

If any one else has any do it yourself decorating crafts to share please do so!  After this being such a success I am in a crafty/design mood and would love a new project!

Stay tuned for my next post about my closet organizer installation project I did a few weeks ago!