[Frame Friday: Gallery Wall by Dream Book Design]

Yesterday I stumbled on Dream Book Design blog (a DIY design blog that I suggest you go and visit!) and saw this amazing gallery wall. Absolutely stunning! I have been wanting to create a gallery wall in a hallway in my house, and this has definitely given me that much more motivation.

Oh how I love all those white frames! They look so clean and chic against that wall color. Those 3 frames inside the larger frame is simply fabulous. And that fish-eye mirror really adds character to the entire gallery wall.

And you're not going to believe how much it cost her to put it all together...only about $50! What a steal!! Most of the frames were thrifty finds that she simply painted white. A technique that I plan on using in the near future. :0)

To view the original blog post on her gallery wall, click [HERE].

Thank you so much Adri for letting me feature your project! You are such an inspiration! :0)

[Jen]

[Frame Friday: Stencil Frame by In Between Laundry]

I am always looking around blogland for unique & creative ideas on using frames. This DIY stencil frame by Erin over at In Between Laundry definitely caught my eye. I love the whole look of a frame inside a "frame". It adds such depth and character!

The stencil Erin used was created on her Silhouette machine, and I just love the pattern she chose. It's simple yet eye-catching! She simply painted around the stencil directly onto the wall with a small paintbrush.

She framed the stenciled section with molding to complete the look and added a distressed picture frame inside to give it that personal touch. Doesn't it look amazing?!

Great job, Erin! Thank you so much for letting me feature this fabulous project!

To view her full tutorial, please visit her blog [HERE].

[Jen]

[Frame Friday: Double Frame Art by Forever Decorating]

LOVE this Double Frame Art idea that Terry created over at Forever Decorating! So much more interesting to look at than just a single frame. Perfect solution for all of those mismatched frames that I've somehow collected. :0)

Wondering how the smaller frame is attached to the bigger frame??

Command Velcro strips! So it's easy to customize and change out whenever you want. Genius! And she made this entire work of art for under $10!! Definitely going to try making this!

To check out her full tutorial on how to create this art project, click HERE.

And a BIG thanks to Terry for letting me feature her project! Thanks Terry! :0)

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: Butterfly Art]

After posting yesterday about my Spring mantel (click HERE in case you missed it!), I thought I might share with you how I made this little butterfly art. I was recently inspired by Jenny over at Embellishing Life on her Butterfly Specimen Art project that she shared last month and thought I might make some of my own!

I started out with this butterfly patterned scrapbook paper. I bought it from Target last year in their $1 section, and it came in a pack of about 10 Spring/Easter patterned paper. I thought this one was super cute, so I cut out 4 different butterflies.

After I cut them all out, I folded them in the middle to give it that 3D look and adhered them onto some white cardstock with a mini glue dot. So simple!

I think they go nicely in my "Blue Skies" Etsy frame. And it makes me smile. :0) Happy Spring!

Linking up to these crafty parties! Come join me!

[Jen]

Spring Mantel

Okay, I would just like to start off this post by saying that I NEVER decorate my mantel for Spring. Christmastime? Of course! But never for any of the other seasons. So this year, after being so inspired by other bloggers, I decided to give it a try! And actually, I surprisingly had a lot of fun decorating! :0)

[If you have read my previous post, you might recognize this cupcake liner wreath. (click HERE to view the tutorial) It hangs over our framed poem called "In Our Home" that we received as a housewarming gift a few years ago.]

[Below the wreath are these fun little plastic Easter eggs from last year sitting in a tea light candle tray (another housewarming gift). I think they add a little "fun" to the mantel, but my 2-year old daughter constantly wants me to take them down to play with them!]

[This "Spring" banner is a free printable from At Second Street. Super easy to make! Click HERE to print one of to make for yourself and to check out her super cute Spring mantel.]

[I decided to include one of my handmade frames from my Etsy shop. Inside the frame I made a little butterfly art that I will talk about tomorrow. So stay tuned!]

[I found this free Spring printable from Smile Like You Mean It and knew I just had to include it on my mantel (click HERE to print one out for yourself). It's just a fun colorful subway art that totally describes Spring. I stole the frame from my chalkboard frame that I first posted about when I started blogging. You can view that post HERE.]

[This little flower pot traveled from my craft/laundry room (click HERE and HERE to view a post on my craft room). I purchased it from Walmart about a year ago, and it's held up quite nicely.]

[I decided to fill these little candle holders with plastic eggs, a couple of feux flowers, and a colorful ribbon tied in a bow. And p.s., this candle holder only cost $2! I will show you how I made it on Tuesday!]

Well, that concludes today's post on my Spring mantel. I'll be linking it up to these fabulous parties! Happy Friday! :0)

[Jen]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay I know that Valentine's Day is practically over, but I wanted to share with you my Valentine mantel. To me it looks pretty sparse. I was originally planning on really decorating it up big this year. Maybe I'll get all geared up for it next year. Anyways, here's a few highlights from my very simple V-Day mantel:

[This cute little "love" vase is from the $1 section at Target I bought last year. Just threw in a little daisy {fake, of course) to give it some flair. Looks nice sitting next to the little handprint Valentine art.]

[This Valentine wreath was originally inspired by The Thriftress. It is entirely made out of empty paper towel tubes. I painted them red (each individually with a brush since I didn't have any red spray paint) and glued them together with a hot-glue gun. Super easy! You can view the full tutorial HERE.]

[A clear empty vase I bought at the Dollar Tree hold a couple of fake daisies. And sitting next to them are a couple of frames I made, including the Valentine frame with the button heart. I place a little candle just for a warm touch.]

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day! Lots of love! :0)

[Jen]

[Framed Friday: Frame Gallery at SWITCHEROOm]

Today's "Framed Friday" is featuring this amazing frame gallery wall created by Elle over at SWITCHEROOm. Doesn't it look just amazing?!

My favorite part is this framed clock. So inventive! And I love all the pops of the brightly colored frames! Adds such an eclectic feel & really gives it character.

Want to know what it looked like before?

And here's the after:

Such a difference! A fresh coat of paint brings new life to old frames. I have always dreamed of having a gallery wall with unique mismatched frames in my home, and now I am totally convinced to create one!

Thanks Elle for inspiring us all & letting me feature your project!

If you would like to take a look at the original post on her gallery wall or just to visit her super cute blog, click [HERE].

[Jen]

Sad news...

Due to lack of sales, I will be shutting down my [Etsy Shop] on Monday, February 7th, 2011. Since the products on my account expire, I chose not to renew them and just close up shop.

If you would still like to order a frame from me, please feel free to contact me anytime.

I can still make custom frames in any style for those that would like to purchase one from me for $15 (free shipping & handling to US Residents ONLY!).

[Jen]

[Frame Friday: Valentine Frame]

Since love is in the air (literally, since V-day is almost 2 weeks away!), I thought I'd share this little Valentine frame. In the past I never decorated for Valentine's Day simply because I had just finished putting up all the Christmas decorations and didn't want to mess with more decorations.  But this year, I have changed my way of thinking and am now actually looking forward to decorating for this "love"-ly holiday. :0)

[Now, I cannot take credit for making this frame. This was actually something my mom gave me as a gift many years ago. I never really displayed it for Valentine's Day...until now. But I am sure if you wanted to make this frame, you could just modge-podge some red patterned paper onto an unfinished frame, paint the edges, and stencil in the word "LOVE".]

[However, I CAN take credit for the little button heart inside the frame. I just adhered them to some recycled paper with glue dots in the shape of a heart. Originally I wanted to fill the inside of the heart with more buttons, but could you believe these were ALL the red buttons I had?! Must have been fate.]

This is just the first of many Valentine's Day decor projects. Stay tuned for more fun DIY heart-filled ideas during the next couple of weeks! :0)

I will be linking this up to [these] parties!

[Jen]

[How-to Tuesday: Mother/Daugher Valentine's Day Gift]

With all the fun, creative Valentine's Day crafts going on, I was inspired to come up with my own little craft. I wanted to create something special for my hubby that my daughter and I could give to him as a gift. All I needed was a few basic supplies:

• Cardstock paper (in white, pink, & red)
• Black ink (I used charcoal in ColorBox Chalk)
• Rub-on numbers (I used these black rub-ons from Doodlebug Design Inc. in their "All Mixed Up" collection)
• Scrapbook glue or other adhesive
• Frame (optional)

[Step 1: Trace the outside of the hands with a pencil. I really only needed to trace one hand, cut it out, flip it over and trace it the cut-out template to have 2 hands cut out. This is key when trying to keep a busy toddler still while tracing tiny fingers.]

[Top photo: daughter's hands cut out in red cardstock; Bottom photo: my hands cut out in pink cardstock]

[Step 2: Ink the edges of all the hand cut-outs. I say it doesn't have to look super neat. Just want it to have a rustic look. Once both hands are inked, glue both hands together to make a heart shape. See photos above for placement.]

[Step 3: Adhere the heart-hands onto the page. I tried to layer them slightly so that they both fit onto the 8 x 10 white cardstock. Place rub-ons anywhere you like. I put "2011" to date how tiny my daughter's hands were this year.]

[Step 4: Optional: Place artwork inside a frame. Voila! Two hands, two hearts, one very special project.]

Hope you enjoyed today's Valentine tutorial! I will be linking this up here! :0)

[Jen]

[Tuesday Top 10: My Favorite Blog Posts]

Since I've seen so many of you post about your "Top 10 of 2010", I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon and post about my favorite posts this past year.

1. Numbered Jars - I still use these daily to hold all of my laundry needs: detergent, stain remover, and fabric softener. Of course everyone always asks me if I bought them at Pottery Barn. Umm...nope!
2. Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe Party - This was so much fun to plan & create! People are still buzzing about it! And I am so glad it was fun 2nd birthday for my little girl. I can't wait to plan her 3rd birthday party! :0)
3. Master Bathroom Renovation - I am so pleased with how our master bathroom turned out. And it still looks exactly the same today. I would love to rip up the linoleum & put tile on the floor, but it's not exactly high up on my to-do list.
4. Frames, Frames, Frames - Where would this little blog be without this work of art? Every time I look at it hanging on my wall, it always makes me smile. :0)
5. My Little Creation - This is actually my very first craft I ever posted about. And it's still hanging up in our master bedroom. Who knew what an old frame and a chipboard letter could do?
6. Chalkboard Table - This was the perfect solution for covering up a hideous stain on my dining table. And my daughter (and myself as well) love to draw all over it with chalk. It's become a fun daily activity.
7. Windowsill to Cozy Reading Nook - My most recent project. But it's still unfinished. After taking down the wreath and the "naughty/nice" pillow, it looks very bare. I'm working on crafting up some pillows and window treatments to cozy it up a bit. So stay tuned!
8. The EAT Sign - Yes, it's still hanging in the dining room. Really adds a splash of color to the place. :0)
9. Card-making - I really couldn't decide on a favorite card to put in my Top 10. I made so many cards this past year and enjoyed making every single one of them!

And my all-time FAVORITE blog post is....

10. My Laundry/Craft Room - a.k.a. my second home. This is where I spend all of my time blogging, doing crafts, and of course, laundry. But I still love being in this room! It's so inviting and organized (yes, it really looks like this all the time, I promise!), and I am so happy that I finally have a "mom-cave"! :0)

[Jen]

And the giveaway winner is...

#1 - Hannah at Young and Crafty

Congratulations Hannah! Please email me your info to claim your prize! :0)

If you didn't win, you are more than welcome to hop on over to my Etsy shop. The Holiday Sale is still going on, and you can use the coupon HOLIDAY10 to get an extra 50% off!

[Jen]

[GIVEAWAY: Win a Wintergreen Frame from my Etsy Shop!]

Yea! I have 150 followers!! I am very excited! So as a "thank-you" for following my little blog, I wanted to give away one of my frames from my Etsy shop. Just in time for the holidays!

[Wintergreen Frame]

 To Enter the Giveaway:

Follow this blog & leave a comment letting me know you follow. :0)

For extra entries:

Follow @framefanatic on twitter & leave a comment.

and/or

Like Frame Fanatic on facebook & leave a comment.

The deadline to enter is on Sunday, December 26, 2010 at Midnight PST!!!

One winner will be announced on Monday, December 27, 2010. Good luck! :0)

[Jen]

[Frame Friday: Wooden Christmas Tree Frame by Under the Table and Dreaming]

I am loving this holiday blogging time of year, aren't you?! I am constantly inspired by so many creative Christmas craft projects! This past week I was really inspired by Stephanie Lynn over at Under the Table and Dreaming. She made a rustic yet very festive Christmas tree out of shims and displayed in a wooden frame made out of wood scraps. How resourceful!

So basically she started out with this:

[1x1 scrap pieces of wood]

And this:

[shims were soaked in water, stained with green acrylic paint, soaked again, and wiped with a paper towel]

And it all ended up like this:

 [Pretty cool, huh? She adhered some red & white striped fabric to some cardboard for a Christmasy background, then glued everything on to make a Christmas tree.]

I am really loving this project! And the best part about it is that it looks very durable. That's always a bonus in my house when all of the Christmas decorations get crammed in a box and thrown into storage. Lol!

To find out what products she used or a more detailed tutorial, please click HERE to view her original post.

[Click on the button to go visit her super cute blog!]

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Great job, Stephanie! And thank you so much for sharing another amazing idea! :0) 

[Jen]