Rain on a Tin Roof

Tag: wall art

DIY Silhouette: How to Make a Silhouette The Easy Way
I have always loved a classic piece of silhouette art – especially when it’s my kid! When I wanted to make a silhouette art wall in our home, I figured out how to make a silhouette myself. And you know what? It’s easy! Find out how to make your own DIY silhouette below!

Remember last week, when I showed you my DIY tassel garland?

You, do? Good.

And remember in that same post, I said that if all went according to plan, I would show you how I did my silhouettes?

You, do? Good.

Well, you are about to see how to make a silhouette. But, over the course of the week, all has not went according to plan with the silhouettes. You see, the other day, I was just sitting at my dining room table minding my own business, trying to be a good blogger, when out of nowhere one of those silhouettes fell right off the wall. And the glass shattered into a million little pieces.

No lie.

And what’s weirder? There was no apparent cause for this fall. Nope, the nail was still in the wall when I went over there and the hook was just fine on the back of the frame.

Strange.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I believe in ghosts.

I think my Pap was just bored and trying to entertain himself at my expense.

Just wait until the end of this post to call the asylum on me, you’ll want to see this first.

So, here is the story of my silhouette wall and and the easy way to make silhouette art.

How to Do a Silhouette

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

First off, I only made one of those silhouettes on the wall.

Mine and Grunt Labor’s silhouettes were both made when we were kids. I smuggled mine away a long time ago and when Mama (Grunt Labor’s mom), found out I wanted a silhouette wall, she went and dug out his from long ago. Both of ours may be considered antiques by now.

Heaven, help. If anyone asks, I’m 25.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I digress. So, all I needed was a silhouette of the kid.

Materials Needed:
- Side Profile Photo of the Person You Are Making a Silhouette Of
- Printer
- Black Paper
- Scissors
- Contrasting Paper for Mounting the Silhouette On
- Mounting Squares
Steps

Step 1

The first thing you’ll need is a side profile photo of the person you are making a silhouette of. You’ll want to have the person turn to their side, stand in front of their side straight on and snap a picture.

In a rare moment of stillness, I snapped this side profile of my kiddo.

Step 2

After I had my image, I loaded it onto my computer and cropped it around just her face using Picmonkey.

I also turned it black and white, because all I have is a black and white printer. That’s not necessary of course.

After you’ve cropped your image, save it to your computer.

Step 3

Next, open up a blank word document. Insert the picture you just cropped and saved into the document and make it just about as big as the whole page, then print it out.

Step 4

Using scissors, cut out the profile from the image you printed out. Also, cut a kind of curve into the chest of the person’s profile.

No, she doesn’t have a golden dinosaur growing out of her head. When I was done with the silhouette, I just popped it on my craft room wall with one of those push pins from my sassy message board.

Step 5

Lay the cut-out silhouette on black cardstock, trace the outline onto it and then cut it out.

Of course, you could also use white paper or colored paper to do your silhouette. Black is just the traditional color.

Step 6

Mount your silhouette onto a contrasting piece of cardstock or paper.

I spray painted frames gold I already had and mounted the silhouettes to scrapbook paper to serve as a mat. I like the unexpected pattern it adds to the art.

And that my friends, is the easy way to make a silhouette.

Do you have any tips for how to do silhouette art?

Share them in the comments!

Need more easy DIY art ideas?

Monogram Photo Art – super easy wall art using your own photos!

Free Printable Find Her Jesus Keep Her Well Art – perfect for those little girls in your life!

DIY Wall Decor from a Gift Bag – there are some gorgeous gift bags out there these days!

And here’s my trick for hanging heavy frames, mirrors and more!

Want to come back for the instructions later? Just pin the image below!

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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February 12, 2019
Find Her Jesus Keep Her Well Printable
Yesterday, the Circus had her very first day of Kindergarten.

I’m still not quite sure how this is possible, but I know she’s ready for it! She totally rocked her first day.

I’m so excited for her to start on this new adventure and of course, also just a little scared and a little sad too because now I won’t have my buddy for yard sale and thrift store Fridays. ?

As you all know by now, I’m a huge country music fan and one of my favorite current female artists is Miranda Lambert. Girl can write a song like nobody’s business. I don’t think there’s ever been a single song on any of her albums that I haven’t liked. When the Circus was born and as she’s grown, a line from one of Miranda’s songs, Mama I’m Alright, has always repeated through my head:

Find Her Jesus Keep Her Well
Help Her Do More Right Than Wrong at the End of the Day

I had every intention years ago to create wall art with those lines for the Circus’ room, but apparently it took kindergarten registration to actually make that happen.

In case any of you have any little (or big!) girls of your own out there, I wanted to share with you as well. I also made the Find Her Jesus, Keep Her Well art in three different styles. My girl is all about blues and teals right now, so the one above was made with her specifically in mind.

I loved the pastels on this floral print contrasting with the black font though as well.

And I also did one with a pretty floral wreath around the text. This one comes in both a regular vertical size print and a square version as well.

How to Get the Find Her Jesus Art

You can get all three of the printable art pieces in all the different sizes available by subscribing to the Rain on a Tin Roof email subscription (it’s free and no more than 2-3 emails a week, usually just when I publish new posts). Sign up below to get access to download the art. Once you’ve subscribed and confirmed your subscription, you’ll be directed to a page where you can download the art. When you sign up, you’ll also be able to access and download all the other free printables in my printable library.

If you’re already an email subscriber to this freak show we run around here, then you should be able to input your email address in the form above as well and it should automatically take you to the download page. Don’t worry – it won’t sign you up twice for my emails though! If that doesn’t work for some reason, then you can find a link to download the Find Her Jesus art in my Printable Library. You can look at the bottom of the last email you received from me for the password.

Tips for Printing the Find Her Jesus Keep Her Well Art

Please note, these are for personal use only. Print as many as you wish to for yourself, but you may not print and resell or sell the files themselves.
- Print on card stock or photo paper. Some photo paper has a more glossy sheen though, so keep that in mind as to whether you want that look or not.
- If you’ve got a good color printer at home, then of course you can print them at home. I don’t, so I typically print out my things like this at Staples or another printing center like that.
- If you’re going the photo paper printing route, then I typically use Mpix for printing. Their color quality is really good. You can also opt for a matte finish there as well.
- Each image comes in two different sizes:
  - 8″ x 10″
  - 8.5″ x 11″ – each image is centered with white space around it on this size.
- Additionally, the wreath style art comes in a square size as well.
- Before you print, be sure to check how the image is being cropped and adjust it to your liking before printing.
I haven’t quite decided where I’m going to put this print just yet, but I’m leaning heavily toward the Circus’ bathroom. I think that’s the perfect place for her to see it everyday as she gets ready for school.

Here’s to all our little Circuses!

You may also want to see…

How to Create an Object and Text Feature Wall

DIY Drop Down Desk with Storage

How to Build a Children’s Stage
August 14, 2018
17+ PicMonkey Tutorials, Tips, and Projects

Picmonkey is an online resource for editing photos, creating collages and graphics, making your own watermark, invitations and much more! Not only will you learn Picmonkey photo editing with these Picmonkey tutorials, but you’ll also learn how to make so much more with it!

This post contains affiliate links.

If you have been around here for long enough, you may have heard me chat about Picmonkey – the way I edit pictures online. But the question is, what all can it really do? The short answer: everything. The long answer: collages, recipe cards, labels, tags, and so much more….

How to Use PicMonkey

First things first, right? Head to PicMonkey. If you don’t already have an account, go ahead and create one. PicMonkey used to be free, but with upgrades you can buy. Now, it does cost $5.99 a month to use the service. In my opinion, it’s completely worth it. If you’re not sure though about going ahead and signing up for a paid account, I totally get it. You can do a free trial by clicking here.

Now, onto actually using PicMonkey. Here are some basic PicMonkey tutorials.

The Beginner’s Guide

If you haven’t done much with PicMonkey before, then you should probably start with this beginner’s guide.

PicMonkey Photo Editing Tutorials

Editing Baby Pictures with PicMonkey

This Picmonkey tutorial from We Lived Happily Ever After is a great guide for editing not only baby photos but other photos as well. Seriously, look at that photo! Gorgeous! This gal knows her PicMonkey!

30 Second Edits on PicMonkey

Ummm, seriously, do you see the difference in those two photos? Yes, people. PicMonkey can do that with its photo edits. Creative Cain Cabin will show you how to make these 30 second edits.

Create Collages with PicMonkey

Sweet C Designs has the deets on making collages with Picmonkey.

PicMonkey Tutorials for Making Your Own Cards, Invitations, Party Decor and More

Birthday Party Invitation using PicMonkey

For the kid’s second birthday, I made this fun party invitation on PicMonkey.

Farm Party Invitation Using PicMonkey

We had a farm themed party for another one of the Circus’ birthdays and I made this farm themed birthday invitation for it.

Superhero Party Banner using PicMonkey

When the Circus had a superhero party, I made this customizable superhero banner for the party.

Chalkboard Birthday Party Invitation

Last year, for the kid’s blue and pink 1st birthday party, I created her invitations in Picmonkey.

Christmas Cards using PicMonkey

Christmas cards can be so expensive. Why not use Picmonkey to make your own and save a lot of dough?

PicMonkey Tutorials for Creating Your Own Art, Graphics, and More

Make your Own Wall Art

When I was working on my master bedroom makeover last year, I needed new wall art, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I ended up making my own DIY Wall Art.

Create Labels with PicMonkey

Blissful Roots will show you how to make your own labels in Picmonkey.

Make Recipe Cards

Anyone else have a hot mess of a recipe box? Please don’t say its just me! Find out how to make a recipe card here and tame that hot mess!

Make Printable Holiday and Gift Labels

Don’t buy labels or gift tags again! Make your own with this tutorial from The Importance of Being Reese.

Create Chalkboard Art and Printables

Here’s another great tutorial for creating chalkboard art from House of Hawthornes.

Picmonkey Tutorials for Bloggers

Making Photos Pin-Worthy

Making your photos pin-worthy is super important for bloggers. These are my tips I use when editing photos with PicMonkey.

Favorite Things Graphics

Honey We’re Home has a great tutorial for creating favorite things graphics.

How to Make Watermarks with PicMonkey

I love this tutorial on creating a custom and transparent watermark.

Are you ready to dive in and learn how to use Picmonkey so that you can follow some of these PicMonkey tutorials?

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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March 24, 2017
How to Hang a Heavy Picture: Easy and Sturdy

Hanging heavy pictures, art pieces, mirrors and more can be difficult. What kind of anchor to use, how to install it, etc. Well, I’m here to help and show you how to hang a heavy picture easily and securely. This is absolutely the best way to hang heavy pictures that I’ve ever found.

If you haven’t noticed, one thing the 70’s Landing Pad has a lot of that the Beloved Foreclosure didn’t is art – big art.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Wall Color / Art / Full Entryway Makeover

I like big art and I cannot lie.

Figuring out how to hang heavy wall art though can sometimes be a problem. Before, I was always the girl that did her damnedest to find a wall stud behind the drywall to hang heavy pictures, mirrors, etc. on. I would even scoot whatever piece of furniture over a few inches to make it centered under the heavy object if I could find a stud for it. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, those studs haven’t always been exactly, or even close in some cases, where I needed them to be in The 70’s Landing Pad. I went to Home Depot planning to just buy some regular old heavy duty wall anchors to hang some of the pieces, but instead I found these Wall Driller Picture Hooks.

Hanging Heavy Pictures

It could very well be that I am the last person in the world to know about these things, but they have made my life so much easier when it comes to hanging a picture that I had to tell you about them. I found mine at Home Depot in brass, but you can also get them onlin e. Each brass hook holds up to 60 lbs.

The anchors and hooks are separate in the package.

You put the hook and anchor together before screwing it into the wall.

You can use a drill or screwdriver to fasten it to the wall.

I’ve used both a drill and a screwdriver when putting these into the wall and either way works just fine.

Then, just hang your art on it.

Art / Wall Color / Faucet / Full Bathroom Makeover

Most all of my art came with D-Rings attached on each side. For the piece above, I was able to run a heavy duty hanging wire from side to side through the d-rings and then hang the wire on the hook anchor.

Some of my pieces however were too heavy to run the wire back and forth like the art in my dining room.

Art / Glass Dining Table (similar one) / Chairs (similar ones) / Dining Room Tour

For those pieces, I used two of the wall driller picture hooks spaced apart the same distance the d-rings were spaced apart on the back of the frame.

Art / Brass Unicorn (similar ones) / Living Room Tour

The same was true of the Lion art in my living room.

Faucet / Full Master Bathroom Tour

You can also use these to hang a heavy mirror. In my master bathroom, I didn’t have any hooks at all on the back of the mirror, so I bought d-rings and attached them to the back of the mirror, then attached the Wall Driller Picture Hooks to the wall and hung the mirror on them.

Most all of these things have been up since around mid-May and none of them have budged a bit. Update! It’s now been nearly three years since I first used these anchors and they are still going strong!

These anchors are my go-to for hanging heavy pictures and other heavy things on the wall now. Of course, finding a stud and drilling a screw into that and then hanging your heavy stuff is always the best way to go, but when that can’t happen, these hook anchors are the next best thing in my opinion.

Palm Art / DIY Huge Wall Frame / Banana Leaves Pillow / Leopard Print Pillow / Wall Color / Full Master Bedroom Tour

Also, this is not a sponsored post for the picture hooks in any way. I just found this product and thought it was great, so I wanted to tell you about it. 🙂

Can you share any tips in the comments for how to hang a large picture?

More wall art related posts you’ll want to see…

How to Make a Huge Frame for Cheap – not too hard either!

Best Sources for Affordable Wall Art – some of my go-to places for great art.

DIY Wall Art with a Gift Bag – yep, a gift bag!

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August 2, 2016
How to Make a Huge Frame for Cheap
Have a large picture to frame, but don’t want to spend a fortune on the frame? No problem! This oversized DIY frame will only set you back about $25. You won’t need extensive woodworking skills to make this DIY large picture frame either!

I tried to come up with some eloquent title for this project, but really all that just fit it perfectly was what you see above. So I went with it because that’s what it is – a huge a** frame that was way cheaper to make than buying one.

When I did our master bedroom makeover, I already had this large print poster palm art on hand which was what kinda became the jumping off point for the bedroom’s design. The print was huge – 40″ x 54″. What I didn’t have on hand was a frame for it. I searched around online for one big enough to hold it and was met by price tags starting at $150 – and that price tag was for plastic frames. Our version however, will cost about $25 to make.

DIY Large Picture Frame

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Tools and Supplies Needed:
- Piece of 1/4″ plywood or luan (I used luan because it’s lighter and cheaper) cut to the size of your art print. My print was 40″ x 54″. You can cut this with a circular saw at home or measure your print before going to the store and have them cut the wood for you there.
- 3 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ furring strips (You may need more or less depending on the size of your print.)
- 20 feet of lattice molding (Once more, you many need more or less depending on the size of your print.)
- Nail Gun (We used this Hitachi one, but any brad nailer should do.)
- Miter Saw or Miter Box and Saw (We use this Dewalt one.)
- Circular Saw (If you don’t have the hardware store cut your plywood for you.)
- Spackling or Wood Putty
- Paint or Stain (whichever you prefer)
- Double Sided Tape
- Small Corner Braces
- Picture Hanging Wire & Eye Screws
Steps

Step 1.

If you haven’t already done so, cut your piece of plywood down to the size of your art print. We did this by laying the print on top of the plywood, tracing around it with a pencil and then cutting the piece of wood along the traced line with a circular saw.

Step 2.

Lay your plywood on the ground. Cut two pieces of 1″ x 2″ to the length of the plywood. You can cut these pieces with either the miter or circular saw – they just need to be straight edges. These will be two of your vertical pieces on the frame.

After you cut the long vertical pieces, lay them around the plywood. Measure the width from end to end of the long piece of 1″ x 2″ and cut two more pieces of 1″ x 2″ to that size. These newly cut pieces will be your horizontal pieces. After cutting, lay all the pieces out around the plywood and make sure they snugly fit around it.

Step 3.

While the 1″ x 2″ pieces are still around the plywood, nail them together at the corners of the wood with a nail gun.

Optional: You can also use wood glue on the edges along with the nails for a super solid joint.

Step 4.

Measure the long pieces of 1″ x 2″ from end to end and cut pieces of the lattice molding to that size on a 45 degree angle – you’ll have to use the miter saw for this.

Lay the pieces out along the top of the 1″ x 2″ frame with the long edge of the lattice molding flush against the outside of the 1″ x 2″. Measure the distance between each piece of vertical lattice molding you just cut from long end to long end. Cut two pieces of lattice molding to this measurement at a 45 degree angle. Lay all the pieces out along the 1″ x 2″ pieces and make sure all fit well – all the lattice molding should be flush against the outside of the 1″ x 2″ frame.

Step 5.

Using the nail gun, nail the lattice molding against the 1″ x 2″ frame making sure the molding is flush against the outside edges of the 1″ x 2″.

Optional: Again, you can use nail glue here as well if you wish.

Step 6.

Fill any nail holes with spackling or wood putty and paint or stain the frame. You don’t need to paint the plywood – only the actual frame. I used semi-gloss black spray paint on mine.

Step 7.

Mount your large art print or picture to the plywood with double sided tape, then lay it face down in the frame. The lattice molding you cut should be face-down on the floor.

Step 8.

Screw four corner braces along the edges of the frame. You will only need to screw the braces once to the 1″ x 2″ part of the frame as shown below.

The braces should be installed to push the plywood up against the lattice molding.

Step 9.

Screw eye hooks into the back inside of the frame and run hanging wire through them.

Hang it on the wall!

Headboard / Bedding (similar) / Palm Print / Curtains / Light Fixture / Wall Color

If your wood frame is as big as mine, I would try to find a stud to hang it on or use a drywall anchor – these are my go-to wall anchors.

Banana Leaf Pillows / Leopard Print Pillow

Not too shabby for a $25 wood picture frame! I’ll take it over the $150 one any day!

Have you made your own DIY picture frame before?

Looking for more low-budget easy DIY projects and decorating ideas?

DIY Lucite Frame – Here’s an easy DIY frame to make for all you lucite lovers.

How to Hang Heavy Art – my go-to easy, but solid way to hang heavy pieces of home decor like art and mirrors.

Sources for Affordable Wall Art – some of my go-to places for great art at great prices.

And you can also see the entire bedroom makeover featured in this post.

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June 30, 2016
Best Sources for Affordable Wall Art and Favorites Under $50

In case you didn’t know, I’m not an art connoisseur.

Now a cheap beer connoisseur, I am.

Ok, really just Miller High Life.

Here’s how I decide what art to hang on my walls:

I browse online and/or thrift stores.

Ooooo, I like it.

Look at the price tag.

Ooooo, its cheap.

Buy it.

Ooooo, its expensive.

Leave it.

Pretty straightforward, no?

While there may never be a priceless hand painted original piece of art hanging in my home, excluding the circus’ art, these pieces either already reside here or will at some point.

Because they’re pretty.

And cheap.

And nothing beats pretty and cheap together.

Best Sources for Affordable Wall Art & Favorites Under $50

This post contains affiliate links.

1. Etsy

Abstract / Tallulah Shaw / To The Night / Gemstones

Etsy should probably be a given for anyone. Its packed with hundreds and hundreds of talented artists who thankfully sell their prints at affordable prices. Not only can you find actual prints, but you can find loads of printables to use as wall art for usually $5 or less. I don’t have that glorious abstract in my house yet, but you’d better believe I will soon. I love the colors. Tallulah Shaw is from the Janet Hill Studio. I love every single one of her pieces, but can’t choose just one or find the perfect place for it yet. The bottom two are both hanging on the black and white gallery wall in my living room.

2. Kirkland’s

Buffalo Canvas

Ahh, Kirkland’s. I could sing of your glorious home decor deals for days. Not only can you snag super cheap and pretty accessories at Kirkland’s, but its also a great place for snagging wall art at an amazing price – like this big Buffalo Canvas for $25. Twenty-five freakin’ dollars.

3. Society6

Cow Watercolor / Lips Watercolor / Banana Leaves / Donkey

I just discovered Society6 when I started working on my gallery wall (I know- I was living under a rock), but its one of my new favorite places for art. Its a marketplace full of individual artists. You can buy their prints at great prices, but you can also get most of those prints on pillows, totes, and just about anything else you can dream up. I’m not kidding. Every print above, excluding the cow, is on my gallery wall. The cow will be someplace soon though. And a few family members may even get one for Christmas presents.

4. Furbish Studio

Ginger Jar / Everyone’s a Dumb Whore / Neon Headdress

Ahhh, Furbish. You are like my go-to place for random colorfulness. I mean really, who wouldn’t want that dumb whore cross-stitch hanging in their office. And also, who thinks to cross-stitch dumb whore into something?! Genius, I say, genius! And a neon headdress? A NEON HEADDRESS.

5. Waiting on Martha

Lion Watercolor

And then there’s Waiting on Martha. She’s full of a little bit of everything – wall art, yes, but also barware, bedroom decor and more. Have you ever seen a more precious lion?

And my favorite source for frames…Target.

Room Essentials White Wood Frame

This simple white frame is my go-to for any style of art. This frame is the kind I used all around my gallery wall. It comes with a white mat and works great to highlight even the smallest pieces of art. If you aren’t into white, you can always spray paint it a different color. I opted to leave them all white for my gallery wall though.

Ok, spill the beans. What are your go-to art sources and faves? You know, we don’t keep secrets around here.

You might also want to see…

Free Printable Horse Art

Free Banana Leaves Watercolor Printables

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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August 13, 2015
14 Real Life Bedroom Ideas Anyone Can Do

Ok, ya know how sometimes when you are reading a magazine or browsing on Pinterest, and you see those perfectly gorgeous bedrooms? There is high end wall art, beautiful mirrors, comfy bedding, and perfect antique furniture.

And you know that the bedding alone probably cost $1000?

If you have $1000 to spend on bedding or on a mirror or wall art, by all means, go for it.

I don’t.

Hell, I can’t remember when the last time was that I had $1000 to spend on a whole room.

Oh, wait, yea, I haven’t ever had that.

So, for the rest of us that want beautiful bedrooms without breaking the bank, here are 14 real life bedroom ideas that anyone can do.

Real Life Bedroom Decorating Ideas

#1 – Create An Accent Wall

Creating an accent wall is one of the easiest things you can do that gives huge impact. For the easiest route, go with one single color. I love this bold pink accent wall that SAS Interiors did. I’m also very into bright pinks now. Obviously, a bright pink wall isn’t going to work as an accent wall in many of our bedrooms. However, think bold for your accent wall. You want it to make a statement. The accent wall in my entryway is Rich Navy and it works perfectly for the space. If you want to really step up your accent wall game, you could stencil a design onto your wall. That is exactly what I did in our guest bedroom with this leopard accent wall. The walls were all white with black moldings – it was very stark. With the accent wall, it tied everything together perfectly and added some much needed interest to the walls.

#2: Do a Mini-Makeover

Sometimes, we just need a little freshening up. I did a makeover in my master bedroom last year, but a couple months ago, I felt it needed a little something. Instead of doing a full-fledged makeover, I gave it a mini-makeover. I kept most of the main elements of the room, but changed the look with paint and a few other little ideas.

#3: Get yourself a vanity.

Option 1: Build a floating vanity table.

I did this in my walk-in-closet, but you could do it in your bedroom if you wanted to. I desperately needed a place to sit down and put on my makeup, so I build a simple floating vanity table that even has storage. The tutorial for it is HERE!

Option 2: Turn an old armoire into a vanity.

If you have enough room in your bedroom, this is a great idea for creating a vanity space. How cool is this old media cabinet turned vanity? I could totally sit there and primp for an hour. Until the kid gets in the way…

#4: Paint a Headboard on Your Wall

Beds and headboards can be expensive. Hopefully, you can luck up on a good used one that you can makeover or you can DIY your own. You could also just paint a headboard on the wall and call it done. Seriously ya’ll, this headboard is like two lines of paint and one stenciled design. So easy and gorgeous! If you aren’t into painting on a headboard, you can purchase a headboard wall decal. Yes friends, I said a headboard decal – and they look great!

#5: Decorate your room around your favorite icon

Most of us all have a favorite icon or celebrity. Hopefully its someone classic like Princess Diana and not Eminem, but hey if Eminem is your idol, who am I to judge? This Audrey Hepburn inspired bedroom is just too adorable. Really, how easy would it be to take your icon and use them as inspiration in your bedroom? Just think about their favorite colors, what movies they’ve been in and pull from that!

#6: Create a Reading Nook

I love a good reading nook just about anywhere, but especially in a bedroom. I am one of those people that believe bedrooms should always have at least one chair – and that chair should be perfect for reading in.The reading nook in my bedroom is simply a single chair and side table. You’ll never believe where that chair came from! I am dying over that adorable reading nook for a kiddo from These Moments of Mine. Really, how cute are those curtains? A kid would love hanging out in a place like that, heck I would!

#7: Make Storage Decorative

I don’t know about you guys, but there is never enough storage in our bedroom. Half of my clothes are in the guest closet and we are busting out of our dresser and chest of drawers. To save a little closet space, Grunt Labor’s ties are stored outside of the closet. We took an old coke crate and turned it into decorative storage for his ties.I also kinda sorta maybe have a good bit of jewelry. Fake jewelry of course, but there’s a good bit of it. Grunt Labor gave me this bust of David for Christmas (from this Etsy store) that I use to store my necklaces that I wear most often. Its pretty, quirky, and useful.

#8 – Upholster Your Box Spring

When it was time for the guest bedroom to get a makeover, I knew I wanted to keep the bed we had in there. The problem was that a bed skirt didn’t hang right on it.

I fixed the problem by upholstering the box spring. It was easy to do – no sewing required – and it added some extra color and pattern to the room.

#9 – Create an Office Space with Skinny Furniture Pieces

While also plotting out the guest bedroom makeover, I knew I needed to somehow incorporate an office space in there for me. However, the room isn’t large, I needed the office area to take up as little space as possible.

I created the office space by taking an old kitchen table and putting a hutch from a yard sale on top of it to create a desk. There is still ample storage, but it doesn’t take up much space at all.

#10 – Save Money on Bedding by Buying the Basics

As we all know, I am cheap. As I said at the beginning of this post, I do not have $1000 to drop on a room, much less on bedding.

One idea to save on bedding is to buy “basics” and liven them up with pillows and other elements.

#11 – Create Your Own Art

In both the guest bedroom and master bedroom, I created my own art.

In my master, I made all the animal print wall art using Picmonkey and then found inexpensive frames that I spray painted.

In the guest bedroom, I took an old framed print and replaced the prints with this hello darlin’ wall art.

#12 – Add Drama with Moldings (Real or Fake)

Moldings add interest to any room, a bedroom is no different.

If you are good with wood and have basic DIY skills, you can easily do moldings similar to what Evolution of Style did in her bedroom.

If you want to go the cheaper route, you can create faux wall moldings, as I did in my guest bedroom and office space.

#13 – Keep Bedding Mostly Neutral

When it comes to bedding, its always smart to keep it mostly neutral.

I can easily tire of patterns. That’s why I went with simple white bedding with a pop of coral around the edges on my bed. I can easily change the room color, pillows, throws, etc without having to worry about clashing with lots of other colors or patterns.

#14 – Keep Existing Furniture and Give It a Simple Makeover

You don’t have to do extensive paint jobs to give your furniture new life.

I am crazy about my dresser and chest of drawers in my bedroom. However, the pulls were definitely lacking some luster. I easily brought them back to life with Rub ‘N Buff.

What are your go-to bedroom ideas or decorating tips?

Find more bedroom ideas on my Pinterest board!

Want more real life decorating ideas? Don’t miss these then…

10+ Kitchen Ideas for Decorating, Organizing, and Storage – functional ideas for your kitchen that are pretty too!

20+ Living Room Ideas – real life living room decorating ideas that are actually doable!

14 Stunning Home Ideas – stunning home ideas that you might not have thought of before!

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May 13, 2014
DIY Wall Decor with a Gift Bag

Guys, this may be one of my favorite Fifteen on Friday projects ever.

Ok well, its right up there with the electrical tape lampshade, duck tape curtains, and lucite trays anyway.

As you know, I am a huge fan of making my own DIY wall decor. I made my own prints with PicMonkey for my master bedroom, used the sassy printables on the sequined coat hangers, and made my own silhouette art.

This DIY modern art was by far one of the easiest home decor items I have ever created and I think it looks fab.

And did I mention I made it with a gift bag?

(more…)

April 4, 2014
DIY Monogram Photo Art with All You Magazine

Heard of all you before? All you is a magazine dedicated to its title. Its all about you and how you can live a better life.

Disclosure: This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia

All you shows you ways to save money while still living life to the fullest. Saving money doesn’t have to mean that you go without or that you can’t have fun! All you shows you how to save money (and gives you lots of coupons to help) while still enjoying life! Each and every all you magazine includes numerous coupons, money saving ideas, frugal family activities, recipes, fun craft and decor ideas.

A couple weeks back, I headed over to my local Dollar General store.

And what was staring back at me at the checkout line?

all you! That’s right, all you is now available at the Dollar General! July’s issue was loaded with affordable summer fashion, new recipe ideas, money-saving apps, and ways to erase your debt among other awesome things. As I was perusing the magazine, I stumbled upon an article about re-vamping thrifted frames and creating your own wall art, which made me think about a frame I had picked up on clearance a couple months back. No, it wasn’t a thrifted frame, but it was a large frame on clearance for $5 because it had some dents and dings. The frame had just been sitting down in my craft room collecting dust. With the help from all you, I knew I could turn that frame into some great wall art. I gathered my supplies:

I didn’t have one large photo that I wanted to frame, but the all you article was about thinking outside the box for wall art, so I decided to take four – 4×6 black and white photos and form some monogram photo art with them against some wrapping paper.

There was some paint that had been scraped off on one side of the frame, so I touched it up with some white acrylic paint. I wanted to add a little bling to the frame with gold Rub ‘N Buff, so I taped off the corners to keep clean edges and rubbed some Rub ‘N Buff on.

I cut the wrapping paper to size by simply placing the glass on top of the paper and tracing the size onto the paper then cutting it out. I used photo mounts to attach the photos to the wrapping paper.

And the end result:

So, what do ya think?! Thanks all you for the inspiration!

Looking for more easy wall decor? Check these out:

How to Make a Silhouette the Easy Way – easy peasy!

Sassy Fabric Covered Message Board – up the wow factor on those boring bulletin boards!

Vintage Nursery Rhyme Art – so sweet and easy!

Song Lyrics as Wall Art – turn your favorite song into art!

DIY Wall Art with Picmonkey – learn how to make your own art!

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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July 3, 2013
Tutorial: Frugal DIY Wall Art

After posting my DIY wall art for my master bedroom makeover, there were a few people who asked for a tutorial of how to make them. So here ya go, y’all.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

I did this all in Picmonkey.

Supplies:
–Graphics / Images in .png format (.png gives the images a transparent background)
–Backgrounds of your choice

I bought images on Etsy from GraphicDreamz and from Graphique. When you order, just specify in the message that you would like the .png file.

I bought backgrounds from Maishop Digital Art and Gidget Designs, both on Etsy.

Okay, now down to business.

What I did first, was size my backgrounds. I wanted all of these to be 11×14 prints (including backgrounds) in the end. I wanted to use two backgrounds, the coral and the linen to make the prints pop. See how the image below is on a linen background, the linen is on the coral pattern, and the coral is on the same linen background again.

I also noted above what size crops to use for each background. The linen background that the elephant is on is 5×7, the coral is 8×10, and the back linen is 11×14. Just because I made these an 11×14 doesn’t mean I have to print them out that size. I just wanted standard dimensions to work with.

To size your backgrounds:

1. Go to Picmonkey.

2. Select edit a photo near the top.

3. Select whatever background you are using. I’m going to use my linen background first.

4. Once the background appears, select the 1st button on the left under editor, which is the basic edits button.

5. Select crop.

6. In the drop down menu that says “no fixed proportions”, select the size you want to use. I’m doing my first linen background first, so I am selecting 5×7.

7. Look at the crop screen to the right on your background. If what is in the crop regions works for you, hit apply. If the crop regions do not include part of the pattern you want, then move around the box, but don’t make the box bigger or smaller.

8. Save the background. Do not save it as the original file. I saved mine as “5×7 linen background”.

9. If you are using multiple backgrounds, as I did, you will need to repeat these steps for each background, cropping them to your desired size. Example: I cropped the coral one to an 8×10 and the back linen one to an 11×14 and saved them accordingly.

Now, you are going to add your image to your background. I put my image on my 5×7 linen background.

To put your image on your background:

1. Go to Picmonkey.

2. Select edit a photo near the top.

3. Select the background you want your image to go on, NOT the image. I selected my 5×7 linen background. ****At this point: if you are using a horizontal image and your background is vertical, you will need to rotate your background under the basic edits button and rotate. I did this with mine.***

4. Click on the overlay button on the left (the fifth button down).

5. Select Your Own at the top.

6. Find the image on your computer you are wanting to use, highlight it, and click open. I’m using my elephant. Your screen should look something like this, once you choose your image.

7. Use the circles on the corners of the image to make it bigger and then position it in the center of the background.

8. When you are satisfied, save the entire image. I saved mine as “elephant on linen.”

At this point, if you are just doing one background, you’re done! However, if you are doing multiple backgrounds, continue on!

To add a second background:

1. Go to Picmonkey.

2. Select edit a photo near the top.

3. Select the background you want to put under the image you just made. (This should be one of the backgrounds you have already sized. Mine is the 8×10 coral background.) Rotate if needed.

4. Click on the overlay button on the left (the fifth button down).

5. Select Your Own at the top.

6. Find the first background with your image on your computer that you just did (mine is the elephant on the linen background), highlight it, and click open.Your screen should look something like this, once you choose your image.

7. Just like you did with your last one, size the image to where it is center on the new background.

8. Save it when you are satisfied. I saved mine as “elephant both backs.”

If you want to add a third background:

1. Go to Picmonkey.

2. Select edit a photo near the top.

3. Select the background you want to put under (in the very back) the image you just made. (This should be one of the backgrounds you have already sized. Mine is the 11×14 linen background.) Rotate if needed.

4. Click on the overlay button on the left (the fifth button down).

5. Select Your Own at the top.

6. Find the last background you just made that has your image and two backgrounds (mine is the “elephant both backs” file. highlight it, and click open. Your screen should look something like this, once you choose your image.

7. Just like you did with your last one, size the image to where it is center on the new background.

8. Save it. So I would know this was the final one, I saved it as “elephant final”.

And now you are done. It seems like it takes a long time, but it really doesn’t. You only size your backgrounds once and when you get the hang of it, you’ve done an entire print in no time. I think it took me about 30 – 45 minutes to make 10 complete prints.

And this was the longest blog post. Ever. Good Grief.

Now, some of you that are familiar with PicMonkey are thinking “Why in the world didn’t she just do an overlay on top of an overlay on top of an overlay???!!” “Is she crazy?”

Duh. We all already knew that. I tried the overlay on top of an overlay, yada-yada-yada method. But it just would not work for me. It wouldn’t let me re-size the backgrounds and image like I wanted it. Maybe some of you can get it to work for you.

Now, go buy cute graphics and backgrounds (I think I paid around $15 for backgrounds and 9 or 10 images) from Etsy and make your own wall art.

I have to go get a beer. Because this was the longest blog post ever. I know I already said that, I just wanted to re-inforce it. Love y’all!

Looking for more easy wall decor? Check these out:

How to Make a Silhouette the Easy Way

Sassy Fabric Covered Message Board

Monogram Photo Art

Vintage Nursery Rhyme Art

Song Lyrics as Wall Art

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February 26, 2013
Song Lyrics as Wall Art

I love music. In fact, I don’t just love music, I live music. If you have ever read my About Me page, you know that my musical tastes are incredibly varied. I’m talking Patsy Cline one minute and KISS the next. Yep, I’m that girl. I even made my daughter a playlist before she was born to make sure she was raised up on the classics. The child has yet to listen to an actual lullaby or kids song. We have dance parties to Jason Aldean, Scissor Sisters, and Poison among others. The wheels on the bus what? Not here. So, obviously, music is very important to me.

When I chose the graphics to use for my DIY bedroom wall art, for the most part, I chose images that were special or had a connection to my husband and I in some way. Besides those prints, I wanted to put something else that had a significant meaning up. What better than song lyrics? So, I took lyrics from our favorite song and put together a print on Picmonkey to use song lyrics as wall art.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Yes, people, our favorite song is “Your Love” by The Outfield. I’m not older than Grunt Labor, and we don’t know a Josie, but on our second date this song came on, I turned it up, he looked at me and asked, “Do you like this song?” I responded with, “Its my favorite.” He smiled devilishly and drove on. Music has the amazing power to take you back to a place in time and this one takes me back to that exact moment.

Enough mushiness.

To make this in Picmonkey, all I did was upload a linen background that I used from the master bedroom wall art, then I wrote in the first few lines of the song, using different fonts for each line. I added the wreath type image (I’m not quite sure what that’s called) as an overlay. It was a graphic I already had, and then just added text in the middle of it to put our initial. The banner on the bottom right was an overlay available through Picmonkey.

Now, I just need a frame for this along with the other new wall art.

Frugal frame ideas, anyone?

Looking for more easy wall decor? Check these out:

How to Make a Silhouette the Easy Way – seriously, super EASY!

Sassy Fabric Covered Message Board – super fun bulletin board!

Monogram Photo Art – monogram art using family photos!

Vintage Nursery Rhyme Art – don’t toss those old nursery rhyme books!

DIY Wall Art with Picmonkey – when you can’t find the art you want, you make your own!

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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February 17, 2013
DIY Vintage Nursery Rhyme Prints

If you remember, I bought some vintage nursery rhyme books and made this cute tissue box cover for the nursery….

I also chose 6 of the nursery rhymes to frame. I bought simple white frames at Micheal’s and used scrapbook paper as the background.

Simple, cute, and vintage. How can you go wrong with that combination?

What do you think of the bambino’s vintage nursery rhymes framed prints?

Looking for more easy wall decor? Check these out:

How to Make a Silhouette the Easy Way – you seriously won’t believe how stinkin’ easy this is!

Sassy Fabric Covered Message Board – a fun way to display family reminders!

Monogram Photo Art – turn family photos into monogram art!

Song Lyrics as Wall Art – take your favorite song lyrics and make them art!

DIY Wall Art with Picmonkey – can’t find the art you want, make it then!

You know you don’t wanna miss any of this crazy.

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February 14, 2012