Displaying Family Heirlooms

Well, this is the last gallery wall project I'll post, before the big gallery wall reveal! If you'ld like to see the others click on 

Kid's hands for the gallery wall.

and 

Kid made gallery wall art

This tutorial involves this beautiful silver that my mother-in-law mailed me not too long ago. This spoon and fork were made for my husband's birth. They have his name, birth date, weight, and length engraved on them. When I saw them, I was in awe of how cool they were! Do people still make this sort of thing? 

Here's a close-up of the silver. The picture doesn't show the engraving very well, but it's actually pretty easy to see when you're holding them.

I figured I would somehow put it on the gallery wall, but didn't have a shadow box and didn't necessarily want to go buy one. 

So, I took this old frame and matting (it actually used to be a wood color frame with hunter green matting, but I had sprayed it black for the gallery wall a couple months ago), and traced the matting size on the paper. 

Then I glued the matting on the paper. 

I left room on the inside and clipped to the corners.

Then I folded the corners back and taped them. I seemed to only be able to find duct tape today.

 Then I cut another piece of the paper and taped it on the back, so only white would be showing through the hole of the matting. 

I guess this post could also be titled, "another easy way to change out your matting".

 Then I took Gorilla Glue and glued the silver to the paper.

 In retrospect, I would have used hot glue. The Gorilla Glue started to foam around the edges of the silver and looked messier than I would have liked. I also started wondering if it would wreck the silver at all. I think the hot glue would have just peeled off if needed. 

Aren't the cute in there?  I ended up having to switch them to opposite directions, because the frame was going sideways on the wall and I like them better than way. 

A little more sanding and a little paint and the gallery wall will be done!

--Katie

This project has been featured on:

Posting to:

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   Delightfully Noted  Blissful and Domestic

I, Katie, the blog loving Follower.

So, it's almost here, March 1st. The day that Google Friend Connect will go away for all the non-Blogger blogs. I am a Blogger blog, so you don't have to worry if you follow me through GFC, and if you are also a Blogger Blog.

The entire situation still confuses me though. I am no techy. I feel that a just missed out (age wise) on that generation below me. The one that has never really known what it was like to not have a computer in the house. I know it isn't true, but I have this impression that anyone in their mid-20's or younger, picks this stuff up as if they were reading a Cat in the Hat book, and to me technology is like getting a doctorate in bio-physics. No, actually bio-physics came easier to me than web-building.

Even though I will still have GFC on my sidebar, there are so many non Blogger blogs that I follow, and many that I participate in Linky parties through. So, what's one to do?

My first decision was to jump on the Linky bandwagon. Everyone else was doing it, so I figured that Linky must be the new way to follow, and I still would say it's probably a good way to follow. To be honest, I haven't given Linky a lot of attention yet. I know I need to be linking my posts into Linky so others can see them that follow through Linky, and I keep forgetting to. I tried to find the people that I follow on Linky's dashboard, and I was really confused (it doesn't take much with this stuff).

There have been a few bloggers screamin' out about Blogloving. Screaming in a good way. Saying it's easy and you don't have to manually put your post in. So, the other night I realized I need to make some decisions. You see my situation is that I'm still viewing blogs from a gadget off my sidebar. Yup, the old school way, and when I must have reached the max number of blogs for that gadget, the gadget just wouldn't add or take away any anymore. It just fizzled out. So I started putting them all in Google Reader, which I realized after sometime, only held 300. I have about 500 I follow...I know, I know, hence the title of this post! So I e-mailed a few bloggers, those bloggers who were screaming about Bloglovin', and decided to give it a try, and all I can say is,..... it's working, it's easy and i'm not confused! It only took about an hour and a half to enter my 500 blogs! lol.

Now, I'm not saying anything bad about Linky. The man who runs that company seems really nice, and the bloggers who helped him create the program, I have the upmost respect for, so I'm sure it's a good way to check your blogs. It was just confusing, well, confusing to me, but like I mentioned before, that doesn't take much!

So Blogloving is now on my sidebar. You can follow your blogs that way if you wish. This is my two cents (for what it's worth). That the Bloglovin answer was an easy way to go, for me at least, and that if you also are seriously perplexed by technology, and are saying, what? huh? how? to this entire "blog following" situation, you might just check it out.

You can also follow me through Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, or Subscribing. All found on my sidebar.

Below is a button that will take you to a Bloglovin Blog hop, at the NY Melrose Family, if you wish to go to one.

--Katie

Tell it to Me Tuesday #9: Features and Linky Party!

Hey everyone

Welcome to Tell it to Me Tuesday #9! 

<center><a href="http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="blah2beautiful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ljRsDn8AzSw/TwI7qIy1E6I/AAAAAAAAF6g/910lVhsz7Tw/s250/final%2Bblog%2Bbutton%2521%2521%2521%2Bon%2Bpicnic.jpg"/></a></center>

First off, this week's giveaway is from Ramsign!  Click here to see their beautiful signs and to enter for the giveaway!

Now on to the features!!!

1. ) Our Thrifty Nest of 7 painted their white cabinets gray, and added a splash of yellow. (with 5 kids I've thought about changing the color of my white cabinets too! Their kitchen reveal is impressive!

2.) Meg and Mums re-makes this buffet with stunning results!

3.) Full Circle Creations show her incredible DIY on making canvases, painting and sketching on them. She makes it look pretty easy and it would cost next to nothing!

4.) It all Started with Paint remodels her powder room. I love a bathroom with baskets and cute numbers!

5.) Remodelando la Casa shows us her new tongue and groove wall! Talk about a great way to add some interest! 

6.) Everything Has A Place displays her gorgeous table setting for Spring. 

7.) My 1929 Charmer shows us her kitchen reveal! Love that tin backsplash and the little cabinet legs!

8.) Suzy Home Made show how to made a DIY camera strap out of a cute scarf! 

Healthy Living Category

1.) The Terpblog tells us about their 52 week workout challenge. If you take on a workout challenge with friends and involve a little wager $, you might be more likely to succeed! This is a fun idea!

2.) Another FANTASTIC idea (seriously love this one) is to have a MOM's Camp during the summer!!! This is a great "healthy living" idea, because this would aid mental stability during the summer! lol  RE-invented will give you all the details on how to put on your own Mom's Camp!

There were seriously SO many good ideas. To check out some great spring craft and decor ideas and to see other room reveals at last week's party, click HERE.

If you were featured, grab a button!

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Now on to this week's party!

 As before....

There will be 2 categories for this party:

1.) The typical: DIY, crafts, makeovers, recipes, ect...

2.) Staying healthy! 

 Don't we all want to be more healthy. It seems to be on everyone's resolution list.....just about every year!   This will be dedicated to healthy recipes, workout tips, and health success stories. PLEASE no product info! Let's keep it to healthy eating, exercise and staying healthy success stories, or just getting out and MOVING!

Da Rules (not many)

1.) No giveaways, sales, linky parties (or specific product info for the health section, such as, Slim Jim Shake Cleanse. ..ya know what I mean?)

2.) Please paste a button or a link back to my blog.

That's it!  Follow me on the sidebar under GFC, Linky Followers, and I now have a Bloglovin' widget, or facebook, or Twitter if you wish, and please visit a couple others. We all love some linky love!

The "Mid-Wall" Before and After

Well, I'd love to be finishing up the details of the Reading Nook, but I'm going to have to wait until the hubby can get some lighting arrangements finished up in there. He probably won't be able to do this for a couple months (I know, so sad) so we will be moving on to what I call....the Mid Wall, which I finished a few days ago. 

These are the before pictures, well really, these are mid-way-through pictures. The wall and stairway beams were originally knotty-pine wood paneling, and the floor was the "old-school" linoleum. I don't have an actual "before" picture.  

This wall was a dart-board wall for the previous owners, and that is why you see a lot of white blotches. This is where we added putty to cover up all the dart holes. The strip of wood on the bottom is where we took off an unused baseboard heater and added some molding, and the blue smudges are from the kids drawing in blue glue stick...oh renovating around little kids. Two steps forward and one step back, right?

Here is the After....

The line you see to the right of the computer is a push door that opens to a storage spot underneath the stairs. The Mid-wall is in between the Reading Nook and the stairway. 

I organized the bookshelves. 

I  used my "Be Thankful" painting. You can see my DIY for that here.  It fit perfectly in my new thrift store frame. 

I glued a couple things together to make a frame, still need a smaller picture though, and I have a small catch-all bowl. Because every room needs a catch-all!

I found the green and gold frame at a thrift store about a month ago. I loved it so much, I decided not to paint it and to incorporate kelly green into the room.

We usually do our home school downstairs and even though there is no leg room in the shelves, it works well to sit here and do my work while I help the kids with theirs. My husband's desk is directly across the room. 

I added a little plant and put a few fun, gold and white feathers in my pen cup. 

I made a new pillow for my chair, which brought more green into the space. These green strips were made from an old shirt. Tutorial to come soon. 

So once again....the before.

and the after!

Now to finish the trim on the downstairs gallery wall!

--Katie

This project has been featured on:

Posting to: Mondays: The DIY Showoff Project Parade Made by You Mondays Embellishing Life Everyday Just Something I whipped up Monday The CSI project Menu Plan Monday C.R.A.F.T. The Southern Institute Making the World Cuter Thrify Décor Chick Metamorphosis Monday Sumo Sweet Stuff Gunny Sack Singing Three Little Birds DIY Homes Sweet Home Dittle Dattle 1929 Charmer Everything Under the Moon ModMix Monday Sew Stylish Sew Can Do Everything Under the Moon
 Tuesday: http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ Blue Cricket Design Somedays Crafts Sew Much Ado Sew Woodsy Handy Man, Crafty Woman {Primp} Midweek Fiesta Rae Gun Ramblings Polkadots On Parade Petals to Picots The Southern Product Queen Sew Crafty It's Overflowing Northern Cottage Primitice and Proper Stories from A to Z Destination Craft The Pinkatamus Gingerbread
Wednesday Blue Cricket Design Somedays Crafts Sew Much Ado Sew Woodsy Handy Man, Crafty Woman Savvy Southern Style {Primp}Midweek Fiesta Rae Gun Ramblings Polkadots On Parade Lollipop Cards JAQS Studio Let Birdz Fly Let Birdz Fly My Girlish Whims Restored it Wednesday It's Overflowing Uncommon Eye Heart Ginger Snaps and Crafts Tutus and Tea Parties Home Happy Home
Thursdays: Transformation Thursdays Somewhat simple Show off your stuff House of Hepworths Delightful Order My Simple Home Life The Frugal Girls Thrifty Thursday DIY Diva Thursday Tablescape Thursday No Minimalists Here Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Thrifty Decorating Between U and Me Thrifty and Fabulous Shabby Creek Cottage The Vintage Farmhouse Craftionary Fridays: The Shabby nest Show and Tell Friday Finding Fabulous I’m Loving it Simply Sweet Home Whipper Berry Chic on a Shoestring decorating Spunky Junky Delicate Construction Homemaker in Heels Family Ever After French Country Cottage Common Ground Young And Crafty At the Picket Fence Fingerprints on the Fridge Miss Mustard Seed Addicted to Decorating Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo Making Lemonade I Can't Stop Crafting Over the Big Moon Shabby Art Answer is Chocolate 5 Days 5 Ways Petals to Picots Country Mama Cooks Classy Clutter Hating Martha Saturdays: I heart nap time- Sundae Scoop Tatertots and Jello Be different Act Normal Funky Junk 2805 Making Lemonade Blog I am Along for the Ride Lolly Jane Raising Oranges The Tattered Tag Meg and Mums 6 Sister Sundays: Homemaker on a Dime Sunday's Best CRAFT Delightfully Noted Blissful and Domestic

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