I FINISHED something!! Two cheap home decor crafts.

I've had a thing for crafts ever since I was a kid.  I used to spend hours making "people pens" and "sock dolls" and sewing clothes for my dolls.  I still adore crafting, but sometimes it's hard for me in my slightly paranoid mind to justify doing them.  Even if I nix the issue of cost by finding an inexpensive way to complete a project, there always seem to be 10-20 more important things on my do-to list.

Well ladies and gentlemen I am proud to announce that this week I completed not just one but TWO of the crafts I've been wanting to complete for forever!!  And heeeere they are!

#1 - THE PAINT CHIP CALENDAR

Paint chips may be my new favorite thing.  They're classy and clean-looking, you can do a million things with them, and they're FREE!!

You can find the original post with full instructions for the paint chip calendar here.  Also, one of my friends, Brooke Emery, has an amazing blog on which she posted her own version.  See her lovely take on the project here!

Here's what I used:

- a poster frame ($10 at A.C. Moore with a 50% coupon - don't get the smallest size, the paint chips won't fit)

- whiteboard marker (already had it)

- paint chips (free at Walmart!  Used the Better Homes and Gardens brand with punch-out holes.)

- craft glue (already had it)

- scissors

Here's what I did:

1. Opened up the frame, set the hard plastic cover to the side and threw away the filler paper.

2. Played around with arranging the paint chips on the cardboard and decided on my color scheme. 

3.  Punched the holes out of the paint chips, and cut off the brand and paint names (I made sure the chips still ended up the same size!)  

4.  Placed them back on the board and made sure they all fit.  They were just a tad bit long, so I trimmed them all a little more.  I made sure to leave a blank spot at the top to write the month and days of the week.

5.  Starting from the bottom of the frame, I glued my paint chips on.  Didn't need very much glue.  It was important to leave room on the sides for the frame to go back on, and I tried to make the chips evenly spaced.  You could use tape or a ruler to help stay aligned.  I just eyeballed mine and consequently it's slightly crooked, but not too bad.

6.  When all the paint chips were glued on, I put the plastic cover back on top and attached the frame together.  I wrote on the month, days of the week, and dates in the punched-out circles with the whiteboard marker, aaaand - all done!  Now it's time to schedule!

Notes and tips:

*The other versions of the project have fabric glued over the cardboard.  I loved that look and was going to do it, but I ended up loving the color of the plain ol' cardboard!  So I just skipped that step.

*Get tons of different paint chips so you can play around at home.  I always grabbed five of each color.  And make sure to grab some from the lighter section!  They make look close to colorless when you're looking at all the paint chips together, but trust me, everything looks darker and bolder when you get home!  Four of my seven rows looked way too light in the store but ended up being just right.

#2 - THE CHANGEABLE FRAME DISPLAY

I'm pretty proud of this one because while I got some inspiration from Pinterest photos, the final product is my own.  I wanted to create a wall display that could change with the seasons and be a space for hanging holiday decorations.  For example, during the fall, I hung three yarn and faux foliage wreaths down from the top of the frame.  At Christmastime, I hung a Christmas wreath.  But this idea with the photos was my original intention for the space.  This is what it will be used for most of the year.

Here's what I used:

- an empty mirror frame ($10 from the Habitat for Humanity restore, already sanded)

- aqua spray paint (about $6, from Walmart - don't get the cheapo 99 cent brand!)

- newspaper (to protect our deck while spray painting)

- 2 sawtooth hangers (about $1.50 a piece at Lowes)

- hammer

- twine

- tape

- mini clothespins (around $1.60 with a 40% off coupon)

- photos (you can get free prints from Shutterfly when you make an account)

Here's what I did:

1.  My frame was already sanded, so I just wiped it off thoroughly

2.  I spray-painted each side about three times, letting it dry between each coat.  This step took the longest.

3.  I attached both sawmill hangers to the back of the frame with a hammer.

4.  I lay the frame on the ground and played around with the arrangement of pictures.  When I had what I wanted, I attached twine to the back of the frame with packing tape (was going to use command hooks but realized I didn't need to).  I didn't cut the twine until I knew I had left enough slack for the "curved" look.  Pinned photographs to the twine with min-clothespins.

5.  Hammered nails in the appropriate place on the wall, and hung up the final product!  

There you have it!  Both projects were easy and cheap, and now our big main wall is finally decorated in a way that we like.  If there's a space in your home that needs sprucing up, don't be afraid to try something like this!  It can make a huge difference.  And it's so satisfying to step back at the end and say, "Ahhh.  That looks better."