Creative Ways to Display Your Photographs

Project #2: Ginormous Wall Prints

I have always wanted to get gigantic canvas prints of my kiddos to hang in my hallway, but the cost of having them made always deterred me.  I am constantly changing home decor items and accessories in my house, and I didn't think $60 or more for each canvas would be worth it, just in case I tired of them too quickly.  So when I saw this tutorial online, I knew I had to give it a try.  This project was fun, quick and easy.  Three things I love in a project.  I only spent about $15 on the supplies for each one, including $10 for each print.  The first thing I did was choose my pictures and take them to a local office supply store on a jump drive.  They blew up the prints in the size I asked for.  I had them made on plain paper, because to have them made on photo paper was triple the cost, and I wanted this project to remain inexpensive.  They charged me $10 for a 2' x 2' print.

I started with a sheet of foam insulation that I purchased at my local hardware store.  This was the most expensive piece of the project.  The whole board was 4' x 8' and it cost $30.  I got 8 2' x 2' squares out of one board.  At this point, you could cut your board either bigger or smaller than I did.  What ever size print you want to have, is the size you cut your board.  My intent was to paint the edges of the foam board black with craft paint, but the cuts were not clean enough to leave the edges exposed, so I ended up wrapping the front and sides of the board with black fabric, just as you would if you were re-covering a cushion.

I cut the fabric slightly larger than my foam square, and then just stapled it on with a regular stapler.  The first time around, I tried spraying the front of the foam square with spray adhesive and then stapling the fabric to the back side.  That didn't work out so well, because it didn't allow the fabric to be pulled taut enough before stapling.  It was much easier just to staple it without the spray adhesive.

Here is the front and back of 2 of the squares after stapling the fabric.  If you wanted to, you could run duct tape around the edges of the fabric on the back side to help keep the staples in place, but I didn't feel it was necessary.

The next step is simply adhering your print, cut to size, to the front of the square with spray adhesive.  I simply sprayed the front side of the fabric, laid the print on top and smoothed it out.  I didn't take any pictures of that process, but it is pretty self explanatory.

One other tip I have: don't use spray adhesive for crafters, it is wimpy!  Use the construction grade stuff you buy at the hardware store.  It works much better.  When I originally started this project, I intended to mod podge over the print, not only as a sealant, but also to add texture.  Because I had the prints made on regular paper, the mod podge wrinkled the paper when I tried to do that.  I just ended up leaving the paper print un-altered on my project.  If I had spent the extra money and had the prints made on photo paper, I think the mod podge idea would have worked fine.  If any of you decide to do that, I would love to hear how it works out.

The finished product again:

  They certainly make a statement!

Creative Ways to Display Your Photographs

Project #1: Tinting Glass Jars

This has got the be one of my favorite projects I have ever done on the show.  It was so much fun to watch a plain ol' clear glass jar transform into a gorgeous tinted glass jar! It was so super simple and easy.  In fact, I tinted the jars with only about 45 minutes to spare before the camera crew got to my house to start filming.  I'm not sure I should have admitted what a procrastinator I am, but luck was on my side with this project.  It turned out beautifully the first time around.  

  You will never believe what I used to tint the glass.  

Yep, floor polish and food coloring!  It is so easy, you just mix a couple of drops of any color of food coloring with the floor polish and paint it on your glass.

Drop in the food coloring....

stir it up with your paintbrush, and start painting!  I just used a cheap foam brush.

I held it over a paper plate to catch any drips.

and then all you have to do is let it dry.  I watched mine closely for a few minutes to catch any runs before they dried.  I used a dry sponge brush, and just gently touched the drips with it.  However, if you do happen to find a run that you weren't able to catch, just wash your jar in hot water and the tint will come right off, allowing you to start over!

I let it dry for about 30 minutes or so, and then added the twine and ribbon to the necks of the bottles.

To get the photos inside, I rolled them up, picture side out, and pushed them down into the bottles.  I used a wooden skewer to move them around a little bit, so they were facing forward.

I started with blue food coloring in the floor polish for the first jar, and then I added a couple drops of green each time I started tinting a new bottle.  I wanted each bottle to be a slightly different shade.  I LOVE how they turned out. I also loved how quick and easy it was to tint the bottles.  I wouldn't use this technique on anything I was going to serve food from.  I am pretty sure it isn't "food safe."  This technique is also not permanent.  It will wash off with hot water.

I would love to see what projects you come up with using this technique, so be sure to share.  I am personally going to be on the lookout for clear Ball canning jars, so I can tint them the coveted blue.  I bet no one will ever know the difference!

Happy glass tinting!

Easter with Red Couch Recipes

Another show we recently filmed was an Easter show with my friend Joni Larson.  She has a fabulous blog called Red Couch Recipes, and she is one of the most talented people I know.  I have begged and begged her to come on, and I'm so happy she finally conceded!  She put together a beautiful Easter tablescape,  and I showed her how to make homemade lemon curd for those white chocolate mousse and lemon curd eggs I blogged about last Easter.

I loved Joni's choice of dishes.  The blue and white polka dots were perfect for spring!

 How cute is this centerpiece with the peeps?  It was super simple to put together.

Joni made this awesome chocolate cake for the tablescape.  She used the same technique for her chocolate nest that I used to make the chocolate eggs below.  You can find the recipe for the cake on her blog.

Joni is seriously one of my favorite people.  I am so glad she finally agreed to come on the show. We definitely didn't lack for conversation, and could have went on for hours.

The recipe for homemade lemon curd that we demonstrated is one of the easiest I've ever used, and it is so yummy!  The perfect spring time flavor.

I am always glad to film Style Made Simple episodes, it is so fun to meet and learn about the guests.  I especially like it when they come on and teach me how to do something new, or share their talents with us in some way.  I hope you will all be able to watch!