PPNF: The Big Reveal!

The first edition of Pinterest Projects Not Forgotten (PPNF) is over!  In case you haven't been following along here and here, my two sisters and friend Amanda each picked a project we've had pinned on Pinterest and vowed to make it in a month.  Here we are:

Everyone picked really great projects, so read to the end to see the links to their site!

Here was my inspiration:

I can't tell who made this on Pinterest, so I can't credit it, but what a cute way to display photos that doesn't look cluttered and is easy to swap out!  I've got this huge wall space in the stairwell:

And I was tired of looking at....nothing.  So, I headed out to the thrift stores in search of a giant picture frame (had already decided that building one was too time-intensive).  After three stores, I stumbled upon this beauty.   Big frame (42 inches by 30 inches) in decent condition.  Price tag said $19.99 but it rang up at just over $11.  Score!  The longer I waited before ripping it apart, the more I grew to like the painting.  But Jon said "It's like an old lady painting" so I gave up the idea of using it elsewhere.

 

The picture was inside two different frames held together by staples.

So Jon just pulled it all apart for me and I was left with this great old frame

I lightly sanded the whole thing down and put a good coat of primer on everything.

The original inspiration was a rustic wood frame, but I was hoping to bring a little brightness into our home.  Since we are going to rent this place out, we plan on painting the walls a neutral color (normally not our bag) and we'll be renting in our next place, so we won't put in the effort to put a lot of color on the walls.  That leaves me the option of bringing color into our home with lots of accessories.

Have I mentioned I like yellow?  And yellow?  Well, I like yellow.  So, that's what color the frame is now after several light coats of Sun Yellow spray paint.  The trick is light light coats so you don't risk being drippy. And look for a can that you can spray from any angle!

 I liked the look of the rope from my inspiration, but I kept the ends behind the frame because I didn't feel like loose ends complimented the clean, bright look of the frame.  I cut out some hempy-rope and taped it to the frame first so I could space everything out.  Then, I got to work with the staple gun.

I stapled like so to ensure the ends didn't pull through the staples.  I started with just one rope, then used tiny clothespins (bought at Michael's) to clip on some photos and get an idea of how their weight would pull the rope down so I would know where to put rope #2.

After that, I repeated for the next rope, added the third, and trimmed up any ends sticking out.

Since it's almost Valentine's Day, I decide to scour Facebook and our files on our computers for lovey dovey pictures of Jon and I to mix into the standard kid photos.  I sent them online to the local CVS and picked them up later, all ready to be hung.   And just to be fun, I folded up some red hearts and cut out some hearts, old school elementary style.  I played around with the arrangement a bit, and I was done!  Here's how it looks!

If you're wondering the story behind the photos, here's the pictures we're currently loving:

So I put it propped up in the stairwell, and there it site, bringing some sunshine into the oft-neglected space.  Although, sorry to tell you this stairwell, I've already got plans to move it elsewhere.  But it's looking good there for now.

So, all I had to buy was the frame, spray paint, the little clothespins, and a few photo prints.  All in all, easily an under-$20-project.  My favorite.  

Now, don't forget to visit the other participants in the first PPNF!

 Julia is at Sunbeam Yellow

Amanda is The Girl Who Sings

Lauren is in La La Land.

If you're interested in participating in our PPNF project next time around, let me know!