Slowly but surely, our home is coming together! We’re planning on staying in our apartment for at least another year, so I’ve been trying to find ways to personalize our living space. Right now we only have one wall painted- in our bedroom; it’s a bright teal- and the rest are white. I read a couple design and DIY blogs, but for some reason, when it comes down to actually making something, I get stuck! With B’s help, I’ve tackled a few easy projects in the last week… things to put on the wall that add a little cheer.
I found this vintage paper doll set at a used bookstore a few months ago, and have been waiting to find the perfect frame to put it in. I love paper dolls… it’s so fun to see all of the different outfits and accessories together! And this one happens to showcase Carmen Miranda’s wardrobe, which is over-the-top and wonderful.
I wanted the frame to be big enough so the pieces wouldn’t be cramped together. I found an empty one at a frame store that was $60, but I didn’t want to pay that much for it at the time. After several months of searching, however, I was getting pretty frustrated and almost caved and just had the darn thing framed professionally. I’m glad I waited, though, because B found a set of three frames on the street (they were clean) that were perfect!
I used plain brown paper (from Michael’s) for the background, and used craft glue to hold down the pieces.
Tah-dah! The photo isn’t so great because of the glare from a nearby window, but I’m really pleased with the outcome. We hung the frame above my desk so I can have a little fun while I’m working. I may paint the frame black at some point so the pieces will pop more, but it’s fine for now.
This is a mini gallery wall in our dining area, which I’m adding to as I find things I like. The three frames have been up for about six months, but we just added the measuring spoons (similar here) in the top left. I got them as a gift last Christmas, but was worried they would break if we actually used them for cooking (they’re ceramic). Last week, I decided it might be nice to put them up near the kitchen, where we eat, and kind of tie the eating theme together. We used to have a small vintage kids’ dartboard up there, and have found a new home for it, but that’ll be a project for another day!
This next project was more of a “storage solution” to begin with, but actually looks pretty on the wall! I’ve been searching for a good way to keep my earrings for awhile; the top shelf of my closet was strewn with little boxes and I could never find what I was looking for. I searched around on Pinterest and saw an idea that was both inexpensive and easy, and I was sold! I went to Michael’s and bought a small embroidery hoop and a swatch of fabric. I tightened the hoop around the fabric, trimmed the extra, and I was done! This works best with studs, because the backs of the danglies push against the wall and can fall out. (Speaking of studs, these two shops are my favorite places to buy cute, hypoallergenic earrings.)
I cheated a little with this last project because I didn’t actually make it myself. I ordered some of my favorite Instagram photos from our Greece trip from printstagr.am; there are a few different options, but I selected a framed set of 9 pictures. I wanted a way for us to be able to travel back to Greece through photos (without looking at a computer), and put the frame in the hallway by the bedroom so we’ll always see it. We also didn’t have any pictures of us up! I want to make a tradition of having some kind of visual display of trips we go on, so this was a good start.
Do you have any home decorating or DIY tips?