DIY: 30-Minute Scrap Wood Project

Hi friends!

If you were following along with DIY projects on the Humble Hammock last winter, you’d have seen the Elfa linen closet makeover. Remember that first photo on the post? Oh, it’s all right I’ll wait… go look at the post….

Being the thrifty crafter that I am, I saved those pieces of wood for a rainy day project. Today happened to be rainy so I hammered the nails out of the corners of each piece, lined them up in a fun pattern and created a little wall piece for the dining room. Don’t worry ladies, it just took one vertical piece of wood on the back with two screws holding each horizontal piece of wood to the vertical piece. You can do it without help!

Yes, I'm wearing pants :)

Not sure what I’ll paint on it yet, but I’m thinking I’ll hand letter the prayer we use for dinner and repurpose those frames I designed from Decorate: Dining Room Prayer with some of our wedding photos instead.

What was the best part of this DIY project? It was FREE!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! If it were yours, what would you paint on the new wall art piece I created today?

Thrift: Norman Rockwell

I went thrifting a couple of years ago and found this framed Norman Rockwell artwork titled School's Out. It was a print of course, one of many, but Rockwell's work has always resonated with me and I knew right away that I would take it home. 

This print (framed with glass) was $5. It sat in a closet for over a year, as I wasn't sure where I was going to put it, but it ended up in our guest bedroom (more on that decor later) hanging off center from a rocking chair in the corner. If ever my husband and I have a disagreement, I beeline straight for the garage, grab a hammer and nail and look for something to hang in the house. This was product of one of those instances.

School's Out, 1959  - Norman Rockwell 

No more than a week after hanging School's Out, did I find Missing Tooth. It too was framed and even had young school girls that would have likely been running in the initial school themed image I'd already commandeered. I paid $15 for it (more than my usual thrifting threshold), but after a quick Google search while shopping, found that both of these pieces together would be worth more than I paid. Consider it an investment... :)

Here they are in all of their mismatched frame glory. I love that they are alike and different and how they work together in the room. 

Which is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! Do come back :)

Cara

DIY: Hanging Plate Decor

It was a cold, wintry Saturday and I found myself tooling around At Home. I'd been there maybe five minutes before I stumbled upon a stack of rustic red plates. At $2 each they soon found themselves waiting for their purpose on my kitchen counter.

Fast forward a few weeks later and you would have found me surfing Amazon. I came across these adhesive discs, which come in various sizes, depending on what you're looking to hang. You know how thrifty I am... I knew I'd be picking up my very own when I saw they were less than $2 each. 

Talk about a breeze to adhere! These little adhesive discs arrived within a couple of days and were so effortless to put on the back of the plates I kept wondering if it could really be that simple.

Truth be told, like most of our projects, it takes longer for my handyman to make time to hang my crafts than it does for me to make them.

This past weekend he finally obliged and put them just where I had envisioned without any fuss.  Don’t they look great?

Remember my dining area wall décor that seemed plate-like? Since these plates can also be seen from our dining room, it was fitting that they tie into one another and provide a lead between rooms.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock!

Decorate: Dining Room Wall Prayer

I scoured the internet for weeks looking for some sign of a prayer (that my husband and I say regularly) to display in our dining room. I'm not an overly religious decorator, but I wanted a little something to put into our dining room that told our guests, "yes, we do pray before we eat and you can too!"

After realizing that Pinterest was going to be my only hope, I took myself to Kohls, bought a couple of three photo frames (no longer available online) and made inserts to fit. Of course, if I want to add photos at some point I'm not committed to some chunky wall art with our favored prayer instead.

The frames were for 5x7 photos but I made these to fit a 4x6. They look great in either and help to brighten up the wall without added paint.

My handy husband added wall hooks with teeth to the back so that we could hang them a bit more precisely (some people are really anal like that).

You can download your copy and make your own by clicking here.

Get the center wall decor from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Don't forget your 20% off coupon!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! Do come back :)
Cara

DIY Edition: Recycled Canvas Art

A few summers ago I took an oil painting class. Needless to say, I was no Claude Monet and after a reasonable amount of time had passed I was stuck with five ugly canvases and no desire to pick up a paint brush again. Painting, like many hobbies, is expensive. I wasn't about to throw away $50+ of canvases.
Earlier in the summer I’d hit the crafter’s jackpot while helping my Grandma clean out her breezeway. She gave me a large paper shopping bag full of retro fabrics. I dug through it until I found something a bit tame on the eyes, and began measuring it for my latest craft; fabric wrapped canvases.

I laid the canvas on top of the fabric and cut it so that there was about an inch remaining along the parameter of the canvas. The fabric I chose had a pattern, so I had to be careful to line it up well before cutting. I then laundered the fabric, ironed it, and began to hot glue it to the wooden frame. Working slowly, I did the longer side first and then moved to the opposite side.  This kept the pull even and made sure that the fabric was equal on all sides.

This is what the finished product should look like.

 For the corners, I folded the fabric neatly and glued with each crease. That way there wouldn't be a bulkiness against the wall in case I ever decided to hang them with a nail. Taking time on this step was pertinent to making sure it looked clean and smooth.

Take your time on those corners!

Once complete, I placed the new "canvas” on my mantle and accessorize with other decor. When I tire of it I can simply choose a new fabric to wrap it in, add a monogrammed letter, or show off my terrible painting :/.

Here's the final product with some other decor.

If I’d have bought the materials for this project it would have cost about $10-$12. If you’d like alternative variations of this project comment below and I’d be happy to brainstorm! For more decor ideas check out my other posts on DIY Edition: [Home Decor] and Kitchen Whisks Worth Taking.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

DIY Edition: Home Decor

Home décor has really taken a fancy to big, bold letters and phrases. Trends have encouraged us to decorate our dwellings with large vintage metal letters, monograms, and artistic photo montages spelling out our last names. My caveat with this trend is the repetitiveness of certain phrases and words, such as ‘live, laugh, love’ and ‘home sweet home.’ Understand that this is entirely my personal preference and by no means do I detest those who display said inspiration in their homes. As the Brits would say, "It's not my cup of tea, dearie."

I had all but removed myself from this trend when my roommate gave me a letter ‘H’ that she had randomly acquired. Being that my last name begins with an ‘H’ I accepted her gift and pondered what I’d do with it. Doing a monogram seemed a bit cheesy and truth be told, my last name is about to change. How silly would an obsolete monogram be at that? So I decided I’d hop on the bandwagon and create a 3-d word montage and display it as home décor.

Here are the materials I used and the approximate price of each:

• Leftover craft paint + brushes = $0
• Three 8" paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby = $3.99
• White floating wall shelf = gift [follow the link below to buy your own]
• Ceramic birds = $5.00 at a craft fair
• TOTAL COST: $8.99

With that, I challenge you to do it for less by using odds and ends from your house!

After swinging by the local Hobby Lobby and grabbing three more letters of 8" paper mache for $1.33 each after coupons and specials, I jetted home to paint them. [Remember to use the App from the post Deal or No Deal called Coupon Sherpa.] Although Pinterest would likely have provided a quick design idea for this endeavor, I forced myself to come up with a design independently. Stripes have been catching my eye lately and it just so happens that the letter ‘E’ is a perfect letter for three big stripes. With that, I free handed the stripes on two of the letters.

After glazing the letter 'M' with some dull golden paint, I knew that my décor was complete. I threw the letters up on a shelf that I received for Christmas from Wayfair and added some little ceramic birds from a local craft fair and ‘VIOLA!,’ a completed 3-d word montage was born. By the way, the shelf referenced above is hands down, the best floating shelf I've come across. SUPER easy to hang, very sturdy, and matches the molding throughout our house. I'm smitten with it :)

And here you have it, the finished product. 

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara