My Organized Chaos: January 2015

Monday, January 5, 2015

The Holidays- the time for cards!


Brrrrr it's cold!!!  Hope your holidays have been at least warm with memories and good times. But really, it's been WAY too cold for my liking. However, the good thing that comes out of it being so cold- I stay in and work on DIY or watch way too much TV. Yes, I did both this past week- don't judge me.

I thought I would share one DIY I did that I am in complete love with! Like seriously, I might have stared at it for awhile today. For real.

Anyways- the project. I wanted to make something that would hold all the cards we get this time of year. Not trying to sound snotty like "Oh we get so many cards because everyone loves us and we are super popular and blah blah blah". I mean if you say that, then that's all you. With my birthday being right around the holidays we get cards for Xmas and for my birthday all at once. Pretty soon your whole kitchen table is full of cards. Then you might have to resort to eating on the floor like a vagabond all while having your pretty cards displayed. So if you don't want your neighbors to think you are scared of furniture or from another planet- here is a $9 fix to free up that card clutter. Here is how to take a picture from Goodwill like the one below and turn it into a cute card holder!

Bet you are wondering why I didn't want to keep the picture as is....let me tell you, it was a tough choice.....


First thing you do- Get supplies. Like I mentioned above, this project only cost me $9!  NINE DOLLARS.....that's like a #2 at McDonalds with a Diet Coke. All you need is:
- old picture frame
- paint
- chicken wire
- staple gun & staples

To start I went to Goodwill to buy a picture frame. Any frame will do- it's really about personal preference. I wanted something to fit in a very specific wall in my house so I went looking for a  frame that was longer rectangle shape. It's up to you how your frame looks but I like the ones with a little more design to them. Plain ones are fine, again personal preference. So I picked up my frame from Goodwill for $4 (little pricey I know but it's totally a kickass frame)


Then I went to Home Depot and bought chicken wire. They come in rolls out in the garden/outdoor section. I believe the smallest roll you can buy is 5'. I bought a roll of 10' for $13. Yes I know you are wondering- what the heck am I supposed to do with all that extra chicken wire?!?!?!  Don't get your panties in a bunch- there are tons of things you can do with chicken wire. Too many for me to mention. Anyways- I bought the roll of wire and used just enough to fill the frame- only about $2 worth.

Now comes some assembly! First I cut the chicken wire to size behind the frame. I cut mine so the wire came to about the middle part of the actual frame piece. Did I forget to mention you don't need to save the matte or glass from the frame? Oh yea- you don't have to save those. No need! If you can buy a frame without them- score! There are plenty of other things you can do with a matte or glass. Anyways- back to the frame.



Now that you have cut the chicken wire to size you have your first choice. Do you want to paint the wire or not? If so, it's easier to paint it while it is not attached to the frame. I personally left it silver because it looks awesome. Another option I have seen people do is leave the chicken wire outside for a few days in the rain or snow and let it rust. Gives it a shabby kind of feel. If you want to paint the wire go ahead and paint it (spray paint is easiest) and leave it to dry as you move on to the next step. Also- there may be pins or latches on the frame to hold in glass- I would recommend you pull them- don't really need them for this project.


If your frame doesn't have a picture hook on it- you can buy one or a pack from Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards, Walmart, etc. My frame did not come with anything to hang so I looked around the garage and found a hanger.


Now it's time to paint your frame. I personally attached my chicken wire to the frame before I painted the frame because I skipped painting the chicken wire. Really it doesn't matter. I went down into my craft room (yes I have a craft room now! Will be doing future posts on it!) and brought up some gray paint from a previous project I had done. I painted my frame to looked a little distressed on purpose. I didn't fill in where I was painting all the way and sometimes took a paper towel and wiped off a little paint. It came out looking so good!





Now time to attach the chicken wire to the frame. I used a staple gun- 1. because it secures it tight and 2. because it makes you feel like a badass. I sued the smallest staples I could find- 3/8'. I stapled around the frame through the back to secure. You just need enough to keep it on there- cards aren't heavy enough to need heavy duty stuff. The staple gun and staples didn't cost me because my hubby already had them!
 
Lastly, I ventured to Ikea to find the hooks I used. I did not go to Ikea just for the hooks. I actually stumbled across them but they were a brilliant find! By the way- have you been in an Ikea before? It's crazy! As you can probably tell it was my first trip in one. Anyways, I bought a package of these hooks on sale there for $3. I used about half a pack. Now just slip the hooks into the chicken wire.


Now clip up the cards and you are done! Now you can claim your kitchen table back and stop eating with the dust bunnies. I love the way this looks on my wall and I LOVE that it keeps the clutter contained! 




Hope you had a great holiday!