DIY Clothespin Photo Frame

       Lately on Pinterest I've been seeing tons of projects using clothespins + frames to make a unique way to display photos. After searching through the various takes on the craft, I realized I liked the ones where the photos had a vintage feel to them. At first I set off searching for a polaroid camera thinking - How cool would that be! Then after a quick search on amazon and other general websites I came to the realization that polaroid cameras were a little expensive just to buy for a craft. Luckily, I found this cool application that turns your digital photos into polaroid ones. It was super easy ( here's the link http://www.poladroid.net/)

Supplies:
8 nails
28 gauge silver string ( normally in the jewelry section in stores like Michaels)
inexpensive frame
photo paper
mini clothespins
spray paint

        To start off, I decided on all the photos I wanted for the frame. This probably would be easier at the end when you know how many pictures your frame fits, but I just could not resist.

From there I drilled in six nails ( three on each side) on the back of the frame. Try to make sure the nails are straight across from one another. Next take the 28 gauge string and tightly wrap it around one of the nails. Then stretch the string across to the opposite side (making sure the string is taught) and then wrap it around that nail. Repeat this with the remaining two sets of nails.

To hang the frame on the wall, I just hammered in two nails where they would match up with the hooks on the back of the frame. The next part of the craft requires a covered area as you have to spray paint ( spray paint easily gets things painted you don't want to). To make spray painting the mini clothespins easier, I clipped the clothespins onto a box. This made it easier to get the clothespins from all angles.

                                                        

Quote Painting!

This craft is actually quite simple! Supplies needed include a blank canvas, multiple colors of paint, paint brushes, and two inch sticky letters. Start off by choosing which color(s) you would like for the letters. Using these colors paint the entire canvas and try to make sure you have all the colors represented in all sections. This way you don't have one color overloading one side. Once the paint dries apply the sticky letters to spell out the quote you want. It's really important the paint is completely dry, because if the paint isn't dry then when you go to paint over it the colors will mix. So once you have ensured the paint is dry and you've stuck all your sticky letters on, paint over the entire canvas in a new color. It helps if when picking you colors you have a color theme such a light colors verses dark colors. This way the words will stand out more clearly. For mine I chose a light blue, a lilac purple, and a baby pink for the words and painted over the canvas with a plum purple and dark blue. Once you've painted over the canvas wait for the paint to dry, and then you can peel the sticky letters off and whalla a beautiful, unique quote painting!

                                                                                

Decorating a Fabric Chair!

For the craft you will need: an inexpensive fabric chair ( this one came from IKEA for $100), fabric markets, fabric paint, paint brushes, paper towels, and water. I made this chair with three other friends of mine and we decided we wanted the chair to be themed around friendship. So we found a bunch of friendship quotes online and we also included a bunch of our own inside jokes. Once we had our concept we just started painting! Our initials are M, A, K, E so we also found a lot of quotes with the word make in it, such as we can MAKE it through anything and MAKE it last forever friendship never ends ( courtesy of the Spice Girls). The craft can be changed to fit a lot of different ideas, so just go crazy with it. Anything fabric will work and any theme will be perfect because all that counts it that it means something to you. So you can use this idea, choose another theme, or just draw random things - anything works! Most importantly relax and let it be one of those moments you remember being purely happy.

Ever since I realized that I needed to focus more on the moment and less on the end result, crafts have been a really big part of my life. It's a great way to spend time with friends or family because it's something that's enjoyable. Also since it's just for you it doesn't have to be perfect and that takes away a lot of the stress I think people associate with social situations. The night I made this chair with three of my best friends is a night that I will always remember because while I don't remember exactly what we talked about or what exactly we were laughing at, I do remember having an amazing night full of laughter and smiles.

Enjoy!