DIY Wall Display for Children's Artwork

I love to display our daughter's artwork, to me it teaches her that her creativity and expression is a gift and should be valued. But, I'll admit, I have struggled with the best way to display her artwork and crafts. 

There are lots of very cool ideas around the web but what initially worked great for me was a gallery wall of Ikea Nyttja frames in a variety of sizes and colors. I would just tape the artwork to the front of the frame, right on top of the glazing (acrylic), because I know myself... I would never ever have the patience to constantly be opening up the frame to change out the artwork! This was a great solution because it also allowed me to tape up thicker pieces of artwork, like paper plate crafts, things painted with 3-dimensional paint, paper crafts with flaps, etc.

I still love the gallery wall but I grew tired of all the taping and really wanted something that was easier to quickly change things out or move things around. I still wanted something that could accommodate artworks of various sizes and thicknesses as well as hanging craft necklaces and little paper ornaments.

What I came up with was a vertical hanging display made out of tree branches and jute cord! The artwork is attached to the jute cords using colorful mini-clothespins. I made sure to select a branch with a bifurcation so I could easily hang crafts with cords. I love the rustic feel of it! It is 75 inches (190.5 cm) tall and 26 inches (66 cm) wide. The spacing between the jute cords is 2.75 inches (7 cm) and there are 9 cords total. 

This is probably one of the cheapest DIYs I've done because I found the tree branches and only had to purchase the jute cord because I had the other materials on hand. Here's what you'll need:

• Tree branches
• Jute cord
• Sandpaper
• Acrylic paint (optional)
• Polycrylic protective finish (optional)

Process:
I just wanted to mention safety before getting into the process. I used a saw, a utility knife, a power sander, and a drill to get the tree branches the way I wanted them. Please, always use personal protective equipment when necessary. Safety glasses or goggles, face masks, half-face respirator masks, gloves... be safe when using power tools, it's very easy for something to go flying and hit you in the eye. Here I am ready to use my power sander (I love this picture!! I put on my gloves after I took the picture.):

1 - Find some fallen tree branches in a public area.

2 - Define how wide you would like the wall display to be. In my case, I opted for 26 inches and marked it on my tree branches.

3 - Saw the tree branches down to size.

4 - Remove the bark (optional).

5 - Sand the tree branches.

6 - Mark the drill points where the jute cord will run through the branch. I had 9 cords in total, spaced 2.75 inches apart. (Another option is to just tie the jute cord around the branches instead of drilling holes, but I believe this is a sturdier solution... there is no chance of the cords slipping around this way.)

7 - Drill, drill, drill!

8 - The branches are now ready to paint! Painting is optional, I almost left them bare, but ultimately thought the display would look better in white.

9 - I used white acrylic paint and watered it down a bit. I wanted to retain some of the characteristics of the wood, so I figured a white wash would be most appropriate.

10 - Paint!

11 - Allow them to dry.

12 - Apply a sealer. I used Miniwax Water-Based Protective Finish.

13 - Now it's time for the jute cord.

14 - I made a Bowline knot to create a loop for hanging the display to the wall. In total, I had two loops, one at each end of the display (at the ends of cords 1 and 9).

15 - Pass the jute cord through the drill hole in the branch and secure it with a Figure 8 knot.

16 - The top of cord 1. Tip: The end of the jute cord can fray and make it difficult to run it through the drill holes. Cover the end with some white glue and allow it to dry. It will be stiff enough to run through the holes without a needle and will not fray.

17 - Space the branches evenly and run the cord through the drill holes. Secure the cord with a Figure 8 knot after exiting each drill hole.

18 - Repeat for cord 9. Cords 2 - 8 do not require a Bowline knot, only Figure 8 knots.

And here it is ready to be hung up on the wall! It took roughly half a day to complete. The longest part was definitely getting all of the cords attached to it... The branch prep and painting only took about 2 hours to do.

While I was running the cords through the branches, I decided to dye some mini-clothespins! I used liquid watercolors made from dried out markers (I think these watercolors are absolutely brilliant and just about the easiest project ever. And as an added bonus you have a use for the piles and piles of old markers kids go through!).

I just dunked the clothespins in the liquid watercolors and let them dry. I repeated the process two more times.

The colors turned out beautifully!

I love how versatile this wall display is and I know it's going to get a lot of use! I still plan on using the frames, but probably for special pieces (like the Pressed Flower Children's Art) and this time around I will probably put them inside the frames!

Colored Pencil Inspired Cork Board DIY

 

I needed a cork board... As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a collector of papers, I will keep anything that catches my eye. The problem is finding a place for my treasures that will keep them alive in my mind (the final destination of most of my papers is in piles on my desk or stuffed in a sketchbook). So a cork board seemed like a good solution for me! 

I found some hexagon shaped cork board tiles while at Target and the wheels in my mind immediately started spinning and thinking of ways I could personalize them for my little creative corner. 

I noticed that when you look at the tops of colored pencils, they are hexagons and I thought that a colored pencil cork board would be just perfect for our office. I also think it would look great in a studio space, a child's art corner (to hang up their masterpieces), or in a teenager's room.

This is a really quick and easy DIY, all you need are the cork board tiles and some acrylic paint in your favorite colors. You can use either a foam brush or paintbrushes to apply the paint. The glitter glue is optional (I wanted to add a little sparkle here and there!). 

I made a paper template to mark off the areas to paint (the outer edges and the circle). I traced the template onto the cork board tile with a pen. You don't need to make a template, just find something round, like a cup or bowl and trace its rim in the center of the cork tile.

Then it was just a matter of painting all the cork board tiles! When the paint was dry, I added a little glitter glue to some of the circles for a bit of sparkle.

And here it is!

I used 7 cork board tiles and arranged them like a color wheel. I love it, but I keep thinking it would be fun to add a bunch more and make it look like a large stack of colored pencils! Or cut them to fit a frame (or even just paint a sheet of cork board to look like colored pencils). We'll see what this evolves into (especially if I end up needing more space to pin stuff up)!

Kitty Doorstop: Upcycle a Baby Onesie

I go through minimalist phases where I try to pare down our belongings into (1) things that we use and (2) things that we just plain love. Our old clothes are always easy to get rid of, but when it comes to our daughter's clothes, I just can't seem to part with them, either for sentimental reasons or because they are just too cute. As a result we have boxes and boxes of her old clothes in the basement.

The cute ones I've been trying to upcycle, so that they can have a second life as something useful. Needless to say she is going through clothes faster than I can come up with ideas on how to use them!

While I was putting her to bed one night I realized that she needed a doorstop in her bedroom. At one point I had put one of her outgrown shoes at the door to prop it open and, like most temporary solutions, it ended up becoming permanent. I remembered this really cute onesie with a cat on it and I could practically hear it meowing at me!

When I sat down to plan out the doorstop, I knew I wanted it to be soft and not too heavy. Our daughter would most definitely be picking it up and carrying it around, because that's her! So I decided to fill it with fiberfill (like a stuffed animal) and put a small weight at the bottom. It won't be securing the door against gale force winds, but it will serve its purpose.

To make the doorstop, you will need to first choose a baby onesie/bodysuit with a cute design on it (I think the only problem here will be picking just one!). I used a size "12 months" onesie from OshKosh B'Gosh. Once you have the onesie picked out, choose a coordinating fabric and a sheet of felt. The fabric will be the back of the doorstop (another option is to use the back of the onesie). The sheet of felt will be the bottom of the doorstop (we have wall-to-wall carpeting and I've found that felt doesn't slip around on the carpet as much as other fabrics). You will also need a piece of interfacing for the onesie. To give the bottom some structure I used a felt sheet from the craft store that is 3 mm thick. I used small stones for weight and fiberfill to stuff it.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1 - Start by outlining the image with a fabric marker. Leave enough space around the image for the seams.

2 - Cut out the image along the line you just drew.

3 - Trace the outline of the image onto the interfacing and cut the interfacing along the line.

4 - Trace the outline of the image onto the coordinating fabric you chose. Remember to place the image and the fabric right-sides together. Cut the fabric along the line.

5 - You should now have the back of the doorstop (coordinating fabric), the interfacing, and the image from the onesie ready to go! Attach the interfacing to the onesie following the instructions provided by the interfacing manufacturer.

6 - For the bottom of the doorstop you will need four ovals: two from scraps of the coordinating fabric, one from the felt sheet, and one from the 3 mm felt. The two identical ovals (coordinating fabric) will be used to make the stone sack that sits inside the doorstop for weight. The 3mm felt oval will be smaller than the other ovals since it doesn't require a seam allowance.

7 - Fold the felt sheet in half and then fold it in half again.

8 - Using the bottom of one of the fabrics from Step 5, draw a quarter circle onto the felt and cut it out. The bottom of the fabrics will give you the size of the oval you need.

9 - Trace the oval onto the coordinating fabric scraps. Cut out 2 ovals from the scraps.

10 - Trace the oval onto the 3 mm felt. Draw a second oval inside the traced oval, approximately 1/4" in from the original oval. Cut out the smaller oval. You are basically removing the seam allowance from the 3 mm felt oval. 

11 - All the pieces are in place so now we can get to sewing! Pin the coordinating fabric to the onesie + interfacing, right-sides together.

12 - Pin the two fabric ovals together and sew, leaving a small opening. This will be the stone sack.

13 - Fill the sack with stones and hand stitch the opening shut.

14 - Attach the stone sack to the 3 mm felt oval. I hand stitched the sack to the felt at 4 points. This is going to be inside the doorstop, so it really doesn't have to look pretty. 

15 - The stone sack in now secured to the thick felt.

16 - Continuing Step 11, sew the onesie to the coordinating fabric, following the shape of the image. Sew along the sides and the top, leaving the bottom completely open.

17 - Cut off any excess fabric and cut small slits in the seam allowance around the curves and corners (this will allow the fabric to mold to the shape you sewed. For more information on this: Shaping Seam Allowance for Corners and Curves)

18 - Turn the piece from Step 17 around 180 degrees (top facing you), and pin the felt oval to the center of the right-side of the onesie (at the bottom, which was left open in Step 16).

19 - Work the felt oval around the opening, pinning it in place as you go. Sew the felt base to the doorstop. Leave an opening large enough to fit the 3 mm felt oval and stone sack.

20 - Cut small slits in the oval base and turn the doorstop right-side out.

21 - Stuff the doorstop with the fiberfill.

22 - Slide the 3 mm felt base and stone sack into the opening at the bottom of the doorstop.

23 - Hand stitch the opening shut.

You now have an adorable upcycled doorstop!

Our daughter absolutely loved it and it ended up sleeping in bed with her (back to the outgrown shoe, I guess!).

And apparently it not only stops doors, it also stops dogs!