A quick project

I have some BIG changes in my life on the way. I'm not ready to post about that yet, but I will tell you it involves jewelry... LOTS of beautiful jewelry. I need a display for it and saw versions of this cork frame from friends and on websites. I can pin earrings to the cork and it still looks beautiful.  This is my version of a couple of them and how I did it:

Project: framed cork jewelry display

Supplies: 

Open back frames

Foam core

Cork squares or sheets

Hot glue

Fabric ( I used good quality tea dyed muslin)

How:

Using exacto knife, scissors or rotary cutter cut cork to size of frame opening, cut foam core to size of glass for frame. Cut fabric a couple inches wider on each side. Lay down fabric, place cork down, then foam core. Wrap fabric to the back and secure with painters tape.

                                     

 

Make a hot glue seam around frame opening and place fabric bundle into opening, making sure cork fits into frame opening and makes a snug fit so it looks nice and smooth in the front. Cut away extra material on the back and remove tape. Fold down sides of fabric and secure with hot glue.

                                        

If you want, cut a piece of fabric just bigger then the mess on the back of the frame and hot glue it down. Mine got prettied up with lace from my box of fabric scraps my Gramma left for me.

                                         

 

                               {I love that I get to have a little piece of her in this new endeavor.}

                                      

 

Your frame is ready, enjoy! 

Solutions

When we bought our house my biggest holdback was the front entrance, or lack of one. Our house faces an elementary school and sometimes busy two lane road. To compensate for this the builder made the homes to have alley driveways. While this gave us a great sized backyard, tons of privacy ( the alley backs up to a wooded green space- not other houses) it also took away something super important to me: a welcoming front entry for my guests. I LOVE having people over so this has been a huge adjustment for me. Another complication to our back door entrance is that to optimize patio space we had a gate to the fenced yard put in at right angles from the garage. We needed the entire yard fenced so that our kids can play safely. So now when people come over they have to park behind our house and decide if its ok to come in the gate. Ugh. Not a great situation for someone who loves hosting as much as I do. 

My awesome hubby spent some time with me at the construction store this weekend and we came up with a couple of solutions- what do you think? 

This my friends is a DOORBELL! Did you know you can buy them for 15$? The inside part just plugs into an outlet. I bought two of the plaques ( the second ill show you in a second). Then I spray painted both this fun blue that matches our outdoor furniture. The doorbell button for outside I just hot glued on and put a frame around for stability. In theory the black painted part above the bell is chalkboard paint. I think mines gotten too old but I'm going to try writing on it after it cures. Now my guests can say " I'm here!" Without the weird. 

Another issue we have is that every fence is identical on our block.  There are house numbers on the back of the house above our garage door but NO ONE sees them. The second plaque got a set of numbers and voila! That's my house! Hopefully this warms things up a bit. Come on over! 

Today I bring you my dirt.

Today I vacuumed my house. This ordinary, regular chore was unique today due to the fact that since we moved into our new house I've been cleaning with a broken vacuum. The broken vacuum has been a reliable companion for over five years, but completely kicked the bucket during our move. Last weekend my wonderful Mister bought me the new version of my old friend. This one is lighter and smaller but seems to be quite strong. We made our first official covering of the entire carpeted area of our home, four bedrooms an a rug. I was shocked at how much was being picked up so I immediately thought " gee, let's take a picture and show it to everyone." NOPE, but a truth did sink through and THAT I had to share, even if to do so means you are literally going to see my dirt.

God has asked me to learn to pray. I know this not from some great revelation, but from circumstance after circumstance in which I find myself discussing, reading about, or teaching others to pray. I used to be a pray-er. It once was not difficult, but somewhere along the line prayer became a when I can't handle life solution instead of my first thought each day. It struck me this morning that my prayer life is much like a vacuum. Regular use keeps the carpet clean and my family healthy, but when broken or set aside for even a short time the dirt builds up in unfathomable ways. When I stop praying or only pray when my broken human heart deems it necessary the dirt in my life starts to build up. I also noticed that most of what came up today had previously been hidden. I had no idea what was lurking in the floor- right under my feet! The solution is so simple! Just get a new vacuum. Joyfully, prayer {even the top shelf model} is as free as your time. Just a few minutes to get started and that dirt starts to come right up. Even if it takes a little effort and a few extra trips to the trash bin, freshness and renewal are right there waiting! How's your dirt today?