THE ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

Picture this. How neat would it be to look back on every year you were married and see how much you and your hubby (or wife) have changed? Really neat, if you ask me! Well, hip hip hooray - with this project, you can do just that. 

 

{Our Anniversary Album}

 

The fantastic thing about an anniversary album is you have the ability to make it your very own....as elaborate as you like or you can keep it simple. I have always been a scrapbook lover (and still am) so I started this book as a simple way to remember each year of our marriage.

 

Two things to keep in mind:

1. If you have been married for a few years it is not too late! You can catch up in no time...only a picture a year!

2. If you have not tied the knot, you should tuck this idea away and be sure to use it when you have your first anniversary!

 

 

{first anniversary}

{second anniversary}

 

{third anniversary}

 As I uploaded the pictures for my blog post, I just realized that our third anniversary has the wrong date!

Ha, ha. Please paste carefully my friends. :0)

 

 The album is from Hobby Lobby and the silver engraved piece is from Things Remembered. At Things Remembered, you can choose from different shapes and they will engrave whatever wording you want. Our says "Our Anniversaries" and it simply adheres to the surface of the album. The corner stickers are pretty niftty and are from hobby lobby as well. 

 

 

If you have little ones, this would also be a terrific idea for their birthdays. A single picture on each page showing how they have grown over the years. Another item I would be sure to include in this album is their birthday invitation on the opposite page. Oh yes, I can see it now. Fun. Fun. Fun. I am going to tuck this idea away until we have baby Pickerings.

Even if you are not a "picture taker," you can do this project. Remember only ONE picture a year! Hope this idea inspires you to come up with your own way to scrapbook your anniversaries and/or kiddos birthdays. Happy scrapping!

NO PANE. NO GAIN.

No pane. No gain. It’s true. However in this case, I am referring to a glass pane! If you can’t see the inside of your cabinets then you are missing out on a potential area to accessorize. No worries, it’s an easy fix: just add glass and you can gain a new space to display decorative items!

We have a built-in cabinet in our dining room. These cabinets had solid doors, but as you can see in the picture below the top cabinets now have glass panes! Hooray! Unfortunately, my excitement took over and I forgot to take a BEFORE picture before the new glass was put in…

{before}

 

{after}

If you take a look at the bottom doors in this picture you can

visualize what the tops doors looked like before they had glass.

 

Once the glass was in place I wasn’t sure what to tackle next.

I contemplated painting the back portion of the cabinets, but then

I was inspired by this little birdie.

Want to accessorize with this paper mache bird?

Good news, it's still available at West Elm.

This bird (made of book pages) gave me a bright idea for the background of our built-in cabinets! I hit up the clearance section of Half-Price Books and purchased two books. I bought a book with white pages and a book with off-white pages in order to create contrast between the torn pages. Here is a close-up of the new book page background!

Instead of gluing the pages directly to the wood cabinets I adhered the pages to cardboard. All you need to do is cut a cardboard box to fit the background space, glue the pages to the cardboard and use a couple of fabric tacks to stick the cardboards pieces onto the back of the cabinets! Easy breezy.

I bought this old sewing machine (below) at an antique store in Midland, Texas.

I love vintage pieces and I thought this sewing machine was so neat because it still has

a piece of string and fabric in the machine...as if someone just got up and walked away.

Keep in mind, if book pages aren't your thing - buy fabric, wallpaper or scrapbook paper and adhere it to the carboard!

This is a great project if you are renting a place and are not allowed to paint, but want a way to spice up your cabinets. Not to mention it's an extremely inexpensive project! The total cost for the new cabinet background was less than $5! I used a free cardboard box, 2 books ($1 each) and some fabric tacks. Loving the new look of our built-in cabinet! Again I say...no pane. no gain.

EASILY ACCESSIBLE = EASILY ACCESSORIZED

Happy Friday all! I'll preface this blog entry by saying, if you like jewelry and enjoy accessorizing then this post is right up your alley!

Are your earrings in need of a home? Well, here is a great (& simple) DIY project that everyone can create. All you need is old shutters and some mesh and you are well on your way!

I used to search for earrings in my bathroom drawer and was never able to find a matching pair. Now I shutter at the thought of searching! Which is why I highly recommend this project. Once your earrings are visible and organized, you will find yourself wearing them more often. An easy project that makes accessorizing easier! Yes, please!

But, you may be asking yourself....where can I find old shutters? I would recommend searching at salvage yards and antique stores, but my number one recommendation is First Monday in Canton, TX. If you have the chance to drive there, you will find tons of shutter options....and tons of other neat things (I am sure of it)!

{my earring holder}

To continue with the jewelry theme, here is another great way to organize your necklaces. However, this handy dandy holder was hand crafted by my talented dad + my mom's sewing expertise.

If only I had a before picture to show you!! It started out as an old and ugly medicine cabinet we found at a salvage yard and as you can see was transformed into something lovely.  

{outside of my necklace holder}

All of the old door knobs and decor attached to the front were found at the same salvage yard.

 {the inside}

These purposeful pockets were sewn by my mom. She used a shower curtain we found at Big Lots. The sheer fabric was perfect because it allows you to see what each pocket holds. I hope to have my mom's sewing skills when I grow up.

I love my jewelry holders and use them on a daily basis! I encourage you to find a creative way to display your jewelry.

I know you will thoroughly enjoy having your accessories organized.

And last but certainly not least! A birthday shout out to my wonderful dad on his birthday!

I LOVE YOU!