Gettin' Crafty!

I'm guessing most of you have heard about the latest web craze, Pinterest.  If not, allow me to give you a quick explanation!  :)

Pinterest is a visual way to "bookmark" things you find online, like craft ideas, home improvement projects, funny quotes or pictures, recipes, and home remedies.  You can categorize them into separate boards, which makes them easier to find when you go back looking for them later.  Now that I've gotten sucked into it, I can't stop "pinning!"  It's really fun, and oddly addictive.  The irony is that you often find yourself "pinning" more things than you actually create.

That was me for a while, but then I found a couple projects that truly inspired me and one by one I started tackling them.  I still have a lot more "pinned" than I've created, but the fact that I have actually done some of the projects is proof that Pinterest is a brilliant idea.  I still bookmark a few websites the traditional way, but Pinterest has definitely become my preference.

Okay, do you want to see the fruits of my labor?  I'll start with my favorite project to date.  This is NOT my project, but it was the picture that inspired me: 

*Click here for original blog post*

I had purchased several old windows a few years back, planning to use them as decor inside our house in Kansas City, but I never got around to it and they just sat in our garage.  For years.  I think Scott was secretly hoping we'd leave them behind, but I made sure the movers knew they needed to be packed up.  :) 

When I saw the inspiration photo above, I knew immediately which window I would be using.  Once I got it unpacked, the first step in my project was to thoroughly clean the window and remove any loose paint.

Quincy was happy to help!

Then I chose fabric and scrapbook papers to place behind each pane.  This process was a bit painstaking, as I wanted to be okay with somewhat random placement of patterns and colors like my inspiration photo...

 ...but my need for symmetry ultimately won (with a little persuasion from a certain friend who will remain nameless).

The purple fabric in each corner is actually the same fabric from the bridesmaids' dresses at our wedding, and the lightest cream-colored paper was used on our wedding invitations.  Fun, no?  I knew I saved that stuff for a reason!!  :D

My next challenge was how to get the paper and fabric to stay in place.  The blogger from my inspiration photo just taped hers in place, but I wanted mine to be more permanent, and I needed to mount the fabric on something to keep it from slouching.  I decided to tape the fabric and paper to cardboard, and then put staples into the wood (not flush, but sticking out a bit) all the way around to hold the cardboard in place. 

The final challenge was how to hang this monstrosity on our wall.  It's a heavy window, so we needed to make sure it was hung properly, especially since we were planning to hang it over our bed and didn't want it crashing down on us in the night.  ;)  After a little research, we decided to purchase a French cleat picture hanging system, which worked perfectly.  I didn't take any pictures of that part, but it really was a breeze to install, and we both feel confident that the window will be staying put. 

I am SO happy with the final product, and I love that it has sentimental elements!

I also love that it matches our quilt so nicely. 

 And I love that it fills a huge blank space on our wall. 

Fern & Luna approve!

Besides all that, I'm thrilled that I completed a Pinterest project! That gave me a sense of satisfaction I wasn't quite expecting, and makes me want to complete eve more projects.  :)  I have done a couple more, so I'll try to blog about those somewhat soon(ish).  Stay tuned...  :)